The Becoming of an Assassin

Chapter 19:

AJ stared at the ceiling, contemplating his life. He just graduated a few weeks ago, and now he is back in high school for a job. He sighed softly and dragged himself out of bed before wearing his school uniform. Once he was dressed, he ruffled his hair before walking out of his room. There he saw Thomas and Ian standing outside. Thomas fixed his tie with a smile, which caused AJ to roll his eyes.

"There, you look~."

"Say one word. I will kill you. This uniform is annoying," AJ whined slightly. Ian snickered, and AJ shot him a glare. Thomas only shook his head with a smile and held up lunch for AJ.

"Here, you will need this."

"What are the odds of me finishing the job today?"

"None, you should know that," Thomas said. AJ groaned before fixing his bookbag. He had a bad feeling things would be more difficult today, yet he couldn't exactly pinpoint what it was.

"So, what do you plan to do today?" Ian asked.

"Observe the target, and meet with the client privately. I don't want anything to go wrong, but if it does, I want to make sure I have all the information to form two or three backup plans."

"Sounds boring," Ian said.

"Well, unlike you, I would rather not run into any mishaps. I rather not die because I was reckless. Unlike you, who doesn't care."

"Hey, I care."

"You are very reckless, Ian. AJ has a point," Thomas said. Ian placed a hand on his chest and huffed slightly.

"I am hurt that you are taking his side over mine!"

"Well, he is only speaking the truth...."

"I hate to interrupt, but I now have to relive my high school nightmare despite already graduating," AJ said.

"Right, want us to walk you?"

"No, I am fine. See you guys later... maybe." With that, AJ left while Thomas and Ian both shared a look.

"What do you mean maybe?" Thomas asked.

"Well, depending on the situation, I may follow him. Now stop following me... I must go. I can't execute all of my plans with you guys."

Thomas and Ian stopped walking and looked at each other before watching AJ leave. Thomas placed his chin in his hand before looking over at Ian again.

"Does he seem... different to you?"

"A little bit, he was serious before, but there were some mild child-like characteristics. It seems he is becoming more mature than he already was."

"I think I fucked up..." Thomas said, and Ian raised an eyebrow.

"What do you mean?"

"If he continues, then he will lose his childhood, not that he has much of it left, to begin with. Maybe I should have left him alone that day."

"Don't think that way. I am sure he is fine," Ian said, patting Thomas's shoulder. Thomas nodded, and they went back to their separate rooms.

AJ added his headphones into his ears and made his way to school. He kept his head down, not bothering to talk to anyone. The only thing on his mind was getting the job done, so he could go back to searching for a college. He glanced around at the different faces. No one batted an eye at the fact that he was a foreigner, but he had a feeling school would be different.

He let a sigh out as he adjusted his tie and entered the school gates. That's when everyone watched him walk towards the shoe lockers. No one approached him, but he could tell people were whispering. He didn't need to have his headphones out to tell. He sighed softly, and as soon as he arrived, the girl he met yesterday approached him.

"Aidan, hello! I hope you found the shoe lockers okay."

"Ah, yes, I did. Thank you, Aoki~."

"You can call me Hana. You are letting me call you by your first name."

"Very well, thank you, Hana," Aidan said as he put on his school shoes before grabbing his school bag again.

"Want me to show you your classroom?"

"Please, if it won't make you late."

"You are actually in all of my classes, so the principal wanted me to escort you throughout the day."

"Ah, I see. Sorry to be a bother, but I remember things easily. So you won't have to worry about doing it tomorrow."

"It's no problem. Let's go," she said. Hana led Aidan to their first class; occasionally, students would stop her. Aidan tried multiple times to escape her to meet with the client but failed each time. She made it her mission to introduce him to the students, and once they arrived at the class, most of the class already knew him.

'So much with trying not to create bonds with the students.' He thought to himself. He stood in front of the class as soon as the client came in, his teacher.

"Class, we have a transfer student from America. Please treat him well. Go ahead and introduce yourself."

"Hello, my name is Johnson Aidan, but you can call me Aidan. It's more simple. I hope we get along well." He bowed, and the teacher pointed him to his seat. Aidan sat beside a guy named Suzuki Daiichi. Aidan nodded to him before taking his notebooks out.

Class started, and Aidan leaned against his hand. He knew the day would be difficult, but it may have gotten a bit easier since the client was his teacher. Aidan zoned out as he watched the client talk with each student helping them with his lessons.

"Psst, hey Aidan...."

Aidan turned to his seat partner, and he grinned at him. Aidan raised an eyebrow as Daiichi pulled his seat close to Aidan's and began to whisper.

"So why did you move to America?"

"Something last minute for... my family. My dad got a promotion and decided to move the rest of us here."

"I see; well, you can have lunch with me if you want. We also get breaks since you are still new."

"Okay, but I have to talk with the teacher on my break and possibly my lunch."

"Ah man, okay. Well, if you change your mind, the offer is always up."

"Thank you, I appreciate it."