Marionette

Cosmos, Chapter Thirty Seven - Tokihanatsu [解き放つ]

Shock, horror and fear were the emotions that ricochet through the Satellite campus following the stranger's declaration. Nobody spoke a word as the man with the silver hair and kindly smile straightened up at the front of the classroom without a care in the world.

They were shocked at the man's sudden appearance.

They were horrified at his self-proclaimed title of "God of Death".

And they were fearing what this dangerous man had even come here for.

Everyone except for Amaya, who was already reeling at the presence of a man who could wander in here without Koro-sensei seeing him on his way out of the classroom just two minutes earlier.

Amaya stood rooted to the spot at her desk as she stared the man down with her left hand clutching desperately at her other arm to keep herself completely still. Her mind was screaming just one single thought at her. One declaration that she couldn't deny no matter how much she really wanted to.

And that was the fact that no matter how angry or riled up she was getting, she knew she wouldn't be able to react fast enough to intercept anything this dangerous man would throw at somebody.

'Through their beauty, flowers can drown out a person's cautiousness. It opens up a person's heart.' The "God of Death" began on a seemingly random tangent as he flipped out a red orchid from the inside of his sleeve.

The mere sight of it made Amaya want to shove the colourful cutting right down the man's throat.

'Nagisa-kun, it's exactly like in the way I explained to you guys. But, the original purpose for which the flower evolved beautifully and fragrantly ... Ritsu-san, display the image I sent you.' The God of Death seemed to cut himself off in a nonsensical manner as he turned his gaze towards the back corner of the classroom where Ritsu's terminal stood, before his smile broadened ever so slightly. 'Is to lure Insects.'

And then a second later, Amaya heard horrified gasps and cries from various classmates.

'Bi-BITCH-SENSEI!' Rung through the classroom, forcing Amaya to rip her gaze away from the God of Death for just a second.

There, plastered right across the display of Ritsu's terminal was an image of Irina bound and gagged as she lay unconscious in what looked to be a lone steel crate.

Amaya's gaze promptly tore away from the screen to latch back upon the God of Death casually lifting a piece of chalk as be began to draw quickly on the blackboard without even looking at it.

'I'll make it short. If you would like to protect her life, by no means inform your teachers and come to the location I direct you to. Each and every one of you.' He remarked as his chalk-lines quickly sketched up a neat image of Irina's figure up on the blackboard, earning the distraught attention of the overall class as he then began to draw lines right through the image once he was done. 'If you don't want to come, you don't have to. In that event I will send her to you guys. After I divide her up to send her to you all equally, of course.'

Terrified gasps rung through the classroom, all the while Amaya grit her teeth so hard she was inwardly surprised they hadn't cracked from the force.

'And the next flower will probably be one of you guys.' The God of Death declared as he carelessly ran the blackboard eraser through the image in a rather flamboyant manner.

'Oi oi, Nii-chan. You've been blabbing on about some self-serving crap, but we don't really have any obligation to go save that tyrannical bitch.' Terasaka spoke up dangerously as he lifted himself right out of his seat, along with Yoshida and Muramatsu to approach the God of Death smiling confidently from the front of the classroom. 'And you're even threatening to hurt us, but if you tried it, that teacher, Karasuma and that Octopus wouldn't let that slide. And most importantly... didn't you think you might be beaten up to a pulp by us here, Mr Kidnapper?'