During the morning homeroom, Karasuma was reintroduced as " Karasuma-sensei " for the benefit of the students who hadn't yet heard about his appointment as our P.E. teacher.
He apparently holds a formal teaching license and will represent the class to the outside world, including parents. This is a practical necessity; Koro-sensei is a state secret and cannot participate in mandatory school events like parent-teacher conferences or general assemblies. To manage these situations, Karasuma-sensei's official position within Kunugigaoka Junior High will be the homeroom teacher for Class 3-E.
" With that said, I look forward to working with you all this year. "
Karasuma-sensei finished the homeroom session to the sound of student applause. Afterward, the only topic of conversation was what our fifth-period P.E. class would actually entail.
" Keiichi, what do you think is going to happen? "
" Oh, sorry. I wasn't listening. What are we talking about? "
" Fifth period. P.E. class. Now that Karasuma-sensei is in charge, I mean. "
Isogai and Maehara were looking for my input. I hadn't been paying attention at all; in fact, I hadn't even realized they were talking to me. Feeling a bit guilty, I gave them a serious answer.
" Assassination training, right? Koro-sensei taught us the basics of swinging knives and firing airguns, but we were learning those skills from the target himself. More importantly, the difference in physical ability between a monster and a human is just too vast for his movements to be a reliable reference. At the end of the day, we might call ourselves assassins, but right now we're just middle schoolers waving knives and spraying BBs randomly. "
" I guess you're right. When you put it that way, we have just been swinging and shooting at the general area around him. "
" Maybe some physical conditioning too? "
" Yeah, probably. Most of the kids here have zero stamina unless they used to be in sports clubs. "
" So, what's the bottom line? "
" If you sum up fitness, knife work, and marksmanship in one word... basics? "
" I vote for Keiichi's theory. "
" Me too. "
Assassination Fundamentals. The phrase had a strange, striking ring to it. Yet, for some reason, I found myself looking forward to Karasuma-sensei's class. I had no motivation whatsoever until yesterday, so perhaps I was drawn in by the novelty of " assassination basics. "
It had been a long time—years, actually—since I felt this kind of interest or drive toward the act of learning.
●○●○●
Finally, the long-awaited fifth period arrived.
Feeling an unusual surge of energy, I finished the three mandatory warm-up laps around the track during my lunch break. Now, I sat stretching my muscles, waiting for the lesson to begin.
" It's rare to see you so fired up, Nozaki. "
Nagisa walked over, breathless from his laps, with Kayano following behind him. Those two were always together. Being a gentleman, I decided not to pry into their relationship. Besides, I didn't really care.
" Really? Isn't Nozaki-kun of 3-E famous for his passion, energy, and cheerful disposition? "
" Ahaha, maybe in your own head, Nozaki. "
Kayano met my dry joke with an equally dry, polite laugh. In " girl-speak, " that ahaha almost certainly meant, What is this guy talking about? I was ninety-nine percent sure.
" No, seriously, seeing you motivated is a rare sight. I haven't seen you this serious since our first year, " Isogai said, joining the conversation after finishing his run.
" Wait, Isogai-kun, were you in the same class as Nozaki? " Kayano asked.
" Yeah. Well, we weren't exactly friends. We were just classmates, but he wasn't the type to socialize back then. "
Now that I thought about it, I hadn't really discussed my old class since moving to this isolated building. For students in Class E, the topic of their former classes could be a social landmine, so most people avoided it.
" I remembered your name, didn't I? I just didn't have any room to breathe back then. "
" True, you were fighting a desperate battle. It was almost painful to watch, " Isogai noted.
Isogai and Kataoka were in my class during our first year. They were among the few in Class E who knew the full story of my time at the main campus before I fell to this place.
" Hmm. I haven't been here long, so there's a lot I don't know. Nozaki, what class were you in originally? "
" Class A. "
" No way! "
" Hard to believe, right? But it's true. "
" Ask Kataoka. She was in the same class. Actually, everyone knows except you, Kayano. "
" But wait! Nozaki always says he dropped down because of poor grades! "
" Poor grades and bad behavior, " I corrected.
" But you were incredible back then, " Isogai added. " You were going toe-to-toe with Asano. You were dead even. "
" Yeah, it was famous. The two top students of the year. "
" Top student? Nozaki, what happened to you?! Just the other day, when Okajima asked for your rank, you said you were 'dead last in the grade.' "
" ...I lost interest. "
" That's a bit too brief! "
I let Kayano's loud retort wash over me as I thought back to those days. Back when I was a serious student, a total bookworm. Back when I was desperate for my father's praise. I believed that if I stayed at the top, he would finally notice me. I was a model student who worked harder than anyone for that one goal.
So, that was it. This was the first time I felt interested in learning since those days. My motivation was returning after a two-year hiatus.
" Now I'm really curious, " Kayano pressed.
" It's not a secret, but it's just a story about how pathetic I am. It's not particularly entertaining. "
" When you say it like that, I want to hear it even more. "
" Maybe if I'm in the mood. It's not the kind of story you tell over a full stomach after lunch. If I'm in the mood. "
" Oh, he said 'if I'm in the mood' twice. "
" Must be important... "
As we chatted, our classmates gathered. Then came the main course: Karasuma-sensei. He arrived with veins throbbing in his forehead, being harrassed by the supersonic yellow octopus that lived in Class E.
Koro-sensei was likely whining something like, " Karasuma-sensei! Are you trying to steal my popularity?! Just when the students were finally starting to open up to me! "
" Karasuma-sensei! Are you trying to steal my popularity?! Just when the students were finally starting to open up to me! "
" Word for word... exactly as I imagined... "
Poor Karasuma-sensei. Based on our few meetings, I was convinced he was a natural magnet for trouble. He didn't seek out headaches; they sought him out. I felt for him.
Unaware of my sympathy, Karasuma-sensei shoved Koro-sensei aside with a look of pure irritation. He shifted gears and called everyone to assemble, his voice echoing across the yard. We all ran over and lined up.
" As I mentioned yesterday and this morning, I will be handling your P.E. classes for the coming year. We will focus on basic training and the skills necessary for assassination. Some of this training will involve risks if you lose focus. However, I will not go easy on you. I intend to treat you as fellow professionals. I expect your best efforts! "
" 「「Yes, sir! "」」
" You should all be warmed up from your laps, so we'll start with stretching. Pair up! "
And there it was. The number one phrase that strikes dread into the hearts of the friendless: Pair up.
In terms of people I talked to, Isogai and Maehara were probably " friends, " but they were too far away and had already paired with each other. Nagisa and Sugino were also taken, and pairing with the girls was out of the question.
Just as I was about to despair over my narrow social circle, I locked eyes with someone else who had been slow to pair up: Takebayashi Kotaro. He was a classic studious type—the kind who believed that enough sheer volume of study could overcome anything. He always had a textbook open, even during breaks. As a former " dhih, " I felt a certain kinship with him.
" Let's do this, Takebayashi. "
" Right. "
A polite greeting. First contact: successful. Strangely enough, this was my first time actually talking to him. Now I had run out of topics. I considered my specialty—talking about the weather—when he spoke up.
" Nozaki. You were in Class A, weren't you? "
" Huh? Yeah. "
I was surprised he initiated the conversation. That was the second time today that topic had come up. Lately, no one had mentioned it. Was this a sign of lingering resentment toward Class A, or some budding inferiority complex?
" Why did you let your grades drop? The student who shared the top rank is now at the bottom. I can only assume you're slacking off on purpose. "
" ...First of all, my grades dropped because I lost my drive. I'm not a genius who can stay at the top without trying, and I'm not mature enough to work hard without a reason. If I can't find a meaning for it, I lose interest. And for the record, I'm not doing it on purpose. "
" Drive, motivation, meaning... Nozaki, your father was a renowned authority in genetic engineering, wasn't he? "
" ...Does that have anything to do with this? "
I bristled at his bluntness and the mention of my father. I almost snapped back, Aren't you the son of a family that's run a hospital for generations? The words were at the tip of my tongue, but Takebayashi spoke my unspoken thought first.
" It doesn't. I just felt a certain kinship with you. My family has run a hospital for generations. My two older brothers are in the medical department at Tokyo University. They are the " elites, " unlike me. I work myself to the bone to be recognized by them, but it never yields results. I wondered if you were the same. "
Takebayashi was unexpectedly talkative. Perhaps influenced by his openness, or perhaps because I truly felt a bond with someone in a similar situation, I kept talking.
" Up until the middle of our first year, I worked hard and stayed at the top. In that sense, my effort was rewarded. On that point, we're different, Takebayashi. You say your effort doesn't yield results. "
" I suppose so. "
" But the part about working hard to be recognized by elite family members—yeah, we're the same there. Even if the number of family members is different. "
" What's your family like? "
" My mother died when I was young. No siblings. I only had my father. "
" ...I see. Sorry for asking. "
" Don't worry about it. Isogai knows, too. "
Yes, I only had my father. A brilliant father. Since I was a child, everyone praised him. Even when I got a perfect score, they praised my brilliant father. Even when I was supposed to be the one receiving the compliment, it always came with the prefix, " Nozaki's kid, " like a brand name. I never felt like the praise was for me.
As for the man himself, he had zero interest in me. No matter what I did, he never looked my way. It didn't matter if I got a perfect score, won a race, or got into school at the top of my class.
Not too long ago, we had a " fight "—or rather, I took all the frustration I'd bottled up my entire life and threw it at him with my fists. As a result, I was kicked out to my mother's family home. Now, the only people I consider family are my maternal grandparents.
" I'm a little glad, " Takebayashi said. " I've been feeling this kinship on my own for a while. I'm glad I had the chance to talk to you. "
" You could have just talked to me in class. "
" You had a bit of an unapproachable aura in the classroom. "
" Well, it's rare for anyone to casually talk to a guy who punched a teacher and is constantly in fights. "
" I suppose. "
" You've had it rough, Takebayashi. "
" Yeah. My brother treated me like a defective product. My father was disappointed in me, treated me like a failure. If I can... I want to get out of Class E as soon as possible. "
Hearing that he was happy to talk to me was unexpected. I liked him as a fellow studious type, but I assumed he saw me as just another delinquent. I figured he looked down on me as someone who couldn't study seriously. I had been projecting my own past arrogance; back when I was a model student, I used to look down on those who didn't or couldn't study.
Studious types aren't always what they seem.
But, Takebayashi, we are different. My father wasn't even disappointed in me. He didn't even bother treating me like a defective product. You probably received a lot of expectations when you were little, and even when you failed, you got some kind of reaction.
" I don't really care about getting out of here. "
" Why not? "
" It doesn't change anything whether I'm here or there. For me, everything came down to whether my father would recognize me. "
" Then you should want to get out even more, right? If you leave this 'end class'... "
" Hey, Takebayashi. Have you ever been screamed at by your parents? "
Since I had listened to his confession, I decided to vent a little of my own. Not because I felt obligated to share just because he did—he started talking on his own, after all. I just simply wanted to see if talking to someone else would make me feel better.
" Of course. Before I came here, and every time my scores dropped. "
" I'm jealous. "
" ...Of what? "
" I never even got screamed at. The only words I ever heard from my father were 'Ah' and 'I see.' Just those two. "
Yes, he was always like that. He was busy with work and rarely came home. I just wanted him to praise me the few times he did. I worked for that, and that alone. Perfect scores, first place in sports, straight A's on my report card. I produced great results and rushed to report them to him with excitement every time he returned. But he never praised me once. His response was always one of those two patterns: Ah or I see.
" He has no interest in me. He doesn't see me. He doesn't know me. So, I'll never be recognized by him. That's why I can't bring myself to work hard for anything. "
" ... "
" I know I'm being pathetic, but more than anything, I want my family's approval. You understand that, don't you? "
" I... suppose I do. "
" It's the same wherever I am. It's the same even if I'm not here. It's hollow to work hard when you know the result won't change and you won't be rewarded. "
Once the words started flowing, they wouldn't stop. They just kept pouring out. I realized that saying what I thought out loud felt good. It was a relief. My thoughts became clearer when I spoke them than when I was just mulling them over in my head.
The father complex. For better or worse, that was the guiding principle of Nozaki Keiichi's actions and the foundation of his personality.
" Sorry, I ended up venting. "
" No, I started it. We should probably get serious about these stretches. "
" Yeah. "
I cut off the complaints and started stretching. There was no point in rambling further.
" .... I see. So that's how it is. "
Incidentally, a few months later after summer break, the fact that Koro-sensei overheard this conversation would spark a major incident. But at this moment, none of us could have predicted that.
●○●○●
""One, two, three, four, five! ""
It was a clear afternoon. A gentle spring breeze, still slightly cool, brushed against our flushed cheeks.
" Chanting echoing across a sunny playground... how peaceful. If only the students weren't holding weapons. "
" Swing the knife correctly from all eight directions! Keep your balance in any posture! "
I swung my knife while listening to the contrast between Koro-sensei's silly voice and Karasuma-sensei's intense commands.
Correctly from eight directions. Maintain balance in any posture. Karasuma-sensei had shown us a demonstration before we started, and compared to his precision, my movements were honestly worlds apart. How many times did I have to repeat these swings to achieve such a fluid, sharp, and efficient strike? I played back Karasuma-sensei's movements in my mind, trying to trace them as I swung.
" I told you to go somewhere else. I'm in charge of P.E. starting today. I know I can't chase you away, so at least go play in the sandbox over there. "
" Sniff... How cruel, Karasuma-sensei. My P.E. lessons were very popular with the students! "
" Don't lie, Koro-sensei. "
Everyone stopped swinging, so I stopped too. Sugaya sighed, resting his knife on his shoulder with a bored expression.
" The physical difference is just too much. Remember the other day...? "
I knew exactly what Sugaya meant. A few days ago, Koro-sensei had tried to teach us something ridiculous.
『Let's try side-to-side jumps. I'll show you how it's done first.』
He moved so fast across the lines that he created multiple after-images.
『First, the basic visual after-image. Once you get used to it, we'll add some string figures ( cat's cradle ) into the mix.』
『As if we can do that!』
He called it " basic, " but no human on earth besides this octopus could clear that hurdle. And adding cat's cradle while jumping side-to-side? Making a " Tokyo Tower " while stepping at high speeds is a god-tier feat.
" It's on a different dimension. We can't do it. "
" I want a human teacher for P.E. "
Nakamura and Sugino's comments were the final blow. Koro-sensei let out a literal GONG sound effect of shock and retreated to the sandbox, crying and emitting a dark aura of gloom. As Koro-sensei sobbed and built sandcastles, Karasuma-sensei finally caught his breath.
" Finally got rid of him. Let's continue. "
Poor Koro-sensei. In Karasuma-sensei's eyes, he was nothing but a nuisance. As Karasuma-sensei tried to resume the lesson, Maehara stepped forward.
" But Karasuma-sensei. Does this training actually mean anything? Especially right in front of the target? I get that attacking with balance is a plus, but I don't think any amount of training will help us hit someone moving at Mach 20. "
" It is difficult, certainly. However, assassination and study are the same. The more you master the basics, the more useful they become. "
Karasuma-sensei said it firmly. Assassination and study are the same. But I didn't get it. Was there even such a thing as " basics " for a knife when your target is a Mach 20 monster? No matter how correctly or fast you swing, it shouldn't make a difference to him.
I wasn't the only one who didn't get it; most of the class looked confused. Sensing this, Karasuma-sensei thought for a moment and then beckoned Isogai and Maehara over.
" For example... alright. Isogai-kun, Maehara-kun. Try to hit me with those knives. "
The request was unexpected. Coming from this powerful man, the words stunned the two boys. They asked hesitantly to confirm he was serious.
" Uh... is that okay? "
" And both of us at once? "
" Yes. It's fine. These anti-sensei knives won't hurt humans. If you even graze me, we can end today's lesson right now. "
He unbuttoned the top button of his shirt and looked at them with total composure, not even taking a defensive stance.
But no matter how much of an elite he was in the Ministry of Defense, wasn't this a bit arrogant? Isogai and Maehara both had great athletic reflexes and stamina, and they were among the taller boys, giving them good reach. Given the numbers, Karasuma-sensei was at a disadvantage.
I felt a flash of disappointment. I thought Karasuma-sensei was a mature adult who saw us as individuals. I didn't expect him to underestimate us just because we were kids and resort to taunts.
My misplaced hope turned into disappointment—and then, I was forced to flip that opinion again.
" Well... okay, here we go! "
Isogai lunged tentatively. Without changing his expression or showing a hint of panic, Karasuma-sensei dodged with a movement that had zero waste.
" Come on. "
Another taunt. The hesitation vanished from the faces of Isogai and Maehara, who had seen that dodge up close.
What followed was nothing short of breathtaking.
He dodged and parried the knives that were now lunging without hesitation, all while maintaining a calm smile. He barely moved from his spot, yet his eyes never left the two of them.
In that moment, I realized my mistake. Karasuma-sensei wasn't underestimating us; he was stating a plain fact. He had a level of skill that justified the handicap, he knew exactly how wide the gap was, and above all, he had absolute confidence in his technique.
He was nothing like the teachers at the main campus who acted high and mighty despite having no talent other than being older. He declared what he could do based on his own ability and spoke through his results. Right now, he was demonstrating to us the necessity of the skill required to hit a single person through overwhelming technical superiority.
" ...So cool. "
The words slipped out before I realized it. How long had it been since I thought someone was truly " cool " from the bottom of my heart? This might have been the first time I actually wanted to become like someone else.
A heat began to swell in my chest—a feeling I hadn't felt in two years. Respect, admiration, and genuine motivation.
Karasuma-sensei grabbed the arms of the two boys, who were getting heated because they couldn't land a hit. In one fluid motion, he swept their legs and neutralized them without breaking a sweat.
" As you can see, with a little experience, I can handle the attacks of two amateurs. If you can't hit me, you can imagine how low the probability of hitting a Mach 20 target is. However, if every student in this class can hit me, the success rate of the assassination will rise dramatically. "
Everything about Karasuma-sensei seemed heroic to me now. Standing before him, the absurdity of delinquents on the street screaming " I'll kill you " when they couldn't do a thing became clear to me.
That absurdity applied to me, too. The memory of me yelling threats and psyching myself up for a fistfight suddenly felt very small. Words should only be spoken when you are acting on them. That must be the cool way to live. I found myself thinking that with complete sincerity.
" As Maehara-kun said, hitting a Mach 20 target is an immense challenge. But if you don't have the necessary skills before you try, you won't even be standing on the stage of 'assassination.' I will teach you the basics of knives, sniping, and the techniques needed to kill him. "
" ...Yes, sir! "
I replied when our eyes met. Actually, I probably would have replied even if they hadn't. Because the mindset I saw in him today became the foundation for the rest of my life.