CHAPTER 5 - August Affections (1)

[SNIPERS IN ACTION]

Tonight, they would put their summer assassination plan into reality. All of them have high hopes in this one especially with the meticulous and detailed planning, and rigorous training they had gone through.

Everyone in Class E was confident that they would succeed this time. All except for the two snipers who would hit the final blow of the plan. The success of the assassination would be critical to their accuracy and precision, which meant there was no room for error.

One fatal mistake and all would go down the drain.

Atop the hill, Chiba and Hayami began to take their clothes off, swimsuits underneath. Then they put them on their dummy selves, which Okajima and Sugaya had set up earlier.

Chiba shyly turned away when Hayami had unzipped her top and pulled down her skirt, revealing her two-piece, before she covered her torso with a jacket. Despite acknowledging to himself her attractive slender figure, he focused on the task at hand instead of admiring her further.

After putting on his black rash guard, a pair of hands that were not his gently zipped his back. "This could be our last time," said Hayami as her hands remained on him.

"Thanks." He turned around to face her. Deep down, he was starting to feel morose at the possibility that this could be the end. "Let's make this count."

"It was fun," she said just as a sigh escaped her lips.

"Mm."

They held their gaze at each other, measuring the other's thoughts and emotions. They were both nervous but at the same time pumped up to finish this especially with everyone being in sync right now in carrying out the plan.

They bumped their fists together as they both said, "Respect. Let's do our best."

***

'Can I make it this time?'

They both thought of it at once right after they had shuffled their hiding spots as the third assassin named Gastro stood cautiously on the bright-lit stage inside the concert hall of Fukuma Palace Hotel.

Earlier this evening, they had failed to kill Korosensei, who transformed into his ultimate defense form. Although that could be claimed as progress since their target had to resort to his final defense this time, the fact that the top snipers of the class – with their high-grade skill and reliability – had missed, has made the two lose their confidence.

Unlike that time, the two snipers were now wielding real firearms that Korosensei has entrusted to them. When Chiba had heard the sound of gunfire, his heart thumped loudly inside his chest as Ritsu explained to him that Hayami had almost been shot by the gun-licking assassin.

'She almost died,' he thought fervently and shivered at the image of his partner's lifeless body filled with blood. It was made certain by then that the lives of the whole class were now in their hands.

With the pressure weighing the two, their octopus teacher passed on a piece of important advice on trusting and sharing their burden with their friends. Hearing his words cleared their minds with new resolve resonating inside the two.

Afterward, Korosensei blurted out his next and last instruction: "Seat number 12! Stand and shoot!"

Gastro shot the figure that sprung up from seat number 12. It turned out to be a doll, a fake, which Sugaya had built together discreetly in a short time. From another direction, Chiba raised his arms holding the gun, "Ok", and then pulled the trigger.

Much to Gastro's relief, the bullet missed. But he thought wrong. It turned out that the raven-haired sniper was targeting the hanging lights on the stage, which eventually knocked him out on his back. No sooner than that was Hayami's turn to fire, sending his 'delicious' gun flying from his hand.

How glad she was for hitting it finally this time.

After tying up the unconscious assassin, their classmates joined the sniper duo and showered them with praises. Surrounded by her impressed friends, Hayami heaved out a relieved sigh when she met his gaze underneath that fringe.

The same thought paved into their heads concurrently: We did well. Then they came closer to each other to celebrate their win by bumping their arms together. Unlike before, elated smiles were carved on their faces.