Karasuma-sensei called me a few days ago.
He told me a transfer student was coming.
An assassin... a new classmate. In that sense, it sounded promising, but after the precedent set by Ritsu, I couldn't help but suspect this newcomer wouldn't be someone manageable by conventional means. I suppose that's just a pessimistic habit of mine now.
I woke up this morning mulling over these thoughts.
I opened my eyes, squinting slightly against the sunlight filtering through a gap in the curtains. Lately, I've become the epitome of a healthy child; I sleep early, wake up early, and eat my breakfast. I'm not that delinquent boy anymore.
Nevertheless, the comfort of a warm bed upon waking remains a formidable foe. Even as a "reformed" child, I still find myself battling the sheets for a good thirty seconds before finally getting up.
"Good morning, Nozaki-san!"
"Good morning, Ritsu."
As soon as I slowly dragged myself out of bed, Ritsu appeared on the screen of my phone, which was still charging.
Recently, I've had little need for an alarm clock. I either wake up before it rings, or Ritsu comes to wake me like this.
Good grief, a female classmate waking me up every morning? Have I finally achieved the status of a "normie" with a successful social life? While I was lost in these delusions, the actual alarm started ringing, and I silenced it.
Alright, I'll give it my best again today. I got dressed with enthusiasm.
I ate the breakfast my grandmother prepared, then left the house with a quick "I'm heading out." Since it had been raining since dawn, I didn't forget the umbrella I bought recently.
"Well, what should I have for lunch today?"
"Nozaki-san, I heard they released minced meat rice balls as a new product today!"
"Then I'll go buy those."
Following Ritsu's recommendation, I stopped by a nearby convenience store and successfully secured my prize. I quickly flipped through a movie magazine before stepping back out onto the school path.
I saw news about a sequel to Sonic Ninja. I should tell Karma later; he loves that movie.
"Oh, isn't that Nozaki-kun? Good morning!"
"Mm? Ah, good morning, Kurahashi-san."
It seemed Kurahashi-san was crossing the road right in front of me just as I exited the store.
She called out the moment our eyes met.
I returned the greeting. I remembered a similar situation in the past where I was so desperate for conversation that I didn't know whether to talk about the weather or stay silent.
But things are different now. Two months have passed. I no longer struggle to find topics; I can even initiate them myself.
Reflecting on this, I realized how much I've grown.
By the way, I rarely walk to school alone anymore. In the mornings, I usually spend time chatting with Ritsu, who haunts my phone for some reason, or I run into Sugino, Nagisa, or Karma on the way.
Furthermore, delinquents have stopped picking fights with me. My mornings have become peaceful and consistent.
"Hey, President of the Karasuma Fan Club, Kurahashi-san. Did you know? It seems Karasuma-sensei really likes dogs."
"Really?! This is the first I've heard of it."
"I asked him during a casual chat after after-school training—about whether he had any hobbies or things he liked—and he told me."
"Is that so?"
"Yeah, but... he says that whenever he gets near a dog, it barks at him like it's fighting for its life. It's a bit pathetic, isn't it?"
"Ah... maybe because dogs sense that aura of excellence he emits as a superior being. His presence was incredible during the assassination match between Mr. Lovro and Bitch-sensei."
"That's true. Back then, Karasuma-sensei was overflowing with an aura that showed he was no ordinary person. Still, Bitch-sensei was the one who really amazed me with her ability to eventually outmaneuver him."
"You're right! I was so moved then! I truly understood the meaning of overcoming one's weaknesses."
The mention of Mr. Lovro automatically reminded me of the news Karasuma-sensei gave us after that mission.
About the arrival of another transfer student.
"Right, did you see the email from Karasuma-sensei? A new student arrives today."
"I saw it. It seems things are going to get difficult again."
"Yeah, I just hope we don't have a repeat of what happened with Ritsu at the beginning."
"I truly apologize for that..."
"I wasn't blaming you at all."
When I replied to Ritsu, whose voice sounded apologetic, Kurahashi-san widened her eyes in surprise, so I pulled out my phone.
"Ritsu, are you with Nozaki-kun right now?"
"Yes! Currently, Nozaki-san seems to be the one leading Class E in many situations, so I wanted to understand his thought patterns."
"..That makes sense."
Now I understood the real reason Ritsu had been accompanying me on my phone all this time. For a moment, I had deluded myself into thinking I was popular with a virtual girl, but it seems it was nothing more than a pipe dream.
Nozaki-kun feels the shock.
"Nozaki-kun is hosting a virtual girl at his house~"
"That's a cruel slander! Even if it's not entirely wrong..."
We walked along the school path, muddy from the rain, while Kurahashi-san teased me. Incidentally, I made sure to walk on the street side and match her pace; the lessons from the school trip hadn't gone to waste.
●○●○●
When we reached the school, the transfer student was the only topic of conversation. My classmates swarmed around Ritsu.
They asked if she had any information, and Ritsu recounted details about the new student in a calm tone that resembled a ghost story.
"Originally, he and I were supposed to be sent at the same time. I was to handle long-range attacks, while he took care of close combat, so we could corner Koro-sensei together. That was the original plan."
"Heh.. that means his abilities are high enough to coordinate with you, Ritsu."
"Yes, but... his efficiency was excessively high. I was far inferior to him as a professional assassin, which is one reason we weren't sent together. The other reason is that his 'adjustments' took a long time."
"Unbelievable.."
"Even Ritsu considers herself less efficient..?"
My classmates grew suspicious. It was only natural; the girl who destroyed Koro-sensei's tentacles without a surprise attack and collaborated brilliantly with us was describing herself this way. The fact that he surpassed her made them treat him like a monster from a horror story.
At that moment, the classroom door swung open with force! In the blink of an eye, Koro-sensei turned into a liquid and fled to the upper corner of the classroom.
Koro-sensei, you are far too much of a coward.
I thought this as I entered a state of maximum focus and looked toward the door. Not because I felt afraid, but because I instinctively realized that something dangerous had arrived.
While we watched tensely, a man entered.
I couldn't see his face, so I couldn't be certain of his gender, but I guessed he was a man from his physique, and I likely wasn't wrong.
A tall man wearing a white robe. His aura was lightyears away from the world of junior high students.
The man suddenly pulled a pigeon from his sleeve in a magic trick that stunned my classmates. Instead of boasting, he laughed simply and began to introduce himself.
"Ahaha, it seems I've frightened you. My apologies. I am not the transfer student; I am his guardian. My name is... well, since I'm wearing white, call me Shiro."
I thought about protesting—Why are you using a codename?—but based on Ritsu's words, the student is an assassin, so it's only natural for his guardian to have a call sign. I convinced myself of this.
"A sudden entry and a magic trick.. it's only natural we'd panic."
"Yeah.. unless you're Koro-sensei.."
Kayano and Nagisa, you say this while Koro-sensei is plastered to the corner of the ceiling in sheer terror. Before I could point that out, Okajima and the others noticed the situation.
"Don't shiver in fear, Koro-sensei!"
"You even used your last resort of turning into a liquid?!"
"N-No, it's just that Ritsu-san was telling scary stories since early this morning."
Koro-sensei returned to the clothes he had shed and regained his original form, looking embarrassed. He pulled himself together and addressed Shiro.
"A pleasure to meet you, Mr. Shiro. And where is the student in question?"
"A pleasure to meet you, Koro-sensei. He's a child with somewhat unique characteristics and traits, so I'll introduce him myself.. Oh, please take this gift; I heard you like sweets."
"Thank you very much for your kindness."
Koro-sensei began devouring the yōkan, paper wrapper and all, just as the man in white presented it. I no longer had the energy to complain; I was tired of seeing similar scenes.
While I was thinking this, I felt for a moment that our eyes met as Mr. Shiro scanned the entire classroom.
"Is something wrong?"
"No, it seems everyone is a good child. This boy will be able to adapt. ── Hey! Itona, come in!"
So he was checking us for that reason.
Mr. Shiro called out, looking reassured.
Incidentally, there was no sign of anyone in the hallway except Karasuma-sensei. Furthermore, Mr. Shiro had called out toward us, the students, not toward the hallway.
Suddenly, a massive explosion echoed! The wall behind the seats between me and Karma shattered.
From that opening, a boy entered.
He wore the same school uniform as us, and his build was no different from a junior high student. But what struck me as suspicious was that despite entering from outside, he wasn't wet at all. Not even a single drop.
It was pouring outside, as is typical of the rainy season, and the hole this "Itona" made looked directly out onto the schoolyard. It's impossible not to get even slightly wet in this rain, even with an umbrella.
Furthermore, he was empty-handed. The mystery surrounding him deepened.
"I've won. I proved I'm stronger than this classroom wall. That's enough.. that's enough.."
"Use the door!!"
"Another troublesome person has arrived..?!"
Even Koro-sensei was at a loss for how to react; his face looked strange—neither smiling nor serious, but a dull expression between the two.
"This is Itona Horibe. Please call him by his first name."
And Mr. Shiro, who introduced the transfer student so calmly in this situation, was no ordinary person either.
"Ah, and by the way, I'm a bit overprotective, so I'll be staying to observe him for a while."
Isn't that the kind of overprotection that makes you one of those "monster parents"?
Although I found an opening for criticism, I didn't have the energy to comment aloud to someone I was meeting for the first time. While I watched what would happen next, Karma asked a question, seemingly interested in the same suspicious point as me.
"Hey, Itona-kun, why aren't you wet despite the heavy rain outside? You aren't even carrying an umbrella."
"Karma, you noticed that too."
Karma nodded in confirmation. Itona looked at me and Karma, then patted the head of Karma, who was closest to him.
"You and this silver-haired boy are equally strong. You must be the strongest in this class. But don't worry, you're weaker than me, so I won't kill you."
..That's strange. Karma, known for his quick temper and passion for fighting, is letting someone pat his head like that? What's wrong? Usually, he'd grab the opponent's head and drive his knee into their face the moment he was touched.
Without anyone knowing my concern, the transfer student approached Koro-sensei, pulling a piece of yōkan from his chest.
"The only ones I want to kill are those I see as stronger than me. And in this class, there is only you. Koro-sensei."
"By strength, do you mean physical combat? Itona-kun. On the scales of power, you cannot stand on the same level as your teacher."
Koro-sensei's color changed to green stripes. Unsurprised by the change, Itona calmly bit into the candy wrapper and said firmly:
"Yes, I can. Because we are... brothers, joined by the same blood."
"What?!"
"B-B-Brothers?!"
"Is this for real?!!"
"Look, even Nozaki is completely stunned."
The word "brothers" means that meaning, right?
Like Goku and Raditz, Ikki and Shun, or the Tachibana twins?
What does this mean?!
Is he a relative of Koro-sensei from before he was subjected to human experimentation?! What is going on here?!
Even though the matter of human experimentation is nothing but a hypothesis in my mind, everything has become blurry now..!
"Between brothers, there is no need for cheap tricks. Brother, I will kill you and prove my strength. After school, we will face each other in this classroom."
While I was drowning in the shock of the "brothers" revelation, Itona declared this in rapid succession, then turned to leave the way he came, through the hole he had made.
"This is your last lesson. Say goodbye to these students."
He said that and disappeared into the rainy season sky, where the rain had stopped. This new student is truly eccentric.
"Wait, Koro-sensei! What does this mean?!"
"We never heard that you had a brother?!"
"No no no! The teacher himself is hearing this for the first time! I remember clearly that when I asked my parents for a brother as a child, the atmosphere at home became tense and awkward!"
"We don't care about your family circumstances!"
"And do you even have parents, Koro-sensei?!"
"How rude! Of course I have parents!"
Amidst the shouting and noise of my classmates, my astonishment only grew deeper.
●○●○●
By lunch break, my classmates' hypotheses regarding the relationship between the teacher and the transfer student had ballooned uncontrollably.
Between the theory of brothers separated since childhood and the theory of princes from a fallen nation, their delusions were endless.
As if the two were confirming these delusions, their tastes matched in everything.
During lunch, instead of eating a full meal, they both consumed massive amounts of sweets and suddenly opened magazines of beautiful models on their desks. Chaos reigned in the classroom.
In the middle of all this, I was thinking.
Who is Koro-sensei, really?
I had previously imagined he might be a human transformed into a monster by experiments—this was back during Principal Asano's visit. Perhaps if we learn the truth about Itona, I'll make progress in my conclusions.
Finally, the time after school arrived.
Following Mr. Shiro's instructions, we rearranged the desks to surround Itona and Koro-sensei.
The arranged desks looked like...
"An arena of desks..?!"
Bitch-sensei let out a cry of shock, and Karasuma-sensei nodded in confirmation. My impression was exactly the same as hers; no one had ever devised an assassination attempt like this.
"It looks like a match."
I agreed with Karasuma-sensei in my mind.
"You've grown tired of ordinary assassinations, haven't you? How about we set a rule? Whoever goes outside this ring is to be executed immediately. What do you think?"
Sugino scoffed at Shiro's suggestion.
"What nonsense is this? Will anyone even respect the rules if they lose?"
Karma interrupted, explaining:
"No, if the teacher breaks a rule he set in front of everyone, his dignity as a teacher will fall. This kind of restriction affects Koro-sensei."
Yes, Koro-sensei strives to be our teacher above all else. Therefore, as Karma said, he won't do anything to lose our trust.
Koro-sensei nodded in agreement with Shiro's suggestion, but he proposed an additional rule for Itona.
"Very well, I accept the challenge. But Itona-kun, if you cause any harm to the spectators, you will be considered the loser. Do we have a deal?"
"... Deal."
Itona nodded.
Then, Mr. Shiro raised his hand to signal the start of the match.
"Then, let us begin on my signal."
"..."
"..."
"Begin.. the assassination..!"
With Shiro's declaration, Koro-sensei's tentacle flew away from a physical strike. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say it was severed.
It happened in a split second; I didn't even have a chance to enter my state of maximum focus, and I missed seeing the strike. But we saw something else.
We saw white tentacles, the ones that had sent Koro-sensei's tentacle flying, and they were still writhing and moving violently.
Those tentacles didn't belong to Koro-sensei; they were emerging from Itona.
"...Unbelievable."
Faced with a sight I had never imagined, I could only stand there, stunned.
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