Chapter Text
PREVIOUSLY
Suo was right. A small smile appeared on his face. “Well... yeah.” He glanced at Sakura before looking back at the others. “We did meet again.” He paused for a moment.
“And during that time... it wasn't just me.”
A nostalgic look crossed his face.
“Sakura became friends with the rest of my classmates as well.”
“…Class 3-E.”
FLASHBACK
The atmosphere in Class 3-E was the same as usual, with all of them chatting among themselves before the class started. A few minutes later, the back door opened with great force, followed by Terasaka and his gang, who appeared to be in a bad mood. The moment they entered the class, they took their seats and started muttering something under their breath that the others couldn't quite hear.
Nagisa approached them and asked, “Are you guys okay? Why do you look so mad?” Terasaka answered while grumbling, “We were annoyed by a group of students from the main building on our way to school.” Maehara, who heard that, said, “Aren't we always bothered by them? Why would you get mad about that? It happens all the time, even after we beat them.”
Yoshida, who heard that, angrily replied, “That's not why we're mad!” Muramatsu continued, “Someone from another school interrupted us when those main-building bastards were about to start something. He stepped in and beat all of them. After that, he looked at us and called us losers. Who wouldn't get mad at that? We didn't even ask for his help!”
The rest of the class listened, looking confused and somewhat curious. It was rare for someone from another school to interfere with them, especially since their school was considered one of the prestigious schools in the area.
Karma stood up from his seat and approached them. “Heh~ I didn't expect someone to beat Terasaka~ That person must be pretty strong. I want to meet him~” he said, keeping his hands in his pockets in his usual stance.
The classroom atmosphere returned to normal as Terasaka shouted in denial, while Karma continued teasing and throwing sarcastic remarks at him. Even though the classroom was filled with laughter, Nagisa couldn't shake the feeling that he wanted to meet the person who was brave enough to involve himself with the students from Kunugigaoka Junior High School.
After the last lesson, all of the students went their separate ways, as their assassination training had been canceled because Karasuma-sensei had gone to a government meeting to discuss the mission.
Only Nagisa, Karma, Kayano, Isogai, and Maehara remained in the classroom. They decided to visit the newest café that had recently opened nearby.Just before they left the classroom, Koro-sensei entered with his usual sly smile and playful personality. “Nuruhuhuhuhuh~! Looks like you five are going to the new café, huh? CAN I TAG ALONG? PLEASE! I WANNA TRY THEIR CARAMEL PUDDING! And I heard the waitresses there are wearing short skir—ehem, ehem! I mean, I simply want to try their desserts!”
The students exchanged looks before slowly turning toward him with disgusted expressions. “Didn't Karasuma-sensei already warn you about appearing in public, Sensei?” Isogai asked, giving him a tired look. “Do you really want to get scolded again?” Koro-sensei pleaded, clasping his tentacles together, “But... please! Just this once! I promise I'll behave myself!”
The five students looked at each other, clearly unsure whether bringing Koro-sensei along was a good idea. After thinking about it for a while, they finally gave in. “Okay,” Isogai said with a sigh. “But promise us you won't attract too much attention.” “Yeah,” Maehara added. “The last thing we need is for everyone to start freaking out because a giant yellow octopus is walking around with us.” “And don't do anything weird,” Kayano warned. Koro-sensei happily nodded. “Nuruhuhuhuhuh~! I promise! I shall be the most well-behaved teacher in the entire café!”
The five students exchanged another doubtful look. They clearly weren't convinced.
The walk was filled with laughter and conversations among the students, while Koro-sensei, disguised as someone who looked suspiciously like Karasuma-sensei, walked alongside them. As they passed by an alley, they suddenly heard a commotion coming from inside. “Hm? What's that?” Nagisa asked, slowing down. “Should we check? Who knows, maybe someone needs help.”
“If it's a fight, I'm in,” Karma said with a grin. “I bet it'll be fun~” The others followed them into the alley. The further they went, the louder the noise became. Then, they finally saw what was happening. A student was surrounded by a group of other students who clearly outnumbered him. The group immediately looked ready to help, but before they could step in, they froze. The lone student moved incredibly fast. Within moments, he had taken down several of them, leaving the others struggling to keep up with him.
“Whoa...” Maehara muttered in surprise. The student was wearing a hoodie, making it difficult for them to see his face clearly. After a few minutes, the brawl finally came to an end. The student stood among the others and slowly turned around, his hood still covering most of his face. For a brief moment, they could see part of his face.
The boy looked young, perhaps around the same age as them. But what immediately caught their attention was his appearance. Strands of messy, two-toned hair escaped from underneath his hood, the distinct black and white colors impossible to miss. Then there were his eyes. One was a deep shade of blue, so dark that it almost looked black. The other was a striking golden yellow. Even under the shadow of his hood, those mismatched eyes stood out.
Nagisa froze at the sight. The person standing in front of him now was the very person he had been looking for.
His first friend.
Sakura Haruka.
“Sakura?”
The name came out automatically as Nagisa took a few steps forward.
The boy froze. Sakura looked at him, equally shocked by the unexpected encounter.
“...Nagisa?”
The others remained silent, but their expressions were filled with confusion as they looked between the two.
How does Nagisa know this guy?
Before either of them could continue their conversation, one of the boys who had lost the fight suddenly got back on his feet and swung a metal pipe directly at Sakura. Sakura noticed it just in time. He quickly defended himself and knocked the boy down.
Sakura turned around, seemingly ready to leave. But before he could take another step, Nagisa reached out and grabbed his hand. “You're Sakura, right?” His voice trembled slightly. Sakura remained silent.
Nagisa gently pulled him back to face him, placing both hands on his shoulders. “Where have you been?! I've been looking for you all this time!” His voice became shaky as all the emotions he had kept inside for years came rushing back. “Do you know how I felt after I read that letter?”
He lowered his head, his grip on Sakura's shoulders tightening slightly. “I thought I was the worst person ever... I kept thinking that if I had been brave enough to stand up for you when you being corner by my mother, maybe you wouldn’t have been kicked out of school and sent back to the orphanage.”
He looked back at Sakura, his eyes filled with emotion. “Please, Sakura...” His voice softened. “Don't leave me again.”
Sakura remained silent, his expression unreadable.
Meanwhile, the others could only stand there and watch, unsure of how to react. They had no idea who this boy was or what kind of history he and Nagisa shared. However, even without knowing the details, they could clearly feel the tension between the two of them.
After a long silence, Sakura chuckled softly before speaking.
“...You haven't changed at all.”
Sakura smiled at Nagisa. “You should stop blaming yourself for something you didn't do.” He slowly let go of Nagisa's hand. “After all, it was my decision to leave. Staying with those people wasn't bringing me any good memories anyway.”
Sakura walked past Nagisa and sat down on one of the wooden boxes nearby. He gestured for Nagisa to sit beside him. Nagisa glanced at his friends and teacher before turning back to them. “You guys go ahead first. There's something I need to discuss with him.” Kayano looked at Nagisa with a slightly concerned expression. “Do you know him, Nagisa?” Nagisa looked at her back. “Yes. He was my friend from first grade until second grade.” Karma raised an eyebrow. “Hmm? But I don't know him.”
“That’s because he left our school before you transferred there.” Koro-sensei looked at Nagisa with concern. “Are you sure everything is okay, Nagisa-kun?” Nagisa went quiet for a moment before answering. “There's something I need to settle once and for all.” He gave them a small smile. “Don't worry. I plan to talk to him without getting into a fight, so you guys can go ahead to the café.”
The others exchanged glances, considering his suggestion. “Fine. But if anything happens, contact us immediately,” Isogai said. “We'll come running straight to you, so don't be afraid,” Maehara added playfully. Despite his joking tone, the concern in his voice was obvious. With that, they finally left, though they did so with some hesitation, still worried about leaving Nagisa alone.
After watching his friends and teacher disappear from sight, Nagisa remained standing for a moment, his eyes following them until they were completely out of sight. He let out a small sigh before turning back toward Sakura. Nagisa walked over and sat down beside him, leaving a small space between them.
For a moment, neither of them said anything. The alley fell quiet again, leaving only the two of them. Nagisa looked at Sakura from the side, unsure where to begin. There were so many questions running through his mind that he didn't even know which one to ask first. Sakura noticed his hesitation and glanced at him. “So, what do you want to know about?”
Nagisa hesitated for a moment before finally asking, “Where did you go after that?” He lowered his gaze, his fingers fidgeting slightly. “I knew that you were sent back to an orphanage, but... where was it?” He looked at Sakura again. “I really wanted to find you. I wanted to clear everything up between us, but I didn't even know where you went...”
Sakura simply shrugged, his expression remaining calm. “I didn't go anywhere far. The orphanage was somewhere in a remote area, far from the town.” He paused for a moment before glancing at Nagisa. “So even if I told you where it was, you probably wouldn't know the place anyway. It wasn't exactly a place people would know about.”
Sakura leaned back slightly against the wall behind him. “After all, nothing good came from you sticking around with me, Nagisa. Don't you remember those times? That's why I told you to forget about me and forget what happened.” The two of them fell silent. For a moment, neither of them said anything. Then suddenly...
“How can I...?”
Sakura furrowed his eyebrows. "Hmm?”
Nagisa looked up at him, his expression filled with determination. “How can I forget those times?!” His voice trembled slightly, but he didn't look away. “You're my friend! My first ever friend! How could I just forget you because of what happened?” Nagisa clenched his fists. “Do you really think I'm the kind of person who can just throw away all those memories and pretend they never happened?” He looked straight into Sakura's eyes. “What do you take me for?”
Sakura fell silent. He hadn't expected Nagisa to take their friendship so seriously. For years, he had convinced himself that he was better off alone, so he never imagined that Nagisa would still hold on to their friendship after everything that had happened. A soft laugh escaped him. “Ha... I'm such an idiot. How could I ever think an idiot like you would actually listen to me?”
“Oi!”
“However...” Sakura's smile slowly softened. “Thank you for still thinking about me.” He looked down for a moment before continuing. “To be honest, I've given up on people for a long time. I got to the point where I started believing that maybe I was just meant to be alone.” Sakura paused, his voice quieter this time. “So... thank you, Nagisa. For still considering me your friend even after I left. And thank you for not giving up on me.” He turned to look at Nagisa and gave him a small smile. “I really appreciate it.”
Nagisa smiled at his words. “Sure.”
Sakura gave a small smile before looking away.
“...Anyway.”
He turned back toward Nagisa. “Who are those people you came here with?” Sakura paused for a moment before a teasing smile appeared on his face. “Also... is that girl your girlfriend?” He asked with a playful tone, clearly enjoying the chance to tease Nagisa.
Nagisa immediately became flustered. “W-What do you mean, girlfriend?! Kayano and I are just friends!”
“Heh, I see.”
“I’m serious!”
Sakura couldn't hold back his laughter as he watched Nagisa's reaction. “So... are they all your friends?"
“Oh, them? They're my classmates.” Nagisa answer the questions, forgetting how annoyed he is with sakura. Sakura raised an eyebrow, looking slightly surprised.
“Your classmates? I don't remember seeing any of those guys in our class when I was there.” Sakura thought for a moment, trying to recall the students he had seen back when he was still in Class D. Nagisa scratched the back of his head, letting out an awkward laugh. “Ahaha... well, I'm not in that class anymore.” Sakura turned to him. “Then which class are you in?”
Nagisa smiled awkwardly. “I'm in Class E now.”
Sakura froze. “...What?”
“Class E.”
“WHAT?!”
Nagisa flinched at Sakura's sudden shout. “Why are you so surprised?!”
“WHY ARE YOU IN CLASS E?! THAT CLASS IS FOR PEOPLE LIKE ME! NOT YOU!”
Sakura couldn't understand why Nagisa had ended up in Class E instead of staying in Class D. He knew Nagisa wasn't exactly the smartest student in their year, but that didn't mean he deserved to be placed in that class. Class E wasn't just another ordinary class. The students assigned there were treated differently from everyone else in the main building. They were isolated on the mountain, separated from the rest of the school, as if they were being pushed away and forgotten.
Sakura knew exactly what that meant. Being placed in Class E meant becoming a target for the students from the main building. The separation between the two classes only made the difference in how they were treated even more obvious. So hearing that Nagisa was now part of Class E left Sakura genuinely confused.
“Why would they put you there?”
“Many things happened, but I don't really care anymore. After all, I love being in that class.” Nagisa smiled softly as he thought about his classmates. “My classmates are all kind and nice. They're not like those people who pretend to be your friends just so they can hurt you later or betray you.” He paused for a moment, his smile growing a little wider. “Everyone in Class 3-E is genuinely sincere. They might be a little weird sometimes, but they're all really good people.” Nagisa let out a small laugh. “Honestly, I never thought I would meet people like them in this school. It almost feels impossible to find people who are this genuine.”
Sakura stared at Nagisa for a moment, quietly observing the way his expression had softened whenever he talked about his classmates. It was different from the Nagisa he remembered from Class D. Back then, Nagisa had always been polite and friendly, but there was a certain emptiness to his smile whenever he talked about school.
Now, however, there was genuine warmth in his eyes.
“Is that so?”
Sakura's lips curled into a small smile. “Then that's good.” He leaned back against the wall, looking a little more relaxed. “But if they ever make your life difficult, tell me.” Sakura glanced at Nagisa with a serious expression. “I'll beat them up for you.”
After talking for a while longer, the two of them eventually noticed how late it had gotten. The sky above them had slowly turned orange as the sun began to set, casting a warm glow over the quiet alley.
Nagisa glanced up at the sky before letting out a small sigh. “Okay, I should get going, or my caretaker will get cranky.” He stood up and dusted himself off. “I just moved here two days ago, so I don't want to cause any trouble or make them worry if I come home late.” Sakura gave Nagisa a small smile. “Besides, I don't want to leave just yet.”
Nagisa return the smile. “We can still meet, right? How about we meet again after school tomorrow?” He paused for a moment before adding, “Maybe we should exchange contact information too, so we can keep in touch.”
Sakura thought for a moment before agreeing. The two of them exchanged contact information before finally parting ways. Before leaving, they promised to meet at the park near Nagisa’s school after school the next day. With that promise in mind, they went their separate ways.