CHAPTER 9 - December Decision (1)

[THIRD DATE: WINDOW SHOPPING]

In the second semester finals, everyone in Class 3-E has made it to the top 50. Instead of transferring to the main campus, they preferred to stay, so that they could kill their teacher by March.

Even Korosensei has bested Chairman Asano's educational philosophy after overcoming the test given by the principal.

The two snipers, then, decided to have their third date to bask in this glory especially Chiba who got 9th place. Having wanted to know each other better, they went to the mall to explore each other's interests.

Hayami was the one to choose the first place to go. Upon entering the bookstore, she was lured instantly to the Teen Fiction section with Chiba tagging along behind.

He picked up a book randomly from the shelf and skimmed over it. The title was 'The Ten Loves of Mr. Nishino' by Hiromi Kawakami. Then he asked, "Do you read romance?"

She nodded in reply as she pulled out a book – 'I am A Cat' by Natsume Soseki – as her mouth curved up. "I like the strong emotions that you can feel and the development of the main characters in romance stories. They make me feel alive," she explained after.

Although she preferred to not let her emotions show, it did not mean that she did not appreciate the mystery and complexity behind them – how it has been affecting anyone beyond reason and logic. Whenever she was in a dilemma on her feelings, she would sometimes consult the books as a reference.

But, lately, she had not relied on them that much anymore because of a specific someone, who was poring over a book beside her at the moment, the one whom she opened up to about her troubles and whose mere presence was enough to bring her comfort.

"Maybe I should read an English novel to help improve my vocabulary and grammar," said Chiba as he came across 'Turtles All The Way Down' written by John Green.

Hayami closed the book in her hand and returned it to its place. She, then, walked out of the section before turning towards Classics.

Chiba was trailing after her when she popped out from the shelf while holding a small book.

"I suggest you read this." She raised the book of Adeline Yen Mah, 'Chinese Cinderella'. "It's a classic and one of my favorites. I have a copy that I can lend you tomorrow in school."

"Can I see?" He extended his arm just as she handed it to him.

After reading the synopsis on the back, he hummed contentedly and returned it to her. "Seems interesting," he said.

They went to the music store next. While browsing through an array of CD albums, Chiba set his sights on an album of a Japanese band.

He took a closer look and blurted, "Cool. They have their new album."

Hayami walked up beside him. "Will you buy it?" she asked.

He shook his head. "I'd like to but I didn't bring enough money. I can buy this online later."

Afterward, he proceeded to another aisle with Hayami by his side since she has no particular interest in music. Instead, she took note of the music genres he liked (besides Hardcore Punk) and the bands or artists that he listened to.

"Do you want to listen too?" he asked as he pulled down his headset. When she had nodded, he passed it to her.

As soon as the song started, her eardrums burst from the volume and intensity, her heart inside her chest splitting open. She removed the headset with a drained expression before glancing at him.

"How do you manage to listen to this?"

Finding her reaction amusing, he picked another song. "Pay attention to the lyrics," he told her.

And so she did. Somehow, the explosive rhythm did not bother her anymore but she did not come to like it either. Focusing on the words of the song was like reading a book, which was a swirl of mixed emotions and thoughts. With her mouth slightly agape, she slid the headphones down around her neck.

When he had heard her say, "I get it now", a triumphant look crossed his face.

***

Their stomachs began to grumble when noon had arrived. They selected a place to eat, which was, according to Ritsu, a popular place for young people.

On the way there, they ran into a surprising pair, who everyone knew got along well in class. But still, being together on a Sunday unless you were on a date has raised questions even from the stoic snipers.

Upon seeing them, Karma asked, "Oh, you two on a date?"

Chiba's gaze drifted towards the bespectacled girl squirming beside the red-head. Then he hummed in reply since there was no use hiding it from him.

After a momentarily pause, he asked back, "How about you two?"

Karma, per usual, maintained his cool. "Okuda-san and I are going to buy the things that she needs for her new experiment. Since it is already lunch, we decided to eat first," he explained as he pointed to the restaurant near them, where the sniper couple was planning to go.

"We are also going to eat there," said Hayami.

Okuda glanced at Hayami tentatively, then, back to the ground. Having seen her uneasiness from the corner of his eye, Karma asked for her, "Do you want to eat together then?"

Waving her hands frantically, Okuda said, "B-But we might disturb their..."

"We don't mind," Hayami chimed in. "We already got enough time together this morning. Right, Chiba?" She looked at him for confirmation to which he hummed with a quick nod.

True to Ritsu's suggestion, the place was fully packed with mostly diners about their age. Luckily, a group had just finished when they arrived, leaving a table for them.

When their orders had been delivered to their table, Hayami's eyes averted to the purple-haired girl across her. "Okuda-san, what are you going to make this time?" she asked.

"I'm trying to create a tranquilizing drug. Karma-kun said that we might need it in the future for our protection."

'I bet Karma has other motives for that other than protection,' both Chiba and Hayami thought.

"I first suggested a tranquilizer for Korosensei," Karma said, "but Okuda-san said that will be a challenge because of his complex body, so she will have to make one for humans as an initial step."

"Why don't you fuse the tranquilizer into bullets or darts?" Chiba suggested.

Karma's eyebrows perked up, fond of the idea. "I see. Like a tranquilizer dart gun."

"For Korosensei in the future, maybe put the drug inside the anti-sensei pellet for immediate effects inside his body," said Hayami as Chiba nodded in agreement.

While Okuda was writing their suggestions in her notepad, lips pursed in concentration, Karma was smiling with his eyes fixed on her.

The sight has made the couple sitting across them shudder. They shared a look when the same thought had crossed their minds.

Hayami – 'Does he?'

Chiba – 'Seems like it.'

They finished their meal with small talks that were mostly initiated by Karma. Typically, the two snipers gave short answers and remarks, while Okuda filled in just to further the conversation.

"Excuse me for a moment. I will go to the restroom," Okuda proclaimed as she started to rise on her feet.

"I will come with you," Hayami stated, pushing the chair behind her.

Okuda meekly bobbed her head – uncomfortable at the thought of being with Hayami alone – before going to the restroom with her. While walking beside the poker-faced sniper, she kept her hands clasped together and her eyes on the floor.

"Why do girls like to go to the restroom together? I wonder what they do there," Karma said as his gaze followed their shrinking figures.

With a shrug, Chiba uttered, "No idea either."

After exiting the cubicle, Hayami came upon Okuda, who was fidgeting with her clothes, by the sink. It looked like she had been waiting for her.

Hayami washed her hands and fixed her hair in front of the mirror while Okuda kept on glancing at her with a queasy expression. She turned to the braided girl.

"You look like you want to say something," she said flat-out.

"Erm..." Okuda's eyes darted away for a second. "I wanted to tell you that you look pretty in your outfit today but I think that you wouldn't like that."

With her face blank, Hayami asked, "Why wouldn't I?"

Okuda remained staring at the tiled floor. "W-Well, every time Okajima-kun praises you, you get annoyed," she replied.

"That's because he was being a pervert," Hayami stated.

"How about Chiba-kun? You had a different reaction when he praised you."

Hayami blinked in confusion especially at the mention of his name. "What do you mean?"

"Karma-kun showed me the video of when you played truth or dare. You seemed happy with his compliments about you."

'Of course, he took a video,' Hayami thought begrudgingly.

Then she heaved out a sigh before replying casually, "That's because Chiba is special."

Okuda's purple orbs widened as her hands cupped her mouth. 'Wow,' she thought. 'Hayami-san is so brave.'

"For you to say that so casually. No wonder you're so amazing, Hayami-san. Compared to me..."

With a sharp look, Hayami interrupted her, "That's not true." Then she clasped Okuda's shoulder. "You are admirable, Okuda. Your talent in chemicals and science makes you one hell of an assassin."

The truth serum that Okuda had concocted, which was proven to be effective, has brought a new light to the young chemist's abilities. She was indeed capable – scary even – for Hayami.

Having listened to her statement has rendered Okuda flabbergasted. "T-Thank you for that, Hayami-san." She bowed, flattered to be commended by one of the geniuses in class.

When they had returned to the table, they found Karma and Chiba in the middle of playing tic-tac-toe on a table napkin.

After writing an X for his turn, completing the three letters, Karma raised his chin. "You two are back," he pointed out while Chiba's shoulders slouched in defeat, making it the fourth one consecutively.

"Sorry it took a while," Hayami told the boys before giving her date a glimpse.

"Shall we go now?" she asked him.

Karma, then, stood up beside Okuda. He queried, "Where are you headed next?"

"To the shooting grounds nearby," Chiba answered.

"How unromantic ~" the red-head razzed. "Even on your date, you are still dedicated to your training."

With both of them sharing a glance, Chiba said first, "That's part of a reason" while Hayami continued, "But we also find gun shooting fun and satisfying."

***

In contrast to her downcast eyes and reluctant steps when they had gone in earlier, Okuda was looking chipper as they stepped out of the restaurant.

"You are in good mood now," Karma stated as he matched her slower pace.

She nodded cheerily and said, "Hayami-san praised me for my talent earlier. She isn't so scary after all."

"Heh~" A smile crossed his face as he stifled his laugh at the fact that Okuda was frightened at Hayami. It was inevitable though since the orange-haired sniper could be found intimidating with her ice-cold stare and words.

Then he said further, "She is not wrong. You have a knack for your passion. I find it helpful in a lot of ways."

'Although mostly for my pranks,' he thought after.

"Thank you, Karma-kun," Okuda uttered, pleased to receive such confirmation from another one of the prodigies especially when she was able to help him despite her shortcomings.

"I've been hearing about this lately from our classmates, so I've been wondering," she began to say when Karma turned towards her. "Do Chiba-kun and Hayami-san like each other?"

He stopped in his tracks as the sudden yet obvious question almost broke him into a snort. "I didn't think that you would be interested in romance," he said before facing his front and his legs started moving.

Her gaze turned down with a slight blush on her cheeks. "I have been having thoughts about it lately," she admitted sheepishly.

Although she found the two snipers intimidating, she internally admired them in a lot of ways. Sitting beside Chiba, she had been watching him keeping quiet and calm as he observed his surroundings. Behind Hayami, she could see her professionalism towards other people and her hard work in both studies and assassination. Whenever the four of them - she, Karma, Hayami, and Chiba – were seated together during biology, the 'work' chemistry and fluent cooperation of the sniper duo as laboratory partners never ceased to impress her.

That's why seeing them together made her want to do better. In fact, she has been secretly hoping for them to end up together especially when she was beginning to take an interest in someone herself.

There was a short delay before Karma asked nonchalantly, "Do you like someone right now?" which sent her into a panic.

Darting her eyes here and there, Okuda splatted her hands on both of her cheeks. "Maybe," she stuttered following it with, "H-How about you?"

"Yeah. It's you."

With a dancing water fountain beside them, it was Okuda's turn to stop. "E-Eh?!" Her eyes widened, heartbeat increasing its pace, as she jerked her head towards him.

As his golden eyes turned solemn, he bent closer to her. "Why do you think I accompanied you today? Hm?" he said in a smoky tone.

Her whole body felt spiraling as blood rushed to her head. 'This is bad. I think I'm going to faint,' she thought right before her vision turned black.