The sun was shining down on the old campus building. And what were we doing on this beautiful day? We were looking for bugs.
Yeah, I'm not proud of it either.
"Whoa, just look at 'em all!" Sugino exclaimed.
"Ah, summer vacation—and the freedom of being out of school!" Nagisa said ironically, sighing. "Or so you'd think." He looked at Sugino pointedly as the boy carefully picked up one of the beetles. "Why are we here at school?"
Sugino smiled sheepishly. "Well...I don't want everyone to see me out catching bugs at my age."
"And because of that, you let ME find out?" I asked, jokingly. "I'm totally gonna make fun of you for this,"
"Yeah but you're nice about it," Sugino replied and I shrugged.
That's debatable.
"Why did you make me come with you?" Itona asked.
"Because you need to make friends," I muttered.
He held up the bug. "I'm a city boy—I've always wanted to do this. And Karma happened to point me to a tree with some good bugs on it."
"Hold on? You told Karma!? That's worse than telling me!" I shouted in shock.
He turned around where Hiroto was leaning against a tree. "I didn't expect you to come, Maehara. Never pegged you as an insect fan."
Maehara smiled and turned around."Our next assassination be at that island resort, right?" He smirked. "Wouldn't you say we're missing a little something?"
"Like what?" Sugino replied.
"MONEY!" Hiroto's eyes shone with Yen signs.
"You need buying power if you're gonna snag yourself a swimsuit babe!" He looked down at the bug.
"That's gross dude," I muttered.
"You only say that because you already have one!" Maehara shouted.
A few seconds later he was in a headlock, begging to be let go.
"I think he's forgotten what this trip's all about," Sugino said.
Nagisa smiled sheepishly. "Yeah, not exactly a fifteen-year-old's vacation plans."
"That won't work," Kurahashi said from where she was perched in the tree.
I looked up at her and let Maehara go, he scampered away and hid behind Sugino.
Maehara looked up at her. "Huh?"
Hinano smiled. "Giant stag beetles? Those are old news."
"Kurahashi?" Hiroto replied.
"Morning!" Her smile brightened. "You're all here to scrape up some spending money too, huh?"
Sugino and Nagisa wandered over. "Hey, what do you mean stag beetles are old news?" Sugino asked.
"Well..." Kurahashi climbed down the tree. "I guess they were super pricey right around when we were born. But today's artificial breeding has saturated the market, bringing their prices way down."
"The Great Stag Beetle Crash!" Maehara looked horrified, while Kurahashi smiled. "I thought one beetle would about pay for one babe."
"No way. These days babes are way more expensive," Kurahashi replied flippantly.
"You sure know a lot about this, Kurahashi," Sugino said, stretching. "Are you into bugs?"
"Yep!" Kurahashi looked over her shoulder. "Along with every other living thing!" Her smile brightened with excitement. "Hey, since we're all here..." She turned back to the rest of them. "Let's all go bug hunting!" She announced, skipping. "We're bound to find tons if we all try!"
Kurahashi smiled and looked around excitedly for more bugs.
Later on, we were busy searching for more insects in the woods and had caught a bag full of colorful beetles.
"Why are we looking for bugs?" Itona asked and I shrugged.
"Fun little bro, we're doing it for fun," I replied and Itona scowled
"We're not brothers," he complained
"Mmm, pretty nice haul," Kurahashi said.
"Whoa! Did you set this?" Sugino asked in amazement.
"My own homemade trap." Slices of pineapple and banana were shown and were placed into a plastic bag filled with water. "I put it out last night."
Huh, neat.
"There are about twenty more of them out here," she told the boys, as she read a map. "So that's about a thousand yen per piece if we're lucky."
"Not too shabby for a side job!" Sugino commented.
Hinano rolled up the map. "I hope we caught the one I was looking for!"
Then suddenly there was a rumble of laughter.
"What an ineffective trap." Okajima's voice rang out. "And you call yourself the E Class."
"Okajima?"
Okajima was casually sitting on a tree branch reading a magazine.
"Pulling in a measly thousand yen at a time? Yeah, right," he said smugly. "My trap will bring in a cool ten billion!" He snapped the magazine shut and jumped down from the tree. "Oof."
Another assassination attempt huh? Sounds like fun.
"Ten billion...you don't mean...?" Nagisa trailed off.
"Does that idiot plan to kill the octopus?" Itona asked, I began to laugh hysterically.
"Oh, but I do," Okajima replied confidently, looking over his shoulder. Ignoring Itona's comment. "If we're planning an assassination on this southern isle, that octopus be letting his guard down in the meantime." He started to walk through the woods as the others followed. "And that's what I'm after."
Koro-sensei was bright pink and sitting in the middle of the forest reading a pile of dirty adult magazines.
...
What?
Okajima giggled while the rest of us groaned.
"Oh yeah—here we go!" he said excitedly. "He went right for my dirty-book trap!"
Okajima smirked. "Every mountain has one: the porn repository. The kids who find their dreams there grow old enough to buy their own dirty magazines. Then leave behind dreams for someone else to find."
What?
"It's a place of never-ending dreams." Okajima turned to Nagisa and Hinano.
If Rinka finds out I've seen this she'll kick my ass and then burn this part of the forest to the ground.
"I'm glad you're here! Lend me a hand— Our porn power'll give him a dream he'll never wake up from!"
Nagisa sighed in exasperation.
Yeah me too buddy.
Okajima looked back at Koro-sensei. "I did some major research into his top turn-ons, y'know," he explained. "Can't buy the stuff myself, but I found a few."
Nagisa frowned. "Wouldn't he like anything with big boobs?"
Okajima showed him his phone. "As it turns out, yeah."
Koro-sensei was shown pink-faced as he read a dirty magazine.
"Dirty magazines are dreams. Everyone looks for his ideal in their pages." Koro-sensei was shown dull-faced and not like the S&M mania magazine. "Photo's and Manga too." Now Koro-sensei was confused as he read 'pleasure forest'. "The tiniest difference gets a whole other response."
"That's amazing, Okajima!" Nagisa exclaimed, looking at the photos. "So for the last month, you've been swapping out porn and carefully observing his reactions?"
Sugino groaned. "No grown-ups ought to be picking up a month's worth of porn mags!" He sighed. "That's just sad."
"Yeah," I muttered in disappointment.
Itona sat next to me and just stared at the scene in amazement.
"It's just like your traps, Kurahashi," Okajima smirked, glancing over his shoulder. "You absorbed in studying your prey for a long time too right?"
"Uh, yeah." She nodded.
Okajima looked focused. "I've got a dirty mind. If you wanna hate me for it, go on ahead," he said bluntly.
The fact that he's so blunt about it is actually kinda admirable.
His knife was under a dirty magazine issue of 'Half-nude monthly.' "But it's only because I'm a super-lech that I know..." He picked up his anti-sensei knife. "In the end. Pornography will save the world," Okajima said confidently as he unsheathed his blade.
Why is he so cool suddenly!?
"Check it out. Under that glorious stack of filth as a net strung with anti-sensei BBs. And he's so distracted he has no clue. When I give the word one of you cut the rope I'll jump in and finish him off," Okajima explained.
But the confidence slipped away when Okajima gaped.
Koro-sensei suddenly perked up like he'd heard or seen something: His eyes suddenly extended outwards.
"What's he doing?" Sugino whispered.
"Why do his eyes go out like that?" Hiroto said.
Okajima looked unnerved. "Yeah. I don't have any data on that face. What kind of point is that signify?"
Over in the trees, there was something Koro-seemed to spot. He chuckled. "You thought you could hide from me." His tentacle whipped out to grab a black stag beetle.
"A Miyama stag beetle with white eyes."
Kurahashi's eyes widened. "Huh!" She jumped out of her hiding place. "Are you serious??!"
Plan foiled.
"Ah, hello, Kurahashi," Koro-sensei greeted, turning around. "Impressive specimen, ey?"
"I know right. Imagine it being in our own backyard." Koro-sensei held up the bug.
Okajima was crying. "Another second and we would have had him!"
Koro-sensei and Kurahashi were jumping up and down excitedly. "I don't get what they're so excited about but a giant stag beetle in the junior high girl dancing on top of a pile of porn isn't something you see every day," Maehara remarked casually.
"Ah!" Koro-sensei stopped when he realized this, and his face filled with shame. "How unbelievably embarrassing!" He hid his face, while he still sat on the stash of porn. "I'm mortified beyond belief. Shame!"
Later on, he was still berating himself while the others gathered around. "Shame on me. The molder of young minds ought to be above this sort of behavior. I knew there was a trap under all this porn."
Okajima looked like he's been caught red-handed. "Yet each magazine was so much more tempting than the last that I had no presence of mind to refuse it!"
"You have an addiction," I muttered.
Sugino frowned and examined the beetle crawling on stag horns on Koro-sensei's head. "So what's the big deal with this beetle. It's just a Miyama stag beetle right?" He rubbed his chin. "Didn't you say that artificial breeding made them all pretty much worthless?"
Hinano smiled. "Actually these go for a lot on account of being very hard to breed a mid-sized one is worth its weight in gold. What is big is this fella we're talking to small fortune?"
Sugino looked up in shock. "Shut up?!"
"Also, observe the color of its eyes," Koro-sensei said, as they examine the beetle's bright white eyes. "Usually, they're black. These however white as the driven snow we've discussed albinism before correct?" Different frogs were shown on screen. "So I assume you're familiar with the concept?"
"Yeah. It's like when an animal is born without pigment or whatever," Sugino replied.
"With stag beetles, albinism is only possible with the eyes. A natural-born Miyama white high as they're called in literature is exceptionally rare. A valuable academic fine to be sure." Koro-sensei examined the beetle before he handed it over to Hinano. "This guy goes for hundreds of thousands of yen.
"Hundreds!" All of us, sans Itona, shouted in shock.
"I told Koro-sensei a while back I wanted to see one up close. He promised to use his eyes to mine them for me," she explained while Koro-sensei did the weird zoom eye thing. "Okay okay, boys. Which one of you rejects wants this baby?"
"ME!" We all raised our hands.
Hinano giggled. "You'll have to catch me first!" She ran off.
"I beg your pardon? I've already done my catching!" Koro-sensei yelled.
We all chased Kurahashi through the woods until Okajima fell into the river.
Again.
____________________
Later on, back at the Old Campus building, the students were gathered outside. on the playing field. We were all practicing shooting while Bitch-sensei lounged in a chair.
"Oh, you adorable brats." She had a drink in her hand as she watched them. "Go ahead and spend summer vacation working up a sweat I'll be relaxing. Thank you very much."
Mimura frowned. "You need this too, Professor Bitch. I'd say everybody here you need to level up the most."
She looked smug. "I'm an adult. We're sneaky. You'll go at him with your customary verve and I'll piggyback on all that hardware to steal the show."
"Will you now?" Lovro appeared behind her. She stiffened. "Some things can be counted on to never change."
Uh oh.
"Ah! Lovro. Sir!" She looked alert.
"He's been hired on as a special instructor for the break," Karasuma said. "We need all the pro tips we can get." Lovro looked unimpressed with her. "He seemed like the obvious choice."
"Relax for even one day and your killing muscles atrophy," Lovro said solemnly. Unless you want to fail wear something respectable!" he shouted.
Bitch-sensei jumped to attention and ran off to get changed. "Yes, sir!"
"What do you know, someone even Miss Bitch doesn't dare mouth off to," Sugaya commented.
"Can't say I blame her, man." Maehara turned around. "He's as scary as they come."
"Thank you for your cooperation." Karasuma looked over at Lovro.
"Do not think me yet, my upright friend. I am afraid I could not manage to establish the contacts you requested," Lovro replied.
"Perhaps your former students were put off by word of the target's difficulty," Karasuma suggested.
"It is likely," Lovro replied while the student prepared to practice shooting. "In any event, we must rely on what we have." Bitch-sensei looked subdued; she had changed into a dark hoodie and combat pants.
"Now. Just to be clear the target is not here?" Lovro asked quietly.
"That's correct. He's taken a sabbatical to Everest and not a big fan of the heat," Karasuma answered.
"If we are to have any chance at all. Secrecy is of utmost importance." Lovro held up a file.
"This is your plan." A diagram showed the seven tentacles being taken out. "You neutralize the eight promise tentacles and take advantage of his reduced speed. The entire class joins in and finishes him off. Not bad but I wondered if you would explain to me this business of psych attack?" He held up the diagram.
"Well, the idea is to throw him off guard and slow slowing down," Nagisa replied.
"Oh, he likes porn," Maehara smirked. "Makes no bones about where he gets it either. Figure we'll use that on him."
"He bought our silence with a round of Popsicles." Hiroto grinned evilly.
"But it's going to take a lot more than that to keep us from spilling the beans"
Terasaka and his friends looked merciless. "Let's gang up and teach the perve a lesson he won't soon forget!"
"It would really get in his head if he threatened to blackmail me. You'll be so freaked out by what we've got," Nagisa said brightly.
"These children are brutal." Lovro sounded proud.
"Thank you," I joked.
"That said...The key to assassination is killing blow. The difference between success and failure is timing and aim."
"Be straight with me. Are you worried the class doesn't have what it takes?" Karasuma said.
"No worry," Lovro smirked. "Not at all. In fact, I am quite confident in them. "
We turned our attention to Rinka and Chiba. "You'll never hear these two brag about their skills. They'd let their results do the talking," Lovro remarked.
"They don't even take compliments either," I muttered.
"You mean they don't accept?" Lovro asked and I shook my head.
"No, they just don't know how to take it. Rinka just blushes and hits me on the head and Chiba just finger guns," I remarked, Lovro raised an eyebrow at me before shrugging.
"Well anyway, I would love to have them as students of my own. But if I speak the truth I would take any in this class. I am amazed at where their talents have grown in so short a time." The class was hitting targets fast. "There is potential here. Much of it"
Fuwa shot down one of the targets. "She has learned to stabilize her. Some discover they should be best in cross-legged positions. Well done."
Fuwa smiled. "Oh, thanks! That means a lot."
"You there." He pointed at Takebayashi. "Mind how you breathe do not force it to find shooting style that best suits you."
Nagisa watched intently.
"So why are you not joining in?" Lovro asked and I shrugged.
"I'm waiting for the Octopus to get back," I replied. "I'm thinking if I shoot him right as he lands I might catch him off, guard,"
Nagisa approached.
Lovro's eyes widened. He turned to him fully. "Young man?"
"I assume you know the best assassin in the world right. But what are they like?" Nagisa asked.
Huh?
"What a bizarre question. Why are you wanting to know, son?" Lovro asked and Nagisa shrugged.
"Just curious I guess," he replied.
Bitch-sensei watched curiously. "Ah, well, in my considered opinion. There can be no question as to who holds the rank of World's Greatest."
Oh?
Nagisa's eyes widened. "Of course, professional killers are a secretive lot. They are rarely known by their given name. This one is no exception. Safe he prefers to go by a very particular nickname The Reaper." Lovro explained.
Ominous.
"Mysterious, elusive, cold as ice trails of the dead in his wake. Death in God in it. An assassin from whom no doubt to get escapes. It is said if a killer cannot finish his job sooner or later the Reaper will step in to do it for them."
Nagisa looked down. "Sounds pretty intimidating. He'd better kill Korra Sensei before someone like him appears..."
"Pay attention, young man." Lovro pointed at him. "I will teach you a technique that works without fail."
Nagisa's eyes widened. "Works without fail?"
The wind ushered by. "Indeed a useful move for all occasions. A gift from an old pro."
The wind blew leaves up into the sky.
Alright, let's begin.
____________________
Koro-sensei was miserable as he and the rest of us rode on a boat toward the island. "UGH! Why did we have to be on a boat?" Koro-sensei complained, leaning his head on the railing. "Couldn't we be taking a plane? Ugh, my head..."
I fired a BB right next to him, as usual, he didn't even move to dodge it.
"Oh, I can see the island from here! We're almost there." Kurahashi yelled as she tried to stab Koro-sensei.
Sugino grinned. "Six whole hours from Tokyo."
Maehara smirked and commented, "The perfect setting for an all-out assassination."
"Okinawa!" My classmates cheered.
We were finally here.
____________________
"On behalf of the Okinawa resort hotel. Welcome. We hope your stay is a pleasant one. Tropical juice compliments of the house. Enjoy!" A chubby man with small eyes served them drinks.
"We are living the high life!" Mimura said, raising his glass.
"You ain't joking, man, everything's so island-ey." Kimura looked around in amazement.
An astute observation there Kimura.
"A hotel right on the beach. Outstanding and a smorgasbord of structured leisure activities." Koro-sensei had his sunglasses on and was relaxing in shade.
"We're saving that you know what till after we eat right now I vote we have some fun island style," Muramatsu said while Yoshida smirked.
"Why don't we all split up into groups as we did on a school trip to Kyoto?" Yoshida suggested slyly.
"Sounds like fun, I did promise Itona I would show him how to have fun," I joked, glancing at my shorter classmate.
Koro-sensei chuckled, taking off his sunglasses. "A grand idea. Play Hard Kill hard. "This is how top-notch assassins get the most out of their summer vacation!"
____________________
"So a vantage point huh?" I muttered as we walked down a trail.
"Yeah, we need a good vantage point," Chiba replied.
"So you two get to land the kill shot huh? Must be exciting," I joked, Rinka raised an eyebrow.
"I just wanna get this job over with, the mission comes before pleasure," Rinka replied, getting a sigh from Sugaya.
"If I didn't know any better I would assume you two were professionals," he muttered.
"So where are you two planning to aim?" Itona asked and Chiba raised an eyebrow.
"His head's a pretty big target," He replied, Itona shook his head.
"The head is no good," he replied, we all turned to him and stared. He sighed. "I figured you guys already knew about his weak spot,"
"Weak spot?" I asked and Itona nodded.
"Yeah, his heart," Itona said. "It's right behind his tie,"
Well, that was huge.
"That's definitely a smaller target," Rinka muttered. I patted her on the shoulder and smiled.
"Don't worry, you're a damn good shot," I complimented. "You too Chiba,"
Rinka blushed while Chiba shot me a pair of finger guns.
"We need to work on your guys' response to compliments," I muttered.
____________________
The sun was setting when the class and Koro-sensei gathered together by the beach. "What fun ay, Sun surf sand, and more sun." His face was charcoal black.
"WHAT'S WITH THE TAN?!" The class yelled.
"How was it even your teeth have a tan?" Kimura questioned in disbelief.
"So much for being able to gauge expression," Okano remarked dryly.
Isogai smirked. "Have fun while you can sir. Because after dinner it's on."
Koro-sensei got up. "Ah, yes. The shipboard restaurant. I'm famished."
"You'd think he'd be worn out by now," Muramatsu commented.
"I'm worn out. How much longer have we got to do this. Can't we just kill him already?" Terasaka grumbled.
"Nah, be patient we'll not come tonight. Then throw in for some real R& R." Yoshida smiled crookedly.
Muramatsu grinned. "So epic. Everything's set up. There's no way we don't have this in the bag."
The restaurant was shown on a boat. Isogai held up a drink. "Neat huh. We rented out the whole restaurant just for us. We can enjoy the ocean air and eat our dinner in private."
"Can we indeed," Koro-sensei sounded amused. "Somehow I get the sneaking suspicion you're trying to get me seasick."
Isogai smiled slyly. "That's a fair assumption. Weakening the target is assassination 101."
Koro-sensei chuckled, a glint in his eye. "Well played, my boy." He took the glass and rested his head in his tentacle palm."What is your gambit as infallible is all that seasick or not a target expecting an attempt on his life isn't likely to take it sitting down." His grin widened.
"You look like a bowling ball." The class was unimpressed.
Koro-sensei was embarrassed. "It's the sunburn isn't it.?"
"Forget your expression we can't even tell the front from the back," Rio commented.
Koro-sensei laughed. "Of course, I can do plenty. Have you children forgotten perhaps my quirkiest quirk? I can molt!" He took his hat off and molted his tanned skin off.
"Um, can't you only do that once a month?"
And doesn't it weaken you?
He held up the dried dead skin. "Or strictly speaking whenever the occasion warrants. But I rely on it sparingly as the energy consumed.." He froze when he realized what he'd just done. "AHHH!" He hid his face.
"Seriously of all the times to put himself at a disadvantage he picks now?" Sugaya commented.
"Sort of makes you wonder why we haven't been able to kill him before," Kataoka said.
"That's a fair question," I muttered.
After the dinner when the board docked Koro-sensei was seasick again. "Hope you got the most out of dinner," Maehara said. It may turn out to have been your last."
"Get a load of the spot we picked out." Sugaya smirked, pointing ahead. Koro-sensei looked up. "It's a floating chapel. Nice and far from the hotel."
Things became tense as they all went inside. The students were brimming with blood lust as Koro-sensei entered. "Come on. It's all right. Have a seat relax," Okajima said, as he, Mimura, and Isogai stood by a TV.
"Might as well. There's nowhere for you to run now.," Isogai said.
Okajima rested his arm on the TV. "What do you say we start things off with a little preshow flick?"
Koro-sensei was smiling but was still on edge. "I dare say things are about to get more than a wee bit interesting. That's right. Let me see that inventive spirit shine through. Show your teacher a classroom of true assassins!"