I sat down at a fancy desk in a fancy office. Sitting across from me was a man dressed in a fancy white suit.

"You called for me, headmaster?" I asked.

"Indeed, Tsuki no Ran," he chuckled. "Please, relax. I'm not as intimidating as that old man. At least, I hope I'm not."

He's referring to Watcher. Apparently, he and the headmaster go way back. The Hunt was founded a couple of decades ago, and Watcher helped the current headmaster fight corruption within the board of education. That's how he got into that position.

"How has the infamous college life been treating you thus far?" he asked.

"It's certainly different from what I'm used to," I said. "Whether it's for better or worse remains to be seen."

"Indeed, the life of a student is not nearly as thrilling as the life of an assassin. I remember when you were just a child, yet you harbored the eyes of a stone-cold killer. Even now, I still see those terrifying eyes. Mind you, it has gotten a lot calmer than I remember, so that's a plus."

"Truth be told, headmaster, I wouldn't be here if Watcher hadn't given me the order. Adjusting has... proven to be harder than I thought. I'd also like to apologize for my poor academic performance as of late."

"Think nothing of it. What Watcher wanted for you was to experience the life of a child your age. Don't worry if you fail your classes. I'll handle it."

"Thank you."

"Of course. Now, why don't you tell me if anything has occurred recently? Has anything exciting happened so far?

I rested my chin on my hands as I shut my eyes, contemplating these past few months. Ever since I started back in April, there hasn't been a single noteworthy thing that has happened except...

"Taiyori Ayaka," I mumbled.

"Hoho! I believe they call her the Belle, isn't that so?" the headmaster chortled. "Has she captivated your eyes among many others as well?"

"Not in the slightest. For some reason, I've been seeing her a lot ever since I first met her about two weeks ago. The thing is, I don't even think we're trying to run into each other. We just do, and the ensuing back and forth have been some of the most annoying encounters in my life.

"And here I was thinking it was a beautiful love story of fate. And yet, all I'm hearing is hostility."

"I suppose so. I did her a favor a bit ago, and she took it the wrong way. Since then, our words have been nothing but bullets aimed at each others' head."

"Hoho, sounds like something is blossoming to me."

"If that was meant to be a joke, then I did not find it amusing. She's just an obnoxious little girl who was born rich. I tried to see if there was anything more than that, but I couldn't. Her attitude is too difficult to tolerate."

"I haven't seen it firsthand, so I shouldn't give an opinion. However, I would like you to give her a chance, Tsuki. Not all people are as they seem. You should know that better than anyone."

Despite the ambiguity, I understood exactly what he meant. I've been an assassin my entire life, with hundreds of victims claimed by my blade over the years. In that time, I've encountered seemingly normal people who turned out to be some of the most vile monsters to ever walk the Earth.

A happy middle-aged man with a loving family—he went on a killing spree of women and children. An elderly woman who lived a quiet life—she lured innocent children to her home, only to murder them.

There have been countless moments when I questioned my target, only to be proven wrong in the end. As such, I learned never to judge a book by its cover. Even if someone appears harmless, they might be something else entirely.

However... Taiyori is just so unlikeable that even I have a hard time trying to understand her.

"I'll... keep that in mind," I finally replied.

"Good, good. Now, run along. Continue enjoying what this normal life has to offer. I'm expecting a positive report next month."

"Don't get your hopes up. See you later, headmaster."

I stood up and left the office, making sure to shut the door on my way out.

"Eh...?" someone muttered next to me. "Ah! Tsuki!"

I turned around to see Shiro with a big smile. A binder rested in her arms while a bag with a huge rolled-up paper hung from her shoulder. Not only that, standing right next to her with a look of exasperation was none other than Taiyori herself, along with her attendant. Misha, I think her name was.

For just a second, I thought back to what I told the headmaster just a couple of minutes ago—about how we keep running into each other by chance. If there really is a god up there, he's starting to piss me off.

"Hey, Shiro," I greeted with a bow. "And... Taiyori."

"Why'd you say my name like that?" Taiyori grunted. "Shouldn't you be happy to see me again?"

"Why, pray tell, would I be happy to see you, of all people?"

"Because I'm Taiyori Ayaka. There isn't a single guy on campus who wouldn't start drooling if they were in your position right now."

"And to be honest, I don't see why."

"Hey. Wanna repeat that...?"

I know I told the headmaster I would try to understand her, but damn... This is way too hard. Even Watcher wouldn't be able to give me a more difficult mission.

"A-anyway, did you just get out of a meeting with the headmaster, Tsuki?" Shiro asked. "I didn't know you were that close to him."

"What do you mean?" I said.

"The headmaster is a very busy man, so he only takes meetings if they're absolutely necessary. For example, Ayaka and I are here to show him the project details for the New Year's festival we're hosting."

"Oh. Yeah, he needed to talk to me about something. It wasn't as important as that."

Taiyori scoffed tauntingly. "I bet he was wondering why the average grade of our second-year students was lower than usual. Got anything to say, Tsuki?"

"I don't know what happened between the two of you, but this has gone on for long enough," Shiro sighed.

"Hmph! He started it."

"What? No, I didn't," I protested. "You just suck at letting go of minor grudges."

"Eh?!"

"I already forgot about it. You should do the same, else you'll start losing hair."

"Tch... Ah, by the way, it's been two days, and you never replied back to my message on Line."

"What am I replying to? All you did was call me a loser."

"Yeah, because that's exactly what you are."

"...Alright. We're done here. Nice seeing you again, Shiro."

"L-likewise," she replied in awe.

Give her a chance, my ass. As much as I want to try, she's just not the kind of person to give others a chance. There's no reason for me to develop brain damage over her.