Chapter Text
Being the quiet kid in class was something that came naturally to both Rinka Hayami and Ryunosuke Chiba. In a class as spontaneous and sporadic as 3-E was, especially with the more audacious classmates like Karma and attention grabbing teachers like Irena Jelavich, being overshadowed was just another risk of the job. Both of the teenagers rested comfortably in the middle of mediocracy, never the best but never the worst. In the middle grounds was where they stayed, neither spotlight nor scrutiny shining onto them. If you asked one of their classmates about them, they would pause and think for a moment before shrugging and saying that they are just shy, quiet, introverted. There was nothing about them that stood out. Sure Chiba always covered his eyes up with his bangs, but was that really something to pay attention to when their teacher was a yellow octopus? The class had grown to not bat an eye at Korosensei’s appearance and was certainly not phased by some very long bangs.
Yet if the class had taught Chiba and Hayami anything, it was that circumstances can change quickly and unexpectedly. They had gone into the school year prepared to be treated like doomed nobodies, only to be tasked with assassinating a being that threatened to destroy the earth-but not before getting in some teaching experience it seemed! The class had been passed out weapons and told to play the part of both world-saving assassins and diligent students. The ammo in the guns were not fatal to human beings, a fact that saved many lives when they were initially figuring out how to use their weapons.
There was no eureka moment when either Chiba or Hayami were handed their first firearm. They had handled them with awkward grace, quickly learning how to use it alongside some of their classmates. Nothing really sets them apart from the others. It wasn’t like either one of them could realize how good their aim was when their target could easily dodge a volley of bullets from the entire class. Though as others started to experiment with other ways of assasination like knives, poison, or strategic planning, Chiba and Hayami stayed loyal to their firearms. Karasuma had noticed this, quickly bringing in a target practice for the two to practice on. But alone, it was hard to compare them to the others and truly realize how gifted they were.
It wasn’t until the entire class started pulling their weight in training that the brilliance of Chiba and Hayami’s skill came to the attention of Karasuma, Jelavich, and the entire class. While the other students each learned at their own pace, some faster, some slower, none of them had the results of Chiba and Hayami.
Some expected for the two to be a bit flustered by all the sudden attention on them...but that didn’t seem to be the case. They weren’t shy, it seemed, but serious and stoic. Attention given to them they politely accepted and acknowledged, never talking down or up their skills. In fact, the two of them rarely even talked about it at all. Nay, they barely even talked at all. Sure they said the occasional quip here and there, but never to the point that an additional dimension to their personality could be figured out. Sometimes they wondered if that was why people were so interested in their sniping skills; perhaps by understanding their skills, people thought they could start to understand them a bit better.
Chiba was the best shot in class, hands down. It didn’t matter how far the target was to him, he could still land a hit if he was balanced and focused at all times. The stability of where he shot was important, but the bar was low when it came to what created the ideal sniping spot for Chiba. As Karusuma said, he was an expert at spatial calculations and long range sniping. The problem was when the target was moving, leading him to constantly have to recalculate his shots, lengthening the time it took for him to pull the trigger. But when he got his sight set on a target? It was game over. In fact, Karasuma had to set up targets specifically for Chiba that were set at a further distance than the targets his classmates were practicing with. It would be a waste for Chiba to spend precious training time playing on easy mode.
Hayami on the other hand was able to shoot correctly and efficiently no matter the environment she was placed in. She had been in Dance Club before being thrown into Class 3-E, already experienced with how to keep and maintain balance. Hayami also had great kinetic visual acuity, the best in class and perhaps the best Karasuma had seen in a long time, meaning that she was able to quickly identify and aim at moving targets in her line of sight. She did have issues with longer ranged sniping, though not enough to never miss a target. Bullseyes were just a tad more difficult to achieve the further and further away they were. Still, she was an excellent shot and the best with successfully hitting moving targets. Balloons and other moving targets had been set up for Hayami and her classmates to practice with, though the game had quickly become “who can shoot the most targets” to “who can shoot A target before Hayami shoots them all.”
The two had their strengths and the two had their weaknesses. By a stroke of luck or some divine blessing, Chiba and Hayami’s strengths and weaknesses directly complimented each other. The two knew that it was going to be a matter of time before they were shoved together. They were the best snipers in class, that was obvious. They had their faults, but the other one more than made up for it. Why have to choose when you could just pair them together? In fact, why not just put them together and see what they could do? You can run from the pair, but Hayami could catch you. You could hide far, far away from the pair, but Chiba would still manage to shoot you. It was destiny that they were together, and circumstances meant that they had to exploit this as much as they could.
So when the two were called over by their huddled, whispering classmates, they had already come to terms with their fate. Chiba and Hayami walked toward the group of students with a sense of calmness, knowing that this was going to be the start of a relationship between the two of them whether they liked it or not. In fact, they were a bit pleased with the idea of the partnership. The advantages of it were immense and exactly what was needed to get the edge on Korosensei. Even though Chiba’s eyes were covered by his bangs, both teenagers gave each other a look before finally reaching their classmates.
“Chiba, Hayami. You two are really good snipers, would you mind helping us with this assasination?”