IMPORTANT MESSAGE AT THE END OF THE CHAPTER!
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"So? How was yesterday's drama festival?" asked Ame, smirking slightly.
"You'd know, had you bothered showing up," huffed Rio, poking the girl's cheek. "Don't look so smug about slacking off!"
"Aa? Slacking off? I was working, thank you very much."
"Right. You mean breaking into a super-protected facility?" drawled Karma, leaning back into his seat.
"Or going to steal government secrets right under their nose?" mused Sugino.
"Or tracking down a dangerous fellow for the right price?" suggested darkly Hazama.
"Oh! Maybe you went undercover to infiltrate another enemy gang of which the mysterious and handsome foreign boss fell in love with you at first sight!" gasped dreamily Fuwa.
"Nan, the older members are hogging all of the fun missions as payback for having to save my sorry ass a few days ago," sighed Ame, sulking a bit at the thought. "I just had to help dismantle whatever was left of the drug ring those outside gangs had started setting up a few months back."
The rest of the students could only sweatdrop at that. No matter how weird their lives had gotten ever since the beginning of the year, they were still having a somewhat hard time wrapping their heads around Ame's reality, which was seemingly so different from their own. Of course, now that the mysterious girl was finally fully opening up to them, what with no longer having any secret to hide, they weren't about to complain.
The students chatted some more about the drama festival, to which they had been more or less forced to participate after Asano shoved the duty upon the E-Class. Of course, as much as Ame enjoyed showing off, actually acting on a stage wasn't exactly her cup of tea—even less so when she already knew that the audience wasn't exactly receptive. So, she had seized her chance and had asked Saru for the first mission available, therefore escaping from having to perform.
Rio was just about to try and pry out some more information from Ame, who was still somewhat tight-lipped about the exact nature of her missions—she wouldn't be a professional spy if she spilled the beans so easily, would she?—when the entire building suddenly shook violently. At first fearing that the Principal had changed his mind and had come back to destroy the E-Class campus, Ame was the first to bolt out of the classroom.
What the hell is going on!?
"Ame-san! The shed!" exclaimed Isogai, who was already outside by the time she stepped out.
Smoke was coming from inside the shed but, from what she could gather, it wasn't a fire. The two of them quickly rushed over there, only to find Nagisa kneeling in shock before a gigantic pitfall.
"Nagisa-kun!"
"I- Isogai-kun, Ame-san…"
The blue-haired boy was having a hard time trying to snap back to reality. Isogai quickly helped him back to his feet, while Ame crouched before the enormous pitfall, frowning. It was so deep she couldn't see anything beyond a few meters, but she could still hear muffled voices and familiar whipping sounds—like tentacles clashing together.
But the only other person with tentacles was Itona, she recalled, frowning. Could that Shiro bastard have sent another genetically modified assassin while we weren't looking?
"Ame-san, let's head out!" urged Isogai, already dragging Nagisa outside. "It isn't safe here!"
"Right!"
They didn't get very far, what with the rest of the class running up to them in a panic. They met up in the middle of the field, worry clearly etched on every face, and Ame mentally made a countdown as she looked over the group.
There's one person missing, she realized, a foreboding feeling sinking in her guts.
"Nagisa, where's Kayano?" she asked immediately, pale.
Did she fall into the pitfall along with Korosensei? Was she taken hostage by the assassin? Is she hurt? Is she—
Without any warning, the shed's roof flew into pieces as Korosensei suddenly burst through, seemingly safe and sound, if not a little shaken. He crashed into the ground, barely a few meters away from them.
"Korosensei! What was that?" gasped Isogai, still supporting Nagisa.
The rest of the shed's roof was almost completely obliterated as someone else jumped through without a care in the world. The figure gracefully landed on the ledge, looking down on them with green tentacles hovering above her head. Ame's eyes widened as she realized that no, Kayano had not been taken hostage by an assassin—she was the assassin.
And all this time, I never even noticed…!?
"Uh?"
"Kayano-san…?"
"What- what's with those tentacles?"
"Aw, man. And I attacked with all I had, too," the green-haired girl stated, though she didn't appear all that frustrated for someone who just failed their assassination attempt. "I can't believe I let him get away. I must have underestimated him."
"Kayano-san, what in the world…?" asked weakly Korosensei, slowly getting up.
"Sorry. Kayano Kaede isn't my real name," replied simply the teen, darting a cold glare to the creature. "I'm Yukimura Aguri's little sister. You understand now, don't you? Murderer."
Ame's blood ran cold as, all at once, every single detail she had picked up on throughout the entire year was shoved under the spotlight, all of the dots finally connecting and the pieces of the puzzle finally falling into place.
::
"Yukimura Aguri was a scientist working on a secret project of the government. Something went haywire, but they're incredibly thorough about keeping the information off the files. Anyway, the whole base imploded a week ago or something, and many lost their lives, including that woman."
::
"Um…" Mimura Koki raised his hand. "What is that? Is it the alien that came to attack us or something?"
"How rude!" snapped the octopus. "I'll have you know, I was born and raised on Earth!"
::
"Naoki-san…" His two tentacles regenerated, and his face suddenly turned orange as his smile widened, if possible. "What a wonderful assassination that was! Have you been planning for a while?"
"Since your arrival in this class," she shrugged, lifting her bag on her shoulder. "I knew you had heard of me before since you knew me by name and obviously by reputation. I simply decided to play with your expectations of me, which forced you to lower your guard."
::
"That's why I hate this school. Teachers don't give a rat's ass about the students, they're only looking out for their reputation and their paychecks." She then glanced at the three teachers in the room. "Not you, of course. Korosensei, Karasuma-san, and Bitch-sensei are different. Yukimura-sensei was different too, so it's really a shame that she's gone now."
At her remark, Korosensei visibly stiffened. She narrowed her eyes a little at that, tucking the reaction in the back of her mind to analyze later.
::
"You seem to fail to understand the importance of what we are doing here today," pointed out Shiro, colder now. "We are eliminating a monster and saving the Earth in the process—"
"Nan, you're just trying ta erase a mistake ya made," she retorted, more annoyed than scared by now. "You're saying it's for da good of da planet or whatever, but you're really all just a bunch o' hypocrites 'cause you're da ones who created da problem in da first place!" She threw another knife, though this time it was a rubber one, and it bounced on the wall next to Shiro's head. "And now it's turned out like this and you're all just runnin' away from da damn issue instead of taking responsibility for it. So what, ya gonna kill him and make everyone forget 'bout it? Keep on experimenting 'til things go south again? What makes ya think Itona's gonna work any better, uh?"
Shiro narrowed his eyes at her. "You do not know what you are talking about."
"Don't I?" She looked him up and down before a lazy smirk stretched her lips. "Then why are ya so tensed, Shiro-san? Did I struck a chord or somethin'?"
::
"It's all pretty much guesswork," she finally admitted. "When Korosensei first got here, he told us he had been born and raised on Earth. Now, I think we can all agree that… whatever he is, wasn't born on this planet per se. So, I took for granted that he was human before and some experiment went wrong. That theory was confirmed when Itona came. He said he was Korosensei's brother, but Korosensei denied it, and I knew he wouldn't lie to us about stuff like this. So, I put two and two together and thought that maybe he had gone through the same experiments Korosensei did, but his went better, in a way. He still had a human appearance, but now possessed the tentacles. At that point, it was kind of easy to guess that Shiro –it's not his real name, by the way— was one of the people responsible for the situation. He knew too much about Korosensei for not having worked on him in the past. So, I took a shot in the dark and said what I thought. And guess what? I do think I was right." She let out a shaky breath, before grinning. "To be honest, though, I think the other students guessed that much too. Anyway, so thoughts? Wonders? Questions? Can I leave now?"
::
Kayano Kaede—or whatever her real name was—was the little sister of Yukimura Aguri, their teacher who had mysteriously died at the beginning of the year. Ame had never really bothered looking into what kind of secret research her teacher had been involved in, mostly because of the intense security that stopped even Usagi from truly gaining any information of worth. She did have an inkling that said research was linked to Korosensei, both because of the timing at which he joined their class, and because of how he had reacted upon hearing the woman's name. However, with everything that kept on happening, she never really found the time to truly expand on that train of thought.
However, with Yukimura Junior now showing off her own pair of tentacles, she had the definitive proof that the research Yukimura Aguri had been involved in was directly linked to Korosensei, and she could now safely assume that the woman even made regular contact with the creature during its confinement, considering he knew of Ame's reputation before they even met. As it was, though, the green-haired girl just called the octopus a murderer and, from the way she had just used her sister's name, it was easy to guess that she was acting on a personal grudge.
She's blaming Yukimura-sensei's death on Korosensei, she easily realized. Either she's working in tandem with Shiro, either she somehow managed to get her hands on that secret research after her sister was gone.
I never bothered looking into any of the students' profiles, since I never had any reason to be suspicious, and her amazing acting skills never faltered once. It's true that, now that I think about it, she only joined the E-Class shortly after Yukimura-sensei's death, but I never found it suspicious because, at the time, I wasn't interested in my fellow classmates at all. By the time I really noticed her, she already had everyone fooled—me included.
"Well, it's no use crying over spilled milk," Kayano then stated, shaking her head. "I have to reset. I'll try to kill you again tomorrow, Korosensei. I'll let you know where beforehand. Now that I've fought you tentacle-to-tentacle, I know for sure." She smirked confidently. "I can definitely kill you as I am now."
On which she took off, disappearing into the distance in a matter of seconds. The yellow octopus and his students could only stare, dumbstruck, and unsure of what to make of this new development.
"Unthinkable," breathed out Itona, astonished. "If she grew tentacles without any maintenance, she would have been under constant hellish pain. There's no way she could bear it without having it show on her face."
"Not only that, but she's Yukimura Aguri's little sister?" added Maehara, scratching his head.
"Isn't that our old homeroom teacher?" added Sugino.
"I thought I'd seen Kayano before somewhere," then admitted Mimura, checking his phone. "I remembered after seeing her with her hair down and her harsher expression." He showed a picture of a brown-haired girl to Isogai. "Do you remember Mase Haruna? The young acting prodigy who could easily take on any role. It's been a while she left the entertainment business, and her hair and personality are completely different, so I didn't notice before…"
"Ame, did you know anything about this?" asked hesitantly Rio.
The black-haired girl heaved out a sigh, rubbing her temples. "I know… some stuff. I had no idea Kayano was another person entirely, or that she had tentacles, of all things. Now that she's revealed her true self, though, I think I understand what's going on."
"What? In that case, spill already!" urged the blonde.
Ame opened her mouth, before stopping herself. She shot a look at Korosensei, who seemed a tad out of it. He didn't appear to be paying attention to his surroundings, but she knew for a fact that, in his current state of mind, he was more dangerous than ever.
"… It's not my place to tell," she finally admitted, before shaking her head. "It's up to Kayano and Korosensei if they want to share."
On which the girl then spun on her heels and started heading back inside.
"What—Ame, wait! What are you going to do!?" called out Rio, confused and wary.
"What I do best, Rio!" Smirking dryly, Ame waved lazily as she walked off. "Meddle in someone else's business!"
Classes were cut short that day, what with what had happened. After the students kept on insisting that he shared his past with them, he agreed to tell them the whole story—though, only once Kayano had been recovered safely. So, Ame wasted no time in leaving the premises and heading directly for the Zodiac's headquarters. She had already contacted Usagi about the matter at hand so, as soon as she arrived, she didn't waste any time in going to find the white-haired man.
"So? Did you manage to get past the firewalls?" she asked, straight to the point.
"It wasn't easy, and it would have been downright impossible without Ritsu's help, but I did," he confirmed, handing her a USB key. "What do you need those for, though? After all this time? I thought you'd gotten over it at that point."
"I did," she assured, carefully tucking the item away. "But as it turned out, one of my classmates revealed herself to be my old homeroom teacher's sister and, as it is, she's pretty hell-bent on avenging the woman. Add to that a little octopus flair, and… Well, I suppose you get the picture."
"Crap, there were more of those tentacle cells lying around?" cringed Usagi, rubbing the back of his head. "Talk about a mess… Well, what do you intend to do with all of this footage, anyway? Most of it is corrupted, and it's not like there's any data of interest in it…"
"There might be no data, but there is one important thing: the truth." She patted the pocket in which she had slipped the USB key. "Whatever actually happened that night, it was entirely recorded, and it can be found on this footage. If Korosensei actually killed Yukimura-sensei or not, I can't say for certain—but that footage can."
"Well, alright. Though, there are quite a few hours of footage in there," he warned, frowning a little. "I'm already swarmed with work, so I can't do much more for you…"
"Don't worry!" Ritsu suddenly popped up on his main screen, smiling brightly. "Ame-san, I'll help you out! According to my calculations, if we get started right away, we should be done in exactly six hours and thirty-seven minutes!"
"Then, let's not waste any more time," nodded Ame, cracking her knuckles a bit. "Yukimura Junior set up the rendezvous with Korosensei tonight, so I have to make my move before then."
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6 P.M.
"I don't care if I die. As long as I get my revenge… Or so you think. Right, Kayano? Or rather, Akari."
The green-haired girl stiffened slightly, looking over her shoulder to find none other than Naoki Ame. There was no denying that, out of all of the students in the E-Class, the black-haired girl was the one Akari was the wariest of. After all, she was incredibly perceptive, and she had been scared that the teen would blow her cover more than once.
"How did you find me?" she asked simply.
"I'll tell you after this is all over, if you really want to know," replied Ame with a nonchalant shrug. She slowly made her way up to her classmate, her feet not making a single sound as they hit the ground. "I've gotta say, though: well done. I've never met anyone before who actually managed to fool me like you did. Your title of 'acting prodigy' isn't overrated."
"Or maybe you're simply not as smart as you'd like to believe," snorted bitterly Akari, a tad on edge. "But you're not the kind of person to beat around the bush, Naoki. If you came out here to find me an hour before the rendezvous, then I suppose you are here to try and reason with me? Talk some sense into me, maybe? Or outright stop me by force?"
"I just came here to show you something, Akari." Ame stopped about two meters away from the girl, before offering her her phone. "I'm not here to try and stop you. You're free to do whatever you want. One little thing that doesn't sit right with me, though, is your motivation." Ame narrowed her eyes. "We're a class of assassins, so you're free to try and assassinate Korosensei as you please—but don't do it for an unfounded need of revenge, because I can tell you this right now: Korosensei didn't kill Yukimura Aguri. If you kill him under the motivation of avenging your sister, then you won't be an assassin anymore—you'll be an actual murderer."
"So what?" spat Akari, anger sparking up. "What if I become a murderer? And what would you know of my motivation? Who are you to judge if I'm right or wrong!? You don't know anything! And how dare you- how dare you defend that monster!? I was there! I saw him kill her with my own two eyes!"
Ame quirked an eyebrow, unimpressed. "I'm an info-broker, Akari. I know a lot more than I should probably know and, right now, I'm ready to bet that I know a lot more than you." She offered the girl her phone again. "It's a video—footage, of when the labs were blown up. If you just take a minute to watch it, you'll understand—"
"Shut up! Stop acting all high and mighty when you couldn't possibly understand what I feel! I've gone through an entire year of silently suffering, keeping up this damned charade to try and blend in, just waiting for the perfect moment to strike and claim justice for what was done to Aguri-nee-san…" Her eyes were wide with barely restrained anger, and her tentacles were wiggling around, expressing her agitation. "All of this lying… All of this pain… I've sacrificed everything in order to right the wrongs, and it's not some sociopathic girl who didn't even cry at her own parents' funerals that'll tell me that what I'm feeling is wrong!" Ame's eyes widened, and she took a step back, startled. Noticing this, the green-haired girl let out a sharp, almost cruel laugh. "That's right! I know! What, you think you're the only one who can look things up on the Internet? I mean, once you finally told us about your sad little backstory, I just had to check the facts, you know? And, surprise! The first thing I found was a picture of a little girl with eyes as dry as her heart." In a flash, Akari crossed the distance between the two of them and roughly poked Ame in the chest. "Don't go judging my motivation when you're even more emotionally twisted than I am, Naoki Ame. And, most importantly… Don't get in my way."
At once, one of her tentacles slammed into the black-haired girl and mercilessly sent her flying into the nearest tree. The trunk caved under the impact and Ame collapsed to the ground, wheezing and hacking as air suddenly filled her lungs again.
"Oh, would you look at that? It's almost time," mused lightly Akari, walking away without another look back. "Don't try to interfere again, Naoki—or I can't guarantee you'll make it out alive, this time around."
On which the green-haired girl disappeared, using her tentacles to propel herself above the forest. As soon as she disappeared, Ame let out a groan, both in pain and frustrated.
"Ame-san! Are you alright?" asked worriedly Ritsu through her phone, which had fallen a few meters away.
"Ugh, I'm fine… Somewhat…" She sat up, holding her stomach. Moving hurt like hell. "Well, that didn't go as planned, did it? I guess we really have to leave the rest to Korosensei."
"In that case, we should hurry," urged Ritsu, looking worried. "The duel is about to start."
"Got it. Keep the footage nearby, though—it might come in handy."
"Understood!"
Nodding back, Ame attempted to get up… and pain instantly shot through her entire body. She could tell nothing was broken, but she was ready to bet that one or two of her ribs had cracked, and she internally cursed as she realized that making her way to the zebra grass field would definitely take a lot longer than initially planned.
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The E-Class and Korosensei reached the field of zebra grass where Yukimura Akari was already waiting for them—or rather, for her target. Her long hair swayed in the breeze, and she had changed out of her uniform. Adding to that her unnaturally blank expression, well, she looked like a completely different person, and the sight greatly unsettled her friends.
Though, were we really her friends, or was she just using us all along? Wondered internally Nagisa, greatly troubled.
"So you came," mused Kayano—no, Akari. "Then, let's end this."
Korosensei didn't know what to say, still uncertain of how exactly he should react in the face of such a novel threat. No matter the situation or the reason, the girl was one of his students and, as such, he had no desire to fight her. Plus, knowing that she was Yukimura Aguri's little sister made him even more unwilling to clash tentacles with her.
"Korosensei, I'm the one who gave you your name," she then recalled, seemingly amused by the notion. "I'm practically your mother, so I'll scold you and destroy you."
"Kayano-san, it is too dangerous to keep using these tentacles!" warned Korosensei, visibly nervous. "If you do not remove them and get treated immediately, your life could be in danger!"
"What are you talking about? They're in excellent condition," she replied, easily shrugging off his worries. "It's no use trying to make me lose my composure with a bluff."
"Kayano…" Nagisa finally dared to speak up. "Was it all an act? Even when we were having fun? Or overcoming trials together with everyone?"
"It was all an act," she confirmed nonchalantly. "I am an actor, after all. When Nagisa was defeated by Takaoka-sensei, I was so irritated; I wanted to join the fight, too. When I was kidnapped by delinquents and kicked by the Reaper, I was so angry, I wanted to kill them. But I bore it and acted like a frail girl, because if my identity was found out before I killed him, I wouldn't be able to avenge my sister."
"Your sister… You mean Yukimura-sensei?" asked hesitantly Fuwa.
"It was so unfortunate that she was killed by Korosensei. She loved being a teacher. I heard a little about you all, too," replied Akari, narrowing her eyes as her mind wandered back to those long-since-lost happy moments.
"We know, Kayano," assured Takebayashi, pushing up his glasses. "In March of our second year, we only had her for two short weeks, but she was a very passionate and good teacher."
"But… Would Korosensei really kill Yukimura-sensei just like that…?" insisted Sugino, dubious. "He's never done anything that cruel in front of us before."
::
"We're a class of assassins, so you're free to try and assassinate Korosensei as you please—but don't do it for an unfounded need of revenge, because I can tell you this right now: Korosensei didn't kill Yukimura Aguri."
::
"Right? At least hear him out, Kaede-chan," pleaded Kurahashi, hopeful.
"He was a teacher who even came all the way to my house when I was suspended," stated Karma, uncharacteristically serious. "But are you really okay with this? I can't imagine that what you're doing now is the best way to solve this as an assassin."
::
"If you kill him under the motivation of avenging your sister, then you won't be an assassin anymore—you'll be an actual murderer."
::
"Your body probably feels hot, with just the nape of your neck cold," remarked Itona, a ghost pain running through his own neck. "It's the abnormal metabolism characteristic of those with implanted tentacles. If you fight in that condition, you'll really be in trouble. You'll lose control with the heat and intense pain, and the tentacles will suck your life force out. Worst case—"
"Enough!" The tips of the tentacles suddenly burst into flames, and she glared. "Outsiders ought to be quiet! First Naoki, and then the rest of you… What could you possibly know or understand of all of this!?" Gritting her teeth, she took an offensive position. "No matter the weakness or shortcoming, if it's polished, it can become a weapon. You're the one who taught me that, Korosensei! If my body's so hot I can't bear it, then I'll make it even hotter and gather the heat in my tentacles!"
"No! Any more, and—!"
At once, fire spread to the zebra grass, forming a perfect ring around Akari and Korosensei, and effectively shutting out the students. At that point, she truly was too far gone to reason with, and she wasted no time in attacking Korosensei, who was well forced to defend himself. As for the E-Class, well, they could only watch it all unfold with growing worry.
However, one detail had stuck out to Isogai.
"Nakamura-san, she mentioned Ame-san, did she not?" he asked, gulping a bit as the flames grew a tad too close for comfort.
"I- I think so, yeah," nodded the blonde, shooting a nervous look around. "She told me she'd meddle into things again, but if she's not here and Kayano is, then I guess whatever plan she had didn't work out…"
"You know her better than I do. Ame-san isn't the type to give up, even when things don't go as planned," he pointed out, frowning.
"So, if she's not here right now, either she's got something else up her sleeve, either she's in trouble," guessed Rio, gritting her teeth. "Damn it! She—"
"Nakamura-san! Isogai-kun!" They both startled a bit, before Rio pulled out her phone, only to find Ritsu occupying the screen with a worried expression. "Ame-san is currently injured and attempting to make her way here, but I'm afraid she might hurt herself even more in the process. She asked me not to contact anyone for help since the current confrontation is more important, but—"
"Gah, that idiot! I'll definitely beat some sense into her once I find her!" growled Rio, about ready to tear her hair out in frustration.
"I'll go look for her," announced Isogai, also pulling out his phone. "Ritsu, can you guide me to her?"
"Of course!"
"Good. Nakamura-san, keep an eye on everyone in the meantime, and make sure none of them try to interfere directly," he instructed, shooting a pointed look at Nagisa—who was currently struggling against Sugino and Mimura as he kept on yelling at Kayano. "We'll be back as soon as feasible."
At first hesitant, Rio then nodded firmly. "Got it. I'll leave Ame to you, then."
"Aa!"
.
.
Damn it, she busted my ribs worst than I thought… Ugh, at least it's not as bad as when that bastard Takaoka did it… Ugh, am I still too far? I can't hear anything, but there's smoke coming from over there, so I'm guessing they've started… Shit, if we don't stop her, she'll definitely do something she'll regret… Or worst, she'll die… Gah, fucking pain in the ass! Can't this mountain make itself a tad easier to climb!?
"Ame-san!"
The black-haired girl startled, her eyes snapping upward, and she was surprised to find none other than Isogai making his way down toward her. He was before her a few seconds later, his brows furrowing as he took notice of the way she held her stomach, and how she was visibly hunched over with restrained pain.
"You did something reckless again, didn't you?" he stated, almost like he was scolding her. He grabbed her arm and slung it around his neck in order to support her. "I thought we had gotten past your lone wolf act, Ame-san. Why can't you rely on us a little?"
"Well, to be fair, I didn't expect her to react so strongly," huffed the girl, though she was thankful for how he helped to lessen the strain on her body. "I found the info I wanted but, when I went to show it to her, she just snapped and rammed me into a tree. I didn't think she'd be so far gone already."
After a few seconds of consideration, an understanding smile graced Isogai's lips. "Ah, I see. It's not that you didn't trust us, but rather that you trusted her to listen to you, right? Sorry for jumping to conclusions."
"U- uh? Ah, no, it- it's okay." For some reason, Ame felt somewhat flustered. She hadn't expected him to grasp her reason so easily, but maybe she was becoming a tad predictable. "I should have told you guys anyway, just in case. Old habits die hard, I guess." However, now wasn't the time for small talk, and they both started walking, with Isogai supporting Ame as much as he could manage. "What's the situation?"
"Kayano-san… Or Akari-san, rather, trapped Korosensei in a ring of fire, and they're both fighting right now," he explained, obviously distraught by the whole situation a lot more than he let on. "Itona- Itona told us that even if she managed to kill Korosensei, she'd die shortly after because of the tentacles." He glanced back at her, smiling a tad wryly. "You wouldn't happen to have a miracle tentacle-remover on hand, would you?"
She snorted, somewhat bitterly. "I wish. I tried looking into it, but I didn't have enough time, so I settled for the next best thing." Determination settled in her eyes as she looked dead ahead. Further into the woods, she could now make out lights—or rather, flames. Almost there! "If we can get it to her in time, it ought to give Korosensei the opening he needs to remove the tentacles."
There was a moment of silence. Curious, she glanced at Isogai, who now had a small, soft smile on his lips. Despite the gravity of the situation, he looked almost happy at the moment.
"What is it, Isogai-kun?" she dared to ask, a tad confused.
"Uh? Oh, I just thought that it was a nice change of pace," he simply replied.
"What do you mean?"
His smile widened ever so slightly. "You said we. Thanks for relying on me, Ame-san."
"U- uh? I- I don't—that's not—gah! Stop saying random stuff like that!" she protested, instantly averting her eyes. "We're friends, right? So don't go making a big deal out of it!"
"Right, right."
He was still smiling, though, and Ame sincerely hoped he hadn't noticed the deepening red on her cheeks.
.
.
"Die! Die! Die! Die! Die!"
"Looks more like she's going to die—any minute now," remarked darkly Maehara, lowering his eyes.
"Is there really nothing we can do?" despaired Sugino. "Do we just stand by and watch her get eaten away by her bloodlust?"
"CLASS!"
The students of the E-Class startled as, all of sudden, the face of their teacher appeared before them, blinking in and out of existence as an inhuman pace.
"Korosensei!" gasped Nagisa.
"Why just your face?" wondered Sugaya.
"It's a clone! I don't have much leeway with Kayano-san's ferocious attacks—it's all I can do to leave an afterimage of my face!" replied the clone, a bead of sweat rolling down his temple. "Now, listen closely! We have to remove her tentacles ASAP! They're only putting off all that abnormal heat because she's not giving any thought to her own survival! At this rate, the tentacles will suck out all her life force and she'll die! However! As long as her bloodlust matches that of her tentacles, they'll be rooted to her nerves, impossible to remove! We don't have the time to talk her down like we did with Itona-kun. There's only one way: I'll pull them out as we fight." Many of the students tensed up, visibly against this particular course of action. It was way too risky! "I'll let her hit my greatest weak spot: my heart, located just under my tie. If it's completely destroyed, I'll die. If I can make her feel like she did me in, her tentacles' bloodlust will weaken for a moment, if only a bit. And in that moment, one of you will have to make Kayano-san forget her bloodlust!"
"Forget her bloodlust? How?" wondered Kimura.
"Whatever works—anything to get her mind off assassination. It's the only thing I can't do," replied their teacher, struggling to keep up with the girl without outright hurting her. "If the target of her bloodlust were to try any funny business, her bloodlust would only intensify. But, if you can quell that bloodlust, the tentacles' bond with her would momentarily be broken, and I might be able to remove them with minimal damage!"
"And Kayano's tentacles would be on your heart this whole time? In that case, wouldn't you die first?" protested Fuwa.
"If I'm lucky, I'll postpone that final, fatal moment… But I'd say the odds of me dying first are fifty-fifty!" He seemed rather nonchalant for someone who talked about dying. "For me, the entire class not being able to graduate uneventfully is even worse than dying—whoa!"
His afterimage vanished as the green-haired girl managed to land a powerful strike, effectively forcing him to fully focus on the battle at hand. With everything being said, though, the students were left to their own devices. What were they supposed to do? Letting Korosensei die didn't sit so well with them, and facing their crazed classmate was extremely risky. Plus, how could they possibly distract her in a way that would make her just… forget, her bloodlust?
The clap stunner? Nagisa's mind was running a mile a minute. No. If the wavelength of her consciousness is that messed up, a single clap stunner won't be able to hit at the ideal moment. Knives… Guns… All this stuff would just hurt Kayano. Isn't there anything else? The techniques we mastered in this classroom—we learned anything and everything to make us expert assassins! It's—wait. There is that one killer move… But for that to work, I'd need to get in close, meaning I need a distraction—
"NO!"
"AGURI!"
The sudden voices that were blasted through the clearing instantly caught the attention of everyone present, and all eyes instantly snapped to the source. They really should have expected it, but Ame was there, holding up her phone, with Isogai supporting her. On said phone was playing a video of some sort, but they were too far to see what it was.
They could hear everything, though, and so could Kayano. As soon as she heard the female voice, she stopped in her tracks, her eyes wide and her feet barely brushing the ground as she froze in place.
"N- now I've done it… Never thought that trap would just slither out like that…"
"Why!?"
"I had the feeling… my voice wouldn't be enough to stop you…"
"… I may as well have killed you myself…!"
"Of course… you didn't… I just did… what I wanted to do… Besides, I don't mind… being killed… for you… That's- that's how important… you are to me…"
Nagisa's eyes widened as he suddenly noticed the opening he had been given. Time seemed to still as the green-haired girl literally froze in place, her frantic eyes now entirely focused on Ame—or rather, the phone she was holding up. Without a sound, like a snake slithering in the grass, Nagisa managed to make his way to a practically paralyzed Kayano and, without a moment of hesitation, he snaked his arm around her neck, brought her closer… and pressed his lips against hers.
…
…
…
"WHAT!?"
Startled exclamations, confused shouts, and the distinct noise of clicking cameras echoed in the background, but Nagisa paid them no mind as he entirely focused on the girl now trapped in his grasp, using the killer mover their R-rated teacher had taught him at the beginning of the year.
Ame heaved out a relieved sigh as Nagisa worked his magic. Although she hadn't expected him to do… that, well, she couldn't deny the positive results. In a matter of seconds, the green-haired girl passed out, completely overwhelmed by the clash of emotions that suddenly washed over her, and Korosensei used that opportunity to carefully clip away the tentacles and remove them without damaging his student's nerves.
As soon as he was done, all of the E-Class slumped in relief, glad it was over, and they didn't waste any time in gathering around.
"Does- does this mean Kayano-chan is all right, now?" asked worriedly Kurahashi.
"Yes, most assuredly," nodded Korosensei. He looked a little banged up, but he was also unharmed. Thanks to the distraction provided by Ame, he hadn't had to use his greatest weakness in order to trap his student. "She'll need absolute rest for a while, though."
Nagisa sighed, but his relief was quickly forgotten as two demons loomed over his shoulders, making a chill run down his spine.
"Hey, Prince Charming! Shutting her down with a kiss, eh? Nice!" grinned deviously Rio.
"Didn't think you had it in you, Nagisa-kun!" teased Karma, waving his phone in his face.
"I- I thought it was a good way to make her forget her bloodlust," admitted Nagisa, now embarrassed. "I'll apologize to her later."
Irina suddenly leaned in closer, smirking. "Fifteen hits on a ten-seconds kiss? You're not there yet. I trained you on forced, indiscriminate French kisses. You should have been able to make forty."
"Hmm. Twenty-five's tight for me," Maehara added, with Okajima nodding in agreement in the background.
"God, I hate this place," sighed Kataoka. "I can just about make it to twenty."
"Ugh, I'm glad this is over," groaned Ame, while Isogai helped her sit down. "That was a tad too close for my liking…"
"Naoki-san, if I may…" Korosensei was suddenly by her side. "That footage—"
"It was just to stop Akari, but she wouldn't listen to it, hence why she insisted on fighting you. You don't have to worry, though—I won't show it to anyone else. Or at least, I won't unless you give me permission to. It's your story, Korosensei—do whatever you want with it."
"… I see. So you knew all along, then?"
"I knew a lot, but things really started making sense once Akari revealed herself." Ame flinched a bit as pain spread through her stomach. "One way or another, though, you ought to think about things twice the next time you try to sacrifice yourself for a greater cause—I won't be able to save your ass every time." She then glared. "We heard you. You said that for the entire class to not be able to graduate uneventfully would be worst than death for you, but have you thought at all about how Akari might feel about that? Had she succeeded in killing you, even if it allowed us to save her, she would have been eaten away by her grief and her guilt instead of her bloodlust. Don't be so selfish!"
Korosensei tensed up at the accusation, before slumping forward. "I- I see… I understand, Naoki-san. I hadn't even considered such an eventuality. I'll be more careful from—"
'POW'
Korosensei only barely managed to dodge the bullet, and the rest of the class flinched upon hearing the gunshot. Stiffening, Ame looked behind her. A few meters away stood two figures, one of which was all too familiar, and her blood instantly started boiling with barely restrained anger.
"Shiro…" she growled, clenching her fist over the handle of one of her knives.
Before she could even think of throwing it, though, Isogai placed his hand over hers, effectively stopping her. She shot him an annoyed look, but he merely shook his head.
"You're in no state to start a fight, Ame-san," he stated, serious. "Let us handle this."
"… Fine."
"Quite playing teachers already. It doesn't suit a monster like you," stated plainly Shiro, narrowing his eyes at the octopus. He then glared at the unconscious girl on the ground. "Useless girl… She'd give her own life for that revenge narrative of hers—you'd think she could have done a bit better than this. You're truly nothing more than a monster. Just how many assassins have you driven away in a single year? But there are still two of them right here." Without any warning, Shiro suddenly removed his mask, revealing his face for the first time. "I'm the last one. You took everything away… and I'll make you pay for it with your life—"
"Ooh, look at poor little, a genius guy who lost everything because he has no fucking morals or ethics of any kind, who thought everything was due to him because of his name, and who considers every single person he meets as usable and disposable," snorted Ame, unimpressed by the grand speech. "Woo you, am I right, Yanagisawa Kotaro? I mean, you used human experimentation to further your research, you beat your fiancée whenever you felt like it, and you even decided to use children in order to fulfill your desire for revenge even though you're really the only one to blame for everything that happened to you—but who am I to judge, right? I'm just a kid, so I can't possibly know the difference between right and wrong better than an adult—oh, wait." Her glare hardened. "I do. Are you quite done playing the martyr now, or do I need to further emphasize the fact that you're a fucking scumbag?"
"I see you've grown an even looser tongue since we've last met, Naoki Ame," grunted the mad scientist, gritting his teeth a bit. "But laugh while you still can, because March is just around the corner, and it will bring about the perfect death for an accursed life—or two, if it just so happens that way. Come, 2.0."
On which the man walked away without another look back and, after a moment of hesitation, the masked sniper also followed suit. Ame grumbled under her breath, wondering just why the hell he had bothered to show up if it was just to talk away a minute later. Before anyone could start grilling her about whatever she knew about Shiro, though, Kayano finally regained consciousness.
"I…"
"Kayano-san, I'm glad to see you're alright," stated simply Korosensei.
"Kayano, are you okay?" asked Nagisa, concerned.
She quickly averted her eyes, embarrassed. "U- uh…"
"Kayano…" called out quietly Yada.
No one really knew what to say. After a few seconds, the green-haired girl sighed.
"It was pure bloodlust at first… But, as I spent time with Korosensei, I started losing my conviction in that bloodlust. Like, doesn't this teacher have some circumstances I don't know about? And shouldn't I find out what they are before I kill him? But that's when the bloodlust in the tentacles swelled forth. They wouldn't let me not do it." A bittersweet smile graced her lips. "How dumb. Everyone was genuinely enjoying their assassinations while I wasted the whole year on plain old revenge…"
"Kayano." She looked up at Nagisa again, who smiled. "Once you taught me this hairstyle, I stopped fretting about my long hair. And like you said, everyone liked the name Korosensei—we've been using it all year. It doesn't matter what you were after. We all made you our friend, together. No matter how much you suffered on your own, we can't let you say it was all an act—not all those days you were smiling right there with us." Nagisa then gestured to the rest of the class. "Korosensei promised to tell us everything once we were all together. He's not a saint. We know he doesn't always do the right thing. But, let's hear him out—all of us, together."
"Yeah…" At last, tears started rolling down her cheeks. "Thank you… I can stop acting, now…"
"Korosensei," then called out Isogai, turning to their teacher. "Whatever's in your past, we'll accept it—as long as it's the truth."
"… I wanted never to talk about my past if I could help it," then admitted the octopus. "But now, I see I have to. I don't want to lose your trust, that bond we share. This past summer, on that southern island, Karasuma-sensei said of Irina-sensei: the better the assassin, the broader her skillset. I think that's relevant here. This E-Class is the first I've ever taught. Even so, I've managed to teach you just about every subject without a hitch. Why do you think that is?"
"No- no way…" gasped Karma, the first to understand.
Takebayashi gulped. "You're telling us…?"
"Aa. Until two years ago, I was the assassin known as the Reaper. And one more thing: even if you do nothing, I'll die come March. Either I die alone or the Earth dies with me—that's the only part of the future an assassination can change."
Now, Ame didn't know about that particular detail, although she had had her doubts. Really, Korosensei being the Reaper only made sense. However, since she had yet to get her hands on the actual files related to the secret research led by a certain Yanagisawa Kotaro, there were still a few blanks that needed to be filled in—which was what Korosensei did next.
Without going too much into the details, their teacher told them all about his past as the world-renown assassin, the Reaper. He told them about how his apprentice betrayed him, and how he was caught and sentenced to death by the Japanese authorities. He told them about Yanagisawa Kotaro's research about creating antimatter within a living entity, and how he was used as a guinea pig for every single experiment.
He told them about Yukimura Aguri and the role she played in his story. About how she cared for him, about how lame her shirts were, about how she was practically at the mercy of Yanagisawa, who often took his anger out on her. He told them about how she'd often seek his advice, and how he came to learn about all of them—the E-Class and their struggles.
He told them about the experiment gone wrong, and how the eternal crescent moon came to be—a miscalculation of lethal consequence on Yanagisawa's part that could very well lead to the destruction of the Earth itself, was it not dealt with as quickly as possible. He told them about how he attempted to escape the facility upon learning they intended to kill him, of how he killed everyone in his path, of how he utterly destroyed the entire lab.
He told them of how Yukimura Aguri tried to stop him.
He told them of how she died because of his carelessness.
And he told them about the promise he made to her, in her last moments.
"I swear… I'll never let go of them…!"
A heavy silence now weighed upon the entire group, and Korosensei bowed his head. "That's my story. The one who taught me to be a teacher was Yukimura Aguri-sensei. To truly look at the people before you and respect them as equal human beings, not to judge them solely on their weaknesses… I learned the fundamentals of being a teacher from her. I added my own knowledge and experience and prepared to face you all. I would use my abilities to the fullest to give you the gift of the best growth and development. But how best to do that? I racked my brain… and finally landed on the assassination classroom, where I'd use what remained of my life."
No one knew what to do or say, because they all shared the same thought at that point: can we truly kill this teacher of ours? Ame bit her lower lip, averting her eyes. She knew how heavy was the weight of someone's life, even more so when you were the one forced to carry it. In the end, no matter the reasons or the consequences, taking a life would always leave a scar, even if you somehow managed to tell yourself it was for the "greater good". Now, because Ame knew that, she was prepared: if it really came down to it, she could and would kill again.
But… can the same be said for them? She glanced at the silent students around her, easily noticing their troubles and distraught expressions. We're going on a short break for New Year but, once we come back, will their determination be the same as it was? Or will their hearts waver?
"Anyway, I understand this is all a lot to take in," then stated Korosensei, back to his usual, cheerful self—or so he tried to make them believe. "I believe it's high time everyone headed back home, now. Karasuma-sensei, could you drop Yukimura-san off at the hospital?" The man mutely nodded. He, too, was somewhat troubled by everything he'd just learned, though he tried not to show it. "Good. In that case, I will see all of you once you've returned from the winter break. Get some rest, relax, and have fun, alright?"
And, before anyone could reply or protest, he was gone, using his Mach 20 speed to hightail it out of the zebra grass field before his students could fully process everything he had just told them. Ame couldn't really blame him, though—he had just told them his greatest secret, his greatest shame, but most importantly, he made them doubt. And, sometimes, the best way to figure things out was to do it on your own, hence why he left so quickly.
"A- Ame-chan…" Snapping back to reality, the girl looked over at Akari. She was on the verge of tears, but for a completely different reason, now. "I- I'm so sorry… You tried to warn me… You- you tried to show me the truth, and yet I've said—I've told you such horrible things… And I hurt you…"
"Maa, maa, don't worry about it, it's fine—"
"No! No, it's not fine!" snapped the girl, gritting her teeth. "I know- I know you're quick to forgive, I know you rarely hold grudges when it comes to the people you care about… but I hurt you, Ame-chan—in more ways than one, and that's not okay." Akari met Ame's surprised gaze head-on, before bowing deeply. "I didn't mean anything I said to you earlier. I was completely driven by my anger and my pain, and all I sought was to also make you suffer, but I didn't mean a single word of it—but even so, I hurt you, and- and…"
"I think that what she's trying to say is: think a bit more about yourself, Ame," intervened Rio, lightly hitting her friend over the head. "Despite what you think, it's not okay for people to hurt you, even if they're people you care about. We won't think any less of you if you get angry or snap back."
Ah, so I've truly become this predictable, haven't I? On one hand, it's true that I always lay low and take everything in stride when it comes from my friends and my family because I rationalize: the pain they sometimes make me feel is short-lived and ultimately pointless, and I don't want them to hate me for getting worked up over it.
But… I guess that, in a way, it's another form of trust I've got to work on, right?
"I understand," nodded Ame, offering a tentative smile at Akari. "Since you were honest with me, I'll be honest with you: every single thing you said was true—that's why it hurt. I can't blame you for calling it as you saw it, really, but I'm not mad about it." Her smile widened, and she reached out to pat her friend on the shoulder. "I'm just really glad you're okay, now! So, let's finish the year together, everyone—without masks and without acting, to enjoy whatever time we have left. Alright?"
Seeing Ame act so normally after hearing the truth from Korosensei somehow brought back a sense of calmness, and the students finally relaxed a bit. They could keep the doubts and worries for when they had gotten at least a good night's rest—for now, what mattered was that everyone was safe and sound, and that no more secrets plagued their classroom. As if a dam was broken, the rest of the students started talking, expressing their relief or their exhaustion, and just in overall happy that everything was over and dealt with.
"Naoki, do you also need a lift to the hospital?" then inquired Karasuma, coming to stand beside Kayano.
"Uh? No, I'm—" She paused, sparing a glance for Isogai, before sighing and nodding. "Yeah, I guess I could use a trip to the hospital. I think my ribs are busted. Again."
"Waa, I'm so sorry!" cried out Kayano. "I didn't mean to hit you that hard…!"
"If anything, it's my fault for provoking you when you were in such a state of mind," sweatdropped Ame, before shaking her head and looking at Isogai again. "A- anyway, thanks for coming to get me, Isogai-kun. I wouldn't have made it without you."
"Of course! Anything for you, Ame-san!" he simply grinned.
She could only blink as she slowly processed what he had just said.
…
…
…
"W- wait, that came out a little weird!" he exclaimed, suddenly just as flustered as she was. Despite the darkness, she could still make out the redness now adorning his cheeks. "I didn't mean it like—I mean, it wasn't—!"
"N- no, of course, I get it. Ahem!" Ame cleared her throat, averting her eyes. "Nope. Totally get it, don't worry. Of course. Right."
"Y- yeah. Totally."
From the side, watching the now awkward interaction from afar, Rio, Karma, and Maehara exchanged a knowing grin. Despite the darkness, it wasn't hard to notice the redness tainting both of the teens' cheeks, and it only made them all the more hopeful for what was to come.
"Eh, eh, I'm gonna get started on getting into Ame's head," grinned Rio, rubbing her hands in anticipation. "Maehara-kun, be a dear and keep an eye on Isogai-kun?"
"Ooh, I'm gonna do a lot more than that," he assured, sporting a similar grin.
Poor Ame-san and Isogai-kun… sweatdropped Nagisa, slowly inching away from the trio. But I'm sorry… Better you than me!
I am so not getting involved in this, paled Sugino, also backing away.
"You guys know that Ame is going to skin us if we try to get involved, right?" After a moment, Karma's grin deepened and, for a second, anyone watching him could have sworn he grew a pair of demonic horns. "This is going to be fun~."
Oblivious to them, both Ame and Isogai simply averted their eyes from each other. One just wanted to disappear underground, while the other couldn't understand why her heart was now beating so fast.
"Hey, Ame-chan," then called out Akari, tilting her head. "I hadn't thought about this before, but how did you find me, earlier?"
"Uh?" Startled, Ame then chuckled sheepishly. "Ah, that'd be thanks to the tracker."
"The tracker…?"
The black-haired girl gestured to the frog-shaped keychain that was attached to the girl's phone, and which was now hanging out of her pocket.
::
"Wow. That's… so not you, Ame," sweatdropped Rio, however picking up the one in the form of a pizza slice. "Why are you really doing this?"
"I put a tracker in each of them so that I'd be able to stalk you guys," deadpanned Ame.
"You so would."
::
There were a few seconds of silence, before Rio facepalmed, groaning loudly. "You've got to be shitting me…"
Ame simply let out a nervous laugh. "Well, can't say I didn't tell you, right…?"
Hi, hello again! A brief message to say thank you to everyone who's favorited and/or followed this story, along with everyone who's written a review! I'm really glad to see that so many people seem to enjoy reading this story as much as I enjoy writing it, eh, eh!
I think that, at this point, I've made it fairly obvious, but for those who have yet to understand: Ame/Isogai is the decided pairing for this story, and it was a long time coming. Obviously, romance isn't the main focus of this story, but it somehow ended up branching out anyway, so there we are.
Now, a little less than ten chapters are left, but I'll be honest: I've been thinking about doing a sequel. Yes, you read that right: A SEQUEL! I already have plans in the making, and it would not be an official story, but another fanfiction (I won't go into the details, but it's basically what would happen to Ame/what she'd be doing in the seven-year time-skip, and all of that would happen in another anime which would canonically be of the same world as the one of Assassination Classroom).
Now, I really want to do it, but I still want to know your thoughts on the matter, seeing as you are the people who'll (hopefully) be reading it. So, I've put up a very simple poll on my profile, so please check it out and take two or three seconds of your time to answer!
PS. The new anime I will intrododuce in this sequel has already been decided and, as such, I won't take suggestions. That being said, I would like to know which anime you believe I have in mind for Ame to "stumble" into next, so don't hesitate to share you theories with me via reviews!
Alright, that's all for now. Be safe, enjoy summer, and see you later!