Recently, I had begun to feel the weight of my blankets upon waking—a sensation that usually heralded the arrival of summer. Since today was July 1st, we were undoubtedly in the thick of it. I would switch to my summer uniform starting today, so I needed to pull out my short-sleeved shirts.
"Good morning, Nozaki-san."
"Good morning."
I found myself surprised by the fact that I was no longer surprised by Ritsu appearing on my phone screen. I noticed she had also changed her appearance to a summer outfit.
"The summer clothes suit you, Ritsu."
"Hehe, do you really think so? Thank you, Nozaki-san!"
I felt that "Professor Bitch's" advice—that one must always praise changes in a girl's appearance—was starting to take root in my mind. This was a bad sign; her "toxins" were clearly beginning to influence my thinking.
I ate my usual breakfast and headed to school. I didn't run into Kurahashi-san on my way today, and for some reason, that made me feel a bit lonely. Come to think of it, I had recently noticed myself paying more attention to Kurahashi-san. Ever since that day our commutes overlapped, through the Kyoto trip, and even just a few days ago... I often found myself watching her without realizing it.
—Could it be that I actually liked Kurahashi-san?
If someone asked whether I liked or disliked her, I would certainly say I liked her. However, I was convinced it was just a normal fondness for a classmate, not deep romantic love. I didn't feel those intense, overwhelming emotions yet.
On the other hand, "The Zone"—that state I entered where I could move freely while time slowed down—hadn't manifested since that time I felt Kurahashi-san was in danger, not even when Itona joined our class.
Damn it, my thoughts were starting to spiral into an endless loop. It didn't matter; I would push these thoughts out of my head for now. I made up my mind, gathered my energy, and pushed open the classroom door, greeting everyone loudly.
"Good mor—"
"Nozaki-kun, good morning!"
"K-Kurahashi-san?!"
The sudden appearance of the person I had been thinking about caused me to involuntarily slip into "The Zone" just to find an escape from my embarrassment. Wait, Kurahashi-san?! Why now?!
The summer uniform really suited her. The soft whiteness of her arms was dazzling.
"—Huh?!"
This was dangerous. I was on the verge of turning into a pervert. I didn't want to be treated like Okajima, who was currently shouting in class that summer was a cruel season for boys because of the girls' outfits.
I finally regained my composure.
"It is improper to lose your emotional stability during the season of revealing clothes."
That "Perverted Octopus" said this while leafing through a swimsuit magazine with a dead serious expression. Wait—this octopus had started reading these magazines openly in front of the students now. Koro-sensei had clearly begun to reveal his perverted tendencies lately. He didn't even bother hiding his obsession with large chests anymore. Was this appropriate behavior for a "man of the cloth"? Weren't teachers supposed to be held in sacred regard?
While I stood there stunned by our teacher's reprehensible behavior, Sugaya approached from behind me.
"Ah... I didn't take into account that we'd be wearing short sleeves today. I didn't want to reveal my left arm, where the power is sealed..."
I turned around to see Sugaya standing there with a strange tattoo on his arm. I couldn't help but speak to him seriously.
"Listen, Sugaya, setting aside your supernatural delusions, drop the tattoo idea. In Japanese society, people will look at you with suspicion. You won't be allowed into public pools or gyms. At the very least, stick to a temporary one..."
"Look at that, Nozaki is actually worried about Sugaya's future... that's a rare sight."
"Yeah, it really is."
"Huh? You guys have it all wrong. Look, it's just paint."
"—What?"
I examined his arm closely after his clarification. Indeed, the texture looked like it was drawn over the skin—or rather, it was part of the skin's surface. It looked more like traditional tribal markings than a permanent tattoo.
"Ah, that's Indian art, isn't it?"
"Oh, do you know it, Karma-kun?"
"My parents are obsessed with Indian culture. Every time they travel there, they come back with their arms covered in these patterns."
"Amazing! So it's just paint!"
"Yeah, it's called 'Mehndi.' Once the color sets, it doesn't fade for about a week."
"That's impressive."
I looked at the Mehndi designs on Sugaya's arm, but I didn't truly understand their beauty. Perhaps I lacked an artistic sense. Someone else might see it as a stunning masterpiece, but all I could manage was a "That's impressive" without any real realization.
"M-My goodness! I thought one of my students had turned to a life of delinquency!"
Koro-sensei wailed, opening several adolescent guidance books with tears in his eyes after seeing Sugaya's paint. He was still a coward about such things. Koro-sensei cared far too much about public opinion and his social image.
—Wait, that's not right. It's natural for Koro-sensei to care about his image; in fact, he should care more than anyone else. I had forgotten for a moment that this man represented a "national secret." Right, it had completely slipped my mind that he was a dangerous state secret. The problem was that Koro-sensei acted like an ordinary person; he went to shops, drooled over magazines, and behaved vulgarly at every opportunity.
But everyone was supposed to know the date for the summer uniform change, so why did Sugaya choose to paint the tattoo now? I didn't think he had actually forgotten.
"If you want, I can draw one for you, Koro-sensei? I still have some paint left."
"Nyuyah! Do you really mean it?!"
"I don't mind."
Sugaya pulled something resembling a chocolate decorating pen from his bag. It appeared that he drew by squeezing the paint from the tube.
"Heh, the method is just like drawing with melted chocolate, isn't it?"
Nakamura-san provided an easy-to-understand comparison. I wasn't an artist, so the drawing didn't move me, but I felt curious to see what Sugaya would create, so I stayed to watch.
"I'm so excited. Honestly, I've always wanted to try getting a tattoo like this."
The pen touched Koro-sensei's expectant face. The moment the paint left Sugaya's pen and touched the teacher, the portion it contacted melted away in a revolting fashion.
"Gyaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!?"
"Gyaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!?"
The sight of Koro-sensei's face melting looked like something out of a slasher horror movie. A scream of terror echoed through the classroom, and Koro-sensei continued to shriek as if he were trying to scare the students.
"I see. He crushed the 'Anti-Teacher' BBs and mixed the powder into the paint."
"Exactly. He took advantage of the teacher's lapse in guard. The teacher won't just stand still until we kill him, after all."
"—Hmm. It seems the plan didn't quite work."
Ah, I understood. The Mehndi art was just a setup for this trap. You thought that through well, Sugaya; it was a completely unexpected move. But the idea of turning the Anti-Teacher BBs into powder was truly interesting. I'd have to steal that idea later.
Koro-sensei returned after his face had recovered.
"Sugaya-kun, that was a very interesting idea, but its effect didn't go beyond a minor annoyance. —And besides, I really wanted a cool tattoo..."
"Sorry, sorry! I'll draw you one with regular paint!"
After that, the Mehndi art caused quite a stir in the class, and many students ended up with their arms covered in designs. Currently, the only ones in Class E who hadn't joined in were me and Terasaka's group. I thought about joining them to try it out, but I couldn't risk scaring my grandparents at home. I also felt embarrassed asking Sugaya to draw something I'd have to wash off soon, so I quietly slipped out of the classroom.
●○●○●
The sound of muffled thuds and the grinding of hard objects echoed behind the school building. The source of the noise was me. For some reason, I wanted to get my hands on the Anti-Teacher powder Sugaya had used, so I was using a suitable stone to crush the BBs. The process was harder than I expected, but I was making good progress. The only problem was the sand mixing with the powder because I was working outside...
—Wait... mixing with sand?
I looked at the Anti-Teacher powder mixed with sand, which was hard to distinguish at a glance, and an idea struck me. If I did it this way, would anyone notice if I mixed it with the dirt of the schoolyard? I couldn't sprinkle it over the entire yard, of course, but if I scattered it in a specific sandy area, couldn't I melt Koro-sensei's tentacles?
But how would I lure that octopus in?
I thought for a moment, then remembered that he agreed to participate in any assassination attempt if Sugino simply said, "I want to try killing you, could you come outside for a bit?" So, he would definitely come if I invited him too.
The problem now was how to kill him. Normally, he would just flee the moment his feet started to melt. I remembered what happened when Itona came. It might be better to create a special arena for the assassination, just as they had done then. That way, I would only need a small amount of Anti-Teacher powder to cover the ring, and I would restrict Koro-sensei's range of motion.
Additionally, I would set rules for the match. As Karma said during Itona's assassination: "If the teacher breaks the rules he set in front of everyone, our trust in him as a teacher will waver. Koro-sensei is very susceptible to those kinds of constraints."
Once I decided on that, I began preparations immediately. I crushed a large quantity of Anti-Teacher BBs, drew a circle about three meters in diameter using chalk, and then went back to the classroom to lure Koro-sensei out.
I set the rules of the assassination in my mind. The teacher had to endure only five seconds inside the circle. If I couldn't finish him off within that time, I would consider myself defeated. I chose a short time to make it easy to entice Koro-sensei into agreeing and to give myself a clear point to withdraw.
"Koro-sensei, I want to try an assassination for a bit—"
"Ah, Nozaki-kun. Is something the matter?"
The situation inside the classroom was tragic. The students were showing off the Mehndi on their arms, while "Professor Bitch" was in a total frenzy. Someone had drawn a comic strip on her arm, and she had put on a helmet and grabbed a gun as if she were fully armored.
Pure chaos. That was the best way to describe the classroom right now.
"Ah, Koro-sensei. I want to perform an assassination similar to what happened with Itona. Could you come out to the yard with me for a moment?"
"Nurufufufu, that is fine. I hope you succeed in killing me."
Koro-sensei's face turned green with stripes. Good, he was still underestimating the assassination attempts as usual, which made luring him easy.
"Hey guys, Keiichi is going to try an assassination. Does anyone want to watch?"
"Ah, I'm going!"
A group excited for the assassination followed me. The rest were busy trying to calm the raging "Professor Bitch" and attempting to wipe the drawings off her body. Even Sugaya was smiling bitterly at the absurdity of the situation.
"You octopus, stay right there!"
"N-Nurufufufu! Alright, let's go, Nozaki-kun!"
It seemed this octopus had committed some kind of blunder. We left the armored "Professor Bitch" behind and headed to the assassination arena I had prepared.
●○●○●
On the way, Mr. Karasuma learned of the plan and decided to come watch the assassination. This increased my excitement, so I entered the ring I had made and gripped my knife and gun. The arena was simple: just a three-meter diameter circle with sand-mixed Anti-Teacher powder scattered inside.
"Oh, you said it was like what happened with Itona-kun, so this is what you meant."
Koro-sensei was coolly analyzing the ring before entering, so I began explaining the rules.
"Yeah, I wanted to try it. I've set some rules; will you abide by them?"
"Of course, for I am your teacher."
Good, I had successfully bound Koro-sensei with rules. I smiled inwardly and said clearly:
"The time limit is five seconds. The assassination begins as soon as you enter the ring. For five seconds, you are not allowed to leave, no matter what happens. You are also forbidden from pushing your opponent out. If you leave on your own, you lose and must face a penalty. What do you think?"
"Nurufufufu, five seconds? That is a bold and very short time. And what is the penalty?"
"If I lose, you double my homework. If Koro-sensei loses, I get the right to destroy one of your tentacles at a time of my choosing. What do you say?"
"Agreed. Let us begin then. Mr. Karasuma, please give the signal. I will enter the ring at your mark."
"—Very well."
Koro-sensei continued to look at me with his green-striped face. But, Koro-sensei, I don't know how long that confidence will last. While my classmates watched us, Mr. Karasuma slowly raised his hand and announced the start.
"Begin the assassination."
The moment the start was announced, Koro-sensei entered the ring calmly. As soon as the tips of his tentacles touched the floor of the arena, Ritsu, present on everyone's phones, began the countdown.
"Countdown beginning!"
"Nyuh?! Gyaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!?"
Koro-sensei cried out when he felt his feet melting, just as had happened with Sugaya. I paid him no mind and immediately opened fire at the tentacles that were beginning to liquefy.
"One second has passed!"
Because of the sand mixed with Anti-Teacher powder distributed throughout the ring, Koro-sensei couldn't use his usual speed inside the circle. Since his feet were melting, he had no point of leverage to launch himself at high speed. My shots hit the mark, and I destroyed two of his tentacles.
"Two seconds have passed!"
Despite this, Koro-sensei was desperately trying to regenerate his tentacles. But if "Shiro's" words were true, the regeneration process consumes massive amounts of energy and weakens the body's performance.
"Koro-sensei, you can run if you want!"
"I will not run! For I am your teacher!!"
If we compared this to a video game, Koro-sensei was now in a zone that constantly drained his health. Occupied with healing, he couldn't move as he pleased.
"Two seconds remaining!"
I kicked the powder-mixed sand toward Koro-sensei and unleashed a barrage of bullets.
"Gyaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!? My face!! My face!!"
"One second remaining!"
I had entered "The Zone" and saw that Koro-sensei had evaded the bullets. I lunged with all my might toward the spot where he had fled and delivered a full-strength thrust with my knife!
"Nyuyahaaaaaaaaaa!!?"
"Take this!!"
The thrust was aimed directly at Koro-sensei's face, which had begun to melt and distort—!
"Time's up!"
Time expired at the very last second. Upon hearing the signal, Koro-sensei flew far outside the ring and began to heal himself.
"You were so close, Keiichi!"
"Yeah! If your weapon had been just a bit longer, you definitely would have got him! What bad luck!"
Everyone rushed toward me, led by Isogai and Kurahashi-san. It really had been close. If my weapon were slightly longer, or if my step forward had been just a bit wider...
It was a narrow miss, and I likely wouldn't be able to use the same trick twice. Although it was a precious plan that had gone to waste, I felt satisfied with the result. My training with Mr. Karasuma was definitely starting to pay off.
"You're amazing, Nozaki!"
Sugaya came over too and praised me. But the greatest credit for this plan belonged to him; without his idea of crushing the BBs, I wouldn't have managed anything.
"No, the credit goes to you, Sugaya. Without the idea of turning the Anti-Teacher BBs into powder, things wouldn't have gone so smoothly. Thank you."
"H-Heh, well, since you say so, I'll accept the thanks. Thank you too."
Sugaya laughed shyly after my words of gratitude. Seeing that, I thought that if I had collaborated with the rest of my classmates, the plan might have succeeded completely. For example, when I kicked the sand, I could have asked Chiba or Hayami—the expert snipers—to fire at Koro-sensei at that exact moment.
"Nozaki-san! Could you come to me for a moment?"
"Ritsu? What is it?"
"I learned from this time that using a knife alone might lead to assassination failure due to its short range, so I've developed new equipment!"
I went over to where Ritsu was, and a sharp blade suddenly emerged from her side. It was longer than a knife but shorter than a sword. Its shape resembled a "machete."
"Is this the new equipment?"
"Yes! It's a machete. Please use it in the next assassination attempt!"
"—I understand. Thank you, Ritsu."
"You're welcome! Just as the idea for the assassination occurred to you from Sugaya-san's idea, this idea occurred to me as well!"
This is Class E of the third year. The "Assassination Class." Here, even students who are considered eccentric in some way are treated fairly in the field of assassination, and that is what makes me feel comfortable here.
"Nozaki-kun... my face won't return to normal!!"
"Gyaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!?"
As for Koro-sensei's face, which had completely melted, it safely returned to normal after several minutes.
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