The Crisis World XX

Chap. 144: The Assassin, Dantalion

Kurobane Mei PoV's

It's 11 p.m. And I should have fallen in my room to watch a movie or wait for my eyes to get tired and fall asleep. But now, I don't do that.

The sound of a shower that showed me I was in the bathroom right now, not saying a single word and cleaning my body in silence. Although this body is scarred and not beautiful at all, it is still mine. After a few minutes, I finally turned off the shower and walked out.

When in the room, slowly dry the wet hair and tie it into a model ponytail to make it easier for me to move later. I then wear clothes that people probably don't usually wear at this hour.

Is correct. I picked up a kimono with long, broad arms on its arms. It included a short kimono due to its size not reaching the thighs, so I combined it with tight black shorts and a short fishnet up to the knees. Coupled with warm socks and heels.

After I finished wearing it, I looked a little at the mirror to make sure that my clothes were neat or not. But the reaction I could give after seeing myself was just a bitter smile.

"No matter how many times I look at it, it still doesn't feel right" I murmured softly.

After I finished mocking myself, I came out of the room to immediately meet the person who was currently waiting for me in front of the house. But as usual before leaving the house, I always say goodbye to my father's room even though I wasn't sure if he could hear it.

And now is the time to go.

I opened the front door. Sliding doors of wood and paper typical of Ancient Japanese housing. Then there were two people who had been waiting for me with bored faces because it seemed like I was taking too long.

"You're out, too."

"Yes." Yeah."

I will go with them both— Nimis and Ardenter, to complete my mission. The Assassin.

It's been about two years since the events of Herlin-chan left all of us without saying goodbye. Yep. You didn't hear me wrong, two years. I have now graduated from school and Iraya-kun is already in third grade.

Time passes so quickly when you don't think too much about it. And as you may have guessed, I did not continue my education. I prefer to make money for my father— treatment which unfortunately has no signs of improving.

And since I've been stuck to this side of the world I don't have much of a choice. It happened about two years ago, when Black Rain got the job to be the concert bodyguard Rainbow Cookies.

**

The day before the concert, we slept in their rooms, which were deliberately reserved for bodyguards.

But I couldn't sleep and could only daydream about the many things inside my head. One of them is my future. A future that allows me to earn a lot of money in a short time.

It might look like someone who is greedy, but I can guarantee that I am not a matre or so. I need a lot of money, that's all.

Actually I was thinking of earning money in a normal way. You know, getting a decent job after school, office workers, blah blah blah. But I realized that for too long, those debt collectors could come back whenever they wanted and I couldn't just keep banging them.

I also never intended not to pay it off— if I could I would. But unfortunately, this school-age me didn't have that kind of money, nor did I know how to get it quickly.

"Is there anything I can do, huh?" muttered.

Then suddenly a crazy thought came into my head that I didn't think I could think of anything like this. The figures of Nigiyaka-san and Akihito-san appeared in my head all of a sudden, as if to be the answer I had been looking for all this time.

But somehow, I still had a little doubt about the thought just now. Since it was the biggest decision that could possibly change my whole life, there was one more thing that was still a consideration.

I poured a little aura down my index finger tips creating a tiny tornado no bigger than my thumb. My ability is still poor or arguably, weak.

I may even be the weakest among the other Black Rain members. Iraya-kun who I thought might be a little below my ability, turned out to have a power that could even hold back some Assassins while protecting me who was unconscious at that time.

It made me realize that I was actually the weakest of all. So I need to improve this Elemental ability that I have.

Wind elemental. When I was a kid, I thought that pushing a wooden toy block with my palm without touching it was common. But I just found out that it's something that normal humans can't do.

Then unbeknownst to anyone, I tried various things with the strange power I had. Starting from lifting a broom in the air, squeezing clothes, to lifting water for a few seconds into the air. I did all of this without touching it.

Even though after doing that, my body immediately went limp as if doing a very tiring thing. I even had a fever for a few days because I did it too much.

But still, it makes me feel special and different from everyone else. I mean, Hey! I'm a really great person but my friends don't know that?! Haha ...! You weak people! I even had a chance to think so until around second grade High School.

Everything changes when something strange happens at school. Yes, there was a creature attack that I could not clearly describe. Lizard-like? But it has the size of a human.

When my classmates were drowning in panic, I who possessed this special power did not feel the slightest fear. I even intend to defeat them all and become the hero of this school. Sounds like the delusion of all the boys, right?

Calmly, I decided to drop out of class and walk onto the field. The conditions were very chaotic there and it just so happened that I managed to defeat three of them. Long story short, my two underclassmen suddenly came and offered me to join their organization, of course as you already know, it was Iraya-kun and Herlin-chan.

That's where I realized that I was nothing, my strength was nothing compared to the people who were there. It subconsciously irritated me and wanted to say rude. God fucking.

Haah .. I said rudely. And it seems like we've gone too far off the topic too.

I removed the mini tornado that had been dancing freely on my finger and then after that, made up my mind to approach Nigiyaka-san.

"Yoh!" I encouraged myself.

When I got to the door of his room, after he opened the door without further ado I immediately informed him of my purpose in coming here.

"You, if it's not wrong ...?"

"There's something I want to talk about, Nigiyaka— no, Nimis-san."

His face became confused when I mentioned his nickname. And because he felt that the conversation would be a little more sensitive, he then let me in first.

"So, what do you want to say?"

"I want to be like you. More precisely, an Assassin is like you."

Is correct. That's what I was thinking about. Being an Assassin is not as easy as other normal jobs because it requires skills and abilities that are above average. Moreover, the job dealt with one's life.

Hence the expression of Nigiyaka-san looks more in a confused direction than alert.

"Do you know what you're talking about right now?"

"I know."

"Being an Assassin is not a job you can say with a shout like that. And it's not easy either. Sorry, let's kuralat. That's the most bastard job you can think of."

"Th-that ...." I don't know what he's been through to be like this, but now I don't have much of a choice. "But even so, I still want to become an Assassin!" my firmness.

"Good, fine. First let's lower your voice first. Then what's your motivation for becoming an Assassin?"

"I need a lot of money."

"Am I wrong?"

"No, this is the most suitable job if you want to get money quickly. But you're still in school, your future is too bright to work in the dark like us."

"I knew. But now I am the backbone of my family, and there are still many expenses I have to bear alone. That's why I can't doubt. No doubt at all." I lowered my head and clenched my hands tightly.

It seems like Nigiyaka-san saw that. So inevitably he just sighed. "I'm not going to stop you, you have your own reasons anyway" he continued.

"REally?!"

"But ... You will die instantly if you become an Assassin with your current strength. Can you accept that? You do realize that you're the weakest of us all, right? I don't think you can even last a second on a mission."

My happy face immediately re-thought because Nigiyaka-san told me about my weakness. Which I actually know.

"I knew. That's why I came here."

"Hm?"

I stood in front of Nigiyaka-san and then bowed my body, begging him to train me in extra training.

It was not that I was not grateful for having been trained by Herlin-chan, but the training given by her was more concerned for how I could survive the fight. Rarely do I get the training to knock out my enemies.

"Aren't you training with Ririsaka Herlin and Satou Iraya?"

"Their training is still lacking if I want to become an Assassin, so I'd rather be trained by a direct Assassin."

"...."

He's still quiet. While I have not changed from a bowed position pleading. But after a while, Nigiyaka-san finally spoke again.

"Thank your head. An Assassin wouldn't let his blind spot open just like that."

"Eh? That means ...?!"

"I'll do as I can. For now back in your room, tomorrow we still have a mission."

A smile came out of my mouth. I couldn't help but feel my elation because the first step had passed. Just as I wanted to return to my room, Nigiyaka-san suddenly called out to me.

"By the way, what's your name?"

"Hn? I'm Kurobane Mei."

"Not that, the Assassin had to hide his real name. So I asked your name as an Assassin."

"If it were ...."

**

That's roughly the story I was able to become an Assassin, and everything has been going on for two years since then.

Whahuh? You think being an Assassin is easy? Then you have never felt the method of training. You could say, if the devil has a teacher then the teacher of the devil has a teacher again, then that is the most appropriate picture to describe the method of training Nigiyaka-san.

On the first day of practice, all I did was push ups. If you think just push-ups are not heavy, then imagine if you have to do it from sunrise to sunset without a break. I repeat, without rest!

Even when I vomited some, Nigiyaka-san did not soften at all. He kept watch alternately with Akihito-san so that I wouldn't cheat and stopped halfway.

Then to close the first day like hell, he took me to the edge of the cliff and kicked me down.

The vow! He's gonna kill me, oi! Fortunately I still had a little energy to form a small wind vortex on both my legs so that the fall was not too severe. And there are still many other inhumane exercises that are out of nowhere the idea.

But I felt that the blessings of those hellish days could be missed made me more confident in living my mission. Because my missions feel no heavier than the training I'm doing.

Except for one thing. That's killing.

This is no small thing to me. No one feels that taking someone's life is a small thing, unless he has a disease or a psychopath.

When I first killed someone, a nauseous feeling was instantly created inside my stomach. Seeing the blood of the person I killed flowed into my palm, then his gaze as he was dead haunted me all the way into the dream every time I slept.

But Nigiyaka-san and Akihito-san always told me not to think about it any further. They were scoundrels who deserved to be killed, hence they were targeted by an Assassin. That is what the two of them always instilled in me to reduce my burden.

But still it's not as easy as practice. So now I feel like I'm not as happy as I used to be. Is this the consequence of being an Assassin, huh?

"You're thinking strange things again."

"Eh?"

Nigiyaka-san seemed to realize that I was daydreaming while on the road. "No, just remembering the past" I said.

"Focus on the mission. Or you'll be an easy target for the enemy."

"Good."

Speaking of missions, we got a mission from a client. The one who hired us was a mob boss. There is a new gang that suddenly appears and becomes the talk of the underworld.

And it doesn't seem to be just a rumor, one of the mafia gang members who hired us got into a fight with them and killed them all. In the end, the boss hired us. Although we don't yet know who the boss of this new mafia gang is because he's very good at keeping his identity a secret, but he's our current target.

Well ... actually it was just Nimis and Ardenter at first, but they recommended me for being under their direct training. And the mafia boss without hesitation immediately agreed. Having great people's acquaintances is good, huh?

"We have arrived" said Akihito-san.

We finally got to the front of an alley. Looks like this is the area where the new gang lives. Dark but pretty clean, that's what I can describe from out here.

"Are you ready?" ask Nigiyaka-san.

"Yes ...."

The aura has spread all over my body, so that I will not instantly die if struck by an impromptu attack. This is one of the lessons given by Nigiyaka-san. Always focus on whatever happens.

"... Dantalion is ready for the mission" I said.

Seriate