"Where am I?" Ethan found himself in the ocean. Drowning, he caught a light coming from deep of ocean. Just as he was about to swim towards it, his eyes opened
Rosery was sitting on the chair next to him. She noticed that Ethan was now conscious and let out a sigh of relief.
She immediately got up, reached out, and touched Ethan's cheek—her fingers cold against his skin. "Are you fine, honey?" she asked.
Ethan winced as he tried to sit up, his head still heavy from an impact he didn't understand. "I am alive… but my head's killing me."
"I'll get the doctor. She will give you some medicine."
"Thanks, Mom."
"What happened? A local found you unconscious in the street with a bunch of… naked kids. I was so worried when the hospital called me."
Ethan got a flashback of what happened, but he remembered nothing except white. It had happened so suddenly. "I… don't know. I just fainted."
"Fainted? Ethan, we should get a proper check-up. Fainting suddenly isn't normal."
"I am fine, Mom. Don't worry."
"No, you are not fine. Sit. I'll get the nurse."
Rosery left the room, leaving Ethan alone with his thoughts for a moment.
"Who was that guy?" Ethan thought. "We barely fought… we didn't even talk in the first place."
Ethan glanced at the nightstand, where his belongings were kept, and noticed something. "My purse is empty? It had at least 80 dollars in it."
Rosery returned with a nurse. "Alright, Ethan, don't worry. A headache is normal after being unconscious."
"How long was I unconscious for?"
"Well, just a few hours. It feels like someone struck you hard enough to block blood flow briefly." The nurse applied an injection to his IV and gave him medicine.
"Hit was Hard enough to cut off oxygen for 6-7 seconds and keep you unconscious, but not enough to kill you."
Ethan nodded and turned to his mother. "What happened to my cash?"
Rosery shook her head. "There was no purse. The attacker might have stolen it. I found only this."
She handed Ethan a paper. Ethan opened it and found a recommendation letter for an entrance exam.
Ethan's eyes widened. He realized that the person who stole his cash was a high-ranked assassin. Did he see potential in him because Ethan tried to fight back?
"What is this, Ethan? I didn't open it since I didn't know what it could be to you," Rosery asked.
Ethan didn't respond. He was a bit happy and shocked.
"Ethan?"
Two months later, at the Special Assassin School, Tokyo.
"Sorry, we at least need the signature of the assassin who gave you this," the woman said rudely at the admission center of the school. "Move. We have real students who actually passed the exam."
"Signature? But—" Ethan started to speak, but she held up a hand, her eyes narrowed behind her specs.
"No 'but.' Now please leave. We have others waiting."
"There is a sign here, look," Ethan gestured.
She snapped, "You call this a sign? This drawing of an ice cream cone? Is this a signature?"
"Now, now. Calm down," another teacher entered. He was wearing a formal suit and was part of the dispatch team. "My name is Carlos Rodríguez. Can you show me the signature?"
The woman, whose name was Hina Yamaguchi, said, "Look, the signature is… just look." She handed the paper to Carlos.
When he checked the signature, his face paled. He glanced at Ethan, back at the paper, and then at Ethan again. He whispered something to Hina, and she seemed to pale as well.
Hina glanced at Ethan. Her lips trembled, her eyes shining with immediate regret. "Hand me the documents. Fill the papers, and you will be assigned a hostel and class."
Ethan hesitated because of the sudden change of events but ultimately nodded and quickly handed over the documents. His hands trembled as he signed the file, not understanding what was happening.
At the hostel, Room 716.
Ethan entered to find three beds. "I'll be having two more roommates?"
Ethan started setting up his clothes and belongings when he got a call from Rosery.
"Hello, Mom? Yes, I am good. Yeah, the documentation was done. No, I haven't eaten lunch yet. I'll set up my belongings and go."
Footsteps came from outside.
"I guess my roommates have arrived. I'll greet them and call you after lunch. Bye, love you too, Mama."
The door opened, and Ethan took a deep breath, hoping to make some good new friends.
But instead, he saw two of the most dangerous-looking guys in the world.
One had tattoos all over his body—6'1 and at least 250 pounds of pure muscle.
The other had eyes so cold they sent shivers down his spine. Silent and quiet, he stared with curiosity. His body was skinny, his hair short—nothing like the bulky one beside him.
"So, you are the new roommate? It will be fun." The bulky guy cracked his knuckles.