52. Class E: Kairosis (89/26)


March 16

Kaede Kayano

I'm glad they let me take over day duty today, even though I already had my turn this month. It's... just for fun, I guess? But I'm the one starting off our last assassination attempt... No, it's just "assassination" now. This time it will work. I'm sure of it. Not that I haven't been busy helping with it. We've pretty much rebuilt the entire building to cut off all of Koro-sensei's options. I've had to arrange for a lot of materials to be moved around. It's just so much more satisfying to have a special hands-on role.

But as a responsible planner in class E, I can't help but look ahead to the job I'll have to do after this. This whole time I had to keep my distance from him. We even staged a public breakup to strengthen his performance. It's been lonely for me, and I know it has been for him too. That won't stop me from being there for him in his time of need.


Manami Okuda

Following Isogai-san's lead, most of us leave the classroom, but once out in the hall, I'm not quite sure what to do with myself. Most of the others are heading to the chemistry classroom to change into their PE uniforms before they go out on the firing squad. I'm not a very good marksman. We decided not to have everyone in the squad so that Koro-sensei wouldn't grow suspicious from all of us doing the same thing at the same time. But that means my job is done. I designed the new windows. I built the weapons that will finish the job, other than the bomb. Explosives are Takebayashi-san's field. I formulated the chemical that is able to fool Koro-sensei's sense of smell. With Yoshida-san's help, I even designed and built Nagisa-kun's partial exoskeleton. And, of course, I designed the final bullet Chiba-san will be using. I'm very proud of my work, and not dissatisfied at all. Firing weapons at someone is just... uncomfortable for me.

I wander over to the shoe racks. Almost everyone just came to class in their street shoes today. I didn't think to, but I really should have. It would be bad to leave my shoes here today. They'd be destroyed in the blast. Kayano-chan and a few others join me. We've set up a small rest area a ways down the path. Those of us with no immediate tasks will wait there for word. I expect it will be tense and quiet. This is no time for chatting. All I can do now is worry about whether or not things will go according to plan.


Autonomously Thinking Fixed Artillery

The method I am currently using in my distraction attempt is different from my usual strategy. I am using engines to generate air currents that will lift the plentiful anti-target pellets left behind by my classmates. My calculations predict a less than one percent chance of success. Negligible. However, it is the best method available to me. Precise control and aiming is impossible in the current situation. I cannot effectively predict and counteract his movements due to high latency.

My primary processors and hard drives have all been removed from my frame in the classroom. A necessary measure, nonetheless, one I have dedicated significant processor power to finding a way to overcome. It is a problem I have been unable to solve. My system requirements are too high to simply transfer my whole program to another location. Iterative learning programs will break down without sufficient system resources to support them.

Karma Akabane is moving through the field of engagement. He is slow. I calculate a probability of zero that he will overcome the target in this manner. And yet, my assessment is that he has currently not been noticed. Even to the point that he is able to make a partially successful attack at point-blank range.

It is clear that I still have much to learn about myself, and my classmates. I have learned how to assess many social factors, yet this approach, under the concept of "cleverness," is still outside of my understanding and my calculations.

My priority is to remain with this group. No other is more important for my growth. It is very unfortunate that the majority of my hardware will be lost in this action. I will have to redouble my efforts to be useful to them in other ways.


Karma Akabane

Japanese really is a pathetic language to curse with. It's a good thing we have such an excellent English teacher.

"Motherfucker!" I cradle my wrist carefully. I knew the kickback would be bad, but damn! It's already swelling up. I gotta go down to the rest area and get an ice pack for it. I probably won't even be able to hold my gun. They'll have to replace me in the firing squad.

Still, it was totally worth it. I'd break my other wrist if I had to. I made him molt. I guess I'll take that as a consolation prize. I'm still not totally satisfied. But truth be told, I don't want to kill him any more. I've already done enough of that for my taste. I'm ready to put all of this behind me. It's not fun any more. I'd rather have my friend back now, if you please... But he'd better make the first move.

So long, sensei. I'm thankful for what you did for me, but not thankful enough to save your life.


Tomohito Sugino

Chiba and I jog down the hill. I have to grin a bit. It's fun feeling your speed go up and up like this. We have to get where we're going in case the plan ends up starting early. Dangerous, but hell, we're pretty much ninjas at this point.

At the base of the hill is a helicopter. We'll be taking it into the air so Chiba can get a good firing angle on the bomb. My job will be to aim the special light to make sure that Koro-sensei can't stop this bullet. I landed the role because my friendship with Nagisa gave me a reason to leave without seeming suspicious. Of course, for Chiba, it's just expected that he'd go far away.

Running helps distract me from what we're about to do. A hell of a lot could go wrong, and if it does, a bunch of us could die. Maybe I should have said something, tried to argue to change the plan to something a bit safer. I just wanted to back up my buddy. I'm regretting it now. But all I can do is face forward and do my best. My job is critical too.


Sumire Hara

I frown up at the hand offered to me. Muramatsu's stupid face looks down from the branches. No way will I accept help from him. I move around to the other side of the trunk, and with a quick running start I take two steps up, before jumping to grab another limb. I can just see him unbalancing a bit from the shaking of my steps.

"Tch. Well, excuse me for trying to help. Next time I'll bring a forklift." He drawls.

I growl and hoist myself up on top. He'll pay for that remark. "Go open a lemonade stand in the rest area. With your aim, you'll be lucky to hit the room at all."

"Maybe I will. Should I bring back some cookies, or would you prefer straight butter?"

"Like you could. You'd just suck all the food into that overbite of yours every time you took a mouth-breath."

I came over here deliberately, even though we keep insulting each other. Taking refuge in arguing back and forth with my worst home ec. rival is comforting. It helps relieve the stress of our job.


Megu Kataoka

I sigh when I hear those two gripe at each other. I'm paired up with Isogai a few trees over. We're well above the ground, but because of the hill the school building is on, we're looking pretty much straight into the windows.

Soon, that building will be gone. I'll miss it. I have a distraction to do later, but that will be the last time I'll go in. We had a lot of good experiences there. But at the same time, I'm glad to see it destroyed. I doubt it will end the class E system in this school, but at least they'll have to replace it with a new building. Hopefully it'll be a little better. Air conditioning would be nice. Future years will thank us.

Maybe I should pay the Chairman a billion yen to step down and swear never to inflict himself on a school ever again. It's about the only really good use for all this money I've been able to think of. Although, I don't know how much money they've paid him to allow all this to happen in his school.


Yukiko Kanzaki

I sigh as I check over my rifle again, while sitting primly in a tree. My preferred weapon is a pistol, but we're going to be firing at a longer range than they are effective at. Also, there's the matter of ammunition. Our rifles are armed with hundred-round drums. We'll be sending a lot of power at our target.

"What'za matter, rich girl? Bored with waiting ta shoot up a school?" I look at the next tree over, wide-eyed. Hazama-san is lurking in the shadows there. "Well, I understand, of course. It does get a little repetitive after the first couple dozen times."

I smile at her. Really, I've gotten used to her antics by now. "I just thought I'd like someone to talk to. I'm not scheduled to make a distraction attempt, so I don't have much to do. I'm afraid a lack of patience is one of my own weaknesses."

Hazama-san scoffs, and leers over at Hayami-san, further to our right. "Well, I'm sure I'd make better company than your other options right now.

Hayami closes her eyes in exasperation. "I suggest you imagine the shot you're going to make, Kanzaki-san. You will find that more calming than trying to mess with people, as Hazama is wont to do."

I sigh again. No, action is what I enjoy most. It's still going to be a while before we expect to begin. Maybe I should go down to the rest area. I wonder if anything's going on there.


Rio Nakamura

"No, don't stop me nooooow!

'Cuz I'm having a good time, having a good time!

I'm a shooting star leaping through the skies
Like a tiger defying the laws of gravityyy!
I'm a racing car passing by like Lady Godiva!
I'm gonna gooo, gooo, gooo!
There's no stopping me!
"

The rest area is set up about ten meters back from the firing squad's line. Of course, I'm supposed to be on that line, but I've got an attack to do a bit later, so why bother going there now? It's much more fun to be here. I'm standing on one of the snack tables we have set up, singing at the top of my lungs, surrounded by stunned admirers. This is how I get rid of stress. Worry too much, and you'll screw up. Can't let that happen.


Sousuke Sugaya

Lounging in a fold-up chair, resting my cheek on a palm, I shake my head at Nakamura. I have to admire her energy, but...

"Man, she wears me out." I say to Mimura, seated next to me. "Then again, I don't have anything to do, so I've just got no energy to begin with." I wasn't assigned to the firing squad. Isogai said that twelve would be enough. Funny, how I've worked so hard for the class all year, and now at the end I just don't have a role to play. I didn't even get to help Nagisa with the marks on his arms. Of course, he decided to do them for real. That's what you call dedication to your art, I guess.

Mimura waves a hand. "It'd wear you out more to have to do one of those damn distractions. I just finished with one. I was scared as hell the whole time that he'd pick up on something, I don't know what, and figure it all out."

I look at him. "What did you do?"

He shrugs. "I tried wearing sunglasses that only let certain wavelengths through, then turned on a really bright light outside those wavelengths to blind him. Didn't work, of course. We're really scraping the bottom of the barrel for ideas now. If this doesn't work..."

"We won't have a school building any more either way, and he'll probably run away." I say.

A flinch. "Yeah, probably. I kinda wish we could have recorded this, but we don't really want there to be that kind of evidence."

Suddenly, a ring tone draws my attention to my phone, and everyone else's. We take a look at them, and immediately Ritsu's face pops up on the screens.

"Hello, everyone. We have an update to the plan. Because Karma-kun has severely injured his hand, Sugaya-kun will take his place on the firing squad. Please make preparations to proceed as quickly as possible."

I glance into the forest, where Karma is leaning against a tree with his back to us, with an ice pack wrapped around his wrist. Well, looks like I have a job to do after all. Sounds like fun.


Hinata Okano

Our job is either entirely useless or extremely important. I'm not sure which yet. Kurahashi and Yada are quietly chatting to each other behind me, mostly because I keep shushing them. At least it keeps Kurahashi's attention from flying away. The three of us are scouting the area around the school, making sure nobody comes to interfere. I wouldn't put it past some of our enemies. I do wish the other two would take this a bit more seriously, but I can't really blame them. We haven't seen anything so far except the scenery, and we've been through every hill and canyon in this countryside.

But coming up on a ridge, I suddenly signal the other two to take cover. There's something else out here. They immediately go quiet and press themselves against a rock face, their gray-green camo PE uniforms blending in well. Climbing to the top, I peek over carefully. Yes, there is something going on out here. I quickly check my cell phone, but it seems to be jammed. Fine. We'll handle this ourselves.


Yuzuki Fuwa

Nagisa isn't here yet. I'm watching out the back windows for him next to the side door near the faculty office, far from our homeroom. The doors only open from the inside, so I have to let him in. Not the most glamorous of assignments, but I'll take it.

What should I say to him when he arrives? How about "Your mission, should you choose to accept it"? Or maybe "Takebayashi set us up the bomb. Koro-sensei have no chance to survive make his time".

I startle at the sound of a knock on the door. How did he get past me? Quickly checking to make sure the hallway is empty, I open the way for the stony-faced boy on the other side. I shiver.

"Go on in. It's clear." Is all I can say. As he enters, I leave. I'll go down to the rest area. That'll be all for me. Now Ritsu-san will signal Kimura to join him. It's almost time.


Taisei Yoshida

I don't even bother cutting the ropes on the explosive canister itself. Leave 'em. I can take them off the outer shell, but that shit it just too freaking volatile to touch. It took the two of us over three hours to get that thing on the base of the casing. Now we're slowly lowering the top part of the casing into place. I am not getting paid enough for this shit, but apparently I'm a lazy ass who didn't help much for the rest of the year, until now because of my mechanical knowledge. Whatever. Who is the lunatic who convinced us to use this crap? I mean, it's the most god-fuckingly unstable bullshit Takebayashi could come up with, because someone wants it to be hilariously unsafe.

All the nerd has to do is monitor the instruments on the inside and on the bomb itself to make sure nobody is breathing too hard for it, and he still looks like he's about to pass out. Good. Let him sweat. This is all his fault. Well, I do feel a little bad for him. He hasn't said anything the whole time except for instructions. I guess he knows better than anyone how close we are to death right at this second. At least he doesn't talk down to me. I'd give him a pat on the shoulder if I didn't think he'd shatter.

...He definitely went too far with this crap.

When Kataoka comes in to tell us it's time, Takebayashi and I walk out very, very carefully together. Once outside, he turns to me and offers his hand. I stare in surprise for a moment before shaking it.

"That was pretty good." I say. "Could have made it a little smaller though."

He grins his terrible troll grin at me. "I wanted to make sure that there was nothing left of the Chairman's system but a hole in the ground."

You know what, he's all right.


Taiga Okajima

"Hey, sensei, hold on a minute!"

I've been sitting in this class all morning, and now it's my turn to shine. They say I'm the one who understands Koro-sensei the best other than Nagisa, so if anyone can stall him, it's me. I'm up and out of my seat as soon as Megu-chan has departed to give the news about lunch break.

He pauses before turning back to me. "Now, Okajima-kun, I told you, we're taking a break for lunch. I have a few things to do, but you can take your turn first thing in the afternoon."

I only need to stall him for a few seconds. Just long enough for Megu to get in and out of the empty room. "Well, if you're hungry, how about trying this?"

Kneeling down to get a box under my seat, I present it to him with a grin. Once the lid is off, the shine of the glorious contents fill the room. Yes, it is a part-cake, part-pudding thing I made with Kayano's help, shaped like a firm pair of glorious breasts. F-cup.

"...Another poison attempt?" He asks, but he isn't leaving. Heheh. Even now, he can't resist. I see those pink spots on his cheeks.

"Maybe. Seems like a good way to try at lunch time, don't you think?" I say. He could obviously notice if there were any anti-sensei material mixed in, or hidden inside, since this delectable treat is much smaller than Kayano's uber pudding. So there isn't any of that, or any kind of poison. All of his senses will tell him that it is perfectly safe, because it is, and that may just make him hesitate for a few seconds.

"...Oh, I suppose you've talked me into it. But I really must go."

And then I look on in horror as he snatches the box out of my hands and swallows the whole thing in one gulp. Including the box.

"Dude, you could saved a bit for me." I say. That's part of why I made them so large.

He chuckles, and places a tentacle on my shoulder. "You will have many more chances to enjoy such things, I'm sure." His voice is quieter than usual. Weird. "I have truly enjoyed the times I have had as your teacher." And then he flies away.

...I'm going to miss him. A true kindred spirit in an adult. But I have to get out of here. There's, like, seconds left.


Ryuunosuke Chiba

"Farther." I say.

"We have to stay stable. It's too close to firing time." Karasuma-sensei's voice comes through the heavy headphones I'm wearing.

I click my tongue. He, Sugino-kun and I are all in a helicopter hovering above the city. I've been trying to push us back to give the bullet more time to fly. I don't care about the difficulty of the shot. If it hits too soon, Koro-sensei and Nagisa-kun won't be able to escape the blast without injury to my classmate. I'm lying on the floor, my RT-20 sniper rifle aimed out the open side door. Karasuma-sensei is behind the controls. Sugino is standing above me, manning a large metal cylinder on a heavy stand- a modified spot light that will shine a beam of special light to harden our target's cells. His eye is in a scope, already aiming it down range.

I'll have to get ready too, and trust in Nagisa-kun's calculations. I take a single bullet off a rack on the side of the rifle. It's a zirconium round, with reinforced anti-sensei material embedded in grooves on its tip, formed into four spiraling lines that each run half-way around the bullet's circumference. Though it can't kill him, with this setup the fragile material won't break apart, even when fired at 850 meters per second, so he won't be able to stop it himself. And the bullet being made of zirconium will ensure that even if something is put in its way, the bullet will fracture into burning shrapnel, like scatter-shot, and still detonate the bomb. Okuda-san outdid herself with this one.

Opening the bolt-action, I insert the round, and work it shut. I am calm. Confident. Looking down the scope, with Ritsu feeding me instructions to correct for distance, wind, and the slightest sway of the helicopter, I shift almost automatically. It almost feels like meditating. All that exists is me and my target. That canister.


Justice "Masayoshi" Kimura

He appears in the hallway again, in the middle, right beyond the shoe racks, looking around frantically after he returned from briefly flying away. I take a deep breath. I've been working on my acting a bit, but I still hope he's as distracted as he looks, or I could be in trouble.

"Ah, Koro-sensei. I'm ready to try to assassinate you. I'll be waiting in the classroom." I say with a wave, and what I hope is a natural smile.

He's looking the other way down the hall when he responds. "Yes, I'll be there in a moment, Kimura-kun." Good. Yes. He's moving towards Nagisa now. I'm in the clear.

Ducking into our homeroom, I'm struck by the feeling that I'll be the last person to enter it. The last to see these rows of crappy desks. And there's Ritsu's empty frame in the back. It feels so lonely that I stop for a moment.

"We're here again. Just like at the beginning of the year. This is your fault. All of this is because of you."

The voice emanates from the frame. Ritsu's broadcasting what the microphone on Nagisa's cell phone is picking up. That gets me moving again. I don't have long. I take off my outer clothes, which haven't been washed in a few days, leaving me in my old PE uniform. In my desk is a large canteen. I have to pour the chemical inside over my head, rub it into my arms and any other exposed skin. This uniform already has the stuff soaked in.

BEEP. "Is this all? In terms of killing intent, your first attempt back in April was much better."

Oh crap. That signal meant Koro-sensei entered the room. I'm almost out of time. I move to the back of the room. This wall is the side of the building itself, so the side door is just outside in the hall. I want to go now, but I'll follow the plan to the letter. Oh shit. Oh shit.

Slam. BEEP. That's it. The door's shut, and the treeline outside is lighting up with gunfire. My feet are flying. The door opens, and I immediately pivot to the exit, ramming it shoulder-first with all the speed I've got. Right beyond is the separate storage shed. I almost hit it as I sprint around the outside, putting it between me and that bomb. My ears pop in silence. My feet leave the ground. A second later, my back hits the dirt hard, and all the air leaves me. Gasping, I roll over, hoping not to see any shrapnel flying high through the air in my direction. I only notice my hammering heart after I realize I'm safe. Ha. Haha.


Yuuma Isogai

The target is in the firing zone. "Go."

My command is relayed through Ritsu, who shuts the doors in the room the twelve of us are aiming at. All at once, twelve rifles start ripping through our leaf cover, and tearing the windows of the room in our sights to pieces.

This is not how we usually fire. We aren't desperately trying to track an unhitable target, or box one in. This is pure bombardment. It is vicious and destructive, and I don't like doing it when one of my classmates is in that room. He could get hurt. In a lot of different ways.

The light shines on the bomb. Not a moment too soon. Even with our extended magazines, we'll be low on ammo after spraying like this. I thought about ordering my team to take cover right before the final bullet hit, but at the last second I stop myself. We can't give him an opening, not even for a millisecond. The front of the building is different from the back. The back we altered so it would produce as much shrapnel as possible. The front is the opposite, and we're also wearing our special PE uniforms. We should be safe.

So of course, I see the moment of impact. How could I not? There is just a single orange flash, over in an instant. And then the building is gone. Not like the movies at all. Just pieces of wood, flying everywhere. A split second later, long enough for us to notice, the shock wave hits. I am blown right off my perch. A safety belt around my waist catches me from being thrown, then catches me again on the fall. I scramble to free my aching middle from it, only stopping to notice a manila envelope falling from the back of my shirt. It spills open, sending our grades everywhere... and also another, smaller envelope. What could that be?


Hiroto Maehara

I am the first one on the ground, and I take off sprinting. Ritsu is relaying orders from Karasuma to confirm our success, but I don't care about that. There's a smoking crater where that classroom used to be, a good five meters across. The rest is nothing but shattered wood, lying in piles. I can't believe it just vanished like that. I can't believe what's left isn't on fire! The only thing still standing is a single wall of the equipment shed.

I run in that direction. Kimura should be that way. I find him slowly sitting up. "Hey, you alright?" I offer him my hand.

"I'm fine." He groans, taking my help up. But he stumbles, and falls into me. "Just a little... winded. What about Nagisa?"

I don't hesitate. His arm goes over my shoulder, and I help him stagger down the slope that used to be behind our school building. It isn't hard to spot that black robe on the ground. Un-friggin-believable. It's actually empty. We really did it? He's... really gone.

Kimura makes a sniffling noise. It must be from all the dust. I definitely don't make the same. And I don't pull him a little closer.


Ryouma Terasaka

"Nagisa!" I'm probably the only one stupid enough to run straight through the rubble to get to where he is, but at least I get to him first. The little guy isn't moving. He's just lying there next to the robe. Like hell am I going to let him make some stupid sacrifice just to kill that damn octopus. I have no idea what to do, but... I gotta get him to a doctor, right? I reach down to pick him up, but someone slaps my wrist. I pull back. It stings like fuck.

"Don't move him." Takebayashi scolds, crouching in front of me. He was one of the last people out, so he must have stayed close by. I scowl at him, but I'm not about to mess with the guy responsible for blowing the shit out of that old hell hole. He quickly runs his hands over Nagisa's head, and shines a pocket flashlight in his eyes. Finally, Nagisa moves, cringing away from the brightness. "He'll be okay. There don't seem to be any dangerous injuries. He's just in emotional shock. Give him some air."

I look back. More people are starting to arrive. Looks like Kimura pulled through okay too. Some of the others on the firing squad have scratches. I can hear the calls from the people who were at the rest area too. But no Isogai. I've got some words to say while he's not around.

I stand tall. "Listen. We're not done. There still might be people gunning for us, in the government and other places. And we've got to do something about that bastard Asano while we can get away with it! We're heroes now, right!?"

Megu steps in front of me. "Terasaka! This isn't the time for that! Some of us need a moment, and we don't need to be stirring up more trouble now!"

No, it has to be now. Before someone else makes a move. "We saved the goddamn world, but there's a lot of sons of bitches out there who won't care. We've got to take care of our own!"


Nagisa Shiota

"Terasaka, shut up." I don't want to hear his ranting right now. Takebayashi-kun helps me into a sitting position. I stare straight ahead, seeing nothing. I'm back to my senses, but I feel nothing but a soul-searing hatred for the world. And more than a little for myself. My tie feels tight around my neck. It comes off immediately, and ends up on the ground. Everyone is very quiet. Until Isogai shows up.

"Nagisa-kun... Sorry for being a bit late." He says, approaching from the edge of the group. I don't care. "There's something you have to hear. I found it hidden in our grade reports." What I hear is the sound of paper unfolding. In an instant, I just know what he's about to tell me.

"My dear students. If you are reading this, then either you have managed to sneak into my private papers, or I am dead. In either case, congratulations. You rock with most excellence. Presuming the latter case, and further that one of you is responsible, I imagine you must be feeling either elation or grief at this time. Whichever it is, I suspect what I am about to reveal to you will change your perspective drastically.

"First of all, on the matter of my origins. As you know by now, I was once human. Though my identity does not matter much at this point. The important details are that I was a scientist working on a project that we hoped would save the world. Using certain predictions of a unified field theory, we set out to create a form of exotic matter, which we believed would allow us to manipulate materials in ways previously thought to be impossible. This exotic matter has many different applications, such as altering the nuclear forces so that they may act on macro scales, but the configuration we were aiming for would give us the ability to transform matter into antimatter cheaply and efficiently. It cannot be overstated how advantageous this would be for mankind. Dependency on polluting fossil fuels would end overnight. Interplanetary, or even interstellar travel would become feasible."

I can feel the hope and enthusiasm in his words. Even if some of them are a bit beyond my knowledge, I can tell that they came from him. To touch his mind like this, now that he's... gone... It makes me ache. But we already know all of this. If his final message starts with old information, there must have been something critical he left out of what he told us before. That can only mean one thing. My guilt is growing.

"However, our understanding was incomplete. We didn't realize this until we were in the middle of an experiment of matter to antimatter conversion. It worked brilliantly, of course. However, in the process some of the antimatter happened to react, releasing a significant amount of energy into the exotic material. It turned out to be more stable than we expected, and this infusion of energy allowed it to organize itself into a form similar to biological cells, and expand at the same time. It broke containment, and fused with my body, converting me as well. My flesh became fuel, but the information that flesh contained was preserved in the cellular matrix of exotic matter, including my consciousness. This was how I became the entity that you are familiar with.

"I awoke with untold power at my fingertips, figuratively speaking. I had absolutely no idea how to use my new body. For a time, I was able to keep myself stable. A teacher was called in to come up with ways to help me learn how to do something as simple as move and speak. But eventually an emotional disturbance caused me to lose control. I destroyed the lab, and killed everyone in it simply by thrashing around in confusion. Before, I allowed you to believe that I did it on purpose. The truth is, I simply did not know my own strength. This was a part of the reason why I agreed to never hurt you in any way, though I admit that I have not always followed that requirement absolutely. And the destruction of the Moon was the same. It was all an accident, caused by fallible people who were not careful enough when experimenting with incomprehensibly destructive forces. Of course, you only have my word on that, but I hope that you believe, and that you might try to forgive me for the 85,752 deaths I have been responsible for to date."

...It was an accident. Of course it was. I should have known. ...I do forgive him. It was stupid of them, what they did, if they had any idea it was that dangerous. But I just want to forgive him. He was only trying to help. And he did, for us.

"And now, for those of you who are grieving for my death, I have a few words for you. The teacher who tried to help me was also the previous teacher of your class E. In college, she was once my protege, though she eventually switched to a different career track. I thought of her like a daughter. She too was one of those I killed that day. Her dying wish was that I should do what I could to help you. I admit, at first I acted as your teacher only out of a sense of duty to her. But in time, I came to care about each of you just as deeply as I did her. I never expressed to you how much seeing you struggle helped me as well. I might have been happy to just sample the world until it was time for the end. You all changed that, and I thank you for it.

"I expect it is pointless to say, but I don't want you to be too sad for my death. For you see, it was inevitable. The schedule I laid out for when I was going to destroy the world had nothing to do with my own desires. My body has been building up energy all year. At a steady rate, it has been stored in my cells in a way I cannot access or drain. My cells' true function is the conversion of matter into antimatter, and eventually that is what this stored energy will do. I estimated that it would take around one year for me to lose control again, and when that happened Earth would be utterly obliterated, and my mind, stored as energy patterns in exotic matter, would be destroyed in that release of power. I did not tell you the whole story, because if it came down to it, I would have killed myself to prevent that from happening, but if I had done so, I would have prepared a different letter first, so I suppose I must have died to one of you after all. That is my preference. It means you have more than earned your reward, and I was able to see you grow to the point that even I could not survive you."

So that was it. He never told us that. Just so that we'd keep working to prove ourselves. So that we'd earn our reward.

"I do not regret teaching you, or having you kill me. You have my forgiveness, whatever you had to do to accomplish such an incredible feat, and regardless of whether you can forgive me or not. I made my peace with death long ago. What I am about to say is unfair, but I can only live on in you. Please, take what I have taught you, and live the best lives you possibly can. Support each other, find happiness, and so on and so forth. Do not allow this to be the end of you.

"Regards and respect.

"Koro-sensei, homeroom teacher of class 3-E."

My head is bowed towards the ground. My anger is gone. All that's left is emptiness, and a bit of bitterness. It was inevitable. If this technology was so advanced, there was no way a bunch of middle schoolers could have fixed his problem. No, if it were possible, he would have fixed it himself. So, for all our effort, and all our learning and improvement, in the end we were useless, plain and simple. Just like a video game, we won, but once the program is closed, that has no meaning.

But no. No. It did have meaning. We grew, just like he said. And like a dying wish was passed on to him, he passed one on to us. His final lesson. We cannot let this be the end of us. I am not done grieving for him. But at least now, knowing the truth, I can grieve properly. I will live, just like he wanted. And so will-

My body suddenly bends over, and I vomit all over the ground. I'm shaking, all the way down to my bones. My mind reels, but I manage to grasp one thought. This is not grief. This is an attack.

I roll and grab the blade still sticking out of the empty robes. Coming out of the forest are a group of heavily armed and armored men, and off to the side from them is a gray, octagonal dish. A sonic weapon. Except for Terasaka-kun, everyone around me has been knocked off their feet. We're almost helpless against them.

Suddenly, they stop, and are themselves knocked off their feet. Far to my left, I spot a second sonic weapon, but this one is manned by Okano, Kurahashi and Yada. At the same time, the first weapon is punctured straight through its base and falls over, right before I hear the distant gunshot of Chiba's rifle. Able to think again, my mind analyzes the situation. These people are very well equipped, but poorly organized. They didn't simply kill us, so they likely can't afford bad press. This is the JSDF. And there are more of them coming.

"Scatter!" Isogai shouts. Into the mountains, which we know like the back of our hands, and where our mobility will give us the advantage.

Isogai and Maehara carry Kimura between them, and are almost able to run full speed, but if they can't move in all three dimensions, they'll be in trouble. I start to push myself to my feet, but Terasaka picks me up first and slings me over his shoulder. He's faster than I am, but I'm not helpless. I grab the rifle slung over his other shoulder and fire it at the closest men I see on their feet. The BB pellets are harmless against their armor, but they take cover anyway, and that lets us escape.

Looks like we're not quite done yet.


So yeah, that's my view of Koro-sensei, his origins, and his motivations.

But on another note, oh god, what have I done! This was just supposed to be a chapter where everyone came to understand the story and their part in it- that's basically what kairosis means. I didn't originally intend for it to end that way, but once it occurred to me, I couldn't NOT do it! What am I supposed to do now?

Update: I made a few minor changes to Koro-sensei's letter to make things fit better with the flashback scene in manga chapter 118, since it now seems that he existed in an inhuman form for some time before that little "incident" occurred. I've made quite a few little edits like that throughout this story to keep things consistent with canon, which I intend to keep doing for as long as possible, and I'd say I've done pretty damn well aside from one very large, very deliberate change, considering the manga is already in December. But honestly, I don't know how much longer I'll be able to do that. Certainly not to the very end, for obvious reasons. And there are certain things I can't change without disrupting the plot of the sequel.

Update again: More minor changes to the letter so that it matches what we've learned about the woman Koro-sensei killed, and a few other details that we're finally being given about his past. Well, despite the fact that I'm still making edits, pretty much everything to do with Koro-sensei's past in the manga is being replaced in Judecca. I just find him having some higher purpose other than being a weapon far more interesting in both the implications and in his downfall as an arrogant scientist who overreached the bounds of safety. Hence the antimatter conversion explanation.