Winter break was now coming to an end, and it was a lot faster than you thought. Not a single one of you guys spent winter break planning an assassination attempt, and you were way too carefree, especially after what happened on new years.
You did visit Kayano, who was in the hospital a couple of times. When you were alone with her, you decided to tell her your secret.
"Hey, Kaede?" You called her.
"Yeah?" She answered.
"I... I actually have a secret to tell you."
"Whats up?"
"Only one other person knows this, so please don't tell anybody..." She nodded and promised you. You took a deep breath and continued your sentence. "Mr. Karasuma is my uncle..."
She was taken aback, since all the guesses in her head were something different.
"I live with him, because my parents were killed. They were also assassins, according to my uncle... I wanted to tell you this on the night of the 'incident,' but I didn't want to put the spotlight on myself. Though I don't remember what my parents looked like, I understand what it's like living on without a family member you once had... I just thought I'd tell you that."
She was speechless and did not know how to answer, and to break the silence, you thought it would be best if you left. She was probably shocked and you wanted to give her some alone time, too.
"Anyways, I think I'll get going now. I hope you feel better, Kaede." You told her.
She waved you goodbye and you closed the hospital door behind you. As you started walking down the hallway, you spotted Nagisa and a few other classmates, assuming they were here for Kayano.
"Oh, hey (Y/N). Were you here for Kayano?" Nagisa asked you.
"Yeah, I'm gonna get going now. I don't want to be home late." You answered, although your uncle didn't really care.
"Oh, I see. Then we'll see you in school!" Okuda said from the back.
"Yep, bye!" You waved them goodbye and they went on in to Kayano's room.
A few days passed and you were now back to school. Not a single person seemed excited to be back, however.
"The third term is upon us, class!" Professor Koro announced. "Let's play hard and kill hard this year, too."
Professor Koro tried to stay positive after what happened, but the class stayed silent. After he left the classroom, Miss Bitch came in.
"The most foolish kill is to kill recklessly, out of emotion, or greed. That's what animals do. The next most foolish is to kill your feelings while you kill your target. Giving up so very much-- far in excess of your reward. Like I did. You really need to think this through, kids. So you won't kill off the feelings you hold most dear."
The words she said really made you guys think. You had your elbow on your desk and had your fingers by your lips. That was also remotely one of THE best things she has ever said while working here.
Though your first and only goal when you got here was to kill Professor Koro, you eventually grew attached to him. But if you don't kill him, he will heartlessly kill everyone on earth.
During free time, Nagisa rounded you all up to the forest. Not knowing what he had in his mind, you just followed him and hoped he had something good to say.
You were standing a few feet away from Karma, who was leaning against a tree.
"There's something I'd really like to discuss..." He said.
"What is it?" You asked.
"I don't now if it's even possible, but I want to find a way to save Professor Koro's life.
"Save his life? You mean find a way to keep Professor Koro from destroying earth?" Mimura asked.
"Do you have any ideas?" Okano questioned him.
"Not yet..." He answered. "I don't know, but...-"
"I'm in!" Kurahashi said. "I wanna look for tons more creepy-crawlies with Professor Koro!"
"Kurahashi..."
"If you hadn't said something, I would have." Kataoka stepped in. "I want to repay him."
"Kataoka..."
"Out assassination work has gotten us far enough." Hara said.
"Let's tackle a whole new challenge!" Sugino agreed.
"Like launching a new series!" Fuwa said.
"We'll regret it if we don't. We should do what we can, at least." Okano also agreed.
"You guys..." Nagisa felt a sense of relief coming in.
People started agreeing with him, and you kinda did, too. However, knowing why you were put into this classroom, it was hard to say that you agreed with him.
"I hate to spoil the mood... But I'm against the idea." Nakamura said strictly.
"Huh?"
"Our relationship is one of assassin and target. Professor Koro said as much. And I really treasure the bond we've built over this past year. But that's exactly why I think we have to kill him."
Though as much as you disagreed, she had a point. You guys were given one mission, and that was to kill him. This sudden change of plans was also pretty much unexpected. Although a lot of you guys bonded with him, this idea didn't come until now.
"You're against it..?" Nagisa quietly asked.
"You say you wanna save him, but how, exactly?" Terasaka questioned.
"W-Well-"
"It's not like we haven't thought about it. But what if time runs out before we find a way?" Muramatsu asked.
"You think that octopus'll be happy to meet some wishy-washy end with a bunch of wishy-washy students?"
"B-But isn't it at least worth consid-" Nagisa tried his best to convince them, but those who were against were firm and they had a good point. You guys didn't even have a plan on how to save him to begin with.
"It's always the talented ones." Karma said after he was quiet the entire time. "Mistakenly thinking everything will go their way. Hey, Nagisa, aren't you getting a tad full of yourself?"
"I don't think that's something you should be saying..." You mouthed the words.
"Huh?"
"Here you are, the most gifted assassin in the E Class, and you're suggesting we just give up on the assassination? What about the less talented students who are still giving their all to kill him, even now?" He slowly approached Nagisa. "To put it another way, it's like a hot woman telling a bunch of homely ones they should all quit trying so hard to find boyfriends."
"Th-That's not what I mean..."
"Come on, you guys. He's just trying to let out his opinion. He may be the most gifted, but you can't tell him what to do with that skill of his. If you guys want to kill him so bad, try harder while we find a way to save him." You said.
"Oh, (Y/N)? You're on his side? What do you mean, 'we'? I thought you came to this class to kill Professor Koro. Wasn't that your only goal here and once you're done, you're gonna leave us anyway. Why are you switched up?"
"When it comes to assassination, you're way better than me..." Nagisa told Karma.
"You saying that just ticks me off even more. Isn't it more like you're the worst at understanding how the less powerful feel?"
"No! That's not it! I'm being honest with my feelings!"
"Cut it out, Karma. What he chooses to do with his power is his choice. Why do you have to depend on him so much? Why are you burdening Nagisa for being the better assas-"
"Be quiet, (Y/N). Stay out of this if you're gonna be on his side." He slightly raised his voice at you.
"Do you hate Professor Koro that much?" Nagisa asked Karma. "Remember the movie he took us to? Remember all the fun we had?"
"That's just it! That octopus put everything he had into making a fun classroom that wouldn't turn out lazy losers like you! This classroom wouldn't exist if our bloodlust was blunted! Can't you see all his hard work? Or do you have the brains of a little kid to match your body?"
"Stop it, Karma. You're trying to make a point, not insult him. Using his insecurities against him when it's unrelated to the topic just makes you look bad." You grabbed his arm in an attempt to pull him away before the argument gets too bad. You weren't 100% on Nagisa's side, because Karma had a point, and the reason why you were telling him off was because you didn't want him to get in trouble if the fight got physical.
"Don't touch me!" He yelled at you and pushed you back. His fist pushed into your stomach and it made you fall back and hit the floor.
At this point, you didn't even know what to say or do. Nothing would convince Karma, who is full of pride and will not be willing to just leave an argument without a verbal fight.
He looked back at Nagisa, who was glaring up at him.
"Huh? What's with that look? An itty-bitty mouse like you, defying a great big human?"
"I just..."
"Got something to say?" Karma pushed Nagisa on his shoulder, making him get pushed back. "How about you say it after beating me in a fight for once? I'll gladly take you on. Bring it." He continued to push him back. "What's the matter? C'mon!"
Nagisa was falling backwards towards the ground, and Karma grabbed his tie but Nagisa, with his fast reflexes, brought his lower half of his body upon Karma's shoulders, locking his head in between his legs. Karma's first instinct was to slam him to the ground, and everyone watched helplessly. Not a single one tried to stop them, even before the argument got bad like earlier.
"A-A flying triangle choke?!" Terasaka yelled, and everyone watched in awe.
"I am not making this suggestion lightly!" Nagisa yelled.
"When did Nagisa learn that?" Fuwa said.
"But... He's no match for Karma in combat!" Kimura said.
They both had absolute rage in their eyes. Nagisa wrapped all his limps around Karma's body. Both of his arms were wrapped around Karma's right arm. However, even Nagisa going up against Karma with his full body, Karma was too strong for him and lifted him up almost effortlessly.
The fight was getting too hot heated and Karma seemed really angry. You always hungout with him, but you have never seen him this angry. He raised his other hand with a fist, and he was about to throw a punch before Isogai and Maehara had to grab him to make him stop.
"Stop that!" Maehara yelled at him.
"What the hell are you two trying to prove?!" Isogai yelled.
"Urgh! This guy is crazy strong!" Karma was no match even against two people. However, Nagisa was weak enough to be stopped just by Sugino.
They both tried to run at each other again, but the both of them showed no signs of calming down.
"A junior-high fight? Most excellent!" Professor Koro said as he intruded out of nowhere. "This classroom is all about assassinio, huh? Shouldn't you be deciding things with these?" He then proceeded to take out two guns.
Everyone watched him speechlessly. It was even enough to calm down Karma and Nagisa.
Professor Koro took out two crates, filled with paintball guns and two paintball colors. Red and blue.
"Red and blue paintballs?" Takebayashi examined.
"Red for those who wants to kill me, and blue for those who don't. First, each student will state their position clearly and choose a color. Then you'll battle here on this mountain. The class will accept the winning team's decision. Win or lose, no grudges allowed! What do you say?"
This wasn't a bad plan. It helps with assassination practice and it will help the class come down to a final decision.
"You know, I'll respect any decision that my dear students have given their all to reach. What I'd hate most is for this class to end in discord. If you care about me... Just promise me that won't happen."
"Well?" Isogai asked as the class president.
Everyone nodded their head in agreement. This was a fair game and a fair match. No matter who wins and loses, we'll have to accept it.
"Alright, we'll settle it with these."
"Okay. I guess I'll choose first." Chiba said.
"Me too." Hayami said and they both went up to the crates.
"I think we've come a long way only because of the time we've spent working toward that killing shot. And as for who-- or what-- brought us this far..."
"We don't want to take our eyes off that target. So... We want to keep going." They both spoke and proceeded to choose the red paintballs. They decided to kill.
"When I tried to kill Professor Koro, I regretted it. I wanted him to live longer. It must run in the family-- my sister must've thought the same. So that's why... I want to keep Professor Koro safe." She picked up the blue BB's.
Everyone started to make their decisions and chose their teams and sides. And now it was time for you to decide. Ritsu chose to be neutral, but that was probably because she was a robot. You have a body to play this little game to come to the final conclusion.
You heart felt closer to not killing him. However, like Karma said earlier, you were originally here to kill him. Thus now you felt obligated to choose the "kill" side.
"What will it be, (Y/N)?" Karma asked you.
Your hand kept switching back and forth between red and blue. Your jaw was shaking as you tried to say something that wasn't even on your mind.
"You may take your time, (Y/N)." Professor Koro told you.
You sighed and reached your hand out towards one of the crates.
"Even in the end you decided not to kill him, I see." Karma glared at you.
"I'm sorry, Karma. But you can't make me change how I really feel about this."
You held the blue paintball container in your hand and the paintball gun in the other. You decided to go with what you felt. You didn't want to feel manipulated or forced into something you didn't want.
"Okay, we all picked sides." Isogai said.
The "Kill" team had Terasaka, Yoshida, Muramatsu, Nakamura, Mimura, Chiba, Hayami, Okajima, Sugaya, Okano, Hazama, Itona, and of course, Karma.
And the "Don't kill" team had you, Maehara, Isogai, Kataoka, Kurahashi, Yada, Takebayashi, Okano, Kanzaki, Sugino, Kayano, and Nagisa.
The opposing team had more teammates than you guys, so you guys were a bit of a disadvantage but you had faith.
You guys got changed into camouflage clothes and were each given a walkie-talkie. Your uncle stated the rules through the walkie-talkie as both teams were on the opposite ends of the mountain.
"Steal the other team's flag or wipe them out to win. I'll be the referee. I'll make calls and watch for zombies and other illegal plays from the midpoint. Aside from that, I'll pretend that I don't know where you're attacking from, so don't worry."
Your heart skipped a beat each time you thought about the match. You were kind of excited, yet nervous. But, you were scared of losing. Not because of the loss itself, but you wouldn't know how to cope if you guys really do kill your teacher in the end. What you feared was that this will be a regretful decision in the future, but now there's no going back.
You were almost on the very edge of the boundary. You were also alone. You didn't want to risk being spotted so easily. And if you were caught while being with someone else, they would be caught, too. But if someone else you were with were caught, you would be caught as well. At least one has to live through to win.
"Alright. Let our assassination classroom's paintball civil war... Begin!"
Right off the bat, two of your teammates, Kataoka and Takebayashi were taken out.
Though it would take some time, you decided to go around the entire map to get to the other side. It was better to be safe than sorry, and then you spotted someone in the corner of your eye. You instantly aimed and fired, hoping it hit, and it did. But right after your shot, another person from your team shot them. It was Kanzaki, and the person you guys just shot was Sugaya.
You slowly approached Kanzaki to give her a compliment as you guys ran side by side.
"Wow, Kanzaki, that jump. Where'd you learn what?" You quietly said.
"Thank you. I actually learned this while playing video games..." She slightly chuckled.
"Oh, wow... Who knew video games would help in assassinations so much?"
You guys continued to run together, but you decided to run a few feet away from her, to avoid getting spotted. Because if one of you guys were spotted, then both of you guys are dead.
You guys kept running for a bit and you guys kept getting closer and closer to the flag. You then see Kanzaki disappear with a slight screech from the corner of your eye.
You didn't call out her name, as it would have been suicide to yell out. Then you see a pair of legs dangling from a tree. You then see it was Kanzaki, captured by Karma.
You stayed low and stopped running, because that would have created the sounds of footsteps and bushes rustling.
"Come in, red team. I'll take the lead." He said to his walkie-talkie. Mimura, see that high point to Mr. Karasuma, right? Head there. Don't let anyone see you. Terasaka, you and the other two stooges are on defense at face rock. It'll be big trouble if they make it past there, so play it tight." He was giving orders to his teammates.
You decided to take this as your chance to shoot him. Karma was carrying the team, and you didn't want it to continue. You pulled the trigger, and you didn't know if it was mere coincidence, or if he knew you were here. But he dodged the paintball just by slightly tilting his head.
"I know you're there, (Y/N)..." He mumbled. "You can come out."
You stayed quiet, as you didn't know what he was gonna do if you did reveal yourself. You sat behind the rock behind you, with your back up against it.
"Oh yeah? What if I do?" You asked.
"I'm not gonna shoot you right then and there, you know. Look, I'll drop my guns." You heard a thud behind you, indicating that he really did drop his gun. "We can settle this with our knives. It's too boring if we just shoot each other, that ends too fast. If you beat me, you get a free ticket straight to our flag. If you don't beat me, you lost your only chance. But if you don't come out, I will shoot you and end this faster. So, what will it be?"
You already made it this far, and you figured if you were given a chance, you'd take it.
"Alright, alright." You stood up with your back facing him, and you also dropped your gun. You took out your knife and agreed to his suggestion.
"Good choice, (Y/N)..."
"You promise to back down if I win?" You raised an eyebrow.
"Oh, of course! Does it look like I'd break a promise? A promise is a promise, I have the decency to keep a promise." He said.
"Alright..." You got in position, and as soon as you were just about getting prepared, he ran to tackle you right then.
He swung his knife in an attempt to get your neck, but you jumped out of the way instantly. Then without even a second to think, he started running towards you again with a psychotic look on his face. You didn't have time to move out of the way, so you blocked with your arm. Your arm was not a fatal spot, so it was okay to be hit there.
These were not real guns or knives, however, the bloodlust and the absolute desire that Karma had right now terrified you. He was moving too fast for you. You were already out of breath, and you didn't get to attack once.
"I see how it is, Karma... Now, it's my turn to attack."
"Go ahead, (Y/N). This is already interesting enough."
Though you were fighting with knives, you figured the steps would also be crucial as if it were boxing. At first, you ran straight forward, until you stepped to the left to trick him into thinking you were coming from the left, but then switched last second and with all your might you swung the knife into his waist. However, he grabbed your wrist last second. You desperately tried to push through, but he was too fast and strong for you.
He pushed you down and got on top of you. He took his knife and was about to stab you in your chest, and with pure luck, you were able to grab his arms, stopping him. You struggled to get him off of you, and both your hands were shaking as one tried to push down, and tried to push up.
Then out of nowhere, you heard footsteps. Not one, not two, but three. You looked up and it was Nakamura, Itona, and Hazama, all three with their guns out.
Your grip became slightly weak as you got distracted, and you were looking up to Karma with fear and slight rage in your eyes.
"Y-You said no... Guns..." You stuttered as you desperately tried to get him off.
"I said the two of us... Never said anything about the others."
Karma's walkie-talkie was on when you made the deal with him, and three of them came rushing down as the others defended.
You were angry, as it was not fair. But you understood how desperately he wanted to win, as you were, too. You accepted your defeat as there was no other option.
"Ha... Baited..." You said and gave in as Karma stabbed the rubber knife into your chest, and the three shot in your direction all at the same time... You came this far to be tricked by someone who you love.