The next day, everything seemed normal—just like Fable had expected. Even so, he didn't let his guard down. When the lunch break finally came, he decided to take a small stroll around the hallways.
But on his way, he saw Predictor walking toward him. Predictor's face was swollen and bruised. His cheeks were puffy like he had been used as a punching bag. His lips were slightly cracked, and there was a faint red mark on his forehead.
Fable raised an eyebrow and crossed his arms.
"What happened?"
Predictor let out a tired sigh and rubbed his sore jaw.
"Well… I don't know. I was just—"
He started explaining everything. How Alena had confessed to him but he thought it was a prank, so he rejected her. Later, following Fable's advice, he went to the rooftop and did something he shouldn't have. That only made Alena even more annoyed—and she beat him up.
Fable sighed and looked him in the eyes.
"Just admit it. When it comes to women… you suck at reading the room."
Predictor dropped his shoulders and groaned in frustration. "Whatever. I might just go for Sophie. She's kind of the relatable type. Yeah, she's flat-chested, but I don't care about stuff like that!"
He sounded half serious, half desperate. He had become pretty friendly with Sophie. They had gone to malls, shopping, and even to restaurants with some other friends. Maybe he had a better chance with her.
Fable didn't respond, but after a moment, he followed behind him. "Don't just go anywhere alone," he said calmly.
They both walked slowly toward their classroom. Since it was still lunch break, the room was completely empty. Only the two of them were there. But just as they stepped inside—
Pa!… Pa!…
Two sharp knives flew toward the door—right where Fable and Predictor had just walked in.
Both of them immediately ducked. The knives stuck into the wall behind them with a loud thud. They were about to turn and run, but suddenly a string stretched and yanked the door shut behind them, slamming it closed.
They looked forward and saw two girls standing inside the room. They were wearing long robes and had masks covering their faces. One of them was tall and the other was shorter and flat-chested. Their robes didn't fully hide the school uniform underneath—both of them were students.
Fable narrowed his eyes. His lips curled slightly into a dry smirk.
"Never thought someone would make a move so early. I don't know if I should call these two geniuses… or idiots."
Fabel and Predictor didn't waste even a second. Fabel quickly pulled out a kitchen knife from his pocket and charged straight toward the tall girl.
At the same time, the tall girl also dashed forward with her long knife raised high. The shorter girl rushed toward Predictor with fast steps.
Swack!... Swack!... Swack!..
Fabel and the tall girl clashed mid-way. The sound of steel hitting steel echoed as they exchanged blows. Their hands moved quickly, blocking and attacking with precision. It was clear both of them were used to this kind of deadly dance. Their eyes didn't blink, their feet didn't stop, and their arms moved like machines trained for this.
Meanwhile, on the other side, the shorter girl didn't raise her weapon. Instead, she bent low and lunged toward Predictor's legs like a wrestler going for a takedown.
"Ain't no way that'll work. The weight difference is too much!" Fabel shouted without looking, though he glanced sideways to check on Predictor.
But the tall girl scoffed as if amused, "Heh, she might look small, but she eats like an elephant and has the strength to match!"
Kwack!...
The shorter girl locked her arms around Predictor's legs and lifted him up like he weighed nothing. His heels rose off the ground, and for a second, it looked like she would slam him down with full force.
But Predictor's face didn't change. His expression stayed blank, calm.
With just one hand, he placed his palm on the girl's shoulder. And in the next moment, she felt weightless.
"Time for you to fly," Predictor said as he threw her up into the air like tossing a toy.
"If you're gonna grapple, you need to have some weight too. I'm not going easy just because you're a girl," he added with a tired sigh.
As she went up spinning in the air, both Fabel and the tall girl froze in place. They stared at the girl flying up.
Her hood and mask came loose mid-air, falling to the ground. Her soft pink hair waved in the air as her true face was revealed.
It was Sophie.
Predictor looked up, slightly confused. "Sophie? Then who's the other one?"
The taller girl's eyes widened. "Not good!" she whispered under her breath and instantly left Fabel behind.
With incredible speed, she charged at Predictor. She pulled her hand back, tightly clenching her fist. Her whole body leaned forward, focusing all her strength and energy into one single strike.
BAM!...
Her punch landed straight onto Predictor's chest, right where the heart is. The impact made a loud thud, the kind that could stop someone's breath.
Sophie dropped from Predictor's hands and fell to the ground with a gasp.
But Predictor didn't fall. He stood there, rubbing his chest slowly. He looked at the tall girl with calm eyes and said, "So you want a gender equality punch, huh?"
He cracked his knuckles, ready to hit back.
Fabel ran up next to him, holding his knife tightly, eyes sharp and burning. "Let's finish them!" he said, stepping beside Predictor.
The tall girl didn't step back. Instead, she placed her feet firmly on the ground, knife gripped tight, and raised her other fist. "Fine by me. I'll take you both on!" Her voice shook, but her eyes were full of fire, ready for a fight that could cost her life.
But before anyone could move, Sophie screamed, "Stop it! That's enough! No more fighting!"
She pushed herself up with shaky arms, her pink hair sticking to her sweaty face. "They already passed! There's no need to fight anymore!" she shouted again.
"Passed?" Predictor repeated, still in shock, his eyes wide and his voice confused.
Sophie sat down nearby with a dry, embarrassed smile, rubbing the back of her neck.
"Well then," the taller girl said, her voice calm and cold, "There's no point in hiding anymore."
She pulled down her hood and removed the mask covering her face.
It was none other than Diana—the same gloomy, scary, quiet girl from their class who never talked to anyone. Her long black hair was still messy, but now her serious expression made her seem like a completely different person.
Nobody in their right mind would have ever guessed that she and the friendly, cheerful Sophie were even remotely connected.
Diana folded her arms as she explained in her usual dull voice, "Sophie insisted that we should team up with you two. But I couldn't just trust random people, so we had to check your strength first. I thought you might be overconfident fools… But then Sophie's identity got exposed. I panicked and attacked Daniel with killing intent."
She said all of this without any change in tone, as if it was no big deal.
Predictor stared at her with wide eyes, his jaw hanging. "So you just… punched me right in the heart for no reason at all?!"
Diana looked at him blankly. "But you barely flinched, Let alone hurt,"
Predictor grabbed his chest and bent forward, "Barely flinched? Are you kidding me? This hurts like hell!" He groaned in pain, rubbing his chest. "I was just trying to act cool! Damn it!"
"Ugh... sorry," Diana said, slightly awkward, her face like a blank sheet.
Fable, who had been watching everything, crossed his arms and added, "I kind of noticed during the fight. You weren't aiming to kill us. It was like you were studying how we fight."
He narrowed his eyes at her. "But I never thought you'd be the one talking this much."
Diana looked straight at him and replied flatly, "Same goes for you."
The two glared at each other, sparks flying between their eyes. The tension could be felt in the air.
"Okay, okay, enough with the death stares!" Sophie quickly stepped between them and raised her hands to calm everyone. "Let's just focus on why we're here."
She looked at Fable and Predictor seriously.
"Since Daniel's my friend and I know he's trustworthy, I wanted to team up," Sophie said. "And now that our identities are out, we can be your hidden card. No one else knows who we really are, No one will expect that there will be another team hiding in the shadows",
Fable narrowed his eyes. "And what if you betray us instead?"
"If we wanted to betray you," Diana interrupted coldly, "we would've waited and ambushed you when you least expected it."
"There are other ways," Fable snapped. "You could pretend to be friendly. Use us to take down stronger teams. Then, when we're weak or the situation turns bad—you backstab or abandon us."
Diana's sharp eyes met his. For a moment, it felt like lightning was flashing between them. Neither one backed down.
But before things could get worse, Sophie jumped between them again, waving her arms.
"Okay, okay, stop! Let's decide later! For now, just hide those knives and take off those weird robes. We're still in class, Even though it's lunch break, anyone can come at any moment!",
-------
Diana and Sophie quickly picked up their robes and masks from the ground and stuffed them into their school bags. They also gathered the small knives they had thrown earlier and hid them too.
Once everything was packed away, the four of them stood in a circle on top of the benches, facing each other like they were holding a secret meeting.
"I'm still not satisfied with your answer," Fable said with a serious face, his arms crossed tightly.
Diana looked at him calmly and replied, "Isn't it the same for us? You could expose us, or stab us in the back too. But we're still willing to cooperate."
"No way! I'm a man, okay? There's no way I'd go back on my word first!" Predictor said proudly, then pointed a thumb at Fable. "I don't know about this guy though!"
Before anyone else could speak, Predictor quickly continued, puffing out his chest. "Besides, we've got a reputation to keep. Do you even know who recommended us? Mr. Oni! He's one of the top five hitmen in the world!"
Predictor rubbed his nose proudly, expecting the girls to be shocked.
But instead, both Diana and Sophie giggled softly.
"You wanna know who recommended us?" Sophie said with a teasing smile. "You might just wet your pants."
Predictor blinked in confusion, just about to ask, when Diana answered in her quiet voice.
"Soul Goodman. The greatest hitman in the world. Even though he retired after marrying the love of his life, before that, he found us in the slums. We were abandoned kids with nothing, thrown away by society. But he gave us a home… and a job. He made us hitmen."
Her voice stayed calm, but there was a hidden warmth in her words, a quiet respect.
"Even though he's retired," Diana added, "no one else is worthy of his title."
Fable and Predictor froze for a moment.
Of course, they had heard of Soul Goodman. He was a legend among hitmen. The man who never failed a mission. The man who never broke a contract. The man every hitman looked up to.
Sophie's usual cheer returned as she grinned. "He always kept his word. And we're not gonna let his name be stained, no matter what."
"I agree," Predictor said quickly, nodding.
"Fine by me," Fable muttered, but the slight smirk on his lips showed that he had accepted them.
But then Predictor walked towards Sophie with a sly grin.
"But I still want compensation for that punch… and it will be given by you!" he said, getting closer.
Without waiting, he slid his hand onto Sophie's curvy waist and leaned his face in, eyes half-closed like he was already lost in a dream.
"You know, we've been friends for months now… how about we start going out? I'm quite the straightforward type," he whispered smoothly, placing a finger under Sophie's chin and gently lifting it up.
Sophie's face turned red. Her eyes widened for a second, but she didn't pull away. She just stood there, blushing deeply. It almost looked like she was agreeing with him.
Actually she had always admired daneil, Who had quite handsome face, Nice body, tall and cheerful personality, She wouldn't mind going out with him.
And then—Predictor kissed her.
A soft, gentle kiss, like a lover's first.
But right after, he pulled back with a sudden jerk, took a few steps back, and started coughing violently.
"Gwahhh… Eww… Why is it so bitter?! What the hell!?" he shouted, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. His face twisted with confusion and disgust.
That's when Diana crossed her arms and said calmly,
"Maybe because Sophie is a boy."
Everything around Predictor seemed to stop.
His body froze.
His eyes widened.
He slowly turned to look at Sophie.
Sophie wasn't meeting his gaze. Her face was flushed red with embarrassment. She looked away, still silent.
There was no way this was a joke.
Diana was telling the truth.
Predictor's mind echoed with a single word, again and again.
Gay!
Gay!...
Gay!!...
Gay!!!...
His knees gave out and he dropped to the ground like a puppet with its strings cut.
Then, without a sound, he collapsed with a soft thud.
Even Fable and Diana were stunned for a second. But then both turned their heads away and started laughing, trying to hide it behind their hands.
After a few seconds, Fable walked over and crouched beside Predictor.
"Alright, alright, enough acting! Get up already!" he said, shaking his shoulder gently.
But Predictor didn't move.
Not even a twitch.
Fable's smile slowly faded. He felt something was wrong. He turned Predictor over so that his face faced the ceiling and placed a hand on his chest.
His heart…
It was barely beating.
Or maybe—it wasn't beating at all.
Fable's face turned serious.
He looked up and said,
"I think… he got a heart attack!"