As you were about to step into your house, you checked the mailbox and noticed that a certain letter was in there. It was a letter from one of the high schools you applied to. Your hands felt weak and started to shake and your entire body felt weak. You were too scared to open it, and you started building up the tension by postponing opening the letter. You struggled to take off your shoes, walking into the living room exhausted your legs.
You put down your stuff and took off your coat, and picked the letter back up. You held it in one of your hands and stared at it. Your heart skipped a beat just thinking about getting rejected. You slowly tore the top of the envelope. Every sense of touch felt wrong and your hand brushing against the paper made you tremble. You opened up the letter slowly, being extra gentle, in fear that the letter would somehow break, as if it's made up of the most fragile material in the world.
You closed your eyes and fully unfolded the paper, and then you slightly opened your eyes back. You slowly read each word, and as you reached the end of the paragraph, your eyes widened. You thought that your eyes were lying to you. You let out a groan of relaxation and a tear slightly squeezed through in between your eyelids.
"Ah... Ahahaha..."
You were rejected.
~~Time skip~~
"You all got in to one of your top two schools! Congratulations!" Your teacher announced. "Splendid job wielding those second blades of yours! You'll all move on to high school like the twinkling stars you are!" Except... you... "It's a weight off my shoulders, too! We were supposed to start our final career counseling... But first, there's something I'd really like to do." You were all given confetti cannons and you all got ready to pop them. "And what does one do, on such a joyous occasion?" He built up the tension. "Editing..."
"What for?!" Your class yelled out.
"I'm making a yearbook, of course-- just for the E Class!"
"Making a yearbook?" Nagisa asked.
"Yes!" Professor Koro answered
"Oh, right-- we did a whole-school one, with Mr. Karasuma as our teacher." Kurahashi said.
"And poor Professor Koro isn't in a single shot" Yada commented.
"Actually... He popped into a few at mach speed, just under the radar." Chiba claimed.
"It's like one of those ghost photos." Sugino said.
"Exactly! That's why I want to use these photos instead!" Professor Koro took out boxes and boxes worth of pictures. "A year of unguarded moments! These treasured selfies with all of you-- thirty thousand in all! Now to find the most memorable ones together!"
He took THIRTY THOUSAND in all. That was quite a lot to go through and you were already getting a headache thinking about it.
"The official yearbook does have plenty of the usual shots..." Sugino said.
"If we're making another one, we can be more unconventional!" Hara susggested.
"Leave it to me!" Your teachers eyes started glistening. "Cool beauty Hayami at the pet shop..." He showed a picture of Hayami snuggling with a small kitten. "Oh! And here's a nightmare campus shot of mimura on air guitar!" You started getting a little paranoid now that he started showing the pictures he took without your knowledge, in fear that he might have captured something you didn't want others to see, but knowing him, he probably did take them. "I'm just getting started!" He then proceeded to take out every embarrassing photo of everyone. "Princess Kataoka, trying on her royal vestments! Dainty Muramatsu, right when a cockroach scurries out! Naked Okajima, running around the grounds at night in the buff!"
"Whoa, hang on!" Okajima shot up from his seat. "So there could be some super sketchy pics of me in there?!"
After hearing that, everyone got up and ran to the front of the class, frantically looking for photos of themselves and trying to get rid of them. You tried to act like you weren't scared of what pictures he had, but your entire body and skeletal system was tingling, and it was telling you to go find those pictures.
"Oh, my! Who knew editing would get you so fired up?" Everyone started ripping the photos, so the idea of putting those kind of pictures was scratched.
"Okay, next we'll choose photos for our school events! How about these? Huh? What do you think?" He then finally started taking out normal pictures of you and your classmates. Maybe except a few. "Oh, but I haven't taken nearly enough photos! I was aiming for a ten-thousand-page yearbook!"
"And we just keep tearing them up." Sugaya said.
"The dictionary's not even three thousand pages!" Terasaka said.
"Outside, class! We'll dress up and get a wider variety of shots!"
You guys all went outside and started dressing up and started to take more pictures.
"Professor Koro helped us a lot with our entrance exams this February, but otherwise it's just been a free-for-all." Kayano said.
"Yeah, with us totally at his mercy." Nagisa added.
"He's probably spoiling you." You heard the voice of your uncle come from behind you. "You've come plenty far, thanks to your classes through January. Now he wants to spoil his full-fledged students a little. I bet that's what he's thinking."
"Oh, I get it." Kayano said.
"Do you think we turned out like that, too, Mr. Karasuma?" Nagisa questioned.
"Sure. If I ever have a hard time, I'd trust you without hesitation. I can count on you." He said and looked at you as he finished his sentence.
"A man and a woman, in April... Living together, in April... In April... Ten times a day! " Professor Bitch started mumbling, and your uncle flinched.
"What's with all the mumbling lately?" Okuda said.
"Maybe she found religion." Itona said, not sure if he was joking or not.
Professor Koro then snatched Miss Bitch and your uncle and put them in wedding clothes and took pictures of them.
"What's the meaning of this?" Your uncle seemed furious but didn't seem to move.
"We need to get you in on the cosplay action, Mr. Karasuma. Or is this a fitting?" Your teacher chuckled menacingly.
"Karasuma, I can't wait for that first night." Professor bitch with a loose voice and a bloody nose.
"Shut your mouth!" Your uncle yelled.
You were having some mixed emotions of this. It felt like you were getting your uncle stolen. Sure, you want him to be happy and perhaps meet someone he loves to marry. But, you were raised by him since you very young. Your parents died of an accident when you were just a baby, leaving you to him. He's your only remaining blood relative, and it stings to think about him not being able to pay attention to you even less than he already does.
You try telling yourself that you're grown, and don't need emotional or physical support from your uncle like you used to. You understand that he's very busy and he'd have no time to take care of you, and he is more reliant on you to take care of yourself now that you're older now.
"Phew! That ought to be enough on-campus photos." Your teacher said and he fit all of you in a huge bag that looks like the school bag everybody owns.
"Hang on a sec!" Terasaka yelled.
"Then why are we all stuffed in this bag?!" Maehara questioned.
Everyone started complaining and didn't want to be in here.
"On-campus photos are hardly sufficient. I'll be taking photos with you around the world!"
"What now?!" Terasaka yelled out again.
"You're kidding!" Okajima complained.
"Why go to such lengths?!" Maehara said.
"Because it's fun. And that's also why I'll take the time and effort to use my ingenuity and tackle the yearbook with all my might! Here we go!" He was about to slingshot off the ground, and you really didn't feel safe in the bag. There was nothing to grab on to, there were no seat belts or seats at all, no nothing. All you could really do was just pray to dear Lord that nothing goes badly.
As you were all flying through the air, it got cold very drastically. Your teacher was making sure everyone was secure however. You guys traveled all around the globe. You guys went to France, Turkey, Bangladesh, Canada, etc. You guys tried the foods, looked around monuments, and had fun taking pictures. It's not like you get to travel to different countries this fast in a day, so you tried to enjoy it.
~~Time skip~~
Few days had passed and you were laying in bed, looking through the pictures you took overseas and couldn't help but smile. You never knew you'd come this far in this class. Then the realization hit-- The year is ending, you haven't been back to Class A since, and since there's very little time left of school, this meant that you'll die soon, or you're gonna have to kill Professor Koro before time's up. For some reason, both outcomes stung your heart.
You didn't want to think about it so you got up and went downstairs to watch some TV. As you were walking down the stairs, you remembered none of the nights on the first floor were turned on. This wasn't usual, since you were almost always home alone and never left your room other than to eat or use the bathroom.
You used your phone to flash some light to find the light switch and you reached for the remote and turned on the television. You were flicking through the channels and let each play for a few seconds before turning to the next one. One specific channel said the words "...one specific dangerous crea-" and it cut off as you went to the next channel.
You raised an eyebrow when you acknowledged the fact that someone just said "dangerous creature" and it also happened to be a news channel, and it also also happened to be the end of the year with your octopus teacher. You went back to the news and the words continued.
"...Shield of Earth, is the culprit behind the moon's destruction one year ago. We have only found out today that this creature-- no, this monster-- is in a standoff against the entire planet, of all things, and has taken some of our nation's junior-high students hostage, having gone undercover as a teacher." Your eyebrows were raised and furrowed at the same time, twitching in between both positions. There was no doubt about it. They were talking about Professor Koro.
You shot up from your couch as your thoughts stumbled. You argued with yourself if you should text your friends first or get to the scene. You debated for a few seconds before realizing you were just wasting your time. You threw your coat on and sped to your school. As you ran, you texted your friends, and you struggled to type the words as your body was shaking from running, and your hand was also shaking from nervousness. Your heart was pounding into your head, and it wasn't from exhaustion.
You got to the scene and saw that the majority of your classmates were there before you. You saw Kayano and Nagisa and you were about to call out for them, but your faces were flashed by several cameras, which were in the possessions of reporters.
"Look at this! Could these be the students that had been threatened by that monstrous teacher?" One lady said.
"You're those junior-high hostages, right?" One guy said.
"Excuse me! How do you feel right now?" Went another reporter.
"You must be relieved to hear he's been captured!"
The several flashing lights hurt your eyes and put your hand in front of your face to prevent from the lights hurting you. You shut your eyes and the lights were still flashing through your eyelids, when it suddenly stopped. You slowly opened your eyes again and saw someone standing in front of you. It was Karma.
"Karma!" You said with a low voice.
He didn't answer. Perhaps he didn't hear you, or perhaps he didn't want to answer.
"What was it like spending a whole year ruled by a teacher who could explode at any second?" Said another.
"What's this about him forcing you to preform sham assassinations?"
"Shut up! It's none of your business!" Muramatsu yelled.
Some reporters then proceeded to visit you individually to ask you directly. You guys kept trying to explain that they have it all wrong, but they didn't want to listen and with a concerned look on their face, asked if that "monster" is forcing us to say these things.
"Has that monster done anything to hurt you? What kind of things did it make you do?" One reporter asked you, all up in your face with a fat microphone.
"How do your parents feel about this?" Asked another with a second mic up to your face.
"You must be so scared, can you tell us any threats he made?"
"You're safe now, tell us what happened!"
All these questions ticked you off and you couldn't help but yell.
"How many times do we have to say it?! What do you not get?? We're telling you, everything you just heard on the news is a lie! Let us get through!" You shouted, and one of the news reporters looked at you with pity in his eyes.
"Please calm down, we understand you're scared he'll hurt you, but please don't make yourself say these things." He said.
"What do you know about him?! The hell do you know? Huh?!" Your heart was racing more than ever now and your entire body started shaking. Your legs felt like giving up.
"You have no permission to film here." You heard a familiar deep voice. "Leave at once!" You look at the direction where the voice was coming from, and it was your uncle.
"B-But, what about our duty to report the truth?" One lady talked back.
"And terrify junior-high students for sheer entertainment value? What kind of duty is that? By the authority of the Defense Agency, this area is off-limits. In the interest of public safety, I'll ask you to leave. I'll take these students into protective custody."
He took you and your classmates to the front of your main school building, which had military tents all over the place. You guys stepped inside one and you were finally able to relax.
"Mr. Karasuma... what happened to Professor Koro?" Isogai asked.
"Time was up." He answered. "The government implemented their last resort, the one they'd been preparing all this time."
"Their last resort?"
"That barrier, you mean?" Takebayashi questioned.
"That's only a cage to keep him trapped. In a week, they'll use a high-power laser to kill him."
"No! What about our assassination?" Maehara said.
"You tried your best so far. Now leave the rest to us."
"Oh, now you're the big man, all 'Leave it to us'?!" Terasaka shouted.
"We're completely in the dark!" Kurahashi said.
"And that statement made it sound like it's all Professor Koro's fault!" Kanzaki added.
"This is not cool. They told us to kill him, and now they're elbowing in on our job?!" Kataoka stated.
"And it won't sit well with Professor Koro unless we do the deed!" Isogai said.
You clenched your teeth and fists. Your nails dug into your hands and even through the pain, the grip got tighter and tighter. You felt used by your only remaining family member. He made you leave the most elite class, get bullied for falling down to the worst class, and even made you go through several life or death situations, and now he's telling you to back out.
"Mr. Karasuma, please-- let us go!" Nagisa pleaded.
"There are elite troops posted throughout town and on the mountain. No more openings for you to use to your advantage. Give it up."
"You're joking... Right..?" Your body shook in anger as you couldn't help but mumble what you meant to just think in your head. "What was the point if you were just gonna end it like this? Why did you even give this burden on us to begin with? Why didn't the government just handle it from the start..? Just let us go! I'm not gonna let this slide! Even if you're my--" You almost blurted out the one thing you shouldn't say, and your uncle had no choice but to pin you to the ground.
"I can't let you go! This is national policy! Now you listen, closely, (Y/N)..." He lifted you back up by the collar. "Don't give me a hard time. Are we clear?" He said firmly and clearly. He genuinely seemed furious, and you've never seen him this mad. Though he rarely ever smiles, he also doesn't get this angry with you.
"It's no use, (Y/N). In the end, he's just another company man. When it comes to shove, he'll just follow orders to save his own skin." Karma said.
"That's exactly right. My position lets me protect people when they need it most. Besides, even going by my own conviction, I'm thinking he should be killed after all." He started walking away to leave the tent. "Arrange transportation and escorts for them at once." He told the veteran who was in the tent with you guys.
"Sir!" He saluted.
"Dammit! Karasuma, that bastard!" Terasaka clenched his teeth.
"Terasaka..." Nagisa said.
"Huh?"
"Mr. Karasuma just said 'Don't give me a hard time' --very clearly."
"Yeah? So what?"
"Remember what he said earlier?"
"What do you mean?"
"You mean how he said if he ever has a hard time, he'd trust us? With no hesitation?" You stepped in.
"Yes, exactly! So, I think 'don't give me a hard time' means he trusts us and can count on us to handle things. We have Mr. Karasuma's trust-- he's leaving this to us. So... Let's put our heads together and sort it all out: What we want to accomplish, what we're capable of, and what Professor Koro would want us to do."
You wanted to agree, but you just wanted to be left alone at this moment. You understood your uncle's perspective, but you felt so used.
"You can go ahead and do that..." You said.
"Huh..? What do you mean..?" Nagisa asked.
"... I dunno..." Everyone can read on your face that something has deeply upset you.
"What's wrong? Is it because Mr. Karasuma pinned you down too hard? Are you hurt?" Okuda asked you in a concerning way.
"No... It's just..." Your anger was starting to pile up. You felt so angry at everything that was going on. You felt so frustrated that tears started falling before you could even realize.
"Hey, are you okay?" Nagisa approached you and Karma came to your side.
Now you feel even more angry that you're embarrassing yourself like this. The entire room went quiet, and it felt like a whole hour, but the silence only lasted a few seconds. During those few seconds, you made up your mind.
"God... I really tried to keep this locked up..." You quietly said.
"What do you mean..?"
You tried getting your words out, but you started to regret saying what you said. Karma then put his arm around you and put his hand on your shoulder. The sensation of his arm comforted you, but also felt a little funny.
"This was going to be revealed soon anyway." He said. "(Y/N) has something to tell you guys, and if she can't say it, I will. Is that okay?" You gave him one nod. "Alright. This has been something she had to hide, but it looks like it can't be helped. No need to beat around the bush, so here it goes. Karasuma is her uncle."
There really wasn't much of a dramatic reaction, but everyone did get taken aback a bit. Well, except Kayano. They pretty much had the same exact reaction as her, but they all had different questions.
"Why did you have to keep this a secret?" Kataoka asked.
"I'm sorry, but he told me to. I'm not exactly sure why, but he probably did it for the sake of my safety." You answered. "Plus... I was a little afraid you guys would treat me differently."
"Then how does Karma know? Does anyone else know?" Terasaka asked, feeling a bit frustrated.
"Karma overheard me talking to him on my first day here. And one other person knows, who is Kaede. I told her when I visited her in the hospital."
"So you're sayin' Karma knew from the very start??" Terasaka got more frustrated.
"I'm sorry if you guys feel betrayed or manipulated. I really don't know what to say... But please don't be angry at him. He's the only family member I have, and I'm not gonna tolerate any shit talks."
"Wait, what do you mean, 'the only family member' you have?" Maehara asked.
"...When I was a baby, my parents died. I don't remember what they look like, but my uncle has been taking care of me since then."
"Hey... (Y/N). You really didn't have to keep this away from us." Nagisa stepped towards you. "Maybe sure, your uncle wanted you to be safe, but we're friends. Or classmates at least, and we trust each other. Or, erm, maybe you didn't really like us at first, but you started treating us more like friends, and you didn't have to keep it a secret for that long. But, it is your choice at the end of the day so you can do whatever makes you comfortable. But thank you for telling us." He gave you a warm smile.
Your friends then gently hugged you, and you slightly broke down again. You thanked them, and you told them you'll reconsider Nagisa's plan.
(A/N): ah, yes. It's been a while... Again... I've been getting bombarded with mental health issues, once again, but I'm doing good now! I've been talking to a therapist, have been clean for over a year now, and I'm just doing so much better overall. I am now a high school student, so I never really had much time to upload. I didn't have a lot of work, since teachers are going easy on us after quarantine, but I wasn't allowed on my computer during weekdays, and I wanted to use my weekends to relax. I also didn't want to use my school laptop to write, as I didn't know what was being monitored and what wasn't... I don't need that in my high school records... Also I didn't want to jump scare myself with Wattpad on my screen whenever I opened my laptop during class LOL. But it's summer break now, and I'm hoping to finish this fan fiction very soon. I believe there's only one chapter left, and I'll try my best to finish it by the end of this month, if not sooner! Anyways, thank you so so so so so much for being patient, and have a good day/night!