The night before he meets him, things are the same as every year.
He's hunched over the living room table, a blanket gingerly tossed over his lap. Student files and rough drafts of potential lessons scattered across the table and floor; he's made a mess of his own home. But Nagisa Shiota is no underachiever, and his students only deserve the best.
The clock ticks just past 1AM and his vision begins to blur. But he shakes his head and reasserts his attention. He at least wants to get a start on next week's science lesson befor-
"Okay. That's enough. It's bedtime, Teach."
Nagisa sighs as Karma saunters up behind him. "I just need to prepare one more thing," he insists, reaching for a worksheet. Karma bats his hand away.
"Nu-uh!" he chides. "Someone needs his beauty sleep to make a good first impression on his students tomorrow."
"...I just want it to be perfect," Nagisa admits
"And it will be. It has every year."
"...Yeah. I know. I just worry."
"Well, knock that off!" Karma quips. He leans down, reassuringly wraps his arms around Nagisa and proceeds to heave him over his shoulder.
Nagisa sputters and kicks. "Hey!"
"Sorry. It's time to haul your ass off to bed."
Nagisa sighs and gives up the struggle. Ah - The woes of just barely reaching 5'3 and weighing 110-something pounds soaking wet. "...At least let me clean up. I promised Kayano I would."
"And she and I both knew you were lying through your teeth. Don't sweat it. We can deal with it in the morning." He makes his way across the room and down the hall, then makes a turn towards the stairs.
"Okay. But you can be the one to deal with her rage."
"I'm not scared of her wrath. What's the worst she can do? Gnaw my ankles?"
"This exactly is why we've all decided to oppress you for being tall."
"Whatever you say, Nagisa."
Nagisa rolls his eyes. "Listen. I know I can't fight you. I'll go to sleep. But can you at least put me down? I have my own two feet, believe it or not."
"Absolutely not." He snickers and enters the bedroom. Gakushuu's faintly snoring. "I love manhandling you."
"Please don't word it like that."
"Just try and stop me," he challenges, tossing Nagisa into bed. Well - beds. They've actually haphazardly shoved two together. You'd think a relationship built on the heels of a famed bureaucrat, a loaded CEO, an esteemed movie star, and a significantly less impressive teacher trying his best could have come up with a more innovative solution- But the extent their dumbassery goes to astonishes him more and more every day.
Karma crawls into bed next to him and pulls the cover up over the both of them. "Okay, okay. No more manhandling." He says, before leaning in close. "...For now," he whispers.
Nagisa elbows him. "The hell happened to forcing me to get some sleep?"
"Can't a man say goodnight?"
"Only if he'll stop making barely-clouded references to our sex life."
Karma chuckles, but gives it up as he snakes his arms around Nagisa's back. "Alright, alright. Night, Nagisa. Try not to stress over tomorrow too much, okay?"
"...I'll try," Nagisa agrees, knowing that's near-impossible. He leans into Karma's hug and wraps his own arms around Kayano. It's not their preferred cuddle position, with Gakushuu left 'unsnuggled' and leaning halfway off the bed, but there's only so much you can do when one of your partners refuses to go to bed at a decent time.
Oh. Wait. That's him.
"It's just… I… I overthink it, y'know?"
"Here we go."
"What if the kids don't like me?"
"Considering they're going to a school run singlehandedly by you, I think they're either going to have to like you or suck it up."
Nagisa snorts. "Oh. So they're just going to have to deal with me, huh?" he retorts.
"Yep. That's just what the rest of us do." Karma pulls Nagisa closer and buries his face in his neck. "Seriously. You have nothing to worry about. You've been a hit every year, haven't you?"
"I wouldn't say a hit -"
"Half the kids from Paradise still message you."
"W-Well! I have to check up on them, after all-" Nagisa sputters.
Karma chuckles. "And that's why they all love you. You really do care. So give it a rest. You've spent the past three years getting the kinks worked out of Constellate, and it still went swimmingly. This should be better than ever."
"...Yeah, I guess so," Nagisa agrees. "I just… Really want to be there for them."
"And you will. You always have." Karma ruffles his hair. "Just trust your gut, okay? Everything will be fine. Now get some rest. Otherwise you're actually going to give all those kids a reason to make fun of you in the morning."
"Okay- Okay-" Nagisa caves. "...Night, Karma."
"Night, Nagisa." Karma kisses the back of his neck, before finally rolling over.
...Yeah. Everything will be just fine. He's had the best role model on the planet, after all. Things will be tough, they always are, taking in the kids he feels need the most help. But they'll also pay off. They have every year before.
That said - He's really wondering if it's time to expand the building. And wondering how the kids will take to his… Unique methods. Every reaction is different. Oh! And he still needs to decide what to do with that math packet.
"Wait. One m-"
"Nope. Nope. Shut it. Go to sleep. It's one in the morning and if you overthink anything one more time at this hour, I will start breaking things."
Nagisa shuts up. Fair enough, considering he pulls this just about every other night. "Night, Karma."
"Goodnight, again. "
In due time Karma dozes off.
Nagisa turns over once, then again. Until the night before his first year of teaching he'd never thought it was possible to be so excited and nervous all at once. But every time, without fail, he finds himself wandering back to that feeling. It's almost funny, considering how little he'd looked forward to his own Junior High Years.
It's not like he could have known what was to come.
...But… Looking back on it, it had been a profound, earth-shattering experience for him. The friends he made, the lessons he learned, and the impact they carried. A… A lot of that was thanks to the efforts of the teachers. They'd helped him come to terms with who he was, find his place in the world, and helped carve his future. Holding that very own power in his hands… It makes him giddy and terrified all at once.
Because he can never underestimate the impact he can have on those kids. He can be there for them when no-one else is. And as scary of a responsibility as that is, he also thinks it's entirely why he became a teacher.
Because if he'd needed it so desperately back then, so would hundreds of other kids. He's so, so scared of screwing this up, but the reward for succeeding is worth so much more than that fear could ever deter him.
He just has to believe it'll be fine. Trust Karma and trust his gut.
Well - On second thought - No human being should even remotely trust Karma Akabane. But here he is married to the arrogant bastard, so he's long since crossed that threshold.
And, for once, he does have a point. What's the worst that could possibly happen?
"One of these days I'm going to break my neck on this stuff."
"If you manage to slip at all, much less break your neck on a bunch of worksheets, I will pay off your medical bills with my own damn paycheck."
"You know for a fact you can't do that."
"Exactly. Because it's not going to happen."
"If he manages to break his neck on a bunch of worksheets I'll probably start wheezing.."
"...Good morning to you, too." Gakushuu grumbles.
Nagisa takes a bite of his breakfast and glances to where Karma stands in the doorway. Karma struts over to where Gakushuu sits across the table and slings his arms over the back of his chair.
"Okay. Okay. Enough." Nagisa says. "I'll get it." He stands, toast in mouth, and feeling like an anime schoolboy as he makes his way over to the living room.
He crouches down and starts sweeping up his papers. He throws them into messy piles on the table. Someone sits down beside him and starts straightening out his mess.
"Need a hand?" Kayano asks with a smile.
"Yeah. That would be appreciated. Can you toss any pink papers or anything marked 4/4 into my binder?" he asks, pointing to a thick binder beside him on the floor.
Kayano heaves it up onto the glass table. "Of course."
"I'm surprised you're not chewing me out for leaving this mess in the first place."
"No way. I figured it was Karma's fault."
Nagisa nods. "Most things are."
"Mmmmmyup," Karma agrees, giving them a thumbs up from the kitchen table.
Nagisa collects the last of his worksheets from the floor. Quickly flipping through and yanking a paper out of the pile, then flipping through one more time for good measure- He puts them down on the table.
"I think that's everything," he says, sliding the paper into the binder. Kayano hands him a few more papers. "Mind if I leave everything I won't need today here?"
"Unless Gakushuu can somehow manage to break his neck with the papers on the table, I don't have any objections."
Gakushuu groans. "Oh, will you lay it off, Akari!? Like you've never complained about some minute nonsense before."
"Fair enough, arthritis."
Nagisa shakes his head and tosses his toast back in his mouth as he returns to the table. Karma's made himself at home and is no longer clinging to a relieved Gakushuu.
"You nervous about the new batch of students?" Kayano asks as she pulls out the chair next to him.
"Petrified," Nagisa admits.
"I wouldn't worry about it. They're going to have a great time."
"That's what I was trying to tell him!" Karma agrees through a mouthful of rice.
"I'm… Excited, too, though," Nagisa admits, picking at his Yogurt. "I've looked over their files a hundred times, but you never really know what sort of people they're gonna be until you meet them."
"Hopefully there won't be another Konishi," Gakushuu says.
"...Konishi was a good kid!" Nagisa disagrees.
"Once he took a baseball bat to our television."
"...Okay. So maybe he had a few issues…"
The kids at Paradise had been unruly at best. And oftentimes the kids he took in at Constellate weren't much 'better.' But he tried not to mind. It was those who lashed out the most that most often needed the most help.
And most often took a baseball bat to their television.
"Speaking of atrocities committed against this household, have you hauled Mary off to the school building yet?" Karma asks.
"Yeah. I moved her over yesterday."
'Mary' being a twelve foot, eleven-year-old Albino Burmese Python Nagisa had bought the moment he got out of high school and the only thing he'd ever discovered capable of getting under Karma's skin. Now she mostly stays in the science room, both for the students to study, and to ease Karma's nerves.
"I also brought over Korokohai and the rats. It's a pet-free house until July." Korokohai, a dumbo octopus accidentally acquired through a friend of a friend of Okuda's, and the rats being somewhat self-explanatory.
"Thank fuck. I am so tired of having her beady eyes stare me down."
"For the last time, she's not going to measure you out and eat you in your sleep. Snakes literally don't do that."
"And octopi don't fly!" Karma refutes, throwing his hands in the air.
"You misused literally." Gakushuu duly notes. "Snakes factually don't do that."
Nagisa smirks. "You heard the man. She's not going to eat you."
"Even if she could, I doubt she would ," Gakushuu adds on. "She'd get indigestion."
Kayano snorts. "Sounds about right."
Karma rolls his eyes and leans his chair back. "Bold words coming from a man who believes a snake would eat him."
"I never said that," Gakushuu says.
"For the last time! The snake's not eating anyone!" Nagisa insists.
"...Yet."
Sometimes dealing with his spouses feels like nailing jello to a tree.
Nagisa sighs and rolls his eyes. "I'm getting dressed." He stands up and pushes his chair.
"Too cowardly to keep discussing the likelihood of your beloved pet eating me whole?"
"You are literally the only one debating this, Karma. The rest of us have common sense." Nagisa remarks. "And, no. I just want to be there early. I have some tidying up to do. Speaking of, don't you have work to be getting ready for?"
Kayano's shoot doesn't start until ten, and most of Gakushuu's work consists of barking orders over the phone- but Karma, as a 'backbone of their nation,' also has to get up at ungodly hours. With an alarm clock and the desperate need for spooning at night on the table, the other two have just found themselves dragged along for the ride.
"Eh. I have a minute. You go ahead." Karma waves his hand dismissively.
Nagisa nods and makes his way back up towards the bedroom. He grabs his clothes from the drawer and gently lays them on the bed. He then slips into them and swipes a familiar tie from his nightstand.
Karasuma'd pulled a few strings years back to get it for him, long after the commotion had died down. He'd figured it'd serve as a fine memento.
"Why me?" Nagisa had asked. His classmates had all loved Korosensei.
"You're the one following in the crazy octopus's footsteps. I think he'd want it to go to you."
That had been halfway through his first year of teaching. Admittedly, he'd shed a few tears.
He runs his thumb over the tie, noting the hole, before turning to the mirror, and tightening it firmly around his neck. He gives himself a smile.
"Wish me luck, Sensei," He says to no-one in particular, before sliding on his vest and making his way back towards the kitchen.
...He still misses him every day.
It was Korosensei who'd helped him discover his passion. Nagisa would never not be thankful for that. When he'd felt so alone, and dealt with so much, Korosensei had reached out a tentacle. He'd steered him away from following a violent path and always truly believed in him. Nagisa doesn't know where he'd be without him.
He's not sure he's even remotely living up to Korosensei's legacy, but he hopes wherever he is, he's proud.
"I think I'm going to head out," he says, stretching.
"Not before we smother you in goodbye kisses, you ain't," Karma insists, waving Nagisa over.
Knowing he's in for being lugged around like a sack of potatoes over Karma's shoulder again if he dare ignores him, he makes his way back over to the table.
"Okay, okay-" he relents with a sigh.
Karma gives him a satisfied smile and leans over to kiss his forehead. "Good luck, okay?"
He makes his way around to Kayano. "Make sure to tell us everything when you get home, okay?" she says, pecking his cheek.
Gakushuu gives him a quick kiss on the nose, before curtly straightening his tie. "You're going to do just fine."
That's what Nagisa keeps trying to tell himself.
He quickly returns their kisses, before heading into the living room, slinging his bag over his shoulder, and grabbing his binder. "See you tonight! I'll make sure to tell you all about how it went."
"Remember! You can't possibly screw it up that badly!"
"Say hi to Kiyoshi for me!"
"Have a great day!"
And with that, he's off. He can't hold back a grin as he waves over his shoulder. Their relationship may be something akin to nailing jello to a tree, and their routine may be chaotic at best- But he truly does love the three of them. Even if it was a string of crazy coincidences that brought their convoluted polycule together, they make him happy every day. Six years of marriage is nothing to scoff at, after all.
...Yeah. Time flies. It feels like just yesterday that they'd tied the knot. And just a moment before that that they'd even met. Has it really been fifteen years since that fateful school year? Sometimes it still feels like a dream to Nagisa.
He glances at the moon, still visible in the morning sky. With time it's mostly returned to its natural shape, albeit smaller. But if he squints he can still catch a crack trailing across the surface or a chunk of debris drifting off to the side.
One day those hints will fade entirely and perhaps the world will forget what happened entirely. It's crazy enough to him that the students he's about to meet have never seen the full moon. They were born in a world without the apocalyptic scare and without Korosensei.
...He'll teach them. He'll teach them everything. Perhaps they'll never see the full moon, or get to know Korosensei... But Nagisa will do everything in his power to make the past matter. Because it's what he's always done. And if that's the one legacy he can leave, he's content with that.
-
"When did you get here?"
Nagisa arrives at the school an hour ahead of time and still finds himself beat.
"About fifteen minutes ago. I didn't want to be late."
A tiny boy sits in the corner of the classroom, at the desk furthest to the back. His hands are nervously clasped. With neatly kept, fluffy, blond hair and an altogether entirely-too-formal button up suit, he stares down Nagisa, antsily kicking his little legs in the air.
...If there's one person more neurotic than him on the fucking planet-
"...Okay, Kiyoshi."
Kiyoshi Karasuma: The one student Nagisa'd known ahead of time, and a handful in his own right.
The son of some very close family friends, Nagisa knows Kiyoshi well. Perhaps a little too well. In between his parents' busy schedules and… Unconventional personalities, Nagisa and his classmates have spent a good amount of time over the past twelve years babysitting Kiyoshi. Despite a meek demeanor unfitting for anyone with the last name 'Karasuma,' Kiyoshi's a kind soul, and Nagisa's happy to see him here.
...Even an hour early.
"Have you put your stuff away?"
"Yep," Kiyoshi pipes up. "Apologies for inviting myself in. The door was open."
"It's fine," Nagisa says as he places his own stuff down on his desk. "I leave it open for a reason." He zips open his bag and starts digging through for supplies. "Kayano says hi, by the way," he notes without looking up.
"Oh! Mom and Dad told me to send their regards, too. They're very thankful about you taking me in." A moment of silence before a hurried, "And I am too, of course!"
Nagisa smiles. "Tell them it's nothing. They did so much for me when I was your age. The least I can do is return the favor." He leans down and grabs three packs of pencils.
"I know, I know, " Kiyoshi whines. "You've told me the stories a million times. But it still means so much."
"Don't sweat it," he puts them on the desk before heading across the room. "We're happy to have you." He crouches down and retrieves a textbook from the corner.
"Of course - I'm just… Aware I'm not your typical type of student," Kiyoshi worries.
He takes another for good measure, then brings them back to his desk. "I don't have a typical kind of student, Kiyoshi. That's the point. If there's any way I can help you, then I'm glad to have you in this class."
"Very well…" Kiyoshi falls silent, fidgeting in his seat.
"...Try not to be too anxious about this year, alright?" he says, flipping open the textbooks. "It'll be just fine." He knows he's parroting words he doesn't even believe, but he'd never dare show his own anxieties in front of his students. He serves as their rock. And if he appears to believe, he can only hope that will inspire the same in them. "Junior High is some of the best years of your life, y'know."
"You're only saying that because your Junior High was feverishly abnormal."
"Hey! No, I'm not," Nagisa refutes as he cracks open his binder. "Sure, the assassination classroom certainly was a plus… But that wasn't the only reason I loved it." He carefully retrieves his lesson plan. "You're going to learn a ton. And you're going to make some really good friends."
"I dunno about that… " Kiyoshi murmurs. Nagisa looks up at him, but he's staring down at his feet.
"...You will. Trust me. I know it sounds empty coming from me, but I had no idea what I was doing at the start of Junior High, either. I'll be here for you. So we'll get this figured out, okay?"
Kiyoshi quietly nods. "...Alright. Thank you, Shiota-san."
"That's Shiota- sensei to you, young man," Nagisa quips with a smirk.
"...I can't believe you're really my teacher."
"And I can't believe you're really my student. When did you turn thirteen?"
"March Twentieth."
" Okay, smart-aleck."
He catches a tiny smile widen on Kiyoshi's face. There we go.
"...Tell Yukimura-san I return my regards, by the way. Asano-san and Akabane-san, too!"
"I'll make sure to."
Nagisa's eyes drift to the back of the room as he finishes unpacking his supplies. "You sure you want to sit all the way back there?"
Kiyoshi jolts. "Of- Of course! Unless you'd like me to move? I'll m-" He's already grabbing his books.
"No, no. It's fine," Nagisa reassures. Kiyoshi freezes before sheepishly placing his books back down. "It just seems kind of lonely back there."
"Eh. I figure I'll be fine. I'll be sitting next to someone no matter what, after all."
He has a point. "Fair enough." It almost seems sort of cozy back there. But... "You sure you don't want to at least scoot up? You could always take the anime-protagonist-window-seat."
Kiyoshi's face contorts with visible disgust as he glances towards the window. "I'd rather die. I… Think I'll leave that honor to someone else."
Nagisa chuckles. "Alright, alright. I'll leave you to your corner. Can't have you dying on me." He glances at the clock, only to find they still have a solid fifty minutes before class begins. Okay - Maybe he overestimated how much he'd need to do before the students arrived. Especially considering he'd been tidying up the building for the past week.
He awkwardly sits down. Kiyoshi gives him a knowing look.
"Let me guess. You drastically overestimated how long you'd need to be here, and now you're bored out of your mind?"
"Not bored, " Nagisa refutes. "I actually have a lesson plan I meant to finish up last night. Let me just -" He yoinks it out of his binder. "Might as well get some work done while I'm here." He retrieves a pen from his desk and starts scrawling.
"Alright. I hope you don't mind me just... Sitting here."
"Considering you're supposed to be here Kiyoshi, I certainly don't."
Kiyoshi gives a tiny nod and nabs his phone from his pocket. There's a moment of long silence, as he absentmindedly scrolls, and Nagisa hurriedly writes.
"...I hope you're right, Nagisa-sensei."
"Hm?"
"That it will be a good year."
And despite it all, Nagisa only finds himself hoping the same.
-
One by one, they arrive. And Nagisa tries his best to figure what to make of them. Of course he's looked over their logs a million times. He's been told what to expect. But he'd quickly learned that sort of thing was never good to follow as a complete rule of thumb. A student's past never defined them, and the exterior persona they put out very rarely matched up with who they were on the inside. Surely these 26 were no different.
The students excitedly chitter with one another as they wait for class to begin. One seat remains empty.
A ginger-haired boy leans over his desk and makes loud conversation with the girl two seats right of him. She tries her best to shush him. Kazuki and Emiko Hisoka: Identical twins. He's been told the former is a handful but trusts the latter to keep him under control. Not sitting directly next to him was a good first step.
The girl in between them keeps her nose firmly buried in her book, occasionally shooting an annoyed look Kazuki's way. Rin Arakawa: An intelligent girl. Her father'd had the most wonderful things to say about her.
Two raggedy looking dark haired boys sit near the front with each other. They don't attempt to spark conversation. Nagisa wonders why, before spotting the earbuds one of them has in. His music is blasting so loud it can be heard from across the room. But Nagisa figures he won't bother him about it yet. He seems so content. They're Yoshito Akira and Minako Mori, if he remembers correctly. He doesn't think they know each other, but their similar appearances are enough to make him snort.
A short girl in a leather jacket attempts to chat with the properly dressed, purple-haired girl next to her, but she gives her a firm cold shoulder and a disgusted look. Riko Sakamoto and Fumiko Hisakawa. Riko sighs and snidely turns to the boy on her other side, unwavered by Fumiko's icy indifference. Nagisa notes talking to Fumiko one on one in the future. He needs to learn whether that callous attitude is simply from a bad morning, a result of the wealthy lifestyle she clearly leads, or something more deeply worrying. And regardless of the reason, he'd like to see her treat her classmates with more kindness.
A pair of childhood friends whisper and pass notes. Five girls make boisterous conversation in the back. Kiyoshi keeps to himself, sending nervous glances at where the prickly Fumiko sits diagonally from him. And one seat remains empty.
Class was supposed to start ten minutes ago, but Nagisa really doesn't want to start if someone's just running late. He flips open his attendance list, scanning to see who's not there.
Chiharu? No - He's here. Kanon? Nope. Haurhi? He almost thinks he's got it but notices her hiding out in the back. Oh. There it is!
Makoto Himura, huh? Nagisa squints and sends another glance towards the clock. Did someone seriously skip the first day? He thinks back on this kid, and what he'd read. He was the one who'd been expelled from his last school for-
The door slams open. "Sorry I'm late!"
A disheveled, messy black-haired boy stands in the doorway, panting.
Every eye in the room is on him.
"It's… Fine," Nagisa reassures. "Just take a seat. And try not to be too late in the future, okay?"
Makoto gives him a wide, relieved grin and makes his way across the room to sit down. He curtly takes the seat in front of Kiyoshi.
Nagisa taps the blackboard with a ruler but the kids continue to talk. He taps again, louder, this time. "Okay. We'll be starting now!" Slowly but surely the chatter dies down to a few hushed whispers. About half the class is actually looking at him.
"Okay. Okay. Hello. Welcome to Constellate Junior High!" He greets, waving a hand. "I'm thrilled to have you all here. I hope you'll enjoy the next three yea-"
Fumiko's hand shoots into the air. She doesn't wait for him to call on her. "Will we be starting ten minutes late every day?" she snidely asks.
"No. We won't," Nagisa clarifies. "Today is just going to mostly be a casual day, anyways. We'll be going over what I expect from you, what we'll be learning, and how exactly things will be here. As you know, it's not quite like any other school."
A voice shouts from the back, "We're going to get to beat your ass, right? Because you were a part of that weird moon incident way back when!"
Nagisa almost rephrases the crude bluntness but thinks better of it. "You'll get to try to 'beat my ass,'" He clarifies. "But before we get to any of that, we have your studies to go over."
A groan emanates from half the class.
"For one reason or another, each of you have ended up in this classroom. Whether it be for academic reasons, your behavior, or simply because you were in need of a solid support system."
However, Constellate is not a low profile school or a punishment. In the mere few years of its existence, it's already gained somewhat of a prestigious reputation. One that Nagisa almost loathes. Because his school is not for the 'perfect' students, just as much as it is not for 'failures.' It simply follows a different criteria for application than any other school he's ever seen. He does not take in students based on their actual results for the entrance exams, but rather for who he feels would need his help the most. The concept of taking in students the rest of the world has given up on and fostering them… It's all he's ever wanted.
It's not a foolproof system. He's received students who were perfectly well adjusted and he's sure he's let dozens more slip through the cracks (The thought haunts him), but he'd helped set so many children on the right path over the past three years. And, believe it or not, he'd quickly learned everyone could use a little support, even those seemingly well off. It was his job to find out how.
"And… I know you likely have mixed feelings about that. Some of you are probably thrilled to have 'made it in,' and some of you are probably just here on your parents' behalf. Either way, by the end of your time here, I hope you'll look back on it fondly. Because I want learning to be something you can enjoy. And I think I can turn it into that. I haven't had a single student come out of this class without some fondness for it."
He hears murmurs and catches eye rolls. But he steels himself. He's seen himself how well it works.
"You might not like everything. I'm going to work you hard. Because I know there's great potential in each of you. And… I want to see you reach it. I won't allow half-heartedness or let you dare give up in this room. Success is hard. But I promise I'll be there to help you reach it through every step of the way. I'll help you find what works best for you. Because reaching your peak potential doesn't involve forcing yourself into a mold. As your teacher right here and now I can make you a promise: I won't be giving up on a single one of you."
He paces. "That is...What this school embodies. The principle it was founded on. And so… If you ever need a hand, or even just need anyone to talk to, I'm here. I know you don't believe me yet, but I swear on my life - I'm here. As your teacher, I'm only obligated to serve as your confidant, too. So I hope you can come to trust me. And I hope this can be a wonderful year. And I hope you'll be very proud of yourselves by the end of it."
He smiles, clasps his hands, and looks out over the class.
"Nice monologue," someone snarks.
"I don't know what sort of sappiness I expected from a teacher who looks like a grade schooler…"
"How fake can you get?" a boy leans over and whispers to his neighbor.
Nagisa pretends not to hear it. He'll prove himself to them in due time.
-
Water balloons, BB Guns, and rubber knives are laid out before them.
Nagisa's been called insane for this a thousand times before.
It's not that he doesn't know handing a pack of wild, troubled middle schoolers fake weapons is unprofessional at best- But he doesn't exactly do things 'normally' around here.
Kiyoshi's eyes are saucers. Several students excitedly bounce on their toes.
"I won't make you wait another minute longer. Thank you for being so patient with me while I went over the school year and showed you around the building." They'd hardly been. Going over the criteria was a goddamn nightmare. But it's always nice to feel appreciated. "Let's get to what you've really been looking forward to."
He nabs a rubber knife off the ground and gives the kids a smile. "This is the part where, before anything: I need to give you a disclaimer of what this is all about. Believe it or not, it's not about violence. I'm not doing this to encourage any dangerous behavior, and the moment any of you hurt yourselves, each other, or someone else, your rights to participate in this activity will be revoked." He points the rubber blade at them with a stern look.
He'll be the first to admit the normalization of violence he'd had growing up was likely not the best influence. In hindsight, it came from the government's eager readiness to risk and even indoctrinate children. They'd ended up being forced to take a life, and that still left some scars on him to this day. But the assassination system had held its undeniable benefits. Turning school into a competition of sorts between teacher and students that did not rely on academic factor alone was freeing . It'd helped him keep his focus and helped him come to terms with his own confusing violent thoughts.
He doubts he'll actually even find any sense of bloodlust emanating from these kids. And if anything troubling pops up he'll merely pull them aside and talk to them. Bloodlust alone did not make a bad kid or even necessarily put them on the wrong path. He knew that better than anyone. But it was always good to check in.
"This is supposed to be an enjoyable thing to get you more engaged in school. I'm NOT encouraging any of you to actually go out and commit murder. I hope I don't need to say that." Now that earns a few chuckles.
It had actually come to him at Paradise. With the safety that the word 'kill' had given him. The threat had felt like greeting an old friend. And then, one of the boys had tried to stab him. It'd been a month into the first trimester when a student had brought a blade into school. But Nagisa had been intuitive enough to sense the barely cloaked bloodlust. He'd clapped, firmly grabbed the boy's wrist, and wrestled the weapon out of his hand.
So. They'd wanted to play violent, huh?
As sad as it was, the administration didn't give a shit if Nagisa bent a rule or ten. The students had already been seen as disposable deadbeats, destined for a violent future. In some ways, they were just like the E-Class.
He'd went on a shopping spree and hauled his pack of harmless weapons into school. "Things are going to be a little different around here. From now on: Every time you answer a question correctly, I will let you make an attempt to 'kill' me. If you succeed, I'll give you extra credit. Or even let you skip class if you'd prefer."
They'd been fucking stunned. But the task he'd laid out for them was much harder than they'd first anticipated.
Turns out when you gave a bunch of vicious, emotionally repressed kids a way to vent their anger, it helped curb their actual violence. Sometimes you just wanna stab a teacher! And when he was proud of you for it? Some of them had never had someone tell them 'good job' in their entire lives!
Grades went up in no time.
Of course, things are a little different now. He isn't some one-subject-teacher at a run-down school. He's singlehandedly the only teacher running Constellate. And he doesn't have superspeed, as much as he wishes he did. If he had kids trying to kill him after every correct answer they'd never get through the school year.
"As you know, a very long time ago, this building," he gestures to the school building behind him, "was the prime location of the... Moon incident. Something I will eventually be able to teach you more about than you could possibly learn anywhere else. When Korosensei arrived I was one of the students assigned to assassinate him. And, against all odds, it did wonders for my grades and attention span. It sounds crazy, but it's no lie! And I want to give you the same opportunity."
"Sadly, you can't try to murder me all day. But during pop quizzes and PE Class, we're going to have some fun, okay? Maybe if you behave we can even have games where you try to eliminate each other. In short: I'll be giving you prime opportunities to compete against me." He bends the knife with his finger. "Albeit with mostly harmless weapons." He can't regrow his limbs. Giving the First Years actual guns would be a fucking disaster. "And if you succeed in 'fatally' wounding me, I'll reward you! Whether it be a small boost to your grades, an opportunity to ditch without me tattling, or another reward we could try to come up with together."
"It'll be no easy feat! I may look unassuming, fragile, and… Small," he grimaces, "But I'm no pushover." Nagisa's dextrous, intuitive, and has a great reading on people. Plus he has a trick or two of his own up his sleeve. "You'll have to use your every ability to succeed. And that surmises most what I want you to strive for in this classroom. To push yourself hard and use every ounce of your strength. Because you can do great things if you just try."
A boy near the front raises his hand. "Like murder?"
"Well- No! Not like real murder."
"So like pretend murder."
Nagisa nods sagely. "Like pretend murder."
A few kids are staring at him like he's an insane person, but the majority of the class excitedly chatters. Now that brings a smile to his face.
"In the future, I'll even let you go in groups and try to work out complicated plans. But for today why don't we just fly solo? Who'd like to try first?"
Fumiko's hand flies in the air. Nagisa's pleasantly surprised. She'd struck him as someone who wouldn't be very passionate about any sort of hands-on activity, much less this one. But he should know better than to judge a book by its cover. And he's thrilled to have her on boa-
"I need to sit this activity out," she bluntly states.
...Ah.
"Are you sure?" Nagisa asks.
"I'm certain," she says. "My parents have told me I am not to participate. Nor do I have any interest." He can't help but wonder if her parents even read up on his school, but she answers that question for him. "They were well aware of the... Activities that take place, but I'm here for academic purposes only."
Admittedly he's slightly disappointed to see her shun the idea so quickly, especially on her parents' behalf. But he does understand. Everyone has their own way of doing things, after all. "Alright. Happy to have you as an eager student."
She gives him an unimpressed look and a curt nod.
"Can I sit out too?" a voice quickly pipes up.
Makoto. Now that has him surprised. He'd struck Nagisa as the overeager type. But he's looking up at Nagisa with wide, pleading eyes.
"Of course," Nagisa says. There's no use arguing at this point. He'd never want to force them out of their comfort zone. At least not on the first day.
Makoto gives him a relieved look. "Thank you very much, Nagisa-sensei!" he says and rushes in for a hug.
Admittedly, it's abrupt. But Nagisa would never shun affection from a student. Particularly already finding himself slightly wounded by Fumiko's callous attitude. He reaches his arms out and accepts the boy's embrace.
POP!
Nagisa freezes, suddenly finding his shirt soaking wet.
Every eye is on him. The class is stunned.
And Makoto bursts out into laughter. The other kids follow in suit. Snickers and gasps erupt as someone begins to clap.
"I'll be going, now. I figure you won't be doing much else on an introductory day." Makoto states, whirling around. His own shirt drips as he pulls shreds of rubber out of his collar.
"Hey, now- No you won't-" Nagisa tries to refute. "For one, if that were a real attack, it would have seriously hurt you as well." He says, pointing at Makoto's drenched shirt.
"Eh. Would have taken more than that to take me out," the boy brags. "Stop trying to make up excuses. You're just mad I got you on day one!"
And as much as he hates to admit it, Makoto has a point. He just can't believe he fell for that . After everything!
...But that's no excuse for undermining Makoto's achievement. He'd been clever and quick thinking. Nagisa hadn't even seen him grab the balloon.
"You're right," Nagisa admits in defeat. Admittedly this is going to make keeping up his untouchable image just a bit harder. "Good job. You can go. But next time no 'fatally wounding' yourse-"
Makoto's already running inside.
Nagisa slowly blinks and turns to Fumiko. Makoto had to have grabbed the 'grenade' when he was preoccupied with her. "...Were… Were you in on that?" He asks. If so, they'd certainly made a good disaster duo.
She gives him a disgusted look. "Absolutely not!"
...Fair enough.
A hand shoots in the air. "Are we still going to get to try to kill you? Or did he win?"
Nagisa collects himself. "No, no. Of course you can still try to kill me."
"Doesn't seem like it'll be too hard." Someone snarks.
Nagisa feels his cheeks flush red with embarrassment, but simply leans down and begins passing out weapons. "We'll just have to see about that," he says. As he gives a BB Gun to Rin and tells Fumiko she can sit down and watch he feels a tiny hand tap his shoulder.
"...Can I sit out too? I don't want to hurt you..."
Kiyoshi Karasuma, who Nagisa has seen load a real gun at his father's behest, blinks up at him.
For fuck's sake!
He's in for one really strange year.