This story starts a few days prior to Nagisa's Mum meeting with the school.
Nagisa returned home from school, thoughts locked on the blank worksheet in his backpack. Career preferences. He saw the breakfast his mother had prepared for him, all laid out on the table, untouched as in the morning his stomach had felt uncomfortable. He had been having a few stomach aches lately. It was probably just stress. Most middle schoolers didn't have to deal with trying to assassinate their teacher in order to prevent the end of the world. He sighed as he started to clear off the table, his mum had everything laid out for him. Everything from the miso soup for breakfast, to the university he would attend, and the company he would eventually work for. He knew how she would want him to fill in the form, but was it what he wanted? He poured the miso soup down the sink. The rice and fish was more difficult, if she saw it in the trash, he would likely get yelled at for being ungrateful depending on her mood. He mashed it up a bit and put it in the toilet, flushing twice to be sure. That left only the vitamin. He remembered her sternly telling him a couple weeks ago when they started being included, "You absolutely MUST take this every day!" At least that was unlikely to have spoiled while he was at school. He popped it in his mouth and downed it with a glass of water.
After the dishes were taken care of the evening went by uneventfully with Nagisa studying in his room until his mother returned from work to make dinner. She was in a good mood at least, rambling about the events of her day. She asked him about school and he told her what topics they were studying.
Later in bed Nagisa was wide awake, staring at the ceiling completely unable to sleep. He had a bit of trouble sleeping lately, but nothing like this. He counted sheep, he meditated to try and empty his mind. He gave up on meditating and just let his thoughts wander round and round in circles. He got a glass of water, went to the bathroom, did a few stretches (as quietly as possible) and even read a chapter of a textbook to try and tire himself out. Nothing was working, he glanced at the clock and saw it was already 4am. "Am I really so worried about this stupid bit of paper?" He whispered while lifting the careers form from his bedside table. Since he was awake already he decided to give it some thought. There was nothing in particular he excelled at, sure his English grades were a bit above average, but English wasn't exactly a career choice. Living abroad could be interesting for a while, but no, he wanted to stay in Japan. He had been learning a lot of new skills in E class, ones you wouldn't get in a regular junior high classroom. He thought back to the summer trip to Okinawa and his showdown with Takaoka. That was something he was good at, but how was he supposed to make a career out of surprising people with claps? He was pretty sure he wouldn't be able to kill someone if it came to that, but wasn't that what he was trying to do to Koro sensei? At that moment his stomach started hurting again. "Great, just great." Muttered Nagisa as he went to fill up his hot water bottle.
By 5:00 am he was mercifully able to fall asleep only to have his alarm beeping at him at 6:30 am. It felt like he had only just closed his eyes. His arm flailed until he hit the snooze. He did the math in his head, if I skip breakfast again and walk quickly I could sleep until 7:30? That sounds about right.. he drifted back to sleep.
Sleep was bliss, but the sound of elementary school children walking by his window on their way to class made him stir. He glanced at the alarm clock. 7:55 am it read. His heart skipped a beat, he rubbed his eyes and checked again. 7:56 am. "Shit." exclaimed Nagisa as he jumped out of bed madly putting on his uniform and stuffing papers into his bag, he grabbed his lunch box on the way out and sprinted all the way to school, using a bit of parkour to take a couple of shortcuts. (Only in areas once inside the school grounds). The track up the mountain was steep, but their PE had been paying off and he barely slowed down.
In the classroom everyone but Nagisa had taken their seats. Koro sensei was reading the role and had just got to Nagisa's name. "Is Nagisa absent today?" He asked the class.
"Here!'' said Nagisa as he slammed open the doorway and stood there panting. His shirt wasn't tucked in, his hair had bits hanging down. The class stared at the unusual sight.
"Nagisa, that's a bold look." Said Karma.
Nagisa's face went red as he made his way to his desk where he then tucked in his shirt. Kayano leant over and fixed up his hair.
"Sensei?" Nagisa asked quietly. "This won't count as an absence will it?"
"No. You made it just in time." Said Koro sensei, and then moved onto the next name.
Nagisa managed to push through most of the morning's lessons but they had history in the period before lunch. Koro sensei was explaining something about Samurai and conflict with China. Maybe if I just rest my eyes for a second.. thought Nagisa. Shortly after, his head started to fall towards the table. There was a blur as Koro sensei jittered and a pillow appeared under Nagisa's head preventing his head from hitting the desk, and allowing him to stay asleep. Koro sensei continued teaching the class as if nothing had happened.
"Hey, no fair!" Said Terrasaka. "If I fall asleep you find cruel and unusual ways to wake me up, but wonder boy gets a pillow?"
"Terrasaka." Said Koro sensei sternly. "If you ever come to one of my classes in such a state of exhaustion similar to what Nagisa is in right now, you will also get a pillow."
Terrasaka Huffed, but didn't object further. Nagisa continued to snooze as Koro sensei continued the lesson.
After a while Karma used a rolled up bit of paper as a straw to shoot a spit ball towards the sleeping Nagisa. There was a jitter as Koro sensei moved to intercept, catching the small ball in a hanky, as suspected it was an anti-sensei BB. "Karma, I would appreciate you not abusing your classmate's weakness in order to take a stab at me."
Karma shrugged. "It was worth a shot." He said with a cheerful grin.
"Probability of success with such a decoy is only 0.000001%" said Ritsu.
At this moment Nagisa started to stir and looked at his desk, wondering why there was a pillow on it.
"Welcome back sleeping beauty." Said Karma loudly.
Nagisa felt blood rush to his cheeks.
Kayano leant in to whisper "are you ok?"
"I'm fine." Nagisa said while avoiding meeting her eyes. If only he could melt into the furniture. In a blur the pillow disappeared and his note book had a few pages of notes in Koro sensei's handwriting added, covering the parts he had missed. At the bottom it read 'come see me after class.'
Nagisa went to see Koro sensei in the teacher's office. After entering he gave a big deep bow and said "I apologise for my behaviour in class today."
"Nagisa, please, sit down." said Koro sensei. Nagisa sat nervously. "You're not in trouble. You are typically one of my more studious and attentive students, so it was surprising for me to see you coming late and falling asleep in class."
"I won't let it happen again." Said Nagisa earnestly while thinking please, just don't call home.
"I just wanted to make sure things are ok at home, are you getting enough sleep?"
Nagisa sighed, "I wasn't able to get much sleep last night, but it was my own fault. Mum sent me to bed at a reasonable time."
Koro sensei then launched into a mini lecture about sleep hygiene, circadian rhythms and gave Nagisa a pack of his favourite herbal tea. He would have kept going except Ms. Bitch came in saying "what are you still doing here, I thought it was lunch time?"
Koro sensei had a habit of flying to other countries during lunch to pick up various delicacies.
After that Nagisa was able to leave.
Nagisa was still pretty tired and was hoping to catch a bit more sleep before the afternoon lessons. He snuck into the woods, somewhere he was less likely to be disturbed, but not too far as he didn't want to waste the whole time walking. He set an alarm with just enough time to quickly eat some food and return to class.
Karma had finished his lunch, and his homework, and Itona's latest Manga. He looked over at Nagisa's empty desk and decided to go looking for his friend, something just wasn't sitting right with his behaviour. First he checked the school building, empty classroom, toilets, staff room. Nothing. Around the building, and the field there were a few students here and there but a lack of blue hair. He walked into the forest and easily found his sleeping friend. A grin crossed his face as he thought of what would be the best way to wake him. In the end he crouched down and did a big hand clap right in front of his face.
Nagisa woke with a startle, shielding his head and trying to look around. "Oh, it is just you." He said after he had got his bearings.
"Good morning sunshine." Said Karma with a grin.
Nagisa checked his phone, his alarm had been just about to go off, so he cancelled it. "You do know for the stun clap to work, your target needs to be in a very specific frame of mind."
"I wasn't trying to stun you, I was trying to wake you up." Karma gave a sly grin, "and I would say it was successful."
"What do you want Karma?" Said Nagisa as he started to open his bento.
"I was wondering why a good kid like you was falling asleep in class, and showing up late?" Better to be blunt with Nagisa, not like they had time for much banter anyway.
He waited patiently while Nagisa swallowed a mouthful.
"It's not important." Nagisa said quickly before putting more food in his mouth.
He didn't want to talk. Karma considered how to proceed, maybe challenge his pride? "If the champion who defeated Takaoka isn't taking this seriously, then what hope do the rest of us have?" He baited.
"It's just one bad day!" Snapped Nagisa with a mouth half full of food. "I don't need you or sensei or anyone else treating me like a child."
Karma decides to bail. "Chill, I wasn't going to change your diaper, just wanted to make sure you didn't sleep through the afternoon lessons. A good kid like you can't be missing any classes." Karma turned and walked off giving a lazy wave.
Nagisa sighed. He hadn't meant to snap at Karma like that. Normally he was better at keeping his emotions in check. He quickly finished his lunch then followed Karma back to class.
The afternoon lessons went much more smoothly. The nap and meal must have done him some good.
When he got home he had to deal with yet another missed breakfast, he was worried that this was becoming a habit. "I will eat it tomorrow for sure." He muttered while scraping the rice into the toilet. Soon only the vitamin was left. He looked at it for a moment wondering if it contained anything energising that could have kept him awake. He decided to flush it with the rice to be sure.
His mother was working late, so he microwaved the meal in the fridge, and did a bit of study while sipping a cup of the calming tea sensei had given him. That night he slept well.
The next day is as per the first part of round two time. This is a brief summary for those who might not have seen it recently.
The students get career counselling with koro sensei. Nakamura and Karma are ripping on Nagisa for being girly, filling in his form with careers such as maid. Bitch sensei wears a shop bought sweater to school but didn't know to remove the sizing sticker. Nagisa uses his assassin skills to remove it without her noticing. This helps him to realise that he might be suited to a career as an assassin. When he tells Koro Sensei, Koro sensei suggests he look closer at his motivations, saying his bravery comes from a place of desperation, with a lack of self worth.
Nagisa's mother decides to use a large donation in order to convince the staff at Kunigaoaka to let Nagisa transfer to D class. Karosuma Sensei is out of town, so Koro Sensei dresses up as him to conduct the meeting. Nagisa's mum goes on about her plans for Nagisa's future, babbles about his hair and what it would have been like if he was a girl. Koro Sensei asks if she has spoken to Nagisa about it, but when Nagisa tries to speak he is silenced by her. Ultimately Koro Sensei refuses to allow the transfer unless Nagisa wants it, but does so in a big speech that has something to do with him wearing a wig. Nagisa's mum completely loses it screaming obscenities at him before storming out.
Now, back to the fanfic…
That night his mother was screaming at Nagisa for disrespecting her and telling him how he needs to tell his teacher he wants to move out of E class. She bashes his head into the desk, she is so mad she grabs him and knees him in the chest a few times. Afterwards to calm down she brushes his hair and talks about all the effort she has put into raising him, how she wants him to have a bright future. Despite Koro sensei's pep talk about expressing his feelings Nagisa completely shuts down and just lets it happen like always. She won't listen. This is the only way to get it to stop.
The next day Nagisa is distracted in class. Koro sensei notices but thinks he is just frustrated about the meeting the previous day. At lunch he asks Nagisa if everything is ok, but Nagisa just smiles and says "everything is fine." Koro sensei notices he doesn't eat all of his lunch. "You're not hungry?" He asks. "A growing boy like you should be making sure to eat a full and healthy lunch."
"I'll finish it later, my stomach is not feeling too good, probably just stress."
Karosuma had returned from his trip and was supervising an afternoon sparring session. Karma and Nagisa were exchanging blows when Karma made a comment about Nagisa's punches being girly.
"Cut it out Karma."
But instead Karma doubled down, "Listen to this sissy, whining because she can't land a blow!"
Nagisa's eyes filled with rage and he came at Karma with full on bloodlust. There is an eerie slithering sensation and suddenly Nagisa was behind Karma, arms around his neck. Karma briefly froze in surprise before he snapped out of it, grabbed Nagisa and threw him overhead. Nagisa landed upside down in a way that his gym shirt fell down exposing bruises on his chest. Karma noticed, but before he had time to say anything Nagisa was back on his feet and coming at him again. Karosuma sensed the commotion and appeared between the two boys, graciously deflecting a punch from each.
"Careful now, this lesson was about blocking punches, not practising throws."
He locked eyes with the two boys, seeing traces of bloodlust in Nagisa, and Karma gave a cheerful smile with a nonchalant shrug.
"Maybe it is best if we swap partners for now. Nagisa, you're with me."
They moved a little off to the side of the field. Nagisa was trying to land a punch on Karosuma who was expertly blocking his every attempt.
"So, what happened back there?" Karosuma asked.
"I snuck up behind him, so he threw me." All the bloodlust from before was gone. Nagisa felt embarrassed about the previous display. He was used to Karma ripping on him, but something had just snapped. His thoughts went back to his mother brushing his hair. You would have made such a lovely girl.
"Hmm." Karosuma weighed up if he should push further. "Did Karma provoke you somehow? You looked a little upset."
Nagisa's arms fell to his side, and his face fell to stare at his feet. Am I really so transparent? He thought.
"I'm a boy." He said quietly before letting out a scream as he unleashed a mighty blow on Karosuma who dodged easily.
This was not the answer Karosuma was expecting. "Yes, you are." He said while continuing to expertly deflect.
Nagisa was panting, "But no matter how hard I try, I will still be small, and thin, and weak." One side of his hair had come loose in the last attack. He paused to fix it up again. "And I have this stupid long hair. What am I even supposed to do if someone grabs hold of it while they are fighting me?"
His face had started to go red and he tried desperately to hold back tears, the last thing he needed was for Karma to see his girly friend cry. It's not like he needed anymore ammunition.
"Nagisa, strength comes in many forms, and you are far from weak. You are the champion who took down Takaoka, if your head was clear, Karma could have easily been the one on the ground."
"I know, I'm being stupid…" Nagisa looked down trying to hide the redness in his face.
"I never said that. Now, what to do if someone grabs your hair, I think there is a move or two I can show you."
After school Karma approached Nagisa.
"Hey Nagisa, sorry about before, I was just messing around."
"It's fine, don't worry about it." Nagisa kept his eyes on his things as he packed them into his bag.
Karma continued to linger. "You going to stick around for a bit? I hear Itona has been working on a new assassination plan."
"Nah, I gotta get going. Need to get some study done."
"You could always study here."
Nagisa put on a big fake smile as he turned to Karma. "Maybe tomorrow." Then he got up and left.
At home he went straight to his room and got out his books. His phone vibrated. A message from his mum.
Send me a photo of you holding the word fish sticks. You have 1 minute.
He complied writing out the word on a post it note and snapping a pic that made it obvious he was home. The messages came roughly every 30 minutes, but not evenly spaced so he couldn't guess the timing. He studied, going over the lessons of the day, doing extra questions from the textbooks.
She came home at 6, and when she did he surrendered his phone, and let her look over the work he had been doing. It was not like she was trying to help him with it, just making sure he was putting in an effort. She made dinner while he continued to study. A simple spread of fish, rice and steamed vegetables, but she knew how to make it taste good.
"See how much better things are when you listen to me?"
"Yeah." He said, defeated.
"I'm just thinking of your future. Staying in E class won't get you into an academic high school, and without the right high school, there is no way you would make it through the university entrance exams, I have to get you back on the right track. I make so many sacrifices for you, the least you can do is make some little ones for me."
Nagisa stayed silent, he didn't want to provoke her, and she was right. He did owe her.
She continued to ramble about his future, or her version of it, as he ate the rest of his dinner.
"Thanks for dinner mum." He said as he finished and left the table.
After dinner he showered, and after that, his mum insisted on brushing his long hair.
"Such beautiful hair, if only you were a girl…"
He lay in bed, feeling the bruise on his chest. She's not so bad when I don't piss her off. I just need to wait it out, she will back off soon. And when I graduate, things will be different.
The next day after school Karma tried again to get Nagisa to stay.
"Me and Terrasaka's gang are going over some math. You should stay and help out, even you could teach those knuckle heads a thing or two."
"Sorry, I can't. Not today."
Nagisa was wearing that same fake smile as yesterday, and it was making Karma feel pissed off.
"Have it your way." He said as he watched Nagisa leave.
Karma then heads to the teachers office and finds Koro sensei.
"Hey teach, you have a minute?"
"Oh Karma my boy! For you always."
He wore his usual toothy grin, creepy at first, but they were all pretty used to it by now. Karma shut the door.
"Tell me, is something going on with Nagisa?"
"Hmmm. Nagisa you say? I heard you two had a bit of a kerfuffle on the sparring ground the other day." His tentacles wiggled aimlessly beside him, a sign that he wasn't overly concerned.
"Yeah, I guess you could say that. I was baiting him, but it usually takes way more to get under his skin."
"Well emotional manipulation is a good tactic for assassination, but try not to forget that I am your target, not Nagisa. If you are worried about him, maybe it is time to ease up a little?"
"When I flipped him I noticed something else." Karma had lowered his voice, the change in tone encouraged Koro sensei to give him his full attention.
"There were bruises on his chest. Big ones. And I haven't even been skipping lately, so I know he didn't get them in gym."
"Hngnn." Koro sensei's tentacles started to slow.
"And now twice, he has run home straight after class, which is not like him at all. He usually avoids going home until as late as possible. I get he might just be pissed at me, but it feels like something else is going on."
There was a pause as Koro sensei digested the information. He reached out a tentacle and placed it on Karma's head.
"Thank you for telling me this Karma. It seems some further investigation is required."
The third day after the bell rang, Karma also packed up his bag.
"Hey Nagisa, heading home?"
"Yeah, sorry."
"Well you can wipe that smile off your face, because I am coming too."
"Huh?" Nagisa's fake smile instantly shattered.
"You're studying right? Koro sensei wants me to give everyone some math lessons, but since you haven't been sticking round, I haven't managed to tick you off my list."
Nagisa stood there stunned, trying to come up with an excuse.
"Let's go already!" said Karma as he headed out the door. Nagisa sighed in resignation as he followed Karma out.
"You absolutely need to be gone by 6:00 ok? My mum gets home at 6:15 and she does not like guests."
"Sure sure." said Karma nonchalant as he waltzed around the small flat. His attention was drawn to framed photos of Nagisa when he was younger, close ups of his face and long flowing hair. He pulled out his phone and took a quick snap.
"Who is this, your sister?" Karma asked with an evil looking grin.
"Just don't touch them." Said Nagisa, avoiding the obvious bait. "I thought you were here to study?"
They set up in Nagisa's room, when Nagisa's phone buzzed. Nagisa read the message, wrote the word "eraser" on a post-it note, then took a selfie with the word. He then put his phone back down and went back to the math problem.
"What the hell was that?" Asked Karma.
"Huh, what?" Nagisa didn't seem to understand there was anything strange with what just happened.
"Did you not just take a selfie with the word eraser?"
"Oh, right. Mum just wanted to check I was home. I'm supposed to be grounded right now."
"Grounded, a good kid like you?"
Nagisa gave an awkward smile. "I guess my grades just aren't up to her expectations."
"Uhah." Karma was not convinced. Nagisa was nowhere near his level of academic brilliance of course, but he was still one of the top performers in the class. Something didn't add up.
"So it is actually pretty lucky you are here helping me with math."
That damned fake smile. It felt more and more like a cry for help.
Karma excused himself to the bathroom and while he was separated from Nagisa he did some snooping. Rummaging through medicine cabinets, nothing too unusual there. He wanted to go look in Ms. Shiota's room, but Nagisa would freak if he was caught. Best stick to areas where he had a plausible excuse. After the bathroom he made his way to the kitchen. In a cabinet he found a clear pill case labelled "vitamins", but the pills inside looked strangely familiar, and not like any vitamins he had seen before. He took one and slipped it into his pocket. Nagisa must have heard the pills rattle and came out of his room.
"What are you doing?" Hissed Nagisa, both frustrated and on edge.
"Just looking for a snack." Said Karma innocently.
Nagisa swiped the pills out of his hand and put them back in the right place.
"Do you take those?" Asks Karma, "Or are they for your mother."
"My mom got them for me. Makes me take one each morning." Said Nagisa while fetching an apple and cutting it into slices.
"Hmm, I was just trying to see the brand." Says Karma, "I have been feeling a bit flat lately, maybe a new vitamin could help. Do you know which ones they are?"
"Sorry, can't help you." Says Nagisa. "I think she buys them in bulk? Here's your snack, now let's get back to studying."
After another 30 min of studying, there was the sound of someone entering the apartment.
All colour drained from Nagisa's face. "You need to leave now." He muttered. "Quietly." he added while locking eyes with Karma. He looked afraid. Terrified even.
"Nagisa I'm home!"
"Coming mum!" He called while opening the window, then signalling to Karma that he should use it to leave. Nagisa then left the room to go and meet his mother.
Karma was torn. He was very tempted to just go out there and confront Ms. Shiota. He could push all her buttons and if things got out of hand it would be a lovely excuse to beat some sense into her. But he remembered the bruises. Just because he could defend himself, didn't mean Nagisa would after he left. Using the stealth of an assassin he quietly gathered his things and slipped out the window onto the balcony. All the while trying to listen in to the conversation happening in the other room.
"Mum, you're home early."
"I know, but you have been working so hard lately, I wanted to surprise you with something nice!"
"Oh you shouldn't have, really. I'm just fine studying here by myself."
"I got these special puddings from the shopping district, there is a store that just opened up see? But while I was there I noticed this adorable dress in one of the windows, and I just thought how beautiful you would look… I know dresses aren't your thing, but you will try it on for me won't you, just long enough to eat the pudding."
Nagisa's heart sank. At least the dress ups didn't hurt. It was phrased like a question, but refusing wasn't an option. It would just bring out her rage, and make her take longer to leave him alone.
"Sure mum."
Nagisa returned to his room and let go a sigh of relief when he saw that Karma was gone, with all traces of his things.
Instead of climbing down over the edge of the balcony, Karma had decided to climb up. He went to the floor above and was hanging over the edge to keep an eye on what was going on in the Shiota residence. After a minute or so, Nagisa appeared at his window, reaching out to close it. Karma couldn't believe his luck as he snapped a pic of Nagisa in a frilly yellow dress. After that things stayed quiet for a while, he didn't have a good view of the kitchen area, so eventually Karma got bored and left.
As he was walking home he considered sending the pic to Nakamura, she would get a kick out of this for sure, but when he looked at the photo once more he saw such a deep sadness in Nagisa's eyes. No wonder he had snapped at being called girly. Best to just send it to the octopus, he tapped send on his phone.
With that sorted he took the pill out of his pocket and looked at the mark on it more closely. Suddenly it clicked as to where he had seen this before. He would bet serious money this was Adderall, an illegal study drug often used to treat ADHD. With the high academic pressure at Kunikigaoka, and Karma's dubious reputation, he had been offered to buy some a couple of times. Not that he had needed to rely on such an underhanded and risky method. He snapped a pic of the pill and sent it to Koro sensei along with the message: Can you get this "vitamin" tested?
The following day after class Koro sensei jittered, as he does when he uses his super speed. A note appeared on the top of Nagisa's notebook that read:
Come see me after class.
Confused, Nagisa goes to see him in his office.
"You wanted to see me?" He asked. Hopefully this wouldn't take too long, his mother was expecting him home straight away.
"Take a seat Nagisa." Koro Sensei sounded stern.
Nagisa sat down nervously in the seat usually used by Professor Bitch. "Am I in trouble sir?"
"Not at all Nagisa, I just wanted to have a little chat."
Nagisa was having real trouble reading Koro sensei. It felt like he was pissed, but also sad. Something wasn't right. Nagisa's heart started to pound and he felt like his world was about to crumble. He clenched his fists until the knuckles started going white.
Koro sensei reached out a tentacle to Nagisa's neck until his frequency relaxed.
"There, now take a deep breath Nagisa. I was just a bit concerned about the meeting we had with your mother the other day, and wanted to check in."
"Sure." He was calmer now, but didn't like where this was going.
"Nagisa, is everything ok at home?"
"Well, I'm grounded at the moment, so I really need to get going soon. My mother won't like it if I stay out too late." He put on a smile, the big cheery fake one that had been getting a lot of practice lately.
"Hmm, now grounding can be an effective punishment, for troublesome teens, but your mother, I was wondering if she might be punishing you in less conventional ways?"
"No more than any other family." Nagisa's smile was gone, he was feeling more unsure. He wanted to open up, but also didn't want to burden anyone else with his shameful insignificant problems. And who was he to question his mother's parenting methods?
"Nagisa, do you have ADHD?" Asked Koro sensei.
Nagisa frowned, this wasn't a question he was expecting. "No." He said with a hint of confusion. "My mother had me tested when I was first put in E class, but the doctor said I was fine."
"Do you recognise this?" Says Koro sensei as he put the pill from Karma on the table.
"Where did you get that?" Said Nagisa with alarm.
"So you recognise it?" Asked Koro sense once more.
"It looks like the vitamins I take in the morning." Said Nagisa, remembering the interest Karma had taken in them.
"Nagisa, this is Adderall." Said Koro sensei. "I had it tested."
"That can't be…" said Nagisa, "it's just a vitamin."
"Nagisa, no one is accusing you of taking this on purpose, but I have noticed lately you often don't finish your lunch, you have been more tired than usual, and you have even fallen asleep in class. Do you know what the side effects of Adderall are?"
"Let me guess, loss of appetite and trouble sleeping?" Nagisa sits down with a groan. "One day I forgot my vitamin in the morning so took it late at night. I didn't get any sleep, That is why I fell asleep in class."
Koro sensei puts out a tentacle to comfort him. "Adderall is normally taken in two doses, the second being taken at lunch. I salvaged some of your uneaten lunch from the garbage, and found traces of adderall in that as well. It is pretty clear to me, that you are not trying to use drugs for an academic advantage."
Nagisa was staring at the floor trying to process the fact that he was being drugged by his mother, and had been for weeks. His appetite, stomach aches, problems sleeping. It could also explain just how easily Karma had gotten under his skin. There had been periods of incredible focus, where the teachers had seemed just a little less boring and easier to listen to. He knew his mother was determined, but never expected her to go this far. "She was just trying to help me." He said. "Parents just want the best for their kids."
"This isn't the only thing that has me concerned." Said Koro sensei.
Koro sensei pulled out a photo and handed it to Nagisa. It was the photo Karma took of him in the yellow dress.
"Where the hell did you get that?" Nagisa stood up in surprise, face filling with embarrassment.
"Karma was doing a bit of reconnaissance for me. Now I understand that some boys enjoy wearing feminine clothes, and while there is nothing wrong with this behaviour, you're not one of those boys are you?"
Nagisa continued to stare at the image, as he said softly "No. But it is not a big deal, they are just clothes. If playing dress ups makes someone else happy, then what is the harm?"
"You don't look very happy in that photo." Koro Sensei replied.
Nagisa continued to stare at the image, it felt so alienating, like he was looking at a stranger.
"One more thing, would you mind lifting your shirt for a moment?"
"What? I knew you were a perv, but your own students?"
"Now Nagisa, I can go get Karosuma if you would prefer, but I just wanted to see the bruises for myself."
The what? Nagisa had already forgotten about the bruises on his chest, the pain had subsided the day before, although they were still clearly visible. Nagisa made the decision that he wanted Koro Sensei to see, and lifted his shirt. He felt like he was on trial, for a crime that he didn't commit. But he had been caught, and was ready to plead guilty.
"Thank you Nagisa, that is enough." Nagisa lowered his shirt, tears starting to form in his eyes.
"Just to be clear, your mother is the one who gave you those bruises, yes?"
Nagisa nodded, head hung low.
"Ok, so I'm going to ask again. Is everything ok at home?"
In response Nagisa burst into tears.
Koro Sensei reached out some tentacles and embraced Nagisa while he cried. The child's head resting on his moon shaped necktie.
After a while the tears subsided, and Nagisa was seated once more. Nagisa asked, "But what do I do about it?"
"Well, I have some thoughts on the subject. You see, after the meeting with your mother, I decided to go see your father. Both parents should have an opportunity to weigh in on important academic decisions affecting their child. And what I found was truly amazing. Your father for some time now, has been working towards a plan to have you live with him. He said the decision to separate with your mother has been one of the best decisions in his life, but he didn't want to make that decision for you, and was very concerned that you wouldn't want to live with him. I think his exact words were "my cooking sucks, and I can be a bit of a slob." Despite these hesitations he recently secured a rental agreement on a small 2 bedroom flat in the Kanzawa area, close to the high school you were planning to attend. You should have seen the look of joy on his face when I mentioned you asked everyone to call you Nagisa, just in case you went back to using his family name."
Nagisa was stunned. "He did all that?"
"Well of course, he is your father. It is a parent's responsibility to look out for their child, and support them in any way possible. He even also stopped getting take out all the time and has been learning to cook some simple meals from youtube tutorials. I of course sent him a curated list of a hundred or so recipes that I personally find scrumptious." Koro sensei had started to drool, with an idiotic look on his face.
Nagisa chuckled at the sight.
"He was planning on asking you when you graduated, but he would be willing to have you move in sooner. Now, it might mean a slightly longer commute, but you could still make it to Kunigaoka in less than an hour. Nagisa, do you want to go and live with your father?"
He had started crying again, happy tears this time. "Yes." he said with certainty.
I would be happy to get you the support and evidence needed if it comes down to family court, and you are definitely old enough to have your own preferences and feelings taken into consideration. However the simplest solution would be a unanimous decision from both parents. Would you like me to have another chat with your mother?"
Nagisa thought it over, now that he knew what his options were it was so much easier to come up with a plan. The chains tying him to his mother felt looser, like if he was careful he would be able to slip away. He wiped the tears from his face and straightened up, preparing for battle.
"No, I'll do it. I'll convince her. It won't work coming from anyone else."
"Nye he he he. Very well, you are an expert assassin, and confronting your mother has many similarities to assassination, but you are not allowed to actually kill her ok?"
"Right." He chuckled at the absurdity, as if he would actually kill her.
"I'm also not going to let you go in without backup. You will wear this wire, and I'll be right outside in case anything goes wrong."
Nagisa was waiting at home, waiting for his mother to return. He had just managed to get home in time for her first message, so hopefully she was not yet suspicious. He had been trying to study, but his mind couldn't focus, and he kept seeing glimpses of Koro sensei outside the window.
"Nagisa, I'm home! I had the most wonderful day, your school principal of all people has finally decided to meet with me regarding your little E class predicament." Nagisa had moved into the kitchen to meet her.
"Mum, I'm not moving out of E class." He spoke with confidence, and as expected her fragile facade crumbled.
"We are not having this discussion again! You inconsiderate child!" She quickly closed the gap between them and grabbed onto Nagisa's hair. As he was standing she went to slam his head into the wall, but caught a glimpse of his eyes filled with bloodlust. In that brief hesitation, Nagisa implemented the move shown to him by Kurosoma, grabbing her pinkeys, and plying her hands away from his head, she yelped in pain and released his hair. With a slight twist, he positioned her body into one of the kitchen chairs that he had pulled out in preparation.
"You are going to sit there, and you are going to listen to me." Nagisa smiled cheerfully.
Ms Shiota was stunned for a moment by the fact that he had dared to fight back, but she soon found her voice. She rose from the chair and began screaming once more.
"IS THIS THE KIND OF NONSENSE YOU LEARN IN THAT DESPICABLE E CLASS? HOW DARE YOU TURN ON YOUR OWN MOTHER?" Spit ws flying out of her mouth, and she raised her foot in preparation for a kick.
*CLAP* Nagisa clapped loudly right in front of his mother's face, dazed she stopped screaming and Nagisa positioned her back into the chair.
"I said, you are going to sit there and listen to me." He pulled out a knife from his belt, it was the one he had used in his fight with Takaoka. He had kept it as a reminder of that victory, to look upon when he was feeling less sure of himself. He pointed it briefly at her, then moved it towards his own hair. Her eyes trembled in fear.
"You often call me ungrateful, but I'm not. I'm eternally grateful for your decision to become a mother, for the time you spent growing me inside you, the time you spent caring for me as an infant, the money that has gone into every single thing I ate, and every single thing I wore. You are my mother, and I thank you for your sacrifices." Nagisa bowed deeply before standing once more.
"However, I am not a girl, and I am not you. I am not your second chance at life, and I do not owe you my future. I am 14, old enough to have my own likes, my own dislikes, and my own plans. I've gone along with your script until now, because I didn't want to disappoint you, I wanted to thank you for all you have done, but I have found something in E class, something I haven't experienced before, and that is people who care about me, and value me for, well, me. They know the real me, not the doll you talk over and play dress ups with. That is why I am staying in E class. He lifted his shirt and showed her his bruises, and this is why I am moving in with my father."
Her eyes trembled as she finally found her voice, "No, you can't…" she started to reach out, but he moved the knife closer to his hair, cutting a few strands. She froze once more.
"You could kick up a stink, get us all in family court, but if that happens I will speak my mind and tell them everything that went on here, the beatings, the dress ups, the vitamins..." He watched as her eyes tightened. "I also doubt that they will place a 14 year old child with a parent against their will."
"No… I'm a good mother, I was just trying to…"
Nagisa cuts her off, "I said you will listen." She closes her mouth, looking up at her son with a mix of anger, fear and confusion. "In exchange for your cooperation I will see you once every other weekend, like I do now for dad, and I will go to the high school you have picked out for me. After that my future belongs to me."
Nagisa's mother was barely holding in her rage. "Who, who put you up to this?"
"No one, this is all me. The me who you refused to acknowledge. Oh, and one more thing. I'm cutting my hair." In one clean blow he moved the knife through his long blue locks and let the pieces fall to the kitchen floor. Nagisa went to the door and slipped on his shoes while Ms Shiota just about fell off her chair and crawled over to the hair, picking it up in disbelief. "Just, get out." she stammered in a low voice realising she had lost.
Nagisa turned to face her, giving a very deep bow, "Thank you for everything mum." Then he left and shut the door. Nagisa walked down the hall giving a big sigh of relief, he couldn't believe it had worked. Koro Sensei appeared beside him.
"What on earth were you thinking, using a knife to threaten your own mother? Where have you even been keeping this thing?" After he had confiscated the knife and calmed down a little he put a tentacle on Nagisa's head. "Well done Nagisa my boy, for a flawless assassination. Too bad your actual target is still at large nye he he." His tentacles flicked around Nagisa's head with a small pair of scissors and a comb, tidying up the rather rough haircut. Nagisa smiled, finally feeling free of the chains that had held him bound for so long.
I am an assassin, my target is my teacher. An unusual setup for sure, but today those skills definitely came in handy.