Chapter Text
A normal, an average human thrown into a lion’s den. Clipboard over his knee, Yuuri’s pen bobbed up and down as he documented everything. From the cheeky delinquents that folded paper airplanes, to the students up front who were actually trying to learn, from the innocents with their assassination plans shining over their faces, and to those really perverted boys who exchanged crude drawings of something. Yuuri loosened his collar. The general atmosphere in Classroom 3-E hasn’t disappointed him one bit. A group of kids cooped together because of one reason or another. Grades, behavior, or attendance. Each student conveyed their situation so vividly that Yuuri had to refrain himself from documenting that as well. The girl up front-- Nakamura Rio-- glanced to the back of the classroom. Every now and then, meeting Yuuri’s gaze and waving. Yuuri waved back on the first instance, but the gesture got lower and lower until all Yuuri could do was scratch his cheek to make him seem boring.
This was probably the worst situation to meet a fan. In any other circumstance, Yuuri and Rio would have had a friendly conversation about the last skating season-- while Yuuri tried to keep an upbeat attitude, despite the losses. In the current situation, Yuuri had to zip his mouth and act like an adult. Pretty strange since he was a chill person in real life. No, but if he was too lax here, Life would throw a bigger monkey wrench at him. This wasn’t just about winning gold anymore or etching one’s name down in history. This was about saving the world from a tentacle fiend, and Yuuri was merely an observer. Watching this class of misfits pull it together. Yuuri twirled his pen between his fingers.
It seemed that most of the students were working on their own solo plans for the assassination. There didn’t seem to be any cooperation between fellow students, and Yuuri wasn’t an assassin so he couldn’t judge. The occupation did seem solitary but if a large group of people were tasked to take someone down, there was an ease that set the mind in motion if one was with others than all alone. Kind of reminded Yuuri of figure skating.
Out on the ice, a skater was by themselves. Pushing their body to great lengths and heights to get a fraction of an edge over the competition. However, it wasn’t just the skater that was fighting. It was the coach or the coaches that helped shape the programs. It was the support from family and friends when they watched from the sidelines or on the big screen. It was the cry of fans, roaring in the background and applauding no matter what happened.
Like assassins, skaters weren’t alone. The two occupations-- though very different-- were very much the same.
A target was on the eyes, and it took the cooperation of many to make the figurative or literal kill possible. Yuuri shook his head. Nope, don’t get distracted. Skating was his past life. Being a monitor was his life right now. To mix both lives together would be dangerous, and Yuuri had the same obligation like every student here. Find Koro-sensei’s weakness and exploit it, or go in for the kill when the opportunity presented itself. Already, there were a few notable clues. The ever-changing color over Koro-sensei’s face conveyed his mood, and Yuuri smiled when one of the students kept a running list of what all the colors meant. Yuuri believed that the student’s name was Shiota Nagisa. It wouldn’t be too strange if Yuuri asked Nagisa if he could look at the notes, right?
After all, the class had already seen some of what Yuuri could do. Courtesy of Kimura Masayoshi-- the quick-draw hotshot that the skater took by surprise at the end of the last chapter. The boy was evidently very scared of Yuuri, and the latter didn’t mean that at all. Yuuri’s reflexes got the best of him, and he sent apologetic nods to Kimura whenever the boy glanced back. Shuddering in fear when he caught sight of Yuuri, he didn’t notice the nods and continued trembling in his seat. Yuuri will have to clear the air between them soon. Scaring a student wasn’t intentional, and Yuuri couldn’t live with the guilt.
When lunch break came around, Koro-sensei set his chalk piece aside and magically dodged every BB that came his way. Again, every student was firing with all their might and this was probably the only time there was any cooperation between the students. Other than that, when all the BBs were gone, the class’ attitude deflated significantly when Koro-sensei left the room. Perched in the back of the class, Yuuri tossed and twirled his Anti-Sensei knife like he was twirling a pencil back in the old days. His firearm was still in the teacher’s lounge, but Yuuri had no intention of using it. With his own hands, he wanted to see the look of anguish over Koro-sensei’s beady, little eyes. While Yuuri’s knife was down the teacher’s back. The literal example of a backstabber, but Yuuri knew that a chance like that would never happen. Not with the entire class hell-bent on firing like crazy. There was no chance in hell that Yuuri could get close without getting hit. He sighed.
During the lunch break, a lot of the girls stopped by to talk to him. Some admiring that he was an international athlete, others coming by to introduce themselves and to warmly welcome Yuuri to the class, and a few athletes came up to ask Yuuri about his training regime. Yuuri told them that this was his off-season but during the P.E. period, he’ll definitely be around for scouting or to polish his flexibility and reflexes. Yuuri even showed the girls his skates. Murderous stares came from the front of the classroom, jealous boys that were pissed that Yuuri had almost everyone’s attention.
In their eyes, Yuuri was this cool adult that had a wicked life. Traveled internationally? The most traveling that some of the boys had done was within the country while Yuuri soared to every continent. Heck, he probably skated in Antarctica and won fame and money there. To some of the boys, Yuuri was like every girl’s first dream-date. Mature but funny, older but still current with the times, young but old enough to treat a lady just right.
Disregarding the ten percent that viewed Yuuri negatively, the other guys saw Yuuri as a chill, dangerous dude. Anybody who could whip out a knife to stop a student from shooting their teacher earned mad-respect, and Yuuri was amicable. Much like Koro-sensei, but without the due date for an explosion. And yet, there were still some that thought Yuuri was way out of his league. An adult spending the rest of the year monitoring the class? Yeah right, what kind of joke was that? The only reason why Yuuri was here was because the government didn’t trust a bunch of adolescents for an assassination. Figure skater? Please. Yuuri can talk the talk, but can he back up his claims? Terasaka didn’t believe so. Yuuri was a just distraction from the ultimate goal. Killing Koro-sensei.
While everyone was distracted, Terasaka and his friends went outside for some fresh air. Nagisa was out there too, reviewing over his observation notes. When he heard footsteps behind him, Nagisa turned around and saw Terasaka and his crew. The shorter boy wanted to share his notes, but the ring leader told him to zip it and listen. From the classroom, Yuuri could glance over and see the boys clearly, but he had no idea what they were discussing. Whatever it was, Yuuri couldn’t look away. This was the first instance of planned cooperation he had seen all day. Something was going to happen, Yuuri knew it.
Fast-forward to later that afternoon, Koro-sensei posted a funny little assignment on the chalkboard. Each student was tasked to write their own original poem, but it had to end with “Was tentacles all along.” Pretty weird ending, and Koro-sensei’s own free poem was just as strange. It was an interesting assignment so while the students worked, Yuuri wrote his own free poem as well. Barely three lines into his version, someone stood up and brought their assignment forward. Yuuri glanced up. A boy-- Nagisa was his name, right?-- walked very casually up to Koro-sensei. The teacher smiling-- well, Koro-sensei was always smiling. At the last second, instead of turning in his paper, Nagisa pulled out his Anti-Sensei knife and went straight for the kill.
But even before then, Yuuri caught sight of something odd . When he initially heard Nagisa rise from his seat, there was a hint of hesitation. As if Nagisa wasn’t sure if he could go through with the plan he had in mind. Slight imbalance when he got up, but his footsteps and posture evened out with each second. Approaching ever closer to Koro-sensei. A haughty chuckle from Terasaka. A pause from Kayano Kaede’s writing hand when she looked up to watch her classmate. Yuuri noticed it all as well as the rest of the class. Nagisa’s footsteps intensified before the boy swooped in for the kill. Like the classified folder said, Mach 20 was no joke for a groggy Koro-sensei. He blocked Nagisa’s weapon, holding it firmly with a handkerchief in between his tentacle and the blade.
And then, Nagisa threw himself into his teacher’s arms, for lack of a better word. In a split second, a light bulb clicked in Koro-sensei’s head. Terasaka jumped up, pushing the button for a trigger. An explosion came in between Koro-sensei and Nagisa. Anti-Sensei BBs spraying in all directions. Kids took cover under their desks, and Yuuri hid behind his clipboard when BBs ricocheted and flew towards him. When the smoke cleared, Terasaka was the only one laughing. His little gang cheered, but the rest of the class looked at the boys as if they were insane. They were! Yuuri cracked his pens. The boys had just sacrificed a classmate for all of this , and not a slice of remorse bittered the taste of sweet victory of their tongues.
Their fellow classmates called them out, and Terasaka told everyone to shut up. Sure, Nagisa was a goner, but Koro-sensei was as good as dead. Wasn’t that the whole point of this stupid assassination game? But even so, Terasaka and his gang could’ve handled it better. Could’ve handled it without treating a fellow classmate like a piece of meat. Either way, Terasaka argued that the blast didn’t have enough oomph to kill anybody. At most, Nagisa would have a medical bill and with the thirty trillion yen on the line, it was like paying a cent to the hospital in Terasaka’s eyes. Down on the floor, Terasaka poked and tugged at a strange skin-casing that had Nagisa under its wraps. Growling came from above.
A dark, menacing Koro-sensei hissed from the ceiling. Demanding an explanation. Koro-sensei told the class that he had shed his husk to protect Nagisa and added that Terasaka should count himself lucky that the blast was slow enough for Koro-sensei to do what he had to. Terasaka, Yoshida, and Muramatsu quivered as Koro-sensei’s dark aura encased the classroom. Yuuri held his breath. Sunlight no longer shone into the classroom. Completely curtained by this intoxicating anger that transformed the comedic Koro-sensei into a monster. Suddenly, Koro-sensei disappeared like a ninja. Name plates from houses suddenly piled up in front of the classroom. Names of Terasaka, Yoshida, and Muramatsu’s friends and family.
Koro-sensei came back. Not as dark as before, but still just as menacing. He had agreed beforehand to not harm any student, but that agreement didn’t extend to friends and family. Per se. And then suddenly, Koro-sensei was back to his chill, teacher self. True, Terasaka tried to defend himself. Saying that everyone wasn’t going to sit aside and wait for the earth to be blown up. Drastic measures had to be taken for survival, and Koro-sensei wholeheartedly agreed. However, throwing away your own life to achieve something didn’t sound very sustainable. Koro-sensei drove the lesson home by advising everyone to take pride in their accomplishments and works as assassins and to never lower yourself in the eyes of the enemy.
Though it wasn’t a class observation, Yuuri jotted down Koro-sensei’s words and branded the lesson into his heart. The octopus really does care about his students. Why else would he leave such impactful words after an assassination attempt? Yuuri’s mood perked up when Nagisa’s perked up. The little boy who thought he was invisible finally had the pleasure in being seen. A bit of confidence stacked itself under Nagisa’s feet, giving him a boost to meet his teacher and his peers on equal footing. As a teacher, that had to be one of the best feelings in the world for Koro-sensei. As a former-student and current-athlete, it gave Yuuri a little boost. Something small for him to poke his head out from this self-doubt he had drowned himself in.
Assassins and skaters-- though very different-- were very much the same.