On that day, Koro-sensei had been crying since the early morning hours.
Yellow fluid flowed continuously from his eyes. While I wondered if the tears of supernatural beings were yellow or if they simply resembled nasal mucus, Bitch-sensei interjected with a mocking comment.
"What is wrong with you? You've been shedding tears for no reason since this morning."
"Ah, no. This is coming from my nose, so it is nasal mucus. The eyes are these two tiny slits next to it."
"That is so confusing!!"
Damn it, it really was nasal mucus. I felt concerned for a moment, wondering if he had a cold, but I also felt an overwhelming urge to mock his condition. Was he suffering from something like hay fever?
"My body has felt out of sorts since yesterday. Could it be a summer cold?"
"Do supernatural beings even get colds?"
While we exchanged small talk, Terasaka—who had not yet arrived at school—finally appeared.
"Oh! Terasaka-kun! I was worried you wouldn't show up today! No one here cares about your outburst yesterday, right guys?"
Koro-sensei rushed toward Terasaka, smearing the sticky mucus all over his own face out of sheer concern. Our worry, however, was not about whether Terasaka regretted his actions, but rather his reaction to having his face literally buried in the teacher's mucus. Surprisingly, Terasaka remained calm. He wiped the slime off on Koro-sensei's own clothes and made a loud announcement.
"Listen, you octopus, I am definitely going to kill you this time. Come to the pool after school. I heard you can't handle water, right?"
Oh, so that was it.
Koro-sensei never turned down such challenges. Since Terasaka had announced it in front of everyone, he likely had a plan he trusted completely. I wondered what kind of assassination it would be. I decided to watch from a distance to see what would happen, but then—
"The rest of you, help me! We're going to knock him into the water!"
The calculations changed instantly.
"Terasaka! You've never participated in group assassinations, and now you suddenly show up ordering us around according to your own schedule... Do you really think we'll just say, 'Sure, we'll do it'?"
Everyone nodded in agreement with Maehara's logical objection. Thinking back, the only time Terasaka had participated was during the assassination attempt I had forced into the middle of a lesson. It was only natural for objections to arise when he asked for help with a personal attempt. Everyone's resentment was entirely justified.
"Tch, I don't care if you don't come. In that case, I'll take the ten-billion-yen reward for myself!"
Such confident words. Well, I would just watch from afar—
"Hey, you there! The silver-haired one acting like this doesn't involve him! I don't mean the tall artist, I mean the one with the blank face over there. Don't look around, there's no one else here but you, Nozaki! You're participating too!"
"Actually, I completely refuse."
"Take this."
Terasaka approached, stepping on the spilled mucus on the floor, and shoved a piece of paper into my hand before leaving the classroom. After he departed, I looked at the paper he had forced upon me.
"Coupon: I will do whatever Terasaka-kun asks."
Ah, I remembered now. This was the coupon I had given him during our first joint assassination. Had he really kept it? All this time? This trivial piece of paper I had mockingly made out of gold origami as a joke.
Terasaka, you have unexpectedly soft sides. I felt a flicker of admiration for his character in that moment.
●○●○●
"Alright, good! Spread out like that all around the pool!"
"Yeah! Listen to what Terasaka-san says, you rabble!"
"I have my doubts about this. Do you really have the skill to make others move to your whim?"
"Shut up! Nozaki, Takabayashi! You two get in the pool as well!"
"Hey!"
"Whoa!"
I ended up getting shoved into the pool after trying to pretend I was one of Terasaka's henchmen. One should not do things that don't suit them; the results are always disastrous.
"He's become a total tyrant, this Terasaka."
"Yeah. He's acting exactly like he did in first and second year. The outcast of the whole school. He just doesn't fit into this school's system at all."
Resentment toward Terasaka began to rise. He acted like a perfect tyrant, shouting orders to do this and that without providing a single clear instruction. "Get in the pool and spread out" was the extent of his guidance. There were no signs of a well-thought-out plan.
"I understand now. Your plan is to drop me in the water so everyone can stab me, right?"
"—!"
"But how do you intend to drop me? A single pistol cannot move me a single step."
Koro-sensei stood behind Terasaka as he spoke, causing veins of anger to bulge on Terasaka's forehead as he pointed his gun at the teacher. The words that came out of him sounded like a death sentence.
"Have you prepared yourself? You monster."
"Yes, of course. My nasal mucus has stopped running, too."
"I have always hated you. I wished so badly that you would just disappear."
"I know. After this, let the two of us talk calmly."
Koro-sensei, with the green stripes appearing on his face to show his mockery, was completely underestimating Terasaka. This treatment seemed to drive Terasaka mad, and he pulled the trigger with all his might. I thought the bullets would simply be dodged and Terasaka would embarrass himself, but what happened was entirely different.
A massive explosion roared. Moments later, I felt my body being swept away in a direction I didn't want to go. Someone had destroyed the pool. No, there was no need to say "someone." Terasaka had destroyed it. This was bad; the water was sweeping us away. I grabbed Takabayashi, who was floundering next to me, and pulled Kurahashi-san—who was drifting toward me—into my chest. I then clung to the lane dividers of the pool.
The situation was dire. It was extremely difficult to support the weight of three people, including myself, with one hand. My grip slowly began to slip from the rope. I was in a critical position, holding Takabayashi under one arm while securing Kurahashi-san against my chest with the other.
"Are you two okay?!"
"I'm... fine!"
"You saved me, Nozaki...!"
After seconds of enduring that brutal strain, Koro-sensei arrived to rescue them.
"Excellent courage! I'm counting on you to protect them, Nozaki-kun!"
He said this quickly while lifting us to dry land before flying off to save the rest. But I had something I needed to do now.
"Takabayashi, I'm leaving Kurahashi-san in your care! I'm going to interrogate Terasaka for a bit."
"U-Understood!"
I ran toward Terasaka, who stood there dazed. I grabbed his shoulders and shook him violently, demanding to know his true intentions.
"Answer me, Terasaka! Was this explosion part of your plan?!"
"N-No! Shiro and Itona are the ones who...!"
"Those two again...!"
I rushed back to the classroom to retrieve my Anti-Sensei machete. It might be useful against Itona. I gathered as many Anti-Sensei knives as I could while water flooded the area, then returned to the scene.
"Nozaki-kun! What happened?"
"The pool exploded. Itona and Shiro are the perpetrators!"
I informed Nagisa briefly. As I ran, I met Terasaka, who was still in a state of shock. Karma was also looking at the destroyed pool with a stunned expression.
"The arrangement was different... they told me I'd just call Itona to drop him..."
"So you were brilliantly exploited."
In response to Karma's disappointed words, Terasaka lunged at him, grabbing his collar and shouting excuses.
"I'm telling you, it's not my fault! The one who orders a plan like this is at fault!! Everyone being swept away was because of those two...!"
Before Terasaka could finish his excuses, Karma landed a powerful punch on his cheek. Terasaka fell to the ground, looking up at us while trembling.
"It's a good thing our target moves at Mach 20, otherwise you would have committed a mass murder by now. The one swept away wasn't everyone—it was you. If you have time to blame others, think about what you actually want to do."
Karma said this and then ran toward the bottom of the stream.
"N-Nozaki..."
The remaining Terasaka looked at me with pleading eyes. I told him:
"Studying and trust are similar; both rise and fall easily based on your efforts and actions. Everyone's trust in you has hit rock bottom, just like your grades. If you continue like this, the end of your story will be truly tragic. Are you satisfied with that?"
"..."
"Think about it carefully."
As I prepared to follow Karma, Terasaka stood up behind me.
"I'm going too."
"Do whatever you like."
The two of us took off running.
●○●○● [Terasaka's Perspective]
I thought I was strong.
I hadn't actually been in many real fights. But there was one time we almost clashed.
"..."
It was with Nozaki, who was running in front of me now. It wasn't a fight in the literal sense, and he didn't hit me. It was just that I was walking in the middle of the road, blocking the path, and he came from the opposite direction and gave me a single look.
Honestly, I was terrified. That was the first time I ever gave way to someone else. I hated the way he looked at me—as if I were "trash lying in the middle of the road"—and at the same time, I feared it. In that moment, my large frame and loud voice, which I used to intimidate those around me, seemed like worthless trifles. I felt a crushing defeat.
It wasn't just that he unconsciously broke my pride; I realized that my lifestyle of intimidating others with my body and voice was useless in this school. My cheap weapons held no value here. I realized the moment I stepped aside for him that my life would continue this way forever.
When I fell into Class E, I felt relieved. I was surrounded by people like me—a group of frustrated failures. Class E at that time, where everyone lived sluggishly, was a very comfortable place. But that monster came and gave everyone a grand goal.
And so, I was left alone behind everyone, only to be exploited and enslaved by the smart ones.
"Damn it!"
It infuriated me. I was angry at myself for moving according to their whims and at my inability to do anything. So, I thought of at least one thing. If an idiot with no goal or vision is destined to be controlled by the smart ones, then at the very least, I want to choose the person who controls me myself.
●○●○●
When we arrived, the fight between Itona and Koro-sensei had already begun. However, all the other Class E students seemed fine. We could at least breathe a sigh of relief on that point.
"Could those two have been behind that explosion?"
"Not just that. Look, the power of Koro-sensei's and Itona's tentacles is completely uneven. Something else must have happened. The water is a massive obstacle."
Amidst Okajima and Kataoka's analysis, Terasaka, who had been silent until now, spoke up.
"It's not just the water. The reason he can't show his strength is because he saved all of you."
Terasaka pointed his hand at a slender tree about to break. Hara-san, the heaviest in the class, was clinging to it.
"Ah, the plump Hara-san is clinging to a tree that's about to snap!"
"Yoshida and Muramatsu are on the edge of the cliff, too!?"
"Koro-sensei! Did you do this to protect Hara-san and the others?!"
"That bastard, since he's heavy and fat, the situation is dangerous for him."
Normally, Terasaka's words would have been hilarious, but the current situation didn't allow for it. While I thought about what to do, Isogai spoke.
"Were you really exploited by them in this incident?!"
Terasaka laughed bitterly and then confessed.
"Yeah, that's right. Those who have no goal or vision are destined to be controlled by the smart ones."
He seemed truly remorseful; it appeared Karma's scolding had affected him deeply. Terasaka turned toward Karma.
"But I want to at least choose who controls me. I'm sick of those people. And I don't like them taking the reward! So, Karma! Show me how you'll control me! Use that cunning mind and give me a plan! I'll execute it brilliantly and rescue those people over there!"
Karma responded to him seriously.
"I don't mind, but can you execute it? My plan might lead to your death, you know?"
"I'll do it! I'm an enforcement criminal with a proven track record, aren't I?"
Terasaka charged bravely toward Shiro and the others. Karma shouted from behind him.
"Wait, I haven't thought of the plan yet. Did you go already?"
"Ah... oh... okay! So it's not ready yet..."
I actually liked Terasaka in that moment.
●○●○●
"Shiro! Itona! How dare you trick me?!"
"Ahaha, my apologies, Terasaka-kun. But for an outcast in Class E like you, I don't think it matters much to you, does it?"
"Shut up! Who said being an outcast means I want to be a murderer?! I'm furious! Hey, Itona! Come and face me man-to-man!"
Terasaka seemed to have fully regained his senses. His anger flared at Shiro's cold, unrepentant words, and he lunged at Itona. He stripped off his shirt and used it as a shield to face Itona and his tentacles. Shiro laughed at him.
"Stop, Terasaka-kun! You are not an opponent who can win against him!"
"Shut up! Step aside, you bloated octopus!"
When Itona tried to land a blow with his tentacles toward the raging Terasaka, Nagisa turned anxiously toward Karma, the mastermind. But Karma calmed him down.
"It's fine, he won't die. In fact, they won't kill us—and they can't—because we lose our value as hostages if we die. So I told Terasaka to take a hit that just knocks him unconscious and to cling to him with everything he's got."
It was a mad instruction, but the one who went to execute it was equally mad. While I thought about that, I was hiding in a tree above everyone's heads, taking a machete-throwing stance after completely masking my presence. This was in response to Karma's great—or perhaps reckless—trust in me. He had told me: "Nozaki-kun, I want you to destroy Itona's tentacles the moment Terasaka takes the hit. Don't worry, an opening will definitely appear. You're a pro at destroying tentacles, aren't you?"
"Gofooooo...!!"
A heavy blow from the tentacles struck Terasaka. He barely managed to stay conscious, but the shirt he used as a shield wrapped around Itona's tentacles and was pulled in.
The situation is dangerous, Karma. Where is the opening? Just as I was about to ask him, I heard a delicate, soft sneeze—"Kchuun." I turned toward the source of the sound to find Itona letting out a series of consecutive sneezes that surpassed those of allergy sufferers.
"Nozaki-kun, now!"
"Understood!"
I threw the machete toward the tentacles as requested. The weapon, made of anti-teacher plastic manufactured inside Ritsu's body, sliced through two of the sneezing Itona's tentacles with total ease.
"I designed the handle to be easy to grip based on human engineering! How did it feel when you used it, Nozaki-san?"
"It felt like part of my hand. A perfect finish, Ritsu."
"Thank you very much!"
While I spoke cordially with Ritsu, Koro-sensei had safely rescued Hara-san.
"Terasaka's shirt is the same one he wore yesterday. This means it's the shirt that absorbed the anti-teacher gas from a very close distance. If Koro-sensei's excessive mucus secretion today was because of that gas, I figured it would affect Itona too. It seems his weaknesses are the same as Koro-sensei's, right?"
"But was there a need to have Nozaki destroy the tentacles? Wasn't the opening from the sneezing enough to buy time?"
"What Nozaki-kun did was just insurance. I was told that Itona panics when he loses his tentacles, so I had to take the utmost precaution."
I understood now. It was an overwhelming victory for Karma's plan. His precision in creating alternative and backup plans made me take my hat off to him this time. But I couldn't just stand there in admiration. I jumped from the tree, creating a high water column in the stream, and then kicked the stream water toward Itona with all my might.
"If his weaknesses are the same as Koro-sensei's, then water is his weakness too. Right, Karma!"
"Correct answer, Nozaki-kun So, everyone, what do you think about having a water-splashing party to welcome the transfer student"
"—We agree!!"
Responding to my words and Karma's, the classmates jumped into the stream, creating water sprays and beginning to play.
"Yoshida, Muramatsu!"
"Huh?"
"Yes?"
"You two can jump from there! Show me a massive splash!"
"Really!"
"No choice then!"
Terasaka gave instructions to Yoshida and Muramatsu while slapping the surface of the water. Their quick response to him by jumping showed that the trust within the "Terasaka Group" was real and solid.
Itona's tentacles, which had absorbed excess water from our "water play," were destroyed by the knives the students gathered and threw at him while he was still sneezing, further increasing his panic. Even if the tentacles regenerated, they would absorb the water and become heavy. As he sneezed and showed openings, the students' hands or the knives they threw destroyed them. The scene, to put it harshly, resembled a collective suppression.
Regenerating tentacles consumes a lot of physical energy. When Karma noticed Itona's exhaustion, he directed his question to Shiro.
"What will you do? Will you continue? We don't like our reward being taken, and besides, everyone almost died because of your plan. Terasaka was also hit. If you're going to continue, we'll continue our water play here."
In preparation for his words, everyone readied the water in their hands. It seemed Shiro realized the situation was not in his favor, and he turned to leave.
"We're going back, Itona."
Itona, who was gnashing his teeth in frustration, heard Koro-sensei's warm words.
"What do you think? Doesn't this class seem fun to everyone? Isn't it time for you to come to class properly?"
"... Tch."
Itona gave a mocking laugh at Koro-sensei's suggestion and then followed Shiro as they left the scene.
Everyone breathed a sigh of relief after they departed. They threw down the weapons and water in their hands and exhaled tiredly.
"Phew, we finally managed to drive them away."
"That's good, Koro-sensei. You survived thanks to us."
"Nurufufufu, of course, I am grateful to you, although I still had a few trump cards left."
While the matter seemed to have ended peacefully, there was one person who wouldn't let it slide. She attacked Terasaka.
"That's right, Terasaka-kun. You said a lot about me earlier, didn't you? You called me heavy and fat."
Who could it be? It was Hara-san. It seemed she had heard all of Terasaka's words clearly while she was clinging to the tree. As Terasaka was cornered, Karma laughed while watching the scene from a dry, elevated spot.
"Ah, Terasaka is truly heartless. That's why you're so easily manipulated."
"Shut up, Karma! Don't stand there in a high place looking down on us!"
That word caused the raging Terasaka to attack Karma, dragging him down from his high spot and throwing him into the middle of the stream. Karma looked at his completely soaked body and, naturally, felt angry.
"Huh?! What are you doing to your boss?!"
Terasaka shot back.
"Who is the boss! Where is there a crazy boss who makes his subordinate take a tentacle hit with his bare body!! On top of that, you're always slacking off and taking all the credit in the end!?"
"Ah, I was thinking about that too."
"Let's take the chance and make him drink lots of muddy water."
Kataoka and Nakamura-san joined Terasaka and attacked Karma. I couldn't help myself and burst out laughing at the sight of the completely drenched Karma.
"Hahahaha! Karma, you are completely soaked!"
While I was slapping my knees and laughing with my whole heart, Terasaka's anger turned toward me now.
"And you too, Nozaki! Destroying tentacles, joint assassinations! Even though you usually slack off, you act like a central character at times like this!"
"Ah, I was thinking about that too."
"Right. We were just following his orders until now, but let's take the chance and make Nozaki drink muddy water too."
"Eh, no, wait a second."
I felt the danger and tried to back away, but someone grabbed my arms firmly from both sides.
"Nozaki. Thank you for what you did just now. I feel the same as everyone else."
"Ahaha~ Nozaki-kun—Kei-chan, let's get wet together."
"Wait, hold on, Takabayashi? Kurahashi-san!?"
While I was trapped between them, Karma and Terasaka collaborated and poured water on me.
"Pffft...!? Do you bastards want to fight!! Come hereeeeeee!!"
And so, my old delinquent spirit flared up. I broke free from their grip and began a violent scuffle with Karma and Terasaka. The rest of our classmates were laughing loudly as they watched us. I felt that evening that Terasaka had finally integrated with Class E. That was our time after school.
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