So in February I released a fanfic called Western Classroom, which was an entry for a contest between me and friends on Discord. This here is another contest entry. Hope you enjoy.
Disclaimer: I don't own Assassination Classroom. Assassination Classroom is owned by Yusei Matsui and Shuiesha.
"Strike Three!" Sugino growled as he raised his bat and slammed it down, sending up a small cloud of dust.
"What's up with you today Sugino?" his coach said irritably as he stalked up to him.
"Sorry, I'm sorry." Sugino sighed as he picked his bat back up.
"We have a championship game soon! We need everyone to be at their best!" the couch said sternly.
"Come on Coach, give Slither here a break." Shindo said as he walked up to them. The couch looked at him.
"Shindo?"
"Slither's been having some troubles in life. He needs time to pick himself up!" Shindo said as he put his hands on his friend's shoulder and led him away.
"Whatcha doing Shindo? I can still play." Sugino protested. The bigger man shook his head as he pushed Sugino along.
"Come on dude, we can all tell that you're not yourself. Say, don't you have that dinner with that friend of yours?" Shindo asked rhetorically.
"Well, yeah, but-"
"But nothing. Come on, let's go." Shindo said as he lined Sugino up with the locker room door. Shindo ignored Sugino's protests and kicked him inside. Sugino sighed as he got up and walked over to the showers.
'Might as well. Not like Shindo's gonna let me do otherwise.' he thought as he undressed and turned on the shower. He closed his eyes as he felt the warm water spray him. He stood like this for a bit before suddenly punching the wall. He hissed and brought his fist away, revealing a small crack. He looked down at his fist with a sad look.
'You should get over it already. Get your head in the game, and play it properly.' he thought as he turned off the water, not in the mood to take a proper shower. He quickly dried off and dressed in his spare clothes, white shirt and shorts, before walking out, bag in hand.
"Alright, have fun tonight. We'll see you tomorrow or the day after." Shindo encouraged as he turned Sugino around and pushed him away from the field. Sugino threw a glance over his shoulder before turning back to the sidewalk.
'Who knows? Maybe this night can really cheer me up.' Sugino thought to himself with a smile.
-Line Break-
"F*ck! Sh*t, son of a b*tch!" Sugino cursed as he kicked his car, smoke leaking out the side of the hood. He groaned as he walked over to the back of the car and pulled open the trunk, taking out his bag and slamming the door shut. He gave one more kick, jerking the car slightly and leaving a large dent. He glared at said dent.
"And now I have to get this fixed." he growled as he stalked away, heading to his home a few miles away in the city. A honk made him look up as a Model XI Tesla pulled up next to him. The door opened, revealing a smirking redhead inside.
"Slithery Sugino! How are you doing?"
"Hey there Karma. How've you been?" Sugino greeted.
"Good. I see you're walking. Anything to do with the smoking car back there?" Karma said as he gestured to the car back there. Sugino sighed as he nodded.
"Yeah. The car was, uh, pretty old."
"I bet it was. Get in, let's go to the restaurant." Karma said.
"I still gotta change into better clothes. I want to look a little better." Sugino said.
"You want to walk the next couple of miles?" Karma challenged as he gestured. Sugino looked at the long road in front of him in silence. Five seconds later, his bag was in the backseat and Sugino was sitting in the passenger seat.
"You like driving American cars huh?" Sugino commented. Karma gave a hum in response. Sugino eyed his former classmate. The redhead was dressed in a black jacket and dark blue jeans, with his hair styled with gel. Sugino noticed how there was an ashtray semi-filled with cigarette remains. A pack of cigarettes were sitting on the dashboard within arm's reach in front of Karma.
"Say Karma, why did you invite me along anyways?" Sugino questioned as Karma lit one of his cigarettes before driving off.
"Well, you know Nagisa. He's a worrier. If I keep coming to visit alone, he'll start nagging me about not being social."
"Yeah, I guess that does sound like Nagisa." Sugino said as he looked out the window. They were silent before eventually pulling up in front of Sugino's apartment complex.
"I'll just be a minute." Sugino said as he hopped out and grabbed his bag. Karma nodded and grabbed the ashtray. He walked over to the trash and tossed the contents inside as Sugino hurried up to his apartment and walked in. Sugino stopped to look around at the inside of his home. It was mostly empty. Just a couch, an armchair, an empty square where a painting used to be. Sugino walked into his room, where a queen-sized bed sat. Sugino frowned at the sight of it before walking over to his closet after tossing his bag to the side.
Karma was sitting in his car, smoking a new cigarette when the passenger car opened and Sugino sat down. He had changed from his white shirt and shorts to black jeans and a black leather jacket. He had also put on a black beanie and a pair of sunglasses with a face mask.
"A disguise?"
"I don't want girls to pay attention to me. They're like sharks when they only know one side." Sugino said.
"I guess that's true." Karma shrugged as he put out his cigarette. He pulled out of the parking lot and drove away from the complex.
"So. Where are we going for the night?" Sugino asked as he watched the buildings pass by, chin resting on his hand.
"A sushi-and-BBQ place near the docks. I always go there three times a year. That good with you?" Karma said as he drove. Sugino paused, his hand coming down as he sat straight. The car was filled with silence for a few minutes.
"Yeah. Let's go there." Sugino answered.
-Line Break-
"Welcome! Oh, Mr Red! Is this a friend?" a waitress greeted as the two men walked in.
"Yep. So I'll have my usual, but he might need a menu." Karma said, his face obscured by a pair of regular glasses and his hair slicked back, revealing his full forehead. When questioned about changing his appearance, he simply said 'replace the fangirls with the media.'
"I'll just take what he's having." Sugino quickly said.
"Very well! Your usual table is waiting, Mr Red. Please enjoy you two!" she said cheerfully as she walked away. Karma led Sugino over to said table, where the two sat down on cushions across from each other. Sugino pulled off his facemask as they were served some ice tea. He took a quick sip, letting the cold drink trickle down his throat.
"So. What did I get myself into?" Sugino asked dryly as he looked at Karma, who smirked before taking his own sip.
"Nothing too bad. Just indulging ourselves for a while." Karma said as he drank more ice tea.
"Hm…" Sugino narrowed his eyes at Karma. Soon came a platter of eel sushi for each of them. Sugino looked at it in silence.
"Eat up." Karma said as he picked up a pair of chopsticks and plucked one before popping it into his mouth. Sugino silently copied this movement and began eating as well.
"Hm, I wish we could have a cup of sake to go along with this. Sushi tastes best with sake. Unfortunately, I don't let anyone but me drive my car." Karma said as he took a drink from his tea.
"Well I'm not drinking much either, since alcohol might ruin my abilities in games." Sugino said as he took his own drink. They fell silent for a while as they ate. They soon finished their eel platters.
"Man, that was delicious." Sugino sighed as he wiped his mouth.
"We're just getting started." Karma said as the waitress walked over and set down two rice and steak bowls.
"You have enough money for the both of us, right?" Sugino said as he picked up a spoon.
"Yeah, don't worry." Karma chuckled. The two slowly began relaxing more, and they began talking about certain things, like teammates and co-workers. Sugino was amused to learn that the redhead wasn't much different from when he was in middle school, having recently filled one of his co-worker's coffee mug with spoonfuls of black pepper and salt.
"Classic Karma." Sugino said as he ate his food.
"I gotta keep myself feared in this world. He was lucky I held back so much." Karma said after swallowing a spoonful of rice and meat.
"Oh yeah, he was." Sugino nodded.
"Here you are." the waitress said as she put down a pair of plates, with delicious-looking gyoza on top.
"Thank you!" Sugino smiled at the waitress, who smiled back and walked away. Sugino turned back to Karma.
"This sure is a lot of food Karma. You normally eat this much?"
"Every time, three times a year." Karma said as he took one of his gyoza and bit into it.
"Well, it's good food." Sugino said as he bit into his own piece.
"Yep. One more meal after this. Then we go fishing." Karma said.
"Fishing? What's in season?"
"Mackerel, conger, sea eel, and Japanese flying squid." Karma listed on his fingers.
"Hm, what exactly can we do with that?" Sugino mused as he ate another piece of gyoza.
"I dunno. Just sell 'em?"
"Where will we sell all that?"
"Come on, let's just go!" Karma insisted.
"Alright, alright." Sugino rolled his eyes as he finished his food. The two continued to talk as they ate. Soon enough, Sugino leaned back in his chair and patted his stomach.
"Okay, that was pretty good." Sugino burped into the back of his hand. "Whoo. Excuse me."
"Now, we go fish." Karma said as he paid the bill.
"Sure. Let's go. Sugino shrugged as he stood up. The two walked out of the restaurant. They got into the car and Karma drove off, heading to the docks. The car was filled with silence again, before Karma made a sudden stop. Sugino glanced over to him as Karma got out and walked into a liquor store, coming out with small bottles of alcohol.
'Vodka?' Sugino frowned in thought as Karma got in. He nodded to himself in understanding when he remembered the destination plan Karma had told him.
-Line Break-
"Here we are!" Karma said happily as he got out of the car. Sugino got out as well and took a deep breath through his nose. A wave of humid, yet salty air filled it. It was almost a little heavy on his skin. This was certainly the sea during the summer.
"Sugino!" the baseball star's hand shot up and caught a long plastic stick, one with more weight on the other end. Sugino looked at the grey fishing rod. He tossed it up and caught it by the handle. Karma walked by with his red fishing rod and a blue cooler filled with sodas. The two made their way to the end of the docks, looking out at the black sea, with the moon shining off the surface.
"Let's get started." Karma said. Sugino nodded, and the two quickly hooked their bait. Sugino swung back and launched the hook around ten feet into the sea. Karma looked at how far he had launched the hook and repeated the motion, but launched it further than Sugino. Sugino looked at Karma, before pulling the hook back and launching it further. Karma pulled his hook back as well and launched it. The two looked at each other before pulling back their hooks and launching them at the same time. The hooks flew through the air and landed in the water with a plop. The two men looked towards it in silence.
"...So who won?"
"I, can't tell. It's too far." the two stood in silence.
"This is childish." Karma grumbled.
"I guess we haven't grown all that much." Sugino agreed. The two stood in silence as they waited for something to bite.
"Say, Karma."
"Yeah Sugino?"
"Why the sudden invitation?"
"Huh?"
"Sure, we belonged to the same friend group and had the same best friend… but we ourselves aren't so close. Especially for something like tonight." Sugino stated. Karma hummed.
"I guess that is something to wonder about."
"So? What's the reason?"
"If you don't reach out before or when someone is falling, they'll hit the ground." Karma says bluntly. Sugino looked at him in surprise.
"Uh, what?"
"One of our friends fell over. I didn't reach out to catch them. They hit the ground." Karma says. Sugino's eyes widened.
"Karma! I'm not-!"
"I know, I know. I just want to reach out before you start falling."
"Wha- I'm not about to fall!"
"Really? I noticed something's missing from your fingers." Sugino fell silent. Karma pulled the hook a bit closer to himself during the silence.
"So?" he said after a few seconds.
"... How did you know?"
"I saw the news. You were in your usual salute, grabbing the bill of your cap and just grinning. The grin wasn't as bright though, you were playing worse than usual, and your fingers were bare."
"Nothing gets past you, huh?"
"I can't afford that in the world of politics."
"Yeah… good point." Sugino sighed as he adjusted his fishing line.
"What happened?"
"... It, it just, it just wasn't working out."
"You and Kanzaki. You two divorced." Karma said bluntly. Sugino took a breath as he closed his eyes.
"Yeah, yeah. We, we did. She didn't cheat on me, I didn't cheat on her, we didn't have a big argument. It just, felt like the thing to do. So we did that." Sugino said.
"Why?"
"...I don't know. It's just, well, I guess I finally saw the mask."
"The mask?"
"Yeah. Yukiko, well, I loved her. That's pretty obvious. It wasn't just some attraction, or a crush. And she loved me! Just, not in the same way."
"She didn't love you romantically."
"Nope." Sugino sighed. "When I asked her out, she said yes out of kindness. She was just being nice. I was determined to change that. I was determined to make her say yes again. I thought I made a nice impression on her. And after a while, I thought I did it. I thought she loved me the way I loved her. So I got on one knee, and she said yes. We got married, and-"
"You were happy?"
"Yeah. Yeah, we were. We loved each other, and soon I decided I wanted a kid. But Yukiko said no." Sugino sat down with a grunt, legs swinging over the dark water. Karma joined him, taking a soda out of the cooler and popping off the lid with a bottle opener while holding the fishing pole in-between his legs. Sugino took the bottle opener and copied him to take a swig of the sugary drink, letting the sharp pricks of the bubbles cover his tongue for a second before swallowing.
"I didn't push it. I thought she just needed more time. But I guess that was my first hint. As time went on, she started saying no to a lot of things and shy away from other things. Soon, she didn't want to hug, didn't want to kiss, didn't want to cuddle, didn't want to eat dinner together, didn't even want to sleep in the same bed, though she didn't always make it obvious. There was a gap between us, slowly getting wider, and wider." Sugino sighed as he took another drink. Karma hummed as he took his own drink.
"After a while, I took a step back, and looked at us from an outsider's perspective. And I realized, it was all a mask. To be fair to Yukiko, she thought it was genuine as well. But in the end, she just didn't look at me the way we thought she did. I tried again, trying to get her to fall for me. But eventually, I realized that we're better apart. Our marriage was a shackle, so we talked, and we decided that it would be better for us if we split. So we did. Now she can actually find someone who she can love."
"You still want that to be you." Karma's statement rang true, and Sugino gritted his teeth.
"It doesn't matter. I was a shackle for her, and now I'm not. She doesn't have to limit herself." Sugino crushed the bottle in his hand and dropped the shards next to him. Karma looked at his hand from the corner of his eye, noticing the blood. Sugino cursed as he carefully pulled out the glass in his hand. Karma stood and scooped out some ice from the cooler. He handed it to Sugino, who squeezed carefully with his bloodied hand.
"Sugino."
"I know. 'There's bigger fish in the sea! This might be for the best! If you love her, her being happy will make you happy!' I've heard it from my teammates." Sugino grumbled as he watched the water turn pink and drip down onto the wood.
"Sugino."
"What?" the baseball star said exasperatedly.
"Whoever said the last one is a d*ck." Karma said bluntly.
"Ha. Yeah, he is." Karma passed Sugino a roll of bandages, and the baseball star wrapped his hand up. The two fell into silence again.
"I'm not the best at this. Nagisa could do a much better job than I am right now." Karma said after a minute. Sugino stayed silent.
"But, even if we weren't as close to each other as we were with other members of our group, we still are part of the same group. And I still want to reach out to you." Karma explained.
"This is about him, isn't it?" the two fell into silence again.
"It might be selfish, but I don't want to feel the way I've been feeling lately. If it means I can prevent this feeling, I'll reach out to anyone. Even if they're at the other side of the galaxy." Karma said.
"Well. I don't want to feel that way either." Sugino nodded.
"Sugino?"
"Yeah?"
"Let's go to the mountain and spar every now and then."
"Like in 3-E?"
"Like in 3-E."
"Well, I might be rather rusty."
"I'll just beat you into shape."
"You'll do that anyways."
"You know it." The two laughed for a few seconds, their voices sounding out over the sea, like a cloud of fog covering the area.
"We might be here for a while. That bout of laughter might've scared away some fish." Karma grumbled as he took out another bottle.
"Yeah."
"Is there anything else you want to say? About your situation?"
"... Yeah."
"Go ahead. We have a couple hours." Karma said. Sugino took a breath, and began to talk. He talked about how empty his house felt. How cold his bed was. How lifeless the rooms were. How it felt to see others together, while being alone himself. How even with all that, he couldn't bear to move due to the memories. He talked for hours, even as they pulled in several fishes, up until the sun rose. It was around 6 o'clock when they finally loaded back into the car.
"Not a bad night. We caught some things, let some more out." Karma said as he got into the driver seat.
"Yeah. Thanks for letting me talk."
"How do you feel now?"
"Still like sh*t. But… it's like I can focus more now."
"That's good."
"Yeah. I'm ready for bed though."
"Not yet. We still have, one more place to go." Karma said. Sugino nodded quietly as Karma pulled out of the docks.
-Line Break-
"Here we are." Karma said as he parked near an iron gate.
"I know Karma. I remember this place." Sugino said as the two got out. Karma was carrying his bottles of vodka. They went up to the gate and walked through. They were greeted with the sight of multiple, skillfully carved slabs of marble, sticking out of the ground. The graveyard was silent, with the air being slightly cool in the early morning. The two walked up to a gravestone near the corner of the graveyard.
'Nagisa Shiota'.
"No matter how much I come here, it doesn't get easier." Karma sighed as he rubbed his eyes.
"Yeah." Sugino looked at the gravestone solemnly.
It had been 5 years since Nagisa had died. And before that, it had been 5 years since the end of the Assassination Classroom. Nagisa was someone who loved Korosensei like a father. But when the time came for him to die, Nagisa was the one who chose to bear the burden for the rest of the class. Nagisa had put up a front. For years, he smiled, and laughed. When he and his friends were together, Nagisa's mask was foolproof. No one in the group had seen through it. He thought he was being strong, not burdening his friends with what he was carrying. But he could only hold for so long. Unable to take the constant burden on his mind and soul, he cracked. Unable to hold himself together, Nagisa had jumped. Which leads them to this day and situation.
"Yo Nagisa. Back again, before everyone else. This time, I brought Sugino. Knowing you, you'd probably be scolding me for not bringing him earlier or something." Karma joked. Sugino chuckled.
"Hey Nagisa. Hope you're, uh, doing okay." he said as he patted the gravestone. A warm breeze rolled over them, ruffling their hair and clothes. Sugino looked up.
"That was strange."
"It happens all the time. Might be a sign that the chibi's happy. Might be a coincidence. Who knows?" Karma shrugged before he took one of the bottles of vodka and handed it to Sugino. The two men gripped the corks on top and pulled it open.
"Next time, don't go ahead of us. It's better if we drink together." Karma said as he set the third bottle down on the grave.
"It makes the taste more bearable." Sugino agreed as Karma stood up. They held their bottles of vodka up.
"Cheers Nagisa." They clinked the bottles together and took a small drink. Sugino winced a bit at the strong vodka, but Karma took it in stride. They stood there together, talking about small things, letting Nagisa know what they have been doing in life. The talk moved to their friends, how they were doing.
"Last I heard, Sakura was graduating top-of-her class in college." Karma said as he took another small sip.
"Akari won another award. They both miss you Nagisa." Sugino said. Karma hit him lightly, drawing his attention. The redhead gave him a look before turning back to Nagisa's grave.
"Hey. I've been saying the same thing for five years now. You better not move ahead of us again. If you come back, you're coming back with us. Got it Nagisa?" Karma warned. The grave was silent, but another breeze blew over them. Sugino and Karma sighed as they finished their vodka. Karma picked up the third one and opened it. He handed it over to Sugino.
"You do it." Sugino nodded in thanks before carefully pouring the drink into the grass in front of the grave. The alcohol shimmered before sinking into the depths. They stood in silence, Sugino's eyes closed in prayer, before walking away.
"This was nice. We should definitely hang out more." Sugino said as he waited for Karma to unlock the car on his side.
"Yeah, we should." Karma said. He didn't get in, drawing Sugino's attention. Karma looked at the baseball star.
"Things are going to be okay. Even if things didn't work out with Kanzaki, you two ended on relatively good terms, right?"
"Yeah. Who knows? Maybe I'll get another chance. And even if I don't, baseball was my first love anyways." Sugino smiled. Karma nodded.
"I think I'll stick around here a bit more." Karma said suddenly as he walked around the car. Sugino blinked.
"Really?"
"Yeah. I know I'm your ride, so here." Karma tossed Sugino the keys. Sugino caught them easily and looked at them in surprise.
"I thought you drove your car."
"Yeah. Keep it."
"What?!"
"I got a better one waiting, and it's better than putting it in the dump." Karma shrugged.
"The d- the d- you are just showing off your wealth!" Sugino groaned. Karma shrugged again with a cocky grin. Sugino rolled his eyes but took the driver seat. He started the car, but paused. He looked at Karma, who grinned at him. Sugino smiled back before driving off. Karma sighed as he leaned against the wall of the graveyard.
"Well. Reached out to one. Time to reach out to his other." Karma said before walking down the sidewalk.
"Keep helping them out of their masks, Karma. I want to see you all after a life of happiness." He paused before looking back at the graveyard. In the sunlight, he could almost see a blue-haired teen sitting on the wall above his grave, smiling at Karma. Karma smiled back, before continuing his walk.
It hurts to write my favorite character dead. But I did. And I hope it was done well. Let me know what you think. As per the usual, leave a review! Azure out!