History[]
Synopsis[]
Taro Sakamoto's Past Arc[]
During her time at the JCC, Rion enjoyed herself as usual by sparring with Nagumo and Sakamoto. One day, she was sitting on a moving train, trying to light her cigarette. Nagumo suddenly jumped down at her, attempting a downward stab. Rion blocked his attack with her knife and asked if he had a lighter. Nagumo smiled and denied, instead loading a pistol to shoot her. Rion quickly disassembled the pistol with one hand and responded with a punch, which Nagumo blocked with his forearm. Their fight was interrupted by the sight of an approaching bridge, forcing them to jump from the roof into the train by breaking the windows. Inside, Rion dodged an attack from Sakamoto, who wielded a handrail he had ripped from the train's roof. Using the momentum, Rion launched a kick at Sakamoto, but he blocked it with the iron grab bar. He then used the straps connected to it to grab the wrists of both Nagumo and Rion, throwing them off the train through a window.
As they were mid-air, attempting to counter-attack Sakamoto, the trio noticed their teacher, Etsuko Satoda, calmly observing them from the rooftop who then proceeds to tell them to get down and stop fighting, later, it is revealed by the vice principal that the trio is expelled from the JCC due to their reckless and troublemaker behavior, which goes against the JCC rules. He continues by explaining that the trio lacks the credits needed to pass, and he has prepared an extra assignment to determine whether they will pass the year or not. After leaving the room, Rion discussed the mission with Nagumo and Sakamoto. She challenged them to a game of rock-paper-scissors to decide who would take on the mission. However, Sakamoto refused. Their conversation was interrupted when Uzuki accidentally bumped into Rion and immediately apologized. Rion responded by inviting Uzuki to join their rock-paper-scissors match, but Uzuki, confused, declined. Nagumo then told Rion to stop bullying Uzuki, which she denied. Rion walked away, stating they should finish the mission quickly and suggesting a visit to the aquarium afterward.
After walking away from Uzuki, Rion, Nagumo, and Sakamoto reached the reception where the woman behind the counter handed them their first JCC cards or assassin licenses. These cards allowed them to leave the campus for off-campus assignments. Sakamoto, confused, asked about the card's usefulness, to which Nagumo replied by asking if he had never used one before. Rion, meanwhile, looked at her card happily, raising it with a smile. As they headed towards the mission's location, the vice principal introduced them to Uzuki, describing him as a third-year student from the assassination department, just like them. Rion immediately greeted Uzuki in a friendly manner, recognizing him from earlier, but Uzuki silently brushed her off, surprising Rion. She then stated that she didn't like him. The trio, along with Uzuki, continued towards the location to find the so-called Steel Dragon.
Once in the elevator headed towards the mission's location, Rion, Nagumo, Sakamoto, and Uzuki encountered an assassin disguised as a hostess. Sakamoto instantly killed her, and Rion explained her doubts by saying the hostess was emanating too much bloodlust. After reaching the correct floor, the group split into pairs. Rion warned Uzuki not to slow her down as she immediately began taking out disguised assassins. She struck one in the throat and blinded another by throwing a shirt over his face before snapping his neck from behind, killing him instantly. Rion then hid his body by disguising it as a dummy with a hat covering his face While an employer showed her around, Rion blocked an assassin's gun with her hand and used her necklace as brass knuckles to knock him out. She then proceeded to choke another assassin with the same necklace, hiding his body behind the exposed clothes and Rion threw both of them into a locker where she started to interrogate them, but she was suddenly interrupted by Uzuki, who placed a hand on her shoulder from behind.
Rion asked why his hand was on her shoulder, and Uzuki responded by asking why she was killing those people when they were not the target. Rion looked confused at first but then turned to Uzuki with an amused smile, asking if he was the one who decides what type of killing is good or evil, calling it freaky. Uzuki responded by saying all killing is evil and they should avoid it whenever possible. Rion retorted by asking why he joined an assassin school and suggested he should quit if he wasn't cut out for it. Their banter was suddenly interrupted by the room shaking due to the commotion caused by the fight against Kindaka. Rion immediately intervened in the fight, and Kindaka suddenly sensed her gaze upon him from a few floors above. Rion closed the distance and hit Kindaka, pushing him off while she ran along the railing. Kindaka, intrigued by Rion and her special vision, began to wonder what she could see and noticed how her movements had zero waste, putting him on the defensive. Kindaka's thoughts were interrupted when a freezer fell on his head, blinding him. Sakamoto and Nagumo seized the opportunity to strike Kindaka.
After putting some distance between them, Rion asked who Kindaka was, but he responded by asking if they wanted to join the order. They resumed fighting, with Rion recognizing and noticing Kindaka before Nagumo and Sakamoto. During the skirmish, Kindaka threw Nagumo's stolen knife at Rion, but she dodged it and attempted to kick his face, missing and breaking through a stone pillar behind him. Intrigued, Kindaka commented on Rion's special vision and noted that she was performing the best out of the three. He then disappeared into the middle of a grocery store. Rion quickly turned around, attempting to slash behind her, but instead found a bottle of alcohol that Kindaka had placed. She accidentally sliced it, causing the alcohol to splash into her eyes and temporarily blind her, disabling the special sight that Kindaka was interested in. After Sakamoto managed to defeat Kindaka, the latter revealed that the trio was expelled despite completing the mission. Once this was confirmed by the school, Kindaka proposed a trade: if they helped him with a mission, he would arrange for their expulsion to be revoked.
Annoyed at being forced to help Kindaka, Rion and the others reluctantly agreed to assist him in exchange for being allowed back into school. During their mission, Rion insulted the JAA chairman, angering his private bodyguard. Suddenly, Rion grabbed the chairman's tie and pulled him down, blocking a bullet with her knife. She informed Sakamoto about a sniper positioned 300 meters ahead at 2 o'clock. Sakamoto quickly neutralized the threat by throwing a pistol. Uzuki then arrived with a car, and they all got inside as he sped towards the airport. Rion laughed as she tumbled between the two front seats due to Uzuki's fast driving. However, her amusement turned to confusion when she heard a voice coming from inside the JAA chairman. Suddenly, the chairman exploded, revealing his wife and daughter had been hiding inside, leaving Rion and the others even more bewildered.
It was revealed that it was a direct order from the Chairman to escort both his wife and daughter. After a brief conversation between Nagumo and Konomi, the Chairman's daughter, Nagumo remarked that treating her like a little kid was foolish because children her age don't like being treated that way. He then asked Rion if she was fidgeting because she hadn't smoked. Rion told Konomi to let Nagumo treat her like that because she was a big kid. Uzuki then spoke up, asking Rion if she had a daughter. Embarrassed, Rion shouted at him, angrily asking what kind of idiot he was. Uzuki calmly noted that Rion seemed to know a lot about kids, to which Rion responded by saying she has a niece.
After a bit of driving, Rion noticed something while resting her head out of the car window. She suddenly spotted a grenade and warned everyone. Sakamoto quickly managed to throw it away. Following an exchange of blows and events, Rion found herself chasing a van driven by Kobayashi, with Nagumo and Konomi lying behind on the back seats. Kobayashi then threw an explosive out of the car window, causing the car in front of them to flip and nearly crash into them. However, Sakamoto evaded it by leaping off his motorcycle. Meanwhile, Rion maneuvered the motorcycle to avoid the explosion, folding it onto the road. She then lit her cigarette using the sparks created by the motorcycle mirror scraping against the road. Sakamoto, using his previous leap, grabbed a stop sign and leapt into Kobayashi's van from behind, piercing through the roof with the sign's handle. However, Kobayashi managed to evade him, exiting the van and creating an opening for Higuchi to attack Sakamoto from behind with his reinforced iron arm.
Just as Higuchi was about to strike, Rion intervened, skidding with her motorcycle and using its back wheel to hit Higuchi. She then dragged him through the windows of a passing public bus before sending him crashing meters away, allowing her to escape. While Uzuki was driving the black van with everyone safely sitting inside and Sakamoto driving a motorcycle, Rion leaned out of the open window, boringly looking at Sakamoto and asking him if he wanted to trade off the motorcycle and let her drive. Sakamoto firmly denied her request. After boringly dismissing Kindaka's scolding, Nagumo told Sakamoto to let Rion drive the motorcycle later in the parking lot, angering Rion. She shouted at them not to treat her like a child. Rion attempted to light herself a cigarette, which angered Kindaka again, who questioned if they had forgotten their roles. Reminding them of their assignments, Kindaka emphasized that Rion and Uzuki were supposed to be in the front car due to Rion's special vision and Uzuki's spatial awareness. Nagumo's adaptability was intended to protect both Ai and Konomi.
Uzuki then asked if Sakamoto was considered the best fighter among them, which led Rion to suspect Uzuki wanted to pick a fight with Sakamoto, but Uzuki denied this. He explained that this was the reason Kindaka placed Sakamoto in the rear. However, Rion angrily told Uzuki not to patronize her. She declared that if she and Sakamoto were placed naked in a room with only a knife, she would win. But in a regular room filled with random items, Sakamoto would win 100 fights out of 100. Uzuki denied such a large gap in abilities between them, but Rion explained that she knew how to utilize a weapon to its maximum potential, while Sakamoto could turn anything around him into a weapon, and Nagumo executed everything with skill and coordination.
Rion then embarrassedly apologized to Uzuki for calling him a lousy assassin at the department store. Uzuki responded by saying that he thought Rion was the type of person to say something and then forget about it seconds later. Rion told him not to talk to her like she's an idiot, to which Uzuki asked why she had suddenly changed her tune. Rion explained that the mission could be fatal, and she didn't want any regrets, leaning against the open car window. Uzuki called Rion amazing for worrying about other people before herself. Rion asked him why he put it like that, but Uzuki told her there was no need to apologize for earlier. Uzuki then admitted that he felt relieved when Rion told him he wasn't cut out to be an assassin because it felt like she was saying he was actually a decent person. Rion listened to him while drinking from a can until she suddenly burst into laughter, spitting the drink all over Uzuki's face. She apologized while wiping away her tears, and Uzuki asked her several questions about why she had spat the drink, to which Rion answered while cleaning his face with a handkerchief.
Uzuki then remembered what happened during their break at a gas station, where he received a call from his older brother, Asaki, asking about his plan as a spy. After a brief debate where Uzuki refused to harm his friends and Asaki threatened him, Rion suddenly appeared behind him, aiming a gun with a serious expression. Uzuki's hands began to shake as he contemplated killing Rion, but she broke the tension by wrapping an arm around him and laughing, teasing him about his serious expression when she aimed the gun at him. Returning to reality, Uzuki drove the car while looking at a picture. Rion asked him about it, and he explained that it was an old picture of his friends from the orphanage where he grew up. Uzuki then stated that after the mission was over, he planned to take a break from the JCC and spend time with them again. Rion commented that he better not die then.
As the students finally manages to reach the bridge, close to completing their escort of both Ai and Konomi Amo, Higuchi intervenes by firing a sniper rifle at their car from a bridge beam. However, Rion pushes Uzuki's face, moving it aside and making Higuchi miss, as his attack is countered by the gunfire of both Nagumo and Sakamoto. In response, Higuchi activates a device, causing the middle part of the bridge to explode, engulfing the area in smoke and fire. Rion accelerates the car, driving straight through the chaos, and manages to stop safely on the other side before the bridge collapses. Meanwhile, Kindaka utilizes his immense speed to reach the other side, taking Ai with him. Sakamoto follows suit, leaping into the void with his motorcycle and navigating through the smoke, utilizing a steel cable of the falling bridge to land on the other side of the bridge.
Despite his annoyance, Higuchi quickly follows them, only to be surprised by Sakamoto, who delivers a powerful downward punch to his head from behind, further irritating him. In retaliation, Higuchi leaps into the air, aiming another punch at Sakamoto, but misses and crashes into the ground, causing it to crack. Meanwhile, Rion, Nagumo, Kindaka, and Uzuki successfully enter the tunnel along with both Ai and her mother. However, their progress is halted when a piece of the tunnel's roof suddenly explodes, revealing Kobayashi. Rion swiftly attacks him, slicing his shoulder with her knife but stating that she missed. To her shock, she finds herself on the ground, blood pouring from her mouth, as Kobayashi reveals that the tunnel is filled with his poison gas.
Higuchi confidently informs Sakamoto that Kobayashi's poison is highly lethal, particularly effective against tough targets like Rion. After a small fight Sakamoto manages to successfully defeat Higuchi as in the meanwhile, Kobayashi interjects, stating that his poison typically kills within ten minutes and that he alone possesses the antidote. As he speaks, he retrieves a rifle and fires at both Rion and Nagumo, who quickly seek cover behind a car. However, much to their surprise, the poison manages to reach them once again, along with Kindaka, causing them to cough up blood once more.
While Kobayashi speaks, Nagumo begins to ponder a solution to the poison's effects. He quickly notices that all the rats in the tunnel have died, prompting him to grab Rion's shirt to prevent her from moving and revealing that he has found a solution. To everyone's surprise, Nagumo explains that the more active a person is, the faster the poison acts. Rion states that it's not bad when she stays still. Meanwhile, Uzuki becomes lost in thought, realizing that even the heartbeats count. He swiftly proceeds to knock out both Ai and her mother to prevent them from being infected by the poison which annoys Rion as she says to just blast him away but Nagumo calms her down. While Kobayashi keeps shooting with his rifle, Rion notices a wheelchair nearby. She quickly decides to use it, crouching on it while holding into the armrests and telling Nagumo to throw a grenade underneath its seat. The explosion throws her towards Kobayashi, where she attempts to stab him with her knife. However, he swiftly blocks her attack with his rifle, confidently facing her.
Undeterred, Rion surprises him by stabbing him with her knife, revealing that she used the recoil of her gun as propulsion while maintaining a relaxed posture to resist the poison's effects. Rion follows up with a rapid barrage of knife stabs, forcing Kobayashi to retreat. In response, she throws her knife, and when he blocks it with his rifle, she uses her own gun to shoot at the rifle, slicing Kobayashi's neck and leaving him vulnerable. However, she then realizes that she has run out of bullets but Nagumo takes over the attack, firing his gun at Kobayashi. Kobayashi dodges the shots, expressing surprise at Nagumo's ability to resist the poison for so long. He then notices Rion's calm demeanor, smoking a cigarette, and wonders at her composure. Suddenly, his thoughts are interrupted by a hand piercing through the floor, forcefully dragging him downward. It's revealed to be Sakamoto who after defeating Higuchi rushed on the scene to help his friends and after a small exchange he manages to choke Kobayashi to death.
Untitled Arc[]
After Kei Uzuki dropped the antidote and killed Kindaka, he fled, and Rion quickly pursued him. After a bit of running, she managed to grab him by the neck and throw him to the ground, stopping him. Aiming her gun at Uzuki, Rion demanded to know why he dropped the antidote and killed Kindaka. Uzuki snapped at her, saying he had no choice, before attacking her with his sword-whip. They engaged in a brief fight, which Rion ultimately won. Despite her victory, she spared Uzuki and again asked why he had no choice. Uzuki revealed that his family was being held hostage and that if he hadn't killed Kindaka, they would have killed Gaku. He then revealed that he grew up in a facility that raised orphans to be assassins and forced them to go on missions and kill people against their will.
While Uzuki was recounting his past, he and Rion were suddenly surrounded by several JAA operatives, who aimed their guns at them and declared them both under arrest. After a failed attempt to declare Rion innocent, Uzuki stepped forward and allowed one of the men to arrest him. However, before he could be taken, Rion suddenly attacked one of the JAA members, stealing his gun and shooting at the others, killing them on the spot. The duo then started running away, with Uzuki yelling at Rion, asking why she saved him. Rion replied that she also had a family she wanted to protect and understood why he killed Kindaka. She added that Uzuki didn't seem like a bad guy to her.
After managing to escape, the duo left the structure. Uzuki stated that he had to get back to the Al-Kamar Orphanage, but Rion denied this option, insisting that if he returned, the same things would keep happening repeatedly. She assured him they would find another way to free his family. The two then began a journey together, fleeing from the JAA in an old, scrappy car. They had only a little money, which they managed to get by selling a few things they found in the car's trunk. With no particular destination, they kept running from the JAA. However, that life wouldn't last for long.
After a year, it is shown that Rion had started working for a man, taking on targets to kill in exchange for money, while Uzuki waited for her at home. For the past year, the duo had been living in an old, abandoned rest stop building. One day, Rion came back home, and after she took off her jacket, Uzuki discovered her secret job of killing people by noticing a stain of blood on her hand. This angered both of them, leading to a heated discussion. Uzuki scolded Rion, telling her that killing people leaves a trail, but Rion replied that she had covered her tracks. She explained that they needed money to live and that to free his family, they would have to wipe out all the members of Al-Kamar, which included more than 20 veteran assassins working at the orphanage. Rion emphasized that they were both outgunned and outmanned. Uzuki, concerned, stated that he didn't want Rion to die or to kill anyone. However, Rion insisted that to save Uzuki's friends at the orphanage, they would have to kill the assassins first.
That night, Rion and Uzuki slept apart, still angry with each other and in the meanwhile, Rion reflected on how she admired Uzuki's innocent way of thinking but acknowledged that such an outlook was unrealistic in a harsh world. She resolved to be the one to make the world a place where kind people could live. Later that day, Rion returned to the same man but refused his proposal to kill a target. The man insisted, explaining that the job was simply to escort the daughter of a big corporation's CEO to safety. Rion agreed but stated that this would be her last job. During the trip to escort the child, Rion declared that she would stop killing after this mission, referring to it as her "last kill."
During her escort mission, Rion becomes annoyed at the driver and demands to know why he is changing the route, stating that this wasn't part of the plan. The man replies that these are orders from the CEO. Before Rion can tell the man to stop the car, one of the wheels suddenly blows out. Rion jumps out of the van to confront the attacker, engaging in a fight. The man, dressed in a white hood, kicks Rion away and attempts to attack her with a whip-sword, which Rion immediately recognizes and dodges. She counters, slicing his hood with her knife, revealing, to her surprise, that the attacker is Uzuki. They lock eyes for a moment before Uzuki stabs Rion through her body with a blade, causing her to collapse with a fatal wound. Uzuki crouches beside her, asking why she is there. Rion, with a smile, teasingly calls him an emo loser. While dying, she apologizes to Uzuki, telling him that she wanted to protect everyone so that kind people could stay kind. She then dies in his arms, leaving Uzuki in shock.