Chapter 3: Classmates

Morning came like it usually did. In fact, it was a very pleasant one. The weather was absolutely perfect, with white clouds scattered across the blue sky and no grey ones in sight for leagues. The wind was just as flawless, the cool breeze a gentle stroke to the skin.

The cliché of chirping birds was also present, since the satellite campus was all the way up in the mountains.

mm…

Nagisa suddenly felt his consciousness slowly come to him, and he opened his eyes ever so slowly. His jaws forcibly widened as he yawned involuntarily, sleepy as he still was. But it was a pleasant awakening, what he had just gone through. The kind that would definitely be accompanied by a flute or a piano in the movies.

As he tried to make his groggy body move, he managed to drag himself into a sitting position. He took a drowsy look around the classroom, letting the information sink into his brain.

Oh yeah, wasn't it really cold? He suddenly remembered the chill he'd felt last night, and he touched his earlobes with his fingers self-consciously. …but I'm really warm. I slept really well, so I guess it was just a cold breeze or something.

The sound of the sliding door opening made Nagisa's eyes jump up, and he turned to see a number of familiar faces, all his classmates, staring at him like he'd run over a deer.

They're already here? Nagisa thought to himself, and he glanced at the clock above the blackboard. Why are they here so early?

It read 8:15.

Crap, I overslept! Nagisa realized, his heart plummeting. I need to get ready and-?!

"N-N-Nagisa?!" Kayano's face was cherry red as she pointed at him, unable to do anything but stutter. "Wh-wh-wh-wh-wha-!?"

Karma's grin became a demonic sneer as he whipped out his phone camera and began snapping pictures like a hungry journalist. "Not bad for the first night. Am I right, Nagisa?"

And behind them, Okajima was repeatedly slamming his head into the satellite campus' floor as he tried to rein in a string of curses that would have gotten him expelled. " #&*#^$%$&#* ^ &_#!"

"What are you-?"

Suddenly, he heard a feminine voice let out a groan right next to him. Immediately after, he felt a soft object press itself into his side.

What is this?! Nagisa turned to face his side, only to feel even more surprise blow up in his face.

Ritsu was there, lying next to him, with her hands around his waist and her body making contact with his.

As if sleeping next to him wasn't the only issue, her clothes looked messed up. Her pink pajama top was partially unbuttoned, revealing the purple underwear that she was wearing underneath. Her bottom, on the other hand, was disheveled and looked like she was just about to take them off before she fell asleep.

"N-Nagisa…you're a frightful one…" Hinata muttered, a hand over her mouth as she took a step back in wariness.

"Y-you've got the wrong idea!" Nagisa waved his arms around like helpless livestock, hoping he could somehow prove his point. "I didn't do anything! She probably moved around a lot while she was sleeping."

"Moved around…huh?" Karma glanced at the other side of the room, where Ritsu's mattress was. He looked back to Nagisa and then winked. "Yeah, I'm sure she was moving around a lot last night~"

"What do you mean by that?" Karma grinned even wider, looking like the splitting image of Lucifer. "We don't know what you mean by that. Why don't you tell us exactly what's going through your mind, Nagisa?"

KARMAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA! At that moment, Nagisa wanted nothing more than Karma's mouth to be subjected to the adhesive wonders of duct tape. "I'm telling you guys, that's not what happened!"

"Nagisa, my audio receptors are giving me painful feedback…"

"Ritsu!" Nagisa turned again to the now-awake purple-haired girl that was rubbing the drowsiness out of her eyes. "Thank goodness you're awake!" He pointed at the crowd of students that was still standing in the doorway. "Can you please tell them what happened last night?! They think we did something I know we didn't!"

Ritsu looked at Nagisa blankly for a few moments, and then looked down at herself. "…why am I in your mattress, Nagisa?"

"In her sleep? Nagisa, you bastard…" Takebayashi muttered, pushing his glasses further up the bridge of his nose. "2D must always be consensual."

"I'm telling you that's not what happened!" Nagisa retorted again, and then returned his attention to Ritsu, the only lifeline he had left in the situation.

"Ritsu, come over here." Fuwa made a gesture of come here with her hands to Ritsu. "We can't have you next to that scum."

Completely unaware of the current situation and ignoring Nagisa's protests, she staggered to her feet and stumbled over to Fuwa and Yada, who helped her stand upright.

"Now…I hope you're ready, Nagisa." Okajima suddenly let out a growl, holding a pair of Anti-Sensei pistols in his hands. "You're about to claim responsibility for deflowering Ritsu!"

"Wait, wait, wait!" Nagisa, now faced with no other option but to brace himself, quickly got to his feet in preparation to bolt for his life.

"Ah!" Ritsu suddenly let out a sound and turned to Nagisa. "Nagisa, I remember!"

Thank god, she's gonna bail me out! Nagisa let out a sigh of relief and nodded, a gesture for Ritsu to continue. "Yeah, go on."

But to his shock, Ritsu bowed her head to him. "Thank you for last night." And then, to everyone's surprise, she averted her gaze. "Also…you're very warm…"

It took a moment for those words to sink in.

Right after, however, it was chaos.

Maehara let out a whistle and winked at Nagisa, pointing his finger at him. "Your first time's in middle school?! Not bad, bud!"

"Are you serious?! Nagisa, the girly boy, became a man?!" Nakamura let out that appalled cry, her hands on her head. "Impossible!"

Everyone chose to ignore the shrieks of burning envy that came from Okajima, who was carving lines into the wooden wall with his fingernails. "OH MY GOD!"

"Ritsu, what are you talking about?!" Nagisa asked, already sweating in fear as the class advanced on him with pellet guns at the ready and Karma leading the line with a satisfied grin.

Ritsu just tilted her head like she had no idea what he was talking about before she was ushered out of the room by Kayano and Fuwa. The bloodbath began afterwards.


Later, that same day…

"Professor Karasuma?" Kayano said, caught off guard as she saw the sliding door of the classroom open from her peripherals.

The students were confused when they turned their heads, overhearing Kayano's exclamation. The sight of the agent from the government slowly caught everyone's attention, and they hushed into quiet and turned to face him. Some got in their seats since they were still standing up, and other students were facing the other way, so they had to turn around to face them.

"Good morning, everyone." The sharp-looking young man greeted them with his usual air of formality as he stood behind the teacher's desk. "I have an announcement to make regarding your classes. Your P.E subject material is going to change for the next few days."

Everyone tilted their head questioningly when he said that.

"Why are we changing it?" Isogai raised his hand and waited for Karasuma to call him before he asked, clearly concerned. "Did the school find issues in our curriculum?"

"No, it's nothing as worrying as that." Karasuma reassured him. "Actually, there were a number of requests from the main campus' student body to hold a second Sports Festival. And this time, Class E will be a participant like the other classes."

"Don't tell me they're being bitter about losing to Class E in that game." Terasaka let out a hostile sigh, sounding like he was read to break a skull. "That was all their idea."

"Regardless of the intent that the students had when they petitioned for it, the administrative staff of the school have debated about it and decided to let it pass." Karasuma closed his eyes and made an exasperated expression mixed with a wry smile. "Well, I had also observed the game myself, so I had spoken with the Principal after they notified us of the decision. He has made promises not to directly interfere in the affairs of the students."

"…well, if it will be fair, then that's fine, I guess…?" Megu trailed off, leaning back in her chair, looking troubled.

"It's okay." Karma said, his tone clear from the back. No one needed to look at him to hear the bloodlust in his voice. He twirled his Anti-Sensei knife in his fingers, spinning it like any normal boy would a pen. "If he does it again, then we'll just beat him and his Class A cronies again.

"I'm glad to see your spirits are all high." Karasuma said, nodding in approval at the sight of Class E's signature healthy bloodlust. "The target has allowed us to take some of his class periods in order to allow you all to practice for the next festival, so let's all move to the field outside and begin immediately."

"Yes, sir!"


"Are you okay, Ritsu?"

Yada held out a hand to the girl that was on her knees and struggling to catch her breath. The two of them were in their P.E uniforms, standing in the middle of a track and field path that Koro-Sensei had taken the liberty of carving out for Class E upon request.

"I'm…fine. I'm just…out of breath." She panted, trying her best to stand up. She had noticeably weakened, unable to catch her breath and unable to stand up. She bent over, bracing herself against her knees as she tried to regain her oxygen.

Megu, seeing Ritsu and Yada stopping in the middle of the track, jogged over to them and stopped as well, stretching her arm out as she peered at Ritsu. "Well, I wouldn't blame her. We've had a nonstop load of P.E subjects for the past few days." She retraced her arm, patted her on the back and then took her by the hand and helped her up to her feet. "You're not used to your new body yet, right? Must be rough."

"Yes…" Ritsu trailed off, her reply unsteady. "I think my body is having problems keeping up. I don't have enough information to move it the way I want to during class."

"I think what she's trying to say…is that she hasn't practiced enough?" Yada tilted her head, looking at Megu as if she were asking her to translate.

"I think so…" Megu agreed uncertainly, scratching her head. "Well, the first thing to do is get you some rest." She then took Ritsu's arm over her shoulder and helped Ritsu to her feet. "Don't worry, we'll talk to Professor Karasuma later for you. Just get some rest."

"Ah…mm." Ritsu nodded hesitantly as her friends slowly led her off of the track course. As she staggered and limped, she cast her gaze out to the other side.

The boys were showing no signs of stopping their jogging despite their pace, which was capable of matching that of junior bodybuilders. Some were farther ahead and some lagged behind, but most shared a similar pace. Karma was at the lead, jogging casually without looking like he was breaking a sweat at all. He even had his hands in his pockets, which seemed strange to Ritsu seemed it was bad form to jog like that.

Behind him was Terasaka, who looked like he'd been doing this all his life. His face was completely passive as if he were sitting in the classroom, his arms tucked in and his fingers clenched. And despite his conservative form, he was beating Okajima and Isogai easily.

Ritsu's eyes filtered through the line of males until she stopped at Nagisa, who was one of the ones lagging behind. True to his androgynous form, he wasn't keeping up well along with the rest of the guys.

I don't have what it takes to keep up. After assessing her physical ability just now, her flawless logical reasoning had left her with that conclusion.

And yet, Ritsu didn't accept that as her answer. She didn't want to.

She couldn't understand why. She knew that it was the only thing she conclude.

Yet she didn't want to.

The words that Terasaka had said to her came back in a vivid flash of memory, one that swept Ritsu's consciousness away from reality as if she had been transported back to the classroom in a vision.

I'm…just a machine. Ritsu felt her chest constrict unpleasantly, and she placed her hand on it as if to massage it away. It was a sensation she couldn't comprehend, a feeling that made her sag her shoulders and hang her head.

That feeling persisted as Yada and Megu opened the door to the classroom. They waddled over to her desk and sat her down, letting out a loud breath of relief as they did. "Ah, finally~!"Yada breathed out in relief.

"Just stay here first, okay? Wait for the rest of the class to come back." Megu said, patting Ritsu on her shoulder before she and Yada walked out of the room. With a friendly wave and a smile, the two girls closed the sliding door, leaving Ritsu alone in the room.

Ritsu leaned back into her chair, opening the window next to her a bit to let the air inside. She felt the warm, kind sunlight hitting her skin and the cool wind gently brushing against her cheek, all sensations that she'd never really gotten to experience in her time spent as a three-dimensional sprite. She felt a smile spread her lips a bit, and she closed her eyes to let the feeling of the cool breeze drown her.

She opened her eyes again, letting the view of the forest soothe her and the bright blue sky calm her. Slowly, over time, her heart rate decreased and her breathing steadied until she was normal once again.

And as her lungs rested, her mind wandered back to her somber, depressed thoughts. Merely remembering Terasaka's words made Ritsu bite her lip and her eyes squint, and she gripped the wooden desk in front of her with her hand. The confusing constriction in her chest that she didn't really understand returned, and Ritsu now recognized it as the same feeling she had felt the previous day.

Is this…what sadness feels like? Ritsu's new brain was processing everything she was feeling, and she began to piece things together. Looking through every expanse of the internet left her with a multitude of information from depressed people and medical experts that all left her with the conclusion that what she was experiencing was indeed sadness.

The constricting, unpleasant feeling in her chest.

The sting in her eyes.

"Ritsu?"

Nagisa's familiar voice turned Ritsu's head in the direction of the door. He stood there, his hand on the halfway opened sliding door. The middle-schooler wore a slightly hesitant, concerned look on his face as he inched a bit more. "Are you alright?"

"Y-yes, I'm well." Ritsu responded, not wanting him to worry too much about her. The conversation at an end, Ritsu's eyes immediately averted from the boy.

Nagisa wordlessly opened the door wider and walked inside, closing it behind him. He walked over to her and took the closest vacant seat, which was Karma's. Sitting down it a little cautiously as if he were wary of any tricks or traps that might have been laid there, he laid his rear onto the wooden seat before focusing back on Ritsu.

But he said nothing. He just looked at her. Scrutinizing her expression with calm, open eyes, Nagisa did nothing but look at her.

What is he…? Ritsu wasn't too uncomfortable with the staring, since she had a lot on her mind and wasn't really focused on it anyway. But since he was right in front of her, it was easy to see him looking at her intently. Why…?

"…if there's something bothering you, you can tell me." Nagisa offered suddenly, his mouth curving into a caring, warm smile. "I'm kinda responsible for you now, so…" He said embarrassedly, scratching his cheek with his finger.

"Nagisa…" Ritsu smiled in return, feeling thankful for his kindness. She felt something like a weight being lifted from her chest, as if her recently manufactured heart had been released from invisible shackles. "…today, I had trouble trying to keep up with everyone during Physical Education."

"Mm." Nagisa nodded as he listened. He decided to tell her that he'd been paying attention and watching her as he'd been running.

"And…it makes me think about my ability as a human." Ritsu proceeded, looking down at her body. She placed her hands onto her stomach and chest like she were checking for something. "I…I'm not adept at using this body very well. I'm not human, so-"

"You're wrong." Nagisa cut her off sharply, surprising Ritsu. He shook his head. "You're human. Remember that." He made a thumbs-up sign with his hand and pressed the tip of his thumb against his left breast. "It's what's here that counts, remember?"

Ritsu looked down and placed her hand onto her chest, and the sensation of her heartbeat sent shivers down her fingers. "…what's here…huh?"

"Anyway, if it's your body, then I can help you." Nagisa replied.

Ritsu tilted her head questioningly since she didn't understand what he meant by that. "Help me?"

A voice suddenly cut through their conversation. "Why don't you explain to her what you mean by that, Nagisa?"

Nagisa sighed the instant Karma's voice sailed into the air. "Karma, give it a rest. We just had P.E."

Karma walked into the room with his signature devilish smirk, his hands in his pockets like usual. He strode over to the pair, and then slung his arm over Nagisa's shoulders and leaned on him. However, his attention was focused on Ritsu. "If you want, we can help you out after class with P.E." He then raised his hand and then patted Nagisa on the top of his head with it. "Well, most of the time, it'll be this guy, though."

"H-Help me?" Ritsu's eyes twinkled with surprise and eagerness, and she almost stood up in her excitement. "Really?"

"Sure, I don't see a problem with it." Karma replied, grinning. "Everyone else thinks so, too." He raised his other hand up and then made a come here gesture with his hand.

However, it faced the direction of the door. Ritsu didn't understand why, and she tilted her head, mystified.

But she realized the meaning behind that when Isogai, Megu and a number of her other fellow classmates peered in with smiles all on their faces.

"If you have problems, you can always come to us." Isogai said with a perfect smile that would charm any normal girl, letting out a laugh as he did.

"Don't give her that smile, you pretty boy. You look like you're going to take credit for it all." Megu replied, knocking him on his forehead with her knuckles.

"We'll all help you out, so don't worry about a thing!" Hinata flashed a thumbs-up along with her wide grin.

Everyone… Ritsu smiled a genuine, extremely happy smile that was accompanied by a tear. "…thank you, everyone. I cannot find any words in my database to describe my thanks."

"You'd better find the words quick, 'cuz you have him to thank." Karma pushed down on Nagisa's head harder, smiling nonchalantly the whole time. "He came to us and asked us for help."

"No, I didn't really do anything." Nagisa said sheepishly, laughing. "Besides, all I did was ask Karasuma to allow us to use the equipment and ask the school for permission."

"Nagisa…thank you for being so thoughtful." Ritsu got up and hugged him sincerely, her arms tightly embracing Nagisa.

Takebayashi just pushed his glasses further up his nose and let out a breath. "Nagisa…you know how to manage your flags. I applaud you."

"Takebayashi, shut up!"


"They're working hard for her sake." Professor Karasuma muttered, smiling. He stood directly outside the door, listening in on the conversation.

"I'm so proud to have them as my students." Koro-Sensei, who was standing beside the black-haired man while wearing bloomers, said endearingly with his tentacles pushing against one another like fingers. "I was a little worried about Ritsu's physical adjustment, but I'd placed my hopes on Nagisa and the rest to help her through all of this."

"So you planned this?" Karasuma replied with a question, but there was no trace of hostility or suspicion. Just plain curiosity and a little bit of amazement.

"You see, Karasuma…a class is supposed to be a family." Koro-Sensei said, his smile never wavering. He shot a single glance inside the classroom, pleased at the sight of his students laughing and talking, planning for Ritsu's after-school training regimen. "And in this classroom, where they are discriminated against as a whole and they learn through knives and bullets, that bond is important to them. It is something that we, as teachers, have the duty to nurture and protect."

Karasuma listened intently. The words coming from his own target were ringing true with him, and they made him form a very slightly smile on his otherwise usually passive expression.

"My students form bonds not only as classmates who share a daily routine, but as assassins who share their bloodlust together. They accept one another's weaknesses, support one another with their strengths and learn to live life to the fullest alongside one another." Koro-Sensei laughed. It was not the mischievous, perverted laugh of the octopoid superbeing that could destroy the world at a moment's notice while picking out a new set of outfits for AKB48, but it was instead the proud laugh of a teacher. "It is the only thing I am grateful to this academy for: to meet such wonderful students and to watch them become great people. The sense of discrimination against Class E has fostered a powerful sense of camaraderie that cannot be achieved in almost any other way."

"…she will become a threat to your life. Greater than any other threat you've ever faced." Karasuma said, his smile still present. "Are you still going to cultivate her talent?"

"You, too, are a teacher now. You know what my answer would be." Koro-Sensei said snidely, and he walked past Karasuma down the hall. "Teachers are the lifeblood of humanity. Their job is to teach people how to live their life, so it is only natural that they must put their lives on the line for their students."

life on the line, huh? Karasuma turned around, nodding once to the yellow octopus. "Then there is no need to answer me."

Koro-Sensei displayed his usual laugh as he rubbed his hand-tentacle-fingers together. "Now, if you will excuse me, I must pop over to France and buy a few croissants and macarons. Is there a souvenir you would like, Professor Karasuma?"

"Hmm…if you could die on the way, that'd be great."

"Nurufufufufufu~ If only it were that easy, right?"


Three Hours Later…

Ritsu let out a massive breath of exhaustion, falling onto her knees and hands as the lack of energy in her body finally got to her.

"Okay, I think that's enough for tonight." Nagisa muttered worriedly. He rushed over to Ritsu's side and began wiping her sweat away with a towel. "You should get some rest."

"Thanks…hahh…Nagisa…" Ritsu thanked him breathlessly, trying to get the air back into her lungs.

Nagisa stood back up as Ritsu took her time to recover, admiring the crescent moon's pale light as it struck the field they stood in. "We should probably head back inside and eat. I'm sure you're hungry now."

Ritsu blushed in embarrassment as her stomach let out a timely growl of hunger. "…but we don't have any food in the whole campus."

"Don't worry, Isogai and the others left us something." Nagisa replied reassuringly. "I left it in the fridge that Itona made for us."

"…everyone's been helping us, one way or another."

Nagisa smiled when he saw Ritsu's expression. Her eyes were filled with thanks and gratitude, and her lips touched with a small little grin of warm, gentle happiness. It made him feel relieved. It had bothered him that she'd been feeling bad about her not being biologically human, so he was glad to see her looking relieved. "Yeah, they have been. It's great, huh?"

Ritsu nodded in agreement, looking so happy she was almost like a little child. "Yes, it makes me feel so…happy…"

Nagisa shifted a bit, noticing that she'd trailed off as if she had something else to say. "What's wrong?"

Ritsu let out a very tiny giggle and looked up at him. "…this is what I felt yesterday, with you. Happiness, I think. And…I really like this feeling."

"That's good." Nagisa replied, bending down and holding a hand out to her. "You'll feel even better after dinner, don't worry. You haven't experienced getting full yet."

"Oh, that sounds very interesting!" Ritsu got to her feet in an instant, pulling herself up with Nagisa's arm. But to be more accurate, it would suffice to say that Ritsu had yanked him by the wrist as she rose up. Nagisa, caught completely off guard, wound up with his face in the ground. Ritsu didn't realize her mistake, simply staring up at the campus building with her eyes sparkling out of wonder and curiosity. "I wonder how it will feel…"

I have to thank everyone for this. Somehow. At that moment, Ritsu felt a resolve of steel harden in her new heart. She felt her fist tighten, her smile widen and her shoulders lighten.

"…Mpghmpghgh! Mphphmphpmhph!"

"What was that, Nagisa?" Ritsu turned around to realize that all she could see was his rear end sticking up in the air. "Oh dear, what happened to you?! Are you alright?"

What was lost in translation was, "Before you feel your stomach expand, could you get me out of here?! I'm stuck!"

As Ritsu struggled to pull his head out from the ground, Nagisa had a thought: Is she really physically weak?! I might as well have been buried by a truck and you wouldn't tell the difference!