Hello

This is just a little idea I've had since chapter 8 of My Child Assassin, which was back in...January I think.

Speaking of, if you happen to be a reader of My Child Assassin or The Wildflower, I promise I'll update soon. For now, here's this one-shot to make up for my inactivity.

Disclaimer: I don't own Assassination Classroom.

In a rather nice house gathered a family of four.

The table they currently occupied was a place of laughter, jokes, and light-hearted banter. Silence was never welcomed among them, no matter how loud or obnoxious they were; it never suited them anyway.

Tonight however, they found themselves trapped in a thick atmosphere of tension and gloom. No words were exchanged for no one had the will or desire to open a conversation, even if briefly. No one was up for the banter they actively partook in. Tonight, silence sat as the guest of honor.

Nakamura Akio glanced up at his daughter for possibly the umpteenth time, not detecting the minutest of changes in Rios slumped poster. Her dull expression remained as it was the last he'd seen it, and the slow speed with which she moved her utensils had stayed without any moderation.

He didn't steal as many glances as Ken did though; it felt like he was looking at his sister every single minute. Ever the concerned older brother, he was practically Rio's third parent.

Rei on the other hand, kept her head low, not wanting to look at their daughter, or even be with her in the same room.

No surprise there. Rei, beneath that calm, amicable exterior, was a very emotional woman. No matter how high her walls were, they failed to hold back her tears in the face of a simple white sheet that condemned their daughter to the infamous End Class; to say Rei had not taken it well would be an colossal understatement.

Worst of all, Rio hadn't bothered to give them an explanation, and she hadn't even bothered to try and come up with one. Akio was fine with the most preposterous of excuses! He just needed to know what the hell happened that lead his daughter- his genius daughter – down to the lowest ranks of Kunugigaoka.

It still baffled him how drastic the switch from genius prodigy to problematic delinquent had been, and although it happened right before his eyes, Akio still failed to conceive the unfortunate reality—that Rio was no longer that gifted girl he and Rei had been so proud of, that mature and dependable daughter they had trusted so much.

Then Rio starts getting in trouble with both her classmates and teachers. Akio still remembered that day she first got suspended after playing a so-called "harmless prank" on one of her classmates; it was the day his trust in Rio began to wither.

Similar incidents followed soon after, Akio lost track of how many times he and Rei had been called by the school due to their daughter's new attitude. Fights, pranks, skipping classes, and even running away from school!

Without any explanation, they found themselves with many questions, the first being why? Why did Rio do this to herself? What happened to that first-grader who aced six-year level exams? The Rio who once got reported on TV thanks to her intellect?

The sound of a chair moving brought him back to reality. Akio looked up to see his daughter had stood up and was leaving. Ken also watched her, Rei just kept her head low.

"Rio."

The name rested on the tip of his tongue, but he failed to utter it. 'Not now.' He told himself as he watched Rio's retreating back until it disappeared behind the wall in between the kitchen and the hallway.

The man suppressed a sigh and returned to his meal. He'll talk to her later.

"Dad, doors don't open if you stare at them hard enough."

Akio shot his son an irritated look. Ken, who was leaning by the wall behind his father, merely shrugged.

"You've been standing there for ages."

"Yes, Captain Obvious, I already know that." He turned back to the door and finally knocked on the door, not at all surprised by the lack of response.

"Maybe you should wait until tomorrow." The nineteen-year-old suggested. "She's not gonna talk."

Ken watched his father walking enter the room regardless, and honestly? He couldn't say he was surprised. The man's desire to talk to Rio was reflected in the many glances he had casted at her during dinner and Ken knew his father well; if he wanted to talk to you, he will eventually.

The young man's lips curled into a small smile, feeling confident that things will work out. After all, his father was the reason gloom barely ever visited this house.

He found her curled underneath the blanket, but Akio didn't need to see her face to know she was still awake. After all, it was still too early and Rio never went to bed before 1:30 PM anyway.

With a deep breath, the man walked over and sat on the edge of the bed. He didn't say anything immediately as he wanted to give Rio the chance to speak first, even if it were a simple "go away!"

But she didn't take that chance, much to the man's dismay.

Akio placed a tender hand on Rio's head, feeling her tense slightly under the cover.

"Rio?" He asked, receiving no response. "Rio, we need to talk."

Nothing

"I'm not angry, kiddo." 'Not anymore, at least.'

Silence. The man furrowed his brow. 'I just want an explanation.'

No; explanation carried the implication of anger whenever spoken by parents—the classical "Do you have an explanation for this?" complimented by a hard glare. It might discourage Rio from opening up, and that's not what Akio wanted.

"I just wanna understand why." He said softly, hoping his tone and choice of words would have the desired effects on his daughter. 'I want to listen to what you have to say.'

"I want to listen to your side of the story." He said instead because the one in his head just didn't sound as warm and encouraging. Who knows, maybe it was because of the unpleasant "What do you have to say to yourself?" no child liked to hear their parents say? Was Akio being too cautious here?

Rio clutched the blanket tightly—a clear indication she did not want to talk. The man suppressed a sigh, not wanting to show his disappointment and potentially guilt-trip her. Maybe he should've listened to Ken and waited till tomorrow, maybe Rio would like that?

"Do you wanna talk tomorrow?"

It was a simple yes or no question, yet he got neither.

Akio suppressed another sigh, dissatisfied with how his one-sided conversation was going. He was about leave when seemingly brilliant idea popped into his head.

With a mischievous grin, the man leaned down to his daughter's ear. "Orio~"

"Mmmn." The girl groaned in annoyance.

Akio's grin widened at the somewhat, verbal response. "What's that, Orio?"

"Dad." She growled and clutched the blanket even tighter.

Okay, there was some progress; now he just needed to try something else to keep it going, and that's when another, seemingly brilliant idea popped into his head.

"DAD!" The blonde yelled when she suddenly found herself being mercilessly tickled from all sides.

Akio laughed when Rio finally sat up, grabbed his hand, and repeatedly slapped it.

"Ouch! Okay, okay!" He said between laughter while rubbing his hand. "But, y'know, it's not my fault you're so ticklish!"

"Shut up!" Rio glared at her father and was about to sink back into her makeshift cocoon of misery when a large hand firmly grasped her shoulder.

"We need to talk, kid." Akio said, his tone leaving no room for argument.

The girl stared back at him, her eyes bluntly telling him she did not want to talk, ever. However, Rio also knew that this conversation was unavoidable; if her father wanted to talk, he will talk eventually.

Finally, and reluctantly, Rio sighed and let go of the blanket. "What do you wanna talk about?" Her voice was dull, lacking it usual livelihood. "You saw the paper, didn't you?"

"I just wanna understand why?" He said softly, lifting up his daughter's chin so that their eyes could meet. "I wanna hear your side of the story."

Rio stared at him blankly. "My side?" She turned away and sighed. "It's…it's stupid."

"I don't care, I'll listen."

"It's really stupid."

"Tell me."

The girl sighed again and shrugged. "I just…I didn't wanna be a genius anymore."

"Okay?" Akio said slowly, waiting for some elaboration.

Rio kept quiet, hesitance apparent in her eyes. The man racked his brains in search of something that will prompt her to continue.

"Whatever it is, I don't think it's stupid, Rio." He said.

"It is." She insisted.

"No." He shook his head. "If it had this much of an impact on you, then it's clearly something serious."

Rio's eyes widened when her father suddenly, but gently, pulled her to his side. His other hand rested on top of hers to offer more comfort.

"Just tell me what it is, kiddo." He said softly. "We'll get through this together, okay?"

"I just…" She shrugged again. "I just didn't wanna be smart anymore." She paused. "It sucked."

"Really?"

The girl took a deep breath and unconsciously leaned closer to her father's side. "I mean, it was cool and all to get the highest grade, and ace tests and," She chuckled softly. "Get reported on TV; that was pretty awesome."

Akio smiled warmly at the memory. He'd only found out about that interview after Rio had gotten home and told him. Even as he had been watching it, he still couldn't believe that that was his little girl smiling confidently at the camera. He also remembered Rei shedding proud tears when she had gotten back home.

"But, you know," Rio carried on. "I stared hating it because…."

"Yeah?" He nodded, urging her to continue.

"It sucked." She finally said. "All the other kids…they wouldn't get perfect scores like me, but it was totally cool with them. They'd joke and laugh and goof around and just…y'know, have fun."

The man stayed quiet, knowing she'll continue on her own.

"Then there's me." She sighed. "Little miss smarty-pants with the perfect grades, total nerd." She chuckled bitterly. "She didn't fit in with all the other kids; she probably has fun solving math equations, anyway."

Akio frowned, not liking Rio's tone and description of herself.

"I wanted that, y'know? Having friends to talk to, getting worked up over a simple problem I couldn't solve, and…just being normal." She paused again, feeling her shame and sadness hit her once more. "So I…you know, did all that dumb shit I did because…because…"

"You wanted to be an idiot so you can have friends?" Akio asked carefully.

Rio nodded sadly. "Yeah, pretty much." She sighed again, not meeting her father's gaze. "Toldja it was stupid."

Well…it sorta was, actually. Yet at the same, Akio understood her reasoning. He had been a teenager once, and had gone through the inevitable phase of trying to fit in.

"Go ahead, say it." Rio said dejectedly. "Tell me I'm an idiot."

"I get it."

"Huh?"

"It was lonely, right? Being so smart." He said. "Always getting high grades, being called a prodigy, it made you different, and in a bad way."

"Yeah." She said quietly. "It sucked."

Akio gently smoothed back her hair. 'But Rio,' He wanted to say. 'You could've made friends without letting your grades slip, or getting into trouble.'

No, he understood why she did this—to truly belong, something she wouldn't have been able to do had she remained a bright and well-behaved student. To her so-called "friends", it would've appeared that she was faking, that she was actually this goody two shoes who didn't have the guts for the things they saw as "thrilling". She wouldn't have been "cool" enough for them.

But at the same time, that wasn't a proper justification. In fact, nothing can ever justify neglecting school work and problematic behavior. He understood her reasoning, but he didn't agree with it.

Which pegs the question: What now? What should he say next? Tell her why she shouldn't have done this to herself? Well, it seemed to be the right call, but…It was plain to see how much she regretted her actions, was there truly a need for that lecture?

"Okay." He finally said. "Here's the deal:"

"Hm?" The girl looked up to meet her father's gaze.

"No expectations." He began. "No top marks, just finish junior high."

Rio regarded the man with bewilderment; of all the things she'd expected her father to say, this wasn't one of them. She had been bracing herself for a "Are you serious, Rio?" accompanied by a disappointed look. Maybe a "That's no excuse to let your grades slip", or heck, for her father to just wordlessly walk out of the room!

"What do you mean?"

"Just do your best." Akio said. "Get through this year, that's all I'm asking."

"Aren't you mad?" She asked him. "You're not gonna say it was stupid?"

"No?"

"…"

"What? You want me to say that?"

The girl shook her head. "No, it's just…Like I said, it's stupid and you should be yelling at me for being an idiot!"

Akio shrugged. "There's no point getting angry now; it's not gonna change what happened, is it?"

That did little to disperse his daughter's bafflement. In fact, his words only seemed to add more confusion.

"I get it, Rio." He explained. "You wanted to fit in and have friends. Being a genius made this distance between you and the other kids. I think they saw you as…I dunno, above them?"

"Yeah…." She looked down.

"No one wants to be friends with a know-it-all, right?" Akio continued. "So you played dumb because otherwise, you'd be stuck with "nerdy, good-goody smarty-pants" label." He laughed slightly. "Or whatever it is you youngsters say these days."

A small, amused smile crept up to the girl's face. "Yeah…we don't say that, dad."

The amusement then left her face. "You're seriously not mad, though?"

"No." He assured her. "Look, I get it. I used to be a teenager too, you know? I've done some stupid shit I'm not proud of today."

"Like what?" Rio asked curiously.

Akio glanced sideways in discomfort, not sure if he should tell her about his teen years, but then again, maybe it would help to show her just what an idiot he had been back in high school.

"…Locker room talks." He finally said with a large amount of reluctance.

"Oh."

"I mean," The man rubbed his neck sheepishly. "Back then, I just wanted to fit in with the guys and not come off as this up-tight, self-righteous geek who's probably still a virgin."

"Were you?"

"Huh?"

"A virgin." Rio smiled slyly. "Were you still a virgin when you graduated?"

"…" The man regarded her bemusedly. "Is that seriously all you pulled out of what I just said?"

The girl shrugged, still smiling. "Hey, it's an important question."

Akio decided he was officially done with his daughter.

"The point is," He continued. "I was an idiot back then and I'm not proud of it. I still cringe when I think back to those time and wonder what the hell was my sixteen-year-old self thinking anyways."

"Okay, but when did you lose your virginity?"

"And that's why," He regarded the girl with a look that told her to be serious here. "I get it. Being a teenager is all about being an idiot and doing stupid things you'll regret later, and all just to fit in."

Rio hummed as she let her father pull her to his side again.

"I'm not gonna yell at you 'cause I can see you already regret it. That's all that matters to me—that you learned from your mistakes."

Rio nodded against her father's shoulder, smiling when his fingers carded through her hair.

"Plus, you're still a kid; you're allowed to make mistakes, anyway." Akio added with a smile. "It's normal. You're being a normal teenager."

The blonde smiled back, feeling those words, particularly that last sentence, lift up her spirits.

"And…" His expression grew remorseful. "We uh…we should've known better than to expect so much from a kid."

"It's fine." She pulled back to give her father a reassuring smile.

"No, prodigy or not, you were still a kid." He sighed and cupped her cheek. "Your mom and I should've known better."

Rio grimaced. "Mom…."

"Give her some time." He hugged her. "I'll talk to her when she feels better."

Rio nodded sadly against her father's shoulder, feeling her guilt resurfacing when she recalled her mother's tears. 'Gotta make it up to her somehow.' She told herself.

Akio then pulled her back to meet her gaze. "Think of E Class as a fresh start, Rio. No expectations, no super high grades, no need to get reported on TV, no more Ms. Genius prodigy." He smiled warmly. "Be a kid, have fun!"

Rio smiled back. "Okay."

"But," He quickly said and held up his index finger. "No disrespecting your teachers or getting in trouble with your classmates. You can have fun, but don't take it too far, okay? You learned your lesson, right?"

"Yeah, yeah. I get it." The girl waved her hand dismissively.

Akio nodded, smiling. "Good."

That was it, their conversation was over. Silence fell over them—a kind much more pleasant than the one they had been suffocating in during dinner.

"Oh, by the way, you're grounded."

'Eh?'

Rio gawked at her father, trying to decipher the slightest hint that her dad was joking. He had to be joking, his bright smile was proof of that, right? There was some mischief glinting in his eyes; that meant he was joking, right? Right?

"And since you're grounded," He continued, laying his stunned daughter down on the bed before throwing the blanket over her. "You get a strict curfew!"

'He's serious?!'

"The hell?!" Rio quickly sat back up to give her father a deadly glare. Her irritation only doubled when Akio casually patted her head.

"Well, you see, kid, there's something in life called consequences."

Rio slapped his hand away, still glaring at the grinning man. "You said it yourself, I learned my lesson!"

"Yeah, but that doesn't mean you're off the hook, kiddo." He shrugged. "That's not how things work."

Rio groaned. "Dad…."

"Sorry, kid, I don't make the rules."

Rio groaned again and let herself fall back on the bed. "Now you're just being annoying!"

"Nope, I'm being a parent."

"Yeah, an annoying one!"

The man chuckled. "That's parents for ya!"

Rio let out an irritated sigh, but smiled nonetheless.

Her dad...the guy was infuriating sometimes, really, really infuriating, and Rio'd be lying if she said she didn't want to wack him so much right now.

"I hate you so much."

Akio laughed and flicked her nose. "Sure you do."

And yet, she still loved this big idiot. Contrasting his irksome self was Nakamura Akio's understanding nature. He was a man who detested anger, preferring instead to clear his mind and search for better alternatives. He was practically a saint, and Rio couldn't ask for a better father.

Her smile widened when a large hand rested on her head and smoothed back her hair.

"Get some sleep, kiddo." Akio said softly, draping the blanket over her again, properly this time.

"Okay."

Nodding, the man stood up and walked towards the door.

"Hey, dad?"

"Yeah?" He turned back to meet her gaze.

Rio's smile had not dispersed. "Thanks for the pep talk."

Akio returned the smile. "Anytime, Orio."

A pillow collided with his face.

"Way to ruin the moment." The girl crossed her arms and glared.

"You used to love that name!" Akio said, tossing the pillow back at her.

"Emphasis on used to!" She huffed, placing the pillow back down on the bed and lied back down. "Now go away!"

Akio chuckled and turned the lights off. "Good night, Rio."

Ah, the amount of times I've had to rewrite the outline...I'm finally glad I posted it.

I do plan on writing more Nakamura family stories, I just need to...write them...yeah...

Later, though, I'm still busy with my two ongoing fics, which I will update...eventually.