Disclaimer: I don't own anything you recognize. Certain dialogue is from a translation on Tumblr (from blazardragon, to be specific)
Partners
"Okay class, let's get into groups for the project!" the teacher said cheerfully.
The classmates started to form groups and tagging people. Chattering and occasional yelling filled the classroom. Everyone seemed to be excited for the group project.
Except two.
Chiba Ryuunosuke didn't like group projects, because it meant he'll have to communicate with people. They were scared at him because of his eyes, but now they teased him because of his hairstyle covering his eyes. So no matter what he did his classmates would think he was weird anyway. Besides, he was an outcast, he was always left out and isolated.
Hayami Rinka was confused. She was okay with group projects, but the way everyone interacted with each other scared her. They had just started first year of middle school, it was just a week, but everyone seemed to know each other. She had talked to some people, but as she spun around to look for them, they were lost in the sea of people. Suddenly, she felt invisible among the chattering, laughing students.
Chiba looked at the kids from behind his bangs which concealed his eyes. He started to panic slightly. If he didn't have a group, the teacher surely would pick up and ask if a group would like to have him, which would be embarrassing. He started walking around, but everyone seemed to have formed groups.
In the midst of people, a sudden flash of colour caught his eye. Chiba followed it to see a orange-brownish haired girl standing in the corner, sharp green eyes wide as she looked around, confused and scared. Chiba's heart skipped a beat; finally, he found someone like him, lost and alone. He watched as she fiddled with the hem of her skirt nervously.
Hayami was wondering what to do when she saw a tall boy who appeared to be staring at her, even though his bangs were covering his eyes. She tried to catch a better look at him, but some classmates walked in front of him, blocking her sight.
Somehow she felt intrigued by this boy. He was certainly mysterious, with his hair covering his eyes. She saw him in class, seated at the very back, never making a sound. If she didn't know better, she would have thought he was a ghost or something.
When the classmates had walked away, she discovered he was already being pulled away by a couple of boys. Hayami felt a tiny twinge of disappointment. She thought maybe she would pair up with him first and wait for people to "adopt" them. At least she wouldn't look too weird if there were two people left.
"Hi!" a girl waved at Hayami. "Wanna be in same group as us?" She gestured at the girls standing behind her, giggling.
Hayami smiled. "Sure."
"So class, pair up!" The PE teacher instructed after he told them how to do warm-up exercises. It was Class 1-B's first PE lesson, so the teacher just wanted them to do some exercises and run some laps.
Hayami bit her lip. Here we go again, she thought bitterly. Pairing up. Such nonsense. But she decided to take the initiative this time. She was thankful someone wanted her in their group before or else she would have stuck out like a sore thumb.
She approached some girls, but before she could even open her mouth to ask, they paired up with each other happily, completely ignoring her. Hayami looked around her, and the same feeling of being lost hit her again. She scanned the area desperately, a sinking feeling in her heart.
Chiba looked at everyone pairing up. It was the same as last time's situation. He sighed deeply and shuffled around in look for a partner. He was resigned to his isolated fate. It had always been like ever since he was born.
It happened so fast. Everyone was chatting in pairs and in her panic Hayami couldn't remember whether the class had an odd number of students or an even number… maybe she was going to be alone again-
"Looks like we're partners."
Hayami nearly jumped out of her skin, but she turned around and saw the mysterious boy with long bangs standing right behind her.
"H-huh?" She asked, slightly shocked at the boy suddenly appearing. Maybe he was a ghost after all.
Chiba looked down at the girl who was looking up at him. "Everyone paired up already, so we're left." He explained simply.
"Oh. Right." Hayami could think of nothing else to say as the two stood there uncomfortably, a sizable distance between them.
"Hayami-san, is it?" Chiba asked politely.
The girl shrugged. "You can call me Hayami if you want."
"Then you have to call me Chiba." he replied.
That's when they both realized the number of boys and girls in the class were odd numbers. Which meant there would be a boy-girl pair everytime the class had to pair up.
Shoot.
Twenty-something pairs of eyes turned to them, gleaming like the eyes of hungry wolves.
And from that moment onwards, they were shipped by everyone because they always paired up together.
Chiba walked to the library quickly, carrying textbooks in his hands. He'd agreed to help a student study for Maths, but to be honest he wasn't quite familiar with the formulas himself. Another wanted him to do some research for the group project, and that was why he was going to the library.
When he reached the large, spacious library, he was dismayed to find the seats seemed to be filled. In this cram school, there were a lot of students who loved the library and went there every break. All Chiba could see were frantic students studying for tests, studiously taking notes or reading.
Chiba hurried past them, searching for a vacant seat. He could always ask someone if they would mind sharing a table with them, but he wouldn't do it because he was socially awkward and didn't like talking.
"Here, Chiba!"
The boy saw Hayami waving at him, seated at a table with open books and scattered notes in front of her. She gestured to a chair beside her.
"Thanks." He said as he slid into the chair, putting his books on the table. "You're welcome." Hayami replied.
There was a short pause as Hayami jotted down some notes and Chiba flipped his book open.
"So you're studying too?" Chiba asked as Hayami highlighted a sentence on her notes.
"Kinda." Hayami picked up another pen, brow furrowed in thought. "I'm making study notes for a classmate. She asked me to help her."
"What a coincidence," Chiba said. "I'm helping someone else to study too."
Later, they agreed that whoever came first should get the same table for both of them to study. Even though they technically weren't studying for themselves, Chiba and Hayami became (kind of) study partners. They sat next to each other, rarely talking.
They both liked this relationship. As they were both more quiet, reserved people, this study arrangement was good for them.
Until Hayami failed a math test.
Chiba watched as Hayami poured over her notes at their usual table, looking grimmer than usual. She sighed and rested her head in the center of her palm. Seconds later, she brushed her hair back almost angrily.
"You're not really studying." Chiba observed. It wasn't a question, it was a statement.
"I just can't focus," Hayami mumbled, irritated at herself.
"You want me to help you study?" Chiba asked.
The girl looked up, remembering Chiba got one of the highest marks in the test. He had a gentle smile on his face.
"Okay, thanks." Hayami agreed, feeling there was hope. In this school, if you weren't careful, you would end up in 3-E, the class of misfits.
Then, they became true study partners.
Class 3-E
Hayami gulped at the rundown school building in front of her, if it could be called a building. She silently entered the classroom. Heads spun to look at her. Hayami felt self conscious, but then realized they all had the same depressed, half-scared expression.
In this class, we're all the same. Everyone would look down on us.
She took her seat, which was in front of a bespectacled girl who was nervously chewing her lip. Hayami thought about her future, which was as dark as the clouds outside the window.
Chiba tugged his bangs down. His mood was grim as he approached the Class E campus. He could still hear echoes of his teacher's comments. I thought you were smart! And now, you totally disappointed me!
His heart clenched as he walked towards his seat. He walked past Hayami's seat, which was the front-left seat from his seat. He studied her eyebrows which were pinched together in worry.
Chiba was glad no one could see his eyes. People often said eyes were the window to the soul, and they were probably right. Chiba didn't let any emotions show. He didn't want anyone to know how he felt. It was too private.
He sat down, arms and legs too stiff. Then Chiba saw the familiar orange-haired girl in the dark classroom.
Just like how he spotted her way back when they were left alone in forming groups for projects.
Partners.
They were in Class E. They had lost their parents' and teachers' respect, acceptance from classmates, and friends who refused to be seen with them because of their status.
But they still had each other.
They still had their partner.
Chiba was surprisingly good at shooting.
Ever since the moon exploded, Class E's lives had changed drastically. They were assigned to kill their teacher, a supernatural octopus-like creature. Their classroom became the one and only "Assassination Classroom". They learnt assassination skills from Karasuma, a soldier from the military.
"That was some good shooting, especially for an amateur." Karasuma approved his newly-found talent. "You should polish your sniping skills."
Sniping, huh?
The rest of the boys looked at him in awe as he shot a bullseye. He pretended not to notice them and focused on shooting.
Meanwhile Karasuma went over to the girls, who were practicing shooting floating balloons instead of the targets the boys were practicing with.
Hayami gripped the pistol, and pulled the trigger. The sound of popping balloons quickly followed and their remains laid limply on the ground.
"Whoa, you're fast!" A girl gasped. Hayami didn't reply, but sat down and tried to shoot, remembering Karasuma taught them to find a firing position which is the most comfortable. Karasuma noted her shooting skills. He observed both the boys and the girls for a while, and then concluded Chiba was the best on the boys' side and Hayami on the girls'. When the lesson ended, Karasuma called for Chiba and Hayami. They two looked at each other with quizzical glances and then approached Karasuma together.
"Chiba-kun, Hayami-san," Karasuma began. "You two have a talent for sniping. I suggest you to properly develop your skills."
"Does this mean we'll have to take extra lessons?" Hayami asked seriously.
Inside, Karasuma admired their keen learning attitude. "Not now," Karasuma replied. "You still have to grasp the basics for extra training. But there is another reason why I called you here."
Chiba and Hayami stood, listening intently.
"Chiba-kun is better at marksmanship when shooting from a stable position. However, Hayami-san is able to shoot down moving targets from various positions. You two both have your different strengths." Karasuma paused. "If you would pair up, train and learn together it would be a great asset to our assassination mission."
Chiba and Hayami looked at each other wordlessly.
"Of course, that is just a suggestion." Karasuma added, wondering if there had been some unknown rivalry between the two before.
"I think we'll be fine." Chiba said. Hayami also nodded.
"Good." Karasuma said. "You may leave now."
The duo walked back to the campus. "So...we're partners again." Hayami said awkwardly.
"I do hope we get along." Chiba said, stretching out his arm.
"Same," Hayami shook Chiba's hand.
It wasn't long before the class started to refer them as the "sniper duo" or "sniper combo" or in some cases the "sniper ship".
Despite not having received extra training the sniper duo were determined to do their best, so they went to a local shooting arcade to practice.
"I think your accuracy improved." Chiba said after one of those practices. Hayami hummed in agreement as she drunk from her water bottle. "Practice makes perfect."
Despite to the long times they spent together, and due to their quiet nature, things used to be kind of awkward. Nobody knew what to say but yet the silence was awkward. They didn't really interact outside class and assassination despite Koro-sensei's numerous attempts.
One day, a sniping challenge was held in the hill. Targets with Koro-sensei's face were hung all over the mountain, some obvious, some hidden. Chiba and Hayami worked together as usual. They trekked through the forest, searching for targets.
"I think I saw one." Hayami said, pointing towards a tall branch nearly at the top of a tree, half-concealed by some leaves.
"Yeah, that's a target." Chiba squinted at the branch. "But it's too tall, and there are no nearby trees."
"We can shoot it from the highest branch we can climb to, but the angle would be tricky for us to hit the target." Hayami noted. "Besides, the leaves and the target move in the wind."
The two stared at the target, thinking hard. They never backed down from a challenge.
"I think I will climb the tree's highest branch," Hayami said, "and shoot the ropes holding the target in place. Karasuma-sensei said we can remove the ropes only if we do so by shooting."
"I'll shoot the target when the ropes are shot." Chiba said, peering at the target, mentally calculating where it would most likely fall down. "It's going to be difficult though."
"That's okay," Hayami replied, swiftly climbing the tree. "You're great at marksmanship."
"You're not bad yourself at shooting from tough spots," Chiba replied loyally. He got into position and peered through his scope. Hayami swung herself up the highest branch and found a spot where she could shoot. She aimed her pistol and with two swift gunshots the ropes were cut. The target dropped and Chiba shot two successive times. The first time he missed the bullseye but the second time he hit it.
"Did you hit the bullseye?" Hayami called from the branch.
"Yes." Chiba replied, picking up the target and peered at the holes he made.
In a few seconds Hayami slid down the tree like she was liquid. They both looked at the target.
"That was kind of awesome." Chiba said. "You're better at shooting moving targets, but I hit it too."
What he really meant was: working together had really paid off. We're both helping the other to improve.
"I like us being partners." Hayami said.
What she really meant: we know each other's movement patterns and shooting style well enough, we can easily work together.
They could both understand the other like no one else could.
"You know, in the movies, the partners usually share a fist bump when they accomplish something?" Chiba asked, smiling slightly.
"That would be a good idea," Hayami admitted. "But we can't fist bump when we're holding our guns." She thought for a second, still holding her pistol. Then she raised her arm, elbow out. "How about we bump our arms together?"
Chiba held his arm out in the same fashion as Hayami's and they bumped their lower arms experimentally. It felt natural enough.
"So this is our version of the fist bump." Hayami said.
"Yeah." Chiba replied, fighting back a grin.
The Okinawa assassination attempt would be the biggest one ever.
It was carefully planned by the class, mainly by Nagisa, Isogai and Kataoka with help from Ritsu. Of course, everyone contributed a little.
Chiba and Hayami, as the top snipers, would deal the final killing blow. They both felt great responsibility because the fate of not only the assassination attempt, but the whole class were in their hands. So naturally, they practiced and practiced. They practiced different shooting styles during summer.
"Bullseye." Kataoka said, swinging her legs on the ledge of the swimming pool Koro-sensei made in the mountain. Chiba and Hayami were half submerged in the pool but their shooting ability was as high as ever. The two stared silently at the target, water dripping from them.
"That was great." Nagisa said, walking over.
"No, it wasn't." Chiba said silently. "The water made me a bit dizzy. The shot was lucky."
"Mm." Hayami agreed, brushing her wet hair from her face.
Nagisa and Kataoka shared a glance. They were not only professionals, but also perfectionists. They knew they played the most important part in their biggest assassination.
So basically, Chiba and Hayami spent about the whole summer shooting. And even if they weren't practicing, they would think about shooting.
Sometimes, while doing homework, Hayami would make a gun shape with her fingers and pretend to fire at something.
Sometimes, while eating, Chiba would calculate the shooting distance of a random object, like his mother's cup. Then his parents would ask what was he doing, staring at something intently, he would reply he was just thinking.
When they were awake, they thought about nothing but shooting. When they were sleeping, they would dream about nothing but shooting. They practiced and practiced and practiced until everyone thought they were overworking themselves.
"Take a break." Isogai said, concerned. "We can't have you sick at the trip."
"Sit down and rest." Kataoka said.
Even Terasaka had enough. "Won't your eyes hurt after shooting for so long?" he hollered, which was his way of concerning about others.
The class noticed even Karma, who didn't show his care for anyone openly, were shooting the sniper duo glances.
Lovro and Karasuma just frowned at them. "Those youngsters are determined." Lovro remarked. "But maybe a bit too much."
"They're very professional." Karasuma replied. "They won't let themselves make a single mistake."
After a long summer of non-stop shooting and practicing, Chiba and Hayami finally convinced themselves they could shoot Koro-sensei and started to be more confident.
"They won't let themselves make a single mistake," Karasuma said. "They can do it," Isogai said. "This plan would be perfect," Nagisa said. "We can do it," Chiba and Hayami said.
And then what?
They missed.
They both missed.
When they climbed out of the water dejectedly, their moods had sunk to an all time low. They had failed. They had ruined the whole attempt. It was going brilliantly until they shot. The pressure and expectations everyone and themselves gave had crushed them, their fingers stiffened and their sight narrowed.
When they reached the hotel, they couldn't even face each other. Ritsu's data didn't make them feel better either. Knowing if they shot better the chances of hitting Koro-sensei would be up to 50% made them feel worse.
Everyone depended on them. And they failed. And it was the reason they got into 3-E in the first place. Because they were never good enough.
But then, things escalated quickly. The sudden panic of half the class being sick overcame their worry and self blame. They quickly made preparations to sneak in the hotel. Everything was in a flurry and they only focused on one thing: save the class.
Everything was going okay, until they were both given real guns. Both were shocked, because they just had their biggest failure ever and yet they were trusted with more guns.
But there was no time to mope and everyone quickly sneaked inside the theater.
Hayami was beginning to feel like she was a terrible sniper when she missed-again. And for that Koro-sensei had to shuffle the students to confuse the enemy.
Hayami felt like it was all her fault.
Crouching behind a seat, Chiba thought it was his fault too. He wasn't so sure about his shooting skills anymore.
Koro-sensei, even in his absolute defence form, could sense his two students' worry. So being their teacher, Koro-sensei give the sniper duo some advice right before the shootout, which boosted their confidence and allowed the shootout to be a success.
Both felt accomplished and satisfied. Their classmates immediately crowded around them, praising them with huge grins on their faces.
Chiba turned around at the same time Hayami did, and they caught each other's eye.
When they did their arm bump, all was right again.
The students of Class E watched helplessly as the glowing remains of their beloved teacher slid through their fingers. It was inevitable, but still that didn't make them feel any better.
Neither Chiba or Hayami liked crying. They thought it was a sign of weakness. And Hayami hated crybabies (mainly because she used to be one). Their eyes were surprisingly dry during Koro-sensei's final roll call, but there was a dull pressure in their chests, squeezing all of their positive emotions out.
We've always wanted to kill him. Chiba thought. Now we can finally kill him, but somehow… I don't want it to end like this.
Koro-sensei's going to die. We'll finally kill him. Hayami told herself repeatedly. She fought back the lump in her throat. Even as she said it, she didn't want to believe it.
They watched as Nagisa delivered the knife into their sensei's heart. Koro-sensei's body glowed bright, blinding them, as he gave them one last smile.
This is it… the end of our assassination mission… the end of our assassination classroom…
Everyone looked emotional as the glowing dots fluttered up like fireflies, lighting up the dark sky. It was beautifully tragic. Hayami blinked, and the lights seemed to be multiplied by the tears in her eyes.
The class stared sadly at the glowing lights floating further, further away… until they faded into the inky darkness, seen no more. They settled back into the dark again, each feeling a terrible emptiness in their heart.
Then the reality of it sunk in. Koro-sensei was dead.
Koro-sensei was dead.
In the clear night, Nagisa sobbed into Koro-sensei's tie, its owner gone. Nobody made any move to comfort him, because their own tears were threatening to overflow.
A tear slipped down Chiba's cheek. He wiped it away with his finger; he wasn't even aware he was crying.
The dam broke, and everyone started crying hysterically. At first it was only sniffles, but they become cries, and later desperate wails.
Karasuma and Bitch-sensei stood silently in the distance. As adults, they didn't lose their composure easily, especially Karasuma, but even they were moved. Bitch-sensei tried to steadfastly ignore the tears rapidly falling from her eyes. Karasuma nearly cried, he never cried, so he took a gulp to conceal the lump in his throat.
Nobody could see anything, their eyes were too blurred by tears. And suddenly, suddenly, although their classmates and friends were present, each and every student felt so, so alone.
Hayami couldn't do anything to stop the tears. She tried to wipe them away, but more just came. In the end, she gave up at let herself sob desperately. She wanted to move, to do something, but her legs felt stiff and foreign to her own body. Hayami forced herself to move anyway, sniffling.
She vaguely remembered hitting someone. She opened her mouth to apologize, but her throat felt dry.
Chiba was wiping the moisture from his eyes when he felt someone hit his chest. He looked down and through his tears, he saw Hayami, also crying. He reached out his arms instinctively and hugged her.
"It's okay," he whispered to her in a ragged and uneven voice. He wasn't sure if he was comforting himself or Hayami. "It's okay, it's okay."
In response, Hayami sobbed into his shirt, reaching out tentative arms and wrapped them around his torso. Chiba hugged Hayami tighter and whispered things to comfort her, but when he couldn't speak anymore, Hayami let him cry into her shoulder.
The position was a bit awkward, with Chiba being taller than Hayami, but neither of them cared.
When they first arrived in Class E, they were in very low spirits. They both had been taken advantage of their generosity and kindness, leading to their downfall. As a result, they had been bitter and refused to talk to anyone. Their parents and friends couldn't understand because they didn't let their emotions show.
Then Koro-sensei came. He didn't look down them like everyone else did, and he encouraged them to come out of their shells, and so they did, bit by bit. He sincerely cared about every student because well, they were his students and he was the closest thing to a perfect teacher anyone would ever have. Just thinking about their teacher made a fresh round of tears flow.
A year ago, if somebody told Chiba or Hayami that they would find someone that would understand them, they would have laughed. They would have never guessed how assassination bonded them. How much time they spent together. How they just stood there side by side, hands lightly brushing, enjoying the silence.
The year had been an incredible one, with assassination, studying, and growing together as a class in the mix. It was weird, hilarious; sometimes serious, sometimes fun, but they loved it all the same.
But all fun times come to an end.
Just for a few minutes, Hayami willed herself to forget about the harsh reality, and in a blurry daze, she wished how it was all only a bad dream. She hugged Chiba tighter, hoping to give him the same sense of comfort and safety as he gave to her.
Feeling her smaller body pressed against his, Chiba suddenly felt another lump in his throat. His heart felt warm and fuzzy, and tears gathered at his eyes. He let them fall, unable to control them anymore.
That night, even the coldest and sternest people let their emotions flow out. Even Karasuma.
Bitch-sensei was the only one who saw him silently wiping the corners of his eyes when he thought no one was looking.
"Just get married!"
Chiba and Hayami ignored Nakamura's cries and walked together in silence. They had all entered high school, and even though Chiba and Hayami went to different schools, they continued to walk to school together.
"It still surprises me that you two aren't dating," Yada yawned, covering her mouth.
"Don't rush them, they're just taking it at their own pace," Kurahashi said cheerfully, forever energetic.
"Do you want to go to the shooting arcade after school?" Chiba asked after a pause.
"Sure." Hayami replied easily. She thought for a second. "There's a new film showing at the cinema, we can watch it after shooting practice."
"That's fine for me." Chiba said and the duo sank back into their usual silence.
Meanwhile, Nakamura, Yada and Kurahashi gaped at them.
"Is that a D-A-T-E?" Nakamura drawled, stressing the spelling of the word "date". She leaned closer to the sniper duo, eyes glittering with mischief. Yada and Kurahashi followed her.
"No." Chiba and Hayami replied in unison.
"Then… what's that?" Nakamura pestered.
"It's an appointment." Chiba said very carefully. Hayami nodded.
"An appointment. Riiight." Nakamura raised her eyebrow. "That's just a fancy name for 'date'."
She couldn't get anything else out of the sniper combo so she just left them alone. After school Chiba and Hayami met up and walked to the shooting arcade.
"It's good to see you didn't lose your skills," Hayami commented after they shot some targets, Chiba hitting the bullseye every time.
"I have a feeling that our skills would get rusty without constant training," Chiba said, yet again hitting the bullseye. "So even if Karasuma-sensei doesn't train us anymore, I still like to train."
With a few flicks of her fingers, Hayami shot rapidly. Her aim wasn't as accurate as Chiba's but it was still good.
For the next hour Chiba and Hayami practiced non-stop. Ever since Koro-sensei's death and their graduation, their teachers became the plain normal kind and their PE lessons didn't involve any sort of training. Because they used to shoot everyday this sudden change didn't go well with them. Now they have to cram their precious shooting time in an hour.
The noise of gunfire and bullets hitting their targets filled the room. As they shot, they both had small smiles on their faces, because they were finally back to where they belong. Training was one of their ways of communication. They could just stand there for hours, shooting, needing no one's company except for the other. It brought back the fond memories of 3-E and Koro-sensei, and all the time the two spent together.
Almost at the same time, Chiba and Hayami lowered their guns for a short break. Surprised by their similar actions, they turned to look at each other, and smiled.
"Most bullseyes out of ten tries?" Hayami offered. There was no real rivalry between them, just the desire to improve.
"Roger." Chiba replied, a crooked grin on his face, and he started shooting.
Chiba was at a lost.
He had consulted Koro-sensei's advice book again and again, but even it didn't help him.
"Guessing by your posture, you still haven't found a job." A familiar voice said behind Chiba. He turned around and saw who it was. "Hayami."
Hayami sat down. While everyone had changed after all those years, Hayami's appearance had changed noticeably. Her hair was longer and she didn't wear it in pigtails anymore, choosing to keep it loose. Because she took lessons from Bitch-sensei her social skills had improved greatly. She was no longer as cold as she used to be, and even had a part-time job as a waitress.
"I failed all of my interviews…" Chiba said, depressed. "I want to die…"
In the assassination classroom, the words "kill" and "die" have a much stronger meaning for them, so Hayami knew when Chiba said he wanted to die it meant something was affecting him seriously.
"Should we change your hairstyle?" Hayami suggested, half talking to Chiba and half talking to herself.
Hayami had seen Chiba's eyes before, and while his stare was piercing it wasn't really scary to her. Besides, the only people who had ever seen his eyes were his family, so Hayami took it as Chiba having deep trust in her. Although she would admit it would be a bit unnerving to see his eyes all the time.
Hayami pictured Chiba in multiple hairstyles. She thought of him in Yoshida's dreadlocks and Maehara's floppy hairstyle. Nothing seemed to work. Hairstyles flew through her mind and she discarded them one by one.
Chiba, seeing Hayami's judging stare, said, "It seems that not being able to get a proper look at my eyes gives them a bad impression of me after all." He sighed and patted his fringe. "But it's calming for me though."
I know, Hayami silently agreed with him. She thought of Chiba's eyes being visible all the time. It would be weird.
"Hide your eyes then. Your eyes are too sharp. You're even more likely to fail with flashy hair." Hayami sighed and stood up, thinking.
"Chiba…" she said after a pause. "I don't think you're suited for finding employment." It was harsh for her to say that, but actually Hayami had a better idea. A way better idea.
Chiba's mood sank even further but made no comment, as he knew Hayami was right.
"If you changed your hair, you wouldn't really be yourself anymore." Hayami muttered. In all those years she had known Chiba, his hairstyle never changed so she grew accustomed to it.
"I'm starting my part-time work now, so I'll show you the things you cannot do." Hayami told Chiba. "I'm working as a waitress, and I learnt business reception skills from Bitch-sensei."
"As Koro-sensei would say, polish your first blade." Hayami knew about Chiba's dream to become an architect, and she knew he was good at designing buildings. "That would be your skills for designing buildings. Unfortunately, you can only do so when you're shielded by your hair and in your profoundly quiet world."
Ahhh Hayami. Always so straightforward.
"But then, everyone needs a second blade." Hayami continued. She paused for dramatic effect. "That would be me."
Chiba perked up at stared at Hayami. She smiled at him gently.
"I'll do the things you cannot do. You can be the boss of your company, and I'll be your secretary. You'll create your designs, and I'll present them to people. We'll still be a team."
Chiba was speechless. He couldn't imagine why would she do so much for him. His heart was overflowing with gratitude as he stared at Hayami.
"But you can't," he found himself saying. "Don't you have your dreams too?"
"Unlike you, I don't really have a special talent to do some good to the society. So I'll help you. I know you can do it." Hayami replied.
It was at times like this Chiba felt ashamed of himself. His old partner had moved forward from being cold and quiet, while he was still socially awkward and weird.
What did he even do to deserve her, so understanding and compassionate? Why was she so willing to help him?
She seemed to sense his questions. "Chiba, I've known you for a long time. I know who you are. Besides, Koro-sensei would have wanted you to become successful for doing what you're best at."
Chiba allowed himself to smile when he thought of his former teacher. "When you put it like that, I just can't refuse."
Later at a class reunion, everyone congratulated Chiba and Hayami on forming their company.
"It's nice to see you two still working so hard," Nagisa said, genuinely happy for them. He more or less knew about Chiba's talent for designing, and now he can finally use it.
"Once partners, forever partners, isn't it?" Nakamura said, winking at them.
Chiba and Hayami thought about their assassination days when they often teamed up. As the best snipers in the class, they always sought to improve their weaknesses by learning from the other. Everyone else admired their coordinated shooting skills, even Koro-sensei. They were partners, an unstoppable duo.
They looked at each other and grinned.
"Yup."
The word "partner" meant a lot to both Chiba and Hayami. So, after many years, when Chiba finally, finally, proposed to Hayami, he didn't say the usual "will you marry me".
He asked, "Will you be my partner for life?"
Hayami was shocked for a second, but quickly covered it up by smiling. "Did you even have to ask?" she replied, a faint glimmer in her emerald eyes.
He laughed and his bangs fluttered, so she could see a glimpse of his rarely shown eyes. "Just to be sure," he joked lightly. He already knew the answer before he asked.
She also started laughing, a bit teary-eyed because of her joy. "Yes Ryuunosuke, I will be your partner for life."
They had expected a bigger reaction when they walked into the room, a ring gleaming on Rinka's finger.
Instead, they heard their former classmates cooing over Karma and Manami's newborn. "Geez, she's so kawaii!" Rio gushed, pulling Megu with her. Megu looked amused at her friend's antics, her arm looped with Yuuma's.
(They had started to call each other by front names when some classmates began to get married)
"Oh hello!" Rinka and Ryuunosuke turned to see a certain black haired girl.
"Kaede," Rinka acknowledged. "Or should it be Akari?"
"Well, I guess you can call me Akari, since I've left Kayano Kaede behind."
Megu and Yuuma approached the former sniper duo. "Hello," Yuuma said. Then he looked down and saw the ring. His eyes widened. "Congratulations! You two are finally getting married!"
There was a dead silence in the room as everyone stared at the engaged couple.
Ryuunosuke half-expected Yuzuki to jump into a victory dance, exclaiming about "OTP" or something.
Rinka thought Rio might scream so loudly the ceiling would collapse.
Instead, Rio exclaimed, "Dammit! You should have waited just an another month to tell us!"
Yet another dead silence.
"Rio, I win the bet!" Karma smirked smugly. He laid his palm out, waiting for money.
Manami frowned. "Karma, I thought I told you not to bet." She shuffled the baby in her arms.
"Rio and I actually made the bet back in middle school," Karma informed her. "That was before you told me not to bet."
Manami smiled. "I guess I'll let it slide for once." She turned to Ryuunosuke and Rinka. "Congratulations! I hope you have a happy wedding!"
The congratulations started to flow in as Rio whined loudly about the bet. Despite that, everyone could see she was delighted about the wedding.
"Rio will never grow up, will she?" Ryuunosuke muttered to Megu.
Megu laughed awkwardly. "That's probably why she's still single. I think she wants to be the crazy single aunt of all of our kids."
They saw Manami carefully walking away from Rio, holding her baby tightly.
"I feel bad for her," Rinka said.
"Well if she can marry Karma, she must have a high tolerance." Ryuunosuke noted.
They looked at their surroundings calmly and intertwined their fingers together, both feeling deep happiness and serenity in their hearts.
"Partners?"
"Partners."
A/N: Yay! Thank you SO MUCH for the favourites and follows. That part about Chiba and Hayami forming their company is canon, according to the Graduation Album. So ChibaHaya is very much likely to be canon too.
By the way, there's a ChibaHaya fanfic here called Longer Than A Year by TheRoseShadow21 and it is absolutely fantastic. There are many feels throughout the chapters and I nearly cried when I read it. It's M rated because of a chapter but you can skip it (and anyways the content isn't too explicit). Please go and check it out as I think the story is underrated!
And please read and review! :)
Edit: THIS IS NOW A ONESHOT SERIES! Connected oneshots will be named like "Part 1" and so on (like the three parts of Yandere Sniper are connected). Plain oneshots will not be named with parts (like this one) and I will definitely write more oneshots. So please continue to follow this fic!