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Ichika stared at the mission file with blank, unfeeling horror. Of course this mission would be assigned to her, the top hitwoman within Gjallarhorn. Of course Ichika had to assassinate one of her own girlfriends.
Target: Saki Tenma, daughter of a wealthy corporation that has immense political power within Japan.
Age: 24
Current Home: Unknown, suspected to currently be living in the Tenma family villa due to lack of public presence in the past three years.
The Tenma Family has gotten too powerful. We must show them that political overreach will lead to consequences from the people.
Their company’s funding of terrorists within civilian centers in order to increase their own profits has gone too far, and we must show them that beneficiaries of blood money will suffer the consequences.
Mcgillis Fareed.
However, a mission is a mission, and Ichika stores the file away and walks out of the building with a heavy heart, trying her very best not to break down. Why should Saki die, when she’s not even involved in her family’s business?
Hell, Saki already knew that her parents were doing shady business and oppressing people, but Tsukasa and Saki aren’t complicit. There isn’t a reason for them to order a hit on Saki.
Ichika remembers that very first day, when Saki had shown up and asked Ichika if she could join.
“Hey! Icchan! Shiho-chan! You guys are the agency’s top operatives, right!?” Saki asked cheerfully, the four standing underneath their dojo. “Can you teach me how to fight?”
She could remember the joyful look on Saki’s face as the latter had been taught step-by-step how to become a hitwoman their level, becoming the unofficial 4th member of Leo/Need. Even if Saki hadn’t been added into Gjallarhorn’s database of hitmen and hitwomen, Saki was their partner, beyond just working alongside them—Saki was their girlfriend, their lover. They couldn’t live without Saki, and Ichika knew that Saki couldn’t live without them, either.
So…why hadn’t Ichika told Gjallarhorn to add Saki into their database, later? Why hadn’t she told them Saki wanted to join, and instead kept Saki blind to everything going on.
It was unfair. But some part of Ichika also thought that this was fitting karma for letting Leo/Need fall in love with a corporate princess. A corporate princess that was the daughter of the world’s largest weapon conglomerate which had willingly left her old life behind.
Either way, the document had said that Ichika had roughly two weeks to complete the mission—This gave her some time to possibly think up a solution to save Saki, no matter how little chances were—Rules within Gjallarhorn meant that once a target was chosen, the only way to change it was to show that the target was no longer a threat.
She continued to think about the new mission before arriving at her front door, where the four of them all lived.
I’ll consult Shiho and Honami about this, before….deciding whether or not to tell Saki.
Opening the door, Ichika steps into a warm, domestic bliss opposite of Leo/Need’s mercenary life.
And right as Ichika steps through the door, she’s met by one Saki Tenma as she leaps into Ichika, wrapping her arms around Leo/Need’s leader like a monkey. Immediately Ichika laughs and tries to push Saki off, but fails, instead letting Saki’s warmth seep into her body as they embrace.
“Hi, Saki. I’m home.” She whispers warmly. Saki’s body is warm. Alive. Precious. Out of all four of her girlfriends, Ichika loves hugging Saki the most. Maybe it’s because she doesn’t have as much blood on her hands as Shiho and Honami. Or maybe Saki’s just like that. But what is certain is that Ichika doesn’t want to kill Saki as part of a mission, as punishment on Saki’s parents’ crimes. Saki is her girlfriend, not some daughter of a coldhearted corporation killing civilians for profit in a shadow war.
After several moments, Saki finally pulls away and giggles as she drags Ichika into the living room proper. But soon their professionalism takes over, and Ichika feels this sense of dread take over once again as Shiho looks at her.
Shoot, she thinks. They’ve noticed.
“Ichika, are you okay? You look…sick.” The grey-haired assassin quickly notes with concern. “Did something happen while getting the next job?”
She shakes her head, avoiding Shiho’s questioning, worrying glance. Ichika doesn’t want to tell them, doesn’t want to reveal that the hitman agency they’ve been working for has ordered Saki’s death, all because they hadn’t told Gjallarhorn’s higher-ups about Saki joining them.
“Ichika?”
Don’t tell them.
Don’t tell them.
Don’t tell them.
Saki’s too happy, too bright to be killed. Hell, on a normal day, Ichika would sooner kill anyone who even tried to touch a single hair on Saki’s head that wasn’t Shiho or Honami.
But today isn’t a normal day, and she just can’t accept the mission.
However, Ichika’s efforts are thwarted when traitorous tears start dripping down from her eyes and onto the polished wooden floor right in front of Saki, Shiho, and Honami. “I..I’m sorry, everyone,” Ichika whimpers as she falls to her knees. “It wasn’t the process, it’s the job. We’re supposed to kill Saki. As a warning to the Tenma conglomerate.”
Panicked looks take over all four members’ faces as Honami looks to Saki, and then Shiho, in horror and shock, while Saki’s face goes through a rapid process of shock, betrayal, and then tears.
“Oh. So…you’re supposed to kill me.” Saki’s face, by now, has had its color replaced with large, fat tears that are rolling down onto the floor. Ichika can’t exactly recognize what Saki’s face looks like, nor can she see clearly what Shiho and Honami are doing.
But what she does know is that she’s just dropped a bombshell revelation on Saki. One that might have sealed her fate.
Ichika nods blankly, the tears becoming uncontrollable now that the truth has been torn from her lips. “Sorry,” She whispers almost emotionlessly. “I should have informed them that you were with us, now. Not with your parents.”
She can see Honami and Shiho stiffen and start talking to each other in hushed tones.
Honami, who by now has leaned down and begun whispering sweet nothings into Saki’s ears to comfort her, turns to Ichika. “Ichika-chan,” she begins, eyes teary but filled with resolve.
Ichika doesn’t look back. She can’t. She’s just revealed that Saki has a death sentence against her, and the executioners are to be Saki’s very own girlfriends. How could Ichika look into their faces, when something like that has just been revealed?
She wants to disappear, to just stop existing. Actually, maybe Ichika should just disappear from all eternity, even from the past. All she’s done is bring Saki and Honami and Shiho more suffering and pain to deal with in this hitman job.
“So, what about you become hitwomen? You have the skills and want to stay together, right?” A man with short, light purple hair and a scar across his face asked. “Gjallarhorn’s open for skilled operatives, and the three of you are perfect.”
Ichika had seen the hesitance on Honami and Shiho’s faces, but agreed anyway. She’d signed away their lives to a life of vengeance and murder, all for the sake of doing something significant in this twisted world.
She still remembers her exact words.
“Yes, I…would like to.”
The man had sighed, before handing Ichika a card with a single address.
“Alright, then. Go to the woman called Julieta Juris and tell her that Gaelio Bauduin recruited you. She’s an acquaintance of mine.”
“Welcome to the world of hitmen, Ichika.”
But in the real world, Honami continues, and her words reach into Ichika’s heart and slowly unravel the tightening pain of potentially being forced to kill Saki.
“I think we should file a report to Gjallarhorn that Saki-chan is with us, now.” She says calmly. “I don’t want to lose her either, and if they find out that Saki Tenma, the Tenma family’s princess, has long abandoned her home and lived with their top hitwoman as a couple…it’s going to have basically the exact same effect.”
This freezes Ichika in place, and Shiho looks at her with questioning, but kind eyes that drill deep into her, pulling every example of her stupidity and panic on display.
Of course, Ichika realizes. Gjallarhorn is a small agency, and their hitmen are valued for skill and quality over quantity. As such, if one of their enemies can be turned to become a key ally, then there would be no reason to kill her.
Still, the terror remains, and soon another dim possibility arises as she thinks of another possibility. “But what if they think that Saki’s just trying to infiltrate us, or that we’re traitors?” She asks with a shaky voice, staring down at her hands still.”
However, Saki then reaches over and hugs Ichika tightly. Her hands are warm, soft, and comforting as she pushes Ichika up and kisses her, staring deep into the former’s eyes.
“Don’t worry, Icchan!” She exclaims to a slightly shocked Ichika. Saki’s face is now level with hers, and it’s bringing this sense of reassurance and peace to her. “I’ll just show them that I love you guys more, right?”
Her cheerfulness now returning in full swing, Saki drags Ichika up and drags her into Shiho’s arms. “Now, go! Shiho-chan, go take care of icchan while Hona-chan and I think up of a cool introductory letter!”
“Wh-wha—” Ichika is stammering as Shiho loops her arm around her waist, dragged by a pair of strong arms into their sofa. She turns to Shiho, who seems to be mildly relaxed.
“Honami and I had thought of this,” Shiho is saying softly. “We’d predicted that as Saki hadn’t been reported to have been living with us by the media, and everyone else assumed that Saki was living with her parents, it should probably be good to come up with a backup plan.
Ichika is silent but looks at Shiho.
Shiho gives Ichika an apologetic look. “Sorry. I didn’t tell you, or Saki. We didn’t want to worry either of you, since we’d promised to look after each other, and you seemed to be happy keeping threats away….”
Regretful and filled with guilt, Shiho looks away.
So there had been a plan, and Shiho had neglected to tell her of it, out of paranoia. And Ichika…normally would never forgive that. But this was Shiho, who had been with Ichika since the very beginning, since they’d went to meet one Rustal Elion of Gjallarhorn.
To that end, Ichika sighs. “We’ll make up for it by making sure that Saki is accepted, and officially gets the support from everyone else like we do. We made a mistake, and now we have to make up for it.”
She leans up and strokes Shiho’s cheek, the gesture more to calm herself down and finally regain her logical reasoning. “We both fucked up badly. So we will fix things. This time, we got lucky. You two shouldn’t have kept it away from me, and we should have made a plan, but all we can do now is to make sure it never happens again.”
In the hitman world, lives are short, and a simple mistake often leads to death. Ichika knows this. She’s seen it happen with various colleagues.
Norba Shino, dead after he missed a sniper shot and was taken out by several counter-snipers.
Akihiro Altland, who died assassinating corrupt politician Iok Kujan.
And, very nearly, Saki, who had almost died because of their mutual fuck ups.
But their little moment is interrupted by Honami and Saki as they walk in once again. This time, Saki seems to walk just a little lighter, and Honami has this satisfied smile on her face.
“The boss responded,” Honami begins, turning to Saki. “And, Saki-chan, do you want to tell them the news?”
Saki grins, and climbs over the sofa’s back and onto Shiho as she haphazardly lies down on top of her two cuddling girlfriends. “The Seven Stars are going to personally interview me!” She exclaims. “Which means I just have to tell them all about how much I love you all!”
She darkens a little bit. “And…maybe go through a few combat trials and grilling questions about mom and dad, but I’m not worried.” Saki looks at Ichika again, her slightly worried expression awakening Ichika’s protective killing instincts.
“Because you guys trained me, and let me spend so much time together, after I spent almost half my teen years in the hospital…”
Tearing up briefly, Saki buries her face in Ichika’s chest. “You guys better be there when I tell them that I love you!” She says shakily. “You guys are going to blush and stammer and be all lovesick and I’m going to be blushing and stammering and lovesick!”
To be honest, at this point, Ichika can’t help but think that they could just record whatever is going on right now and send it to their higher ups. After all, if they want proof of loyalty, then this is the best example.
She laughs and gives both Shiho and Saki a kiss as they all cuddle in this weird position, with Honami wrapping her arms around Saki’s waist so she doesn’t fall over and kill herself by accident.
“Alright, then. It’s a date.”