An Assassin's Respite

Kazuna Returns to School

Kazuna reached over and grabbed the set of clothes that were on the nightstand. He was still at Momo's home for treatment and had Ria grab him his school clothes. It took him a little bit longer than usual to get ready for school since his body was very stiff and ached all over. He finished changing, grabbed his bag, and headed out the front door where Kagura was waiting for him.

"Geez, it took you long enough," Kagura says.

"Sorry, I'm a little stiff, so changing was a bit of a hassle." Kazuna answers.

"I guess it can't be helped." Kagura responds as they begin their walk to school.

"So, how are you feeling?" Kagura asks.

"A little stiff, and there's some pain now and then, but it's nothing that I can't stand." Kazuna answers.

"Are you sure it won't be too much of a strain on your body, I mean, you can always come back on a later day instead-" Kagura starts to suggest, but Kazuna stops her. 

"Don't worry, I'll be fine, okay." Kazuna ensures her.

Kagura looks at him with a worried look in her eyes, unconvinced by his statement.

"How about this, if I start to feel drowsy, weak, or if the pain becomes too much, I'll go to the nurses' office for some rest," Kazuna suggests.

"Hmm, I guess that'll be fine." Kagura relents, deciding to respect his decision.

The pair arrive at school a little later than usual since they had left from Momo's house. As they walked the halls, they noticed that they were attracting the eyes of everyone. Who could blame them, Kazuna was covered in bandages and had been absent for two weeks. The eyes weren't what was bothering her, but what was being whispered.

"It's Kazuna." One girl whispers.

"I hear that he risked his life for his classmates." One girl added.

"I heard that he killed someone without batting an eye." A boy said.

"I heard that he had dropped out because the attack scared him too much." Another said.

The ridiculous-sounding rumors were starting to get under Kagura's skin, and as she was about to snap, but Kazuna gives her a look that tells her to ignore them. She grits her teeth and held her tongue as they reach their classroom.

Kazuna opens the door and sees a variety of foods, drinks, balloons, and a welcome back Kazuna sign.

"Surprise!" Everyone shouts in unison.

"Wha-," Kazuna mutters, but he's unable to find any words. He was utterly stunned by what he saw.

"Don't just stand there with that dumb look on your face," Matt says as he pulls Kazuna into the room.

"You guys did all of this for me?" Kazuna asks, entirely baffled by everything.

"Yep, and it was all my idea," Yua states while puffing out her chest.

"Don't try and take all the credit; we all pitched in." Ayanami states.

"Yua, Ayanami, you all are here too?" Kazuna says in confusion.

"Yep, I thought of this idea so that those who couldn't help rescue you could do something for you now. I really would have like to help you in your time of need, but I hope this can make up for our uselessness. A party to celebrate your safe return." Yua adds.

Kazuna looks at the spread of food, decorations, and his classmates and can't help but remember when he returned from his first solo mission. His grandfather had done something similar. The memory brought a single tear to his eye, but he quickly wiped it away.

"Yeah, this is the best thing you could have done," Kazuna answers with a smile on his face.

Yua sees the smile on Kazuna's face and couldn't help but tear up and smile in return.

"I'm glad you like it." She says.

"Alright, that's enough of the sentimentality. Why don't we party." Shiba exclaims.

The students agree with this statement by letting out a cheer and diving into the food and drinks that were on display. They chatted, goofed around, and partied until the five-minute warning bell rang. Reluctantly, Yua and Ayanami left for their classrooms.

"I almost forgot, Kazuna, there's going to be a student council meeting today after school. Make sure you're on time, okay." Ayanami says. 

Kazuna nods in response as she and Yua both head to their respective classrooms, leaving class 1-A to clean up the mess.

The rest of the day was seemingly normal to Kazuna, but the rest of the class noticed a difference. There were no longer any awkward silences, gloomy expressions, and avoiding specific topics. However, the stares and whispers directed at Kazuna were still bothering Kagura. She decides to confront him about it on the way to the student council room after school.

"Why are you letting all those rumors go unchecked?" Kagura asks Kazuna.

"Because they aren't exactly untrue." Kazuna answers.

"What do you mean?" She asks, confused.

"If Zer didn't attack, I planned on dropping out and running away, I did lose against Zer, and even though I didn't kill Steel, I could have done it without any hesitation," Kazuna replies.

"But that's not how things went down. You didn't run away, you didn't kill Steel, and you fought at the risk of your own life to keep all of us safe." Kagura argues.

"It doesn't matter to me what they say. You, Matt, Ayanami, Yua, and everyone else of class 1-A know what happened, that's more than enough for me." Kazuna replies.

"I guess I can ignore them if it doesn't bother you," Kagura says while trying to hold back a smile. 

They reach the student council office and head to the meeting room where the rest of the student council was already waiting.

"Good now that we're all here, why don't we get this meeting underway." Ayanami says as Kagura and Kazuna take their seats.

"First, Kazuna how are you feeling?" She asks.

"My body is starting to hurt, but I'll be fine through the meeting." He answers.

"Good, Kai why don't you start us off." Ayanami says.

"Very well. As you all may have guessed, due to the attack on the school a couple of weeks ago, the school has decided to tighten its security. This means that the student council will have to c***k down on rules and regulations. We have to be more adamant about little things such as being late, following dress code, etc." Kai states.

"So what exactly is the school doing to help with security?" Kazuna asks.

"They are allocating special agents to do rounds around the campus as well as increasing the range of the special barrier around the school that notifies security when an unfamiliar individual uses their power." Ayanami answers.

"I see," Kazuna mumbles in response. Her answers seemed to have satisfied him.

"What, are you scared of getting your butt handed to you again?" Chaz teases.

"Chaz!" Ayanami barks, clearly enraged by his comments.

"I'm just stating facts." Chaz deflects.

"To answer your question, Chaz, I'm not scared of losing, but I am scared of losing any of my fellow students. I am more than capable of keeping myself safe, but protecting an entire school is more than anyone can handle." Kazuna calmly replies.

Chaz grunts, unable to say anything.

"Anyway, moving on from that, it's imperative that as the student council, we provide the student body with a sense of safety and security. During the attack, we were unable to do anything to help our fellow council members or students. We must ensure that the same thing doesn't occur again." Ayanami states. 

The other members all nod in agreement.

"Alright, Akihiro, since you're the leader of the disciplinary committee, I'll leave you in charge of handling routes and rotations of your members," Ayanami says.

"Understood. Kazuna, we'll go over your route tomorrow, I don't want to overwhelm you." She replies.

"Me, Kai, and Sana will handle all the paperwork and annoying things." Ayanami states.

"Well, I better get going, Ria's probably getting impatient," Kazuna says.

"I'll have to stay a little longer for some class rep things," Kagura says.

Kazuna nods in understanding as he leaves. He reaches the front gate where he can see Ria waiting for him.

"Man, it felt like I was waiting for forever," She says in complaint.

"You know, you don't have to wait for me," Kazuna replies.

Ria pouts angrily.

"You know, you can be annoying to deal with sometimes." She notes.

Kazuna just looks at her with a confused expression.

"You don't have to think about it too hard; you might fry your brain," She teases.

"I really feel like you're making fun of me," Kazuna notes.

"No, no, I would never," Ria says with a smile as she starts to walk off with Kazuna following behind her.

"So what have you been doing all day?" Kazuna asks.

"Oh nothing really, just some busywork," She answers with a cheeky smile on her face.

"I don't know if I like the sound of that. What are you planning?" Kazuna asks in response.

"It's nothing really, just a little surprise," She says with a smile.

"I'm starting to like the sound of this less and less," Kazuna notes.

The two continue to bicker until they arrive at Momo's house. Kazuna opens the door with the key Momo gave him since she wouldn't be back home early enough to let him in. He looks back and sees Ria still standing on the sidewalk.

"Are you not coming in?" Kazuna asks.

"No, I have some things to take care of," She replies.

"So you're just gonna creepily stare at me then?" He asks.

"Just trying to make sure that you don't try and follow me," She replies.

"Do you really think I can't just follow you after you leave?" Kazuna asks.

"I know you better than anyone Kazuna, I know that you don't have the energy to follow me right now," Ria replies.

Kazuna lets out a sigh.

"See you tomorrow," He says a little defeated.

"See ya!" Ria replies with a triumphant smile.

Kazuna walks into the house, takes his shoes off, puts his bag down, and collapses on the couch.

"Yep, I can't move another inch," He says to himself as he falls asleep.