A/N: Alright, I wrote this oneshot as a submission for a fanfic contest on a discord server I'm part of. This takes place after the events of episode 3. Please read and review, and enjoy!

Assassination Classroom Episode 3.5: An Akahito Assassination!

"Alright, class dismissed everyone. Don't forget to do your homework." Korosensei announced as the bell rung.

The class collectively sweatdropped as their octopus teacher sulked and slithered out of the classroom. Except for Karma, who smirked with satisfaction at thwarting his teacher's joy.

Ah, I may not be able to kill him yet, but I'll settle for not letting him paint my nails and stuff until I come up with a better assassination plan.

"No trap today, Akabane-kun? I'm kinda surprised."

"Hm?" Karma turned his head to see Nagisa and a tall, blue-haired boy walking up to his desk before he replied "Oh, hey, Nagisa and…" Karma laughed "Sorry, just that I only really know Nagisa, ano…"

Nagisa took the hint and introduced "Right, sorry. Karma, this is Tomohito Sugino. He's kind of E Class's resident baseball expert."

"Ah, baseball, huh? You any good?"

Sugino chuckled and replied "Not really…I kept getting benched all the time, then I got depressed about it and let me grades slip, which landed me here in E Class."

Karma nodded understandingly and replied "Right, I get you." He leaned back in his chair and rested his hands behind his head before he smirked and lamented "Still, that might be a good way to kill the octopus. He'd never suspect that something as harmless as a baseball could be the thing that brings his untimely demise."

"…Funny you should mention that…" Sugino chuckled nervously before he sighed and admitted "…I already tried that before you arrived…it didn't work."

Karma's eyes flashed with interest as he looked at Sugino curiously before he grinned and asked "Is that so? That must be one interesting story indeed."

Sugino laughed and denied "Oh, I'm sure it wouldn't be that interesting, especially to someone who's actually succeeded in wounding Korosensei."

Karma stood up and approached his blue-haired classmate before he insisted "No, I really am interested. Come on, let's go grab some grub, all three of us. Food's on me…" He shoved his hand into his pocket and pulled out his wallet before he lightly shook it with a teasing smirk and continued "…or rather, it's on the octopus."

As they followed the former delinquent, Sugino whispered curiously in Nagisa's ear "What does he mean by it's on the octopus?"

"He pocketed Korosensei's wallet while he wasn't looking."

"Fascinating." Sugino whispered with admiration.

"Yeah, Karma's good at what he does alright. If Korosensei was as careless with his life as he was with his wallet, Karma's plans might have worked." Nagisa admitted.

"Yeah, they probably would have…" Sugino muttered as they continued to follow Karma, the boy's admiration for their new classmate growing within him.

XXX

"So wait, you're saying you stuck a bunch of Anti-Octopus BBs onto a baseball and tried to throw it at Korosensei?" Karma asked incredulously as he nibbled one of his fries.

"Y…yeah…sounds stupid in hindsight." Sugino lamented. "I mean, who'd think that anyone would tag someone with a fastball if they can move at Mach 20?"

"Hey, don't beat yourself up, Sugino; it was a good plan." Nagisa tried to comfort as he patted the boy's shoulder.

"Nagisa's right." Sugino stared at Karma incredulously as he gave a strangely reassuring smile and complimented "If nothing else, it's something creative that most people wouldn't see coming. And it plays to your strengths, so I'd say it wasn't half bad."

Sugino blinked in surprise, then smiled and replied "…Thanks…"

Karma nodded, then turned to Nagisa and asked "So, why didn't the plan kill the octopus, anyway? Something an innocent as a baseball normally wouldn't hurt him even if it did hit him right between the googly eyes, so…"

As Sugino sighed, Nagisa explained "He saw it coming and went to the shed to get a baseball glove so he could safely catch it."

"Ah…well, maybe next time." Karma shrugged.

"…Speaking of next time…" Sugino turned to Karma and reminded him "You never did explain why you didn't try and pull another attempt in class today, especially after being so relentless your first couple of days."

"Oh, that. Well…" Karma smiled ruefully as he shrugged and answered "I used up my best shot, and it didn't work. So I need to get a new best shot, or the octopus will turn my fingernails into canvases again."

Nagisa and Sugino smiled in amusement at the memory of how Korosensei had completely humiliated Karma after that first day. As Karma scowled at them, they dropped their amused expressions.

"So…what was your best plan, anyway?" Sugino asked curiously. "If you told me what it was, maybe we could try to incorporate some of it into one of our next…"

"You'll never want to incorporate that plan, I can tell you that much." Karma sighed and told Nagisa "Go ahead, Nagisa. Just tell him."

Nagisa nodded before he told Sugino "He purposely fell off a cliff while he was armed with an Anti-Korosensei pistol."

"Kami…" Sugino gasped. "I heard you were crazy from your reputation, but a kamikaze assassination…"

Karma shrugged and answered "Hey, it seemed like a win-win plan. If he proved himself to be an honest to goodness teacher and saved me, then he'd be too preoccupied to avoid my fatal shot. And if he chose to let me fall to preserve his own safety, then his façade as a true educator would be killed, and he'd be no better than any of the other teachers I've had."

"Kami…"

Karma sighed and lamented with a smile "In the end though, he outsmarted me…and proved me wrong in the process. I hate to say it, but that octopus is one hell of a teacher."

"You can say that again. We've all gotten better since he started teaching us." Sugino admitted. As Nagisa nodded in agreement, Sugino sighed "Well, guess that puts us back at square one. Nagisa's suicide bomber…"

"…Suicide bomber?" Karma interjected, his voice bleeding with curiosity.

Sugino nodded and explained "Yeah, Terasaka convinced Nagisa to wear a grenade filled with Anti-Korosensei BBs around his neck and walk up to him before setting it off."

"Wow! Nagisa, you sly devil you! I didn't know you had it in you!" Nagisa exclaimed with an impressed grin as he ruffled Nagisa's hair.

Sugino smiled as Nagisa laughed before he pushed Karma away.

Once they had settled down, Nagisa frowned and admitted "It didn't work, though. Apparently he sheds his skin once a month, and he used it as a protective cocoon to protect me from the blast while saving himself in the process. Then he got seriously pissed about how nobody cared that I would have been hurt by the blast…including me." Nagisa smiled as he admitted "…We all left class a little prouder of ourselves that day."

Karma nodded and replied "I see…" as he picked up another fry.

"Anyway, not only did that plan fail, but my fastball scheme failed, your kamikaze plan failed. Only your hidden knives stunt at the beginning had some measure of success, and even that…"

"Hidden knives…" Karma muttered as he interrupted Sugino. "Hidden knives…" His eyes widened in realization as he exclaimed "That's it!" He grinned and instructed "Sugino, meet me bright and early outside the school tomorrow. I got just the idea for how to take down the octopus!"

"Huh? But aren't you gonna tell us what it is?!"

"Nah, don't wanna risk anyone overhearing it before we put it into action. I wouldn't put it past the octopus to be conveniently walking in here in disguise." Karma stood up and walked out of the restaurant, boasting "Just wait, Korosensei. I hope you had your fill of that gelato you love so much, because after tomorrow you'll never have another one again!"

Sugino and Nagisa sweatdropped as the door closed behind him. The pair collectively sighed, admittedly curious as to what plan Karma had just concocted.

XXX

"Akabane-kun?" Sugino called out softly as he stood in front of the gates of Kunugigaoka. "I'm here early, where are…"

"Ah, Tomohito-kun, glad you could make it!"

"Ah!" Sugino exclaimed as he almost jumped before he held a hand to his rapidly beating heart and sighed. "Akabane-kun, don't do that! You almost gave me a heart attack!"

Karms smirked and pointed out "Hey, we're assassins, aren't we? Aren't assassins supposed to sneak up on their target?"

…Yeah, I can't argue with that… Sugino admitted to himself before he asked "Anyway, why'd you ask me to come so early? I doubt Korosensei is even here yet."

"Yeah, the octopus shouldn't be here, but just in case…" Karma glanced at the nearby shed and suggested "Let's take this conversation somewhere away from prying ears…or tentacles."

Sugino looked at Karma curiously before he shrugged and followed Karma into the shed.

He must have really thought this through if he wants to make sure nobody finds out about it…

XXX

"Alright, so why did we need to hide in the shed before class?"

Karma smirked and asked "How fast can you throw a baseball?"

"Well…my fastball didn't used to be so good, but after Korosensei showed me how to play to my strengths, I've gotten a lot better at it."

"Ah, I see, so the octopus helped to bring out your full potential…" Karma grinned and mused "Excellent; he has no idea that he's about to bring his own demise by making you a better pitcher!"

Sugino frowned and reminded him "Uh, don't you remember? My fastball assassination attempt was a total flop. I won't be able to catch him by surprise like I would have that first time."

"Maybe we don't have to." As Sugino looked at him incredulously, Karma asked "Remember when I first got here and I managed to wound the octopus with some shards of one of those special knives?" As Sugino nodded hesitantly, Karma pullet out an Anti-Korosensei survival knife as he exclaimed "We're gonna combine our two plans."

Sugino's eyes widened in realization as he asked "Are you gonna tear up one of those knives and tape the shards to a baseball?"

"You catch on quick, Tomohito."

Sugino frowned before he pointed out "Wait, those knives are a different color than the exterior of a baseball. The shards will stick out like a sore thumb if we use them."

Karma smirked and assured him "Don't worry, I've got that covered. Just go find a baseball; there must be tons in this shed. I'll dissect this knife here while you do that."

"Al…alright…" Sugino acquiesced before he left Karma alone. How's he gonna fix the obvious hole in this plan? Sugino wondered curiously as he looked around for a baseball.

XXX

"Wow, this is really clever, Akabane-kun." Sugino exclaimed as he watched Karma meticulously paint over the shards with a small paintbrush coated with white paint.

Karma smirked in satisfaction as he boasted "Hey, when you get my kind of reputation, you learn to back it up with precision as well as brute strength."

Sugino nodded before curiosity struck him and he couldn't help but ask "Ano…Akabane-kun? …Why do you hate teachers?"

Karma sighed and explained "I've always conflicted with authority figures; never gotten along with any of them. One year though, I had this homeroom teacher who told me he'd stand by me no matter what…and I believed the guy."

As Karma chuckled ruefully, Sugino guessed "…I take it he didn't keep his word?"

Karma shook his head and revealed "One day, I saw this student harassing another student, so I broke the guy's arm." As Sugino's eyes widened in shock, Karma continued "After the teacher found out, he lectured me about how I was in the wrong and how I had injured someone who had a bright future and how I shouldn't have stopped him from picking on a worthless piece of trash."

"…You're talking about someone from E Class…" Sugino realized as he wondered if he had met the victim at one point.

"Yeah, anyways, after that teacher started going on and on about how he had put up with my crap, I realized that he had lied to me the entire time; he didn't care about me like he said. At that point, my teacher had died to me, so I wrecked his office and never looked back. That was when my suspension began until I enrolled in E Class and received my orders to help take out the octopus. I thought I'd get a chance to kill an honest to goodness teacher…"

Karma smiled as he lamented "Never thought he'd actually turn out to be the best damn teacher I've ever had."

Sugino nodded and agreed "Yeah; he's helped get all our grades up, and he went so far as to molest a professional baseball player's joints just so he could nudge me into playing to my strengths."

"Heh, I almost feel bad for wanting to turn him into sushi." Karma admitted before he turned to face Sugino and held out the baseball. "Alright, so here's the plan…"

XXX

"Alright class, lunch time. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm off to Italy for an Italian Pizza." Korosensei announced as the bell rung and E Class filed out.

"Wait, Korosensei?"

"Hm? What is it, Sugino?" Korosensei asked as the blue-haired boy ran up to him.

"Well, sir, I was wondering if you'd help me practice my pitch outside? You see, after your encouragement before, I started thinking that I wanted to play professionally as a pitcher, and well…if I can tag someone who can move at Mach 20, then I'll be a shoe-in, right?"

Korosensei giggled as green stripes covered his head before he exclaimed "Well, isn't that rather presumptuous of you?" Once the octopus had settled down, he praised "Still, I like that you're shooting for the stars, Sugino. Tell me, do you really want to play professional baseball?"

"Yes sir! It's been my dream ever since I was a little kid! I thought I wasn't good enough, but thanks to you, sir, I realized that if I play to my strengths, I can make it!"

Tears streamed down Korosensei's cheeks as he cried "It's a teacher's dream to hear a student tell them that their teachings have helped to realize the passions of those they teach! Alright, it'll be my pleasure to help you practice your pitch!" He then turned his head to face Sugino as he asked "Oh, but what about lunch? It's the second most important meal of the day after all!"

Sugino held up a paper bag and said "Already got it covered! I'll just eat it on the way to the clearing where I tried to assassinate you!"

"Well then, let's go play ball!" Korosensei exclaimed as he quickly slithered down the hall.

Sugino sweatdropped at his teacher's enthusiasm before he followed the energetic octopus while he reached into his lunch bag and munched on his sandwich.

Alright, Phase One is now complete! I hope you're in position, Karma!

XXX

"Alright Sugino, want me to stand here?" Korosensei asked as he stood across from his pupil.

Sugino smiled and nodded before he assented "Sure, that's good, Korosensei."

"Alright then, give me everything you've got!" The octopus challenged as he briefly pounded one tentacle into another.

"You got it, sir!"

Sugino smiled confidently as he drew back his arm before he brought it forward and threw as hard as he could.

That's it! Closer, closer, closer! YES! We assassinated…NANI?!

Sugino's jaw dropped as he saw Korosensei's spare tentacle holding a baseball glove, the modified baseball resting comfortably in the middle of its grasp.

"My, that was quite the throw, Sugino. The speed of your throw is much improved from your first assassination attempt, and if you weren't aiming for my heart, you would have ahd a decent chance of causing a batter to miss!"

"B…but…how…"

"How'd I know this was secretly an assassination attempt? Well, since you already tried this once, it makes further requests for baseball practice more suspicious. Not to mention, when we arrived, I could smell Karma's odor, so I knew something was up. Once I deduced this was an assassination attempt, I zipped over to the supply shed while your back was turned for a handy solution."

Sugino sighed and called out "Alright Akabane-kun, the trap's a dud, so come on out."

Karma walked out from his hiding spot and lamented "Well, it was worth a try at least. Guess that's one more plan for the trash pile."

"Still, I am curious about your plan, so let's see how you planned to kill me with this baseball…" Korosensei's eyes narrowed on the flat glints of light reflecting off several points of the baseball as he observed "My, are these shards of Anti-Me daggers taped onto the baseball? Kudos for using paint as camouflage so they wouldn't stick out like the Anti-Me BBs from the last time."

He saw right through us… They collectively lamented as they hung their heads in defeat.

Korosensei giggled as he tossed the baseball and glove aside before his tentacles dug into his jacket and pulled out containers of nail polish, blush, and lipstick.

"Now Karma, I can finally make you look nice and pretty again. And Sugino, why don't you join in on the fun too?"

Karma and Sugino gulped as Korosensei continued to giggle and slither over to them, beauty products in tow as his victims lamented the impending loss of their masculinity.

XXX

"You guys look like you came back from a date at the beauty parlor!" Nagisa giggled as Sugino and Karma blushed as red as the blush and lipstick that decorated their faces.

"SHUT UP!" They exclaimed in unison, embarrassed at having to come back to class with makeup.

"Alright class, settle down and take your seats." Korosensei ordered as he slithered behind his desk. "Now, take out your math textbooks and let's talk about."

Karma and Sugino sighed as they did as their teacher ordered, staring at the complex artworks that now decorated their fingernails.

Well, this was a dud…but it was kind of fun in its own way… They admitted to themselves as they turned to glance at each other with friendly smiles before they turned back to look at their teacher and focused on the lesson.