"I think it's finally time I took the lead." ──
As Professor Bitch gradually settled into her role with the class, this thought struck me quite naturally while I was getting ready to leave after school.
Up until today, my role had been limited to supporting my classmates' assassination attempts. I had only tried to strike on my own a handful of times during Koro-sensei's physical education lessons. This seemed like the perfect opportunity to test the reliability and effectiveness of the information and weapons I had received from Mr. Karasuma—and to prove my own competence.
"Nagisa..."
"Nozaki? What's up?"
"I'm thinking of making an assassination attempt. Would you mind letting me see your notebook of weaknesses?"
"Is that all? Of course, here you go."
"Thank you."
During the lunch break, I explained my intent to Nagisa. He happily shared his notes, and I began memorizing every detail, whether it seemed useful or not, until the information was firmly etched in my mind.
While I stared at the notebook, Kayano and Sugino approached to chat with Nagisa. Isogai and Maehara also wandered over, curious to see me initiating contact for once, and Karma followed them, sensing that something entertaining was about to happen.
"What's going on? Is Nozaki going to pull off a hit?"
"Yeah, he asked to see the weakness notebook."
"How exciting, Nozaki! Do you need help?"
"Keiichi is actually getting serious about an assassination? That's rare."
The area grew noisy as students gathered one by one. Eventually, Professor Bitch even forced her way into the conversation after catching wind of the news. I didn't notice the commotion until a few minutes later, once I had finished drafting the plan.
Nagisa's notebook contained several key points:
He exposes his flaws clearly when trying to act perfect.
He panics and loses his cool with unexpected speed.
He is narrow-minded and easily agitated by trivial matters.
His punches are weak and flimsy.
He is defenseless against a woman's charms.
Most of these points, except for the fourth and fifth, seemed highly exploitable.
Now, I had to consider Koro-sensei's daily habits. He reads English newspapers in the morning and conducts traditional tests every Wednesday... but what else? Doesn't an assassin always maintain their tools?
Wait—if I think about it, whenever Koro-sensei stops an assassination attempt, his first move is to confiscate the weapon. He seized Nakamura's gun when she attacked during class. Before the major assassination competition, he confiscated everyone's knives, including my handgun.
Furthermore, he confiscates weapons without the slightest caution. I had thought before: What if the gun was coated in a special material designed to kill the teacher? If I provoked him intelligently and drove him to seize my jump rope or handgun, I could certainly destroy that octopus's tentacles.
On that front, the plan would likely succeed. Nakamura lost her weapon because she attacked during class, and the third weakness says he is "narrow-minded." If I push his buttons enough, success is guaranteed. Or, since his "flaws show when he acts perfect," I can manipulate his movements easily.
Koro-sensei also tends to look down on us; his face turns green with mocking stripes whenever one of us shows a desire to kill. But he is weak against the unexpected. If I destroy his tentacles while his face is striped with green, he will inevitably panic—just as the second weakness suggests.
The problem lies in what comes next. Destroying the tentacles is manageable, but the aftermath is the dilemma. My own offensive power likely won't be enough to chase him down and finish him off alone. I'll need backup.
When should I attack? The best time to force him into confiscating a weapon is during a lesson, but that might annoy my classmates. ── No, if I do it during "Student Activity" or "Ethics" class, it won't affect the curriculum or bother anyone. In fact, if I offer to split the reward with those who help me, they might be eager to participate.
The question remains: how will I kill him? His speed reaches Mach 20, but he certainly doesn't use that speed inside the classroom, or the sonic booms would shatter the place and tear us to pieces.
But how do you corner a monster that moves fast enough to create after-images? Even the mass firing we do every morning during roll call fails to land a single shot. I can't even visualize him being hit.
It might be easier to crush him with something fast, but a wide-area "carpet" attack would be... Wait a minute. A hail of bullets is just a series of scattered points. Can't I create a "bullet cover" that is more dense?
For example, what if I poured a massive amount of BB pellets from a cup and threw them at him all at once? Wouldn't that count as a total area-wide attack? Even if it doesn't kill him, it would be enough to block his escape routes.
Then comes the finishing blow. What if I deliberately left him only one exit? I'll make the "Teacher's Platform" the killing floor and have my classmates block the escape routes toward the windows and the center of the room. This would leave him with only the classroom door. I'll ask Mr. Karasuma and Professor Bitch to wait outside the door. The moment the escape routes are sealed, the door opens, and they fire the anti-teacher bullets at that exact second.
── The plan seems quite solid, doesn't it?
"Keiichi!"
"?... Ah, sorry, Isogai. I was lost in my own world. What time is it?"
"What? Not even a minute has passed."
Really? It felt as though I had been thinking for a very long time, yet it only took seconds. Well, that's for the best. I'll start asking everyone for help while I refine the backup plans.
"So, what's the plan? If you're going for the hit, I'll lend you my strength."
"Yeah, a plan from the person who destroyed his tentacles for the first time... that makes us expect a lot, doesn't it?"
Isogai supported me, and unexpectedly, Kurahashi joined in. At that moment, I realized more than half the class ── excluding Terasaka's group ── had gathered around me.
"Alright, I have a request for everyone..."
I began explaining the plan step-by-step.
"Wait, are you making the tentacle destruction the starting signal? Are you serious?"
Phase 1: [Tentacle Destruction]
During class, I will approach the teacher's platform and position myself by the window, then attack Koro-sensei and destroy his tentacles. I'll ask everyone to act completely natural, so I won't reveal the exact method in detail. If I fail to destroy the tentacles, the operation is a failure.
"I will definitely manage this."
I won't speak until the execution. I'll put what I learned from Karasuma into practice.
"And after that, we form the bullet cover?"
Phase 2: [Creating the Bullet Curtain]
We will surround Koro-sensei, who will be disoriented after losing his tentacles, with a hail of bullets. In this phase, we will split into two teams: one targeting Koro-sensei and one blocking his escape routes. The goal is to distract him between the bullets aimed at him and those closing off his exits, increasing his panic.
"Yes, but I need Terasaka's help for this."
"That idiot already went home."
"I'll catch up with him. But do you mind if I manipulate the reward shares a little to convince those fools?"
"It's fine. We'll get our shares too, and you're the one who came up with the idea."
"Thank you, Okano."
Phase 3: [The Area-Wide Saturation Attack]
The team that was targeting Koro-sensei will carry large containers filled with pre-prepared BB pellets. Once Koro-sensei shows confusion from the bullet curtain, they will give a signal and throw the pellets from the containers in a wide, sweeping motion to create a "wall of lead" in the air.
"An area-wide saturation attack..."
"To put it simply... imagine holding a bucket of water and splashing it hard sideways. It creates a sort of water wall, right? That's the effect I want."
"Ah, I used to do that in the bath as a kid. And who's going to do this?"
"I want to assign the students in the front seats of each row. So... it will be Kataoka, Maehara, Okano, Isogai, Kurahashi, and Kimura."
"Understood. Count on us."
"Yeah, we just have to throw the pellets on your signal, right?"
"Haha, cleaning up is going to be a nightmare."
"It's my idea, so I'll take responsibility for the cleanup. Don't worry about it."
Phase 4: [The Final Blow]
One second after I signal for the area attack, the special ops team will open the classroom door next to the platform and shower Koro-sensei with bullets. With nowhere left to run, he will be finished off.
"And that's the end of it."
"And who is the special ops team?"
"Professor Bitch and Mr. Karasuma."
"Oh? I'm participating too?"
"The success rate depends on luck, but if you don't want your share of the reward, you don't have to join."
"Honestly, the boys in this class are so rude. And what about Karasuma?"
"Mr. Karasuma is here as a teacher, but his primary goal is to kill Koro-sensei. If we ask for his help, he'll definitely respond."
I had finished explaining most of the plan, but Isogai raised a valid point.
"Listen, Keiichi, what will you do after Phase One? Will you just stay standing by the window in front of the first row? Isn't that dangerous?"
Isogai's concerns were entirely justified. The gunfire in Phase Four would be directed right at my position. But I had a solution for that too.
"Don't worry. Look at this."
I pulled out the molted skin I had swiped from Koro-sensei a few days ago and showed it to them.
"── Ah! Of course. With this, the BB pellets won't pose any danger to you."
Nagisa, who knew the strength of the skin well, clapped his hands in agreement, and the atmosphere settled on executing the mission.
"Then, we carry out the operation tomorrow at 5:00 PM during Student Activity class."
"We won't surprise him; we'll tell him in advance. Isogai, I need your silver tongue."
"What do you mean you 'need my tongue'..? Well, alright."
"Then let's give it everything we've got!"
" " "Yeah!" " "
All the students present echoed Maehara's shout.
●○●○●
"Terasaka, Yoshida, Muramatsu, Hazama. We're attempting an assassination tomorrow at five. I want your help."
"I refuse."
"Me too."
"There's nothing in it for us."
"I don't like these kinds of gatherings and cooperation."
What a scattered group. Or perhaps they were only united within their own circle. I had tried asking them humbly, but they refused as expected. Since they were posing as the "rebel group" of Class E, I didn't mind teaching them a lesson (except for Hazama), but I wanted things to go smoothly, so I suppressed my irritation.
"Honestly, I was surprised you even bowed your head to ask us. But as Muramatsu said, we have no interest in this."
"Isn't splitting the reward equally enough?"
"It's not enough. I simply hate you."
Good grief, why am I hated this much? I felt a sting of pain when Terasaka stated his hatred for me right to my face.
"I'll give you an 'Any Request Coupon,' provided it doesn't break the law."
"Are we children!?"
Damn, they didn't fall for it. Fine, I'll use my trump card.
"Then, three hundred million yen."
"What?"
"If the plan succeeds, I will pay each of you an extra three hundred million yen on top of your share of the reward."
"── Are you serious?"
There was no issue with this commitment. I had already announced to everyone that I would control the distribution of the reward shares as the architect of the plan.
It seemed such a sum piqued their interest. Muramatsu asked, "And is there actually a chance of success?"
"Yes."
"At what percentage?"
"Fifty percent. The rest depends on luck. If you don't want to participate, you can skip the class tomorrow. But more numbers increase the success rate, which is why I asked for your help."
"── I'm not doing it."
Since Terasaka, the leader of the delinquents, was the one resisting, I decided to offer him what he cared about most.
"Terasaka, I'm trying to return you to the Class E where you felt comfortable."
"── What did you say?"
"I don't remember when, but I thought you were just like me. You feel that this class—the gathering of dregs that no one expects anything from—is exactly where you belong."
"You bastard..."
"In truth, the place was comfortable before Koro-sensei arrived, wasn't it?"
"... Damn it."
Mr. Karasuma had once evaluated Terasaka this way when we learned he would be our teacher. His assessment was based on an understanding of his character, and it seemed he was right. Terasaka scratched his head in annoyance after I exposed his thoughts, then nodded in agreement.
"Fine, I'll join. But if it works, you better pay up every cent you promised."
"Deal. And I have one more request."
"Another one?"
"Yes. That bomb you gave Nagisa before. I want you to make a version of it tomorrow, but with almost zero explosive power. I'll cover the costs."
"You... your requests are incredibly strange and bold!"
"Yeah, just throw it when I give the signal tomorrow."
"Are you even listening to me!?"
And so, after Leader Terasaka surrendered, the rest of the group followed. I explained the full plan to them. Honestly, their involvement was a huge gain—not just for their combat potential, but because they would be a powerful bargaining chip to convince Koro-sensei tomorrow.
●○●○●
"And based on that, we ask for your cooperation, Mr. Karasuma."
"Understood. I heard the summary from Irina. A large-scale assassination involving the entire class. For me, it's a good chance to see how much you've progressed in training. I'll participate."
After convincing Terasaka and returning to school, I persuaded Mr. Karasuma in the faculty room. It seemed Professor Bitch had already briefed him, making the conversation smooth.
Now, all that remained was to negotiate with Koro-sensei to use the Student Activity period—and that was the hardest part. If the negotiation failed, I would have no choice but to force the plan forward.
"Oh, Nozaki and Isogai, what are you two doing here?"
"Koro-sensei, you've come at the perfect time."
Koro-sensei arrived at the ideal moment, so I moved straight to the persuasion.
"Koro-sensei, actually, I have a request."
"Hoh? Nozaki is asking for something?"
Koro-sensei looked at me with curiosity, but I continued indifferently.
"Yes. I want to use tomorrow's Student Activity period to execute an assassination plan I developed."
"── I see. Is that why Isogai is with you?"
Koro-sensei realized why Isogai was there and looked at him. Isogai began to speak.
"That's right, Koro-sensei. Keiichi proposed the assassination, and the plan seems to require a large number of students. We consulted our classmates and decided to carry it out together tomorrow."
"Everyone? Does that include Terasaka's group as well?"
"Yes. We spoke with Terasaka, Yoshida, Muramatsu, and Hazama, and the four of them agreed to cooperate with us."
"Is that so? This will be the first time the class has gathered as a single unit for an assassination, aside from the morning roll call?"
"Exactly."
When we told him we had convinced Terasaka and his group, he nodded in admiration. He then used the phrase "the class as a single unit," which we had prepared as our argument.
Perhaps Koro-sensei was guiding the conversation, or perhaps he was testing how we would conclude. I don't know which, but I gave my own answer.
"Nearly a month has passed since this class began, and the school trip is approaching. We wanted to do something as a group to deepen the bonds between classmates... like assassinating the superhuman creature threatening the Earth."
"I see, I see. That is certainly a sufficient goal to unite the class."
As he said that, Koro-sensei's face turned green with stripes.
He was mocking me, but his tone revealed his approval.
"Nurufufufufu, try and kill me if you can! Very well, I look forward to tomorrow's Student Activity period with great anticipation."
The moment we secured Koro-sensei's approval, Isogai gently patted my shoulder, as if comforting me after the tension I felt while trying to convince the teacher.
•
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