After school, Emika, Retsuya and Ayato walked home.
"You were amazing, Ayato. Your moves were out of a century-old martial arts movie!"
Emika jumped up and down, excited.
Ayato laughed nervously as he recalled her bout.
"Well... You won with a single punch, so I wonder who's more amazing?"
Although his match was won in around 40 seconds, Emika won with a single punch in 5 seconds without the use of spells. Even though Ayato didn't use magic either, he couldn't win a single punch.
"Oi, oi, what about my match?"
Retsuya asked, feeling slightly out of place.
"Ah, yours... You did win but just in time."
The blue-haired boy commented, averting his eyes, and whistling.
"Hey, perhaps I'm not as good as you guys but I tried to win without magic like you guys. That's why it took so long."
"Retsuya..."
They stopped at a crosswalk. Ayato inspected the red-haired boy.
"Since you're well-built, I'm guessing that you specialise in Reinforcement and Strengthening Magic."
"Ah... You're right..."
Strengthening and Reinforcement Magic sounded like the same thing but were not. Strengthening Magic is part of a category of Vector Magic. It improves or temporarily enhances parts of the body. Acceleration falls under Strengthening Magic.
Reinforcement Magic puts up external protection of mana on the outside of the body. Unlike Strengthening Magic, Reinforcement Magic can be destroyed or removed.
"By the way, you're a Kyouya, right?"
"Hm? Yeah."
"Why didn't you tell us when we first met?"
There was a constant beeping. A hologram of a person walking appeared above the crosswalk. They crossed.
"Well, I mean, I'm always treated well just because I'm from the Kyouya Family. I wondered if I could make friends. And so, I didn't give you guys my second name. Well,"
He couldn't help but grin.
"You guys treated me like a friend from the start, so I'm sticking with you guys."
Emika and Retsuya exchanged perplexed gazes before turning to Ayato.
"Of course, we'd treat you like a friend. You treated us like one."
The words that came out of Retsuya's mouth satisfied Ayato. He was glad to find friends such as these. He wouldn't be able to imagine that in middle school.
"Well, I guess this is where we part ways. I have to take a detour..."
Ayato pointed in the opposite direction that Retsuya and Emika were heading in.
"Alright, take care!"
"See you tomorrow!"
They saw him off and they separated.
He walked down the street and turned onto a smaller street. He was heading into a modern area.
Ayato's house is on the same path as the direction that Retsuya and Emika are taking. There was a reason that he took a different route today. It was the same reason why he was on an empty street.
"We're alone. You can reveal yourselves now."
As he spoke, two shadows jumped down from the buildings around him.
"You noticed us?"
"No wonder you're not on the path home..."
He blankly stared at them with zero interest, whatsoever.
'They call that hiding? Even if they were using Stealth, they didn't bother to hide their mana signatures...'
The boy mentally criticized them.
They were assassins. That much was obvious. Both of them had a multitude of weapons on the utility belts around their waist. Both of them were covered in bandages.
"So, who are you?"
"I'm Rag."
The taller one of them said.
"And I'm Cloth."
"And you're the Bandage Brothers or some shitty name like that."
He yawned while talking.
The two assassins exchanged looks before glaring at Ayato.
"You knew, yet you still asked?!"
They felt mocked. It was the same feeling like someone you saw yesterday forgot who you were completely the next day, at least that's how it felt to them.
"Yeah, I just needed to know how I should kill you guys."
"Kill? You, kill us?"
The taller one, Rag, started to laugh hysterically as Ayato stuck his finger into his ear, digging out earwax. He blew it away and wiped his finger against his leg.
Cloth, the shorter one, licked the sharp side of his knife.
"We'll carve you up and display you to our client."
"Ah, about that, who is your client?"
"Do you think we'd tell you that?"
Rag replied.
The blue-haired boy sighed.
"Look, I already know that someone in the Kyouya Family put you up to this. There is also a possibility that someone from the Seven Great Families did too but that chance is less than 25%."
He explained to them. They furrowed their brows. That much was enough to confirm that it indeed was someone from the Kyouya Family.
Judging from the events of today, Ayato had a slight idea but it could've been anyone.
"Let's make a rule. I'll let you go off with your life if you tell me the name of your client. Is that clear, Rag?"
"Nah, we'll just kill you and get our money."
The two of them rushed toward Ayato.
"Don't tell me I didn't warn you."
He said while extending his arm. His fingers were in the shape of an L, pointed at Cloth.
"Rupture."
Before Cloth's knife could reach the boy's neck, he was pushed back. A myriad of wounds appeared on his body—blood burst from every single one.
"AAAH!"
"Cloth!"
Next, Ayato grabbed Rag's face and smashed him into the ground before catching Cloth by the throat. He stamped on Rag, stopping him from getting up. The shorter assassin was still. The surplus pain caused him to become unconscious.
"W-what was that?!"
"Well, Rag."
He tightened his hold around Cloth's throat.
"Tell me your client. Or else he dies."
"Never!"
The boy frowned, unimpressed by Rag's display of loyalty. He pointed at Cloth once more.
"Rupture."
Even more wounds appeared on him. His bandages were drenched in wounds. The remaining skin that could be seen on his body was covered in blood.
"NO! STOP!"
"You're siblings, right? Sibling love sure is something. Although, it's something that I'll never seem to be able to experience."
He muttered to himself bitterly.
"Now, the name, Rag. The next one will kill him."
"Fine! There were three people! They said that they'd pay us a billion for your death!"
"Names!"
"They didn't give them to us! I know two of them were twins though! The other guy wore glasses and was demanding! His eyes were yellow too!"
'Those twins and Masaki. All of them are attending Auralia. No one else is moving other than them.'
"Is that so? Thank you, I have an idea of who they are now."
A faint smile of hope could be seen on Rag's dirty, bandaged face.
"You'll keep Cloth alive, then?"
"Huh? I didn't say that. Rupture."
Once more, even more wounds appeared on his body. This time, his heart stopped beating. Cloth was dead. Ayato dropped him onto the floor.
"You liar! You don't have any shame?"
"Well isn't this new, an assassin talking to me about shame?"
He kicked the bandaged man's face. Ayato leaned over.
"I don't know if your ears are malfunctioning from age but I'm sure I made a rule that I would let you go alive if you told me the client. I'm pretty sure I referred to you alone."
"You didn't, you—!"
Although Rag screamed shouts of rejection, he remembered.
'He... he did only say that he would spare my life...'
"You're lucky that I'm one to keep my promises. After all, I am a son of the Kyouya Family."
Ayato knocked Rag unconscious with a kick and began walking away. He got his phone out and dialled someone.
"Ah, yes, Anastasia. Yeah, could you send some people over to the location I tell you and dispose of the body? No, don't worry, they're assassins. You know I'm more tame than using my magic on civilians."