"Out of milk again, huh?"
"Or rather..."
"..."
"Out of everything?!"
It had been about a week since Ren had accepted the man's offer. As much as he didn't want to admit it, he was starting to get used to the weird chip imbeded in his forearm.
Ren had gotten ready earlier than usual to see his sisters off as they left for their Middle School's opening ceremony. Since school didn't start until eight at Oceanview High, he figured he'd make himself breakfast and listen to his radio before beginning his trek… only to realize there was nothing to make breakfast with.
Ren stared into his sad and empty refrigerator. The only thing left was a single carton of expired soy milk, which he had been meaning to throw away.
He sighed and took out the carton, pouring himself a glass and taking a sip. It tasted just as bad as you would expect spoiled milk to taste.
"Forget this, I'm going to the market."
He was hesitant to use the unmarked bills he had received in that envelope, but he knew he really didn't have a choice. It was either that, or no food until next month.
Ren quickly discarded the evidence of his poor judgment and went to grab his winter jacket from the coat rack. Since it had been relatively cool out recently, Ren had been using the excuse of long sleeves to hide his microchip. However, it was clear that it was going to be a little too warm today for him to be walking around in a winter jacket. Besides, the amount of attention it would bring to him was less than ideal for what Ren was trying to accomplish.
"What else, what else..."
He looked around as he tried to find something less obvious to cover it up until he had made his way over to his utility cabinet, where he found his first aid kit and found a roll of bandages within it. With this, he slowly wrapped the portion of his arm until the microchip was completely invisible.
"That should work for now."
Once satisfied with the makeshift disguise, Ren headed towards the nearest market. It was a beautiful day. The sun was shining bright, the ocean breeze was warm and calm, and the cherry blossoms were lightly falling from the trees as he paced down the long, winding streets, eventually reaching his favorite grocery store.
"Amugachi" as it was called, was a Japanese-American style business with a wide assortment of different foreign and local products. As someone who never seemed to have enough money on hand for good food, Ren usually found it to be the most cost-effective for what he needed.
He entered the store, still gripping onto his makeshift bandage while his eyes darted around. Almost immediately, he began scanning through the aisles, attempting to locate a multitude of different ingredients and products he needed.
As he turned the corner into the first aisle, however, he felt something slam into his chest.
"Hmm...?"
Ren definitely felt something hit him, but there was nothing to be seen in front of his eyes. That was strange. Ren first glanced to the right, there was no one; then he glanced to the left, no one there either.
"That means—"
"Ow..."
Ren looked down to see a small girl, large bags in hand, on the ground, pouting.
"Ehh? I'm sorry mi—"
Before he finished his sentence, however, he came to a realization. Deep blue twin-tails, small petite figure, large purple eyes…
"YOU!?"
The person in front of him was the same girl from the opening ceremony.
Strangely enough, her demeanor seemed to flip like a switch as soon as she realized who she had run into.
"Are you not even going to apologize after running into someone?" The agitated tone of her voice sounded as though it was suppressing and holding back some emotion that was about to explode.
"Why should I have to apologize? You're the one who ran into me!" Ren retorted, bewildered by the sudden change in her attitude.
The girl's eyes narrowed, her voice now growing sarcastic.
"Of course, it was completely my fault," she said haughtily. "I should have expected someone so clumsy as you to stumble into me."
Ren's cheeks began to flush red.
"Hey! I'm not clumsy!" he snapped back, his voice rising in anger. "And I didn't stumble into you, you ran into me!"
"Liar! Apologize!" She began to yell with a childish swath of anger.
As they bickered, Ren's eyes started to deviate from the girl and onto the grocery bags. They were filled to the brim with a multitude of different snacks and instant foods. From what he could tell, there were enough calories in those bags to feed a small country.
"What's up with all the junk food?" Ren said, interrupting the transfer's little rant.
"Wha—"
"You're going to end up dead if you plan on eating all of this ... or at the least end up gaining a good twenty pounds–"
"That's what I want!" She snapped back as her cheeks began to flush.
Ren was startled a bit by her words. She wanted to gain weight? Ren contemplated the reasoning for a moment before concluding: "Probably because she's so small."
"I'm already too small as is!" She huffed, quickly gathering her items off the ground. "So I'm trying to gain weight! Do you have a problem with that?"
"No, but it probably wouldn't hurt for you to understand that there's a difference between completing weight gain and stuffing yourself full with an insane amount of calories," Ren countered, looking at her skeptically. "You'll just end up making yourself sick."
She shrugged, seemingly unconcerned by his words. "Why do you even care? It's none of your business!"
Ren sighed, realizing he couldn't get anywhere with this girl. He wasn't in the mood to argue, not when he had a shopping list to pursue and very little time left before school started.
"I was just saying…ugh, all right you know what? Do whatever you want, I'm not exactly a fan of yours anyways," he said dismissively, moving to continue down the aisle.
He managed to take two steps before he felt a firm grip on his wrist, halting him. He turned to see her fiercely biting her lip, glaring at him as if he had said the worst thing possible. Ren prepared himself to get defensive, but then…
"Fine! Have it your way!" she said, releasing his hand as if he had burned her. With that final comment, she stormed off, leaving him standing in silence with her grocery bags.
"What the hell? What's wrong with this girl?"
Ren turned back to see the aisle empty, except for the two heavy bags she had abandoned. A glance inside the bags unveiled a plethora of junk food — chips, chocolate bars, instant noodles, and more.
"Two bags full of diabetes," he muttered to himself, one eye on the clock. He didn't have much time left to complete his shopping, but his underlying pity was kicking in at the worst possible time, and he couldn't find a way to stop himself.
"Ugh… what am I doing?"
He quickly picked out his groceries with efficiency before hastily checking out both the girls' and his items. As he exited the store, he was lucky enough to spot her before she could turn the corner down the street.
"Dammit slow down!" he called out, juggling the bags as he took off after her. The weight of the groceries was making it hard to run, but Ren refused to stop. He had played the part of errand boy far too often as a child, which had made his endurance become something of a specialty.
The girl turned at his shout and stumbled to a halt, her face a mask of surprise. Not giving her much of any chance to retort, Ren shrugged off the bags and deposited them before her feet.
"Here," he huffed, panting from the chase.
"W-What?"
"These are yours," he said, gesturing to the colorful assortment of junk food. "Maybe next time think before you do."
"Is that… did you buy them?" she asked incredulously, her brows furrowed in confusion.
"I did," he responded curtly, tugging at the neck of his shirt as he caught his breath, "Now take them before I change my mind and give them to some alley cats."
She continued to stare at the bags, her lips forming a pout. "How much do I owe you then?"
"Nothing," Ren retorted hastily, turning away from her in a rush with an annoyed expression plastered on his face, "Don't bother worrying."
"But I can't just—"
"Just take them, would you? Don't push your luck, I'm already late," Ren snapped. He didn't wait for her to respond, instead turning on his heel and jogging away with his groceries, leaving her standing in the middle of the sidewalk with an utterly confused expression on her face.
"Thanks…?"
***
Though it began just about as badly as you could imagine, Ren's new life as a third-year high school student had finally reached a net neutral.
First, the rumor that "Ren was a delinquent" definitely did not disappear, but he noticed it was being brought up less often. That was likely due to the fearful antics of the tiny demon of a transfer student: the same person he got into altercations with on the first day of school and this morning. He may not have been a fan of hers, but he was thankful to her nonetheless for taking the role of center stage in the world of school gossip away from him.
Secondly, he avoided having to do any of the annoying work that comes with the class committee and his seat that was chosen through the drawing of lots was the last seat from the front in the window aisle - a great seat where he could sit back and relax during class. Being that Kaito's seat ended up right in front of him, he couldn't have asked for better.
Which is what he would've said if it weren't for his homeroom teacher, Ms Mahiru. She was an interesting and wacky person by many standards, but she also had a tick for being extremely annoying. Considering Ren rarely got much sleep as it was, having to listen to her in the morning definitely wasn't a positive.
"Whoa, Takashi-kun! What happened to your arm?"
"O-oh this?"
But finally, and most importantly, his crush, Akari, had now become his classmate. It was this reason alone that now was now making Ren's days more colorful. Even with all the terrible things going on behind the scenes of his life, he felt like he had figured out a temporary escape every time she came around.
"Uh, nothing, just... an accident. Don't worry about it," Ren said, trying to sound casual.
"You don't seem like the type to get into accidents," she said, her voice still filled with concern.
Ren hesitated for a moment. "Well, I guess I'm not as lucky as I look," he said with a chuckle, glancing down at his arm.
Akari furrowed her eyebrows, clearly not buying it. "Are you sure you're alright?" she asked, her eyes filled with genuine concern.
"I'm fine, really," he assured her, "It's just a scrape, that's all."
"If you say so..." she said doubtfully, still eyeing his arm suspiciously before turning around.
"Takashi-kun?"
"...?"
"Do you like butterflies?"
"Eh... I guess? Why do you ask?"
Akari giggled, "I've been experimenting with different gems and jewelry lately," Akari explained, her voice loud and proud. "I recently discovered butterfly beads and I thought they'd be perfect for a necklace!"
"Er..."
"But I haven't been very successful. It's hard for it to have the beads line up nicely... Oh yeah, I can show it to you if you want!"
"Eh?...S...Show me...?"
"Could it be that she wants me to try on her necklace?" Ren thought as he stared at Akari's cute smile. Akari nodded and replied,
"Yeah, I'll show you. Let me go and get it."
Could he get any luckier than this? As Ren watched Akari excitedly walk towards her desk, he suddenly felt like running away for some reason.
If she really brought the necklace over, would she want him to wear it? What expression should he have when wearing it? It'd look weird for a guy to have an extremely dedicated expression with butterflies around his neck. But at the same time, he couldn't just blankly stare! That might make her upset or creep her out!
"Damn... I, I don't know already...!"
As his anxiety rose, Ren's heart beat even faster. He slowly moved his gaze away from Akari, who had just come back, since she was just too dazzling to look at directly. Akari revealed a cheerful smile and tilted her head as she stood in front of him, and then...
"Here you go, Takashi-kun,"
Through her very tender voice, Ren thought he could even see a heart shape appearing after she had uttered 'Takashi-kun.' Slowly lifting his head in trepidation, Ren politely received the object that she gave him.
"...Ah, um. This..."
It was much smaller than he had expected.
"...It's nice..."
"But it looks weird, doesn't it?"
Even though the string of beads did indeed look weird, it was still mind-blowing. On top of Ren's desk laid a small strand of yellow butterflies. They looked like some sort of quartz... or maybe jade? Though saying this would have been disrespectful to Akari, it just didn't look like much of a necklace. Maybe someone like that transfer student would be able to fit that around her neck, but to him, it looked more like a bracelet.
After a moment, Akari took her "necklace" back, replacing the void of his empty hands with a thin photograph.
"I… don't have this one on me right now, but this one looked way better when I tried to wear it… I think it was because I used a different type of gem!"
In the picture, Akari was standing front and center, her hair done in a fancy style, all while she had scarlet butterflies around her neck and a green butterfly pin in her hair.
"Whoa… that's beautiful…"
For a moment, Ren was in awe. In his 17 years of life, he did not know if he had ever seen anything more incredible. He didn't want to have it leave his sight if he could help it.
"Thanks for looking! I still need to show these to Emery... Eh? Where'd she go? She was here a minute ago..."
Coolly taking back her photo, Akari quickly left Ren behind and ran off to look for the tiny demon, who was listening only a moment ago. Thus ending his period of euphoria.
"God dammit…"
"..."
Ignoring what had just ocurred, yes, Ren knew he was very lucky to be classmates with her indeed. He was able to see Akari anytime during school, no longer forcing him to sneak past her classroom and peek through the door just to have a look at her smile or attend a large, crowded basketball game to get anything greater than that.
It turned out that even him, the power forward, got a chance at hitting shots every once in a while. If this wasn't lucky, he didn't know what was.
But, if he wanted to truly get closer to her, there was still one obstacle he would have to pass through... And that was the tiny demon of a transfer student, whose name he had discovered was Emery. Despite her not having been here for more than a week, it seemed that the two had already became friends. It was just another reason why Akari was so admirable to him… she really could befriend anybody.
Ever since the Opening Ceremony, Ren had tried his best to keep his distance from Emery, only occasionally interacting with her since she seemed like she was a very difficult person to deal with, hence why he was so swift in his escape this morning. But sadly for him, he was beginning to realize that if he continued to make a conscious attempt at avoiding her, he would not be able to get any closer to Akari.
So regardless of what Ren thought of Emery, he was going to be forced to make room for her in his life if he wanted to continue his hopeless pursuits.
RING RING RING
The loud, echoing sound of the bell, which signaled the end of the final period, reverberated through the school hallways. Ren let out a heavy sigh before gathering his things and joining the swarm of students trying to make their way to the exits. The hallways were crowded and chaotic, with people rushing in different directions to leave the building as quickly as possible.
Ren navigated his way through the bustling halls until he reached the front entrance where his locker was. But just as he was about to reach it, somebody caught his eye, at least he thought, leaving behind what looked like a small piece of paper on its door.
Perplexed, Ren furrowed his brow and muttered to himself, "Huh?" He was certain that he had just seen someone there just moments ago, but there was no one there.
Confusion and curiosity washing over him, Ren cautiously approached his locker and pulled off the piece of paper left behind. It was some sort of note... no, a letter. The envelope was pink, with a small star sticker sealing it shut.
"Who in their right mind… Gah!"
About ten second away, based on Ren's quick estimation, appeared to be a tsunami wave of students reaching the main entrance. Not wanting to be trampled, he decided it would be a good idea to leave as quickly as he possibly could.
"I-I'll just read it later!"
Ren stuffed the envelope into his backpack, simultaneously pulling the remainder of his things out of the locker and high-tailing it out the entrance, narrowly avoiding what would have been a panic attack caused by claustrophobia.
As Ren caught his breath, he contemplated the reasoning behind the letter. It was strange that someone would leave a letter at someone's locker in this day and age. And it was especially weird since it was to him of all people. Who was it from? What was it about? Was it urgent?
He decided to push these thoughts aside for the time being as he had to make room for his new deliberation on what he would make for dinner tonight.
"I guess I'll have to see what's left in my wallet."
Taking in the sights of the cool afternoon, Ren exhaled deeply, and began his walk home.
***
To Kaito Makoto, From Emery Hawkins
"This is... eh...?"
Ren was alone in his room. The sound of his sisters snoring in the adjacent rooms echoed through the walls, helping to provide an unnecessarily stressful backdrop to all the drama unfolding in his hands.
"Is this a love letter?" Ren uttered, as he plopped down onto his bed holding the pink envelope in front of him.
He examined the envelope again, turning it over. Kaito's name and Emery's name were clearly scribbled on the front with a glittery silver ink.
There was no mistake about it. It was definitely a love letter.
Feeling curious, Ren squinted his eyes, not because he was trying to read, but because he was feeling extremely distressed.
To put it simply, it looked like Emery had gotten the wrong locker. Thinking it was Kaito's locker, she had quietly stuck the envelope on it, which would explain why she was moving so quickly as he approached.
"Ugh… why does it always have to be me?" he questioned aloud, despite no one being in the room to answer.
"And what am I even supposed to do here?"
He thought about tossing the letter aside and pretending he never saw it, but that just didn't seem right. Despite popular belief, Ren did have a sense of compassion and empathy, and he knew that if he threw away the letter, it would be a waste of all the courage Emery conjured up to give it to Kaito. He also thought about delivering it to Kaito himself and letting him deal with it, but that seemed ingenuine and an extremely embarrassing situation for Emery waiting to happen.
"Maybe I should tell her?" Ren contemplated, weighing the options in his mind. It seemed like the most logical choice, but he also had to think about how Emery would react. Would she be embarrassed? Angry? Upset? She might even feel guilty for making such a mistake. But then again, maybe she already knew and was worried sick about it.
Ren sighed and stared at the envelope in his hand. It felt heavy as if it were filled not just with paper, but with dreams, hopes, and potential.
"I guess I'll give it back to her when I see her again," he decided, setting the envelope on his desktop next to his document relaying information on his listed targets.
"…"
"Urgh, that's right, almost forgot..."
Ren had been stalling the work of his new 'job' out of fear and uncertainty. Unfortunately for him though, he had discovered that his bills were rising again, and he was starting to worry about what might happen if he couldn't pay them on time. Due to this, he decided that it would soon be time to figure out what this 'employment' really entailed.
Ren let out a huff and picked up the document. The ink was black and crisp, the lines were precise and perfect. It was everything that Ren wasn't—orderly, controlled, systemic… just looking at it made his skin crawl. There were names, dates, and locations printed in tiny letters all over the paper. It felt like just about every individual and group he scanned on the page had a death sentence hanging over their head.
There were plenty of options to choose from: influential politicians, crime syndicates, millionaires, celebrities, military targets, the list went on. Ren continued to pan his eyes down the page until his gaze met the lower-level options.
"Task: Assassination of Ichiro Genji, age 36, a low-ranking member of the Oceanview Syndicate, believed to be wanted for theft, burglary, and tax evasion. Known to operate out of the Syndicate's southern inner-city hideout..."
"Sounds like a winner," Ren said to himself sarcastically.
Seeing as Genji was a convenient pick and all, Ren decided on him. Since he was already a criminal, he thought that he wouldn't have to rack his brain on the why or how of it all either. He would just have to do the deed (if he could) and think nothing else of it.
With another heavy sigh, he threw the documents back onto his desk. He shot one last glance at Emery's letter before turning his attention to the looming task at hand. Ren did his best to remember the instructions the man's letter had given him. He pressed down on the chip attached to his forearm until it began to glow blue. A soft hum echoed in his ears as the chip began to come to life.
Ren, this time ready for the chip's transformation, watched as the nanotech suit materialized, the individual particles swirling around him as if in a fast-forwarded snowstorm. The particles began to interlock and solidify, forming a sleek, metallic layer of gold, white, and blue armor that sheathed his body from head to toe.
A heads-up display flickered into life before his eyes, data streaming in a relentless rush. His heart hammered in his chest, a mix of thrill and terror.
"Alright," he murmured, rotating his hand and watching with fascination as the suit moved in perfect sync with him, "this is crazy–"
"SKYLAR initialization successful. Welcome, Ren," a cool and precise voice echoed in his ears, causing him to jump.
"Whoa...what the hell..?" Ren mumbled as he looked around his room, trying to find the source of the voice. He was met with only silence, save for the soft hum of his suit.
"SKYLAR?" Ren muttered, recalling the name from the document. So, it wasn't a fancy name for his suit—rather it was an AI system integrated into it. "Can you hear me? And why didn't I hear you the first time I activated the suit?"
The AI responded promptly, "Affirmative, Ren. I can hear you. And as for the first time you activated the suit, it appears the suit was deactivated before my activation process could be completed."
"Right, that makes sense I guess," Ren muttered, gripping his forearm where the chip was lodged. His eyes darted around the room, unable to shake off the eerie sensation of having a conversation inside his helmet.
"SKYLAR," Ren started, "can you give me a brief rundown on the assassination task for Ichiro Genji?"
He held his breath as he awaited the AI's response. It came in a clear, composed tone, quite at odds with the chaos in Ren's mind. "Ichiro Genji, age 36, is a known member of the Oceanview Syndicate that has been believed to be involved in numerous illegal activities including theft and tax evasion. He is currently operating from Syndicate hideouts in Oceanview's southern sectors."
Ren nodded to himself. "And how do we go about this? I've never...done this before."
SKYLAR's tone remained unwavering. "There is no specified method, Ren. Going in guns blazing is an option, but not advised for novices. Stealth is preferred for a successful mission."
"Stealth. Got it," Ren murmured, his mind racing. He wondered if he could actually pull this off; or if he was about to make a huge mistake.
Ren's thoughts were interrupted by a sudden beeping sound from his suit. A small holographic map appeared in front of his eyes, pinpointing Genji's location in a southern sector of the city.
"How did you do that?"
SKYLAR responded in its usual unwavering tone. "I tapped into the city's GPS systems and isolated Genji's phone signal. He is currently in the 2nd southern sector as indicated."
"Wow, this thing is amazing," Ren muttered. He looked at the map again, trying to familiarize himself with Genji's location. "Can you navigate me there?"
"Affirmative, Ren," SKYLAR responded. "I will guide you to the location."
Ren took a deep breath and tried to push aside his fears. This was happening. He was actually about to embark on his first mission as an assassin. If anyone had told him this would be his life a few weeks ago, he would have laughed in their face.
"Alright," he said, steeling himself. "Let's do this."
"Good luck, Ren," SKYLAR responded.
With newfound determination, Ren jumped out of his window and into the night.
He moved at a swift pace, attempting to blend in with the shadows and avoid the streetlights. He followed SKYLAR's instructions, turning left here, right there, speeding up when necessary, and slowing down when he approached potential risks.
He tried to keep silent like a shadow in the night but found it difficult as his metal boots created loud sounds against the concrete. His heart pounded rapidly in his chest. Fear and adrenaline mingled together, creating a potent cocktail that had him in its grip.
"Target acquired. You're within 100 meters from Genji's location, Ren," SKYLAR reported. The suit's built-in GPS had been tracking and directing Ren toward Genji's location with uncanny precision.
He hunkered down behind a dumpster, peering cautiously around the corner of the alleyway. The southern parts of the city (in which he lived) were poorly lit and filled with narrow alleys. It was perfect for stealth, but equally advantageous for potential ambushes.
"SKYLAR, can you provide some sort of visual?" he whispered, keeping his voice low.
A digital scope erupted from Ren's visor, projecting an augmented reality feed of the hideout. He panned around the building, revealing only one individual to be currently inside.
"It's only him?"
"Affirmative, Ren. All other signals are stationary or moving further away from the hideout. It appears you are in luck," SKYLAR responded.
Ren's heart pounded in his chest. This was his opportunity. The harsh reality of what he was about to do sent a chill down his spine but he quickly shook it off. He needed to focus.
"Alright SKYLAR, guide me through this," he said, turning away from the dumpster.
"Understood, Ren. Your preferable entry points are the east side window and the back door. However, the east side window would be more secure in the event of infiltration."
Ren swallowed hard and nodded to himself. "The window it is then."
He quickly moved towards the eastern side of the building, keeping low and silent in the cool night air. The window was high up on the second floor, just a bit out of reach.
"SKYLAR, how can I get up there?" he muttered, eyeing the window warily.
"Your suit is equipped with a kinetic energy relay system. Utilizing this, you should be able to perform an enhanced leap to reach the window," SKYLAR responded.
Ren took a deep breath. His heart pounded in his chest, as his fear was slowly replaced by a thrill of excitement. He crouched down, loading his legs with potential energy like a coiled spring.
"Go for it," SKYLAR commanded.
Ren launched himself upwards, momentarily surprised by the raw power that exploded from his legs as he soared through the air. His hands reached out to grab onto the windowsill. He pulled himself up and rolled inside, landing harshly on the dusty-tiled floor.
"Not the greatest entrance ever," Ren said as he took a moment to steady his breath, then slowly rose from the floor. His eyes darted around the room, taking in the barren furnishings and decrepit wallpaper.
"SKYLAR," he whispered, "how far is Genji—?"
"Hey! W-Who the hell are you!?"
"Approximately 5 meters in front of you."
Ren's head snapped up at the harsh, fearful voice filling the dimly lit room. It was Genji, standing at the other side of the room, with a pistol drawn in his trembling hand pointed directly at him.
"S-SKYLAR?" Ren stammered in a whisper, staring down the barrels of Genji's guns.
"Ichiro Genji's vitals indicate he is in more distress than you currently. Use his hesitance as an opportunity to activate your arm-mounted directed energy machine gun with your control panel and eliminate the target before he can make a move."
"Got it," Ren whispered back, preparing to activate his weapon as a panel of various glowing buttons surfaced on his left arm.
He reached to press the button that would deploy the barrels of his machine gun. However, instead of a gun, a wave of blue energy instantly pulsed from his suit. The energy spread out, washing over the entire room. The firearms in Genji's hands began to spark and twitch erratically before going dead.
"Wh-what did...what did you do?" Genji stammered, looking at his useless weapons in disbelief.
Ren's eyes widened in surprise as he quickly glanced at his arm. The blue light from the discharge of energy was fading. "SKYLAR, what the hell was that?" he hissed, keeping a wary eye on the now-disarmed Genji.
"You pressed the button on your panel that activated your electromagnetic pulsating system. Not the button meant to activate your directed energy machine gun."
"Electro…magnetic… what?" Ren muttered, barely managing to keep his surprise in check.
Before he could finish the thought, however, Genji, seemingly knowing he was already screwed, didn't bother trying to escape. Instead, with a desperate scream, he lunged at Ren with all of his strength while he had been distracted. His fear seemed to have given way to some sort of reckless fury, the kind where one would believe they were making some sort of 'last stand' to save themselves from an imminent death.
'CRASH'
Ren barely had time to sidestep before Genji was on him, barreling into him like a rogue freight train. The two of them tumbled to the ground in an ungraceful heap.
Ren grunted, trying to push the frenzied man off of him. But Genji was relentless, scrabbling for any kind of hold on his suit.
"SKYLAR, little help here!" Ren asked as he continued to grapple with Genji, who was now clawing wildly at his helmet.
"Use the retracting blade mechanism in your arm," SKYLAR suggested in its cool, detached monotone.
"Which button?" Ren grunted, fending off another flailing attack from Genji.
"1-3," SKYLAR instructed.
His fingers fumbled over the buttons, finally landing on the third one and pressing it down. Immediately, a blade shot out from his left hand, connecting with Genji's chest as it pierced through him like butter. Genji's wild eyes widened in shock, his body going slack as he slumped against Ren.
"Agh… what was… that," he choked out, blood spilling from his lips and rolling down Ren's suit. Genji's hands scrabbled weakly in an attempt to grab the blade until Ren retracted it from his torso, causing him to slip off of him and onto the ground beside him. His eyes rolled back into his head, and with one last shuddering breath, he was dead.
Ren looked at the lifeless body that lay beside him in disbelief while his blade unformulated. This was it. His first 'task' was complete. It felt unreal, like some sort of nightmarish dream. It was a job well done (kind of), but he couldn't bring himself to feel any kind of triumph or satisfaction. He may have been a criminal, but all he could see was a man whose life had just been brutally and abruptly ended by his hand, all in the name of money.
Ren sat there in silence, his breath slightly shaky as he stared at the lifeless body on the ground. As much as he had prepared himself for this moment, the reality of it was something else entirely. The confidence he had gained through SKYLAR's words had all but disappeared.
"SKYLAR, a-am I a murderer now?" he whispered, his voice barely audible in the empty room.
"You eliminated your target as instructed, Ren. In your profession, this is required," SKYLAR responded matter-of-factly.
"But did he have to die?" Ren asked, more in the sense of a rhetorical question. His voice trembled with a mixture of fear and guilt.
"The less you question your actions in this line of work, the better you will be able to cope," SKYLAR advised anyway in its ever-neutral tone.
Suddenly, a soft beep pierced the silence. He glanced at the corner of his helmet's visor screen, noticing a message notification blinked on the screen.
"SKYLAR, what's that?"
"A message from your boss," SKYLAR replied curtly.
Ren swallowed hard and opened it. It read:
"Congratulations on your first successful mission, Takashi. Your account has been credited with 2,000 Arcs as promised for your efforts."
His heart pounded in his chest. How did the man know he had completed his mission? He hadn't even reported anything back yet. Hell, it just happened! It unnerved him, turning his confusion into suspicion.
"SKYLAR," Ren asked hesitantly. "How did he know?"
"..."
SKYLAR would not reply. All Ren could do was sit in the quiet aftermath of his actions before ultimately deciding to remove himself from the scene and return home.