Akari's Time (Assassination Classroom fanfic)

Interlude 1

Akari became 12 this year. Today, they were going to meet up with their old friend, Kenji. They've known each other since mid-school. Even when Kenji was young, he was a good-looking charming man—still was now.

Kenji's eyes sparkled as he first saw Akari. He patted her head as he greeted her. "Hello, Akari-chan. I'm Isogai Kenji, your parents' good friend. You can call me Kenji-niisan."

Akira coughed as he stood beside him. "Nii-san? What are you? 20? You sound like a pedophile." He stroked his daughter's hair. "Call him Uncle Kenji."

Kenji glared at him. "I still look young and girls still love me."

Akira laughed as if he said a joke. Mamoru agreed silently. Kenji may still look young but his wrinkles were apparent. No young girl would have the conscience to like him—except his wife of course. "Please. You have three children. Still young, huh?"

Kenji continued to glare daggers at him. "You're just jealous I got three."

Akira sobbed. Here he goes again, Mamoru thought. "I want another one too you know. Society is so advanced now we can get test-tube babies. Ahh... I just want one more sibling for my Aka-chan so she doesn't feel lonely~~" Mamoru knew her husband well to realize that he directed the words at her instead.

Mamoru sighed. A child was enough for her. "If you're really that desperate, go find another wife," she said sternly.

Akira froze. She could see tears in his eyes. She bet he's feigning it to get pity. Mamoru decided to beat him as his game. She forced tears out of her eyes—an easy trick for her to con people believing she was frail. "Akira-chaaaan~~ do you know how hard is it to carry a baby 10 months in you? You men will never understaaaaaaaand~~ You just sit and wait for the baby while I have to push it out of me with all my life~~" she cried. Akira flustered. He was never good at handling crying women, especially his wife. By now he should have known she was faking the tears, but he loved her too much to even care.

Kenji smirked. Akari stared at them with confusion. She tugged her shirt. "Mommy don't cry. Bad Daddy! You made mommy cry!"

Akira fidgeted. "Aka-chan! I didn't mean to make your mommy cry."

Kenji intervened, saying he must stop the laughter that pained his stomach. He returned his focus to Akari. "Akari-chan, where you wanna go today?"

Akari's eyebrows creased in contemplation; an inherited trait from her father. "Disneyland! I want to see Daddy in a princess dress!"

Mamoru chuckled while Akira coughed like he had a frog stuck in his throat. He gave Mamoru a 'are you serious' look and she nodded. His face paled, devoid of any colour.

"Ok then! Disneyland it is!" Kenji said as he pumped his fists in the air with Akari.

Akira looked like he was about to faint. "Dear God help me." He glared at Kenji, who got excited to see his best friend in a girly dress. "Kenji! I swear I'll put you in one!"

"Huh?! What was that you scrawny bamboo stick, poor excuse for a human male?!"

Despite Akira being a pacifist, somehow he always quarreled with Kenji. It was as if they were sworn enemies in their previous life. Mamoru sighed. She hated being the intervener to their heated quarrel. Of all times why the heck they chose to quarrel in front of my child?

Mamoru glared at them. Her glare was intense as it struck fear and sent chills down their spines. She covered her child's ears as she began her reprimanding. She didn't want to spoil her image as a kind gentle mother. "You two knuckleheads argue for just one second—scratch that, if you even have a smidgen of thought to argue in front of my Akari I'll peel your skins off alive."