Riku sat at lunch with Jose and the others,

"Hey you guys know anything about an ‘end of term mission’?"

The others paused their chatter and looked at Riku.

Nakita grew wide eyed and let out a big grin and rubbed Riku on the head

"Awww, the little ones grow up so fast.

Who’s a good first year?

Yes you are!

Yes you are!"

Riku fought off her hand to stop her patting, a little frustrated that she took him for anything close to a pet.

"It’s pretty straight forward. It’s just a mission to get students familiar with what is required.

It should be easy for you, seeing as you’ve already been on a mission."

Dante was the one to speak but then he started counting on his fingers and realized something.

"Wait, isn't your next ranked match on Friday?... and you have the end of term mission on saturday?"

"Sounds like a cramped schedule to me."

Jose was the one to interject on Dante’s train of thought.

"That’s the least of your worries, aren't you afraid of the ‘Ghost killers’?"

Jose looked left and right as he lowered his voice to ask.

Riku closed in with a little confusion on his face.

"Ghost killers?"

He asked, trying to get confirmation.

"Yeah, that’s what everyone is calling them. From what we’ve gathered they are some really scary guys. They wear some pretty creepy masks and have the skills to back it up."

Dante rolled his eyes and knocked Jose in the back of the head.

" No need to make him nervous, he has Miss Debeers covering him. I am sure he will be fine."

Riku's face grew a little awkward hearing these words and Nakita picked up on his change in mood.

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"Oh! let me guess… You don’t think she’s that strong huh?!"

Nakita saw Riku nod slightly in agreement.

"Is it just cause she’s a woman?!"

Nakita was now getting visibly angry at Riku for his misogynistic point of view, all while his smile grew more wary.

Nakita grabbed him by the collar and shook him violently.

"I’ll have you know she’s just as strong as any other teacher at this school!

Matter of fact she’s the one who taught me everything I know!"

[BRING!]

Before Nakita could dive deeper into her fury, the bell signaling the end of lunch rang and she pushed Riku off.

"Hm!

You get away this time.

Dante, Jose! Let's go!"

They both gave Riku a shy look before getting up ready to leave.

Riku watched as Nakita stormed off with Dante and Jose, a mix of confusion and guilt lingering in his mind.

He hadn't intended to offend Nakita or undermine Miss Debeers' abilities. He knew firsthand how formidable Nakita was, and he respected her skills as an assassin.

Afterall despite how it started she played her part and saved him while they were on the mission together.

However, his doubts about Miss Debeers were rooted in his previous experiences with her as a history teacher rather than her combat prowess. He hadn’t gotten a sense of danger from her in the sense of life threatening, she was more of a blank slate to him.

As the lunch crowd dispersed, Riku found himself standing alone in the cafeteria, lost in his thoughts.

The thought of seeking out Miss Debeers and apologizing for his skepticism popped up and disappeared as quickly when he imagined her possible response. Maybe telling her that really would make him dead.

Riku chuckled inwardly, but a voice interrupted his contemplation.

"Riku, right? Mind if I join you?"

Riku turned to find Lana Barracks, one of his assigned teammates for the end-of-term mission, standing beside him. She had a friendly smile on her face and seemed genuinely interested in getting to know him.

"Sure, go ahead,"

Riku replied, offering her a seat at his table.

While looking at his watch, still not wanting to be too late for his next set of classes.

Lana sat down, placing her empty tray in front of her. She looked at Riku curiously, her eyes filled with a hint of excitement.

"I heard we're going to be working together for the mission," she said. "I think it's going to be an interesting experience. Have you ever been on a mission before?"

Riku hesitated for a moment, unsure of how much he should reveal. He decided to be honest with his soon to be teammate.

"Yeah, I've been on a mission once before," he confessed.

"But it didn't go so well. I made a lot of mistakes, and I even ended up getting cornered, I was in a really bad spot."

Lana nodded sympathetically, her expression understanding.

"Sometimes things don't go as planned," she said.

"But that's how we learn and grow. We can't let past failures define us. We have to keep moving forward and strive to do better."

Lana gave a smile that even Riku had to admit that lesser men would melt in her hands.

Regardless, Riku appreciated Lana's supportive words. They gave him a renewed sense of determination.

Just as Riku was about to respond, the intercom crackled to life, and the principal's voice echoed throughout the cafeteria.

"Attention, students.

I apologize for the interruption.

There has been a change in the schedule. All afternoon classes are canceled for today.

Please return to your dormitories and remain there until further notice."

Confusion swept through the cafeteria as students exchanged puzzled glances.

Riku and Lana gathered their belongings and joined the throng of students heading back to their dormitories.

As they walked together, Riku couldn't help but wonder what had prompted the sudden change in schedule. He hoped it wasn't anything too serious or dangerous. The recent events involving the traitor and the "Ghost killers" had already put everyone on edge.

Arriving at his dormitory, Riku bid farewell to Lana and entered his room. He closed the door behind him, the silence enveloping the space. With no classes to attend, he found himself with some unexpected free time.

Riku decided to use the opportunity to review his opponent for the next ranked match.

As he immersed himself in his studies, But Riku couldn't shake off the nagging feeling that there was more to the sudden schedule change than meets the eye.