Here is chapter 2! I hope you guys will like it as I had a lot of fun writing it myself. It's a bit of an 'in between the pages' chapter as this isn't really covered in the manga or the anime, but i thought it would be interesting to see how the students from 3-E (and my oc) actually go about handling the situation they suddenly find themselves in.

Anyway, happy reading!


Chapter 2 Interrogating the middle schoolers.

The plinking sounds of small hard objects hitting metal ran out throughout the valley behind the E classroom building. Spread out on the field, there were multiple stations set out for the students to use and each was overlooked by a number of nameless agents. We were separated into four groups of four and two groups of five as they instructed us on how to make proper use of our guns.

I stood in a row together with Hayami, Kimura, Sugino and Maehara. All of us wore the safety glasses and held our BB gun the way we were taught to in our hands. The agents who assigned themselves to use were walking behind us, keeping a sharp eye on our hands and overall form. They adjusted out stance without much of a word when they so found it necessary. And then we were firing at the silhouette targets erected a couple of meters away from us. More plinking sounds filled the air, the BB gun jerked back slightly after each shot and I couldn't help but compare it to that one time my uncle allowed me to shoot his hunting rifle. I had been thrown on my backside back then; tiny thing that I was. But shooting these BB guns turned out to be a lot less painful that the real thing. The blow back was less severe and only after a full round or two did my hands start aching from the vibration going through and up my arms.

I wasn't sure where or when exactly I hit the target though. I could hear it whenever a pellet hit the metal board, but the sheer number of shots being fired made it difficult to distinguish my own from others. The BB pellets didn't exactly leave any residue on the targets either and although I could sort of imagine their path as they sailed through the air, I couldn't quite see where exactly I hit or did not hit. The agents didn't give me any indication that they could see it either, so then ho-

"Try to aim a smidge to the left, Kimura-kan."

"AH-!"

Startled, I lowered the BB gun and glanced over at Kimura, then followed his shocked expression to the yellow octopus standing right behind his target. My entire row had stopped their firing at the unexpected appearance of our new teacher.

"Well don't stop on my account! You almost had it too~."

"Wha- isn't it dangerous for you to be standing over there?!" Maehara stated perplexed.

"Y-yeah! These things are supposed to hurt you right?" Kimura demanded once he got his baring back.

"Nurufufufu~ so sweet, worrying about little old me~." The yellow octopus snickered out and on his face the green strips form before reappeared, "I simply see no need to take any precautions at your current ability. So feel free to shoot away~."

I frowned at the creatures taunt as my classmates responded in various forms of protest.

"Even if you say that…" Sugino started and then looked over at me; I knew instinctively what he meant to say. We were all feeling it after all… It wasn't exactly in our nature to open fire at another person, no matter how much he didn't resemble an actually person…

"Ignore him and keep firing." One of our agents ordered from the sideline.

Hayami was the first to start shooting again and after breathing out slowly, I too fell back into the shooting stance and started firing again. Almost immediately, yet another agent stepped up and repositioned my feet. That had been the fourth time already… He had only told me what to do the first two times, now he just seemed to push my about without a word spoken and I wasn't sure if I was really all that comfortable with him doing that…

"Sasaki-san, you need to aim a bit higher if you wish to hit the target properly!" The creature suddenly advised from right behind me and I jumped. I quickly turned around to face him, face flushed and ended up looking almost straight up to meet his blank eyes, "Please don't sneak up on me like that!" I demanded shakily.

"Oh my bad~." It grinned even wider, if that was possible, and moved to the side. One of its tentacles slithered around the barrel of my BB gun, lifting it back up and helped me point it at the target silhouette. Another tentacle slide over my hands and I suppressed the urge to shiver at the weird slimy smoothness that was his skin texture.

"You have a tendency to let your aim sink after actively firing between five to eight shots." The tentacles holding onto my gun and hands released their steady grip and then one of them coiled around my upper arm, "hmm, it's most likely because the muscles in your arms aren't strong enough yet. So you will have to practice more in the future if you plan to assassinate me by means of shooting me~."

I once more stared up at the yellow octopus' face as it took on the bright green stripes and it did its weird laugh. Absently I wondered why this creature was even giving me pointers. After all, this entire organization was set up to- well to end him. So then why was he helping us perform better? Did he really believe that we wouldn't be able to accomplish our assigned task even if we were all trained like this? Even if he helped us along the way? Then what was even his point in advising us if we were all doomed to fail anyway?

I furrowed my brow at him but muttered out my thanks regardless. And then his figure shifted again and the following second he was out of my field of vision. I glanced around the field and noticed his form shifting in between and around the targets from another group, his tentacles waved across the bull's-eyes on a couple of their targets. He was taunting us again… Knowing damn well that we couldn't shoot him even if we shot straight…

"Keep firing."

"Ah- yes! " I fumbled with the gun in my hands and once more corrected my stance, while all the while keeping sensei's given advice in mind. I released another shot. A plink soon followed.


Around half past one in the afternoon Karasuma allowed us to have our lunch break. We watched the shine vehicles drive off along with most of the government's agents through the windows in our classroom. And for a short while it was as if it was just another Monday afternoon in the 3-E classroom. The teacher was absent from the classroom and the students were either sitting in small group around a desk or two or walking about the place. Our lunches and drinks were pulled out of our school bags and only the murmuring of conversations and the crackling of plastic could be heard in the classroom.

The only real difference today was the topic of our conversations. Karasuma had told us earlier today to prepare questions for him for after lunch. And- oh boy- did we have some questions… Isogai and Kataoka were going around with a master list, so to speak, to make sure we wouldn't inconvenience Karasuma more than we had too.

As it turned out, I wasn't the only one who felt bad about the fact that Karasuma was practically forced to work together with that octopus…

Okuda had joined in on a lunch circle with Nakamura, Sugino, Nagisa and the new girl, whose name I believe was Kayano. Okuda had waved at me to invite me over but I had simply smiled and shaken my head. It was sweet that she wanted to include me but I honestly didn't thing that would have been a very good idea at this moment. My head was swirling and I needed some time to think to myself before I went mad. A lot had taken place in the spam of only a couple hours, things that would no doubt shift my entire way of life from this point onward. Was I prepared for it? To take on this responsibility? To deal with the overwhelming stress that would only get heavier the more time passed? To… take another person life…

Because that's what he was, wasn't he? That octopus. He's a person. Maybe not a human, but a person none the less. Could I end him? Could I do that to someone else? Though, even if I can't… If we don't cooperate with Karasuma then even more people will…

I stared down at my barely touch bento and placed my chopsticks down to run my hands through my hair. I sighed, feeling drained and not at all hungry.

If the 'classes' from this morning were to be any indication of the lessons that we were to be getting then it sure as hell promised to be an interesting year. But was that really worth it though? Was that really something I could keep up? Even if it turned out I couldn't, I can't exactly move back to the main building, or at least not until after the mid-term exams and that was only if I managed to score in the top fifty of my entire year… If I can't do this… would that mean I'd have to drop out? Would they kick me out of school if I disappointed them somehow? Talk about being in between a rock and a hard place…

I felt my eyes prick and I locked my jaw in frustration. I really didn't want to start crying now. Not in the middle of the freaking classroom. I took a deep breath through my nose and then slowly released my breath through my mouth. Then breathed in again, and out. And again. Until I was sure I had myself under control once more.

No. I had to stay in this classroom in order to graduate. And if I wanted to graduate I'd have to work together with my classmates to permanently get rid of our new teacher. There really was no other option for any of us.

I looked up and glanced over the faces of my classmates. Everyone was tense, I could tell. And the familiar sense of frustration and incompetent hung thickly in the air. It was to be expected that this class would react this way, the same thing happened when Yukimura-sensei started insisting us to form study groups to study for our exam. Looking back on that, becoming all depressed because of the prospect of some tests actually seemed kind of pathetic... But it was much worse now. It felt heavier and constricting, this oppression that the government placed on us.

We had to succeed this task that was assigned to us. There simply was no other option. But we had never succeeded at anything before in our lives… even when we tried… How were we supposed to do this? How could the government put thison us? A freaking classroom with twenty seven children.

Ah- wait.

No.

They wouldn't.

There was no way in hell they would sit back and entrust a bunch of teenagers to fix this mess and save the entire freaking planet. Was this a hoax? The octopus wanted to teach us and the government wanted to keep an eye on him- Karasuma had said so himself. So then, are they merely using us as a façade for the creature while they were working out a way to get rid of it? That honestly sounded a lot more likely… So in the end, we're merely pawns to them. A small sacrifice to be made to save the world. Who cares if one or two of them get hurt in the process and- oh wow, we are not at all safe here, are we?

I pushed my lunch to the side and unceremoniously dropped my forehead to my desk then proceeded to groan miserably. This day was only getting better and better, wasn't it?

That ten billion yen bounty probably wasn't real either, or at least, I don't think the government actually believes they'd have to reward us with it. Its kind of a ridiculous amount anyway… Though, I had to admit that this morning it had sounded quite nice to receive that kind of money… I'd probably never have to work another day in my life…

Ah- oh well.

But still though, it was kind of weird, wasn't it? To offer that much money to a bunch of kids to completing an impossible task. They could have gone with one million yen and I'd think that even then most of my classmates would have been onboard. So then maybe the reward isn't only offered to use, but rather to the nation that manages to wipe him out. Karasuma said that too… that aside from us, only the world leaders knew of all of this and with that probably a lot of different branches and organizations within those different countries. They'll need to have manpower to work this one out, I think.

I huffed dryly. The top secret, absolutely classified governmental information which we were forbidden from telling even our closest friends and families about. Was shared all over the world with who knows how many diverging organizations that, most likely, employing countless of specialized people.

And all that in the hopes of finding something to get rid of an all powerful yellow octopus… It was both incredibly frustrating and hysterical. I really didn't know whether I wanted to laugh or cry about all this.

That octopus was definitely the weirdest thing about all of this though. He was the reason behind all of this after all. If it wasn't for him wanting to work here, then we would have never gotten involved in the first place. He had been suspiciously precise about that too… And yet, even the government didn't know why this super being wanted to teach us- of all things… How would a creature of mass destruction like him even get to that decision?

And that was another thing. He was a being capable of destroying an entire freaking planet. Where the hell did it come from? Ah- wait, he said something about that, didn't he? When Mimura assumed he was an alien… The octopus got all angry, sweeping his tentacles around and said 'I was born and raised on earth, you know!'.

So then… he's an artificial life form? Then that would mean somebody made him, doesn't it? Was he supposed to be some kind of secret weapon of mass destruction that ended up going rogue?

'I'm afraid I can't speak more about the details of this…' That's what Karasuma had said… What the hell was the Japanese government doing exactly..? Were they actually building weapons like this? For what? We aren't involved in any wars as far as I knew… And even then, to resort to making something like this… Were they planning to wage war in the future? To take over the world or something? I really wasn't developing the best mental image of the people who were supposed to protect us. What the hell were these people doing…

"Sasaki-san..? Are you alright?"

Lifting my head back up from my desk, I straightened my posture and glanced over at Isogai's worried expression. I gave him- what I hoped to be- a reassuring smile. "Yeah, I'm fine. This is all just a lot to take in at one go, you know?"

"Ah- yes, I know what you mean." He rubbed the back of his neck and let out a so what uncomfortable laugh, "It all a bit unbelievable, isn't it? I keep thinking we're being pranked or something. But that octopus guy… When he moves with his speed… That should be prove enough of all of this being the real deal, don't you think?"

"Yeah, I think so too." I agreed, "I thought he was just a guy wearing a costume before… But he helped me re-adjust my hold on my gun this morning and his tentacle didn't feel like fabric at all. " I let out a weary chuckle and then noticed the paper in Isogai's hands. "Is that the question list for Karasuma-san?"

"Ah, yes!" He step up next to me and placed the list in front of me on the desk. "We try to keep the questions from being too broad since that will probably take Karasuma-san too long to answer and we thought it would be a shame if he skipped over them entirely because of that. But we also don't want any of our questions to go left unanswered, so we did end up with quite a few…"

An entire foot long you mean… "I doubt Karasuma-san is even permitted to answer half of these…" I remarked after a moment of reading. "He did say something like that earlier today, didn't he? That he couldn't go into more details…"

"Maybe so, but we wouldn't know that for sure unless we ask." Isogai objected easily.

"Ah, yeah that's true."

'Question 6: Will the ten billion yen be rewarded to the entire class or only to the ones performing the assassination?'

'Question 11: Does the octopus have other weaknesses (aside from the anti-sensei material) that the government is aware of?'

'Question 17: Why is our new teacher a yellow octopus? Is there a specific reason behind his appearance?'

"You know… I actually think I have a question or two for our new homeroom teacher rather than for Karasuma-san." I admitted drily, "Something like: Where did you receive your teaching credentials?"

I heard a quiet snort coming from my right and notice Chiba turning his head away from us. My conversation partner, however, remained composed. Though I did believe I saw the corner of his mouth twitch if only a little.

"I think that might actually be rude to ask, Sasaki-san…"

"Eh, you think so? Well then, how about this?" I picked up a pencil to scribble something on the bottom of the page then slid it over for Isogai to see.

He gave me a wondering look after reading my question, but I firmly kept my mouth shut.


"As I have already stated this morning, I can't disclose much more information on the how or why he came to be the way he is. To be completely honest, even with my position in the ministry- I'm not granted access to that kind of Intel on his case."

"We already knew that you probably couldn't answer all of our questions, so it's really alright Karasuma-san..." Kurahashi assured the man in a dejected tone.

"I'm aware that this must be a frustrating position for you to be in," Karasuma addressed the class in its entirety, "But understand that we haven't got much choice on this matter. For whatever reason this creature wants to teach you and the government is in a bind on how to proceed within these circumstances. Much like, I realizes, you all must be right now. It is an unusual situation to be in for all of us but a necessary one nonetheless."

It struck me as odd how kind this man could be without actually seeming it. Here he stood in front of us, as a representative of the government, calmly explaining the restrictions on our hopeless situation to us. Addressing us with a professional distant much like he would his coworkers. And yet, he took as much time as needed for us to understand what was happening and why. Sometimes repeating himself or even rewording his explanations when we voiced our confusion. Not once losing his cool or his patience.

"The following question is…" Karasuma fell silent for a moment to finish his reading, "Is on whether or not I could give you a few directions on how to keep all this from your families…" He lifted a hand to his face and rubbed his chin, seemingly thinking it over. "Preferably, I'd have you all armed with your anti-sensei weapons at all times, in case an opportunity were to presents itself. If your parents or siblings find your weaponry you could regard them as mere toys. They are, after all, specially made for safe handling. Aside from that, as this creature will be teaching you much like any other teacher would… You shouldn't feel forced to stick to a fabricated story of any sorts. Tell them about class, what you learned, talk about the activities you do before or after school. Just keep the assassination out of the conversation and you should be fine."

"Sir?" Kanzaki raised a delicate hand, "What if our parents want to have a parent-teacher conversation? Or what about the monthly assembly at the main building? I don't think… uh, our new sensei would..."

"I'd love to-"

"As that is clearly impossible for him, he will remain out of sight and-." Karasuma sharply cut off the octopus. Who, obviously, didn't take that very well… and cut back in, "Karasuma-san! What are you saying?! Why can't I represent my own classroom?!" The octopus wailed loudly as its tentacles wiggled wildly. One of the two tentacles which the creature seemed to favor as its main arms, the ones which were split in two at the end, was held in front of his mouth as if to contain his shock.

"Are you crazy?! You're supposed to be a state secret!" Karasuma barked out in annoyance.

"Then I'll wear a disguise!" The octopus shifted and all of a sudden he was pale in the face and wearing a curly beard, thick rimmed glasses and a wig showing a bald patch. His professor robes were now an aged light brown suit with patches on the outside of the elbow and a baby blue undershirt. His other features were still very much recognizable and distinguishable as none human though.

"That wouldn't fool anyone!" The class yelled out its protest.

The octopus shrieked and slithered over to a corner of the classroom, muttering sadly to himself as he shifted back to his usual robes.

"As I was saying… He will be out of sight if such occasions were to occur and then an agent will simply take his place as your homeroom teacher. The most likely scenario would be that that agent would be me, seeing as I'd be here most of the time and would be the most knowledgeable of what goes on around here during school hours. Now onto the last quest-" Karasuma fell silent again as he read over said question, it had to be mine. I knew Isogai wouldn't have erased it from the list, even though he might've not understood completely why I wanted to ask it.

But despite the fact that I wanted to knowthe answer to my question. In that moment, I had to wonder if it had really been a good idea to ask this while the, no doubt, highly stationed agent of the ministry of defense was present. I expected him to grow angry with us. To yell. To demand why we would even ask such a thing when our objective had been made so very clear throughout the day.

Eventually, Karasuma signed out tiredly and held out the paper to the octopus, "It's a question for you."

Calm. Tired. But no anger. Huh.

The creature hummed and moved back over to Karasuma with the use of his speed, a tentacle hand? grabbed onto the paper, "Let's see… Questions for our new teacher: Question number one; are you currently in pain, being the way you are?" Silence fell in the classroom as bewildered glances were shared amongst the students. I felt like sinking into my chair, embarrassed because it actually sounded quite stupid when the question was stated out loud like that…

"Not at all~! Because you seen- your sensei works out three days a week." He shifted and suddenly he was wearing a bright red tracksuit with additional sweatbands on a couple of his tentacles and one larger one around his head, "I'm physically healthy and I generally don't succumb to silly illnesses. So as you can see, there really is no need to worry about your sensei. I'm at the top of my game~."

He shifted again and his professor robes were back on, it glanced around the classroom. "Was someone trying to trick me into revealing a weakness? We haven't even started class yet!" He sounded happy despite the dire of his accusation.

I averted my gaze and force myself to keep my face slack, hoping it would keep the creature from picking me out of the crowed. I didn't feel like clarifying myself in front of the entire class.

It laughed its weird laugh and once more regained its green stripes for what seemed to be the hundred time today. Karasuma snatched the list out of his tentacle, folded it and shoved into the pocket of his jacket. He turned to us, "We'll just go ahead and move on to the individual conversations. Erh- seeing as student number one is still suspended, Isogai-kun? Would you please follow us to the teacher's lounge?"

"Ah- hai!" Isogai responded as he got out of his desk and quickly followed after the agent and the octopus.

The moment the door slid closed; the class seemed to breathe out as one. A few noticeably sunk into themselves and others tiredly laid their heads onto their desks. I signed out myself and leaned back into my chair, precariously balancing myself on its hind legs.

"Sasaki-chan?" I opened my eyes and let myself fall back into my chairs four legs, I hummed at Okuda to encourage her to ask her question. "I-I wanted to ask before… but what do you think of all of this?"

"It's… kinda crazy." I eventually settled on saying. What was I supposed to say to that?

Okuda put a wary smile on her face, "It really is, isn't it?"

I hummed again, though this time in agreement.

"It's a big chance though- I mean!" She nervously seemed to catch herself mid-sentence, I send her a confused look, "It isn't every day we'll get the chance to obtain ten billion yen in one sweep… Although t-to be honest, I don't think I'll be the one to receive it… "

I stared at her admittedly rather startled. Was Okuda actually thinking about assassinating that octopus to win the money price? She was okay with that?

"Since- you know… I don't really see myself actually doing something like that…" Neither can I, honestly… "I'm nowhere near as strong as most people in this class... I mean- did you see Karasuma-san move this morning? When he was attacking that t-thing? I could never do that." She sounded sad now and I felt conflicted. Was I supposed to make her feel better? Tell her that I believed in her and that she would succeed if she tried hard enough? Even though we were essentially talking about murdering someone?

"Maybe so…I don't think I could ever do that either…" What the hell even was my life anymore..? "But Okuda-chan has other strong points, like- erh… Oh! Chemistry!" I tried to sound positive, I really did. But saying this felt like something bitter just crawled out of my mouth… "You could make poisons and such…"

"Eeh? You really think so!" She sounded hopeful now, I nodded weakly.

And then she smiled that sweet smile of hers and I made an effort to mirror it.


The students that finished their talk with Karasuma and the octopus were apparently allowed to leave right after, to the dissatisfaction of all the students whose surnames started with letters at the very end of the alphabetical order.

Thank god mine was somewhere in the midst of it all. I really didn't want to attempt going down this mountain in the dark quite yet…

When Kurahashi came back into the classroom, I was already on my feet. The faster you're into it, the faster you're out of it, right? I let out a shaky breath as I walked down the short hallway to the teacher's lounge. I was nervous. There really was no way to know what to expect from this talk.

My classmates that went before me didn't give much away when they returned to the classroom. They seemed normal enough. They called out the next student at the door or did so when they collected their things and then simply took off. They felt uneasy, I could tell that much, but that was kind of a given today…

Stopping shortly in front of the door to the teacher's lounge, I took a deep breath before taking a hold on the door-

"You may come in, Sasaki-san." Startled and a bit embarrassed, I quickly slid the door open and stepped in. The room only had one large desk at the very back and a sole chair facing it, two nearly empty bookcases to the left and a white board hanging on the right side of the room. Karasuma sat behind the desk with an open file in front of him, mine, I quickly realized. The yellow octopus sat a little behind the agent, sobbing fat tears, disturbingly enough…

I softly closed the door behind me, causing Karasuma to look up from his paperwork. "Take a seat." He sounded almost bored. I did what was requested of me and glanced over at the octopus. "Is he..?" I wasn't sure what I wanted to ask…

"Ignore him." Was all Karasuma stated, not at all bothered to give me an explanation for the creature's odd behavior. "Your file has brought up some points of concerns." I stiffened in my seat; this was already off to a great start… "According to this you have had some medical issues in the past, which were apparently bad enough to allow you out of P.E. class on multiple occasions. Would you care to elaborate?" Calm. Professional. No accusing tone at all. Still though, I was nervous to answer. Was this going to be the deal breaker? Was I going to be kicked out of class? Was I going to be suspended?

"Just before I started attending here at Kunugigaoka… I all of a sudden fell ill and was resorted to bed rest for about six months. I have gotten better since then though! I-I mean, I'm probably still one of the weakest in our class but I've been able to keep up with them so far…"

"What sickness did you succumb to?" Karasuma folded his hands and stared me down from the other side of the desk. I still couldn't tell whether or not he was upset with this information and it unnerved me.

"… They couldn't tell…" I replied weakly, "From my blood samples the doctors knew that I wasn't taking in the right amount of vitamins and such- they figured that was why I couldn't physically keep up… Though they never put a name on it…"

"What treatments did they suggest and what is currently working for you?" The yellow octopus suddenly questioned, pulling my attention momently away from the intense stare of the governmental officer. I sweatdropped at the doctor's costume the octopus was suddenly wearing. Why did he keep doing that?

"…Sorry, I'm just…" I looked back over to Karasuma, "Is it really a good idea for him to know stuff like this about us..?"

"Of course it is! I'm supposed to take care of all of you after all~!" The creature gently lectured me, "Being aware of my students' medical situation is naturally important to me as your teacher."

"He's only allowed to be here on the prerequisite of the government that he wouldn't cause harm to any of you." Karasuma assured me from across the desk, "You can tell him."

I didn't trust the government to have my best interest at heart, though… I wanted to object, but knew doing so would get me kicked out for sure. My only option was to remain in the E class after all, if I still wanted to have a chance at a decent future… So instead I settled on surrendering, for now, that is.

"I was set on multiple diets and different vitamin pills in the first few months, when that didn't show immediate results they had me do other tests surrounding my digestive system. In the end, I did get better because of the extra attention put on what I was consuming and the additional vitamins. It just took a lot longer than what the doctors had expected."

"I see, I see..." The octopus tutted as he noted something down on a clipboard, "And what were these tests that they made you do in the mean time?"

"They tested me on all kinds of allergies and at one point they even forbad me from consuming about three parts of the wheel of five. They made me get a gastroscopy and later on an ultrasound for my intestines… Then they considered performing an ileostomy procedure and- oh, erm…" Noticing Karasuma's look, I struggled for a moment to recollect my thoughts to explain the medical term to him.

The octopus beat me to it though, "An ileostomy is a medical term used for the procedure in which the small bowel is diverted through an opening in the stomach. A special bag is placed over the opening- also known as the stoma- to collect waste products that usually pass through."

I felt my face flush despite myself and shifted so what uncomfortably in my chair as the agent rested his eyes back on me. A tentacle took a hold of a loose paper on the desk and the octopus pulled it over himself to glance over it.

"Usually, it's a procedure used to allow the small intestine or colon to heal after it's been operated on. Like one would usually have to after undergoing an operation on which a section of bowel has been removed, like for instance to treat bowel cancer. But if you indeed recovered simply because of a chanced diet then I guess it makes sense why nothing as extreme as that has been noted on your school's medical file…" It looked back up at me.

"Yes… I guess, I was lucky in that aspect… if the ileostomy hadn't worked then the doctors had actually considered giving me an intestine transplantation. And that's about the length of the tests that they did and wanted to do… " I trailed off uncertainly noticing Karasuma had resorted back to his blank intense stare which I was honestly starting to despise.

"What are your current dietary restrictions? Any allergies or medication I should be aware off?" The octopus was back with his clipboard, scribbling madly with his pen. Not quite at his top speed though, was he doing this for show..?

Unnerving…

But answering his questions was easy enough, I've had to answer the same questions plenty of times before. "I have no allergies to speak off and I'm generally allowed to eat anything at this point in time. What I do need to be careful about is the intake of grease and sugar. Aside from that I just need to be mindful of the amounts of what I eat, as in I need variation in my daily diet. Which honestly shouldn't from much of a problem here at school… I also don't need to take any vitamin pills anymore. So as I said earlier, I'm doing quite fine."

"And what if physical strain were to be added to your daily routine?" Karasuma asked, his eyes seemed to grow sharper if that was even possible… "You said that you're able to keep up with your classmates, but the E class doesn't have any physical education in its curriculum since the school board counts the track up the mountain as its replacement."

"I think I'd like that…" I admitted quietly and Karasuma made a questioning noise.

"I'd like that." I stated more firmly, "I've had to be careful with everything I did in the past few years. I want to know how far I can go if I push it! If I tried really hard…" A bit embarrassed by my sudden passionate stance on the subject, I scratched my cheek so what uncertainly, "If that's alright..?"

Karasuma was silent for a moment, still staring at me and then nodded once.

Approval.

I wanted to cry.

"Your sensei would like to know if your health issues were the main cause of the decline in your grades." The octopus cheekily cut in again, and was he actually talking in the third person now..?

I nodded so what reluctantly. "They are. I had a few setbacks over the years. Last year I was actually starting to do better again both physically and academically but that apparently wasn't enough to keep me out of the E class…"

"What do you do in your free time?"

"…Eh?" startled, I glanced back up at the yellow octopus whom was once again back in his professor robes. I guess that meant the medical questions were over?

"Any hobbies you like? How much time do you spend on your studies?" It happily went on.

"I like reading and watching movies, I also own an old game console which I like to play on from time to time… I don't really have hobbies outside from that… and I usually use my weekends to catch up on my studies, so…" That actually sounded rather sad to my ears…

"How about the time you spend with friends?"

"I don't really…" I started off uncomfortably, "When I got sick I lost a lot of friends… And the kids from my former classes here in school stopped seeking me out after I dropped into the E class so…" Oh, never mind, it's actually depressing now.

"Well that's no good." The octopus turned completely purple and a huge 'X' appeared on its face, "Social connections are very important at your age! So if I may suggest, why not try and befriend your current classmates? As it stands right now, you'll need to learn how to connect and work together with your classmates if you wish to assassinate me before graduation~."

"I'll keep that in mind…" I stated tiredly.

"That effectively brings us to our next topic. After being told about him, the mission and keeping in mind the 'lessons' of this morning… What exactly is your current stance in all of this?" Karasuma was once again staring me down from across the desk. This was important after all. If I showed now that I couldn't handle it, then he'd kick me out of class no questions asked…

I sighed out as I pondered over what to say, the truth? That I'm only in because we aren't exactly given another option? Or should I lie and say something familiar to what Okuda had said earlier on…

"I wouldn't mind receiving ten billion yen on my bank account." I answered easily, that wasn't a lie after all. "And I also wouldn't mine the challenge." Of the physical strain you just mentioned, that is… It wasn't the full truth, but oh well…

"You're taking this rather well." Karasuma observed, "Some of your classmates were less accommodate to the government's decision."

"Eh, really?" I can't say I was really all that surprised at that. Who wouldn't have an emotional reaction to something like this?

"You're calm though."

Ah, me apparently. Shit.

I blinked at Karasuma, "Maybe the dire of the situation hasn't quite settled in with me yet?" It was an excuse more than anything.

Karasuma sighed, "Think it over and then I'd like to speak with you again before this week is over. I can see that you're in for now but if you're having any doubts then I'd like to know immediately."

I nodded meekly.

"I had forgotten to mention it before…" Karasuma started and I looked up, having piqued my interest. "But as all of this is a state secret and we'd like to keep it as such. Special procedures have been set in place to reinforce secrecy. I'm aware that some of you wish to improve your grades to make use of the top fifty transfer option to leave the 3-E classroom and return to your former grade. This is not our choice to make and if you wish to utilize it then that's fine. However, seeing as you would be stepping out of the 3-E classroom and with that the assassination plan, we would need you to go through a memory erasure procedure."

"M-memory erasure..?" I all but stuttered out. That really doesn't sound like something you should mention as an afterthought, Karasuma-san!

"It does what it states. It erases your memory from this mission and alters what's left to fit with a believable cover up story." Karasuma explained easily, seemingly not at all bothered by the grim meaning behind his words. He knew the hard lines that accompanied his job and knew them well... Karasuma truly was a terrifying person. Chizue decided warily.

"That sounds scary…" I admitted honestly. I didn't want my mind erased or played with. That wasn't anyone's right. My mind was my own. My private space. Mine. Not the government's play thing! Do they really care so little about the people they're supposed to protect? Are they truly fine breaking people apart like that to keep their secrets hidden? Was Karasuma not at all bothered knowing this? D-did he implement these things himself..?

Karasuma made a sound that I thought was of agreement.

"Karasuma-san! Stop scaring my students!" The octopus suddenly screeched angrily in the agent's ear.

"They need to know the consequences of their choices!" Karasuma gritted out. The two of them could have made a comical duo if it hadn't been for such a grave conversational topic...

"I'd rather know these things!" I blurred out before the octopus could respond. Both looked over at me, "I mean- I'd rather be aware. I'd hate to make ill-considered choices that could influence me and the people around me like that..."

"Yes." Karasuma stated and then looked back over to the octopus, "You need to get out for the next part."

"Eh?! But sensei still has an inquiry for Sasaki-san!" It cried and then a tentacle shot out at Karasuma at a ridiculous speed. It went into one of Karasuma's pockets and shot back out again.

"Oi!" Karasuma exclaimed in anger but he was ignored by the octopus as it held out a small piece of paper to me. On it showed the master list that Kataoka and Isogai had created. "Why did you want to know this of your sensei?"

"What makes you think I wrote it?" I tried to deflect his claim.

"The handwriting is very much familiar to your autograph in your students file." The green strips were back again… Damn it.

I huffed out in annoyance and casted a worried glance at Karasuma. Who sat unchanged, wonderful. "It seemed easier." I admitted eventually.

"Nurufufufu~ surely you didn't believe 'easy' was going to fool me~?" It snickered and teasingly waved the list about in front of my face, "If you want to know my secrets then next time you'll have to try a bit harder~!"

"I wasn't trying to trick anything out of you." I explained calmly, already feeling more than tired of this creature's taunting, "I just wanted an honest answer- its important after all."

"Because then it would be easier to kill me?" It teased again.

It was considered rude to roll your eyes at a teacher, right? I deadpanned at it instead as I endured his tentacle wiggling.

"Enough." Karasuma growled and glared fiercely up at the octopus, "And get out."

"Karasuma-san's so scary~," It tutted cheekily and dropped the list on the desk, then it slithered on out anyway.

"I'm sorry you have to put up with that…" I offered after a moment of silence.

"I am too." He said back and then signed. "To get back to our conversation… I would like to know if you have already something in mind for an assassination."

Not really. "He seemed to be in complete control of any given situation, so far…" I shifted so what uncomfortably in my seat, "He's big headed though… Maybe I could use that? Make him believe he's in control when he's really not?"

"So no real ideas either…" Karasuma sighed out.

My anger flaired. He couldn't actually expect us, a bunch of middle schoolers, to be overflowing with assassination plans and ideas right off the bat… And what did he mean with 'no real ideas'? Wasn't the government essentially doing the exact same thing? Using us as a façade to keep the octopus in an accessible spot while they're grasping at straws?

"I'm sorry." I did my best to keep my irritation in check, though if the look Karasuma was giving me meant anything then I'd guess he caught it anyway.

"You may leave." He stated frankly and kept his gaze on me until I bid him a shaky goodnight and left through the sliding doors.

The yellow octopus suddenly accumulated by the window and I nearly tripped over myself in surprise. "Ah, Sasaki-san, you're finished for today then?" It wondered kindly.

I nodded belatedly, "Yes…" I really should get used to the speed of this creature's movements… "Uh, have a good night, sensei."

"Goodnight, Sasaki-san." It called out happily, "And I hope to see you again bright and early tomorrow morning~!" And then it slithered back into the teacher's lounge, softly shutting the door behind it with a click.

Ah, that's right

It's only Monday

I groaned softly under my breath as I shuffled back to the classroom, feeling absolutely miserable with the realization that this was going to be a long fucking year…

I tiredly slid the door open, "Nagisa-kun, It's your turn…" I called out as I walked further into the classroom. I quietly collected my school bag from my desk and immediately turned to leave again. None of my classmates bothered to talk to me- which was alright I guess- they were probably just as nervous about their talk with Karasuma as I had been earlier on. And to be honest, I didn't exactly feel like talking to any of them at this point either. I was exhausted. And I really just wanted to go home, curl up on my bed and do nothing for the rest of the day…

But when I got to the door I found Nagisa standing out in the hallway, gazing at me with almost expecting eyes.

I send him a questioning look back as I closed the classroom door behind me, "What?"

"I was just wondering, about…" he nervously glanced down the hallway and then back again at me. Ah. He wants to know what to expect, then… "What happened in there?" He eventually settled on asking.

I glanced down the hallway myself, momently wondering how was I going to describe that. "It kinda feels like being called to the principal's office- like you get the feeling that you're being called out for doing something bad but you have no idea what you did? But on the other hand it also feels a bit like an interrogation with the way Karasuma-san formulates his questions…"

"I guess that's to be expected…" Nagisa agreed wearily.

"It isn't as bad as it sounds…" I offered as a means to console him a little then send him a wryly smile, "The octopus asks a lot of lighter questions. Such as: 'What are your hobbies?' and 'What do you like about them?'... It honestly throws off the entire atmosphere in the room..."

Nagisa chuckled uneasily.

"It'll be alright." I told him eventually, of course I didn't know that for sure but I figured it was nice to hear regardless. Nagisa sighed out, nodded and then sent me a small grateful smile. "See you tomorrow, Sasaki-san!"

"See ya, Nagisa-kun." I responded in kind.

And then Nagisa turned to move over to the teacher's lounge and I tiredly prepared myself to make the long track down the mountain.


And that was chapter 2!