:: Attempt 14 | Pretend ::

"It seems all of these words
Couldn't be further from the truth;
How did I get here?
What did I do?

"Your eyes, telling me lies,
And making me find myself;
While you have your agenda,
A life to pursue."
- "Pretend" by Secondhand Serenade

x + x

Perhaps it's strange for one to be calm in the face of adversity.

Then again...

A slow, amused smile claims my lips as I walk down the hall following the announcement merely two minutes before.

Does it still count as an 'adversity' if it's expected—even planned, to some extent?

Languidly, I observe the otherwise empty halls, devoid of the main building students who most likely were in their dull, monotonous classes. I shift my messenger bag higher up my shoulder, continuing onwards to the Office of the Board Chairman.

At the thought, I bite my lower lip—a vain attempt to suppress the urge to scowl. The mission. It's for the sake of the mission. I remind myself as I hold out a hand, firmly grasping the cool metal of the doorknob. I'm aware of the consequences of my actions, of course.

Red, red lips. Smiling, smirking, baring perfectly white teeth. "Don't run away now, little huntress. You have failed—and now you pay the price."

The monster advances; red, red lips curled in a mocking grin. Onyx eyes glint triumphantly; she raises a hand, languidly enveloping her fingers around the hilt. The blade glimmers in the dim light. I scowl, hunching even lower where I sit, backed against the wall.

"You can't even get rid of the trash. How useless—and you call yourself the Head's 'daughter'?" She snarls. "How pathetic, how brazen, how stupid!"

I hear a high-pitched whistling noise, then I feel the familiar warmth—of blood, my own, gushing forth from a fresh wound.

I stiffen in alarm as I back away from the door—just as an unknown man forces it open, stepping out of the office with an evident, haughty look upon his disgusting visage.

"Heh, another troublemaker?" The man leers as I stare placidly up at him. It appears that he doesn't care for alleged miscreants such as I'm apparently deemed to be.

"Am I supposed to care about what you think of me?" I question flatly, finishing my rather succinct appraisal of the revolting man. He looks like a commonplace sycophant, that's for sure.. A thing who cares more for its own reputation than those around it.

"Che, it sure isn't any surprise if a brat like you'll be moved to the End Class." He merely sneers, moving out of the way as I enter the office in its—I now refuse to deem him worthy of any human pronouns of a sort, thank you—stead.

As it walked past, I fixate a mocking gaze at its retreating back. Maybe it'll be worth it to poke fun at this high-and-mighty upstart...

"I suppose that that class isn't much worse than where you're heading, Pseudo-sensei." I call out sarcastically, subsequently causing the aforementioned to spin around, sputtering indignant insults as I finally enter the office.

"I see you've met Class D's homeroom teacher, Ono-sensei," is the bemused remark of one well-known educator by the name of Asano Gakuho. I simply allow myself to stand in front of his desk, twisting the strap of my bag around a finger as I wait for the bottomline of this 'meeting'.

When he doesn't say anything else, I reply monotonously: "It appears that you already know what I am here for." I raise an eyebrow, shifting my weight onto my heels. "I trust that as of today I may attend the Assassination Classroom?"

Chairman Asano strains a smile, one which I duly ignore. "You may proceed to the faculty after you ascend the mountain to the old school building. I am certain that they'll provide you with the necessary ammunition needed." With that, he rises from his seat, walking over to me with a lethal fluidity normally associated with a predator.

"I doubt that Asano-kun won't search for you after your apparent disappearance from the class, however."

I force a frigid, business-like smile of politeness as I stifle the urge to castrate this man right then and there. "I will make it certain that he will not hinder my attempts, Chairman Asano."

At those words, I turn away from the man, leaving the office with scarcely enough composure to keep up my usual mask.

x + x

"Kunugigaoka Academy Board Chairman, Asano Gakuho. He is a shrewd administrator who has made this school the foremost in this country in the ten years since its founding." The rustling of paper emphasizes his point as he raises it up to eye level, an evident seriousness present in his dark eyes.

"The main reason for his success is his cool-headed rationalism." Karasuma continues, "Class E is a perfect example of that.

"In this school, there is no escape from the system he created." He narrows his eyes at the ever-jovial-looking face of the alleged Korosensei. "Not even for you."

A sequence of three, brief taps resound from the faculty door, bringing the full attention of the two 'teachers'. With a sharp glance at the target—one which clearly conveys, "Don't move from there,"—Karasuma slides open the door, revealing a petite redhead with cold, azure eyes.

"You are Karasuma Tadaomi-san from the Ministry of Defense, aren't you?" The girl questions, her gaze flitting once to the gigantic yellow octopus (?) before settling once more upon the taciturn agent.

He inclines his head forward in a nod, allowing her to enter the room with yet another sideways glance at the target, who takes it as its cue to leave. With the 'alien' gone, he turns to the redhead, whose facial features appear to be set in a mask.

"Hanazono Aoi, isn't it?" Karasuma asks, to which the girl responds with a brief nod. "I assume you will be starting at this class as of today."

"That is correct." If he is to be frank, everything about this student—no, assassin standing before him appears to be quite robotic—almost like a doll programmed only to kill. "The Board Chairman has informed me that I will be receiving the necessary supplies after I arrive here."

He's met several mercenaries sent by the government, but this girl.. She doesn't seem to care about anything else other than completing her mission. The perfect killing machine.

Wordlessly, he hands a green Anti-Sensei knife to the girl, who immediately takes it and slipped it into her right sleeve. As he is about to hand the handgun, however, she freezes, immediately taking a step back.

"If it is possible, I would like another dagger instead of a pistol." She remarks stiffly, averting her gaze from the firearm. Utterly confused, he hands another to the tense redhead, who grasps it firmly within her left hand.

"I suppose you know about the target." He says, as though her sudden aversion to weaponry hadn't taken place. She nods once again, her gaze flickering towards the door. "I will be escorting you to the class now, if that is in your interests."

She acquiesces, shifting her bag higher up her shoulder.

If one won't look too closely, she would have looked like a simple teenager about to enter her new class for the first time. If one doesn't take any notice of the two daggers within her grip, however.

x + x

What I expected isn't anything like this.

As I slide open the door to Class 3-E, I am met by several copies of the target hovering beside the students at massive speeds. Confusion fills me as only one of the copies approach, its perpetual grin eerie amidst it all.

"Hanazono-san, isn't it?"

I smile, my hands clasped behind my back as I slowly shift the blades into my hands.

"It's a pleasure to finally meet you, Korosensei." I say calmly, lunging forward; the daggers poised to decapitate its head.

If I must kill once more in order to live, then so be it.

-To be continued.

[Word Count: 1,370. Originally written: April 26th, 2016. Edited: March 24th, 2017.]