Kyandi: Good evening, Kyandiacs!
Takina: She's been thinking too much today.
Kyandi: What makes you say that?
Takina: I saw smoke coming out of your head.
Kyandi: You did not! I was merely considering that AU idea for this story.
Takina: Have you decided if you're going to do it?
Kyandi: Not yet. But, guys, you do realize, if I decide to do the AU, more than likely, Takina's love interest will change.
Takina: Wh...wait...you don't mean...
Kyandi: Yep. You're love interest, more than likely, would become Asano.
Takina: What is with you and pairing me with the manipulative people!?
Kyandi: It makes you squirm, that's why. Anyway, everyone, enjoy and review!
Takina: I hat-
Kyandi: Line!
Takina:...Kyandi-sama does not own Assassination Classroom.
Chapter 24 Pudding Killplosion
The next morning, Takina was in her kitchen, enjoying a cup of coffee while she checked her bag to make sure she had everything for school. One of the explosives books was sitting open on the counter, Takina shifting to reading it after she checked her bag. Sergio meowing at her front door proceeded a knock on the door.
Takina looked up towards the door, Takina checked the time, wondering if Nagisa had gotten ready for school early. Draining her cup, she rinsed it and stuck it in the sink, calling, "Just a minute" as she marked her place in her book and slid it into her back. She checked Sergio's food and water, made sure Asano's over priced choker was in place, grabbed her back and headed for the door.
She stopped long enough to pull on her shoes and pulled open the door, her keys already in her hand.
"You're early today, Nagi...you're not Nagisa."
Takina came to a stop, looking up at the grinning face in front of her. Sergio appeared at her feet then, meowing happily before padding forward to twine himself between pant-clad legs. Takina frowned down at her traitor of a cat before bending to scoop the cat up. She turned, placing Sergio inside the apartment before closing the door to lock it.
"What are you doing here, Akabane?" she asked, her back to him.
"What, is it so bad if I show up to walk to school with you?" he asked.
"Considering you live two stops over and coming here is going out of your way...yes."
Takina turned to look up at the grinning face of Karma as he leaned back against the rail behind him. She watched as his eyes fell to the choker around her neck, and a muscle clenched in his jaw. As annoyed as she had gotten with the whole competition between Karma and Asano, she had to admit one thing.
Watching Karma get angry every time he saw the choker, was hilarious.
That alone was reason enough for her to keep it.
Not that she was going to tell Asano that.
"The others wouldn't shut up about you possibly getting mugged with just Nagisa with you, so, since I live the closest, I got the short end of the stick." he told her.
"You poor baby."
Takina turned away from him, heading for Nagisa's front door. She shooed Karma back when he tried to join her in front of the door. Karma raised an eyebrow as she rang the doorbell and stepped back. A few moments passed, Takina holding up a finger when Karma opened his mouth to speak. Then the door opened and Nagisa's mother looked down at Takina, unable to see Karma due to the door.
"Good morning, ma'am. Is Nagisa ready to go to school?" Takina asked, giving the woman the most polite tone and smile Karma had ever seen on her.
"Oh! Itamatsu. Yes, he should be about ready to go." the woman replied turning to look into the apartment. "Nagisa! Itamatsu is here."
Takina gave the woman a bright smile, thanking her with a polite bow. Karma couldn't say he was surprise. He knew Takina could play just about any part she needed to, to get what she wanted. It was still quite amusing to watch her turn on the charm and play the part of the polite girl next door. If he didn't know her, he might have bought the act, too.
Nagisa appeared then, saying goodbye to his mother. The woman wished them a good day at school and closed the door. It was only then that Nagisa spotted Karma. Takina ushered the two on towards the stairs before anything could be said. It was only when they were heading down the stairs that she let either of them speak.
"What was that about?" Karma asked.
"Trying to keep Nagisa out of trouble with his mother. She doesn't like Class E. Not that any of our parents do." Takina replied.
"Yet, she doesn't have a problem with you." Karma retorted.
"Takina is ranked second in the whole school and she puts on a really good act in front of Mom, so, yeah, she likes her." Nagisa explained.
"As far as his mother is concerned, I'm only still in Class E to help Nagisa get his grades up. After finals last semester, she bought it." Takina added. "It's insured that the two of us can hang out and Nagisa can use me as an excuse, whenever he needs to."
"Devious." Karma remarked.
"Why thank you." Takina replied, Nagisa chuckling while Karma grinned.
"So what are you doing here, Karma?" Nagisa asked.
"Apparently, the others designated him my bodyguard against muggers." Takina told him.
"Just until you can leave that thief magnet at home." Karma said idly.
"You do realize...I could just button up my collar and hide it, right?"
Both Nagisa and Karma came to a stop, turning to look at her. Seeing the look on Karma's face, as his jaw clenched, Takina's lips curled. She could do nothing to keep the smirk off her face as she looked back at him. Walking up to him, she reached out to give his shoulder a sympathetic pat.
"Looks like you got up early for nothing."
Sometimes, Karma really disliked Takina.
-0-0-0-0-
"I said no, and quit touching that."
To anyone not watching the two, they might think something inappropriate was happening between Takina and Karma. Nagisa, Sugino and Kayano, though, just laughed lightly as they watched Takina smack Karma's hand away from her food.
Today found the five at traditional Japanese diner. Karma, as he had every day since Asano had given Takina the choker that now sat around her neck, was bugging Takina to call him Karma instead of Akabane. While he did this, he kept reaching out to snag bits of her foot, only for Takina to nearly stab his hand through with her chopsticks.
"The only reason you want me to call you that, so badly, is because Asano managed to manipulate things where I have to call him by his given name. I'm not changing a thing about how I do things for so childish of a reason. Now, eat your own food and leave mine alone." Takina told him, giving the back of his hand a pinch.
Karma hissed as he yanked his hand back, rubbing at the back of it while she shifted her food out of his reach, glaring at him as she did. Karma grinned back at her, but didn't reach for her food again. Takina still kept an eye on him as she finished her food. It was then that a news report on the TV mounted on the nearby wall, drew her attention, her classmates following her eyes to the TV.
On the screen, a news channel was covering a report about Japan's currently surplus of eggs. Because there were so many, they were having to throw out a great amount of them.
"They're going to throw away those eggs when you could just eat them? What a waste!" Sugino remarked.
Maybe, but it gave Takina an idea.
Fishing her phone out of her pocket, Takina continued to listen to her friends and the TV as she typed something into her phone. When she was done, she returned her phone to her pocket.
"Well, I guess this sort of thing happens sometimes when it comes to fresh foods." Karma remarked.
"But still..." Sugino remarked.
"It really is a waste when there's so many people out there that could do a lot with just a dozen of those eggs." Takina remarked.
Kayano, though, had a plan for using a vast majority of those eggs in a way to kill Korosensei.
Gathering their classmates up on a three day weekend where Korosensei wouldn't be at the school, Kayano laid out the plan for them. Takina couldn't believe her ears when Kayano told them what they would be doing, all with a big smile on her face.
"So there you have it! We'll be able to salvage the eggs, and, perform an assassination with this plan!" Kayano told them from the front of the classroom.
"Eggs for an assassination?" Mimura repeated.
"Keh. Are you planning on making food with this mixed in?" Terasaka asked, a hand full of anti-sensei BBs in his hand. "We already tried that and got busted."
"Fufufu. I'm thinking of something more. I asked Karasuma-sensei for help, so the initial arrangements are okay! If everyone will head to the school yard!" Kayano told them.
When they stepped outside, they found the school yard over taken by tons of equipment. The main piece was a huge mold for making pudding.
"That shape, and eggs...does that mean...?" Hara asked, looking at Kayano.
"Exactly. Starting now, I want everyone to make an enormous pudding. I call it, Pudding Killsplosion Plan!" Kayano told the, telling them how Korosensei had confided in her that he someday wanted to jump into a pudding even larger than himself. "Yes, let us fulfill his romance! But honestly, I really want to try it, too! At the bottom of the pudding, we'll air seal some anti-sensei bullets and an explosive."
"So I take it, this plan will be making use of the new knowledge Takebayashi and I have recently garnered." Takina remarked, idly playing with hyacinth charm on her choker.
Karma, who was standing next to her, frowned as his eyes were drawn to the charm she was playing with. Nagisa, who stood on Karma's other side, sweat-dropped, shaking his head lightly. It had grown obvious, over the last few days, that Takina was doing all she could to draw Karma's attention to the necklace and upset him.
Nagisa just hoped it didn't come back to bite her.
"Right! When Korosensei eats his way to the bottom, you and Takebayashi will set it off, and boom!" Kayano confirmed.
"It might be worth trying." Isogai remarked.
"Korosensei does lose himself to ero stuff and sweets, huh?" Okajima remarked.
"True, but," Nagisa glanced at Takina, who had her eyes set firmly on Kayano. "Up until now, Kayano has been devoted to logistical support. For her to now come out into the spotlight like this...it's out of character."
Seeing the look in Takina's eyes as she watched Kayano, Nagisa shifted. That look...he rarely saw that look in Takina's eyes. It was dark, like she was pulling on some past experience in order to judge something in front of her, something that didn't sit right with her, and that look was directed at Kayano. It had Nagisa looking from Takina to Kayano.
Takina didn't want to say it, but when people around her, after months of acting one way, suddenly did something out of character for themselves, it made Takina take notice. It put her on edge, made her wary, all because she knew something wasn't right. Either the person's personality before the sudden change, or after, was the real one, but not both. If something changed, it usually meant that something wasn't right to begin with.
It made the hair on the back of Takina's neck stand on end.
She had always pegged Kayano as the sweet, helpful girl. Yes, there were times when Kayano came off as a little childish and immature, but, over all, Takina, up until that point, had never taken Kayano to be the front-and-center type. While the whole pudding thing was about par with the rest of Kayano's personality, the fact that girl was suddenly taking charge, was not.
That being said, Takina knew, at the best of times, that she was a little prone to being a tad paranoid. Too many years growing up in her father's care. The man had seen to it that she couldn't be comfortable, be relaxed, in any kind of setting. Always on guard, always looking for something that was wrong in those around her.
That was probably what this sudden feeling was.
Just more unnecessary paranoia.
Heaving a sigh, Takina gave her head a shake. Her father had screwed up her ability to be around people and not expect to be stabbed in the back or attacked at any moment. She had to remind herself that she was no longer around her father and not everyone was out to deceive and harm her.
"Alright, while Sensei's gone during this three day weekend, let's get ready for battle!" Kayano called.
Grabbing an apron and bandanna to tied her hair back, Takina pushed the paranoid feeling back, doing her best to ignore it. While working on the explosive with Takebayashi, Takina also helped with mixing the ingredients. Kayano, it seemed, had thought everything through, right down to the smallest detail. While impressive, it did nothing to ease Takina's paranoia.
"Way to go, Kayano. After watching that news piece on eggs, you arranged all this within a week?" Karma asked.
"Yeah. Actually, I've wanted to try making this for a while. The Ministry of Defense is paying for the expenses. I thought it was an awesome opportunity." Kayano replied.
"Pretty devious for someone who doesn't usually take center stage." Kayano turned to Takina when she spoke, meeting the other girl's eyes. She was met with the arctic blue color of Takina's eyes, a color Kayano had no experience with. That being said, she could see the tension, the weariness in Takina's eyes. "I have to admit...it seems really out of character for you, Kayano."
"Yeah, well, once I decide something, I move straight towards it...that's how I am." Kayano replied, giving them a smile to cover the unease Takina's look had given her.
"Uh-huh."
Kayano watched as Takina moved back about her work, presenting her back to Kayano as she did. Karma choose then to swipe up a bit of cream Takina was mixing and, with a noise of complaint and annoyance from Takina, plopped it right on the tip of her nose. Turning a glare on Karma's grinning face, Takina, using the big, fat spoon she was using to stir, scooped up some of the cream and splashed it all right in Karma's face.
Quickly handing the spoon over to one of her classmates, Takina took off running, Karma hot on her heels. The others stood back and watched, laughing as Takina dodged Karma with ease. Though she looked like she was just having a little fun, teasing and taunting Karma as she always did, Takina could feel the intent eyes on her.
She had a feeling, this wasn't just her paranoia.
-0-0-0-0-
When they finally finished the pudding and were able to present it to Korosensei, Takina thought she would never meet someone more excited about pudding. Just one look and Korosensei was drooling at the mouth like he hadn't ate in weeks.
"Is...is it okay if Sensei eats this whole thing?!" Korosensei asked.
"Please do." Nakamura told him.
"It was one way to use up all those eggs that, else wise, would have just gone to waste." Takina remarked.
"It's a waste otherwise, so eat the whole thing, okay!" Kurahashi told him as the students left him to eat.
Leaving Korosensei to dive his way into the pudding, the students moved into the classroom, where Takebayashi and Takina had set up a screen to monitor the explosives.
"We set a remote controlled explosion and camera at the bottom of the pudding. This screen will show us the moment he starts shifting the pudding around the camera. That'll be our cue to blow the whole thing." Takina explained.
The others gathered around, watching the screen for the first little sliver of light that would be their cue to hit the button. Kayano, though, stood at the windows, watching as Korosensei devoured the pudding. She thought back on all the hard work she had done to prepare for this assassination attempt...and snapped.
"NO! We poured our love into making that pudding! We can't blow it up!" Kayano cried.
"Calm down, Kayano!" Sugino told her.
"Don't go feeling empathy for the pudding, Kayano!" Terasaka told her, pulling her back away from the windows. "Didn't we make it to blow it up!"
"No! Leave it alone! We'll use it to decorate the school yard as a monument for all of eternity!" Kayano insisted.
"It'll rot before long." Takina told her, now feeling silly for the paranoia she had felt.
"Fuu...Let's take a short break." Everyone whipped around as Korosensei's voice suddenly joined the conversation. Takina's shoulders sagged when she was confronted with the view of Korosensei standing there, the explosive in his grip. "I caught the scent of a foreign object mixed in. I ate the dirt and burrowed underground and removed it. Among the ingredients for plastic explosives, there are those that give off a strong smell. Takebayashi, Takina. Please try researching ingredients that won't reach Sensei's nose."
"I was sure that the smell of the pudding around the bomb would hide the scent. Or at least muddle it." Takina said, heaving a sigh as her hands went to her hips.
"We'll do better next time." Takebayashi told her.
"Yeah."
In the end, it was yet another failed attempt to kill their teacher.
"Also," Takina looked up as Korosensei continued. "Pudding is something you eat together with others. I sorted out the clean parts and placed them here."
Korosensei presented the whole class with glasses of pudding for them to eat. Takina, ever the sweet tooth, didn't turn it down.
"However, eating eggs that are set to be disposed, strictly speaking, that violates economic rules. Let us think about the importance of food during our next civics lesson." Korosensei suggested.
"That's too bad, Kayano." Nagisa said as he and Takina joined Kayano. "Or, actually, are you relieved?"
Kayano just giggled, not really answering the question.
"I'm willing to go with relieved." Takina remarked, Karma coming to a stop at her side, spoon stuck in his mouth.
"But, I didn't think you could be this thorough, Kayano. It was fun and unexpected." Nagisa remarked.
The reason why Takina felt on edge, exactly.
"Fufu. A true blade is one you don't even show to your close friends." Kayano told them, turning her attention to Korosensei. "I'll kill again. And if you want a jelly-like blade, I have a bunch of others."
Takina scooped up some of her pudding, sticking the spoon into her mouth. As she let the flavor wash over her tongue, she peered over at her friends. Kayano's words ran through her head.
A true blade is one you don't even show to your close friends, huh...Can't say she's wrong.
Just then, Isogai got a message on his phone and fished the device out of his pocket. He read the massage before jumping to his feet with noise of shock and surprise.
"What is it, Isogai?" Meahara asked.
"I just got a message from my mom. There was a knock at the door and when she answered...there were forty dozen eggs on the porch!" Isogai replied. "That'll feed us for a while!"
"Wow, that's good for you, Isogai." Takina remarked.
"Isn't it? She said there was no note or anything, though, so we don't know who did it." Isogai replied.
"Hmm...well I wonder who did it..."
At the tone in Takina's voice, the obviously faked boredom sounding off from what she normally sounded like when bored, everyone turned their eyes to Takina who was merely scooping up another spoonful of pudding. Nagisa couldn't prove it, but he had a feeling he now knew what Takina had been texting when they had seen the report about the eggs on TV.
She really was a softie...not that she would admit it.
-0-0-0-0-
After their failed pudding assassination attempt, they went back to their school work. Moving into the second semester, Karasuma progressed their training, teaching them new and interesting things. Their practical training found them sitting outside, Karasuma standing before them.
"For your second semester's practical assassination training, we will move on from explosives, to your next foundation of free-running." Karasuma explained, turning to the cliff behind him to point off towards a pine tree at sat on another cliff across a river from them. "For example, let's say you were to head for that lone pine tree over there. Mimura. An estimate is fine. How would you do it, and how many seconds would it take?"
Mimura moved to the edge of the cliff, peering down to scan the distance between them and the pine tree. He gave it a little consideration before he answered.
"Um...first, I'd crawl down this cliff in ten second. Jump over that stream at a narrow point, go around the right, where there's no brush, and finally, climb over that rock. I'd say getting there in a minute sounds good." Mimura said.
Takina didn't miss the grin that curled Karasuma's lips as he walked up to the edge of the cliff and turned to face them, the heels of his feet hanging off the edge of the cliff. Takina shifted, getting to her knees so she could peer over the cliff. She had a feeling something interesting was about to happen.
"Okay, I'll try going. Time me. This, is the application of the athletics and rock climbing from the first semester. What free-running cultivates, is the ability to gauge your psychical strength. Ukemi Technique. The ability to measure the distance to and the degree of danger of the footing in front of you. If you can do this, any location becomes a field possible for assassination."
Takina raised an eyebrow, watching as Karasuma dropped backwards off the cliff, flipping in mid-air to land on his feet at the bottom. Without missing a beat, he jumped into action, traversing up a rock face without ever questioning his footing. Another flip and he crossed the stream at it's widest point before he jumped up to a tree branch, and, from there, to the pine tree.
All in just ten seconds.
Takina let out a low whistle as, hanging from a tree branch with one arm, Karasuma brushed himself off with the other hand.
"A technique to move down a path that doesn't exist. If you train thoroughly and master this, it would even be possible to travel from building to building on foot. However, this is the same as explosives. If you attempt a high level technique as a beginner...it could lead to your death. The ground on this back mountain is soft and is well suited for training. Trying this in a dangerous area or outside this back mountain, or using techniques outside of the ones I teach are strictly forbidden. Got it?" Karasuma called.
The class agreed, calling "Got it!" back down to him.
"So...it's like parkour?"
Karasuma raised his eyes to Takina, where the girl was still kneeling at the edge of the cliff, looking down at him.
"Itamatsu...you know parkour?" he asked.
"What's parkour?" Kurahashi asked.
"It's a training discipline using movement that was originally developed from military obstacle course training. Practitioners, those called Traceurs, aim to get from one point to another in a complex environment without any assisting equipment, and in the fastest, most straight-forward way possible. Very similar to what Karasuma-sensei just did." Takina answered, getting to her feet. "Running, climbing, swinging, vaulting, jumping, polymetrics, rolling, quadrupedal movement...they're all deemed most suitable to achieve the goal, but my instructors always told me to never confuse it with free-running."
"What would be the difference, then?" Mimura asked.
"The most simplified way to distinguish the two is to know that parkour is characterized by the obstacles, while free-running is more about the movements required. Personally, I never really understood their point, nor cared. I always thought the differences were blurry. It got me smacked on more than one occasion." Takina replied, reaching up to idly rub at her head as she remembered. "In the end, the difference boils down to a difference in philosophies. Parkour is suppose to be an individual discipline of physical and mental control, while free-running is a more theatrical and social sport. Needless to say, my instructors looked down on free-running, insisting that parkour was better."
Karasuma had rejoined them by then, his eyes set on Takina. Yet another surprise for him, though, if he was being honest, after seeing how she moved in training, and even on the dance floor, it made sense. It made him wonder just to what extent Takina's father had gone to with training her.
And what was his intended goal with it.
Feeling his eyes on her, Takina looked up, her eyes meeting his. Right before his eyes, Karasuma watched as Takina's eyes grew cold, as if she was shutting down, attempting to keep from giving even the slightest thing away. When she did things like this, Karasuma had a hard time seeing a teenage girl. Instead, he saw a perfectly trained soldier.
"Anyway, I'm more interested in learning the differences for myself. Karasuma-sensei, you were saying?" Takina prompted, her silent cue for him to stop looking at her and get on with the lesson.
Karasuma cleared his throat, taking the opening. He would have to sit down and have a serious chat with Takina soon, try to find out more about her mystery of a father, but, for now, he had a class to teach.
He would leave the mystery to a later date.
END
Kyandi: Little does he know, there's a reason behind all of your skills.
Takina: Makes me wonder what your readers will say when they find out.
Kyandi: We'll see when we get there.
Takina: Should prove interesting.
Kyandi: I know, right? Anyway, let's wrap this up.
Takina: Bed time?
Kyandi: Yep! Everyone, please enjoy and review.
Takina: We'll be back as soon as possible.
Kyandi: Bye-bye