I’m an assassin.
Saying it out loud isn’t cool at all—in fact, it’s kind of cringey, and people might even think anyone who calls themselves that is a bit of an idiot. But I’m emphasizing it right from the start for a reason—it’s closely tied to the story I’m about to tell.
As for being seen as cringey… I’m already used to it.
After all, both the name and the nature of my ability are overflowing with that edgy, over-the-top “chuunibyou” vibe.
My ability is called “Jet-Black Wings.” To activate it, I have to shout out equally cringey slogans—the more dramatic and longer the chant, the stronger the ability becomes.
I don’t even know why I ended up with something like this. Maybe it’s because the first videotape I ever picked up as a kid in a junkyard had a protagonist with serious chuunibyou syndrome, and it gave me all the wrong dreams and ideas growing up… Ahem. Right, getting off track—back to the point.
Anyway, as ridiculous as this ability is—and despite how much it’s wrecked my social life—it’s undeniably useful. In a place like Yokohama, where people with special abilities are everywhere and hardly rare, it helped me carve out a bloody path to survival. I made it this far alive and even earned a bit of a name in the business.
The downside? I have no friends and was forced into going solo.
Other assassins think teaming up with me is embarrassing, so they refuse to partner with me. And the ones who don’t think it’s embarrassing—the ones who think I’m cool? I’m the one who finds them embarrassing.
So as the name “Jet-Black Wings” grew more and more well-known, I became increasingly low-key.
Because I absolutely do not want that stupid name invading my life outside of work—and I especially don’t want anyone connecting it to my real name.
That’s why, when I heard about another assassin around my age—someone named Oda Sakunosuke—I felt a hint of jealousy.
He uses his real name openly and doesn’t even have a codename. How normal is that?!
Sure, there are rumors about him—“the red-haired assassin who uses dual guns,” “terrifying,” “cold-blooded, expressionless kills,” “never misses,” “his shots are always perfect”—but all of that still sounds normal and professional! Even with his real name out in the open, he still feels mysterious!
I’m already fifteen. If I were living a normal life, I’d be in high school by now—long past that chuunibyou phase!
And yet, the biggest impression people have of me is still “Jet-Black Wings”!
Those black wings are just props, for crying out loud—they can’t even fly! All my airtime comes from my own jumping ability! The wings just help me push off surfaces!
…Sorry. Got off track again.
But it’s not entirely unrelated. The reason I brought up that envy-inducing colleague is because he’s directly connected to the story I’m about to tell—
Because when I was fifteen, we crossed paths.
It wasn’t some rivalry between professionals or anything like that. For some reason, in this tiny city of Yokohama, even though there are plenty of assassins, we’re not short on work—in fact, there’s more than enough to go around.
Honestly, I think our employment rate is second only to Hakata.
The reason I ended up facing him was simple…
I got careless and skipped proper pre-job investigation. As a result, I got tangled up in a power struggle within a major financial conglomerate. Someone flipped the table in rage and hired an assassin to take revenge on me.
If it didn’t involve me, I’d probably find something like that amusing—a waste of money for no gain.
But once I became the target, I couldn’t laugh anymore.
Especially after I learned who they hired—
Oda Sakunosuke.
I had imagined that someday we might meet. After all, we were somewhat equally well-known in the industry—same age, both lone wolves.
The difference is, I want friends—I just don’t have any.
As for him… he just seems naturally aloof.
Still, I had always thought that if we ever met, it would be for a friendly exchange—or maybe he’d mock my ability.
Not… as hunter and prey.
Under that kind of pressure, I thought it over again and again before deciding to strike first.
And that’s… why I’m standing here now.
“Oda Sakunosuke?” I called out cautiously, staring at the red-haired boy in front of me. His calm demeanor confirmed that I hadn’t mistaken him.
He looked thinner than I expected, with a slender build. His hair wasn’t a bright, vivid red—more of a subdued reddish-brown. When those deep blue eyes turned toward me, there wasn’t a trace of emotion in them, like a machine.
Just that brief exchange of glances was enough to set off alarm bells in my head, an overwhelming pressure rising instinctively.
Because in that instant, I realized something—
In terms of skill, I’m no match for him.
He’s a natural-born killer. And far more experienced than I am.
Right now, as I launched my attack, his movements were almost reflexive—no hesitation, no thought required. He dodged every single strike with ease.
Just like the rumors say… as if he could see the future.
No—maybe that’s actually true.
Maybe his ability really is precognition.
But even that isn’t the most terrifying part…
I couldn’t sense even a trace of fear from him.
Not even emotion.
After just two minutes of fighting, despair began to creep into me—I knew, clearly, that I couldn’t beat him.
Not that I’m so weak I’d think I’d die here.
But I understood something else—
If he truly intended to assassinate me, then as long as I couldn’t kill him first, it was only a matter of time before he succeeded.
So… when he finally subdued me, I was already mentally prepared for what would come next.
People in this line of work all have that kind of awareness.
I didn’t regret anything, nor did my life flash before my eyes. I simply widened my golden eyes and stared back at him, determined not to lose in spirit even at the end.
The red-haired boy looked down at me, still expressionless, his voice flat.
“Jet-Black Wings?”
…Oh for—SHUT UP, YOU JERK!
Being called that stupid codename by my enemy right before dying isn’t just embarrassing—it’s downright humiliating!
My expression twisted for a split second, but I forced myself to hold it together and let out a cold snort.
“Go ahead. Kill me.”
He showed no reaction, no surprise, no argument.
“I won’t kill you,” he said matter-of-factly.
I was stunned.
What now? Was he going to humiliate me further? Though honestly, with how emotionless and deadpan he is, he’s not exactly great at that…
As I stared at him suspiciously, he continued:
“Or rather… I don’t plan to keep killing anymore.”
…What kind of new trick is this?
My guard didn’t drop—in fact, it rose even higher.
“I want to write novels,” he added. “So I won’t kill anymore.”
…That sounds even more ridiculous!
I may not be educated, but this guy doesn’t look like he went to school either—why would he suddenly want to write novels?! Is this some new industry code I don’t know about?!
Damn it! I have no friends, so I don’t even know the latest slang!
I waited a few seconds. Seeing that he didn’t immediately shoot me, I cautiously asked,
“Then… what about me?”
If you’re really quitting, what about this last job? Are you going to finish it or not?
And if not… can you let go already? Being pinned like this hurts, you know! I’m still growing—what if this affects my height?!
“Ah…” The red-haired boy seemed to realize something, as if it had just occurred to him. After staring at me for a moment, he suddenly asked,
“Do you want to join me?”
…So this is where the trap was!
I knew it—there’s no way he’d let me go that easily!
Still… compared to dying, changing careers is a much easier choice.
Choking back tears, I muttered, “Okay… can you let go of me now?”
“Oh. Sorry. I’m used to it—I forgot.”
That excuse is way too flimsy! That’s obviously a threat!
I stood up, stretched my arms, sniffed, and looked at the red-haired boy about my height.
He still wore that same emotionless face, yet the words coming out of his mouth made my blood pressure spike instantly:
“I guess this is where we introduce ourselves… Hello, Jet-Black Wings. I’m Oda Sakunosuke.”
…He’s definitely doing this on purpose, isn’t he?!
Suppressing the urge to ambush him and run, I forced a smile.
“Hello, Oda Sakunosuke. My name is Tsuboi Kikue… you can just call me Kikue.”
It’s been over four years since I last wrote for this fandom—feels nostalgic.
Just writing casually; you can read casually too. It’s a short piece, updated depending on my mood.
Inspired by the latest season and young Oda—but since the original story has gotten pretty confusing, this probably won’t be very long. If you like it, please leave comments and interact!
As for Oda’s eye color—in the anime it’s blue, but in the original novel his first appearance described them as brown. I wanted to follow the novel, but since most people recognize them as blue… I changed it to avoid confusion!
Also, check out my earlier work: “If I Don’t Quit Now, I’ll Be Forced to Seize the Throne.”