So we're back for the second chapter of 'Assassinated Pain'! Since so many took their time to review, I'll try to answer them the best that I can.
ToastedWeirdBrain : Yay! I finally did! XP
ynius : Thank you!
Amaya Kuruta : Sorry to disappoint you but the relationship between Karma and Nagisa would be purely friendship. But I hope you won't be too disappointed when you read the rest the of the fic!
Rhaelle : Thank you and I hope I'll live up to your expectations!
Frwt : Your questions will be answered in this very chapter! So stay tuned~
Sara3361 : Thank you!
Veneer : *laughs darkly* Your question will be answered due time but be assured, Karma plays a very big role in that and Asano did not come willingly!
Hino1Hyuga : Yes! This is your update! Enjoy~
Thank you for all the reviews, alerts, favorites and reads! Once again, a very big thanks to BlueSkyBlue for being my awesome beta reader! Hope you guys enjoy the chapter!
Fun fact : Today, 31st of August is Independence Day for my beloved country, Malaysia! So happy Independence Day, my fellow Malaysians! XD
"I'm truly begging you, Director. Please allow this one selfish request from me," Hiromi said as she slightly bowed her head at the figure in front of her. Beside her, Nagisa was also bowing his head but he kept his eyes onto the ground, not daring to look at the man.
Director Asano was completely speechless. Just 10 minutes ago, the door to his office was opened only to be greeted by two people who known too well, one from meeting the said woman a few days ago and the other from his occasional visits to the Class E. He had wondered briefly why the woman in particular had come to meet him yet again since he had already finalized Shiota Nagisa's class exchange.
But never in his wildest dreams did he suspected this.
One glance at the boy and he knew that Nagisa was more than reluctant to be here, more so in asking him to accept such ridiculous offer.
"Director Asano, it seems that my request had overwhelmed you. Please consider this request and I will give you some time before you give me the answer. And I hope your answer will be in my favor," Hiromi spoke before she stood up from her chair and slightly bowed her head once more.
"I'll be taking my leave. Farewell, Director Asano," before she swiftly left the room, leaving her son behind.
As soon as the door closed, Director Asano's eyes immediately fell onto the remaining occupant, Shiota Nagisa. Before he had the chance to speak, Nagisa was already talking with his head still bowed to him,
"Please, Director Asano. I'm begging you, please say yes! Just this one time, director, and I will never cause any trouble for you again until the day I graduate. I know the request seemed absurd, childish even! But please just this once, give her your approval!"
As Nagisa continued to beg, his head was lowered and lowered until it was almost touching the surface of the table in front of him. Director Asano's eyes were sharp enough to see that Nagisa's body was slightly trembling from the suppressed emotions. And his ears did not fail to catch the similar tremble in Nagisa's voice.
A sense of pity washed over him when he realized the boy was clearly hating the way he had to beg for a request he was not willing to do.
Truth to be told, Director Asano wanted to reject that request, he would even go as far as to laugh when the first time that request was asked but he couldn't.
Not when he saw how desperate the boy in front of him wanted him to agree.
He knew asking questions would be meaningless but he had to ask, to make sure he wasn't making the wrong decision.
"Will you be able to bear it, Shiota-san?"
A stiff nod was his answer.
Director Asano let out a sigh.
"Very well. I, Asano Gakuho, the chairman of Kunigigaoka Junior High School, agree to allow Shiota Nagisa to wear the girl's school uniform for the rest of the year," Director Asano spoke formally, a little stiff and awkward when he heard the ridiculousness of that one sentence alone.
"Thank you, sir."
When Nagisa finally lifted his head, Director Asano saw the light had dulled in his eyes.
He briefly hoped he didn't make a mistake by agreeing.
Asano Gakushu was taking his notes as usual when the teacher's voice stopped. Curious, he lifted his head and saw the teacher reading a paper while an unknown student was waiting silently beside her. He saw the teacher's brow burrowed as she kept glancing at the still silent student. Finally, after reading the paper one last time, she faced the class with a slightly disturbed face before spoke,
"Class, a student will be transferring in here today. Please meet Shiota Nagisa."
Asano's head snapped towards the student as his eyes widened in shock when he heard the name. True, he had barely known the boy but he clearly recognized him as one of Class E, someone particularly close to Akabane Karma.
But as he watched the student slowly turning to face the class, he still couldn't believe it was the same student. Because right now, the Shiota Nagisa in front of him was arguably one of the most innocent and cutest boy he had met and instead of the usual pigtails, light blue hair was freely flowing past the shoulders without any hairbands. With him wearing the girl's uniform, one might assume he was actually in fact, a girl.
And just for a second, Asano doubted it was the same Shiota Nagisa.
If Asano was truthfully to himself, he would have said that he thought Nagisa was pretty.
His petite frame fitted the uniform perfectly. His hair and bangs framing his face so flawlessly that it had more than captivated the class. His fair complexion that could make any girl green with envy with legs and hands so slender and slim that they looked delicate. Asano could have sworn he was a girl who coincidently had the same name but when he saw those azure blue eyes, he knew he wasn't mistaken.
He was staring at the same Shiota Nagisa.
But somehow, those blue eyes were different.
They were empty.
But maybe because of those blue eyes that Asano thought it was not the same person.
Those eyes that used to be filled with innocence that anyone could read him like an open book.
Asano was startled out of his musings when the object of his thoughts spoke.
"Pleased to meet you."
His voice was soft and gentle that couldn't be neither feminine or masculine. It was a little bit of both. And if Asano did not Nagisa beforehand, he, along with the class, would be convinced that the new student was a girl.
For the rest of the class, Asano couldn't concentrate on his works as his thoughts continuously went to a certain androgynous boy. And if he had listened to the whispers, he would know that he was not the only one.
The students of Class E were unusually silent. For the rest of the day, not even one of them had tried to think of any grand assassination plans. And all attempts were clearly half-hearted. Nobody might not say it out loud but over the time they spent together, Nagisa had become a very important classmate to all of them. There was no doubt his absence had greatly affected them.
Korosensei was looking at his students worriedly but his usual grin never faltered. It had been three days since the Nagisa incident. As soon as the shock of the sudden speech by Nagisa wore off, there was only one word to describe the situation,
Chaos.
A mixture of anger, shock, disbelief, rage, doubt was shown clearly on their expressions as they tried to get the answer from the most possible source, himself. But even he was more than overwhelmed and shocked by the sudden events. With his students still bombarding questions around him, he had flown off to the director office.
When asked, the man answered.
Apparently, Shiota Hiromi had met him a few days ago and demanded that his son to transfer to Class A since he had scored the 14th place in the second finals exams. Korosensei tried to protest, telling him it was a little pointless since all the major exams were already over and there was only a little more than 2 months before graduation. In return, Director Asano told him that was his exact answer when the woman had first come to him.
Shiota Hiromi proved to be more than just a controlling mother.
She said that he should have transferred class when he was 31st in the first final exams. And when the director took no action to transfer his class, his ranking dropped to 54nd on the midterm exams. It was all his fault. So when she heard her son got 14th in the second year final exams, she took actions in her own hands and would not allow the same mistake to be repeated.
When Director Asano tried to argue that there was no more exams, she answered he was lying.
There was one last mock entrance exams.
Apparently, this school had made one last minor exam to prepare the students before taking their real high school entrance exams. It was a pointless exam since they had the escalator system. The only reason for the exam was for Class E that was not included in the escalator system.
And since Nagisa would still be taking high school entrance exams as his name would still be under Class E even if he did transfer class, the woman demanded that he changed class.
Seeing as no harm done, Director Asano complied.
Korosensai wanted to protest but the transfer was already finalized. So with a dejected face, he flew back to the top of the mountain where Class E was located. But now, feeling the gloomy atmosphere did not clear even though three days had passed, a very very very small part of him regretted the director had changed for the better.
Because truly, the old director would never approve of this.
Korosensei immediately shook the thoughts away and focused back to the despondent students. But even then, he couldn't think of anything to cheer them up until the bell rang for the end of the day.
However, among the somber expressions, there was one that held calculating eyes.
Nagisa stared absent-minded at the scenery around him. It was his second day at the main building again so he decided to take a walk to get used to the luxurious facilities provided by the school that was not granted to Class E.
In his mind, he kept telling himself the walk was to reacquaint himself with the school again but his heart knew better. A small part of him, in the deepest corner of his mind, couldn't stand the tense atmosphere around him. The class was too suffocating and it was driving him crazy.
The whispers.
The murmurs.
The glances.
The glares.
The pointing fingers at his direction.
The news had spread like wild fire. It was rare that a student transferred out of class E but it was even more rare that the said student would transfer to Class A. By the time recess came around, practically every student had heard the news.
And it didn't help that some of his former classmates had recognised him. The fact that he was cross-dressing was being debated by almost every student who had even a glimpse of him.
Besides, blue hair isn't that hard to miss.
The unbidden memories of that day replayed in his head.
The day that started everything.
"Nagisa-chan, please come here," Shiota Hiromi called out.
Nagisa mentally winced at the pet name that his mother was very fond of lately before he got up from his bed, pushing aside the comic he was reading previously.
Just as he was about to take his first step at the stairs, he hesitated.
He didn't know why but there was a feeling of unease that he couldn't quite shake off since this morning. And somehow, the sickly sweet way his mother was calling him moments ago only intensified the feeling.
He knew something was a little off about his mother lately. Both of them would be having a normal dinner when all of a sudden, she would start crying. Alarmed and confused, Nagisa would try to comfort her but she would just slap his hands away and started screaming hysterically that her perfect world consists of a daughter! Never a son!
And it was at that moment Nagisa would stop trying to comfort her, her words stabbing his heart that hurts more than any physical wound she had inflicted before. Instead, he would just silently wash the dishes and crept back to his room.
The next day, Hiromi acted as if anything had happened.
So it was understandable that Nagisa was more than a little anxious meeting his own mother. That anxiety turned into dread when he saw his mother sitting on the dining table with a white envelope on the table.
It was his exam results.
He knew he did great on this exam. It was even his best ranking yet! But he still couldn't shake off the apprehension as he took the seat across his mother.
"Yes, mother?"
When her smile widened, Nagisa was more than ready to run away.
"Nagisa-chan! Congratulations! I'm so proud of you! Your scores could even beat Class A! You did wonderful, my sweet child!"
Hiromi reached out a gentle caressed his cheeks before her fingers moved to his hair. With one swift movement, she snapped his hairband, letting his hair fall down behind him.
Nagisa said nothing as she continued to run her fingers through his hair.
This was another habit she started not too long ago.
Whenever she saw him, she would snap off his hairband before playing with his hair.
And she never called him her son. It was either Nagisa-chan or my child. Nagisa couldn't help but feel hurt that his own mother was unwilling to admit his gender.
"But you know Nagisa-chan, no matter what I did, I could never have the perfect life,"
Nagisa tensed when he felt the fingers on his hair getting harsher.
"Nagisa-chan, last month your father sent me a divorce paper," Hiromi's voice was slowly getting hysterically as she gripped his hair.
The pain should have been expected but Nagisa couldn't stop the short yell of pain when she yanked his hair.
"THAT NO GOOD HUSBAND HAD THE GUTS TO DIVORCE ME?! AS IF LEAVING ME TO TAKE CARE OF YOU ALL ALONE ALL THOSE YEARS AGO WASN'T ENOUGH, HE JUST HAD TO DUMP EVERY RESPONSIBILITY ON ME WHEN HE MET ANOTHER WOMAN?!"
Nagisa tried to make her stop, the pain was too much.
It hurts so much and this was so wrong because she was his own mother for God's sake and she just won't stop-
He immediately scrambled back when she released her grip. His scalp was throbbing with the abuse and he was still scared about her mental stability.
"I couldn't have the perfect life, Nagisa-chan. That's why, you will have the ideal world that I had always dreamed of,"
Nagisa stepped back until his back hit the wall as his mother stopped right in front of him. She knelt down so that she was eye level with him before she reached out to play with his hair again.
At this point, Nagisa was too scared to move, afraid he would trip some unknown trigger that would set off his mother again.
"Oh, and while I'm talking about an ideal world…. I so wanted a girl…."
Her hands went limp and went back to her sides before she stood up.
"The perfect daughter that is not the shame of the family."
The coils of dread tightened as she continued her words, her eyes glinting off mercilessly as she stared right into his eyes,
"The perfect daughter that I can proudly brag that she had studied in Class A of the famous Kunugigaoka Junior High School."
And that was the day that Nagisa's world fell apart.
Nagisa let out a tired sigh, the past events finally taking a toll on his body. Exhaustion washed over him, both mentally and physically. The urge to simply close his eyes was getting stronger by the second and Nagisa couldn't help but think that being Karma would be heaven right now.
Not caring about anyone talking about him.
Not caring about the school rules.
Not even caring when the school practically had a grudge against him.
Nagisa knew that recess was almost over when he realised the noise was steadily decreasing. Nagisa thought about the single piece of sandwich he was allowed to bring for lunch and his stomach immediately churned.
He was hungry but even the mere thought of food made him nauseous.
Again, Nagisa let out weary sigh, his shoulders feeling heavier than ever. But he knew he didn't have time to wallow in self-pity so he straightened his back, let out one last sigh before he replaced it with a practiced gentle smile.
His limbs that felt like lead a second ago moved with enviable grace as he ran his fingers through his long hair so that it cascaded down his shoulders in gentle waves before he made his way to class, his movements relaxed and gracefully as if he didn't feel like the rest of the world was on his shoulders just a few moments ago.
"Man, I miss Nagisa," Sugino sighed as the others nodded in agreement. Currently, Kayano, Isogai, Kataoka and Sugaya were resting beneath a tree while Sugino was making himself comfortable one top of one of the branches.
It was recess and since none of them could bear being in the gloomy atmosphere any longer, they decided some fresh air could help with their thoughts about a certain blunet.
Silence fell onto them since no one could think of anything to say. Suddenly, their musings were broken when someone appeared in their line of vision. It was so sudden that the startled Sugino almost fell from the tree.
All eyes immediately went to the figure and the said person was already walking away from them. All they saw was the back of the girl's uniform with light blur hair flowing past the shoulders.
For a moment, they were stunned.
Thanks to their months of training, everyone in class had sharpened their senses that it was almost impossible someone without experience could escape their attention. Yet, a complete stranger had caught them off guard when they couldn't detect her presence until it was too late.
But somehow, the girl had an aura around her. An aura that made them involuntarily shivered.
When they saw the girl entered their classroom, they made eye contact and immediately reached an agreement. Without any words, they ran towards their class.
As soon as they entered class, they saw everyone was already there, despite break had not ended yet. Everyone was talking and whispering to each other, very aware of the stranger in the class who was currently in the front of the class with Korosensei. The stranger was facing the teacher so no one could see her face.
"Hey, who are you?"
Immediately everyone stopped talking when Karma asked the question that was on everyone's mind. With his legs on the desk, he was wearing his usual laid-back grin but his eyes were staring right at the unexpected visitor. Korosensei panicked when he felt the tension increased so he let out an obvious sigh of relief when the door opened to reveal Karasuma and Irina.
The two teachers immediately saw the visitor and Irina with a look of distrust, asked,
"Who is she?"
Korosensei immediately tried to calm her down.
"Irina-sensei! Please calm down! He will explain to everyone here!"
Everyone immediately stared at the yellow octopus when they heard the word 'he'.
"Good morning, everyone," came the sudden greeting spoken in a soft gentle voice. A voice that was slightly softer than before but one that they knew too well.
All eyes stared at the assumed 'girl' as he finally turned and faced them.
Nagisa smiled.
"It's been a while."
We are hitmen.
The target is our sensei.
Nobody in Class E could believe that I was standing in front of them.
And nobody expected the words that came out of my mouth after that.