---
"So… when do I go home?" I asked, clutching my pillow like a riot shield.
Rei, the tall, ice-cold leader of the squad, didn't even look up from sharpening her knife. "You don't."
"I—I don't?"
"You joined Crimson Dusk," said the goth girl, lounging on a beanbag with her feet propped on a skull-shaped footrest. "There's no quitting until you've advanced."
"Advanced? What is this—assassin karate?"
"No," Mika grinned. "It's assassin hell."
They tossed me into their "living quarters"—a weapon-stuffed warzone disguised as a dorm room. Floor mats. Open lockers. Bras dangling from katanas. A poster that read SLEEP IS FOR THE WEAK (AND THE DEAD).
I turned slowly. "Where… where's my room?"
"You're looking at it," Rei said, pointing to the tiniest mat wedged between Mika's glitter grenades and the hacker's charging laptop tower.
Then I made the mistake of asking, "So where's the guy's bathroom?"
Silence. The goth girl looked at me like I'd just insulted her eyeliner.
"We have one bathroom," said Saya, not glancing up from her screens. "And the lock's been broken since the poison gas incident."
"The—what—incident?"
Rei shrugged. "Don't worry. It's mostly aired out."
I barely processed that when Mika, already in a crop top and shorts, walked past humming with a towel around her neck—and absolutely no regard for human decency.
Yuna followed, wearing what I can only describe as a vague suggestion of clothing.
I looked to the ceiling for salvation. It had been kind to me once.
"I can't survive here," I whispered.
"You'll be fine," Tomo muttered, tossing a blanket at my face. "Just don't walk in on anyone."
"But there's no lock!"
"Then knock. Loud. Or scream first."
---
That Night...
I tried to sleep. I really did. But it's hard when:
The hacker girl snores in Morse code,
The bomb girl sleep-mumbles things like "ignite... detonate... sparkle!",
The goth girl is polishing her scythe three feet from your face,
And you're 99% sure someone just slid a dagger under your mat "for safety."
Oh, and did I mention they all wore basically nothing to bed? Legs. Arms. Dangerous curves. Way too much skin for a guy trying to survive and not get arrested.
---
THE DREAM
I woke up in a giant circus tent—bright red and gold, with banners flapping and the unmistakable scent of cotton candy and... gunpowder?
A voice boomed from above: "Ladies and gentlemen! The main event is about to begin!"
The audience was packed with assassin girls—hundreds of them. Pirates, goths, ninjas—one girl was eating a sandwich with a grenade in it like it was a pickle.
In the center ring:
Rei, arms crossed, eyes sharp as steel.
Mika juggling explosives, giggling.
Tomo upside-down on a trapeze with a knife.
Saya hacking a lighting rig while playing chess against a robot.
I stood frozen, in my uniform (of course), wondering if I'd finally snapped.
Then Yuna entered, striding through the crowd like a chaos goddess. "You've been chosen, Jizu," she whispered. "The game begins now."
Before I could panic, she shoved a dagger into my hand and pushed me into the ring.
Bell rings. Crowd cheers.
Mika hurls fireworks at me.
I duck. More explosions. I swipe wildly with my dagger—like a scared potato with a blade.
Then Tomo's voice: "If you die in the ring, you die in real life."
W-H-A-T?!
Saya appeared beside me. "Welcome to the team," she grinned, as a giant "GAME OVER" sign glowed behind her.
Then Rei stepped forward. "Think you can survive here, Jizu?"
"I… I—"
Before I could finish, Yuna hit me in the face with a pie.
Total silence.
Then the circus erupted into laughter.
"What does this even mean?" I muttered.
As I turned to leave, Mika called after me: "Don't worry, Jizu. You always figure it out. Maybe not safely—but definitely with style."
A shadow fell over the tent. The floor cracked open beneath me. I fell—into a swirling pit of lights, knives, and screaming—
---
Morning
I bolted upright, hoping it had all been a weird, snack-induced dream.
Nope.
"Wake up, recruit," Rei barked. "Time for your first trial mission."
"Already?! I don't even know how to hold a weapon!"
"Then die trying."
They shoved a black tactical suit into my arms and pushed me toward the broken bathroom.
Yuna called sweetly: "Try not to slip! Oh—and we all share the towel!"
"WHICH TOWEL?!" I screamed.
---
Mission Briefing
The screen flashed red:
> TARGET: Local gang weapons dealer MISSION: Observation only. No engagement.
Easy. Chill. Observe-only sounded safe.
Until someone handed me a smoke bomb, a knife, and a headset labeled: "If you get caught, you were never here."
I stared at Rei. "You said if I survive five missions, I get to leave?"
She smiled. "No. Then you get to choose if you stay."
Oh no.
I was trapped. In a dorm full of half-dressed assassins, one broken bathroom, mystery towel rotation, and trial missions with smoke bombs.
And somehow, my biggest problem?
Not falling in love with at least three of them.
---