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Ame couldn't stop a grin from stretching her lips as she jumped from one tree to the other, fast and agile on her feet. If there was one thing she was good at, it was parkour, which Karasuma had only just included in the curriculum of the PE class. Actually, it was a parkour turned Cops and Robbers, which was even more fun. Physical training and a game at the same time?
I'm going to nail this training!
The students were let loose in the forest, allowed to run and hide wherever they wanted as long as they didn't leave the mountain. They only had a few minutes before Karasuma and Korosensei, who acted as the cops, entered the game.
Also, if they got caught, they had double the homework, so they had a good incentive.
"Oi, Ame! How'd you get up there?" wondered Rio.
"I climbed using those rocks," replied Ame, jabbing her thumb at said rocks, which were a little higher. "Against Karasuma-sensei, height will be an advantage."
"Not if he climbs those trees, it won't," snorted Maehara.
"At least Korosensei isn't part of the chase," added Sugino. "Else we'd really be screwed."
"And there's the time limit too!" added Okano. "Karasuma-sensei won't be able to tag the entire class in such a short time, that's for sure!"
"Don't get overconfident!" replied Ame, jumping on yet another tree. "If you stay in groups, he'll have an easier time getting everyone, so spread out as much as you can!"
"Please, as if he could—"
All of their phones buzzed at once. Curious, they stopped in their tracks to check, only to find Ritsu dressed up as a cop grinning at them.
"Okajima-kun, Hayami-san, Chiba-kun, Fuwa-san! Out!" she announced, with the pictures of the four students crossed out just next to her.
"No- no way!" gasped Sugaya.
"Told you so!" laughed Ame. "Don't underestimate Karasuma-sensei. See you guys later!"
"Wait, Ame—"
But the girl was already gone, listening to her own advice. Just as they were about to take off, though, their phones buzzed yet again.
"Sugaya-san, Bitch-sensei! Out!" announced Ritsu.
"You know what? I think I'll listen to Ame," sweatdropped Rio, putting away her phone.
"He's- he's picking us out one after the other!" gaped Maehara.
"Okay, everyone goes into a different direction at my signal!" ordered Fuwa, not wasting any time. "One, two—"
'SLAP' 'SLAP' 'SLAP' 'SLAP'
"—three?" Okano blinked a few times. "What was that noise—"
"You four are under arrest," announced none other than Karasuma, suddenly appearing before them.
"Wait, what?" blinked Rio.
All four students looked at their backs, where the red imprint of their teacher's hand clashed greatly with the blue fabric of their shirts. They had been tagged without even noticing it!
"How about we just listen to Ame next time?" suggested Maehara, his eye twitching a little.
The other three nodded in agreement before making their way to jail, dragging their feet the whole way.
"So they've been caught, uh?" mused Ame, sitting lazily at the top of yet another tree.
From there, she could clearly see the jail where the tagged students (and the teacher) were forced to do drills and homework under the careful watch of Korosensei. She had thought of trying to free them but soon gave up on the idea. There was no way she could tag any of them if their teacher was so focused on defense.
"Oh no!" suddenly gasped Ritsu. "All of the prisoners have escaped!"
"Uh?"
Ame reported her attention on the jail. As told, it was practically empty, saved for Korosensei and Irina. It didn't take long for the girl to figure out he had been bribed, what with the pink hue his skin had taken while he gazed upon a paper (which she guessed was a picture of some sort).
"Takebayashi-kun, Kimura-kun, Yada-san, Hara! Out!" then announced Ritsu.
"Man, Karasuma-sensei sure is fast," she mused, crossing her arms behind her head to get more comfortable. "Too bad he's not fast enough."
"Are you sure about that."
"Holy shit!"
Startled, Ame rolled off her branch. Just as she was about to catch her fall by grabbing a lower branch, though, a hand latched itself around her ankle and pulled her back up. She let out a nervous chuckle as her eyes met her teacher's.
"Hey, Karasuma-sensei… Fancy seeing you here, uh?"
"You're the last person I expected to catch, Naoki," he admitted, apparently a tad annoyed. His eye was even twitching. "Take this training more seriously!"
"Hey, in my defense, I didn't think you'd be able to climb that high," she huffed, before rolling her eyes. "But… Okay, fine: I've grown complacent. I'll do better next time."
He nodded, taking her word for it. Then, a somewhat evil smirk graced his lips, and he released her ankle. She let out a startled yelp as she started falling, only barely able to grab the branch she had been aiming for earlier. By the time she had regained her balance, though, her teacher was already back on the ground.
"Oi, what was that for?" she snapped. "If I hadn't managed to catch my fall, I could have cracked my skull open and died from blood loss, and it would have been on you!"
"Stop whining and get to jail already," he flatly replied.
She rolled her eyes at that. He was already gone when she got back on the ground, and she wasted no time in heading for the jail. After all, the quicker the got there, the faster she'd get out. When she arrived, though, she was met with yet another empty jail (saved for Irina whom, for some reason, was lying down in the sand and wasn't moving).
"Ah, Naoki-san!" greeted Korosensei, obviously into character. "Take place—"
"I've got a pack of bubblegum," she said, handing it over. "It's yours if you let me leave."
"… deal. Go!"
She grinned, throwing the pack at him. "Pleasure doing business with you!"
And she took off once more, this time determined to take the training to heart.
Ame had been running on the ground, deciding to save some of her strength, when she felt someone reaching out for her. She instantly dropped to the ground and made a barrel, barely escaping a second tag. She then found herself facing her teacher once again.
"How did you get out, Naoki?" he asked, a vein pulsing on his forehead.
"You've got a crooked cop in your ranks," she replied, taking a fighting stance. "But as you've asked, I'm now taking this training seriously. You can't catch me!"
Without warning, she kicked the ground, throwing dirt in his face. Her fighting stance had made him lower his guard, which worked to her advantage as she gained two full seconds of advance on him. She took off into the trees, running so fast they were but two dark blurs amongst the trees. She could tell the man was hot on her trail, and adrenaline started pumping through her veins as she accelerated the pace.
She jumped from one rock to the other, sliding on the ground and pouncing on the trees around at a fast pace. He tried more than once to tag her, but she avoided his hand every time by a hair. She started grinning at some point, though she didn't notice. What she did notice, though, was the group of four students that suddenly appeared ahead of her.
"Incoming!" she yelled.
They startled at her voice, their eyes widening when they realized she was being pursued. She dashed ahead of them, though they didn't waste any time and started running too, barely out of their teacher's reach.
"Attention everyone!" suddenly exclaimed Ritsu, drawing all's attention. "It's game over! The robbers win!"
As soon as she said that, the four students (who were actually Karma, Nagisa, Sugino, and Kayano) dropped to the ground, exhausted by their sudden mad dash. Ame fell to her knees, panting harshly… and started laughing.
"Whew! That was awesome!" She was a tad breathless, a sign she should probably make some parkour again in the near future. "Thanks for the fun chase, Karasuma-sensei!"
He simply sighed. "And here I thought you took this seriously…"
"Hey, I escaped you, didn't I?" she pointed out.
He sighed yet again, conceding the point. After what, he wasted no time heading back to the campus, where the jail was situated: he had a certain crooked cop to deal with.
"So… how'd you get caught the first time?"
For only answer, Ame showed Rio the tag around her ankle.
"… Ame, what the fuck."
.
.
"Ah, what a good start to the second term!" sighed happily Korosensei. "The relationship of trust I share with my students is only growing stronger."
"Guess so," shrugged Ame, carrying a box of papers. "Though, why did I have to come here so early in the morning again?"
"Punishment for bribing be with bubblegum," he replied simply.
"You're the one who took the damn bribe in the first place!" she protested.
They reached the classroom, and Korosensei slid the door open. "Well, one way or another, today, too, my precious students will gaze upon me with such affection—" He stopped in his tracks at the sudden, numerous glares sent his way. "Such disgust!?"
Ame walked in afterward, confused by the weird atmosphere reigning in the class. "What's going on, guys?"
"Read!" replied Rio, shoving some magazines in her already-full hands.
Ame somehow managed to put down the box of papers, before reading over the titles of the magazines.
"A Quiet Neighborhood Shaken!
A Yellow Menace Targets F-Cups and Above!"
"Exclusive! Late-Night Terror In Kunugigaoka: Underwear Thief On the Loose!"
"Underwear Thief Strikes Again!"
"Only After F-Cups and Above!"
"A Yellow Man's 'Niryufufufu' Echoing Through the Night!"
"…what?"
"This is totally you, isn't it?" Fuwa accused their teacher.
"Honestly, we're disappointed," added Mimura.
"How could you do such a thing?" asked Kataoka, crossing her arms over her chest.
"N- no, wait!" protested their teacher, panic creeping in his tone. "I don't know anything about this!"
"So, what's your alibi?" replied Hayami.
"My alibi?"
"Where were you late at night on the day of this incident, and what were you doing?" she explained.
"What was I doing…?" Korosensei thought it over for a moment. "I was moving from ten thousand to three thousand meters altitude, shaking a bag of seasoned fries."
"Like anyone can prove that!" protested Okajima.
"Did it work?" wondered Ame, curious.
"Is that really the question you should be asking?" sweatdropped Rio.
Ame rolled her eyes, putting down the magazines. "Guys, this is stupid. Even if Korosensei is a pervert, he wouldn't go that far. The last thing he wants is to lose the trust we placed in him, after all. Why would he jeopardize it so recklessly? Also, he never lied to us before: why do so now? And finally… well, let's be honest: if he wanted some female underwear, he'd just put on a disguise to go and buy it at the cheapest store possible, along with his dirty magazines."
"Ame-san's right," nodded Isogai. "Korosensei may be full of the little desires of the flesh, but all he's really done so far is read discarded dirty magazines, be bought off with swimsuit pics, stare intently at pin-ups during free periods, send in postcards saying 'hand-bras are so blah! Let me do a tentacle-bra!'…" Isogai's rant wavered as he suddenly realized those were pretty bad already. "Korosensei… just turn yourself in already."
"Right, right!"
"Down go big boobs!"
"Kayano, just don't."
"Guys, did no one just listen to me?" groaned Ame. "I'm telling you Korosensei didn't do it and even if he did, he wouldn't have gotten caught doing so."
"Naoki-san is right! I'm an innocent man!" insisted the octopus. "If you still don't believe me, I've got just the thing to prove just how rational I am: the pin-up collection in my desk!"
Far from being convinced but somehow hoping to be proved wrong, the students followed him to the staff room. There, he opened his drawer and started throwing away his dirty magazines.
"I'll get rid of every last one of them—" He froze in place as he suddenly pulled out an F-cupped, purple bra from the drawer. "W- what…?"
"You've gotta be kidding me," muttered Terasaka.
"Everyone, check out the class roll book!" suddenly exclaimed Okano. "See the letters next to all the girls' names? He's researched all our cup sizes!"
"Oi, why am I the only one marked 'Forever Flat'!?" cried Kayano, outraged.
"And this here…" Maehara picked up a sheet from the ground. "It's a list of the women in Kunugigaoka with at least an F-cup!"
"Wait, I… that can't…"
Their teacher faltered under the numerous, disgusted stares. Practically shaking, he suddenly pulled out a camping fridge.
"Oh, that's right! I was getting ready for an after-school barbecue!" He opened it. "See, don't these skewers look tasty—argh!"
Instead of pulling out meat, he pulled out… bras.
Again.
"This isn't good," paled Sugino.
"I can't believe this," added Kataoka.
"So filthy," added Fuwa.
Ame didn't say anything more, simply narrowing her eyes.
.
.
The bell rang, announcing the end of the school day. Their teacher, who had been down in the dumps ever since the incident with the bras, wasted no time in biding his goodbyes and locking himself in the staff room.
As soon as he left, Karma let out a laugh.
"Ah, we really put him through the wringer today, uh?" he remarked, amused. "Guess he couldn't stand the heat."
"But did he really do it?" then wondered Nagisa. "I mean, it's a serious crime…"
"Compared to blowing up the Earth, it's downright adorable," pointed out the redhead.
"He obviously didn't do it," however retorted Ame, leaning back in her seat. "I mean, the guy has a Mach-20 speed. He wouldn't be caught in the act so easily. And all that mess with the bras this morning? I mean, he's not stupid enough to leave that around."
"Ame's right," agreed Karma. "I mean, such shoddy evidence…"
He threw something at Nagisa, who caught it. It was a basketball… with a bra tied around it.
"A ball from the equipment shed," informed the boy. "He'd have to know that if he did this, he'd be dead to us as a teacher. For that teaching-mad monster, I'd think losing our trust with this nonsense is right up there with getting assassinated in terms of things he wants to avoid."
"Isn't that like, exactly what I said before?" sweatdropped Ame.
"Well, one way or another, if he didn't do it… then who did?" then asked Rio.
"An impostor," answered Fuwa, growing excited. "That color, his laugh… Make no mistake: it's a fake Korosensei! The old hero-movie bad-guy trope in action! So the culprit is someone deeply familiar with Korosensei. Ritsu! Would you look for clues with me?"
"Well, I don't know why they'd do something like this, but if this rumor rides our bounty-buddy out of town—not you, Ame-, we'll lose everything," resumed Karma. "Let's beat the real criminal silly and put that octopus in our debt."
"Yeah!" agreed the other students.
Ame simply shook her head. "Sorry, no can do. I've got work tonight. You guys be careful, okay?"
"If your job is more fun than a secret mission, then I really hope you let me in on it one day," grumbled Rio.
"I'll let you in on a secret: it's another secret mission," deadpanned the teen.
That made the blonde laugh. "Ah! Just get going already. I'll get my answers one day!"
Rolling her eyes, Ame waved, biding her goodbyes to everyone, before heading out. Frankly, there was a mission tonight, but it would only take an hour, two at most. She would have gotten home in time to bid goodnight to the kids, but she guessed it'd have to wait.
As soon as the mission's over, I'm finding this impostor.
.
.
"I found him," announced Inu. "Get ready to move in."
"Copy that," replied Kitsune.
"Understood," added Buru.
The mission was simple, extremely so: find the target, bring him back to the client alive. From what she had gathered, said the target was a guy who went rogue to start his own drug ring, and his ex-boss didn't exactly appreciate having his clients, territory, and merchandise stolen from him. Usually, Inu would have been able to complete the mission on his own but, since their target had surrounded himself with a tad too many bodyguards, Saru felt more comfortable sending Buru as a backup. As for Kitsune, well, she had a slightly different mission: use the confusion to steal the money, some of the merchandise, and any records she could find. After all, the Zodiac still had their own problems to handle.
"Now!"
At Inu's signal, both he and Buru broke into the storage unit. Kitsune waited exactly ten seconds before moving in. All of the guards were busy fending off the two masked men while their target cowered in the back, which worked in her favor. She used the opportunity to jab a small needle in the man's arm, rendering him almost immediately unconscious. After all, it wouldn't do if their main objective managed to escape. After what, she got to work. She started emptying the drawers, the bags, the safes, everything. Used to this kind of work, she easily recognized what was valuable and what was useless, so she worked quickly.
Just as she closed her bag, though, her instincts screamed at her to drop down—so she did. She managed to avoid the knife that swung over her head and kicked her attacked between the legs, making him stumble back. She slammed her elbow in the guy's stomach before bringing it up under his chin, the blow so hard it made his fake tooth pop out. He collapsed, unconscious.
MOVE!
Kitsune jumped as killing intent suddenly filled the place. She wasn't fast enough, though, and the fired bullet managed to graze her arm. Hissing in pain, she looked in the direction where she shot had come from… but found no one.
A few seconds later, Inu showed up, his eyes wide.
"Are you alright, Kitsune?" he exclaimed, rushing to her side. "I heard the gunshot!"
"I'm fine, nothing I can't handle," she assured, rising back to her feet.
Buru arrived at that very moment, obviously frowning. "I thought they were unarmed."
"That's what was written in the file," confirmed Inu, frowning too. "Kitsune, did you see the person who shot you?"
"No, they were gone by the time I looked," she sighed, holding her wound. It was far from being serious or lethal, but it hurt. "But… do you think it might have been an assassin? I mean, why not shoot you or Buru? You guys were the ones fighting."
"If that's the case, then that means said assassin somehow learned that you are not only part of the Zodiac, but also that you were coming on this mission tonight," then pointed out Buru.
Inu's frown deepened. "You can't be suggesting—"
"I'd rather speak of this to Saru," cut the older man. "Staying out in the open won't do us any good. Kitsune, were you done?"
"Aa," she nodded, picking up her bag. "I'm—ow! Bad move!"
She had tried grabbing the bag with her injured limb. Inu chuckled at that, taking it instead. She nodded gratefully, before the three of them quickly left. On their way out, Buru picked up their primary target, who was still unconscious thanks to Hana's little creation, and Inu was careful to leave a jet-black business card on the table, on which was the distinct design of a dog, under which was written a single word:
ZODIAC
.
.
Ame was quickly patched up by Inu once they got back to their headquarters, while Samon went to report the mission directly to Saru. She could tell both he and Inu were extremely worried about what had happened earlier because if their hunch was right… then it probably meant someone from the group was a mole—a traitor.
This isn't good. Those are just suspicions, but Saru will have to look into it. But there's no way anyone here could be a traitor! We've all been a part of the Zodiac for years! Well, save for Red-Eye, but he's more assassin than info-broker—he doesn't have the necessary connections to manage something like that yet. But if none of us is a traitor, then it'll cause discord and mistrust in the ranks, and we can't have that! The entire organization is based on trust. If you take that away… If you take that away, the entire group could fall apart.
"Are you sure you're okay, Ame?"
She glanced at Inu, who was frowning worryingly. "Yeah… Just worried, I guess. It feels like we can never catch a break, uh?"
"Ah! Tell me about it," he snorted, ruffling her hair. His smile then dimmed. "I'm just glad you're alright. When I heard that gunshot… I thought the worst had happened. You sure are a magnet for trouble, aren't you?"
"Why does everyone say that?" huffed the teen, getting up. She then shook her head. "Whatever. If you guys don't need me anymore, I've got an impostor to catch, so…"
"Impostor?"
"Someone acts as Korosensei to cause trouble and frame him," she resumed, putting her jacket back on. She then pulled out her phone. "Hey, Ritsu? Where are you guys?"
"Ame-san!" exclaimed the purple-haired girl, appearing on her screen. "Korosensei is in trouble! Please, come quickly!"
"What—ugh, whatever. I'm coming over right now," assured the teen, already running for the door. "Just give me your location—Oh, I'll see you later, Inu!—yeah, so just give me your location, I'll be there in a few."
The man watched her leave, startled by her sudden departure, before letting out a small laugh.
Not even a bullet can bring her down, uh?
.
.
Ame reached the given location in barely a few minutes. They were close to their headquarters, which wasn't exactly a comforting thought, but she pushed it aside for now. Just as she arrived, though, a flash of light illuminated the entire area, blinding her for a few seconds. When she managed to reopen her eyes, it was only to find Korosensei still standing and holding an unconscious Itona. Facing him was the white-clad bastard, behind which were Terasaka, Nagisa, Fuwa, Karma, and Kayano.
"There you have it, Shiro-san," stated quietly Korosensei. "Leave him to the E-Class and go quietly. Oh, and SPREAD THE ACCURATE WORD THAT I AM NOT AN UNDERWEAR THIEF!"
"And I'm actually a B-cup!" added Kayano, still angry because of the incident with the class list. "A B-cup!"
Ame facepalmed at that. Why would the girl go and tell her bra size to that bastard? Considering the scheme he had just put in place, she was starting to wonder if he wasn't a closet pervert. Shiro completely ignored her, though, his attention solely focused on Korosensei, who was holding his gaze without backing down. He wanted to take Itona as a student, and he wouldn't accept a third refusal.
"ARGH!"
Itona suddenly regained consciousness and fell on the ground, writhing in pain.
"It hurts… It hurts, it hurts, it hurts!" he cried, shaking. "My head's… killing me…! My brain's about to burst!"
"Itona-kun!"
"With the shock of his repeated defeats, his tentacles are starting to gnaw away at his mind," murmured Shiro. "This might just be all he can take… Why, he can't even pull off this little scheme of mine."
Ame narrowed her eyes at that. He can't mean—
"Itona, if this all you're capable of, the Organization will stop paying," he suddenly warned. "It's not that I don't feel for you, but we have to cut our losses at some point if only to get the next model up and running—"
He was cut off as a knife suddenly flew just before his face, barely a few centimeters away from his eyes. There was a moment of stillness before all eyes fell on Ame, who had revealed her position. She was scowling at the man, twirling another knife between her fingers.
"A- Ame-san!" gasped Nagisa.
"Ya know, I'm kinda curious 'bout this 'next model' of yours," she remarked plainly. "Isn't it illegal ta experiment on kids? And while I get that da government's ready ta do anything ta kill Korosensei, I doubt da civilians will be as understanding. Think it'd make da front page on da news if an anonymous source spilled da beans?"
"… Naoki-san. You ought to be careful not to make threats you can't back up," he replied, narrowing his eyes. "You've already made some powerful enemies: I'd suggest you do not add some names to that list."
"Oh, please," she scoffed. "I'm, like, da second or third most wanted dead person in Japan. How worse could it get? Tche, just get lost already."
He stared at her for a moment longer, before he shook his head and started walking away. "Do as you please. Itona, this is goodbye. You're on your own from now on."
"W- wait!" protested Korosensei. "What kind of guardian are you, anyway!?"
"Quit playing school, you monster," retorted Shiro. "All you can do is break things—break everything. I will not countenance your existence. I wish only for your death… no matter what the sacrifice." He then glanced at the teenagers frozen farther away. "Say, are you sure your dear students are okay like that?"
On which he vanished. Before anyone could ponder over his last remark, one of Itona's tentacles suddenly lashed out toward the five students. Korosensei instantly moved to defend them, just in time, but that meant leaving an opening for the boy, who used it to escape. He had obviously gone mad if the animalistic look in his eyes was anything to go by.
"Ugh…"
Korosensei then collapsed.
"Ko- Korosensei!" panicked the students.
"Niryufufufu," laughed tiredly the octopus. "As you might imagine, I'm pooped. Time for a little rest."
"Are you sure?" replied Ame, joining them. "There's a mad octopus-boy loose in the city. This kind of spells trouble, doesn't it?"
"Well, if Korosensei is that exhausted, I doubt he'd be of much use in stopping him anyway," pointed out Karma, before he noticed the bandage around her arm. "You were injured at your job?"
"Uh? Oh, another assassin showed up and shot me," she replied with a shrug. She grimaced in pain, instantly regretting the movement. "The bullet only grazed me, so it's no big deal."
"You're one crazy chick, you know that?" sweatdropped Terasaka.
"That may be so, but I'm also incredibly smart," she replied, rolling her eyes. "Did anyone else notice the tone Shiro was using? He said all of that stuff as if he knew Korosensei personally. Ne, Korosensei! This guy absolutely hates your guts. What'd you do to him?"
"I don't recall ever meeting him before that first time in class," he admitted, still laying on the grass.
"It did look like he had a personal grudge, though," mused Fuwa, her detective brain working a mile a minute. "I know! He's a man who lost everything when the moon was destroyed and who now seeks revenge!"
"Fuwa-san, I doubt Shiro-san lived on the moon," pointed out Nagisa, obviously not convinced.
When the moon was destroyed… Ame's eyes widened. The night the lab exploded! Could Shiro be one of the scientists who was working on Korosensei? That'd explain why he has access to the experiments, and why he knows so much about him in the first place!
"Ame, you know something?" suddenly asked Karma.
"W- what? What makes you say that?" she replied, startled.
He simply grinned, flicking her nose. "You have that look in your eyes. It usually happens when you figured something out."
"Oh… Well, I think I might have an idea, but it's really just a hunch," she admitted, rubbing the back of her head. "I'd rather look more into it before sharing some half-assed theories."
He nodded in understanding but, just as he was about to add something, all of their phones buzzed to draw their attention.
"Everyone, look at this!" exclaimed Ritsu.
Nagisa pulled out his phone so everyone could see what the purple-haired girl wanted to show them-it was the late news.
"Here's where the first incident occurred," announced the host. It was followed by images of an utterly destroyed place. "A string of attacks on cell phone shops throughout Kunugigaoka has the police discussing a potential terrorism link."
"Well that was fast," snorted Ame.
"It's gotta be him," agreed Terasaka.
"But why cell phone shops?" wondered Fuwa.
"What should we do, sensei?" asked Kayano.
"As his teacher, I'll take responsibility and stop him," replied the octopus, suddenly back on his feet—well, tentacles. "I have to find him, protect him!"
"I think it'd be wiser to leave him alone," however replied Karma, more serious.
"… Even so, I'm his teacher." In the blink of an eye, he changed back into his teacher's attire. "Don't let go of your students, no matter what. When I became a teacher, that was my vow."
There was a moment of silence before Ame sighed.
"Well, it's not like we really have a choice, right?" she asked, cracking her knuckles. "Let's go! We've got an octopus-boy to stop from rampaging."
It had taken a while, but they had somehow managed to catch up to Itona. They found him crouching in an alley, not too far from one of the numerous shops he had utterly destroyed.
"N- nii-san…" he murmured when seeing their teacher.
"Korosensei, if you please," replied the yellow octopus. "After all, I'm your teacher."
"Don't be goin' nuclear on us now, Itona," added Terasaka. "You put us through a lot of stuff, but we'll let it slide. Just come with us quietly."
"Shut up! We battle. This time… I'll win!" exclaimed Itona, struggling to get back on his two feet, his legs shaking under the effort.
"Of course we can battle," replied pleasantly Korosensei. "Maybe we two state secrets can find a vacant lot somewhere. Afterward, we'll all study ways to kill me while we enjoy a little barbecue together."
"He's a persistent one, that octopus," sighed Karma. "Once he takes over, he'll go to the depths of hell to teach you."
"Niryufufufu! Of course!" nodded their teacher. "Put a student in front of me, and my instinct is to want to teach him or her."
"He'll even tie you to a chair if he deems it necessary," snorted Ame.
"Talking from experience?" mused Karma.
"What can I say? We're both stubborn—watch out!"
She grabbed Karma and Kayano, the two closest to her, and forced them to drop to the ground as gunshots followed. It wasn't ordinary bullets that were fired, though, but a special kind that released a weird, white powder that made their eyes and their throats burn.
"Is this… anti-me powder!?" gasped Korosensei as his weird skin started melting.
"Setting Itona adrift was all part of the plan, Korosensei." All eyes snapped to a distinct figure that appeared through the smoke. "Get him."
At Shiro's order (because of course Shiro was still at it, why wouldn't he be?), the men behind him started firing again, this time anti-BB bullets. Their teacher instantly started evading them, though it proved to be a hard task since the powder slowed his movements down.
"Come now, Itona—your final duty!"
Another man fired a net, easily catching the weakened boy. Although he struggled, it wasn't of much use since the net was made of fibers that hurt his tentacles. Korosensei couldn't do anything, still evading the bullets. By the time they stopped firing, the truck in which had been placed Itona was already driving away at high speed.
"You'll come after him, won't you?" Shiro's taunts echoed in the night. "Being his teacher and all."
They dropped some more powder-bombs to make sure he couldn't follow after them immediately, before vanishing completely from sight. The students were still coughing harshly, barely able to see anything.
"Is- is everyone alright?" asked their teacher, though himself wasn't exactly in top shape.
"I- I think so," answered Kayano.
"Then I'll go rescue Itona-kun!"
Before they could stop him, he took off on his own.
"Protecting us reduced his evasion response time," pointed out Karma.
"Damn that Shiro! He made us his pawns, all right!" cursed Terasaka.
"Wait!" Fuwa coughed some more, looking around. "Where's Ame?"
"Eh!?"
Through all the confusion, they hadn't even noticed she had disappeared.
"Could Shiro-san have taken her too?" frowned Nagisa, worried.
"Don't worry, everyone!" exclaimed Ritsu, gaining their attention. Nagisa pulled out his phone so everyone could see her. "Ame-san is perfectly fine! She snuck in the truck while they captured Itona-kun and activated a tracker so you could follow them! She also said it was surely a trap for Korosensei and so she'd try to get some intel while everyone gathered!"
"While everyone gathered…?" echoed Kayano, confused.
"She wants the whole class to help out," realized Karma, grinning a little. "Since it's a trap for Korosensei, they won't expect exterior help. If we do this right, we should be able to help. Ritsu, I'm guessing you already contacted everyone and sent the location?"
"Aa!" confirmed the program with a beam. "They're already on their way!"
"Then what are we waiting for?" retorted Terasaka. "Let's go!"
.
.
Ame hadn't really thought things through, to be honest. When she saw them grab Itona, she instantly guessed they were luring Korosensei right into a trap. And, well, she couldn't really let that happen, could she? He was their target, after all. So, throughout the powder and the confusion, she had snuck under the truck and had grabbed the pipes and other machinery she could find, hoping it wouldn't break under her weight. She had thought of sabotaging the car, but she'd rather not risk getting involved in a car crash.
They stopped around fifteen minutes later. She couldn't see where they were, but she could tell there was at least twenty or so henchmen, plus Shiro. Itona, still caught in the net, was unceremoniously thrown on the ground. Not a second later, Korosensei appeared before him.
"Itona-kun!"
Instantly, purple light filled the clearing. Ame clicked her tongue in annoyance when realizing those were pressure rays, meant to slow down their teacher.
"Not that I'm surprised, but you truly are a fool, Korosensei," mused Shiro, stepping out of his hiding place.
"Ritsu," murmured Ame. "Tell everyone they'll need to get rid of the pressure rays all at once if we want to have a chance."
"Right away!" replied her classmate.
"I'm after Itona," added the man.
As if on cue, numerous snipers hidden in the trees started firing at the boy. Korosensei instantly started blocking all of them as fast as he could manage, and Ame gritted her teeth.
"That's right," chuckled darkly Shiro. "You grow weak when the target is anyone but you. Now, will you run away, Korosensei?"
"I am… his teacher!" refused the octopus.
"Ame-san, everyone is in position!" suddenly informed Ritsu.
"Then let's go!"
Without hesitation, Ame rolled out from under the truck and, not wasting any time, she threw two of her knives directly at Shiro. One of them embedded itself in his arm, the other in his thigh, and a deep red instantly started staining his white clothes.
"Argh!" he stumbled back, taken by surprised. "What—"
"Ah ah!"
Karma's victorious laugh echoed through the battlefield as he roughly kicked one of the snipers from his tree. Maehara followed suit, making a second sniper fall. Mimura, Sugino, Takebayashi, and Kimura caught the two thanks to a spread out sheet they were holding. Terasaka handled a third one, who was caught by Yoshida and Muramatsu.
"You little pests…" growled Shiro, pulling out the knives. Some more blood started pouring out. "Always getting in my way, aren't you?"
Ame took her stance, four other knives already in hand. "Korosensei is our target. We won't let anyone else kill him, even less you."
Okano pushed down the fourth sniper while Hayami, Chiba, and Okajima took care of those on the ground. Nagisa, Fuwa, and Kayano soon joined them.
"Terasaka-kun, mind turning off the lights?" asked Isogai.
"Sure thing!" replied the boy.
"Guys, take that net off of Itona!" ordered Ame, not taking her eyes off Shiro. "It's probably hurting like a bitch."
"Right on it!" assured Rio, running up to the trapped boy.
"I won't let you—argh!"
Shiro was cut off as a third knife hit him right in the shoulder. While her classmates weren't fond of actually hurting people (just seeing how they caught those snipers earlier to prevent them from being hurt was enough to prove it), she wasn't above it. Shiro had been a thorn in their side for a while, now, and she held no doubt he'd continue to be if they didn't stop him now.
"Step down, Shiro-san," then ordered seriously Korosensei. "We'll take Itona-kun. You always plan so carefully, but once my students get involved, those plans are ruined. The sooner you notice the obvious, the better."
"A class consisting of a monster swarmed by tiny flies?" replied somberly Shiro. "How infinitely irritating. But, I will allow that my plan needs some radical revisions. Keep the boy. He'll only live another two, three days as it is. Play nice together, now."
"Why you little—"
"Now, now, Ame," chuckled Karma, holding her back from throwing a handful of knives. She struggled against his hold, but he was used to it by now. "He gave up, didn't he?"
"That bastard, toying with people's lives as if they were just stupid pawns…" she growled, more than tempted to turn the guy into a bloody porcupine. "Oi, Shiro! Ya better not let that personal grudge of yours hurt more people, else I'll be da one coming after yer head, ya hear me!? Yer experiments are all fucking failures, so stop being a sore loser and fuck off already!"
The man visibly stiffened at that, his step faltering. He shot her a look and she glared right back, ready to tear off that stupid mask of his if he dared make a step in their direction. After a tense moment, though, he shook his head and left.
As soon as he vanished from sight, she exhaled, relaxing. Once certain she wouldn't run off after the guy to finish him off, Karma released her. She offered him a sheepish smile at that, and he simply rolled his eyes.
"Better watch that temper, Ame," he teased. "I won't always be around to stop you from turning people into pincushions."
"Oh please, as if he didn't deserve it," she huffed, putting away her blades. She then blinked in realization. "Hey, the jerk kept one of my knives!"
"I'm pretty sure he would have bled out even more if he had pulled it out like the other two, Ame," pointed out Rio.
"Ugh…"
The pained moan gained the attention of the students. All of them gathered around Itona, who was still lying on the ground, only half-conscious and obviously in pain.
"Isn't there anything we can do to help?" wondered Fuwa, worried.
"As long as Itona has a pathological attachment to power and winning, his tentacle cells will stick so tight that we can't remove them," explained Korosensei.
"Can't we cut them off somehow?" suggested Kataoka.
"Not until we get rid of his attachment," sighed their teacher. "That's why we have to know more about how he got this way."
Rio cringed at that. "Yeah, but…"
"I doubt he'll be forthcoming about his life story," pointed out Maehara.
"Actually, about that…" All eyes turned to Fuwa. "I was curious: why was Itona going after cell phone shops? So I had Ritsu look up some stuff about him, and it turns out the president of this private company had a son named Horibe Itona. The little factory supplied smartphone parts around the world but, two years ago, it went under, burdened with debt. The president and his wife vanished, leaving their son behind."
…
…
…
"Tche, is that all?" Everyone snapped their attention to Terasaka, who was scowling. "That made him into a delinquent? Everybody's worried about somethin'. Big problems, little ones…" He walked up to Itona and, without much ceremony, picked him up like a bag of rice. "We'll take him in, look after him. If he dies, well, that's that."
The class followed Terasaka, Muramatsu, Yoshida, and Hazama as they dragged the poor boy around for the rest of the night. They had managed to refashion the net into a bandana so his tentacles wouldn't accidentally pop out, before bringing him to eat some ramen at Muramatsu's place. It didn't seem to change anything, though, so they headed to Yoshida's afterward. As they played around with a motorcycle, Rio shook her head.
"They're just flying by the seat of their pants," she remarked.
"I mean, they're basically idiots," pointed out Karma, obviously amused. "What did you expect?"
"But- but at least Hazama-san's got some brains, right?" pointed out Okuda.
"Harsh, Okuda, harsh," sweatdropped Ame.
The purple-haired girl chuckled nervously in answer, rubbing the back of her head. They then returned to watching the group. Hazama had handed him a book, though it was probably something dark and creepy if Terasaka's complaints were anything to go by. Without warning, though, Itona's tentacles suddenly managed to bypass the bandana as the boy flipped out once again. The four students instantly started running in hopes of putting some safe distance between them and the violent boy.
"I'm not like you, fine with any old way," he growled, his fists clenched tightly. "I'll do it now! I'll kill him, and victory will be mine!"
At that, Terasaka instantly stopped running. Obviously ticked off, he instead started walking back toward Itona, until he was properly facing him.
"Oi, Itona!" he called. "I thought about killing that octopus today, too. But you can't do it—not right away. Get rid of that impossible vision of yours. It's easier that way."
"Shut up!"
One of Itona's tentacles lashed out at him but, at the last second, Terasaka managed to catch it.
"That's- that's the second time… and you're weaker now…" grunted the rough boy, some bands of sweat rolling down his face. "Easier to grab. Still hurts enough to wanna barf, though. And that just reminds me of Muramatsu's ramen."
"Hey!"
"That octopus told him to study business. Gross ramen is fine for now. One day, when he takes over, his new flavors and management skills will get that joint jumpin'," pursued Terasaka. "He told Yoshida the same thing—it could come in handy someday. Come on, Itona!" Without warning, Terasaka harshly hit him over the head. "Don't let a couple of losses throw you off course! All you gotta do is win someday. And when it comes to killin' that octopus… it doesn't have to be now. We can fail a hundred times over. Just kill him once before March… and we win. You can use the prize money to buy back your dad's factory, and then your folks could come back."
"I can't stand this," replied Itona, though his protest seemed weaker. "What do I do until I come up with my next vision of victory?"
"Uh? You act like an idiot, like we did today!" replied Terasaka without missing a beat. "That's what we're here for!"
Ame whistled lowly at that. Terasaka was the last person she expected to be able to get through Itona but, then again, he was a moron. Morons could do anything if they put their mind to it, if only out of sheer, stupid stubbornness.
"What other idiot could say that with a straight face?" mused Karma. "Although… sometimes, a word from an idiot is all you need to chill things out."
"So I was being… hasty…?" murmured Itona, his tentacles dropping to the ground as all will to fight left him.
"Yeah," confirmed roughly Terasaka. "I think you were."
"That tint of attachment is gone from your eyes, Itona-kun," then remarked Korosensei, appearing next to him. "We can remove those painful tentacle cells now. In losing one great power, you gain many friends. You'll come kill me, won't you? Starting tomorrow?"
"… suit yourself." Itona offered him a defeated smile. "I'm sick of this power—and this whole 'brothers' thing, too."
Korosensei laughed at that and instantly got to work with many, many nail clips. In less than thirty seconds, he had pulled out all of the cells. The rotting tentacles fell to the ground, completely detached, before turning to dirt. Itona rubbed the back of his neck, somewhat startled. He had grown so used to the pain, he had forgotten how it felt like not to feel it constantly.
"Well, that's all for tonight!" announced Korosensei. "Everyone should go home. After all, you all have class tomorrow!"
A chorus of agreement followed. No matter the excitement of the night, the world wouldn't stop turning and school was still in function. As everyone bid their goodnights, though, an idea popped in Ame's head. Wasting no time, she quickly joined Itona and Korosensei.
"Itona-kun?" The boy glanced at her, obviously still a little in shock at what had just happened. "I'm Ame, one of your new classmates. I was just wondering… Do you have any place to stay?"
He frowned at that. "I used to live in the lab, but now…"
She grinned at that, grabbing his hand. "Then come on! You can stay at my place"
"… uh?"
"What a wonderful idea, Naoki-san!" nodded Korosensei. "That way you can come to school together tomorrow. I'll drop off some uniforms at your house. See you tomorrow!"
And he was gone in a flash. Itona blinked a few times, making Ame laugh.
"You'll get used to it," she assured.
"… why are you doing this?" the boy asked, frowning slightly. "You're the girl Shiro tried to kill, aren't you? And I helped him…"
"Maa, maa, who hasn't tried to kill me?" she joked, dragging him along. "It's all water under the bridge, don't worry. Though, I can't really lie and say I don't have an ulterior motive… But no matter! For now, let's just go home. You can spend the night, and we'll take more in the morning about your situation. How about that?"
"… It sounds manageable," he finally agreed.
"Great! So, while we're heading there, why don't you tell me more about Shiro and that Organization, hm?"
When they arrived at her house, she had yet to learn much about Shiro and his organization, unfortunately. She had tried to gain more information from Itona but, after seeing the daze he was still in, she dropped it. She'd pry some more later but, for now, she'd leave the poor guy alone. He too had had a rough night, after all.
"This is where you live?" he mused as they approached. "I expected something more… you."
"Yeah, you're not the first I let down with my mundane home," she snorted, opening the door. "Come on in—and take off your shoes, too. Obaa-san hates it when there's dirt on the floor."
"Obaa-san…?"
"Ame-chan!" The old woman suddenly appeared, relief etched over her features. "I was so worried! I thought you were supposed to come back early!"
"Uh? Oh, there were some… complications." Offering a small smile, she then dragged Itona before her. "Itona, this is my grandmother. Obaa-san, this is Itona, a classmate. He had some trouble at home and I was wondering if he could stay with us for the next few days?"
"Well, I don't mind, but I'm afraid we only have the couch," frowned the old woman.
"Ah, don't worry about sleeping arrangements," replied the girl, urging Itona toward the stairs. "I'll set something up in my room. We're pretty tired, so I'll explain everything tomorrow, 'kay?"
"I can wait until then," nodded the woman, smiling softly at the boy. "It's very nice to meet you, Itona-kun. I'll see you both in the morning."
"Right. 'Night, Obaa-san!"
"Goodnight!"
Not wasting any more time, Ame dragged a stunned Itona upstairs. Once they reached her room, she closed the door, before exhaling in relief.
"I'll have to think of a good excuse, but that can wait 'til tomorrow…" she murmured, before glancing at the boy. "Sorry for dragging you around like that. I just didn't want her to ask too many questions."
"Does your grandmother not know of the assassination?" he wondered, curious.
"Aah? No way!" scoffed the girl. "She'd have a heart attack if she knew. But! We'll think of a backstory tomorrow. For now, I think we really should call it a night."
"I just have one more question."
"Shoot."
"Why did you really bring me here?" he asked, serious.
She considered him for a moment, before sighing. "Shiro's been after my head ever since that incident at school. I was hoping you could tell me more about him so I could be better prepared if he comes after me again. However, you don't have to tell me anything if you don't want to. I understand it probably wasn't such a fun experience for you either."
"… I don't mind telling you what I know. I—" He was cut off by a yawn, which made her laugh.
"Let's do that later. Can't have you falling asleep in class on your first day, can we?" she teased.
That earned her a small, very small smile, but it was genuine and it somewhat made her happy.
Having Itona around would be fun, she could already tell.
.
.
The next morning, as promised, they found a school uniform for the boy on Ame's desk, along with a school bag in which was everything he needed for school. She grimaced a little when realizing the damn octopus had easily gotten in her room without activating the security system, so she'd have to work on that later. Anyhow, she went to change in the bathroom, leaving some privacy to her new roommate. As she came out, though, she suddenly heard an angry shout.
"WHO ARE YOU!?"
Oh crap, she paled.
She quickly ran back to her room, only to find Kiba gaping in horror at Itona. Behind him were… well, pretty much all of the kids, saved for Leo, of course.
"Kiba, calm down!" she ordered, making her way through them to go stand by her friend. "Guys, this is Itona, a classmate and friend. He's going to live with us for a while, so be nice, okay? And Itona, those are my siblings: Kiba's the short-tempered one, Rin's the calm one, Jackie's the shy one, Amaya's the one hiding behind Kiba, and Ash's the one staring at you with stars in her eyes."
"… hello. Those are your siblings?" He looked them over, before glancing at her. "You look nothing alike."
His tone was blunt, but she could tell it wasn't meant offensively. He was just stating the truth.
"We're a foster family," she resumed with a shrug. "Anyway, all of you brats go downstairs now if you don't wanna miss breakfast! Shoo, shoo!"
"You better have a good explanation, Ame-nee!" warned Kiba.
"As if I had to explain myself to you!" she retorted.
He pulled his tongue at her, and she replied in kind. The children then did as told, loudly making their way to the kitchen downstairs. Once they were gone, she exhaled in relief.
"That went better than I expected…" She then looked at Itona, a tad sheepish. "Sorry if they startled you. I only recently started bringing friends over, so they're still not used to it."
"… friends?" He tilted his head. "You consider us friends?"
"Well, yeah. We're classmates, aren't we?" she pointed out with a smile. "Anyway, let's go before they eat everything."
He simply nodded, still not all that talkative. She couldn't really blame him, though. Just yesterday, he was still living in a lab, being controlled by that bastard like some mindless pawn. It'd take a while for him to readjust to a normal life, but she had an inkling he'd be just fine.
"Oh, good morning, Itona-kun, Ame-chan!" greeted her grandmother with a small. "Come, come! I've made pancakes!"
"Awesome! Come on, Itona!"
She gestured for him to sit next to her on the chair that had been added, before taking her own seat. There was a lot of food on the table, and she couldn't help but wonder if her grandmother had gone all out just to show off a little. After all, she had always loved showing off her cooking skills, and what better occasion to do that than a newcomer?
After some hesitation, Itona started eating. His eyes instantly widened.
"… it's delicious."
"Aw, I'm glad to hear it!" beamed warmly the old woman. "Here, have some more!"
"Ah? No fair! I want more too!" exclaimed Kiba.
"Me too, me too!" added Ash.
"You guys haven't even finished your plates!" protested Ame.
The two kids exchanged a look. Then, in a single movement, they shoved whatever was left in their plates into their mouths. It took them a few seconds, but they finally managed to swallow, and instantly lifted their now empty plates.
"Seconds!" they exclaimed together.
"Ah, such energy this morning!" chuckled their caretaker, too used to their antics by now.
"Cheeky little brats," murmured fondly Ame.
Itona didn't say anything else that morning, simply enjoying the food as he observed everyone interacting.
.
.
"… your family is nice."
"I know," chuckled Ame. "Though they sure can be a handful sometimes… Anyway, if you're comfortable with us, then I don't mind sharing my room. There's more than enough place for two. And, well, I know my grandmother will be happy to take you in." He frowned at that, and she shook her head. "Take your time to think it over. Until you reach your decision, you can stay with us, of course."
"I will." He then bit his lower lip. "… thank you."
"No problem! Anyway, our driver should be here any second—oh! There she is! Hana!"
The girl waved as a car approached. She gestured for Itona to follow her and, soon enough, they were both seated in the back of said care.
"So, who's your new friend, Ame?" asked the woman, apparently named Hana.
"New classmate," answered cheerfully the girl. "His name is Itona. Itona, this is a friend of mine, Hana. She usually drives me to school, but sometimes it'll be someone else."
"Why?" he wondered. "Because of the assassination attempts on your person?"
"Aa. Staying out in the open is dangerous, and I'm only really safe when on the campus," she admitted, rubbing the back of her head. "But hey! I get free rides out of it, so that's cool!"
The red-haired woman scoffed at that. "Only you could make having a bounty on your head look so fun, seriously."
"Well, what can I say? It's part of my natural charms," deadpanned the girl.
Hana snorted at that, and Itona stayed silent, observing once again.
.
.
"You seem to have many friends, Ame," remarked Itona as they climbed up the mountain.
She didn't mind the lack of honorific, so she didn't bother pointing it out. "I guess so. To be honest, though… At the beginning of the year, I only had one friend in this class. It's only after Korosensei showed up that I started opening up to everyone."
"Why is that?" he wondered.
She offered a small, somewhat bitter smile at that. "Because it's hard to trust people. But! I've learned my lesson, and I'm doing better now. I mean, look at me! I've got loads of friends whom I know will always have my back, and… well, I trust them with my life. It wasn't easy to get there, of course, but I'm glad I didn't give up on them, just like they didn't give up on me." Her smile then widened, becoming a tad brighter. "And we won't give up on you either, Itona. You're one of us, now. There's no way out of it!"
"If you say so…"
He didn't seem all that convinced, but she could work with that. She knew that, after a while, he'd warm up to her and everyone else. It was only a question of time.
"Oh, you made it!" greeted Maehara as they reached the building. "No more busting through the wall, okay?"
Itona nodded mutely, which made Ame snickered slightly. They then headed for the classroom.
"Morning!" beamed Kurahashi. "That bandana's a good look on you!"
"Thank you…?"
"Good morning, Itona-kun," greeted their teacher, appearing next to him. "And how are you feeling?"
"Awful, now that I've lost my power," admitted bluntly the bow. "But… I don't feel any weaker. In the end, I will kill you, Korosensei."
"That's the spirit," chuckled Ame. She then nudged him toward Terasaka and his group. "Now why don't you go hang out with your new friends?"
He didn't say anything, but he did make his way to them. She had a feeling he'd get along with them, what with being fellow troublemakers and all that.
I guess that's one less problem we have to worry about, she mused, going to take her seat. Wonder how's the wind going to turn now that he's here, though.