Nagisa lost all sense of time. All he knew was that eventually, it hard turned midnight, which meant it was graduation day. Without really thinking about it, they'd drifted back inside, with not a lot left for them out there. Once all the specks of light had flown way, at least, there was no other trace of Korosensei. He'd meant to search their old class building for some memory of Korosensei, but he'd been distracted by the two large books on his desks. In fact, they, along with a diploma, were placed in front of everyone.

He sat down at his own desk, trying to find a way to process everything. Unable to resist his curiosity, Nagisa opened the one entitled 'year book', and fresh tears began to form, not that they'd really stopped, though. The book was about as thick as five dictionaries, at his best guess. At one look at the first photograph, a group shot, Nagisa slammed it closed again. It was too much, right then. He turned his attention to the other book, 'Korosensei's Rules To Live By'. Nagisa almost laughed, when the first page was just a manga.

If the laser hit them, Nagisa didn't notice it. With how long (and incredibly detailed) the book turned out to be, and the emotional exhaustion of it all, he fell asleep, right at his desk. The next thing he knew, he was blinking his eyes open to sunlight. Still in a kind of trance, he stood up, walking over to the window.

Having Daichi had turned him into a light sleeper, with the constant waking up to feed him, so he was noticeably the first to wake. Nagisa's stomach flipped over itself. He'd promise his mother he'd be back by morning. There was no way this wasn't all over the news, though. He just prayed she wouldn't worry. Outside, Nagisa caught sight of Karasuma, talking to some of the soldiers. Hopefully, they wouldn't be too mad at them sneaking in.

If he squinted, just enough, he could see the cherry blossoms beginning to bloom in various places around the mountain. They weren't fully out, taking over the treeline in vibrant shades of pink, more… scattered. Fresh. He didn't really buy into much of the general symbolism, but it did feel fitting, like a sign that life was destined to go on. Like that, a small amount of the weight on his soul was lifted.

Eventually, Karausma and Bitch Sensei joined them inside, waking the others up with their presence. At that point, Nagisa returned to his own desk, not wanting to draw any more attention to himself. For a moment, Karasuma just regarded the class in silence, before stepping up.

"I imagine there are some things you'll find hard to swallow," he begun. "You'll have all eyes on you for a while, I'm afraid, and I'm sure they'll be asking you to keep quiet on confidential matters. I'll do my utmost to protect you, of course, but allow me to apologise to you in advance." Karasuma finished his sentence with a bow.

That was to be expected, Nagisa supposed. He hadn't really done well with the cameras before, but he could maybe learn to ignore it. There'd be something else for the world to turn their eyes to, eventually, more interesting than them anyway. They wouldn't be Korosensei's students, if something as fickle as the media were to scare them off.

"Karasuma Sensei, it's fine" Maehara said. We'll do our best to get this settled peacefully, too."

"We don't want to complicate things for you." Okano added.

"In return, we do have one request." Kataoka stood up, looking around the rest of the class, before turning back to Karasuma. "Please let us attend Kunugigaoka's graduation ceremony today. Our days spent battling with the main campus are yet another precious memory we made with Korosensei."

Karasuma nodded. "Sure, I'll arrange it. After all, that's why I'm here."

Isogai, too, got to his feet. "All students: stand up!" Well, although they'd graduated, he was still their class representative. Nobody argued about getting to their feet, taking the signal to bow in respect. "Karasuma Sensei, Bitch Sensei, you taught us so much. Thank you!"

"Thank you!" Everyone repeated.

The tension snapped. Before Nagisa could even stand back up again, Nakamura had him in a headlock. He didn't have the energy for a might, so he didn't attempt to break out of it, though still struggled against her hold so she didn't get bored and try anything worse.

"So, Nagisa kun," Nakamura said, "look at you being our top assassin in the end, huh?"

He had it in him to flush, somehow. "Well-"

"Bet you're excited for graduation. We have to wear our formal uniforms, you know. I can't wait to see you all dolled up in a skirt!"

"W-what skirt?!" Nagisa protested, actually trying to wiggle out of her grip.

"Aw, don't be shy Nagisa~," Karma laughed, patting his hair. "If you don't want to wear it to the ceremony, you can always wear it at home later~"

Nagisa squeaked. "What exactly do you mean by that?!"

Karma didn't get the chance to tell him, exactly what he meant by that, because graduation would be starting soon. Due to everything, they couldn't have it on the main campus, so everyone was lead instead to the local civic centre, where correct uniform (including trousers) were handed out. Somehow, all of that was more surreal, than their assassination.

Eyes barely focusing on the stage, Nagisa sat patiently amongst the rest of their class, waiting for his name to be called. Despite everything, they were still the last to receive their official diplomas. When he'd been transferred down to E Class in the first place, Nagisa had understood that he wouldn't be graduating at all, due to the existing policies. He hadn't had a hope at all, the idea of stretching his grades up to fiftieth in the entire year impossible. But, a lot of impossible things had happened that year.

"Shiota Nagisa!"

Nagisa readily stood up. "Yes!"

He made his way up to the stage, where the principal was waiting. "You've got a sharp look in your eyes these days," he said. "The result of your teacher's instruction, I'm sure."

"Yes, sir." Nagisa said, and then chewed his lip. "And please don't overdo things." He politely accepted his "Take care, now."

He hadn't really thought about what this meant, for his position. Surely, once the drama about the earth potentially being in danger died down, eyes would inevitably turn to the school. Nagisa just hoped he didn't take it out on Asano, or anything. As far as he knew, though, their bond had been healing, if only just a little.

Before he knew it, the ceremony was done. There had been a few of the necessary speeches and such, but Nagisa hadn't taken any of them in really. All he'd been able to think was that this chapter, this goal in the back of his mind, was over now. Finally, Nagisa had completed compulsory education.

Naturally, when they were dismissed from their seats, Nagisa drifted over next to Karma. They'd tended to do that, even before Daichi. Nagisa didn't have much of an explanation for it, other than it just being comfortable. Or else, it was just something that was, something he'd decided not to question. So, they mutually approached each other, brandishing their matching diplomas.

"Glad that's over," Karma said, walking casually towards the exit.

Nagisa looked up at him. "Really?"

He shrugged. "They dragged it on a b- hey!"

Following his eyes, Nagisa realised what he'd spotted. His own face broke out into a grin, when he spotted his parents in the crowd of people, his mother holding Daichi. At least he didn't look too traumatised by their nightly absence, though Nagisa still suddenly felt bad. He reminded himself that it was definitely just a onetime thing, though. No way could he ever leave Daichi behind, to go off and do something so dangerous.

Karma rushed over first, clearly b lining for the child. Though Nagisa couldn't blame him. It wasn't like they'd bought him any formal clothes (there was no need, and the nightmare of trying to get something over his head just wasn't worth it), but Daichi had been dressed in one of the nicer outfits, at least, one that didn't just look like straight up pyjamas.

"Heya Daichi," Karma said, holding out his arms. "Come to see us graduate, huh?"

Before his mother could actually hand him over, Daichi started wiggling, and then his lips began to spread, stretching out into what looked like a smile. Nagisa couldn't help but stop dead in his tracks, his gasp catching in his throat. It wasn't as if Nagisa really paid much attention to child development stuff, so he didn't know what age babies tended to start smiling at, but he just knew it was genuine. When he came closer, just enough for Daichi's eyes to be able to see him clearly, his face neutralised for a moment, before the smile returned, wider and more definitive than before. It was one of the single best things Nagisa had ever seen, the sweetest expression on Daichi's face, and if his tears weren't all dried up, he probably would have cried seeing it. He couldn't help but think: life went on.

Karma, too, blinked in confusion, before grinning wildly back, taking him into his arms. "Yeah? We're happy to see you too."

Fully aware it was kind of a weird thing to observe, Nagisa couldn't hold back his thoughts about Karma's voice. There were plenty of tones he tended to use, the more serious one, his groggy morning voice, his slightly sing song teasing… The way Karma chose to speak to Daichi was most like the latter, though far softer. Honestly, Nagisa could close his eyes and listen to it for days.

And then he opened his eyes for real, taking in the situation. "Mum, Dad… Why are you here together?"

Beside him, Karma coughed lightly. "I'm going to go catch up with the others."

As much as Nagisa would have appreciated the stability of having Karma at his side right then, he did have to appreciate the thought. This was probably a conversation Nagisa really did have to have with his parents, alone. His heart did kind of ache, though, eyes following Karma's path over to Terasaka. Knowing Karma, he was probably darting around, showing everyone Daichi's new 'skill'.

Nagisa's father cleared his throat. "At the end of last month, that monster – your teacher – paid me a visit. Just after I came to visit you in hospital. Both he and your mother told me how hard you worked, how determined you were in making it this far." He looked down at Nagisa, then, and smiled.

"Your father and I have talked it over," his mother said. "We'll follow your example and work hard to give us another try."

"H-huh?" Nagisa couldn't be sure if he'd heard that right. He really did find more tears to let out, then. For years, those were the words he'd so desperately wanted to hear. It was the very reason why he insisted that everyone call him by his given name. And all of this was Korosensei's doing?

His father laughed, patting him on the back. "Nagisa, you're making it seem like you're sad about this!"

Nagisa could tell he didn't mean it, but he still blinked up, accepting the handkerchief his mother offered. "N-no, I'm just… really happy." His shoulders started heaving with sobs again. "Y-you're serious?"

"We've discussed this a lot," his mother smiled.

"I'm sorry," his father picked up. "And I did do a lot of thinking, for a while, about family… It's not right that I put this distance between us. I feel like I've missed out on so much, and," he paused, "I'd like to know my grandson, if you'll allow it."

Nagisa's heart burst into pieces. Well, he'd been meaning to cry over that. "He smiled at me," he sobbed, nonsensically. "He's getting so b-big now."

His father smiled knowingly. "Mmm, and in the blink of an eye, he'll be graduating Junior High."

"No," Nagisa protested, through a half laugh. He didn't even want to think about that inevitability. "I should get back to the others," he said eventually, looking over his shoulder.

"Okay," his mother nodded. "We'll see you back home."

Nagisa went, then, feeling completely light headed. The rest of the class were all gathered in generally the same area, rather than with their parents. It didn't take him long to locate red hair amongst the group, and he began to float over.

"E Class, a word!"

Turning sharply, it was indeed the very similar to the last time they'd faced so many reporters. Now it seemed their movements were organised, and they'd come in packs. It was a good thing, at least, that right then, Nagisa felt like he could take on the world and then some. The flash of cameras shouldn't intimidate him.

Karaasuma jumped in front of a pushier one, creating a barrier with his body. "This place is off limits!"

Of course, they paid no attention.

"Tell us about the monster!"

"How do you feel right now?"

"Did you really kill him?"

"You vultures! Spare a thought for the student's feelings, for once!" Karasuma said, and then turned away. "Outside, everyone! Quickly! There's a bus standing by outside the main gate!"

Despite his best efforts to contain it, a couple of guys still managed to get through, breaking into a charge towards them. Before they could, though, a couple of Asano's 'minions', the Virtuosos, stepped in and held them back. Like he'd planned this all alone, Asano himself walked through the centre, and with a click of the fingers, a tarp thing was covering the class' heads.

"What the hell are you doing?!" A reporter complained.

"Quit meddling with our coverage!"

Paying them no attention, he led the way, and they began to walk in formation. Taking the signal, Nagisa and the rest of the class followed. At least that was the issue of how they were going to get onto the bus finally solved.

"You quit meddling with our moment in the sun!" Seo retorted.

"Our ties and our relationship end today," Asano looked back over his shoulder, "for the most part, but we are still students who studied at the same school. To abandon you now would bring shame upon your ruler- me."

They reached the bus efficiently that way, without the reporters getting so much as an extra word in. One by one, with their help, everyone boarded the bus. Nagisa himself hung back, watching the others get to safety. Immediately in front of him was Karma, who had paused for a moment to exchange words with Asano. Nagisa couldn't quite make out what it was, from where he was standing, but frankly he didn't really want to know.

"C'mon," Seo said, giving Nagisa a shove. "You're bringing up the rear!"

Nagisa did as he said, taking one step up and onto the bus. He did turn back, though, and met Asano's eye. Once again, it felt like it would have been right to have some kind of an exchange, a conversation to spell out everything he felt. But even if the situation had been right for that kind of thing, Nagisa probably wouldn't have taken the opportunity.

"Off you go," Asano said instead, but there was a great amount of warmth in both his tone and expression. A kind of fondness, even.

There was nothing left to say, so Nagisa just flushed slightly, shooting Asano his best attempt at an equally warm smile. The doors of the bus automatically closed, after that, and the vehicle began to slowly pull away. Nagisa straightened, finding his way to the seat next to Karma. He slumped down in it, practically all the energy in his body draining away from him.

At least Daichi was still awake, apparently having found the change in environment interesting. He was nowhere near big enough to hold his own head up yet, but Karma had him propped up that way slightly, so his face wasn't just directed towards the ceiling. Though, he wasn't doing the smiling thing either, eyes focusing on something or other.

Nagisa turned away to look out of the window, and tears streamed down his face. This, seeing the world go by, felt like a real goodbye. It wasn't sad or regretful, though, just… bittersweet. The bus kept going, taking them out of the main town. Nagisa hadn't thought to question where Karasuma was sending them, until they pulled into a strange building he'd never seen before.

Out of habit, Nagisa pulled out his mobile phone. He hoped that Ritsu would still be able to stick around, despite their graduation. Somehow, though, he was sure shewould find a way to outsmart her creators once again. She appeared on his screen, not saying much, but instead pulling up a map. Nagisa swallowed when he realised where they were. The Ministry Of Defence.

When what looked like two soldiers got onto the bus with them, Nagisa felt a spike of fear. The only comfort was that he trusted Karasuma not to send them straight into slaughter. Still, Nagisa had known that really, there would be consequences for going against the government. He just had to hope it wouldn't be too harsh. The soldiers didn't give much away with their expressions, anyway.

They were lead together into the building, without much of a chance to stop and ask what was going on. After last night, Nagisa wasn't sure about the others, but much of the fight had left him already. He would just accept whatever his fate was going to be. No matter what, showing up last night had been more than worth it.

Almost hilariously, they were told to wait in what looked like a classroom. Nagisa supposed that for a job like Karasuma's, you probably had to go through a lot of training. It seemed that despite graduation, they were still stuck in a classroom. The set up of the desks was different to their classroom, so nobody really defaulted to their usual positions, simply filing in one by one. So they sat down, simply waiting for next instruction. At least Daichi wasn't making a fuss about any of it, finally fast asleep at the warmth of Karma's chest.

After a little while of waiting, Karasuma strode into the room, pushing a large metal suitcase with him. They kept their silence as he made his way to the front of the room, as if to address them. Some other colleagues followed behind, rolling more and more inside.

"As promised," he said, and then opened the case to reveal more paper notes of money than Nagisa had ever seen in his life. "Despite the government's plans, you did get the killing blow, and therefore qualify for the bounty. Also," he smiled a little, "you can call it hush money." He bowed, and then left the room.

Nagisa's jaw was almost on the floor. Though he didn't rush to the money like some of the others, his eyes went very wide. That much money, being just a number was okay, but actually seeing it in front of him was almost beyond comprehension.

"Oh man!" Maehara exclaimed loudly. "I'm gonna buy-"

"We can't." Isogai cut him off, and then exhaled. "Everyone, what I mean is, I don't think Korosensei would want us to rely on so much money."

Nakamura gulped. "B-but… The money."

"He's right." Kataoka nodded. "Korosensei taught us the honour of making our own way in the world. "

"I think we should keep a sum of it," Isogai added. "Just enough for some small things." His eyes darted around the room. "All those in favour?"

Listening to their points, Nagisa found himself raising his own hand. They were right, to live a senseless life of luxury would be almost disrespectful to Korosensei's memory. It was their responsibility to live on, now, taking his guidance in stride. Somehow, he decided the near two billion yen he was owed didn't seem so important.

"Wait a minute," Maehara said, and pulled the others close to say something in a whisper.

The only ones still sitting, and thus out of ear shot, Karma and Nagisa automatically shot each other a look of confusion. Karma was kind of incapacitated with a snoozing baby in his arms, so Nagisa was just about to stand up to see what was going on, when they turned back to them.

"So," Nakamura begun, "we talked it over."

"We think that both of you should keep your cuts," Isogai said.

Again, Nagisa's eyes darted to Karma's. "W-why?"

Terasaka scoffed. "You two just had to go and make a kid."

"It just makes the most sense, and it's not like we didn't earn the money," Maehara said.

"The reason we, as a class, are giving it up is because we don't need this kind of money," Isogai continued. "We'd risk becoming complacent. But both of you have a reason. Korosensei wouldn't want anybody to suffer just for honour's sake."

Kurahashi nodded. "Besides, aren't babies meant to be crazy expensive?"

"And you'd barely have time to spend with him if you got jobs on top of school," Sugino said.

Isogai smiled. "We trust that both of you wouldn't overuse the money. We just think that it would be just as wrong to deny him anything based on our decision."

"Korosensei made Daichan an honorary member," Kayano added. "We could argue about whether that means he gets a cut or not, but just in case."

Not entirely sure what to make of any of that, Nagisa found himself looking at Karma again. They communicated with their eyes, then. On the one hand, Nagisa agreed with the classes' sentiments that they shouldn't live off lumps of money, but on the other… It would be nice, to have that kind of a security. When Daichi inevitably grew up and wanted to experience the world, Nagisa would feel just as bad saying no due to lack of money.

"Alright," Karma shrugged. "If that's what you think."

Nagisa nodded. "Only for Daichi's wellbeing."

They decided on some other things, after that. They wouldn't give all the money away. The others were keeping just enough to qualify as a small boost, for themselves. But it wouldn't all go back to the government. They decided to donate some of it, to a few places, but most importantly, to try and buy their mountain. It was bound to be made off limits, otherwise.

Nobody kept them afterwards, so Nagisa walked through his front door that evening, suddenly a billionaire. "We're back!"

"Welcome," his mother said, decidedly in a better mood. "I'm nearly done with dinner."

It felt too normal. "I-Is dad not here?" Nagisa realised, after scanning around the apartment.

She pressed her lips together. "Nagisa… We can't just go straight back to living together. Your father and I are going to take it slower, at least at first."

He did understand that, and decided to try his best to hide the minor disappointment. Aside from that, everything else was normal. They didn't talk about the assassination, over dinner. Even afterwards, it was just light conversation, before the same routine. Nagisa and Karma went about their evening like any other night before, bathing Daichi and changing him fresh, before feeding him and returning to his bedroom to put him down.

Except, Nagisa hesitated. He was holding an almost asleep Daichi in his arms, yet when he looked at the crib, it seemed like the worst thing imaginable. Perhaps it was wrong, to treat his son like some sort of safety blanket, but Nagisa just couldn't stand the thought of letting go of him. At least for this one night.

"W-would it be bad?" Nagisa looked over at the bed, studying it.

Karma gave him his answer, stripping off and lying down in it. The debate was soon over, and Nagisa came over himself, settling down carefully. With Daichi lying between them, they couldn't sleep as close as they had been, but he didn't mind that. It would be really bad, to accidentally overwhelm him in their sleep.

For a while, Nagisa just watched Daichi. He didn't seem to mind not being in his own bed, so to speak, dropping off without too much fuss. Though he knew it would only last for a few hours, Nagisa examined how peaceful he was, innocent to the horrors of the night before. His eyes raked up to Karma, then. Nagisa had to squint to see it, but what he found was the subtle trail of tears rolling down his cheeks.

Had Karma cried, yesterday? Nagisa had been so busy sobbing in that moment himself, that he hadn't really noticed. It made sense, though. Karma was never the type to publically share his emotions. In the darkness, Nagisa wasn't sure if he knew he'd been spotted, or not. On a slight whim, he reached up, collecting one as it fell.

Instantly, Karma's hand gripped his wrist, like an instinct, but it softened just as quickly. This, Nagisa realised, wasn't something they needed to talk about. When Karma's hand slid up, covering his in a hold, Nagisa didn't move away. It comforted him, too, made him remember that no matter what, he wasn't alone in this. He drifted off that night without really realising it was happening.