[Author Note]
Disc: HrPrTeam
Writing is fun but can be a pain in the ass. 💀
__________
A Few Days Later: 3rd P.O.V.
In the days following the apartment ordeal, Shin and Sakamoto went on a few missions together.
They had just finished killing a large group of people who were in the way of the JAA. However, Shin had something else on his mind.
He shuddered when he remembered meeting Rion.
Never has he been so close to death. Shin wasn't even sure that Sakamoto would step in had she started attacking.
Who would he side with? A random kid he's known for a few days, or one of his assassin friends that he's known for years?
It wasn't even a question.
Shin was a useful ally due to his ability to read minds, but he wasn't worth someone who could rival the world's strongest assassins.
He assumed that becoming a professional assassin would be a breeze since he was Sakamoto's partner, but he ended up trusting Sakamoto too much.
Sakamoto probed him for information to determine whether he was a threat the entire time he showed him around.
Trust in the assassination business must be built for years; even then, it could be shakey.
...
Unless you were Rion.
...
However, even Rion had standards for who she could trust.
Although she had not known Toji for long, she became attached to him due to his unusual situation and their time together.
Rion wanted to figure out Toji, which led to a friendship between the two bums.
Shin's situation was different.
He came out of nowhere and showcased abilities that met the M.O. of their current enemies.
Shin didn't know that he had a metaphorical knife at his throat while following Sakamoto around. He could only be thankful that he survived the whole ordeal and joined the group of strange assassins.
He would still need to watch his back if he didn't want to end up dead.
Shin didn't want to see how far he could push Rion since she's shown her protectiveness of Akira.
Shin sighed. "This shit sucks."
Many people are dragged into the assassin business due to unfortunate circumstances. Shin willingly joined.
He had a few goals when choosing the deadly line of work.
The first was to become strong.
Sure, his gift could be utilized in many career paths, but he wanted to become strong ever since he saw Sakamoto.
Following in his footsteps was the only way to achieve that goal.
The other...was difficult and something he'd have to work hard for.
Meeting his father.
Tasuku Ando.
The man who was a genius researcher abandoned him.
If Shin became a well-known assassin, he'd have access to many connections that could lead him to what happened to his father.
He hated his father, but he wanted to ask him something.
...
Why?
...
That single word plagued his mind.
His adoptive father, Asakura, avoided the subject when he would ask.
Shin wanted answers, but Asakura knew it would be better if Shin didn't know.
Ando was a freak who would experiment on living humans. Who knew what else he had done?
The amount of suffering he's caused is due to his aspiration to elevate humanity.
It sounds like a typical villain cliche because it is, but it was still the fact of the situation.
He created people like Toji and many others, giving them abilities only seen in fiction.
Shin would find out what happened and why his father abandoned him. There were a few guesses but nothing concrete. Asking the man himself was the only way to have closure.
...
Sakamoto communicated with Shin by using his thoughts. 'Let's move. We just got an important job.'
Shin shook his head to snap out of his thoughts. "What's the situation?"
Sakamoto lit a cigarette. 'We're hunting a researcher named Tasuku Ando. He leaked JAA documents. It's strange because the chairman ordered the hit.'
Shin froze and whispered. "Did you say...Tasuku Ando?"
Sakamoto raised an eyebrow at him and spoke out loud. "Do you think people's thoughts can stutter? In any case, I'm guessing you know the guy."
Shin gulped. "He's my father and the guy I've been looking for."
Sakamoto puffed his cigarette, unbothered by the revelation that he was assigned to kill Shin's father.
Sakamoto glanced at Shin. 'Good, you're perfect for helping me find this guy.'
He analyzed Shin's body language and face to see his reaction. Sakamoto didn't know how he would react to the situation.
Shin nodded with an unreadable expression. "Understood, we'll find and ice him."
Sakamoto couldn't read minds, so he couldn't tell what he was thinking, but he wouldn't let Shin stop him from killing his target.
Sakamoto's eyebrow raised once more. 'You're a weird kid. Not sure how you feel about this, but I'm going to kill him.'
Shin bit his lip. "I just want to ask him something. Can we kill him after?"
Sakamoto put his hands in his pockets after putting out his cigarette. 'That's not how this works. We get assigned to kill, and we kill. If we're tasked with information gathering, then we get information. It's as simple as that. JAA wants him dead, end of story.'
It went silent between the two.
Shin sighed. "Alright, I won't get in your way."
Sakamoto noted that Shin twitched when he spoke.
It was an assassin's job to have high analytical skills, which Sakamoto had.
Sakamoto returned a sigh and spoke out loud. "You think I'm an idiot? It's obvious you'll get in my way and try to ask him a question anyway."
Shin was at a loss for words since it was like Sakamoto read his mind.
Sakamoto continued. "We'll split up for the time being. I'll call you when we can go on another mission."
*whoosh*
Shin was about to protest, but Sakamoto vanished from the rooftop before Shin could speak.
He didn't have time to argue with a child.
Sakamoto had a target to find and kill.
...
Tasuku Ando.