Sakuno and I stopped at one of the buildings across campus. Just like every other day, many eyes turned to us as we walked. The words of that one girl from a couple of days ago resonated in my mind. She said we looked like... 'models.' Do we really look that good? I suppose I never stopped to consider my appearance.

"This is it, right?" I asked.

"Uh, the flyer says... Engineering building number two, right next to the central auditorium," Sakuno replied.

We both turned around to see the a tall and grandiose building in the background.

"I mean, the description matches," I said.

"Should we call Shiro?"

"I think we got it. There's no reason to bother her."

Sakuno opened the door and stepped to the side. "Alrighty, then. After you, sire."

"Dude. Quit calling me that."

We navigated through the branching hallways, passing a few students who might have helped us find our way. I opted to avoid asking for directions, and Sakuno was too absorbed in the new surroundings to notice.

Eventually, the noise grew louder, guiding us to a large room packed with students. A banner hung on the back wall, proclaiming, 'Culture Club General Meeting.'

"Looks like we found it," Sakuno whistled. "That's a lot of people."

"It is. I can already feel my tolerance for loud noises running thin."

"Relax, bro. We're here to have fun."

"...Sure."

However, it wasn’t that simple. Our attention was drawn to a large group huddled in the corner of the room. The sight made me want to leave immediately.

There, sitting on a chair like it was a throne, was the Belle herself. With a book in hand and her legs crossed, she looked every bit like a celebrity. The crowd around her was clearly enchanted, murmuring words of admiration and awe.

"Is this normal in the real world?" Sakuno whispered.

"I suppose so," I replied with the same tone.

"But... This is a bit excessive, isn't it?"

"Just a little. Stop staring at her. She's going to—"

Suddenly, Taiyori turned her head at just the right moment and caught sight of us. Her apathetic gaze quickly shifted to one of irritation.

"Why are you here?" she muttered, prompting the crowd to go completely silent.

"I'm not sure I know what you mean," I said. "This is the culture club general meeting, isn't it?"

"Obviously, it is. I'm asking why you're joining. You don't strike me as the type to get involved in something like this."

"What I do is none of your concern."

"Of course it is. After all, I'm on the officer board of this club. Based on the way you conducted yourself in front of me the other day, I'm not so sure that you're an appropriate candidate."

I let out an exhausted sigh before redirecting my attention to the front of the room. Saki was setting up the projector for the meeting, but the commotion had clearly caught her attention. She, along with a few others, turned to look in our direction.

"Are you finally feeling threatened?" Taiyori scoffed. "That's good. That's how it should be. You're a nobody who amounts to nothing, so quit acting like you can just talk to me however you want."

"Hey, 'Belle,' can you shut up already?" Sakuno said with a taunting smile.

"...What?"

"He's a nobody, huh? In that case, I am too, and so are you. We're all humans under the same sky whose lives are just as meaningless as any other. Point is, you've got nothing on us, so keep playing princess in your own little corner and leave us alone."

The flustered look on her face made me want to smile, but I kept it in. When it comes to creative insults, no one does it better than Sakuno himself. Well... with the exception of Megumi no Hana.

"What did you say about our Belle?!" one of the guys in the crowd shouted.

He lunged forward and attempted to punch Sakuno. It was perhaps the biggest mistake of his life.

Sakuno effortlessly sidestepped the strike, pulling the guy's arm into an elbow lock before slamming him against the wall.

"Now, now," Sakuno chuckled devilishly. "Let's not get violent here. Wouldn't want to hurt yourself, hm?"

"Screw you!" he exclaimed.

Second biggest mistake. Sakuno pulled the guy's arm back even further, causing him to grunt in pain. All the while, the smile on Sakuno's face was growing wider.

"Sorry, what was that? Couldn't hear ya," he muttered wickedly.

"Sakuno," I said, making sure to emphasize it with a threatening tone. "Let go of him."

The moment he saw my eyes, his momentary state of psychosis broke. It was only then that he realized what he was doing to the poor guy.

"Oops," he said, releasing him from the lock.

The boy crumpled to the ground, clutching his arm, and glared up at Sakuno with eyes full of rage. That fury dissolved instantly when he saw Sakuno's unyielding smile.

I remember my first encounter with Sakuno's venomous gaze. His eyes seem to glow like those of a demon, capable of petrifying even the most stoic soul like Medusa. When someone is gripped by fear, they often see things that aren't there.

Despite our skills as assassins, those of us sworn to the Hunt are strictly forbidden from harming civilians. It goes against everything our organization stands for.

Yet, not all of us are able to control our sanity, and Sakuno is a prime example. If he were to hurt someone, he might not even realize it until they're lying bloodied on the ground. It falls to those of us with a somewhat stable mind to pull him back from that edge.

I wouldn't necessarily call myself 'stable,' but I'm way better at controlling my emotions than Sakuno. One-thousand percent.

"My apologies," Sakuno said as he extended a helping hand. "Are you alright?"

"Ah..."

"...Huh?"

The boy slouched over, his back against the wall.

"Did... Did he just faint?" someone asked.

"I think so..." another one replied.

"Now why'd he go and do that?" Sakuno mumbled. "I was just offering a helping hand. Oh well. I'm sure he'll be fine."

"What happened here?" asked a girl.

I turned around to see Saki standing at the front of the crowd, flabbergasted and at a loss for words.

"Sorry, Miss Shiro," Sakuno said. "He tried to hit me first, so I retaliated. Didn't know he'd be so fragile."

"Erm... T-that's okay... I think," Saki mumbled. "But... Shouldn't we bring him to the nurse's office? Who knows what'll happen if we leave him like that."

"Eh, fine. I'll carry him."

Sakuno picked up the unconscious boy and held him like a princess. That was all it took for a majority of the girls in the room to look at him with great anticipation.

"And off I go," he smiled. "I'll be right back, Tsuki. Don't do anything dumb."

"How ironic it is that you're the one telling me that," I scoffed.

With that, he left the room, leaving me amongst a sea of strangers. Well, except for Saki, I suppose.

"Are you alright, Tsuki?" Saki asked.

"Hm? I wasn't the one who was fighting," I said.

"I know, but I just wanted to make sure. I'm glad you're safe."

If Taiyori is supposed to be beautiful, then Saki is simply sweeter than sweet. Her eyes curled, and her smile was enough to make her the star of the meeting. Just like that, the Belle lost her cultish followers for a moment.

"...Yeah," I replied.

"Anyway... Everyone! We're about to start."

The projector screen shifted to a slide, signaling the beginning of the meeting. I kept my attention fixed on Saki as she spoke, but not all were respectful enough to do the same.

From the corner of my eye, I noticed Taiyori's resentful glare, accompanied by several boys who were too obvious in their gossip about me.

As an assassin, attracting attention is the last thing I want. I've managed to earn the scorn of the Belle and possibly a favorable rapport with Saki, who might be just as popular.

It looks like I’m in for a noisy and irritating ordeal.