Kyandi: Greetings, Kyandiacs!
Takina: Another late night update.
Kyandi: Yeah, I know. I got distracted again.
Takina: Want to tell them what you were doing?
Kyandi: I was drawing fanart of you and Karma.
Takina: Seems writing isn't the only thing she's had muse for.
Kyandi: Nope. So you guys should check out my Twitter account in a few days. I'll post pictures of the fanart when I'm done with it.
Takina: Until then, we have another chapter here.
Kyandi: Yep. So, everyone, enjoy and review.
Takina: Kyandi-sama does not own Assassination Classroom.
Chapter 22 Second Semester Start
The next day, it was back to school and back to the grind of assassinating Korosensei.
Takina, along with the rest of her classmates, reported to opening ceremonies, Takina having switched to wearing her hair up in a ponytail until the heat completely passed. Her mood was good, a small smile on her face.
Until they showed up.
"It's been awhile, Class E."
Takina and her classmates turned, finding Asano's Elite Five buddies standing there. She had an instantly urge to saying "Ugh" just at the mere sight of them, but kept it to herself.
"Well, I'm sure the second semester will be tough for you, too." Seo remarked.
"Try to not to be too discouraged." Koyama added as they walked on past.
"Those jerks from the get-go, huh?" Takina asked.
"Our vacation just ended, but I already have a bad feeling." Meahara remarked.
"After how frustrated they looked during the first semester closing ceremonies, to now see grins on their faces...yeah, I get the same feeling." Takina replied.
Takina had a bad feeling that the Elite Five had something devious planned, and the feeling had her gut twisting. She shared a look with Nagisa before they moved to line up with the rest of the students. For the most part, the opening ceremonies were the same as all the others. Until they reached the end of it, of course.
"Now then, I have one last announcement for everyone before this ceremony ends." Araki said into the microphone. "Starting today, Class 3A will be adding a new member to their ranks. Until yesterday, he was in Class E."
And there proved Takina's bad feeling. She watched the stage, feeling the dread roll through her classmates like a wild fire.
"However, with his diligent efforts, he has received excellent grades, and has earned the permission to return to the main school building. Well then, let us hear his words of joy!" Araki added.
Out onto stage, stepped Takebayashi.
"I have spent over three months with Class E. Simply put, that environment was hell. My classmates had no drive. Even the teachers had given up on us. I realized the price I paid for my slacking." Takebayashi said, reading from a piece of paper in his hands. "I want to go back to the main school building. For that, I studied as if my life depended on it. I even changed my attitude towards my everyday life. From the bottom of my heart, I'm overjoyed that I'm able to return. I will work hard so that I will never fall into Class E again. That is all."
With that, Takebayashi gave them all a bow and turned to exit the stage as Asano, standing off to the side of the stage, applauded him. Soon, everyone, save for the members of Class E, joined in. With that little speech, the opening ceremonies were ended and Takina and her classmates made the trek up to their classroom. There, tensions ran high.
"What's with that guy!? I can't believe he even threw away a chance at ten billion yen to ditch us!" Meahara growled, slamming a fist into the blackboard.
"And he even said this place was hell!" Kimura agreed.
"Even if he was forced to say that, that's just wrong." Okano agreed.
"It is true that Takebayashi's grades suddenly improved, but I believe that's only because he was taught by Korosensei in Class E. If he even forgot that much, then I can't look at him the same way." Kataoka said, obviously hurt by the betrayal.
"Anyway, we can't sit still after he said all that! I'm gonna go say something to him after school!" Meahara insisted.
"And say what?" Everyone turned to look at Takina, who was perched on the edge of Karma's desk, her arms and legs crossed. "Rail at him for his betrayal? Demand to know why he did it? Stop to think for a moment. If he's being forced to do this, he's going to be under watch and isn't going to be able to say anything. If he's not being forced, he's not going to admit anything under duress."
"What are you trying to say?" Isogai asked.
"I just don't know if you're going to like the answer if you ask. Regardless of his reasons, the fact is he left. That betrayal is going to hurt regardless of the reasons behind it." Takina replied.
They could see her point. It didn't make them any less willing to go and talk to him. The rest of the school day, the tension was high in the class. After class, Takina followed her classmate down to the main campus, where they waited until Takebayashi left the school. When he came within sight, Meahara called out to him.
"Care to explain? Why didn't you discuss this with us, Takebayashi?" Isogai demanded.
"There's a reason for this, right? You helped out so much during our summer vacation trip! And didn't we all have fun together during the regular school year too?!" Okuda asked.
"The ten billion bounty. Depending on how we kill him, it seems like they're going to raise it even more. I guess you don't need your share, Takebayashi. How selfless of you." Karma remarked
For a moment, Takebayashi was silent. When he did speak, it surprised the others.
"One billion yen at best." he said, confusing them at first. "I would never be able to get the ten billion on my own. Even if I was able to help to successfully kill him in a group, the help I'd be able to provide would probably be worth about one billion yen. My family has been running a hospital for generations. Even my two older brothers are in the Todai Medical Department. A billion yen is something my family could earn by working. It's a house with the motto of, "Of course you could do it.". Being incapable, I'm not treated as part of the family. Even if I got my hands on a billion yen, my family would never accept me. "Good for you.", "The good-for-nothing of the family has his life save by luck"...and that would be that."
Takina had told them she didn't think they would like the answer. All of them could understand not living up to their family's expectations of them. Even Takina could understand that. She certainly hadn't been able to take her father's ridiculous expectations.
"I was able to report my grades to my parents for the first time yesterday. That I received the top class grades, and that I could leave Class E." Takebayashi told them, repeating to them the words of praise his father had given him. "Just to hear those words, I had to suffer through so much studying! For me, even more so than the end of the world, or ten billion yen, it's much more important that I'm accepted by my family. I know that I'm a traitor, and that I'm being ungrateful. I pray that your assassination goes well."
With that, Takebayashi turned and left. Nagisa tried to go after him, but Kanzaki stopped him, grabbing a hold of his arm.
"Give it up, Nagisa. Parents' chains...they bind you to an extremely painful place and don't let go. So, don't try to forcefully pull him away." she told him.
The chains that bound one's heart to a particularly painful place.
Takina could understand that, and so could a many number of others in the class. Even though they could understand it, though, there wasn't really anything they could do to help. Takina's classmates fell silent as they turned to leave the campus. Takina turned to follow, when her eyes landed on something else.
"Nagisa," Nagisa turned to look back at Takina, who was staring off to the side. "You go on ahead without me."
Nagisa followed her eyes, finding her locked in a staring contest with a grinning Asano.
"Are you sure?" Nagisa asked.
"Yeah, don't worry about it. I'll give you a call afterwards." Takina told him.
Nagisa nodded, turning to hurry and catch up with the rest of their classmates, only shooting one more glance at Takina over his shoulder. As they vanished out of the school gate, Takina started towards Asano, her arms already crossed over her chest as he met her half way.
"Asano." she greeted.
"Hello, Itamatsu. That was quiet the stare you were leveling my way. Is there something I've done to displease you?" Asano asked, his tone and grin suggesting he knew exactly why she had been staring at him.
It only took one look at his smug expression for her to tell that he was enjoying this whole thing with Takebayashi. Looking at that smug look as he looked down at her, really made her want to say or do something to wipe it off his face.
Like, say, whack him with her school bag.
But she couldn't do that, so she merely ignored the urge in favor of replying to his remark.
"Not exactly. I'm merely curious." Takina replied. "You couldn't get me to agree to transfer to Class A so you went after Takebayashi who is, easily, the weakest willed among us, and, therefore, the easiest to manipulate. Is that it?"
"Of course not. The goal is still to convince you to transfer, as well. Takebayashi got to Class A of his own merit. Something you are capable of far more than he is." he replied.
"As much as your sugary words flatter me, I do believe I've already given you my answer on that whole thing."
"Then why are you so concerned?" Asano's grin shifted to a smirk as he stepped closer to her until there was barely a foot between them. "Are you perhaps, concerned that my attention is no longer on you? Are you jealous, Itamatsu?"
"Hardly. Even if I did care where your attentions lay, I am hardly so insecure as to be jealous. You must be thinking of some other silly middle school girl, because that is no me." Takina retorted before stiffening as one of Asano's hands came up, reaching for her face. "What are you doing?"
"You have a bit of a curl." Asano remarked, his finger closing around a lock of her bangs, pulling it in front of her face so she could see the way the white tresses curled around his fingers.
Takina's eyes shifted to the curl for a mere moment before she pulled her head back, pulling the hair from his grip as she reached up and pushed his hand away. Her expression gave away nothing of how she felt about his closeness and familiarity with her.
"Humidity will do that to a girl's hair." she told him simply.
"You would't have to deal with the humidity through the day if you were in Class A." he reminded her.
"So you've pointed out before."
She sounded and acted so indifferent, but he could see how tense she was with how close he was. Asano's eyes caught sight of something then, gleaming from her neck line. His eyes dropped, landing on a silver necklace around her neck, a red gem shining from the center of a flower. Her collar, the first button left undone with no tie, left the trinket exposed to his eyes.
Curious, he took a step closer, putting him so close to her, Takina's back went as straight as a board, her eyes zeroing in on his face as he reached up to hook the chain with two fingers. Lifting, he raised the necklace to peer closer at the charm. It was a cheap thing, nothing special, but Takina's reaction said else wise.
"This necklace..."
"Don't touch that." Takina said, perhaps a little too sharply. She latched on to his hand, pulling it away from the necklace as she reached up with the other hand to tuck the necklace out of sight under her shirt, yanking the collar closed. "It's special."
Asano's eyes rose to her, meeting the fierce glare directed at him from less than a foot away. She didn't release his hand, but studied his face, shifting the conversation away from the necklace before he could inquire anything about it.
"Tell me, Asano-"
"Gakushuu."
"What?" Takina asked when he interrupted her.
"Call me Gakushuu. I tire of having to look around for my father when you use my family name." he told her. "And I will call you Takina."
"I don't believe I gave you permission to do that." Takina retorted.
Asano merely gave her a smirk. Regardless of what she said, to him, she didn't seem like the type that would really fight it if he started calling her by her given name. After all, in the country where she came from, they called other by their given names, all the time. Takina simply rolled her eyes in the face of his smirk and continued on with what she was saying.
"Tell me, why are you so dead set on me joining Class A. If it's merely for the challenge of a rival, then I can do that from Class E." she remarked.
"Who said that was my only reasoning?" Asano demanded.
Takina, by this point, was far too aware of how close to her he was and she was fighting not to show how on edge it made her. If he got any closer, though, she was not going to be able to keep herself from smacking him.
"Any reason why you're tormenting one of ours?"
A new voice entering the conversation, had both Takina and Asano turning. Standing a few yards from them, grin on his face, though his eyes looked hard and dark, was Karma. Takina blinked in surprise at seeing him, though she quickly put two and two together and figured out how Karma had come to return to the school.
Someone, though, was not too happy about Karma's appearance.
"Akabane." Asano said, his tone going from pleasant and teasing to something a little more...cold.
Karma only spared him a glance, though, before he focused on Takina.
"Did you forget that we have a date with the video game store today...Takina?" Karma asked, purposely switching from calling her Itamatsu, to calling her Takina.
Something that Asano didn't respond well to, the boy's eyes narrowing slightly.
It took Takina's brain only a moment to catch on to what Karma was doing.
"Oh, right. That new game hits the store today." she remarked, stepping back and away from Asano. "Remember, you promised to pay for the food today."
Karma's grin grew to a smirk, while Asano's expression only went stormy as Takina moved to Karma's side. Takina stopped at Karma's side, looking up at him, her hands braced on her hips while Karma directed a smile down on her.
"So you'll be cleaning out my wallet today, huh?" Karma teased.
"Oh, ha, ha. I don't eat that much." Takina retorted.
"Says the girl that ate two cheeseburgers, curly fries, and a large strawberry milkshake on top of stopping for taiyaki the last time." Karma replied.
"So I don't eat like a bird, sue me."
Asano watched as the two easily exchanged banter, Takina far more comfortable in Karma's presence than in his own. It had Asano's hands curling into fists at his side. And then Karma reached out, flicking a finger against the necklace that was once again exposed now that she wasn't holding her collar close.
"You actually wore that today?" Karma asked.
"Hey, I thought we had a deal. I wear the necklace you got me, and you would wear the mask. Now which one of us reneged on our deal?" Takina retorted.
So the necklace had been from Karma. The thought only set Asano's teeth on edge. Of course his biggest rival in school would have set his sights on the only girl able to challenge either of them. Asano's eyes narrowed as Karma looked up at him then.
"Let's go, before the store runs out of copies." Karma told her.
"Right." Takina agreed before looking back at Asano. "I still want my answer later."
"Anytime, Takina." Asano replied, giving her a grin that had Karma's eyes sharpening just a bit. "Just remember my request."
"Yeah, I'm not calling you that." Takina replied.
"You will...eventually."
Karma didn't let Asano say anything else. He took hold of Takina's wrist and turned to walk away, pulling the girl after him. Takina glanced back over her shoulder at Asano, who was now frowning as he watched them and then looked back at Karma's back as he lead her off school grounds.
Why did she suddenly get the feeling she was like a shiny new toy among competing toddlers?
Karma only released Takina's wrist when they were a good block or two away from the school. He slowed his pace, jamming his hands into his pockets, but continued to walk, Takina falling into step beside him.
"Nagisa told you, didn't he?" she asked suddenly.
"After the last time, and with this whole thing with Takebayashi, he figured Asano would try something." Karma replied.
"I didn't need saving." Takina told him.
"Yeah, right. So you liked having him so close he could have kissed you in a flash."
"That wasn't going to happen. Asano just thinks he's more charming than what he is." Takina replied.
"You don't know guys very well then. He was about a second away from taking his chance." Karma replied, his tone carefully blank.
It had Takina studying his face.. Whenever he talked like that, it meant one of two things. Either he really didn't care, or he cared more than he wanted to admit. Considering he had thought it important enough to come barging in on the conversation between her and Asano, she was willing to bet it was the latter.
Which meant it was time for her to tease him.
"Wait...are you jealous, Akabane?"
Karma's spine straightened, the boy trying to play it off as if the whole thing was ridiculous, but Takina was far too observant for that.
"What do I have to be jealous about?" he replied. "If you were interested in him, you would have taken his offer to leave Class E."
Takina had to admit, he had a point, but she refused to admit that out loud, especially when she was sure she he was still, at least, upset.
"I don't know about that. Even for someone like me who has money, that's a lot of money to pass up on. Besides, there's the added bonus of having you and a few others to mess with all the time." she told him.
Karma leaned his head back to look over at her. With her eyes narrowed as they were, her long lashes shading the color, he couldn't really tell if she was being serious, and those were her real reasons for staying in Class E. Then again, when Takina really wanted to hide something, he never could tell.
"Anyway, I still say you're jealous." Takina suddenly added.
"Like I said, what do I have to be jealous of?" Karma retorted.
"Maybe that, even though he's not as charming as he thinks he is, Asano is still more charming than your devil child self." Karma came to a stop, Takina walking a few steps before she came to a stop too, looking back at him. Her lips twitched as she looked back at him. Clasping her hands behind her back, trying for an innocent look that didn't quite work with her. "What? You can't deny that, if girls are given a choice between your sadistic nature and Asano's at least somewhat charming politeness, they would pick Asano every single time."
"Then what does that make you?" Karma teased.
"A girl who is well aware of what lurks behind Asano's polite facade. Anyway, this is serious." Takina told him. "Whether or not it bothers those of us like you and me, Takebayashi's betrayal is going to throw the whole class for a loop. Knowing our classmates and Korosensei, it means that we're going to get dragged along on some completely blown out of proportion plan to get Takebayashi back."
"Yeah, you're right."
"I can already imagine the headache I'm going to get from Korosensei's antics." Takina said, heaving a sigh.
One could question whether Takina really cared that Takebayashi had left. Especially when she could change topics without ever once changing her tone or expression.
"I suppose we'll figure it out tomorrow." she remarked before turning her eyes to him. "Now, about that food..."
"Can't you pay for your own?" Karma retorted, walking past her.
"Why in the world would I do that when I can get you to do it? Getting other people to pay is how you stay rich." Takina informed him.
So maybe she did have similar thoughts to him.
Whatever the next day brought them, they would have to deal with it then. For now, the two of them headed off to get some food. Besides, Takina had a more pressing question one her mind.
What was Asano's reason for wanting her in Class A so badly?
-0-0-0-0-
"What the hell happened to you?"
Korosensei chuckled to himself when, upon entering the class the next morning, Takina bluntly asked her question. Takina and the rest of the students blinked back at Korosensei as he walked into the classroom, his skin, from head to tentacle tip, black as soot.
"Why are you black all of sudden, Korosensei" Sugaya asked.
"I quickly went to Africa to get a tan. Incidentally, I went for a drive with the Maasai people and even exchanged email addresses. With this, Sensei is now a perfect ninja! Even if I move within a group of people, I won't attract any attention." Korosensei told them.
"Somehow, I really doubt that." Takina remarked.
"First of all, what for?!" Okano asked.
"Obviously for Takebayashi's aftercare." Korosensei replied.
"Aftercare?" Okajima repeated.
"Seeing as how he left of his own will, we can't hold him back. However, Sensei has a responsibility to look, whether or not he is able to adjust to his new environment. Of course, this is only Sensei's job. All of you, please go about your days as usual." Korosensei explained.
Takina had a feeling she knew where this was going before any of her classmates spoke. It was becoming a recurring theme in the class.
"Maybe we should go check out the situation a bit, too. Assassination included, that otaku's a dangerous guy." Meahara remarked.
"Besides, he was a fellow member in our attempt to kill the same target." Sugino agreed.
"There's no helping that he left, but I don't want him to turn into a creep from the chairman's brain-washing." Kurahashi spoke up.
"I figured something like this would happen." Takina remarked leaning back in her seat, Karma grinning at the almost pouting tone in her voice. "Guess it can't be helped."
Regardless of whether or not Takebayashi left of his own will, and whether or not Takina really thought it was any of her business, she and her classmates, including Takebayashi, shared a bond forged by killing intent.
Besides, it wouldn't be Class E if they didn't stick their noses in it.
END
Kyandi: I just love writing the drama between me, Karma, and Asano.
Takina: Funny, seeing how much you hate real life drama.
Kyandi: Real life drama sucks. Written drama is so much better because it's not actually hurting someone.
Takina: Gee, thanks.
Kyandi: Hey, you've even admitted that you're nothing more than a figment of my imagination. Granted, one that's kick ass and who has taken on a life of your own, but still.
Takina: Thank you?
Kyandi: Did you have phrase it like a question?
Takina: Yes.
Kyandi: Whatever. Anyone, everyone, enjoy and review!
Takina: We'll probably be back tomorrow.
Kyandi: Bye-bye!