Yellow Experience

Summer holidays are the best! You can relax so much and have good amounts of free time. Part of which I've used for this fanfic. I wish all my dear readers to also have had happy holidays. Now, enjoy!

I do not own JoJo's Bizarre Adventure or Assassination Classroom

Chapter 28: Sorry

Haruno, who'd just killed the God of Death, wasn't entirely finished yet. The legendary assassin was dead, but not dead enough for the blond. So he, using his Stand, converted the body into nutrients. All parts of it, including the poison. The dead body started disintegrating, turning into sparkling particles that were being absorbed by the delinquent. Unlike Ghiaccio, the God of Death was 'recycled'.

Only after the corpse fully disappeared did Haruno consider the threat fully eliminated.

Feeling fresh and energized, the blond was about to make his way back to the cage, intending to free all captives and wake up Karasuma, who'd call the government and tell them to send people to clean up the God of Death's mess.

"Here we go…"

XXXXXXXXXX

"Guys, look! He's here!"

"Whoa! Haruno-kun is back!"

"Yes, he's returned!"

After a period of uncertainty, all students of Class 3-E were relieved and beaming with happiness when they saw the victor coming, safe and sound.

"Hi, guys!" the delinquent greeted, waving his hand. "The God of Death is no more! He won't trouble us ever again!"

"Wow, really?!"

"Great news! Thank you, Haruno-kun! You saved us all!"

"Thank god he's dead!"

"Wonderful job, Haruno-kun!" Korosensei commended, a content wide smile on his face. Normally, he wouldn't want his students to be murderers. But in this case, he was glad Haruno did it. That fiend would never terrorize his more than dear pupils ever again.

The blond then approached the cage closely, near enough to reach inside.

"Everyone, come over here, one at a time." the blond instructed. "I can free you of these explosive collars by turning them into animals."

"Oh, you can do that?"

"That's genius, Haruno-kun."

Nodding in acknowledgement, he summoned [Ougon no tomodachi]. The animals of choice were small little flies, who'd fly far away and decease soon anyway.

"One at a time, folks."

[Ougon no tomodachi] put one index finger through a rectangular opening between the bars, liberating the delinquent's classmates one by one. As soon as they felt their collars stop touching their necks, they each showed a very relieved and genuine smile.

"It's so nice to be free!"

"Thank you, Haruno-kun! You're a life saver!"

"Ahh~, no more~!"

With the more dangerous and urgent restriction gone, only the other figurative and literal restrictive cage was left.

'How should I get them out of there…?' Haruno mused, pensively placing his fingers near his chin. 'Should I go to the room with Asano and pick up some tools…?'

In the end, he decided against that. The blond would visit the room again, but not alone. 'Nah, I'll check if there's a remote in the control room.'

"Guys, would you mind holding on just a bit longer? I'm gonna go search for this prison's remote." the delinquent announced, politely requesting some more patience.

"Of course!"

"No biggie, you're our rescuer after all."

Class 3-E's other students were so indebted to him, and even infatuated with him, they were gladly following his every word at this point.

Giving them a thumbs up before turning around, Haruno then went for the control room, intending to retrieve the object of interest. "Okay, see you later!"

"Later, Haruno-kun!"

XXXXXXXXXX

A few minutes later, the blond returned. He held the remote in his left hand. And with a single button press, the cage bars were being pulled upwards, into the ceiling.

Having regained their freedom, everyone, boys and girls, rushed at the delinquent. They all had embracing him and proactively giving him their utmost gratitude in mind.

"Woooo! You freed us!"

"Haruno-kun, thank you so, so much!"

"You rock, Haruno-kun!"

"Thanks a ton!"

"Let me give you a hug, Haruno-kun!"

Overwhelmed by his classmates, his friends, his fans, his followers, his admirers, his lovers, Haruno was fought over by who gets to hug him or shake his hand first. It was like the dynamic of enthusiastic groupies and a star celebrity.

"Easy there, guys. No need to rush. I have time for everyone."

"Really?"

"Yes. I'll hear all of you out, interact with everyone." the blond promised, holding both hands forwards, palms outwards. "I'll pay attention to everybody individually."

"Gee, that's so nice of you."

For now, there was no hurry to get out of the underground. The delinquent hadn't even woken up Karasuma and Bitch-sensei yet. He would first have to share moments with all classmates. Luckily for him, he had the privilege of choosing who he'd talk to first.

"Hey Nagisa, come over here please."

Of course, he chose his best friend first.

"What happened after we parted ways?" Haruno asked, curious about the separation's aftermath.

Nagisa, who was also holding the yellow man after the latter had 'donated' his tentacles to the blond, gave a very different response. "It'd take too much time to tell you about that right now. Let's talk about it later, together with Karma-kun. It was a team effort."

"Hell yeah it was, and I did the heavy lifting." Karma humorously said his piece.

"Alright, I suppose you're right about that." The bluenette's reasoning made sense to the delinquent. "I'll save you guys for later."

This included Kaede and Sugino.

"By the way…" Haruno added, in a much different tone. "Do you remember that day with cold and butterflies?"

"Mhm." The short boy nodded. Naturally he remembered, that day was unforgettable in many ways. "What about it?"

"I've had my closure." the blond informed, his voice content and his eyes relieved. "With the God of Death, I did it the correct way. I have no more regrets."

"That's wonderful!" Nagisa beamed, happily celebrating for his friend. "Congratulations, Haruno-kun."

"Thank you, Nagisa."

"Let's also leave this discussion for later. I don't want to make the others wait too long."

"Good on you for being so reasonable, Nagisa-kun."

The outsiders to their semi-private conversation unanimously supported the bluenette's decision.

"Well, later."

"Later, Nagisa."

With that, the longest individual conversation was over.

"Now next up is… no, are… Rio-san and Yukiko-san." The delinquent picked them based on their significance on this day.

Rio and Yukiko, quickly exchanging looks, walked up to him, only stopping right in front of Haruno.

"Actually, we also think to postpone this discussion. Because we want to spend lots and lots of time with you when this is over." the blonde spoke, using this as an excuse to make advancements.

"However, we want to show our boundless thanks to you…" the black-haired continued "with this."

Both girls hugged the blond simultaneously. Nakamura on the right, placing her head on his left shoulder, wrapping her right arm around his back and her left arm around his neck. Kanzaki on the left, placing her head on his right shoulder, wrapping her left arm around his back and her left arm around his neck. They both pressed their bodies against his, expressing the extent of their feelings for him.

"…!"

To no surprise, the onlookers were taken aback. Though due to the time and place, there was no jealously involved. Everyone knew this was pure.

"Thank you, Haruno-kun."

"Thank you so much."

"…I appreciate it, you two."

That said, the pair of them walked away fulfilled, leaving their loved boy to tend to his other friends.

Isogai took the initiative a few seconds later and praised his delinquent friend.

"You really were the perfect help today, Haruno-kun. We really owe you much."

"Nah, it's my pleasure. You don't need to owe me." Haruno accepted the thanks, but dismissed the notion of getting owed by his friend with a couple of wrist flicks. "I did it for the team."

"At this point you are the team." Maehara jokingly remarked. "Or at least 99% of the team."

"By the way, you were injured, right?" the blond suddenly remembered, ready to heal them. "Muramatsu, Yoshida and Okajima too, yes?"

Not really wanting to remember what they'd experienced, the five just hastily nodded.

"Come on, let me heal you."

This was a made decision and they weren't able to object. Not that they would, anyway. So [Ougon no tomodachi] quickly healed their wounds.

"Feel better?"

"Yes, thank you."

"Yes, thanks."

"Yes."

"Yeah."

"Man, you could be a religious figure at this point."

The answers given, they all exchanged nods once more before moving on.

And from the remaining boys and girls, the delinquent received standard thanks, and gave standard responses in return. Not much variety, but lots of repetition.

"Fine." Haruno said, letting out a big exhale and making a large inhale. "With that out of the way, let's wake up our Senseis."

Next thing he did was walking over to Tadaomi and Irina, wanting to make them regain consciousness.

"Hey Haruno-kun, how are you going to wake them up?"

"Easy. I'll just inject some energy into them. As energized as they're going to be, they won't be able to sleep anymore." he answered.

So [Ougon no tomodachi] did its thing, injecting various natural chemicals, vitamins and hormones through the skin of the knocked-out man and woman. Of course, part of those were used for healing purposes.

10 seconds later, the two teachers woke up from their involuntary slumber.

"Uhh…" the government agent groaned, holding his head. He gradually arose, lifting his torso into a sitting position.

"Nngh…" the female assassin did the same.

"G- Guys! You are free! You aren't imprisoned anymore!" The agent couldn't contain his massive surprise when he began noticing his surroundings.

"What the hell happened?! Where's the God of Death?!" Bitch-sensei, shocked and in disbelief, started asking the important question.

"The God of Death is dead and gone, not even his dead body remains. We fought and I won in the end." the blond reported, his posture lax. "And when I came back, I took off everyone's explosive collars and opened the cage."

"You really killed and defeated him?!" the both of them blurted out in even more disbelief, eyes wide. This was an astronomical feat. The news of the legendary assassin's death would generate shockwaves in that business.

"Yes. Now we can finally leave this place and go back. Then I can fill you and everybody else in on the details." the delinquent spoke, knowing they must be curious about how the battle went on.

"I suppose so." Karasuma huffed, slowly standing back up. "Before that, I'll make some calls and have the government send some people to secure the area."

"Do so, please."

"Wait a second…" Irina then said, noticing another big thing. "What on earth happened to your clothes?!"

"…!" Tadaomi followed, eyes bulging out.

Face going red from embarrassment, Haruno quickly covered as much as he could with his hands. "I can explain! That's something he inflicted on me!"

"…Okay, we'll hear you out."

While they said that line, they looked away. Each in different directions.

"To put it in a nutshell, my clothes were rotted away in an attack. I regenerated my body parts, but not my clothes." the blond explained in a very simple manner.

Both nodded slightly in understanding.

"Karasuma-sensei, when you make those calls, can you also ask them to bring some replacement clothes?" the delinquent requested, hoping to alleviate this issue. "A right shoe from A brand, the B model and C size, a-"

"Slow down." the government agent interrupted him. "Do you expect my people to just go and immediately procure your fashion wish list? You'll get standard replacement clothes, and you'll wear them."

"Okay…" the fashion-picky boy muttered, lowering his head in failure. He thought he could get the government to pay for his replacement clothes, but all he'd get were plain clothes he'd most likely have to return later.

"By the way, I should be going." the female assassin said, completely changing the topic.

"Huh, what gives? Aren't you leaving with us?"

'Oh, right…' the others thought, remembering that Haruno wasn't aware of her betrayal yet.

"Nuh-uh, I don't have the right to." Bitch-sensei murmured, slowly shaking her head.

"Wait, why?" The blond teen was genuinely confused, tilting his head.

"The truth is, I wasn't kidnapped, actually. It was all an act." she admitted, hanging her head low. "The whole time, I was working with the God of Death to lure you guys in and trap you, and to get Korosensei to come. I've deceived you."

"HUH?!" His eyes went wide, shocked. He hadn't expected such a thing in the slightest.

"You see, after the fiasco with Karasuma-sensei, I figured I shouldn't be living a comfortable life as a teacher, befriending you kids and thinking of romance. I thought I should get back to my old, hard way of life and that this would bring in results. So I've conspired with the God of Death, fooled you, deceived you, betrayed you." Irina admitted, elaborating her motives but not excusing her actions. "I've failed. And I regret it, I feel ashamed. But I am ready to face the consequences."

"Oh…" This was quite a heavy bit of information. "I can't believe this…"

"Can't blame you for that. I bet you feel betrayed, hurt by me. So did the others when they found out." the female assassin spoke, without looking him in the eyes. "But it's real, and while I am sorry, I won't hold it against you if you don't forgive me. All of you."

There was a brief interval of silence.

"I, for one, can forgive you." Hinano spoke up, courageously opening up her feelings. "Maybe, because you were raised in an environment with no peace of mind, you do have some conflicting feelings that can't be easily fixed."

"Perhaps you forgot to pick up certain pieces of your adulthood when growing up." Touka continued, following up. "We understand that it can have traumatic effects and lead to difficulties. But we can empathize with you."

"…"

"Does that excuse what I've done?" Bitch-sensei weakly scoffed, feeling too guilty to be accepted back.

"Not quite." Meg denied. "However, we can clearly see that you're showing genuine remorse. You did no permanent damage to any one of us, so you're eligible for forgiveness."

Irina gasped, in disbelief at how easily she was forgiven by part of her former students. And no, they were by no means naive idiots, they just genuinely liked her. Up until that day, she and them had been friendly with each other.

"B-But… That's easy for you to say! Yes, you guys didn't receive any significant damage. But what about Rio and Yukiko? They suffered horribly, mentally and physically from Asano, who I have collaborated with! And for that, they hate me!" the femme-fatale protested, counterarguing vehemently and precisely naming the issue. When Rio had slapped her, at that exact time, she was indeed hated by both girls. "Haruno-kun must've gotten his fair share of agony too! Even if you guys forgive me, I don't expect to be forgiven by those three!"

Getting emotional, thinking extremely hard about the weight of her crimes, Bitch-sensei was openly pessimistic.

"Actually…" Haruno began, "I don't hold a grudge against you for that. Not for Asano's part. Him and I, it was purely personal. You may have been on the same side of the operation, but it was a loose connection."

"…"

"I am angry at you, but I associate that anger with the God of Death luring us into his trap and capturing us." the blond clarified.

He then turned his head towards his blonde and black-haired classmates, asking them a question. "Can you please describe what exactly you're angry at?"

"The part we're the most furious about, is that she went with the plan where Asano gets you into his torture room and… gets the opportunity to do nasty, horrible things to you… with those… torture tools and weapons." Nakamura elaborated, struggling to articulate some parts. "Against you, who were so intent on saving her. We all were, we all came here risking our lives."

"And it's not just you and us. Haruno-kun, you know what he did to Isogai-kun, Maehara-kun, Yoshida-kun and Muramatsu-kun, right?" Kanzaki added.

Okajima died a little inside, being forgotten as a fellow victim.

"…"

Those mentioned said nothing. They did want to forgive Bitch-sensei, but they also found that she had a point.

"Basically, all the terrible things Asano did, she overlooked it. Bitch-sensei turned a blind eye to it. Heck, she passively approved it."

"N-No, I…" Irina wanted to refute, but those words died in her throat. She'd also stretched her hand out forward to protest, but that arm dropped down. And so did her knees.

"…!"

All the less involved students were shocked and went wide-eyed, some covering their mouths and some gaping.

"Guhhh…" the once proud assassin whimpered, down on her knees. Then her hands dropped on the ground too, followed by her head. She was practically in a dogeza position, but in a sloppier way. Finally, she cried.

"WAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH~~~~~~~! I'M SO SORRY! SO, SOOOOOOOOOOO SORRY!"

"…!"

Everyone was taken aback. Bitch-sensei completely broke down, ugly crying waterfalls of tears. That was the first time she'd ever gotten so emotional and felt so down.

"THAT'S RIGHT! I'M THE WORST, I'M THE FUCKING WORST! I'M A TERRIBLE, HORRIBLE BITCH! I CAN'T APOLOGIZE ENOUGH!" she bawled, pouring her soul into her weeps.

"I'M UNFORGIVABLE, THAT'S WHAT I AM! I'VE HURT YOU TOO MUCH! I SHOULD JUST DISAPPEAR, IT WOULD BE THE BEST FOR EVERYONE!"

"Bitch-sensei…"

Everybody was stunned. Nobody could find the right words.

"Hey…"

"Oi…"

"Uhh…"

This was an extreme display of self-pity. At this point, even Rio and Yukiko began thinking she went too far. They did hate her, but seeing this woman in her current state, they felt pity and sorry for her.

"Irina-sensei, calm down please!"

"That's enough, Irina! No more!"

Korosensei and Karasuma attempted to put an end to this, but to no avail.

"CAN'T YOU SEE IT'S FUTILE?! HOW CAN I POSSIBLY ATONE FOR MY CRIMES?! I CAN'T UNDO THEM!"

She was a defeatist through and through, towards herself. It was like she fell into an abyss.

"…"

When nobody could find a fitting response, the delinquent came up with an idea. It was a compromise.

"…There's only one way to end this."

All eyes were looking at Haruno.

"How?"

"Rio-san, Yukiko-san, you two liked Bitch-sensei before this, right? You liked her very much, right?" the blond calmly asked.

"…Yes, we did." they reluctantly but honestly answered.

Irina said nothing, stifling her cries.

"So, the past you shared, the experiences you shared, barring today, were great, right?"

"…Yes."

Again, Irina was absolutely silent.

"Here's a question. Assuming I completely, 100% forgive her, could you too?"

"…Perhaps." They lightly nodded.

"Do you want her gone from your lives forever?"

That was his final question. The key question, the one that would decide the problem's outcome.

"…"

Rio and Yukiko thought individually.

"…"

Rio and Yukiko looked at each other.

"…"

Rio and Yukiko closed their eyes and took a deep, silent breath.

"No."

"No, we don't."

The girls have made their final decision.

Meanwhile, the other teens were relieved. They smiled and smirked, knowing that a sad separation wouldn't happen. Knowing that they ALL could return to their classroom.

And they weren't the only ones relieved. The male teacher pair were also glad of this development, not having wished to say goodbye.

As for the former teacher herself…

"Guhu… Guaaaaah!"

Much more silently than before, she let herself cry again. Tears welled up in her swollen red eyes. Raising her head and torso, but staying on her knees, she looked inside the eyes of these girls from below.

"Girls… I'm so sorry… And thank you… I don't even properly know what to say."

"Total forgiveness is still far away. You'll have to put much effort into fixing our relationship" the blonde girl warned. "However, I'd feel regret later if I sent you packing after seeing how much remorse you feel."

"Same." the black-haired girl went on. "I can't severe our relation after seeing how despite all this, you still care a lot about us. How we still mean so much to you."

Rationally and emotionally, the duo chose the path of forgiveness, even if not immediate. Though for the disgraced teacher eager to redeem herself, this was more than enough.

"Thank you… I'll never forget this. I swear I won't make you regret this."

Now that this was a rather good ending, the yellow man was very pleased. "Welcome back, Irina-sensei."

"Welcome back, Bitch-sensei." a large majority of the students followed up, warmly receiving her.

"Come tomorrow, let's be a friendly class together again." the octopus man said in a friendly tone.

"…Mhm." Bitch-sensei gratefully accepted, nodding twice.

In the end, there was nobody unhappy with this outcome.

"Karasuma-sensei, you will now call the government, right?" Korosensei asked, changing the topic.

"Right, I am." Tadaomi confirmed, nodding.

"In that case, let's all go above ground again." the yellow man suggested. "I bet you must feel tired and are sick of this place. So let's get some fresh air."

The general consensus was for it. However, one person had another idea.

"Before that, let me show you something." Haruno requested, walking towards the door.

"Show what?"

"You'll see." the blond simply replied, not spoiling anything. "Is everyone okay with this? It won't take long, and we can leave afterwards."

"Fine."

It would be a detour, but nobody had urgent matters to attend to anyways. Thus, everybody agreed to his proposal.

"Good." the delinquent smirked. "Follow me."

With that, everybody but the government agent left the room, leaving only the agent to phone his government colleagues in order to clean up the God of Death's mess.

XXXXXXXXXX

Led by the delinquent this large group wandered through the various underground corridors. Sometimes straight forward, at times turning to the left or right.

"So, where are we going?"

"Almost there, just one more turn."

Haruno kept his promise. After one last turn, they arrived in front of a half-opened door.

Besides him, a certain pair of girls recognized that place. And coming there made them feel very uncomfortable.

"Haruno-kun, isn't this…" Rio started to voice her concerns, her face slightly cringing.

"Why are we here of all places?" Yukiko wanted to know, getting the shivers.

"It'll be fine, don't worry." the blond tried to ease their fears. "Nothing will happen."

He then reached for the door and pulled it wide open, opening the way for everyone to enter.

"Go on in, I'll show you something incredible."

That said, everyone entered, one after another. They were all curious as to what was there for them to see. And after everybody else, the delinquent got in last.

In there, the first ones to enter got shocked from the sight – and the smell. Their jaws dropped – and closed just as fast. And of course, they held their noses.

"What the…"

"The heck?!"

The ones coming in later were confused at first, wondering what's so shocking.

"Let me see too!"

"Wait, why does it stink?"

"What's the matter, guys?"

One by one, the students formed a circle, surrounding it – or him – the big sight, the big spectacle.

"Is… is that…?"

"Yes, that's him, but…"

Finally, the main man arrived, joining the circle. And he stopped at the best part, right in across him, where their eyes would meet in a straight line.

"Lo and behold, guys. This is the creature that terrorized us."

"Shiobana… Why are you guys even alive?! Has the God of Death not killed you all?!"

Asano Gakushuu was lying on the ground in a desolate state. His legs were missing, courtesy of Haruno, leaving him only with his upper half. He was lying in a disgusting sludge of blood, piss and shit, radiating a very offensive odor. His voice was weak, sore of all the screaming due to his broken neck, but retained the foul animosity for the blond. All in all, he wasn't sorry for his actions, but certainly was in a sorry state.

"No, he failed to. Just like you did." the hero of Class 3-E informed, breaking the news. "I've defeated him, just like I've defeated you. He's gone without any traces. It's your complete loss."

"So have you returned here only to rub it onto my nose? Are you here only to humiliate me?!" He was livid, absolutely fuming.

"Yes, I am." the delinquent declared, shamelessly and not giving a fuck. "I wanted to show everyone what I turned you into. I wanted them to see you for how lowly you truly are."

"Curse you, Shiobana!"

"…"

Seeing their tormentor reduced to his current state, Nakamura and Kanzaki watched with almost neutral, blank expressions. Only difference being their slightly narrowed eyes. That sight alleviated them of all their fear for him, now that he was in such a regressed condition. They wouldn't have no trauma or nightmares thinking about him anymore. Of course, they'd still hate, scorn, despise him for decades to come, but they at least wouldn't be afraid of him anymore.

"Guys, does anyone have something to say to this piece of shit?" Haruno asked, encouraging his classmates to speak their minds. To release their pent-up hate.

"Who's the weakling now, Asano?" Maehara scoffed, looking down on him.

"Who's the retard now, Asano?" Yoshida scoffed, looking down on him.

"Who's worthless now, Asano?" Muramatsu scoffed, looking down on him.

"…" Isogai said nothing, but he sure felt better after this, same as the other three.

"You're such a fucking loser." Terasaka spat, heavily disdaining the orange-haired for what he did to his buddies.

"…I don't feel sorry for you at all." Hinano, the nicest, friendliest, purest girl of Class 3-E told. There was no way any other student would feel more sympathetic towards him.

"To think you were so high and mighty before…" Karma spoke, shaking his head. "Never ever say that you're better than me again."

As for the rest, they just looked down on him without saying anything. For them, talking to him wasn't even worth it.

"Now tell me, Asano, how does it feel to be universally despised?" Haruno asked, crossing his arms. "How does it feel to be on your way out, hated and humiliated, with no one to help or rescue you?"

"Grrrrr… Fuck you! I hope you die painfully in an accident soon! I hope you get hit by a train and are blown into pieces! I hope you get into a car crash where the engine block gets pushed into your torso! I hope you get in a ship accident and drown while your lungs get filled with leaking heavy oil! I hope you burn to crisp in a house fire!" the hateful teen rambled, lambasting and bombarding the other with hatred.

Having heard enough of Gakushuu's vile speech, Korosensei raised his voice. "Asano-kun, cease this at once! How can you say such horrible things? Why are you so hateful against Haruno-kun? What has he done to you?"

Reacting to the yellow man calling out to him, Asano turned his head. For the first time, he'd speak to the inhuman entity. "You're their monster teacher… Hold on, where are your tentacles? Why are you like this?"

"That's not important." The octopus man refused to answer those questions, sticking to the topic. "Answer my question. What's your reason for hating Haruno-kun this much?"

"My reason, you say?" The orange-haired could let loose his justifications. "He's been a thorn in my side, a pain in the ass for the longest time, undermining me whenever possible. The Boutaoshi loss was the straw that broke the camel's back. It was then that I knew, that if I wanted to succeed in peace again, I'd have to get rid of him permanently."

"Really? Just because you lost-"

"That's not the only thing, far from it!" Gakushuu rudely interrupted, continuing his rant. "Shiobana has ridiculed me, mocked me, damaged my pride many times! Those things kept stacking up like a tower! That was just the breaking point!"

"But that can't be everything there is to it." Korosensei argued. "That level of hate just isn't rational."

"You're right, there's more to it." Asano told, going on with his speech. "What also pissed me off is the fact that he's been blessed with an amazing Stand. And no, he didn't get it by being shot with the Stand arrow and suffering enormous pain, in addition to putting his very life on the line. He was born with it! He, who comes from a shitty, poor, bottom of the barrel household!"

"…"

Even the extremely patient and understanding Korosensei sweatdropped. This was a very ugly display of jealously.

"Speaking of Stands, you learned about them after getting in contact with the God of Death, no? How did you even meet him?" the yellow man inquired.

"We just happened to spy on you on the same day, at the same time." the orange-haired simply answered. "He told me about Stands, you, and after finding that we have a common goal, we decided to work together."

"Okay, right…" the octopus man murmured, at least understanding that part. "So, because Haruno-kun is a natural-born Stand user and you aren't, and he has better grades than you, and has defeated you in the Boutaoshi, you decided to kill him?"

"Pretty much, but still, it's not everything. Shiobana is also the reason why my own dad looks down on me!"

'So there's still more…'

"He… what?" Since Korosensei wasn't part of their family, it was natural that he wasn't aware of their private matters. But that claim sounded far-fetched to him.

"A few years ago, when I had better grades than him consistently, my father treated me with the respect I deserve. He praised me, my success, my talents. But ever since Shiobana started getting better grades, he stopped respecting me. Instead, he started looking down on me, constantly underestimating my talents, undervaluing my successes and exaggerating my shortcomings. It was like for him, my value had dropped sharply! My time at home became shittier, and it's all Shiobana's fault!"

"So because of that, you decided to kill him?"

"Exactly!" Gakushuu immediately and shamelessly stated. "If I'd murder him normally, I'd get arrested, thrown into prison and my life would be ruined. But if I murdered him with my own Stand, and had the God of Death erase his corpse with his rot powers, as well as eliminate the other witnesses, I'd have gotten away scot-free. And not only that, I'd go back to being the undisputed Number One student of the school again. I'd become the new king of the school."

"…"

The students of Class 3-E listening to Asano's power fantasy were disgusted, grimacing.

"…Do you hate competition that much, Asano-kun." the yellow man carefully questioned, taken aback by how twisted the orange-haired had become. "Healthy competition can be-"

"FUCK that shit! I don't want no competition! The only thing I desire is to rule those below me, total obedience and a few lesser elite students as my friends/subordinates/aides!"

He truly had the disposition of a dictator.

"Alright, I've heard enough." Even the octopus man's tolerance had its limits. "You are in dire need of two things: A reality check and some punishment."

"Punishment? Sounds good to me." the blond delinquent chimed in. "What do you suggest, Korosensei? I myself have plenty of ideas."

"Screw you!"

"My idea of fitting punishment is 'humbling'." Korosensei said. "His ego needs serious refinement."

'Totally.' Each and every single one of Class 3-E's students thought, agreeing with their teacher.

"Haruno-kun, I need your help for this." the yellow man spoke. "Mind lending me your hand?"

"Sure." Haruno would gladly do so.

"Then, the first thing I want from you is to heal him." the octopus man said, naming the first step.

"What?!"

Not only the blond himself, but his classmates were extremely surprised as well. That didn't sound like punishment at all.

"You want me to heal him?!" The delinquent couldn't believe his ears. "Why?"

"Because he'll die in less than 10 minutes if you don't." Korosensei seriously answered. "I can tell."

"Oooh, now I get it." From one moment to another, Haruno wasn't upset anymore. "Can't have him take the easy way out, huh?"

"But Korosensei…" A few other pupils had their concerns as well. "What if he tries to escape? Or what if he attacks us?"

Those worries were stupidly easy for the yellow man to dismiss. "If he couldn't beat Haruno-kun alone, there's no way he can beat all of you. And he can't escape us either, I'm sure he himself knows this."

"…"

It was true. Gakushuu had no chance of successfully running away, even if fully healed. And attempting to fight them would be an obvious losing battle. He was done for.

"Now, Haruno-kun, if you don't mind…"

Reluctantly and begrudgingly, the blond readied [Ougon no tomodachi]. "If it's for the sake of punishment, I guess I can heal the dude who tortured and mutilated me…"

[Ougon no tomodachi], commanded by its master, initiated the healing process. The nutrients absorbed from the God of Death were more than plenty. Within a couple of minutes, Asano's legs, neck and ear were restored. Though his unfortunate smell persisted.

The regrowing of the orange-haired's body parts was fascinating to watch. It was similar to the delinquent when he remade his own body.

And when it was finally done, Gakushuu was able to stand back up again, with his own strength, painlessly. He was flabbergasted, having missed the feeling of his own legs and the total lack of pain. Having believed he'd lost these things forever, and would die a loser, he was utterly astonished and in disbelief.

Asano touched his regenerated body parts, as well as moved them in various ways. His legs and neck were a no-brainer, but he was also positively surprised that he could move his ears. He was now able to slightly wiggle them.

"Congratulations, Asano-kun." the octopus man then spoke up to him. "You're able-bodied once again. Does it feel good? Any complaints?"

"Y-yes, it feels great!" the orange-haired reflexively answered, no hostility in his voice whatsoever. "And no, I don't have no complaints."

"Wonderful, isn't it?"

"Totally! Absolutely!" Gakushuu nodded in agreement, ecstatic. Now that he was whole again, he'd forgotten his anger.

But Korosensei had waited for this answer.

"In that case… Your first order is to thank Haruno-kun." the yellow man calmly commanded.

"…What?!"

All his joy, gone in an instant.

"You've heard me, young man." the octopus man reiterated. "The sole reason you're alive and back to normal again is because of Haruno-kun. The least he deserves is some gratitude."

To be honest, Haruno couldn't give a shit about Asano's thanks. He didn't need that at all.

"But…" The orange-haired wavered. "You… expect me to thank him after what he did to me?! I can't just forget the humiliation I went through today!"

"Humiliation, you say? Well, that's the point!" Korosensei laid down the law without mercy. "What you went through are merely the consequences of your own actions. You attacked and hurt Haruno-kun with malicious intent first. He defended himself, and you know it. You are the bad guy, you are guilty and you know it."

"Guh…"

"And yet, despite all of this, even if he only did it because I told him to, he still saved your life and healed you, no? And you're glad to be alive, no?"

Stating facts one after another, the yellow man was immensely pressuring Gakushuu.

"Come on, Asano-kun. I know you have dreams you want to fulfill. I know you have hobbies you want to keep doing, things you want to keep enjoying, friends you want to keep meeting, family you still want to see. You can't possibly convince me that you'd rather be drawing your last breath and losing the things you love and desire forever."

"Geh…"

Sweating heavy loads, Asano's hands were trembling and teeth were clenching. He couldn't even say a proper word.

"Be a man, accept some humility, apologize to Haruno-kun and thank him."

Be a man

This was the phrase that broke the orange-haired's pride. While he was pressing his teeth together, tightly gripping his fists, he started, slowly but definitely, shedding tears of bitterness.

"I… I can't…" Gakushuu let out, salty and bitter. "Not today…"

The last part of his reply was a display of weakness, of defeat. Though instead of slowing down, the octopus man capitalized on it.

"Duh, you think that if you apologize and thank him today, that your punishment will be over? No, today's only the very beginning. Starting tomorrow, you're going to partake in a long campaign of punishment until every single student of this class decides you've had enough." Korosensei told. "You won't be let off the hook until all students of my class forgive you."

It was impossible, and everyone knew it.

"For reference, let's ask Nakamura-san and Kanzaki-san what it'd take for them to forgive you."

He deliberately picked the two students that Asano had harmed the most.

"Nakamura-san, Kanzaki-san, what would Asano-kun here need to do to earn your forgiveness?"

Rio and Yukiko, knowing that just saying they'd never forgive him wouldn't satisfy their teacher, just named some extremely difficult to achieve conditions.

"If he manages to save my life twice, I'll think about forgiving him." the blonde said with quiet, suppressed fury. A fair price, but she didn't expect that from him anyway.

"Same." the black-haired girl spoke. "Alternatively, if he manages to save this entire class from danger on his own, I'll consider it."

Some nigh impossible conditions right there.

"Well, there you have it. You'll have to give nothing short of your best here, Asano-kun."

"…"

He didn't even respond.

"Now then, let's wrap this up and go home. Today was enough for everyone." the yellow man suggested, deciding to end the evening with this. He first addressed his own students. "Everyone, you all must be tired after everything. Let's call it a day and go home, okay?"

"Yes, let's."

No opposition.

"The same goes for you, Asano-kun." The octopus man then addressed Asano. "Get some rest for now, because your daily life will experience great change from tomorrow onwards. Be prepared for it."

"…"

The orange-haired knew he wasn't in a position to refuse. No word was of any help.

"Now, at last, let's get out of here."

That said, everybody started leaving, going for the exit. Class 3-E went first, the students forming groups and talking amongst each other. Gakushuu, downtrodden, went last. He didn't want to mingle with any of them, exiting lonely and with shame.

XXXXXXXXXX

Outside, in the cold and darkness of the night, Asano only got even more depressed. What would become of him, he wondered. There wasn't that much time. And he didn't eagerly anticipate it.

Once he reached his house, he went in quietly, avoiding his parents and quietly preparing for bed. For him, a horrible day was ending, and many unhappy days were about to begin.

Chapter end. Sorry again for taking so long. Anyways, expect a considerably shorter waiting period for the next chapter. Like the current one, the next one will be centered around Asano. I won't spoil much, but he'll interact with the principal and have an interesting conversation with him. Look forward to it.

Feel free to rate and review if you like to