The assassin thought about his pet bird’s expensive diet, which cost him 10,000 per month. His own food expenses reached 20,000, yet he barely made it through the month. He believed that if he could kill Sakamoto and claim the billion-dollar bounty, all his problems would be solved, and he could completely change his life.
Meanwhile, at the store, Shin was sweeping up broken glass, complaining about always cleaning up after reckless assassins. Lou commented that the store had taken a lot of damage, and Sakamoto agreed, saying they needed to fix everything. However, Shin reminded him that they didn’t have enough money to cover the repairs. He then suggested entering a competition to win some money.
Just then, an assassin entered the store asking for Sakamoto. He claimed he would leave them alone if they just told him where Sakamoto was. Then, he insulted Sakamoto by calling him fat. Playing along, Sakamoto denied knowing anyone by that name. The assassin, confused, pointed out that the store’s sign literally had “Sakamoto” written on it. Sakamoto casually dismissed his suspicion, saying that plenty of stores had the same name.
Frustrated, the assassin muttered, “How am I supposed to find him now?” Shin, reading his mind, realized that all he thought about was food. The assassin then revealed that an elderly woman outside had told him Sakamoto owned the store and was inside. Growing annoyed, Shin insisted that no one named Sakamoto was there and sarcastically added that there were over 200 million stores with the same name. The assassin, stunned, muttered, “200 million?” He then lamented that he didn’t have enough money to visit them all and started crying, revealing that he couldn’t even afford breakfast.
Feeling bad for him, Sakamoto and the others offered him food. His face lit up with joy, and after eating, he left to continue his search for Sakamoto. As he walked away, they waved goodbye and told him he was welcome to return anytime. Shin turned to Sakamoto and said, “I didn’t think assassins this clueless existed.” Sakamoto smirked and replied, “There are plenty of them out there, and they never stop being this dumb.”
That night, the assassin set up his tent, a gift from his grandmother, telling himself it would be enough until he became rich. He briefly reminisced about his time in the Assassin Guild, where he had been deemed unfit to be a true assassin. Snapping back to reality, he vowed to prove them wrong and make them regret kicking him out.
Suddenly, a strong gust of wind tore through the area, ripping his tent apart. He desperately tried to grab it before it flew away, but he failed. He sank to the ground in despair. Just then, a piece of paper blew into his face. When he pulled it off and read it, he saw it was an advertisement for a competition with a million-dollar prize. His eyes widened with excitement as he imagined the house he could buy with that money.
The next day, Shin and Sakamoto arrived at the competition venue. Shin was amazed by the massive area, saying it looked incredible. They went to pick up their wireless communication devices, which they would use to stay in touch during the contest. Shin was impressed by the technology.
Lou also arrived at the event to support Sakamoto. Shin approached her and asked why she hadn’t signed up. Lou scoffed, saying she had no interest in participating in such a ridiculous competition. “But we need the money to repair the store,” Shin reminded her.
Just then, they heard a familiar voice. It was the assassin from before, accompanied by his pet bird. The event staff told him he wasn’t allowed to participate. “But I need the money!” he protested, tears welling up in his eyes. The event organizer, annoyed, told him he could only enter if he formed a team of two to five people. This completely crushed his hopes.
At that moment, Lou called out to the assassin’s pet bird, catching his attention. The assassin immediately ran toward Shin, grabbed his leg, and pleaded for help. He even got on his knees, begging. Frustrated, Shin scribbled Sakamoto’s name along with the assassin’s on the registration form, officially making them a team.
The event host welcomed the contestants and announced that the competition would begin with a paintball shootout. The event would take place on Main Street, and all participants would have to clean up afterward. Shin was excited about the challenge, but Sakamoto seemed more interested in the idea of cleaning the neighborhood.
Now officially a team, Shin, Sakamoto, and the clumsy assassin gathered together. The assassin turned to Shin and asked, “So, what do we do now?”
Shin sighed. “You shoot everyone except us. We’re on the same team.”
Without hesitation, the assassin swiftly took down four competitors with precise shots, leaving Shin stunned. “How did he do that? I thought he was useless,” Shin muttered, surprised by his unexpected skill.
A shot came from behind, but Shin dodged just in time and eliminated two more opponents. Meanwhile, two competitors tried to sneak up on Sakamoto, but he quickly grabbed one of their paintball guns and eliminated them both in one swift motion. As he fought, Sakamoto thought about improvements for his store—like bulletproof glass and better shelves for storing instant noodles.
The assassin suddenly declared, “I have friends now!”
Shin glanced at him. “I guess that means we’re friends too?”
The assassin nodded enthusiastically. “You guys are professionals!” Then, without hesitation, he ran off. “I’ll go be bait for the others!”
As he ran, he overheard Lou cheering, “Go, Sakamoto! Take them down!”
He froze. “Wait, you know Sakamoto?” He quickly pulled out a photo. “No way… this doesn’t look like him at all!”
Lou casually pointed at Sakamoto. “That’s Mr. Sakamoto—just thinner. Look at the hair, the glasses.”
Alarmed, Shin quickly pulled Lou away before she revealed too much.
The assassin chuckled. “No way… that guy? He looks nothing like the picture.” But then, his expression turned serious as he raised his weapon at Sakamoto. “I hate liars.”
Before either of them could fire, other participants ambushed them, forcing everyone to scatter. Shin quickly found cover and returned fire, eliminating a few more opponents. Sakamoto engaged as well, but the assassin summoned his bird, which dropped his special weapon from above. The moment he caught it, he took aim and fired at Sakamoto.
Reacting quickly, Sakamoto blocked the shot with his hand, but the impact left a wound. Seeing that Sakamoto was still standing, the assassin decided to reposition. “We should back off and fire from another angle,” he said before running away.
Shin attempted to chase him, but Sakamoto stopped him. “We need to solve this properly. Let’s find him first.”
They moved carefully, tracking the assassin’s location. Shin volunteered to go ahead, but Sakamoto stopped him. “When hunting a sniper, you have to follow the rules—stay quiet, observe, and only engage when you’re certain.”
As soon as Sakamoto stepped out of the corridor, a bullet shattered a glass sign, slicing through his shirt. He dodged just in time.
The assassin, now irritated, spoke through their communication devices. “You dodged that one too?”
Shin tried to play it off. “That bullet was just a random ricochet.”
Sakamoto corrected him. “No, it had a peculiar spin—it’s designed specifically for ricochets.”
The assassin smirked. “Exactly. This is a Triple-Dimension Ricochet Bullet. Impossible to track.”
Shin glared at him. “You said we were friends, but now you’re trying to kill us?”
“Don’t be naive,” the assassin replied. “We’re mercenaries before we’re friends. When I look down my scope, all I care about is hitting my target.”
Without hesitation, he fired three more shots. Sakamoto and Shin darted away, dodging as the bullets ricocheted unpredictably. They continued running, avoiding shots from every angle, but Sakamoto skillfully evaded them. Eventually, they found cover behind a staircase.
Meanwhile, the assassin reflected on his past—his failures in races, losing fights, and never excelling at anything. He had never been able to stand beside his friends because he was incompetent at everything. Everything except one thing—sniping.
Determined to prove his worth, he had approached the elite assassin guild, claiming he would become their best sniper. But the guild’s recruiter dismissed him. “Sniping alone isn’t enough. You need to be well-rounded. Assassins don’t choose their tasks.”
The assassin remembered his past struggles. He had once been sent on a mission with only a knife, but his poor close-combat skills had led to failure. Knocked to the ground while trying to escape, he had eventually been pushed into meaningless office work. One of his fellow assassins had mocked him, telling him to quit since he wasn’t cut out for the job.
That night, feeling hopeless, he had received a job request—to assassinate Sakamoto. If I complete this mission, I’ll prove to them all that I belong.
Snapping back to the present, he aimed at Sakamoto and Shin once more. He fired, but they dodged again.
Shin, who had been reading his thoughts, spoke through the assassin’s earpiece. “Turn off your mic. I’ve heard everything.” His voice turned sharp. “You don’t need to prove yourself to them. You need to prove yourself to yourself.”
The assassin ripped out his earpiece. “You’re trying to shake my confidence with words, but it won’t work!”
Meanwhile, Sakamoto picked up a small stone and, with precise force, hurled it at the assassin’s rifle. The impact shattered the weapon completely and sent the assassin crashing to the ground.
Dazed, the assassin stared in disbelief. I can’t kill this man… he’s too strong.
Back at the competition, the announcer declared Team Sakamoto the winners. They received their prize money, but away from the crowd, the assassin broke down in tears. “I’m even terrible at sniping now… I’m not good at anything.”
Sakamoto reassured him, “Don’t say that. You’re an incredible sniper—one of the best I’ve ever seen.”
As they prepared to leave, Shin handed the assassin his share of the winnings. It was a ridiculously small amount.
The assassin frowned. “This is my cut?”
Shin smirked. “You caused too much damage to the city.”
Back at the store, Sakamoto’s wife confronted him. “So, you won the prize… but spent it all on cleaning up the city?” She sighed but then smiled. “At least you’re okay.”
Shin turned to her. “Tell me, how did you two even meet?”
She thought back to the past, recalling how she had first met Sakamoto in a store where he had been shopping. He had fallen for her instantly. Smiling, she said, “He had the biggest, sweetest smile.”
At that moment, Sakamoto imagined himself stabbing Shin in the neck for reading his wife’s thoughts. Instead, he simply warned, “Don’t ever do that again.”
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