During the celebration for Mr. Karasuma's return as the physical education teacher, Isogai, Maehara, Kataoka, Okano, and Kurahashi-san approached me.
"Tell us, Keiichi, is your cheek okay?"
"Yeah. The doctor said my teeth will grow back soon."
"Your teeth broke, too!?"
"They did. Because of that, I feel sharp stings in my gums every time I drink juice or eat something sugary."
This was my first experience with broken teeth; I hadn't expected them to fall out so easily.
"That... that is not a reassuring state of affairs at all."
Kurahashi-san said this with a face full of concern. I don't know why, but even though I was the injured party causing everyone worry, seeing her care made me feel a slight sense of happiness.
"I'm really fine. More importantly, are you all okay?"
"Yeah. Kanzaki-san and I were almost hit, but the teachers stepped in just in time."
"I see. That's good."
That bastard Takaoka. Did he really intend to hit even Kanzaki-san with that much force? I don't underestimate Maehara, but the power he used was never meant to be directed at a woman. Should I have hit him harder yesterday?
While I was lost in thought, Isogai—who knew very well that I was prone to starting fights and getting injured—asked a question to change the subject.
"Right, why were you with the Board Chairman?"
"Oh, that... I was the one who called him."
"—Are you kidding me?"
●○●○●
Because I had been hit and my neck was injured, I lost consciousness and was taken to the hospital, where I spent the night sleeping. I woke up during the night without any major health issues. After an examination, it turned out I had only fainted due to temporary exhaustion. Since it was late, the doctors decided I should stay the night for observation.
It seems the rumor of my "hospitalization" spread quickly, even though I suffered from nothing more than swelling in the spots where I was hit and kicked. The next morning—this morning—I left the hospital. Before leaving, I made sure to obtain a medical report proving my cheek had bruises resulting from physical assault.
The first step I took after being discharged was making a phone call.
"Hello, Kunugigaoka Junior High."
"Hello. This is Keiichi Nozaki."
"—A student from Class E? What do you want?"
"Actually, I'm thinking of going public with the news that I suffered brutal corporal punishment as a student of this school."
"Corporal punishment? What are you talking about?"
"I think if you tell Board Chairman Asano that this concerns the new teacher and Nozaki, he will understand immediately. What do you think? I have a medical report proving the assault."
"—Wait a moment."
While waiting for a response, I headed to school a bit later than the rest. This was natural; although the tests yesterday were fine, my hospitalization required one final checkup this morning as a precaution.
I gave a flimsy explanation to my grandfather and grandmother, then waited for several minutes while eating a sandwich I bought from a convenience store. Suddenly, I felt a strange and majestic aura coming through the phone receiver. I realized the "Final Boss" had taken the call, so I folded my sandwich and set it aside.
"I'm taking the call. This is Asano."
"Good morning, Principal. How much of the story has reached you?"
"I heard that Mr. Takaoka exercised corporal punishment against you."
"Yes, that is exactly right."
"Is that all?"
"Yes, just that."
"I don't think a student like you would bother calling me for something so simple."
"Your intuition is spot on. I have a subject I'd like to discuss with you."
"Fine. Come to my office immediately."
"Understood. I'm on my way."
I hung up and began to organize my thoughts and steps. I hadn't called him just to report the corporal punishment; I knew a man like him might see a certain degree of physical discipline as necessary for the educational process. I understood this logic perfectly without him needing to explain it, so I had to think of the argument I would use to counter his philosophy.
I was there for one goal: to change the PE teacher for Class E. In short, I came with a plea for mercy laced with an implicit threat to bring back Mr. Karasuma.
I had already faced Takaoka yesterday in a match where the prize was the right to train with Mr. Karasuma after school, and I won. In that match, I arguably came out without a single scratch. But what I regained in that duel was only the right to receive extra training from Mr. Karasuma. This meant Takaoka would continue to conduct the official lessons.
That was definitely not a good sign. Just yesterday, I was beaten for a trivial reason, and I couldn't stand by knowing someone else might be hit unjustly today. I had to do the impossible to bring Mr. Karasuma back to the lessons, or someone in the class might break mentally and physically. This drive accelerated my steps toward the main building.
The moment I entered the building, some students shot me surprised looks, but I had no time to worry about them. I ignored them and entered the Board Chairman's office.
"Pardon the interruption."
"Welcome, Nozaki-kun."
The "Final Boss" greeted me, and I closed the door behind me. Once it was shut, I found myself in that tense atmosphere that only occurs during my rare encounters with the Principal. But I didn't come here to be intimidated, so I got straight to the point.
"Principal. I apologize for bypassing formalities, but I will speak frankly: Please reinstate Mr. Karasuma as the one responsible for PE lessons in Class E."
"Hmm, and why should I do that?"
"Because I believe Mr. Takaoka poses a danger."
"—Hmm."
Upon hearing my words, the Principal made a sound through his nose, as if saying "Is that all you've got?" Then, he interlaced his fingers over his luxurious desk.
"Nozaki-kun, I understand your point of view. Those wounds must have been painful. However, what if that wound was part of necessary educational guidance? I do not support violence at all, but I believe terror is a necessity at times."
—I knew it! I didn't expect for a second that this minor injury would convince a man with his mindset!
"Furthermore, the students of Class E undoubtedly harbor hostility toward the teachers of the main building. Your classification of the word 'danger' might apply to those teachers too in certain cases, such as neglect or harsh treatment. Based on your logic, I would be forced to condemn them as well and change the entire teaching staff. Is that not so?"
"—Yes, you are right."
Damn it, this man is hitting me with pure logic. This Asano family—the father and the son—possesses an uncanny ability to suppress an opponent with powerful logic despite the ugliness of their methods. Facing them is the most exhausting thing of all.
Fine, how will I convince him? Can I even do it?
"Above all, I cannot change the educational staff based on the words of just one student. You realize this well."
"Exactly as you said..."
But why do I feel the Principal's words contain gaps scattered here and there? For instance, his statement that he doesn't support violence but supports terror. Don't these two words seem different despite their similar impact? It's as if he is saying terror does not necessarily require the use of violence. Based on this, Takaoka's philosophy, which relies on violence to plant terror, differs from Principal Asano's philosophy.
Was this a "mission" he assigned to me? As if he were testing me: "If you want to move the Principal, prove it with a logic that befits him." I re-selected my words carefully as I considered this possibility.
"Principal."
"What is it?"
Remember, Keiichi Nozaki, all the days you spent in this school. Remember how this system works. This school is built on the "Worker Ant Law." 30% are the achievers—Class A. 60% are the average—Classes B through D. 10% are the slackers—Class E. This law is only fulfilled by treating Class E as the weak and the outcasts.
The students of this class face horrific discrimination within the school. Their building is old, located at the top of the mountain a full kilometer away from the main building. In morning assemblies, they face punishments if they don't arrive before the other classes. The necessary handouts aren't distributed to them, and the teachers bless this situation.
The majority of the school's students do their best because they don't want to be treated that way; they fear becoming like us. Because of those efforts, those who fall into Class E face the ridicule of the overachievers who accuse them of being lazy. Most who drop to this class lose their self-esteem; they feel like failures despite their attempts and surrender to the idea that they are inferior to others. This sense of inferiority and shame makes them submit to the discrimination practiced by the main building students.
This is the school system: belittle Class E so the rest of the students can feel superior and possess a strong will to avoid the same fate.
—Is Takaoka's educational philosophy necessary in this system?
"Is violence necessary for education?"
"—That depends on the situation. There are those who only comply through force, and I think you are the most prominent example of that."
That's true. I respected Mr. Karasuma because he was strong, but I was never drawn to his violence.
"I think power takes many forms. The linguistic ability to convince an opponent is a form of verbal violence, but it is also an art of conveying feelings."
"Correct."
"But is terror based on this type of physical violence necessary for education?"
"What do you mean?"
"This school doesn't have such a system. At least, I have never in my life seen a teacher in this school rely on terror resulting from physical violence in their teaching."
"You can't be sure of that; perhaps it was just a coincidence."
"I don't think so. Guidance through terror resulting from violence might be required only for some troublemakers like me, and yet no teacher here has ever hit me. This means this school does not encourage education based on violence. Is that not so?"
"—Heh, continue."
"I realize that fear is a necessity in studying. I went through a period where I studied only for fear that my father would abandon me. The desire to meet expectations can sometimes turn into terror, and this terror motivates one to study; therefore, it is a necessary terror."
"..."
"But terror resulting from physical violence is completely different. No study progresses and no pen writes seriously while its owner trembles in fear of being hit at any moment. Even if such a method existed, our school has never adopted it. Is that not so?"
"Yes, that is exactly right."
"The education of this school is built on terror, no doubt about that. The terror of falling into Class E. That is the motivator."
Yes, the educational philosophy in this school is a moral and psychological philosophy at its core: "Work hard so you don't become like Class E." And that is quite enough. Therefore, there is no need for this exaggerated violence if the teacher belongs to Kunugigaoka Junior High.
"Based on this, Mr. Takaoka's philosophy does not meet the standards required in this school. A teacher who has no means of planting terror except through violence is a third-rate teacher, and it is not fitting for him to be a teacher at Kunugigaoka Academy."
"—I see. A logical point of view."
"And this wound I suffered exceeds the limits of educational guidance no matter how you try to justify it. I haven't heard of a beating that reaches the point of breaking teeth even in ancient times. He is a violent teacher who doesn't fit the level and philosophy of this school. Even if I stay silent, what will the PTA think? Not to mention that these students, who hide in their classroom a monster that threatens the Earth, might suffer nervous breakdowns—and then they might speak of things that shouldn't be said. This is certainly something that isn't in the interest of the Principal, who receives huge sums of money for his silence, is it?"
"—Heh, Nozaki-kun. There are still holes in your logic, but you deserve a passing grade. Fine, I believe the PE lesson is the sixth period. I will go there for an inspection myself."
And so, I barely managed to extract the Principal's approval, and I ensured his presence to inspect Takaoka's class, which eventually led to his successful dismissal.
●○●○●
"While we were worried about you, you were planning all of this?"
"But the result was great. Thanks to him, Takaoka was fired."
Even if I hadn't acted, it was likely the Principal would have gone to see for himself whether Takaoka's teaching aligned with his own philosophy or not. Afterward, we enjoyed our time celebrating using Mr. Karasuma's credit card, moving between several restaurants before everyone dispersed.
●○●○●
"Thank you for dropping me off, Mr. Karasuma. I'm really grateful."
I was sitting in the passenger seat of Mr. Karasuma's car. I'll brag about this to Kurahashi-san later. Why am I sitting here? Because Mr. Karasuma stopped me as we were leaving. Even though I felt he was being a bit overprotective, I was happy and accepted his invitation. Suddenly, Mr. Karasuma broke the silence.
"Nozaki-kun. To what extent do you realize the truth?"
"—What exactly are you talking about?"
"About that being... the one you call 'Koro-sensei'... originally being a human."
It was a completely unexpected topic. I remembered saying something of the sort before I hit Takaoka. I tried to feign ignorance at first, but the tone of Mr. Karasuma's voice told me clearly that evasion wouldn't work. I surrendered to his calm tone and decided to speak.
"—Honestly, it's nothing more than personal deductions. But if you wish to hear them, I don't mind."
"Let me hear them."
"To be perfectly honest, I started thinking about this ever since Koro-sensei was appointed. The moon exploded in March, and when I was able to destroy one of his tentacles for the first time, it was said this was an unprecedented achievement. My question was: how was the state able to manufacture weapons that destroy Koro-sensei's cells so quickly if he was a unique being never discovered before?"
Then I continued explaining my deductions.
"It's suspicious, isn't it? If I was the first to destroy a part of him, on what basis did you conclude that these weapons were effective against him? I don't think Koro-sensei volunteered to test the power of the weapons himself, because at his core, he is a cowardly person who fears for his life."
"—Did you deduce this because of a slip of the tongue from me?"
In fact, it goes back to a scene where I heard that Koro-sensei would die a natural death next March, but I decided to stay silent about that. It isn't in my interest to expose Mr. Karasuma's mistake, and I promised Koro-sensei I would keep the matter a secret.
"While I was immersed in these questions, Itona appeared. The one who has tentacles coming out of his head. What's more, the state is the one who sent him as an assassin to participate with Ritsu in the assassination operation. Then, the threads began to intertwine in my imagination."
"And what did you imagine?"
"That Koro-sensei might be a human in whom these tentacles were implanted. Since the state is the one who sent Itona, who has the same tentacles, it is likely the state had a hand in the birth of Koro-sensei."
"—You've reached this far..."
"And by the way, I asked Ritsu to search for Itona's identity, and I confirmed that he is a real and existing person. So I realize Koro-sensei isn't just an alien who fell from the sky."
The car stopped at a red light, and our conversation stopped with it. Once the light turned green, Mr. Karasuma spoke again.
"This matter..."
I read what he intended to say, so I beat him to the response.
"I won't tell anyone."
Mr. Karasuma looked at me for a moment in surprise.
"I don't have definitive proof yet, and no one has confirmed the truth of my words to me. I'm not the type to spread rumors based on suspicions and illusions."
"—Are you sure? You could have interrogated me just now and tried to extract the truth."
I smiled bitterly in response to his words.
"Because I trust you, Mr. Karasuma."
"You trust me?"
"Yes. I believe you will tell us everything when we succeed in the assassination. So I won't ask you now. Do you remember what Isogai said before? 'We will know the truth through the assassination.' I share this opinion completely."
We reached my house during our conversation. The car stopped, but my words were not over yet.
"There are many things you cannot disclose because of your position, so I won't pressure you. It doesn't hurt me to know the truth after everything ends, just to confirm whether my deductions were correct or not."
"Is that really what you're thinking?"
"Yes. So please forget what I said yesterday."
Yes. I learned and received from this man things far more important than mere facts; I learned not to speak unless I was ready to execute, and I learned from him the seriousness in pursuing my goals. This is what I need from Mr. Karasuma now, at least for the time being.
"Trust us more, Mr. Karasuma."
"—You're right. I apologize."
"Apologize for what? It doesn't matter. Well, I'll see you tomorrow at school, and I look forward to your training."
"—Yes, see you tomorrow."
I got out of the car and watched it until it disappeared from sight, then I pulled out my phone. I sent a photo I had taken secretly of myself with Mr. Karasuma to Kurahashi-san.
"I'm in the car with Mr. Karasuma right now."
After sending the message, I looked at the road he had taken. Perhaps I have distanced myself from the path of truth for now, but I feel no regret or haste; because I fully believe that man will tell us everything when the right time comes.
I entered the house carrying my phone, which wouldn't stop vibrating due to Kurahashi-san's messages, then I took off my shoes and tossed them aside.
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