School

SCHOOL.

When someone mentions the term 'SCHOOL' the first thing that pops out is teacher or homework. However that is only on a daily basis in an everyday life. In the dark side, 'SCHOOL' is a name that strikes fear into anyone who hears it.

Simply because it is the name of the 2nd ranked Level 5's group.

A 4 member team comprised of the 2nd ranked Level 5, Kakine Teitoku. Measure Heart, Gokusai Kaibi. The boy with goggles, the Level 4 psychokinesist and the brain behind the computer, Yobou Banka. Lastly, their Level 0 assassin who they recently hired, Yumiya Rakko.

These 4 members are enough to take down an entire lab or organization and if need be, they can also do it single-handedly.

That was how powerful their group was. However, they don't act by themselves most of the time as they are assigned missions by their liaison who gets them in contact with clients and such. Most of the time, they are just waiting in the darkness to perform their main mission.

Gaining access to the highest authority in Academy City, the chairman of the Board of Directors. However, this is mostly Kakine Teitoku's plan and he is just hiring people who can get the job done with him.

These incidents happened a while back during and after the Daihasei Festival ended.

But it sparked a deep hatred for Academy City within the 2nd ranked.

This was a story of what his role was going to be as the spare plan.

----------------------

While having Yobou search through the whole of the internet as well as chats within Academy City in his room. A room with a single monitor and multiple highly advanced computer systems that could easily produce as many bitcoins as he wanted. However, he had no need for that type of meaningless fortune.

He was supposed to search for anything related to 'The Spare Plan'.

And he came across multiple places that had the information he needed.

So SCHOOL was on the move to multiple places from labs to worn down buildings.

One of the many interesting finds happened to be with Gokusai Kaibi.

------------------

She had been sent on a mission to check out one of the worn down buildings and as they suspected, that place which she was sent to was guarded by armed men in black clothing. However, she was the only person sent there to deal with the situation because SCHOOL was spread out to different locations for efficiency.

Being the second member to enter SCHOOL, and having an interest to Kakine's plan, she's his most trusted member in the group and is the most reliable person when it comes to carrying out her missions. Moreover, she had plenty of experience inside the Dark Side as well as connections within the Dark Side of Academy City which made her an even more valuable asset to the team.

So of course, she took care of the guards with ease.

Her ability Measure Heart was not very showy or fancy like her appearance. It was a subtle ability which could tell her the feelings of someone's heart and she can even make her enemies feel closer to her, like a close friend or a lover or even make them feel fear. However, if their hostility towards her exceeds the relationship barrier which she put up, they can surpass her ability. Thus, she always carries around a 9mm Lady Pistol.

"It's good when missions like this are easy, but too easy can be a bit boring."

Kaibi was walking through a long hallway in the building with bloodied bodies amounting to about 4 people. All of which she had killed using her pistol. She was not the type who liked getting blood all over her so she made sure to stand a distance away when she was killing them in order to prevent her pink frilled dress from getting soaked in blood.

"Now then, where is the information..."

She was looking through a computer which was supposedly holding the information to the 'Spare Plan'.

"It seems like this place is a dead end as well."

She merely scrolled through the computer one time just to find out that the data had already been erased. Whatever the guards were guarding seemed to be a decoy that's why the security wasn't as strong as it was supposed to be.

"Well, I guess I'll just have to report this when I get--"

The only reason she stopped talking was due to a pair of footsteps approaching the place she was in. She quickly duck behind the desk as she held out her gun.

"(Reinforcements?)"

However, when she peeked out from behind the desk she was shocked to find the person who was going into the room.

"Tch, could that brat have ran inside here? Where did she go?"

It was the strongest esper in Academy City.

The monster of Academy City.

Accelerator.

"(What is Accelerator doing here? Whatever the case is, I'd better collect some information in case we ever get into a fight.)"

Accelerator was scratching his head as he looked around to find nothing inside the room. A displeased face ran over him as he looked down.

"Tch, I can't find you. Anymore than that is a waste of power. Guess I'll cut it."

A small beep ran through the room and Kaibi saw it as a chance to confront him.

"(He cut his choker. If I'm not mistaken, that's how he turns his ability on and off. Now is my chance, let's see if my ability works on him.)"

Kaibi popped out from behind the desk as if nothing had happened and as if she had not been listening to him the whole time.

"Hey, Accelerator...Academy City first ranked."

Accelerator turned his head up and glared at her, with his hand on his choker.

"Ahn? Oh, it's just you. The fuck are you doing here?"

"I have no desire to fight you. So calm down."

Accelerator thought about it for a few seconds before he placed his left hand down and relaxed his muscles. He still had a backup plan in case if she ever started getting aggressive, which was the power in his left hand itself.

Kaibi slipped the pistol back inside it's holster around her thigh and lifted her hands up to prove that she wasn't going to fight him.

"(I feel a strong sense of hostility from him...but with my ability, set the distance between you and I as close friend.)"

The moment she did that, Accelerator was immediately put back on guard as he placed his hand on his choker. He felt something crawling on his neck. Or to be precise, a feeling.

"Ahn? What the fuck was that?"

"There's something I'd like to ask you--"

"Oi! Don't make any strange moves unless you want to be beaten to death!"

Kaibi was stunned as the sudden feeling of hostility rose upon her again. A feeling of hatred.

"(What? His hostility towards me has reappeared?!)"

"Slowly place your hands behind your head, or actually would it be better if I ripped them out?" Accelerator asked as he tried to intimidate her.

"Wait wait, I'm not doing anything at all! See?"

"..." Accelerator thought about it for a moment. Was it his imagination that had set off that feeling or something else?

But it could not have been as her hands were already behind her head which meant that she was indeed guilty of manipulating something.

"(Let me just try to move the distance between you and I a bit...closer. Maybe to the level of lovers?)"

The moment that creeping feeling got onto him again, he shouted at her.

His fingers set on his choker.

"Oi, stop doing weird shit with your abilities!"

"Okay okay, I understand. But I haven't done anything! (Tch, does this mean he knows of my ability? But that cannot be. Measure Heart is an undetectable force.)"

"You might not have done anything, but in the first place. The powers of espers can be divided into two things. Forces that can be seen and the ones that cannot be seen. I'm guessing yours is the invisible type."

Accelerator smirked as he looked down on her without letting his guard down. The moment she pulled a gun out, he would burst out and kill her on the spot.

"(Is what he would be thinking so retaliation isn't an option now. But what is he? I've moved him closer to me as lovers but it doesn't seem to have any effect...)"

Kaibi could only bite her bottom lip as she tried thinking of a way out of this.

"(Does this essentially mean that lovers and enemies are of the same level to him? I know Shizuri Mugino would be the type of person to think like that.)"

"Then what will you do to me now that you've put me in this position?" Kaibi finally spoke up. If she wasn't going to survive just standing there looking pretty, she might as well try to 'negotiate' with him.

But a simple answer came out.

"What if I try to kill you?"

"Then I'll resist as long as I can."

"..."

Her answer was short and sweet. She didn't want to die so quickly when her two sisters are waiting for her to return to them.

But if she was going to die, then she didn't want to die so easily.

After a brief moment of silence, Accelerator finally opened his mouth.

"Ah is that so?"

Small beads of sweat ran down the side of her forehead as she waited anxiously for her verdict.

Then, the Judge's hammer finally dropped.

"Well whatever, I'll ignore this time. So quickly get lost."

"Ah, then I'll be on my way."

Her heart finally could rest easy now that she was let off as her small legs slowly ran out of the door, but even as she looked back at him, even with his back turned...

She could feel a pair of eyes watching her from that room.

It was a tense feeling.

The moment she left the building, her legs were shaking as she 'calmly' walked out and onto the main road.

She rarely ever says things out loud during a mission, but this time, she had to in order to let out her feelings.

"Academy City's strongest esper, Accelerator. This is no good. At the level where my ability is, there was nothing I could do."

----------------------

Meanwhile, back in the same room, a tensed up Accelerator finally breathed a sigh of relief as that girl in a dress had left the room.

"(I managed to hide my battery life in time so that she wouldn't see my battery running out.)"

Accelerator finally dropped his hand down and waited for a while longer to make sure she was not in the vicinity any longer.

He slowly limped out of the room as his phone started ringing in his pocket.

"You found her? That's good to hear. I'll be back soon as well."

As Accelerator limped through the hallway, a simple thought passed him.

"(15 minutes is definitely not enough time. Moreover, what the fuck was in this building as well?)"

----------------------

When Kaibi finally reached the main road, she stretched her tiny arms into the sky as she bent her torso backwards.

"Sigh. It can't be helped if I hesitate in a place like this. I have to write a report about my mission."

She looked back once more at the direction where she came from after stretching.

This time with a calm expression.

"(Accelerator, the biggest monster in Academy City. I hope the day doesn't come when we have to fight you.)"

Then she was on her merry way back to School's hideout.

---------------------------------

A single day passed after meeting the Accelerator, but Kaibi still had not mentally recovered from that encounter.

She hadn't lost her touch within the darkness of Academy City nor has she lost her way.

It was just a small matter concerning her Measure Heart.

She was sure that Accelerator had never used his power during their encounter. So why was he so resistant to her power? How did he manage to break free from her Measure Heart?

She doubted her Measure Heart at that point.

Was it really as effective as she had thought it was?

A year ago, she had met a spiky haired boy who managed to break free from her Measure Heart because he was courageous enough to face any opponent in his way.

Due to that flaw, he had single-handedly defeated both of her sisters.

"(It was the same as that time...)"

It was already night time, she had already finished her part time job.

Enjo kōsai or otherwise known as sugar dating where men would pay a lot of money for sexual services to cope with their loneliness and stress in their lives. However, she did it without selling out her body. She merely kept her clients at an arm's length as they cried and ranted about their problems to her while she sat there doing her manicure.

She had simply done that by utilizing her Measure Heart to manipulate their hearts. Of course on a standard level of human interaction, her Measure Heart was confirmed to work on people whose hearts had never been tainted by the darkness.

However, even within the dark side of Academy City, her Measure Heart was still foolproof and reliable. Seldomly tripping up.

If School ever got into a fight with Accelerator, she did not want it to trip up especially if it could give them the upper hand by making Accelerator drop his guard.

It was a serious matter for her.

If Kakine Teitoku dies, he would be surely out to get the rest of School as well.

"This is such a problem..."

Just as she walked into the hotel where they were all gathered, she accidentally bumped into the 2nd ranked Level 5.

It was just a small push and didn't really do much against him, but it still annoyed him.

"Oi, watch where you're walking."

He turned his head and glared at her, but she simply looked down and apologized.

"Oh, sorry."

"Huh?"

Even though, she gave the same response as everyone who ever annoyed him, just missing the tone, Kakine still found her behavior weird.

Firstly, whenever she bumped into him, it was rarely on accident unless she had been spacing out because of the latest brand deals that had released at her favorite makeup shop or clothing shop. But whenever, she bumped into him, she would smile in response.

Secondly, not only would she give him that cheeky smile of hers every time, she would even tease him or say something weird.

Lastly, saying sorry with her face looking down was the weirdest thing he had ever seen from her.

"Tsk, sit down. You're late today."

"I'm sorry."

"..."

It was a seriously weird night for Kakine.

But his mission always came first so he proceeded to brief them about the plan that night.

"Yobou managed to find some new info on the whereabouts of the information I'm looking for and this one is a highly secured facility. Seems like it's at District 19, a deserted district with nothing but abandoned buildings. Seems like there's an old lab there that had been abandoned because the espers they were testing out there went rampant and caused the researchers to bail. However, that was only on paper."

There were only 3 people in the room, Kaibi, Rakko and Kakine himself.

There were no guards there as they didn't want the chance of their plan being revealed so they kept it primarily within their circle of operatives.

"The plan is simple. We go in and kill. However, leave at least one of them alive."

Kakine stared intently at Yumiya Rakko as he finished his sentence.

"Understand, Rakko?"

Yumiya Rakko was just your normal average everyday school girl. She attended a private academy and was well off, having lived by herself since young. She had learnt the art of killing using her instincts and 'power'.

Despite being a Level 0, she had a special 'power' that made her invisible. Because of that, she was rarely ever noticed in school and considered herself to be a loner since she hadn't made any friends since starting high school. That was her thinking.

"U-Understood, sir!"

However, even knowing she was a fully fledged assassin, she still felt tense around the presence of others because she had no idea how to interact with others.

True to her title, she was also a killer beauty. Her long black hair flowed down while some of it were tied up in two pigtails fashion. She wears a pouch belt, alongside her long-sleeve shirt to conceal her hidden guns and a black skirt. Underneath she wears a black full bodysuit, which when worn with her outfit, makes it look like she's wearing stockings.

"When we have that one last man alive, Kaibi you'll interrogate him for information. Got it?"

But Kaibi didn't respond.

Not even a single 'uhn' or a nod.

She was just staring into blank space.

"Oi, Kaibi, I'm talking to you. Are you fucking deaf, or do you want me to pluck your ears out?"

Still not a single word.

Since she was sitting just opposite of Rakko, Rakko tried to signal to her by making weird hand movements and whispering to tell her to answer otherwise she would really be killed.

But that still did not get to her.

It was only when a single white wing appeared in front of her eyes that she finally snapped out of it.

"Oi, this is my last warning. If you're incompetent, I'll just cut you from the team."

Of course, that was just Kakine throwing empty threats at her. He would never actually do it unless she really pissed him off by betraying him.

"Understood, just interrogate them right?"

"..."

Kakine withdrew his wing as Rakko breathed a sigh of relief.

In SCHOOL, the only people Rakko can consider her friends are them. Since they gave her the most humanly contact possible by interacting with her and 'going out'. However, to them she was just a disposable tool that can be replaced.

------------------------

They were currently in a Subaru Alcyone SVX and although it was not a very luxurious car as their statuses would suggest, it would give them the element of surprise. Giving the enemies no time to destroy any sort of evidence.

It didn't provide the best experience, but it was still enough for a short mission. They had one of their men associated with SCHOOL to drive for them. SCHOOL had connections with other groups that provided them with manpower, or roaches who can do their simple work for them and can also drive for them.

They were still paid a bit more than Anti-Skill officers so the people that take on these jobs never really complained about anything.

The car itself could fit about 5 people, 2 in the front, and 3 at the back. Sometimes it can even fit 6 if counting the trunk itself.

Kakine was sitting at the front while the two girls sat at the back so it made the driver slightly frightened as Kakine was known to be easily infuriated so if he made even the smallest mistake like not driving through a yellow light but instead slow down, he would be killed on the spot.

Kakine felt like a driving instructor but that was all in the man's head. Kakine just wanted to sit by himself and since the roof of the car wasn't an option. The front seat was the 2nd best option. He didn't really care about how that underling drove, as long as he got to their destination he would be satisfied.

"Rakko-san, can I ask you for a favor?"

"Eh? H-Huh?! W-Why the sudden q-question, Kaibi-san?!" Rakko replied nervously as she stuttered through her words.

It came out of the blue as they were driving. Their car rides were usually silent with each of them letting their minds wander off or doing their own things. So for Rakko especially to be the one to receive these unexpected moments with her awkwardness when talking to other people, she was of course nervous.

"It's just a simple test. Look at me."

Kaibi pressed the side of Rakko's temple as Rakko's head started to burn with anxiety and questions.

"I-I-I'm l-looking!"

Kaibi then activated her Measure Heart.

"(I'll make her look at me like I'm the most dangerous person in Academy City.) Rakko-san, how do you feel towards me?"

Rakko's face was flushed with redness as she avoided eye contact, but once Measure Heart was put into motion, she could finally muster up the courage to make eye contact with her. But the redness would not disappear from her face.

"U-Umm I-I think you're a wonderful t-teammate, K-Kaibi-san..."

"(Huh...then how about if I was Kakine in her eyes...)"

Although Measure Heart wasn't a mind reading ability, she could still utilize the feelings people had towards certain people and that certain person's 'aura'.

"Te-Teito...eh? K-Kaibi-san I mean! Eh, why did you remind me of him?"

"Do you still feel no difference?"

"E-Eh? O-Of course not! I still think y-you're a wonderful t-teammate."

Kakine on the other hand was looking at the rear view mirror to see what they were up to.

He grit his teeth as his head laid down on his hand.

"(What the hell are those two idiots doing? More importantly, why is she trying to use Measure Heart on her?)"

Kaibi finally released her fingers from Rakko's temple as she breathed out an exasperated sigh.

"(So it's no good huh?)"

-----------------------

When they finally reached their destination, the driver was noticeably sweating and breathed a sigh of relief when Kakine left the car.

They arrived at a factory. To be precise, it was a chocolate factory. The chocolate they were selling were about 1000 yen and wasn't really making any real headlines. It just tasted like normal chocolate that anyone can find anywhere. There was nothing special about it thus the 1000 yen price tag.

The business itself had only a single factory which they were standing in front of. For them to set this factory up, they had to run the logistics and marketing plan with the Board of Directors, however knowing them, they were probably in on this experiment as well.

In the morning there were noticeable factory workers and trucks leaving the place, but the moment curfew timing for students hit, the place becomes dead silent with only the workers going home and nothing else happening.

"(Pretty smart of them to conduct their experimentation here.)" Kakine thought as they stood at the back of the factory.

Though the business was small, the factory they owned was much bigger than one would expect. It was probably taking up 2 by 2 acres of land and there were metallic fences surrounding the vicinity for extra protection.

It was that massive.

"Rakko, try to find a way in. I'll cause a commotion at the front and then we'll pinch them from there. Make sure no one runs, we can't rule out the possibility of a ring leader in this place."

"Yes sir!"

"Oi, that goes for you too. You're coming with me."

"...Okay." Kaibi answered without the slightest bit of enthusiasm.

Her thoughts were still running through her mind.

Was her ability even useful anymore?

Is victory over Accelerator even possible?

They had split into their positions as Kaibi walked behind Kakine Teitoku to the other side.

As they were walking, Kakine shot a question at her.

"Oi, are you alright?"

Kakine was not the nicest person. Hell, he was a straight up douchebag if anyone could describe him, however, treating a stranger and a teammate are two separate things.

He may not be a nice person, but he can be a good friend.

"Heh? O-Of course, there's nothing wrong. I'm just...thinking about some things." Kaibi nonchalantly replied.

Kakine slowed his pace down and Kaibi did so too but he slowed down so she could catch up, so it annoyed him when she slowed down as well.

He stopped in his tracks and turned to face her.

"Tsk, spill it. What the hell are you thinking about. I doubt it's about missing some dumb promotional makeup product or whatever. I specifically set our meeting after closing hours just to avoid that excuse."

"..."

Kaibi couldn't look him in the eye. It was more like she felt as if she could be treated like Rakko who was disposable the moment she showed weakness. She didn't want to leave School.

He could help her achieve her goal so he had some benefits for her as well.

She couldn't afford to lose him as an ally.

There was a cold silence between them as Kakine continued staring her down.

But finally, he let her go.

"Ha...fine. If you're not comfortable saying it, then whatever. Let's just get this mission over with, I think by the time we get to the entrance, Rakko would have already infiltrated the factory."

However, losing him was not her biggest concern. She knew if anyone had a chance against the Accelerator, it was him.

Getting kicked from the team wasn't also an issue.

It was just the thought of death.

Unlike others, she treasured her life more than anything and if there was an alternative way she could get out of a situation alive and unharmed, she would pick that route. But she would of course go down the guns blazing route if it meant that outcome as well.

Her ability could be used on others midway through a fight to catch them off guard, but if it had no effect on the Accelerator, that could be it for School.

In the end, position still stands evidently in Academy City.

Kakine Teitoku just isn't strong enough to win the Accelerator on a 1 on 1.

Even if he could blast through a metal fence and a wall all in a single second.

Even if he could throw out multiple shards of feathers that can potentially cause devastating harm to the human body.

Even if his reaction was fast enough that he could block bullets in time using his white wings.

She knew that the Accelerator would still get to him and find a way to kill him.

"Oi, snap the fuck out of it!"

She felt a sudden force pushing her back but she didn't fall. Instead she felt her small back being supported by a slender arm.

Around her was a white background, almost like she was in heaven. Even though the surrounding noises were filled with explosions and gunshots.

In front of her was Kakine Teitoku looking away as he pulled his wings away from them.

"You...what the fuck are you spacing out for?"

Kakine glared at her.

"I-I'm sorry."

He grabbed the gun strapped around her knee and pushed it to her small frame.

"I brought you here to do a job. Not to fucking laze around. Take your weapon and start killing, simple as that."

Kakine wasn't the best leader. If his teammates died, he wouldn't even bat an eye. It simply meant they just couldn't keep up.

That's just who he is.

However, even Kaibi could see the gunshot wound in his shoulder.

"Teitoku...san..."

"Tch, you owe me one for this."

Under normal circumstances, he would have been able to react in time to the bullets maybe even kill them before they fired the first shot. However, that shot came from the back so he was even lucky enough to reach her in time.

Kaibi was standing behind him, so she was the sole target for that marksman.

But Kakine managed to save her in the nick of time.

Fortunately, the cocoon he wrapped himself in was strong enough to block all their bullets and explosions. That was the power of his Dark Matter.

If he wanted to, he could take on an army of Anti-Skill without getting so much as a scratch.\

This is the power of the 2nd ranked Level 5 in Academy City.

Suddenly, the barrage of bullets were becoming lesser and lesser as screaming could be heard from one side of the factory.

"Finally..."

Kakine unveiled the both of them as he stretched his wing out to target the marksman from earlier.

It was just within a split second.

His wing carved a narrow hole through his target's stomach. His intestines dropped out and he fell to his knees. Right after, a long wing decapitated his head off and his body was left upright.

"Took you long enough."

Rakko had finally entered the factory to assist them as she danced through the many bodies dropping down. It was almost like she was dancing.

Arms up, feet constantly moving left and right, up and down.

She was like a ballerina and a gunslinger combined together.

Pinpoint accuracy, bullets flying through the targets necks. A bullet goes in, and comes out through a vein.

Every shot was spilling blood.

Kakine didn't see the need to move now that she was clearing everything up.

He calmly observed his surroundings with his hands in his pockets. The gunshot from earlier didn't even seem to mind him anymore. He was just casually strolling through the bloodied factory as if he was in a park.

"Remember, leave one alive."

The moment he said that, Rakko fired the last bullet and it hit the last soldier in his tendons. The D.A. soldier fell pathetically to the floor.

By now, the once clean white factory made to produce chocolate was turned into a meat factory. Blood splattered all across the walls, bodies amounting to 40-60 lying on the floor. The smell of iron was strong. Not only from the blood but also from the smoke coming out of Rakko's hidden guns.

D.A. was supposed to have stopped their duties after Kihara Amata and Kihara Souji died but it seems like their efforts were employed by some bigger organization.

He was on a mission to find out who that big organization belongs to and bring them down.

The final soldier who Rakko injured was now crawling away into a white hallway that has not yet been stained in red.

But it will soon be.

The moment the soldier stretched his arm out, a white wall cut his hand off to the point his bones were visible.

"G-Gaaah!! D-Damn you, Kakine Teitoku!!"

The man tried to stop the blood from flowing out by squeezing his wrist but it seemed pointless as the blood kept oozing out.

"Kaibi, this is on you. Try to get him to spill whatever he knows, Rakko follow me. We'll explore the factory for any means of information."

"Y-Yes sir!!" Rakko replied.

"Alright..." Kaibi weakly responded.

The moment the both of them left, Kaibi commenced her interrogation. Usually, she would be left alone with the target to get more accurate results. But this time, she was afraid.

"(Let's see...I'll set our distance to close friends? Or maybe lovers?)"

While she was deciding, the soldier seemed a bit crazed and panicked at the same time as she played with his emotions.

"You...please, get me out of here! W-We're friends right?!"

Shockingly, he managed to get up on one foot.

"No, y-you'll have to tell me what you're planning here..."

"N-No, I can't. You know I can't! It's confidential...and even if I know, I wouldn't dare say it. Otherwise, I might not even live to see tomorrow!!"

Kaibi was nervous, she was losing her connection as the conversation went on.

"Eh? In the first place why am I telling you this?"

She increased the emotional distance between them, she made them closer.

"I-I can't tell you this...you'll just die with me!"

"W-Why is that so?"

"K-Kihara...If she finds out I'm still alive, she'll sic a fucking battalion on me, I-I don't want to get tortured!!" The man then grabs her by the shoulders with both hands as she got a close up look at his face.

It was difficult to differentiate what was tears and what was sweat as both were pouring from his face profusely.

At that moment she lost her connection with him as he came to realize it as well.

Not even a second later, the man's instincts kicked in as he slugged her with his shivering fist. The impact created a loud thud as she fell to the floor soon after.

She landed hard on the marble floor as the man took a second to regain his composure. He looked at his hands as his legs were shaking.

"F-Fuck!!" The man cursed as he tried to limp away with one foot.

Kaibi on the other hand was as stiff as a statue as she laid down on her shoulder. She didn't know how to react.

As the man continued to limp for the entrance while avoiding the multiple bloodied bodies on the floor, a sudden 'pop' sound could be heard from behind him and a sharp pain filled his spine immediately.

To be precise, a bullet flew through his neck and it took him a few seconds to realize his supply of air had been cut off as he touched his neck.

"F...Finally..." The man muttered as he soon dropped to the floor.

Yumiya Rakko was standing right in front of Kaibi as she made sure he was dead before coming to her senses again as she looked down.

"E-Eh?! K-Kaibi-san, are you okay? Are you hurt? What happened?"

Rakko squatted down as she thought of touching her or just leaving her be with her hands beside her.

"I-I'm okay..."

"A-Are you hurt anywhere?"

"No, but thanks for asking."

Kaibi weakly got up as she massaged the area where she was punched.

"Enough about me, what about Teitoku-san?"

"Eh? He told me to check what happened here while he went ahead. We heard something so I came here."

"Ah I see...he was not angry, was he?"

"H-He looked the same."

"Meaning he was..."

Kaibi bit her lip after she said that. She felt disappointed in herself for not being able to complete a simple task, a task which was second nature to her.

As Rakko looked at Kaibi, she felt a hand on her shoulder and then a single comment that shook her.

"I hope you're not talking about me when you said that."

Rakko's back immediately stood up as she slowly tilted her head to see her leader standing behind her.

"O-Of course not! You look amazing as always, T-Teitoku-san!"

"I know, but try not to say it while stuttering. It seems less believable."

The look on his face was terrifying as she avoided his eye contact.

He lets her shoulder go as he looks at Kaibi. His eyes narrowed with disappointment as he fixed his gaze on her with furrowed brows and downturned corners of his mouth.

He let out a deep sigh before looking down at her.

"You failed again, didn't you?"

"Yes..." She rubbed the shoulder which she landed on as she looked at the ground.

"Well whatever. It seems like they already swept the details from the computers before leaving. So this was just another dead end."

The two of them fell silent as he looked at them.

He clicked his tongue before twisting the shoulder where he was shot and threw his hand out towards Kaibi.

When she saw this gesture, it was the first time after a while she could take a moment to look at his face.

He was facing the entrance, but his hand was still in front of her.

"Come on let's go, it's late already and the floor must be uncomfortable to sit on, right?"

She always knew he had a soft spot within him, but he rarely shows it during missions. It was just the type of person he is. He had two extremities of his personality. The sadistic side of him and the caring side of him. She just never thought he would direct that towards her.

"Mmm but my legs are too tired to get up, I could really use a piggyback ride."

"Tch, then you can stay there and die if you're that weak."

He pulls back his hand as he slid his hands inside his pockets.

Kaibi let out a small chuckle before standing back up on her own.

"You feeling better now?"

"Yes."

"Then let's go."

"Oh, before that. Even though the lead we had is dead, he did mention the name Kihara."

The moment he heard that name, Kakine gritted his teeth as he clenched his fists in his pocket.

"Those fucking dogs again. They just don't stop, do they?"

Rakko and Kaibi had nothing to comment about that as they followed him.

"Their obsession with the Level 5's are something. They're persistent if anything."

As they walked through the masses of corpses around them, he stomped his feet through the heads of one of them, leaving a bloody mess on his shoe.

It seems like his next target is the Kihara group.