Deadeye
Chapter 9 – Coal-Encrusted Diamond
"And thus...!" Korosensei said, his clones all speaking in the same damn annoying tone all at once as they crossed their two main tentacles over their chests, "...We shall be excusing this period for today's special: the special supersonic exam cram class!"
...I could only sink lower into my seat as I hugged my bag closer towards me, trying not to listen to the octopus as a clone of himself appeared in front of me, "...Please spare me, sensei. You already know how much I study back at my apartment, so please spare me with...whatever you're planning on doing please."
"No can do, Hikigaya-kun!" The clone in front of me chastised as he held up a tentacle in a lecture pose, "One must continuously sharpen one's blade in order to reach its sharpest edge, you know? Therefore, one must study every day in order to–!"
"Sensei, sharpen a blade too much and it's more harmful to the blade itself rather than its enemies", I said with a yawn as I pointed towards my eyes, wherein my glasses couldn't even hide the bags underneath them, "I'm this close to grinding away the spine of my blade sensei, and anyone knows that the blade is at its most brittle state when a crack runs across its spine."
"...Fine, Hikigaya", the Koro-clone said with a resigned sigh, "...How about I leave you some written pointers behind and you study them at home? You seem most comfortable at studying there instead of here at school, so it would be best if I were to tailor your studies while you're at home. How about I pay you a visit every time you go home?"
"No thanks", I said with another yawn, "...Just the pointers will do fine sensei, so thanks. I really appreciate your help."
"I would've appreciated the thanks, if only you weren't so adamant on sleeping in the middle of class, Hikigaya-kun..." My Koro-clone said while scratching its head, baffled at my current state, giving him a few precious moments of indecision as his head was immediately warped inwards, courtesy of Karma innocently taking a potshot at him using a knife as I couldn't help but smirk at him. That's a good idea, going for an assassination while the octopus' attention is focused on the rest of the whole class.
"Hikigaya!" Korosensei screamed at me as he held up a yellow stub that was once his arm, "Don't be shooting through my clones now! It takes energy to regrow them back, and now look!"
... "Indeed! That's a child clone now! This is the reason why I forbid you to exercise assassination attempts while we're in cram sessions! Got that Hikigaya, Karma!?"
""Loud and clear sensei"", the two of us echoed as Karma put his knife away and I stowed away my BB gun back towards my schoolbag. I sighed, reading the written pointers in front of me that was mostly about trying to make the most amount of time out of all the items in the test, and not immediately grinding to a halt whenever a hard question comes up. Sure, it was exam-taking 101, but under the intense pressure of the competition here in Kunugigaoka, most people are going to forget that information...Unless they cram it in as well. Seriously, idiot-minded buffoons.
Cramming's not the only thing that's relevant when it comes to studying. Why does everyone forget that nowadays? It's just...weird.
And so, stashing away the pointers that Korosensei had written for me, I could only hug my bag closer towards me as I pretended to sleep, my eyes looking like they were glazed as if I was in the middle of spacing out, but I was actually wide-awake the entire time. Another one of the Skills that I'm going to have to level grind until it reaches its maximum here.
I observed the rest of my classmates, seeing them being beset by a clone with a headband tied around their heads, their worst subject being written on there as I took a quick survey around the classroom. Most of the student's grievances were about Math, English, and Social Studies, but what the hell is a Naruto headband doing on Terasaka's Koro-clone? Is he supposed to be studying about ninjutsu and the like?
...I think I'm missing the point here.
Nevertheless, since I now knew where most of my class' weaknesses lie, I could now move on and observe my other classmates, trying my best to keep myself from deadpanning the singular clone that was just idly resting outside. Sure, I had seen such a sight before, but come on. Seriously? If one out of twenty-eight clones is resting, then that means that the other twenty-seven clones must be using up energy. It's not an amount that a singular clone can restore on its own. Which is why, this system was horribly inefficient. Well, I do think that having a singular clone to work on a student's main weakness is cool and all, but what about the amount of energy that Korosensei uses in order to do so? Isn't it too much?
My not-so-dead-anymore eyes scanned over the few people that I could call my acquaintances, and found out that both Nagisa and Nakamura were currently having problems with Math. Seriously? Math's a problem subject for me too! Well, it is until I get the underlying theory behind the steps, but still! It's still a weakness! Math is my weakest subject! Which is why, I'm glad that I have good taste in choosing my acquaintances!
Hm? Someone said that Kanzaki-san is also an acquaintance of mine? That's complete and utter nonsense. I mean, she just used me as a soundboard for all I care (actually I did care because there was free food), and we never even spoke to each other inside the classroom. Someone who does not associate with me on a daily basis would not be called an acquaintance.
Then, what about Karma? Of course, being smart as hell, the headband of the Koro-clone was showing nothing. That means all hands down on all subjects, but I think Korosensei was teaching him future topics that could potentially come up in the future. Also, since he's good at Math, then I might as well call in for one of his 'favors' and let him teach me about it. Since it only required Vita-chan to be lent out towards him for a day as the price for one of his 'favors', it was pretty cheap considering what he asks of other people (Nagisa taking the cake. Cross-dressing? What the hell?).
...Hey. I just realized that Korosensei isn't teaching me any future topics that I might need in order to make this academic half of this school easier. Was it because he thinks that I'm sleeping? Was it because that he thinks that I'm not worth the time? Nonsense! I must do everything that I needed to do here and now so I could lounge around and mooch off later!
"Sensei!" I said, immediately perking up in response to a Koro-clone immediately appearing in front of me, a thin smile forming on my face as I reminded myself that I could just lounge around and mooch off my own apartment, "...Can you teach me, please?"
"Hoho, it seems that my overwhelming cram session studies are extremely useful to you as well, Hikigaya-kun?" The Koro-clone said as those irritating green stripes now formed on his head, "Maybe along the way I could just 'convince' you to stop assassinating me all the time–"
Bang, "Sensei. I'm grateful for your current help, but don't think for a single second that you can 'convince' me to just shy away from that ten billion yen."
Well...not that I really needed it though. But still, to keep this octopus from getting any weird ideas, I unloaded a full clip of my BB gun towards him. A few rounds into the mix, Karma joined in as well, and before I knew it, all of us were already firing at the yellow octopus, who had ditched all of his teaching materials (neatly) onto the podium as he now began dodging all of our bullets without pause.
To be honest, the action was kind of cathartic.
[–|–]
"Hey Hachiman!" Nakamura suddenly exclaimed behind me, hitting me on the shoulder with her schoolbag as I recoiled forwards and gave her a glare. What the hell woman!? Don't just suddenly call my attention by suddenly slamming a large, blunt object against me! If I didn't know any better I might've thought that I was being murdered! "Want to hit up the arcade later?"
"No thanks", I said, waving my hand at her dismissively as I could see her pout. Nice try, but you're not Komachi. Only Komachi can get me to do whatever she wants with that pout of hers, but not you, "Besides, I'm planning to spend the rest of the day just lazing around in my apartment, so I might as well just do that."
"Ever the lazy bum as ever, Hachiman", Nakamura said with a frown on her face as she folded her arms across her chest, "...Which is why I still don't get it as to how your grades are top-notch material. I mean, one wouldn't even believe that you're acing all the exams left and right, you know? Seeing that you're like that one guy who likes to sleep instead of paying attention in class."
"A magician never reveals his secrets. That's pretty basic knowledge", I said with a smug smile on my face as Nakamura grimaced at me. Right, right – keep the smirk down, "But, if you were to become my apprentice, then I might be able to share a few things with you."
"Oho? The great Hikigaya Hachiman finally realizes his folly and aims to associate with his fellow human beings in order to teach someone? Sounds sketchy."
"Buzz off", I quickly snapped at Nakamura as she couldn't help but laugh at me, much to my chagrin, "If you want me to teach you a thing or two, then do it when I'm going to be doing nothing for the rest of the day. Just...don't bother me when I'm planning on activating my Zen mode, alright?"
"Then, can I come to your house during the weekend?"
...What. Wait, I'm pretty sure I dropped my phone, so I have to pick it up while trying to calm myself down, but what? "Rio...Just what the hell are you trying to do when I just came back from a good rest?"
"Well, you're basically free on Saturday, right? And I'm pretty sure that you don't do anything else aside from just lounge around doing nothing, right?" Woman, just because I'm just lounging around doing nothing at my apartment doesn't mean I'm actually doing anything, alright? That you know that I might have just gone through with another one of my training regimen and I'm taking a well-deserved rest, alright? "That's why I'm going to drag you out from your loner cave and force you to talk to someone – at least anyone – even during the weekends."
"I'm pretty sure we have phones for that."
"Then how could I see the dumb faces that you make whenever I tease you about something?" Nakamura said with a smirk on her face as I couldn't help but glare at her under my glasses. Seriously? That's the only reason as to why you're going out of your way in order to socialize with me? Because I'm just a source of entertainment for you? What am I, a circus animal? No, I'm pretty sure that I'm a human that comes by the name of Hikigaya Hachiman. There is no way in hell that I would be willing to just entertain you for one day, no matter how fun for you it seemingly is.
"...Now that I think about it, you're pretty stupid, aren't you?"
"Ow", I immediately said, my head immediately bucking forward as Nakamura hit me again with her schoolbag, "Seriously, stop it. The fact that you're hitting me over the truth means that you acknowledge it as fact. Which is why you're resorting to physical measures such as this since you still think like a child– ow, ow, ow, ow, ow, ow, ow!"
"Hachiman, now that I think about it, you're also pretty stupid yourself", Nakamura said as she dug into my foot with her heel. Damn it woman, let me get up from my seat so I could sock you in the face! This is what you'd call an unfair fight, you know!? Give me a fair chance and I have a feeling that I could sock you before you can even blink! "You don't call someone 'stupid' while they're literally in front of you, alright?"
"Better than being talked about behind your back, Rio", I shot back with a scowl as Nakamura narrowed her blue eyes at me, the usual glint in her eyes turning into sharp blades that tried to dissect my thoughts and lay them bare for the whole world to see.
"Fine, you win this time. But in return, let's have that study session at your place at Saturday. Got that?" She said, keeping her voice cool and even as I couldn't help but furrow my brows at her. Woman, stop saying these statements like it's already a done deal. I still have the right to refuse as a human being, you know. Even if you tighten your grip on my shoulder like a vice, I'm still going to have to refuse your request, you kno– ow, ow, ow, ow, ow, ow, ow, ow, ow–
"Alright, alright!" I screamed, a sigh of relief simultaneously escaping from me as Nakamura let go of my shoulder. Damn it, I call bullying! That was just coercion just now! Korosensei, I thought you'd be there for me if I was getting bullied!? Were all those things you said to me back then just a lie!? "I'll be waiting for you on Saturday! Just leave me alone for the moment, alright!?"
"Sure!" Nakamura said, shooting me her signature grin as she patted my head before leaving the classroom, "But, don't lock me out, alright? I might have to bash the door in if you do."
Tch. This woman knows how my mind works all too well. Not that I'm happy about it mind you – I like being privy to my own thoughts, thank you very much. Which begs the reason as to how this woman could so easily predict what actions I'm going to take in the future. I mean, is she an esper or something like that? I don't know, and I'm pretty sure I don't want to find out.
I sigh, gathering up my things and placing it inside my bag as I slowly stood up, my movements reminiscent like a sloth as I waltzed towards the door, my face looking like he didn't want to move anywhere for that moment. I mean, it is pretty true. I seriously don't want to move from my seat since it's already warmed up with my butt sitting on it for like what, four – five hours? So yeah, since it now acts like a kotatsu after the right amount of exposure time, I'm pretty sure that the cold winds that's currently whipping across the city is going to sting. Not physically per se, but...wait; nerves are technically physical aspects of my body. Damn, I just cornered myself into a corner like that. Wow me, just how stupid are you in order for you to corner your own damn self with your own line of thinking? I don't know...pretty stupid, maybe? I appreciate the sarcasm common sense, it seems that the silent treatment is working all too well for you.
"Then, good luck in your exams", a dry, cold voice said as I immediately froze in my tracks, seeing that familiar purple suit belonging to the principal of this institution as my feet instinctively took a step forward, catching Nagisa currently standing beside the doorway towards the teacher's office as the gears in my head immediately started working into overdrive.
Alright, let's put things into perspective. The principal had probably just come out of the teacher's office and noticed Nagisa spying on something – Korosensei, I presume – and was immediately on his way. Seeing that I didn't see any of our teachers on the way here even on the back lot, it would mean that the rest of them were currently gathered in the faculty room right now. Which means that Korosensei is there, and judging that the principal didn't just come here to have some nice chit-chat with the new octopus in the house, I could only assume that he wanted to say his piece of mind. And considering that there is nothing that could faze that man in the purple suit except for a very few specific reasons, I could only assume one thing had happened before I came here.
In other words, Korosensei screwed up. Seeing that I already met the principal personally before I was inducted in the E-Class, I already know his plans for the school, and why was the system currently this way. It was a rotten system, that's for sure – but it was a logical system with a purpose, infinitely better than society, which doesn't even have any kind of patterns or threads of data to pull from.
Which is why I could understand what the principal was thinking, risking his reputation in order to personally deliver a message towards the yellow octopus that transferred in as our teacher.
Which was also the reason why I immediately followed after the principal, my footsteps raising a few clouds of dust once I stepped outside as I tried to keep up with the man in the purple suit, finally catching up to him a minute later while we were currently in the middle of the mountain trail, a place where no one could spot us having a talk.
Need I dare say that the principal has gotten a hold of my thoughts now? "Hikigaya-kun. What a pleasant surprise in order to see you here, out of all places. How's your current class holding up? Are the rest of you doing well in your studies?"
"Might want to just disperse the whole 'fatherly' act since no one's watching the two of us anyway, Asano-sensei", I said in a blank tone as the light in the principal's eyes was immediately snuffed out, and replaced with a cold and calculating stare. I wonder if I could do that someday in the future? "...I want you to listen to a proposal of mine."
The principal simply stared at me blankly for a few more seconds as I could feel the visage of a centipede squirming around at a place that I couldn't see. But still, I held my ground and met his gaze head-on. If you want to be heard, then one must gather up his courage and strike with all his might. Well, my knees are shaking though, so go and bother, "...I don't have much time."
So he said as he continued walking down the mountain trail, my feet immediately catching up with his pace a second later as I could only nod in response. What he said wasn't necessarily a rejection, so that means that I could speak my mind as long as he still held interest. Therefore, I took a deep breath before I continued with what I was going to say.
"Why don't you give the E-Class the chance to improve their scores?"
Silence reigned through the air as I swore that I heard a chuckle from the principal, who simply stared at me with eyes filled with dark curiosity, "...Now, while I'm obviously curious as to what kind of brainwashing did that octopus do to you in order to think of something that is completely opposite from your own personality, but–"
"Thinking about it logically, it would be a win-win situation for all parties involved", I said, immediately cutting into the principal's words as he tried to silence me with a glare. But Nakamura's glare was scarier than his, and I'm pretty sure that the only reason that I felt chills run along my spine was because I imagined Komachi getting angry at me for some reason, "...Give the E-Class the chance to prove their scores, they would be satisfied with their current standing and quell any signs of rebellion towards the school system. The other students would realize their shaming of the E-Class isn't going to work unless they actually work hard, and their overall grades would go up as well, which means an overall better image of the school. Like I told you Asano-sensei...it's a win-win situation."
"...Hm", the principal said, stopping in his tracks as he brought up a hand to his chin in thought. Eventually, after a moment of thought, he slowly nodded in acknowledgement, "...Indeed, Hikigaya. It is just as you said, that this plan is a win-win situation. Less dissent and a higher standard could only be good for the school's reputation, but...Normally, such an idea like this would be thought of as completely worthless of time from what was supposed to be your standpoint."
"If it was me that you met before I was forcefully transferred to the E-Class, then it might be true", I said with a nod as the principal widened his eyes ever-so slightly at me, "But...Well, let's just say people change when they are forced into extreme conditions."
"...Is it that octopus?"
"It is that octopus."
"I see", the principal said with a resigned sigh as a thin smile formed on his face, "...In any case, I shall be taking your idea into consideration, Hikigaya. But let me ask you this question just once – did you have any help with coming up with this idea, by any chance?"
"Well, if indirectly changing my perspective about the world around me could be noted as 'help', then I'd have to thank more people that I probably could fit in one hand...I think. Maybe I could just count them on one hand."
Let's see. Korosensei, Nagisa, Karma, Nakamura, and Kanzaki-san. That's literally five people right there – the amount of fingers that I have in my hand. Which means that I could count them on one hand. Thirty points for Hikkindor! "...Yup. Could count five of them in one hand."
"I see", the principal replied, a thin smile once again gracing his face as he nodded at me, "...Then, what about that assignment that I had tasked you when you first transferred in?"
...I stopped walking, staring at the principal as the gears in my head started to whir faster than a helicopter on steroids. A moment later, I finally strung the words that I've been trying to put together for the past few minutes, "...It's going well. A step forward in the right direction is still progress in my count."
The principal nodded in response to my words, "I see. Then, this is where we momentarily part ways, Hikigaya. Once again, I'll be mulling over your suggestion. If something changes in the next few days, then I'm pretty sure that I have already implemented your idea into action."
"Thank you very much, Asano-sensei", I said, bowing towards him at waist level as the principal's smile grew wider, an amused snort coming out of him a second later as he once again started going down the mountain trail.
From the glint in his eyes, I knew. I knew that he would most certainly implement the idea that I had suggested – all the costs be damned. For that was who the principal of Kunugigaoka is – a logical man to the core, one who thinks with his mind rather than his heart.
What I would've become if I had no one to save me from the fall.
[–|–]
The rest of us were currently out in the back lot, watching Korosensei's back as he berated the rest of my classmates for having the defeatist mindset that they have. Meanwhile, I simply leaned against the wall, listening to the yellow octopus talk about how things don't necessarily go according to plan.
In a sense, Korosensei was right. It was something that I had put thought in. If tomorrow happened and we found out that Korosensei had been killed by someone else and they had gotten the prize money of ten billion yen, I found myself asking whether or not I would be able to continue with my life as normal. Of course, I found myself answering my own question with a resounding 'yes'.
I didn't need the ten billion yen. I sure as hell didn't want to be hailed as the savior of earth and be exposed in front of all the media for them to make me into their very own pincushion for their slander and vilification. The main reason that I wanted to stay in this class was that I could at least have some free time to myself. If it was the main campus, then every teacher there would be constantly prattling about 'cramming' and the like, which frankly, doesn't work out too well for today's kids. I mean, we're currently handling stress levels that would normally diagnose a person in the past for insanity after all, so does that mean that we're stronger? No. No it doesn't. The increased stress only serves as poison for the body, and sooner or later one needs to let it out on something or someone in order to return back to normal. I could find it here in the satellite campus, where the E-Class is, but as for my other classmates...Well, go figure.
Which was the main reason why Korosensei was currently using the stick in order to make us learn. If me and the rest of my classmates didn't shrug off our inferiority complex in response to the other classes in the main campus, then what would we return to when Korosensei was gone? Sniveling wrecks who can't even pass a test properly, that's for sure.
Somewhere along the line though, I heard something about him requiring us to get towards the top fifty in the midterms in order to keep Korosensei from escaping. Of course, I knew it was just a stick disguised as a carrot. There was no way in hell that this octopus was running away from this classroom any time soon. The only reason why it was so effective is that he intimidated us by letting us taste a portion of his true power – in other words, it was simple bullying.
And here I thought that Korosensei was better than the rest of them, but then again, what was I supposed to expect exactly from a walking, talking, yellow octopus that can move at Mach twenty? Nothing. We're just supposed to sit back, relax, and be treated to a look to all of his abilities like we were always at his beck-and-call.
He said it himself – he was a teacher first and foremost before he was an octopus that can destroy the world. If he had a reason to bully the rest of our class, then he's doing it out of a personal desire to see us grow. Of course, I can only say this with absolute certainty because he's not a human. If he was human though, then I would be more concerned about holding myself back, because if Korosensei was actually human, then I would've already shot him in the crotch with a full load of my BB gun. No sexual euphemism there – just a plain old execution that would leave him unable to spread his disgusting genes further down the family tree.
Of course, I can only do that if he was a human teacher. He was not. That was why I can put my faith in him. We were of different species, so that means that the two of us needed to at least sympathize with one another in order to make sure our intents get across the species barrier. Communication isn't necessarily required – what was absolutely important in return was a way to discern intent. Which is why I am grateful that an alien out of all things is teaching us what we needed to be taught, not by some asshole who thinks that good studying habits equate to 'cram information until your brain is half-dead'.
Which is why, I still studied at the same pace that I had been going up until now. If I didn't have information about a certain topic, then I simply let Korosensei explain to me the basics and let me derive everything else from that explanation. It was how I get by in Math and other subjects that I knew would be problematic – I start with the basic concepts first, and use them to form new information using my brain to bridge different kinds of connections. It was that exponential growth in information that made me learn information much easier and at a quicker pace than most of my classmates, which translated towards my scores in the midterms.
It seems that the principal indeed had thought it through, and decided to go along with it. A few days before the midterms were supposed to start, he personally went teaching about some new material included in the midterms that the rest of my classmates couldn't have known about, which in return resulted them into getting at least a portion of the total scores. Which meant that they couldn't have gotten into the top fifty. Which obviously meant that Korosensei would be leaving (lol) this class for good.
As Korosensei was sulking by the teacher's podium, my accomplice-in-crime Karma Akabane threw a knife at him, provoking him with his talent for sadism as the rest of the class finally joined in, throwing jabs at the octopus' expense as the walking doujin fodder finally snapped, scolding the rest of my classmates for ruining the serious mood in the air as I couldn't help but smirk in my seat, watching the chaos unfold as I couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief at the scene.
After changing our mindsets this far, Korosensei didn't have any right to simply quit halfway. That was my simple reasoning in order to convince Karma to team up with me so the two of us could restore the class's spirits to normal.
I sighed, hugging my bag closer to my body as I closed my eyes, feeling the sensations of sleep slowly take me away as I blinked, with Nagisa's voice piping up over the crowd as his voice was filled with unabashed curiosity, "Wait Karma-kun. If you got the 3rd in the midterms out of the rest of the 3rd years, and Asano-kun was 2nd...Who was first?"
"Oh, that's easy", Karma said, shooting a glance towards me as I could only scowl in return. Damn it, I've been found out this far into the game, it seems, "...The first in our whole year..."
Stop. Just...say it already. Stop adding more suspense to fuel their unbridled curiosity, I beg you. I'll even lend you Vita-chan for two – no, three days – for you to just end it right here and right now, "...Is none other than Hikigaya Hachiman."
...Yes, I expected silence, but this hurts far more than I should've known. Just what the hell am I supposed to do in this situation again – "EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEH!?"
I grimaced, the class's attention now focused towards me as I hugged my bag tighter, trying to make the problem disappear just by trying hard enough, but Wishcraft isn't necessarily going to work for me this time around. I don't have enough prana to cast it, after all, "Hi-Hikigaya!? You're the first out of all of the third years!? C-Can we see your papers!?"
"Like hell–"
"–Don't worry, I already got it!" Korosensei said as I immediately perked up from my desk, seeing that damned octopus currently holding my papers and waving it around like a fan. Of course he was acting smug, seeing that he had those damnable green stripes across his face...Until he read my results – "H-HUH!? J-J-J-JUST ONE MISTAKE!?"
"HUUUUUUUUUUUUUUH!?"
Hikigaya Hachiman, ranked 1st out of 187, with a score of 499 out of 500.
Well, I'm sorry that question about inherited traits just strike a cord with me, alright!?
AN: ...Seriously, I put a lot of thought into that 'campfire' scene during the last chapter, but I got nothing except for two reviews about it. That's just sad T_T.
In any case, the principal is a little bit OOC in this fic, but it's because that I made him this way. I hinted at an earlier meeting with Hikigaya during the chapter, and I'll be leaving it up to your imaginations to wonder what happened before I put that chapter in the works, which will probably be in the future. In any case, post a review if you think you knew what happened. And, I need more reviews. Like, seriously. I need more.
Also, on another note, Hikigaya's not going to get someone just yet, and he's not a playboy. It's just that he's still feeling things out for himself since it's just the first trimester...Well, just wait until the second to third trimester, I guess? So just bear with the story until then. In any case, thanks for everyone who's supporting this story ever since it's conception up until now. As a special thanks, I think I'll be releasing a special chapter along with Chapter 10.
Thank you very much for your support. And see you again until next time!
