It was the dead of night.
Akira lay on his bed, staring at the ceiling, completely lost in thought. He held out his hands and conjured a small purple aurora of Stellar Radiance. Soft light filled the room.
He tried to increase his calculation speed. The output slowed, and the light gradually dimmed.
With a heavy sigh, he gave up. His hands fell limply onto the mattress.
He stared at the ceiling again, sinking deeper into thought. So deep, in fact, that he didn't notice the door opening.
Erika came in for her nightly blood drinking. She wore a cute, matching pajama set she had bought recently. She usually preferred something lighter to sleep in, but after the number of times she'd passed out in his bed, she'd decided to switch. She was still embarrassed about sharing a bed with him.
She walked over to the bed. Seeing how worried and distracted Akira looked, she quietly lay down beside him, rested her head on his arm, and hugged him gently. Then she softly bit his neck and began drinking without a word.
Only then did Akira notice her, but he let her continue. He was used to it by now, and he didn't mind. If she wanted his blood, he was happy to let her drink.
Erika drank less than usual and stopped early.
Akira blinked.
"Why? You usually drink a lot more. Aren't you hungry?"
Erika hugged him a little closer and settled more comfortably against him.
"Because I want to talk to you. If I drink any more, one or both of us will pass out."
Akira was secretly happy that she was hugging him.
"Sure. What do you want to talk about?"
She studied his face.
"You look unusually worried right now… What are you worried about?"
He froze for a moment before answering softly.
"Everything that happened today. And other things."
She frowned.
"Is it about the gate? Selena said she'd find a way, right?"
He didn't answer. Instead, he fell silent for a moment before asking a question of his own.
"Hey, Erika. Am I a good boyfriend?"
Erika looked shocked.
"Where did that come from?"
Akira looked a little unsure of himself.
"Well, I'm just asking. I suddenly wanted to know."
Erika looked straight at him. Something was definitely wrong. Still, she answered honestly.
"I don't know what a normal boyfriend is supposed to be like. But you're my boyfriend, and I love you. That's all that matters to me. And I'm happy with that."
Akira fell silent again.
"What if I change? What if I become something different from who I am now? Will you… still love me?"
Erika immediately caught on and pressed him for an answer.
"Alright. Out with it. What's this really about?"
Akira sighed and decided to be honest. He looked at her seriously.
"I'm worried. Selena said that the eye, or whatever it was on the other side of the gate… could theoretically have enough computational power to reach my 100%. And to seal that gate, I'm sure I'll have to match it, or at least get close enough. I don't know if I can do that without reaching 100%. I don't know what will happen if I do. What if… I stop being myself?"
Erika fell silent. She already knew some of it. She'd seen him at 50% once and witnessed how he lost his emotions for a while. Without realizing it, she hugged him tighter.
Akira continued.
"I don't want to lose this… I don't want to change. I wanted to stay like this… just like this, with you, forever. But now…"
He couldn't finish. She already understood.
She remained silent for a while, simply holding him. Then, gathering her thoughts, she grabbed his collar and pulled his face closer.
"Listen, Akira. I don't really know much about this. I'm not as smart as you. But if you get lost, I'll bring you back. I'll turn you back into my Akira, no matter what."
Akira's eyes widened.
"What if it's impossible? I mean… even I'm not sure I can come back."
Erika pulled him closer.
"Akira, listen. I'm not a genius like you. But I'm a dhampir. I'll live for a long time. Even if it takes hundreds or thousands of years, I'll keep loving you, and I'll find a way to bring you back."
Akira looked a little bewildered.
"Even if I turn into an unfeeling machine? Even if I become a monster?"
Erika's expression grew serious.
"I don't care. You're mine. Even if you turn into a monster, I won't give up. I'll take care of you and bring you back. I won't give up, no matter what."
Akira smiled. He was happy. Truly happy to hear her say that.
Then, suddenly, Stellar Radiance burst out of him. A bright purple aurora enveloped them both.
They stared in shock.
Erika tried to make sense of the sensation. It felt like light. Warm. Comforting. Stellar Radiance was supposed to be harmful to dark creatures like vampires, yet this didn't feel harmful at all. It was warm and soft and safe. So safe that she even wanted to fall asleep in it.
She hugged him gently, rested her head on his chest, and murmured sleepily, "Can you keep it on? It feels nice."
Akira turned toward her, still surrounded by the light.
"Okay. I'll try."
He usually couldn't maintain it for long. But with her hugging him, he wanted to try.
She soon fell asleep in the light. Watching her made him sleepy, too. He closed his eyes and drifted off.
What he didn't notice was that the Stellar Radiance didn't disappear when he fell asleep. It simply continued flowing, enveloping the room in a soft, purple glow.
---
The next morning, the first thing Koro-sensei did was take them back to the island they had visited during their summer vacation.
He gathered Akira and Erika in the forest and spoke excitedly.
"Nuruhuhuhuhu! Now, students, are you ready to become elite assassins under my guidance?"
Both of them, already dressed in tactical gear, answered together.
"Yeah!"
After hearing about the system missions from Selena, Koro-sensei had offered to personally train them to become great assassins so they could complete one of the objectives.
Learn assassination techniques.
Akira asked, "So, Koro-sensei, what marvelous assassination techniques are you going to teach us? Just so you know, I've already learned the advanced form of the Clap Stunner. I can even do it with a snap."
Koro-sensei smiled.
"That technique requires precise timing and the ability to read your enemy's wavelength. With your capabilities, I'm sure you'll master it easily. What I'm going to teach both of you isn't anything fancy. Just something basic for an assassin."
He took out an anti-sensei gun and fired at Akira.
Akira was caught a little off guard, but he still dodged it easily.
"Oh. Is this the new training method?"
Koro-sensei smiled at him.
"Yes. For an assassin, one of the most important skills to master is controlling your killing intent. But before you can ever hope to wield your own killing intent, you must first learn to survive the intent of others."
Koro-sensei disappeared into the forest.
A bullet suddenly flew toward Erika. Unlike Akira, she couldn't sense it coming. The shot hit her, leaving a red mark on her shoulder from the painted BB.
Erika looked at the mark.
"This…?"
Koro-sensei's voice continued from among the trees.
"A bullet travels faster than the human eye can track. But the will to kill? That moves instantly, before the attacker even fires. Only after you've felt that bloodlust, trained your body to sense it, and learned to react instinctively can you begin to master your own."
One bullet after another came flying out of the forest. They came from tricky angles and hidden blind spots.
Akira, who had been trained in battle since childhood, sensed the killing intent easily and dodged every shot. Erika, however, lacked his experience.
She tried to watch for the bullets and predict their trajectories, but she was hit repeatedly in the process. Soon, she was covered in red paint. The only way she could reliably dodge was by diving to the ground.
Koro-sensei appeared in front of them again.
"If you can't read the malice directed at you, you'll never control the malice you send out. Now, stay sharp! I'm going to fire this gun, and I expect you to dodge it not by watching my finger, but by sensing the exact moment my intent sharpens. Let the lesson begin! Nurufufufu…"
Erika struggled to her feet.
"Ouch…"
Akira helped her up and complained, "What do you mean, 'Let's begin'? Didn't you already start?"
Koro-sensei looked proud. Green rings appeared on his yellow face.
"That's because an assassin never announces himself before he attacks."
He turned to them with a serious expression.
"Akira-kun, since you're already proficient at this, I have another training exercise for you. For now, Erika-san will continue with this one."
Akira looked at Erika.
"Huh? But… can't I stay?"
Koro-sensei smiled.
"Akira-kun, I know you want to stay with her. But you should understand that your presence will only distract her. Besides, I have another training exercise prepared for you."
Erika nodded in agreement.
"He's right, Akira. Don't worry about me. This way, I can get stronger, too."
Akira nodded before turning to Koro-sensei.
"Koro-sensei, what's my training?"
Koro-sensei pointed toward the mountaintop hotel.
"Your training is in there."
Soon, they were inside the hotel, keeping out of sight. Akira was now dressed as a waiter.
"Alright, Koro-sensei. What should I do… Wait. Why are you flickering? Is this a clone?"
The flickering Koro-sensei explained, "Well, I'm training Erika-san in the forest at the same time, so I'm moving between the two of you. But the distance is a little too great, and I can't maintain my form perfectly in both places… Anyway, Akira-kun, take a look at all these people. Every single one of them is a criminal."
Akira looked indignant.
"Didn't I clean up this place last time? How are there criminals here again? What is the government even doing?"
Koro-sensei glanced around at the people in the hotel.
"After you cleaned up those guys, new ones moved in to fill the power vacuum… We can't take down criminal organizations through brute strength alone. Anyway, Akira-kun, here's your mission."
He pointed toward a bald man sitting at the bar counter.
"See that bald man over there? I want you to approach him discreetly and mix this powder into his drink."
He held up a packet of white powder.
Akira frowned.
"Is that poison?"
Koro-sensei shook his head.
"No. It's a colorless, tasteless, and odorless laxative."
Akira frowned even harder.
"Why a laxative?"
Koro-sensei explained, "I mean, we don't want to poison them, do we? Besides, this laxative is good for their health. Once they take it, they'll experience freedom."
Akira stared at him but said nothing. He simply took the packet.
"Alright. I'll do it."
Koro-sensei smiled.
"Good. Now, how are you going to get over there without attracting everyone's attention? After all, Akira-kun, you stand out too much."
Akira smiled confidently.
"I'll show you."
He put on a pair of glasses and adjusted his hair until his bangs completely covered his eyes. He almost looked like a hentai protagonist.
"What do you think?"
Koro-sensei looked impressed.
"You look like Chiba-kun with glasses…"
Akira looked proud.
"I call it the Clark Kent classic. Now, let me show you how I do the job, Koro-sensei."
Koro-sensei smiled.
"Then show me, Akira-kun. Your assassination."
Akira nodded seriously.
"I will."
He took a deep breath, grabbed the packet of powder, and fixed his eyes on the target: a massive bald man sitting alone at the counter.
He picked up an empty tray and confidently walked toward him. He had played Hitman games before. How hard could it be?
His confidence faltered a little when he noticed that the man's glass was empty. How was he supposed to mix the laxative into his drink if there was nothing in it?
It's fine. I just have to bring him a new one… But how do I ask? What if he says no? I'll just go with the flow.
He awkwardly shuffled over to the counter and cleared his throat far too loudly.
"E-excuse me, sir—"
The man slammed his heavy glass onto the wooden counter and scowled.
"Give me another Jeppson's Malört."
Akira blinked. His mind went completely blank.
What the hell is Jeppson's Malört?
He was entirely new to the assassination game, and even newer to alcohol. He had absolutely no idea what that was.
He nodded frantically, spun on his heel, and stared blankly at the massive wall of bottles behind the bar. Rows of green, brown, and clear bottles stared back at him. None of them had Malört written on them in any obvious lettering.
Sweat beaded on his forehead. He had never expected his first assassination mission to hit this kind of roadblock.
He looked left and right. His social anxiety spiked as the seconds ticked by. Desperate, he nudged a passing waiter.
"Bro— I mean, hmmm, e-excuse me, senpai. Where do we keep the… Mal-ort?"
The older waiter paused and looked him up and down, raising an eyebrow.
"Little brother, are you new here?"
Akira sighed.
"Yes. I just started today."
The waiter sighed too and pointed toward a dusty, unassuming bottle tucked away on the top shelf in the corner.
"Right there. Careful, it's expensive. God knows why people pay for it."
Akira nodded gratefully.
"Thank you!"
He grabbed the bottle, hurried to a dark corner of the service station, and poured the amber liquid into a fresh glass.
Now came the moment of truth. He pulled out the packet of laxative. After carefully scanning the ceiling, locating the security camera, and positioning himself to block its line of sight, he opened the packet and poured the powder into the glass.
He dipped his finger into the drink, stirred it, then unconsciously lifted his finger to his tongue.
Instantly, his vision blurred. A wave of pure horror washed over his taste buds. It tasted like burnt earwax, rotten grapefruit, and industrial gasoline mixed with pennies. His throat locked up. Even someone who ate Energy Bar Alpha every day couldn't help wanting to throw up from the shock of the taste.
Gasping for air, he abandoned the tray and stumbled away from the bar. He sprinted toward a shadowed booth in the far corner, where a yellow octopus wearing a hat and trench coat sat reading a newspaper.
"Koro-sensei!" Akira hissed, clutching the edge of the table, his face a pale shade of green. "You lied to me! You said the laxative was tasteless! It tastes like liquid poison!"
Koro-sensei looked at him with a slightly puzzled expression.
"Akira-kun. The laxative is tasteless. What you tasted was the Malört. It's supposed to taste like that."
Akira's jaw dropped. His watering eyes widened in pure shock.
"People… people willingly pay money to drink that?!"
Koro-sensei gave him the patient look of a teacher explaining something obvious to a particularly troublesome student.
"People are different. Some have unusual tastes. As an assassin, you have to learn about them if you want to get close to your target… By the way, Akira-kun, why did you taste the drink after mixing in the laxative? Are you alright?"
Akira shrugged.
"Don't worry, Sensei. With my metabolism, those drugs won't work on me. I was just a bit curious, that's all."
Just then, the bald man shouted.
"Where's my Malört?!"
Akira looked toward him.
"Alright, Koro-sensei. The target is calling for me. I'll be back."
He walked off to finish the mission.
Koro-sensei watched Akira return to the counter and let out a long sigh.
His thoughts drifted back to his private conversation with Selena, after she had sent Akira and Erika out of the room.
Selena had asked, "So, Koro-sensei, is there anything you'd like to ask me?"
Koro-sensei looked at her.
"Selena-san, I do have one question. You said you were sending Akira-kun to different worlds to gain experience, right? So... why this world? Why my classroom?"