Ah shit, I forgot about school for a minute.

While these assassins so far have just been fully grown adults ready to put their lives on the line, I'm still just a wee little high schooler and have a long future ahead of me. Well, if I can even have a good future ahead now having taken the "job" as an everyday assassin, that is.

I'm at least glad this is still just the beginning of my time as an assassin, just imagine what a pain in the ass it would be if the other band girls knew about this...

"You shouldn't do that, you can die!"

"I will help patching up your wounds!"

The fact that I can just hear their typical concerned talk in my head drives me nuts! Man, I'm glad only Touko knows about this, at least she believes in me that I will come back unscratched, albeit still hesitating somewhat on letting me go on these kinda missions.

She cares, and knows why all this is happening. Heck, I think everyone in Morfonica knows, they were the first ones to hear me having a conversation with the UAA after all.

Otherwise, how would Touko explain why she kissed me so much once she and the rest came inside the live house? Oh no wait, they know about our relationship, don't they? Well, perhaps my secret assassin life is still intact!

Doing the final stretch of my homework, I soon stand up, before beginning to hear that god damn loud ass music again from the penthouse above. Agh, enough with this already, I'm going up to complain!

As I head up with heavy steps, I soon come to the door leading outside to the rooftop, just so you can enter the penthouse. But as I push down the door handle and push at the door, nothing happens: it's locked.

"Ah what the hell..!" I say as I rush back down the stairs and back into my apartment, before coming back with my beam katana and slice up the door lock, letting me open the door. "Now you fucks, here I come!"

Meanwhile, the ones blasting out the music, are enjoying their time practicing. Yep, it's another band Stephan haven't met yet.

I hope at least they will hear the knocking or doorbell, whatever the hell these people are using! And it's a doorbell, so I decided to ring on it, but no one comes, and the music haven't stopped yet, but as I go to look inside from outside, due to the walls being of glass, it turns out it's five girls playing instruments.

"Wait a minute now, is this another all-girl band..?" I say to myself as I look the DJ table, where the title "RAISE A SUILEN" is written. I think I heard about these girls, but the fact that they were up here the whole time surprised me. I start waving with my beam katana to try getting their attention. "Hey, you five!"

One of them finally seemed to spot me as the others stop playing as well, before the girl by the DJ table seemed to get furious as she hops down from the apparent stool she has behind it before running to the door and rushing outside towards me. She did not look happy, at all.

"Who do you even think you are?! You are on private property!"

"Oh, so oofy people owns apartment roofs while we get tiny itty bitty rooms disguised as 'apartments', right..." I reply as I just sigh. "Anyways, saw the graphic on the DJ table, you guys called Raise A Suilen. Stephan Klausch, that's my name."

"Hmph, seemed you paid attention to that... But yes, we are Raise A Suilen, the band that will be number one!"

Huh, ironic, considering that I'm also aiming for becoming number one, but for other purposes.

"I'm CHU², the leader, producer and DJ of the band! You can also call me by my rel name, Chiyu Tamade!"

Chiyu Tamade, huh? She is cute, but not someone in my taste really though... But the dark blue haired chick with glasses definitely is something else!

"O-oh, I'm Rokka Asahi, LOCK on-stage, I play the guitar!"

Hmm, I'm starting to see a pattern of guitarist most of the time having the most eye catching apperances, most eye catching of course being Touko~

"Well, guess introductions are something that should be done, after all my friend Tae told me about you! Rei Wakana, bassist and vocalist, on-stage I'm LAYER."

"Oh wait, you know some of our friends practicing at CiRCLE? That's cool, I'm MASKING, the drummer! Albeit just call me by my actual name, Masuki Satou."

Two tall girls, huh? Rei is definitely quite tall of her...

"And I'm PAREO, the keyboardist! I'm actually named Reona Nyubara though!"

Ah, so she's that PAREO Hina mentioned when she fucked up with saying who had supposedly told everything about me to the band Pastel Palettes.

Looking at her, she seems to have her interest to my beam katana, which I didn't even realize I hadn't deactivated yet, so I turned that shit off in an instant.

"You girls saw nothing." I say to them as I holster Blood Berry, while whistling. Well... of course, it's already too late as they all are curious. "It's... a toy lightsaber! I used it just to get the attention of you guys, you were playing loud as fuck after all."

"Yeah, we gotta practice for when we are on the big scene, so loud it has to be!" Chiyu says as she g1rins. "Can't be laying behind the likes of Roselia!"

A popularity contest huh? Well perhaps she will get somewhere with that attitude, but no +rep from me for now at least.

Ah well, until I get to hear their sound that remains my opinion, might be different from what I'm hearing right now though.

I soon say my farewell to Chiyu and the others, with them telling me they will not play anymore for the evening, which is good, would've been a nightmare otherwise to not being able to sleep just because music fills and shakes the apartment.

But I have a hard time sleeping either way, as I once again get those thoughts about why I, out of all people, have became an assassin.

I were just going to transfer to Japan, and voila, my parents are in danger, threatened to be killed by assassins, as it appears. But... if they are in danger, could it mean...

Nah, that could possibly not be true, that would just be ridiculous! There is no way my dad or mom are assassins themselves by any means and somehow are in the UAA's ranking list.

I mean, otherwise they would've not had the time to raise me, and... Ah fuck it, I'm just overthinking too much!

I soon close my eyes, thinking about Touko... Without any warning, I fall asleep and have one hell of wet dream, Touko beginning to take off my pants to suck me off.

But just as that sweet lip service would be done, my phone's alarm wakes me up, it's already 6 am. God... damn it! That dream was paradise, now I'm just going to be pissed off in the morning..!

Nevertheless, I get immediately happier as Touko sends me a good morning selfie. Always as beautiful as ever, how does she even manage to be the hottest chick on the block..?!

As I head downstairs the apartment after some breakfast, I spot Chiyu apparently waiting for someone, so I decided to ask her about it.

"Oh, Stephan. Well, I'm just waiting for some deliveries, new music equipment for our studio and such."

"Don't you guys usually practice at CiRCLE?"

"Rarely, we do it more at Galaxy, mostly because MASKING's dad owns that place."

"Galaxy huh? Thought that place was a strip club."

Chiyu looks at me wide eyed, before shaking her head.

"Anyways, the door to the rooftop also has to be fixed, you sliced up the lock on it after all."

Damn, she noticed that I did that huh? But how would she assume it was me though, I just told them it was a toy-

"And I have seen those kinda beam katanas floating around, do you even know what that is used for?"

"Maybe..." I innocently say as I try changing the topic as I rather not reveal that I in fact murder people with it.

"Yeah no, just because I might seem younger doesn't mean you can play dumb with me!"

"Alright, alright, I assassinate assassins with this weapon, happy?!"

Chiyu seemed satisfied with my reply as she snickers, like damn, you really just wanted to hear it from me, huh?

"How do you even know what beam katanas are?" I ask her, with Chiyu looking at me.

"I did see a lot of failed prototypes floating around, as I mentioned, and selling for fat bucks." she says as she points to me. "You, however, managed to get across a functioning one! How come?"

"I dunno, the auction just said "Brand New" as the item condition, nothing more." I said as I scratched my head. "Sure, blew a whole in my wallet and I had no money for video games. As the money I got from my parents was just enough for prison tier food and paying rent."

"But now CiRCLE is giving you good payment?"

"Hell yeah they do, and not to mention my girlfriend I have through there." I tell Chiyu as I let out a chuckle.

"No surprise you have gotten someone already. You going to have a harem as well?"

"Maybe..." I reply, genuinely unsure how to respond. I mean, that dream with everyone in Morfonica was nice, so... "Eh, I'll see about it."

"Playboy."

"What the?! Brat, you asked me about it!"

Playboy?! Why the hell would you call me a playboy?!

...Oh wait, aren't all harem protagonists playboys..?

Well, those kinda protagonists are the driest ass wipes, why make a harem story if the guy is just going to go "H-haha, Anata-chan, where are you touching, that's indecent for my virginity!".

Like damn, plow her man, she wants you!

And I'm sure as hell going to plow Touko Kirigaya, I swear to you, God! Yes you up there, you bumbling asshole!

Anyways, I gotta head to school, but not before I turn to Chiyu again.

"Don't even think about telling anyone else about my life as an assassin!"

"Welp, I can't snitch either, the police is meant to be keeping their noses out of what the UAA does."

"What, are you saying the cops are bastards because they are UAA's bitches?!"

Chiyu just sighs before laughing... and grabbing me by my tie?!

"Well, I wish you luck on saving your parents, playboy~"

"Don't even try flirting with me! And how much do you even know about the UAA?!"

Chiyu let's go before winking and blowing a raspberry at me before walking away. Man, the hell's up with this girl?!

Ah well, she is just fooling around with me. Tch, I should just ignore her, she's none of my concern.

School is being the usual boring chore as ever, but I struggle through it as I don't want it to become a desperate struggle later on.

I messaged a little with Touko, with her asking once again if I feel ready enough to go fight the next assassin, Death Metal.

I just tell her I will be fine. After all, I managed with Helter-Skelter, so why shouldn't I manage now as well?

Sending me several hearts, I get more pumped up than ever thanks to her to fight the old man!

As school gets done for today, I soon head home, and start preparing my assassin school uniform, holstering Blood Berry to my belt.

"Right, time to do this!" I say to myself as I walk outside and walk up to my... bike.

Man, I really should get a motorcycle, being able to come faster anywhere, be able to leave and pick up Touko from her school and shop with her. It would be the dream!

Luckily I do get some hefty amount of cash into my bank account from doing these assassinations, so I better use that dough to save up for something good... like a motorcycle!

Soon pedaling on my bike again, I reach Kokoro's crib as pointed out by the directions UAA gave me, and well, perhaps not appropiate to call it a crib, it's a fucking mansion!

"Right, so around here, Death Metal is going to be present-"

Just as I were going to have my epic monologue, a man comes running up to me and interrupts it all, but he clearly seem distressed.

"H-hey, are you the assassin, uh, hired to kill that... man inside..?!"

"Sure am, how so?"

"My dear darling daughter, Kokoro Tsurumaki, is in there, being held hostage by the man's henchmen! A-and they have outnumbered and killed our suits!"

Damn it, the band girls just had to be involved already! I would've been furious if Touko came to harm, but all their lives are equally as innocent and shouldn't be involved in these kinda stuff.

"We will make sure to pay you extra, double of what the UAA gives you! And you will have a number one spot to be able to marry my daughter!"

"Wow, wow, easy now! I will rescue her, you have my promise, no need to go extravaganza!" I tell Mr. Tsurumaki as he gratefully takes my hand and shakes it. "Besides, I am already taken."

"Oh, but t-thank you, thank you so much!"

I go up to the closed gate that has apparently been sealed from inside, and soon enough deploy my beam katana, and slice through the opening and kick the gates open.

"H-huh..?" one of the two henchmen standing in front of me said before I started to run towards them, before spinning around inbetween them and making sure the katana hits their necks.

"FUCKHEAD!" I yell out as their heads soon fly off like Helter-Skelter's from all the blood squirting out, before I see another henchman preparing his gun, which I slice off the barrel on, rendering it useless, before pointing my weapon at him. "Tell me where to find Kokoro Tsurumaki and this Death Metal dude!"

"U-uh..!" the henchman let's out as he just puts up his arms.

"Bad answer!"

Slicing through him and the door, I soon enter, looking around the entrance of the manor.

Located by the manor my ass, Death Metal has clearly taken over this shit, henchmen of his everywhere!

Slicing through the suited men running at me, I soon scour the rest of the mansion here and there to try and find Kokoro first before fighting Death Asshole.

"E-eh? Why are you all so angry looking, smile a little for once!"

Yup, that's Kokoro alright...

Rushing inside, I first run up to Kokoro to cover her eyes before slicing her captivators in half.

Taking out a bandana I luckily have in my pocket, I use it to cover her eyes, just so she doesn't need to see the gory mess.

"Lucky for you I don't have a bondage kink... Anyways, keep that on for now Kokoro, I will be back."

"Oh, Stephan! What are you doing here?"

"Rescuing you, of course! Now, don't take the cover from your eyes before I return, promise?"

"Alright, I won't!"

She better, don't want someone like her to be traumatized by a bloody mess like this.

Soon heading out into the hall again, even more henchmen arrives. In a matter of seconds, I've already striked and sliced through the goons, before I continue down the hall.

Just how big is this place? Is Kokoro really much more richer than one could imagine?!

I just let all those curious thoughts wander past me before I soon reach a bigger door, supposedly leading to the backyard of the mansion.

"Alright asshole, you better be outside here!" I yell out as I kick the doors open, revealing the beach that is close by, and a swimming pool as well.

But I also soon spot the one who I had came for. Retracting the beam on my weapon, I walk forward, soon going down the stairs.

"You have absolutely no business being here." he suddenly tells me in a rather deep, but raspy voice.

"And you neither."

He looks at me a little from my reply, but soon just shakes his head and continues taking in the view.

"Think you are in some kind of Paradise?"

"Paradise? What are you on about, brat."

Snickering, I soon grin at him as I look over the view.

"Beautiful, isn't it? Gained through the ability to take others' lives... That is true wealth."

"Well, old bag, you haven't done shit here except stealing someone else's luxury mansion." I tell him as I let out a chuckle. "Your time in Paradise is soon over..."

"This is no Paradise..."

"The hell is it then?"

As I ask, Death Metal finally stands up as he drops his coat, revealing some of his various tattoos.

"A place to die."

"Glad we are on the same page then."

"So naïve. You have no idea, do you?"

Death Metal slightly groans before looking me in the eyes.

"What a pity, you make an old man cry. Well then..."

Grabbing ahold of what looks like a case, we look to each other as we begin heading up the stairs to the bigger area, perfect for us to battle on.

"Arrogant crude little shits like you come around for me from time to time. Listen well, young one, the wall is high..."

I look at him, still smirking as he keeps on blabbering.

"Higher than you'll ever know..."

Finally, he grips harder onto the "case", with it soon folding out, revealing it to be a greater weapon, even having a beam itself on the edge.

"Ultimate sacrifice is sublime. Now draw!"

"You can take that to your grave!"

My weapon might be a weenie compared to Death Asshole's, but we are nevertheless soon locked into battle.

A battle that will determine who gets to keep their lives, and babes.

Death Metal arcs and swings his blade in such proficient ways that I'm almost starting to doubt if this was a good idea.

But hell, getting this over with maybe wouldn't be so bad. Kokoro and her parents possibly being willing to invite me here and letting me bring along some people to the huge pool. Man, it would definitely be one thing and another to bring Touko and the others here..!

My opponent keeps on swinging at me as I guard from it, before I roll out of the way to jerk the beam katana a little before going on, determined to win.

Because I want to be able to have that invitation became a reality! Putting sunscreen on the back of Touko and possibly the rest of the band girls, and all of them nevertheless getting an easy tan before we take a bath, Touko's swimsuit possibly slipping off.

I do my swings even more violent now, fully determined to even greater lenghts. Oooh yeah, I'm in it to win it, baby!

But first and foremost, I gotta murder this asshole so I can rescue the ones who created me through a mini Big Bang.

...Yeah, I'm going to let out an even bigger Big Bang once I'm with Touko, it'll rival my father's by a fuck ton!

"You're better at this than you look." Death Metal says as he does an even greater swing, with me just barely jumping out of the way.

Huh, he really thinks I were just a show-off? Too bad, I've trained since last time, and it's easier now as this assassin at least isn't a gun wielder that just decide to zone you like projectile based fighting game characters.

But not long after, he seemed to be growing tired off our clashing... before he suddenly makes two exact copies of himself?! The hell is he, Vergil?!

One of the copies hit me, and it actually does hurt, so these aren't just mere mirages; they are mirages that can kill you.

Soon fully getting back to my senses again from all the thoughts of seeing Touko in a beach swimsuit, I only focus on Death Metal himself, ignoring the two mirages to the best of my ability.

It gets hard, considering that I need to swing and dodge out of the way quite frequently, but I get it together soon after as well.

Death Metal blocks out some of my higher swings, which I respond to with a slash from below, hitting him and making him flinch out of his guarding stance.

"I really did underestimate you, you truly are serious about this all, young one."

"Shut your mouth! I'm doing this for the ones I love!"

"But why this fighting then?"

I become silent for a moment from Death Metal's question as we keep on circulating, keeping our eyes at each other.

"I can only stop it all this way."

After my reply, I run up to him as out blades lock. It's a hard struggle, but I manage soon to win the blade lock, leaving him open for me to do a hard strike on.

Having soon taken out his doubles, he seemed even more tired now, missing me more frequently, even when I'm in a very close range of him.

We constantly have eye contact before I finally spot a good opening, before slicing Death Metal around his wrists, his hands and blade flying high up into the air and getting stuck in the ceiling above us, blood spurting from the hands soon falling off it and the stumps where Death Metal's hands once were.

-music end-

"Extraordinary... The moment I've been waiting for. The name 'Holy Sword' is now yours."

"Tch, didn't you listen? I don't care about titles or power, I just need to become number one to save my makers."

"Then master the ways of the assassin to reach your goal."

"Here's your ticket to Paradise, old man!" I yell out at Death Metal before I decapitate him, even more blood coming all over the floor.

...I overdid that, didn't I? Well, hell if I care, these assassins are standing in my way, and if mowing them down is the only way, then so be it.

Looking around at the blood stained floor and Death Metal's slumped over headless and handless corpse, I soon get a phone call, the voice being as recognizable as ever.

"Congratulations, Mr. Klausch, you have now taken the place as the 99th ranked assassin on UAA ranking list. You will be contacted again once we arrange the next ranked battle, have a good continued afternoon."

Gripping a little on my phone, I feel... frustrated. Frustrated over that I actually have killed yet another person, amother human being, just to save my parents, despite me telling myself I don't care.

And even more frustrated now that a friend of mine got involved in this bullshit, and I wouldn't be surprised if my girlfriend and the rest of the band girls get indirectly involved as well, as the UAA could give zero shits about anyone's life when the whole fucking thing is about killing others.

Climbing up ranks to have you feel more pride and joy in what you are doing, but that doesn't work for me. Oh no, this is my desperate struggle to save and keep my loved ones safe... no matter the cost.

I enter the mansion and come to the room Kokoro is at, leading the blindfolded vocalist past all the spilled blood and out of the mansion, where her father and mother are waiting.

"You can take it off now, Kokoro." I tell her as she takes it off, seeing her parents run up to her and hugging her, Mr. Tsurumaki looking at me with tears in his eyes.

"Thank you, thank you so much..!"

"Once again, don't worry about it."

I see that the police have come, before another van pulls up outside the gate, with suited up people coming out, most likely to get rid of all the corpses I left behind.

Waving goodbye to Kokoro and her parents, I holster Blood Berry and get up on my bike, making my way back home again.

I get into my apartment, lock the door and go to my room before sitting down, feeling empty. After staring into nothingness for a bit, I soon take out my phone to text Touko.

"I love you, Touko"

No idea why I typed that, but I still feel that lingering dread that someday, someone might come for me instead, wanting to kill me and take my place in this twisted "aim for the top" game I've gotten involved in.

I never feared death before, but that doesn't mean I want to die, especially not now. I will not accept death as the answer no more, and it's all thanks to meeting Touko...

"You mean everything to me, and I will always remain by your side, no matter what."

Typing and sending the second message, I decide to take a nap. After all, I gotta get the rest I can get, with me being an assassin, student and part timer, all at the same, god damn time.

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☆☆ UAA RANKING LIST ☆☆

NO. 99: 𝙳̶𝙴̶𝙰̶𝚃̶𝙷̶ ̶𝙼̶𝙴̶𝚃̶𝙰̶𝙻̶

NEW NO. 99: STEPHAN KLAUSCH

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To be continued...