A violent knocking. Tap tap tap. Tap tap tap. Tap tap tap. Nagisa just wanted it to stop, to lie in silence and stare up at the ceiling.

"Nagisa chan! You don't want to be late for your last day of school!"

It wasn't just the last day of school before the summer break. It was the twentieth of July. As of seventeen minutes past four that morning, Nagisa was fifteen years old. It didn't feel like much of an achievement, though his whole situation was just a tiny bit less depressing. Not much, but a tiny bit. At least Hiranka san didn't know the significance of the day, which meant no awkward singing or something.

He quickly dressed himself, rushing out the door as quickly as he politely could. Life went all, and they all had things to plan, teachers to assassinate… Nagisa had been dragging himself to school the last couple of months, but finally it felt like his energy was returning somewhat. With that train of thought, Nagisa realised he'd forgotten to take his anti-nausea tablets, in the rush of leaving. The fact that he wasn't immediately doubled over and vomiting gave him some hope, like those symptoms were finally leaving.

At least because it was the last day, they met directly for the assembly in the main school building first, rather than having to climb the whole way up the mountain. As much as Nagisa hated all school assemblies… It was one of the things that he didn't blame Karma for always skipping. These assemblies, aside from a tiny bit of actual information, were nothing more than an excuse for anti E Class propaganda.

"Aw yeah, here he comes," Terasaka announced finally, as Asano and the Virtuosos made their way into the hall, "Mr Student Council President."

Of course, the E Class were waiting for him. It wasn't so much an ambush, but definitely a confrontation.

"What do you want?" Asano tried to push past. "I'm too busy with the ceremony to deal with the likes of the E Class."

"Not so fast," Terasaka put a hand on his shoulder. "Aren't you forgetting something?"

The boy's eyes widened as he noticed the class. As their representative, Isogai stepped forwards. "We had a bet, Asano, where the winner could make any one demand. We sent our demand via email. I trust you have no complaints?"

Terasaka walked around him. "Don't even try pretending it was all just a joke! We could always throw home ec into those five subjects. 'Course, we'd still win!"

And, oh, Asano's facial expression was priceless. Like he'd chewed on a lemon, his face scrunched up for a moment, before neutralising. "You can have your trip."

The rest of the students piled in, lining up in their designated spots. There was a slightly different mood present. The E Class weren't just a bunch of nobodies to mostly ignore and jeer at. Not that there was any respect, either. If anything, the rest of the school hated their guts. It didn't really matter, though it had been a bonus, all of Nagisa and the rest of the E Class' energy was focused on their assassination.

The speaker, one of the teachers from the other classes, came to the microphone. "Now it may be the summer vacation, but don't slack off. Er, uh… You don't want to end up like the E Class…"

The same old drivel, the same old comments about 3E. For once, Nagisa had no regrets. If he hadn't been transferred, he would have missed out on all of this. It was as Korosensei taught them, they stood with their heads held high for the remainder of the assembly. The group demonstration made the ridicule sound much more like it was, aimless words and propaganda. With the thought spurring them on, it was over in the blink of an eye.

"One for each of you," Korosensei said when they made it back to the class building, colossal books (at least twice the size of the Kyoto trip ones) on each of their desks.

"Again with the over kill guidebooks!" Maehara complained, attempting to carry his.

"And even this isn't enough!" Korosensei continued. "The temptations of summer are simply too many to mention. Now, then! We're about to head into summer vacation, but you have a certain main event coming up."

Nakamura brandished the pamphlet with the details of their island trip. "Yeah this – what we won in that wager!"

"It's a privilege normally reserved for the class with the best grades – that is, the A Class. But this time, both the A and E classes dominated the top fifty. You more than qualify." Korosensei beamed. "Summer vacation! The Kunugigaoka Junior High Special Summer Course: three days and two nights at an Okinawa resort!"

Along with the rest of the class, Nagisa found himself cheering.

Korosensei continued. "So what you'd rather do…"

"Yes," Isogai said, "we'll cash in our tentacle destroying rights during summer camp."

"Seven tentacles is a big handicap. But don't stop there! Come after me with raw hunger on this island… surrounded on all sides by water – my weakness! Let me be honest: You've become formidable students indeed. I've already given you report cards to show your parents. These are my report cards for you."

In a blur, the classroom filled with sheets of paper, all detailing Korosensei's highest score – a double circle. Everyone had passed their first term, and they'd done it well.

"In the first term you made full use of the basics you learned. This summer vacation, it's time for plenty of fun, plenty of studying, and plenty of killing. Class 3E, Kunugigaoka Junior High: the assassination classroom! The first term full of fundamentals is hereby over!"

With that speech over, the summer break began. Nagisa had been invited to hang out with Sugino and some others to celebrate, but he'd turned it down. It may be his birthday, and the start of a long break, but he wasn't in any kind of celebratory mood. He just wanted to go back, take a nap, and start on their summer break homework or something.

Nagisa hung around a little in fact, volunteering to help clean the classroom before eventually making his way down the mountain alone. At least it wasn't as hot as it had been during the week long heat wave. He appreciated the silence, letting his mind wander to insignificant things. By the time he approached the main building, everyone else had already left.

"Hey, Shiota kun, aren't you running a little late?"

He felt his body freeze up as he turned his head to see Asano jr leaning casually against the school building. Nagisa's eyes darted around rapidly. They were very much alone, so Nagisa decided that whatever this was, it would be best to comply, for now.

Asano sauntered closer. "All your friends came by much earlier."

"I stayed behind to help clean up," he told the truth.

"On your birthday?" Asano raised an eyebrow. Sensing Nagisa's bones chill, he cleared his throat. "No need to panic, Shiota. I caught some of the E Class' records out of the corner of my eye earlier in my father's records."

Nagisa shifted, though it was possible that seemed pretty farfetched. "Oh," he said politely, "it's not that big of a deal."

"No?" Asano came closer, practically invading his air. "But you only turn fifteen once. So much for the undeniable bond between the E Class students."

"Really," Nagisa said, leaning away, "it's not a problem."

Asano smiled at him. Though by any other standards, it would have come off as charming and charismatic, it made Nagisa feel uncomfortable. It was so out of the ordinary, given how clear his hatred of the E Class had been earlier. There was something under the surface for sure, but why? He felt the unfortunate urge to find out.

"I insist." His smile deepened. "You have that silly bet still. Say, some ice cream wouldn't be too much of an extra stretch."

He wanted to buy Nagisa ice cream? "W-well-"

"Got somewhere better to be, Shiota?"

Nagisa really didn't, unfortunately. There was no chance that Asano was being genuine, like he felt sorry for Nagisa and wanted to treat him out of the kindness of his heart. Similarly though, there was no real challenge in his tone or stance. Perhaps he was just covering it up exceptionally well, but there didn't seem to be some kind of mental battle in play. With that, Nagisa concluded that he must want something. But what?

Meeting his eyes, Nagisa returned his smile. "Okay then… Won't it matter to be seen with a member of 3E?"

Pacing forwards, Asano shrugged. "Not where we're going."

After thinking about it for the last few seconds before he could change his mind, Nagisa followed him. Thankfully, Asano didn't try to make much conversation. Nagisa didn't attempt to question further, either, even when Asano pulled him onto the train. He just stared out of the window, at the town going past, gripping one of the overhead straps to keep himself upright.

The questions only started him when Asano took him into a tall building, directing him into the elevator as he pressed the buttons, and it moved upwards. Shortly after, the doors opened up to reveal a rooftop, absolutely covered in plant life. At a better glance, it was definitely some sort of roof garden, though nowhere Nagisa had ever been.

"I thought we were getting ice cream," he said, after they stepped out.

"It's over there, see?" Asano pointed to the far left side of the roof, where there was a slightly obscured counter.

It certainly looked a lot fancier than what Nagisa was used to. Most things generally were, but by the looks of it, he was out of his natural element. He took a deep breath, trying to recall some of the things Bitch Sensei had taught them. Funny how some things came in handy.

Nodding with confidence, Nagisa allowed Asano to lead him over. They had a pretty basic set up, with a clear counter displaying all the different flavoured scoops available. However, Nagisa noticed there was a much longer menu on the wall behind, which Asano appeared to be studying.

"Do you know what you want, Shiota kun?"

What flavour was the least likely to make him throw up? "Uhm…" he thought.

Asano waved him off. "Just go find somewhere to sit down. I'll order."

Not wanting to argue still, Nagisa found a free table. There were a few spread around the garden, far enough apart from each other that it didn't really feel like a cafe or anything. They weren't the only ones there, though on a summer's day it didn't seem particularly busy, either. The whole feel of it was that of some kind of hushed secret kept between patrons, a hidden sanctuary.

Asano eventually found him, returning empty handed.

"They do table service?" Nagisa asked as Asano sat down. It took him all of two seconds to realise how impoverished that made him sound.

He shrugged. "With some of their menu, yes."

Nagisa really should have thought this through, rather than agreeing on a whim. He wasn't even sure he had enough money to pay for this. When he'd left home, he'd grabbed what little pocket change he had lying around, and he'd already blown through most of it in a few weeks. And it wasn't like he had any way of getting more, considering the school's policy on students having jobs.

He thought about it for a moment. Asano might be from the A Class, the biggest haters of the E Class, but aside from a somewhat snooty attitude, Asano himself had never really done much harm. Not directly, in the very least. He would still be guarded, highly, but there was no need to be impolite.

Smiling, Nagisa drew his gaze. "Thank you for taking me here."

Asano shrugged. "It's not so far out of the way. My father used to take me here whenever I achieved the best grades, up until a year or so ago."

"But not today?" Nagisa found himself questioning. "You still got the number one spot."

He sighed. "He still considers it a loss. Any success of the E Class that challenges his philosophies is, but especially when he considers it my fault… Anyway, Shiota kun-"

"You can use 'Nagisa'," he found himself saying, "I don't really like using my family name, just in case it changes back again."

"Okay then," he said, face neutralising again, "Nagisa kun, the A Class will be getting our lead back. Once I find out your secret, of course. Say, you scored highly in English. You wouldn't happen to know what's behind the sudden boost, would you?"

Of course that was what he wanted. Nagisa took a deep breath in, and increased the spread of his smile.

"I don't know what to say, Asano kun, I just studied extra hard."

There was something behind his eyes that demonstrated how little Asano probably believed that, but Nagisa wasn't so worried. It was the truth, at the end of the day. They'd had to sign a non-disclosure agreement for the government anyway, so it wasn't like he could tell Asano about the extra motivation, even if he wanted to.

"Hmm," he said, eventually, "I'm sure you're all looking forward to that little trip."

"It wasn't too much to ask, was it?"

He sighed again. "Your class could have asked for much worse. Nobody from A really bothers with that, anyway."

At that point, a smartly dressed waiter came out, carrying one of the most ridiculously intricate things to pass as 'ice cream' Nagisa had ever seen. It was intricate, an explosion of colour, like something on a tourism brochure. Definitely, he realised, out of his price range. There were even little candy sticks pocking out! It looked almost hilarious, next to the bowl of what appeared to be plain vanilla in front of Asano.

"What?" Asano said, noticing Nagisa's look of horror. "You said you didn't know what you wanted."

Nagisa looked at the colossal plate. "T-this is too expensive," he said, once the waiter had left.

Waving him off, Asano picked up his spoon. "It's nothing. Call it a birthday gift. If you really must, I'm sure your silly bet can stretch to a tiny bit of ice cream."

Finally, Nagisa decided to pick one of the wafer pieces off. His eyes fluttered closed as soon as he put it in his mouth. Sugary sweetness danced on his taste buds, and soon the entire wafer had disappeared. Quickly, he started practically shovelling the ice cream into his mouth, moaning around each spoonful. After a very bland diet, and no sign of nausea, this was the best thing he'd tasted in weeks.

"Nagisa kun," Asano said flatly, "slow down. You'll make yourself sick."

"Oh," Nagisa licked the trail of vanilla that had rolled down his chin, and forced himself to put his spoon down for a second.

He sat up straighter. "Speaking of that bet. I have a proposition for you."

"Proposition?"

Asano's head tilted a little. "It has become clear to me that you will have nowhere to live soon."

Nagisa didn't quite follow that. "Huh?"

"Did you know," he leant forward just a little bit. "That I happened to take a little tutoring opportunity recently, some elementary kids that happen to live in the same area as you. You've come and gone from a different address recently."

Eyes darting around for the best escape route, Nagisa began to panic. "You're following me."

"Not quite," Asano smiled casually. "I just observe. Presumably the family situation is due to the baby, but I did some digging. I'm not quite sure you'll be able to rely on the kindness of others less knowledgeable for much longer, especially when it starts making itself more obvious, no?"

It was as if Nagisa's body turned to stone. He was completely and utterly frozen in place, unable to even take a breath in. It wasn't like he'd thought much about what he'd do when people found out, honestly he hadn't thought about it much himself with everything else going on. With his signature smile, Asano was yanking everything to the surface. What was he going to do?

Finally he managed to take air in. "H-how-"

"Please, I can smell it on you," he said nonchalantly. "Oh, don't look at me like that, Nagisa kun. I'm better at honing my senses that other alphas, especially at our age. Besides, it's like you're carrying around a piece of Akabane's scent. Every time I so much as glance in his direction that scent makes me want to hurl."

"You want to throw up every time you look at me?" Nagisa got out.

"Only if I concentrate hard enough."

Nagisa picked up his spoon again in a tight grip, a little confused by what Asano meant by any of that.

"Anyway," he continued, "let me spell it out for you. I have a big house, plenty of spare rooms, and a father who spends most of his life in the school office. All you have to do is ask."

There was no way he could properly process that. Had Asano, of all people, seriously offered him a place to stay? Before that day, they'd never even spoken a word to each other. Asano seriously wanted something, but Nagisa had no idea what he could possibly have to offer.

"I couldn't."

His face flat lined a little. "Nagisa kun," he emphasised again, "how do think that elderly woman of yours is going to react when she finds out she's hosting a mateless, underage, pregnant omega? In fact, I could give you clear evidence of her aversion to it. You wouldn't want to bring shame on her good name, would you?"

They weren't touching, but Asano may as well have a hand around Nagisa's throat. It was true, though. He couldn't rely on pure kindness forever, especially if it would end up harming her. It had already gone too far. Now Nagisa really thought about it, what other choice did he even have?

"Why?" He barely whispered. "What's in it for you?"

Asano leant forwards again. "I want all your secrets, of course. Keeping a close eye on you is beneficial to me. Just say the word."

Nagisa swallowed.