Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

            First bell rings, another new day is upon them. Thirty students wait with anticipation for their Sensei to arrive, anxious sweat dribbling down their skin as they watch the door like hawks. Sensei is normally so punctual, but that’s not why they feel trepidation in this moment. No, they were the new generation of Class 3-E. The Second Generation, one could say. Freshly enrolled as of last month.

            Koro Mountain Academy. That was the official name for this institution, but it’s fair to say ‘academy’ is a misnomer. For one, they’re the only class of students on this newly opened campus; they have no upperclassmen or underclassmen in this neck of the woods. For two, it’s more like this is an affiliate Cram School… Years ago, this place had ties to Kunugigaoka Junior High, but then it was abandoned when the Chairman at the time was tried in the Court of Opinions for his harsh, cruel teaching methods.

            Surprisingly, this place became a satellite campus again… for the Asano Cram School. That may seem like history repeating itself, but there’s a distinction between Koro Mountain Academy and what it used to be: in the past, this institution served as a symbol of failure and shame. These days, however? Students who didn’t make the cut getting into the Asano Cram School’s main campus were sent here. Not as punishment, not with the intention of eventually returning to the main campus… If anything, Koro Mountain Academy was an appendage to the Asano Cram School. Equally rigorous in every way, the same quality of education that the main campus boasted.

            … At least that’s how they advertised to parents when Koro Mountain Academy officially opened its doors, with Gakuho Asano’s full backing. One of Asano’s staff who had been teaching there for seven years possessed aspirations to branch out, to strike out on his own; but Principal Asano managed to wrangle a compromise out of that passionate teacher, seeing as how his Cram School was booming with parents knowing of Asano’s track record as a reformed educator. The young man was all too happy to take on some of Principal Asano’s backlog of applicant students, since he needed to start somewhere and he did genuinely respect the Principal.

            And that brought them to the here and now… Thirty baby-faced Junior High kids that were going to be in their Third Year, prepping for high school entrance exams. Of course they didn’t want to be here… It was summer. But their parents demanded they sharpen their academics so that they could get into first-pick schools when they graduated Junior High.

            Sensei offered them a carrot for their frustrations. If they could ‘kill’ him, they could skip class for the day (well, the four or five hours that they had together as a class). That’s the rule E-Class lived by… though there was a bit more to it than that. A lot more. Each of them had three maximum attempts to attack Sensei each day; Strike Three, and they had to rein it in until the next day, and they were responsible for marking down their attempts on a board near the entrance to the room so that Sensei and the class could know at all times how many attempts each person had left. Cheaters were given… extra homework. Sensei was a beast with challenging each of them with homework problems personally tailored to them, and no one wanted extra homework…

            The final rule to this absurd game… They could attempt to assassinate him as a class, and if they succeeded as a unit then they got to ditch for a solid week. Only caveats were that they couldn’t endanger anyone else, only him; that meant no hitting bystanders, and no taking each other hostage. High risk, high reward… But that meant each of them only had two attempts remaining if they failed to do him in as a group. … Obviously, they had not succeeded as a unit yet. Everyone was too new to each other, so it was hard to coordinate thirty different people. They could cooperate in groups and clusters, but if that group succeeded they would only get the one day off, not the whole week.

            Today would be different, however. Today… victory would be theirs…!

            They could finally hear the sound of approaching footsteps from outside. That’s the thing about Sensei – you had to keep your senses peeled for him. You wouldn’t always manage it, the guy was just someone that you dropped your guard around without thinking… But if the class was motivated and determined to this extent, then yes, they could make out whether it was his footsteps or not. Sensei had the size of a mouse and moved like one, that’s why it was crucial to be as quiet as possible, so that they wouldn’t miss his ominous approach.

            A few moments later, the door to the classroom slid open. A short blue-haired man wearing beige dress pants, a navy blue vest, a white dress shirt with the sleeves rolled up, and a black tie with a yellow crescent moon on it came strolling into the classroom with a peaceful, easygoing smile on his face as he made his way to the podium at the front of the room. The man carried a simple rectangular white bag with him, his teaching materials stored within, and he dumped the bag on the floor at his feet. He gazed out at the class, seemingly on the watch for something before he finally greeted them with a pleasant expression as he leaned over the podium excitedly, both hands firmly planted on the podium.

            “Alright, people~… Let’s get started, shall we? Class Monitor, would you do the honors?” His eyes glinted with nostalgia and mischief.

            A boy of about the same height as his Sensei nodded firmly, sitting on the far right side of the room, a couple of desks back. He had short brown hair with an ahoge on top, and wore dark jeans and a green hoodie.

            “Right! Ready?!” As the boy shouted, every single student shot up out of their seats, aiming guns at the teacher from every angle they could muster. They weren’t quite the efficient killing machines that the blue-haired man’s class had been, but he had to give the kids credit for their preparedness and moxie. “Aim…! Fire!!!!!”

            Oh, and fire they did. A hail storm of BB’s was headed Nagisa Shiota’s way, and his only response was to bend down… and when he came back up a moment later, he was carrying a simple circular trash can lid, much to the kids’ dismay. He grinned and giggled mischievously as the hail storm didn’t let up; if anything they tried moving around to get past his makeshift shield, but that came with its own problems as they had to keep an eye out and make sure they didn’t shoot each other. They knew the rules, and Nagisa was keen to rub this reality in their faces.

            “Oh~! Oh my~…! Welllllll… Why don’t I just call roll while you kids wear yourselves out?! Ishimaru?”

            “Here…!” A raven-haired boy called out from somewhere in the mess of flying bullets.

            “What’s that?!” Nagisa held a free hand up to his ear mockingly as he grinned impishly. “I’m afraid I couldn’t make that out over all the gunfire~!”

            “HERE!!!!!” Ishimaru responded more boisterously.

            “Oowada?!” Nagisa called out next.

            “Here!!!” Another boy called out from somewhere in the back.

            “Ariana?” Nagisa called out.

            “Here…!!!” An orange-haired girl answered back.

            “Koizumi?” Nagisa called out.

            “Here!!!!!” A redhead fired back.

            “Kuzuryu~?” Nagisa called out.

            “HERE, YOU FUCKING BASTARD!!!!!”

            “Language~!” Nagisa teased before continuing the roll call. “Kotoko?”

            “Here~!!!” A pink-haired girl called out.

            Nagisa continued rattling off names and getting responses back. Five minutes after everyone was accounted for, the kids tuckered themselves out as they couldn’t keep up the spray of BB bullets any further, and really, Nagisa just countered their attempts so easily, ‘cowering’ behind that trash can lid. He smirked as he lowered the shield, detecting the exhaustion in the air as his kids panted and glared at him in frustration.

            “Excellent~… All present and accounted for! Man, thanks for the blast from the past~… I remember being in your shoes and pulling that same reckless stunt! I’ll even give you the same advice that was drilled into me. What do you think it was? Numbers are no substitute for inventiveness, perhaps? That any hack can point a gun and pull a trigger? Some of Column A, some of Column B? I get that you’re trying to cast a net as widely as possible, but your approach lacked originality~… Trust me! I’m no world-destroying octopus that can travel at Mach 20, but even I can handle a few BB’s~! I’ve had this bad boy ready to go since Day One.”

            The bluenet chuckled as he held up the shield again, patting it a few times proudly before storing it away… wherever he had pulled that out from. His students glared at him incredulously.

            “Seriously, does that podium have a secret compartment?! We checked around that stupid thing to make sure you had nothin’ to protect yourself with, and you still got the drop on us!!!” Oowada grumbled sourly.

            Nagisa nodded slowly, making a dubious blank expression as he stared out at their stunned faces.

            “I know this mountain like the back of my hand, boys and girls! If you want to get that day off, you’ve gotta work for it~! Our time together is short, but I’m gonna treasure every moment I have with you guys!” He placed his hands on the podium again as he stared out at them all with a passionate expression. “… Now, why don’t you clean up these BB’s off the floor and put away those guns, and I’ll go stash my stuff away~?”

            The students groaned before they huffed and nodded begrudgingly. Nagisa grinned innocently as he slung his bag over his shoulder and strolled back out of the classroom, sliding the door closed behind him. The students shared grouchy, deadpan expressions with each other, and some of the more responsible ones rose up to fetch the brooms and dustpans from a corner of the room while others got up to retrieve discarded guns off the floor.

            This wasn’t a typical school by any stretch of the imagination… But what teacher wanders to class just to call roll, take his class’s attempted assassination of him like a champ, and then waltz back out, casually telling them to pick up their mess?

            … It was fair, sure. But the passively smug way he carried himself… It pissed them off, just a tad. Unfortunately for them, Nagisa-sensei was so gentle and kind that they couldn’t stay mad at him. It’s only when they tried assassinating him to get out of class that he got prideful. And that was weird as all hell. Almost like he was bipolar.

            And don’t get them started on his ramblings of some insane octopus. No one believed the myths. Just ‘cause the moon was smaller than it used to be, that didn’t mean there was some squid or whatever that could have obliterated the Earth if he lived. It was all some giant hoax or hallucination on their parents’ parts, believing everything they saw on TV and the internet. Yet Sensei seemed obsessively insistent that there was any truth in the rumors…

            Right. As if a superbeing capable of world destruction would waste time, teaching a Junior High class. Tell them a better bedtime story.

            ~*~

            Nagisa breathed a sigh of relief as he stopped by the faculty lounge, unceremoniously dumping his bag on the floor again and flopping in one of the seats as he fished out his phone to check for messages. He did say he’d give the kids a few minutes to clean up, and he wasn’t gonna breathe down their neck. Besides, he’d needed to jump across roofs to make it here on time after he missed the train today, his usual daily routine was disrupted.

            “Hey, Ritsu? Did you manage to record that?” The bluenet grinned eagerly as the AI popped up in a window on his phone.

            “Sure did~!” The pink-haired AI chimed in with a cutesy salute. “Itona’s cameras captured every second! I posted the video to the Group Chat for you, and everybody’s going nuts over it~!”

            Nagisa nodded a little in thanks. It’s not like the school building needed to go high-tech… The bluenet could handle just about any emergency or assassination attempt this pack of kids could throw at him. But still, extra security for the kids’ protection never hurt. Any malicious person travelling this far up the mountain to lay a trap or lie in wait for him or the kids was going to be incredibly rare, but they were covered thanks to the technological genius, Itona. The cameras were state-of-the-art and so small that the kids never noticed them, and they served as Nagisa’s Third Eye. Nagisa typically used the footage to review the presentation of his lessons, and to see how kids responded to the material. Koro-sensei could have analyzed each and every one of these children on the spot and adjusted the lessons midway through, but Nagisa didn’t have that superpower, so he had to rely on his friends to back him up. The bluenet was profoundly grateful that his friends were still so tight and supportive… Even after they followed their dreams, E-Class remained a well-oiled unit. Nagisa getting to use this building was always the masterplan; they’re just glad the time had finally come to make the most out of their home.

            Nagisa sweatdropped as he pulled up the Group Chat and scrolled through the massive wall of back-and-forth comments. There was no way he had time to read everything here, not until class was over. But still, he noted that even Karma graced the Chat despite the redhead having a full plate of meetings and interviews today.

            “Leave it to Karma to say using a ‘shield’ is cheating…” The bluenet grumbled, before mashing out a rapid response to the bureaucrat, asking what the hell he was supposed to do in that situation. And he wilted as Karma replied back with a devil grin, asking if Nagisa was ‘man enough’ to dodge that hail storm like Koro-sensei. Wasn’t travelling at Mach 20 just part of every teacher’s bag of tricks? As if the redhead didn’t already know the answer to that. Nagisa deadpanned and heaved a sigh, deciding to just let Karma have the last word for now. He skimmed through a few more random comments, noting the varying reactions and threads going on; some were impressed with his ingenuity, others were hedging bets on what other episodes of their history would be repeating themselves in this new E-Class. This incident pretty much proved anything was on the table.

            Some people called him out on plagiarizing Koro-sensei, claiming he’s too much of an herbivore man to act cool like that. Others fired back that they liked the trip down memory lane. Oh yeah… He saw that Yuji was in the Group Chat. … And Gakushu. Apparently, Ritsu had not been exaggerating when she said that the Chat was blowing up with keen interest in the video; even their friends and acquaintances outside of E-Class were permitted to join in the fun whenever they felt like it. And for Gakushu, that was typically when he thought the bluenet hadn’t been aggressive enough in ‘fighting back’ against his students, or if he’d gone easy on the academics, though there was a begrudging respect, nurtured over years of bonding with their former rival. On the flipside, Yuji was always amazed at the shenanigans E-Class got up to, and always gave the bluenet a thumb’s-up when ‘cool stuff’ like this came up. Nagisa closed the Group Chat for now and went back to his personal messages, having seen that there were a few items.

            “Rio…!!!!!” A fierce blush flared on his cheeks as he had to instantly close out of the lewd shot she sent of herself in a sexy white bikini, lounging about on some beach in the UK. That was not a school-friendly picture to be caught staring at, and he had to tug at his collar when the room suddenly felt like a sauna, and he shook his head wildly to clear it. He then hammered out a quick, typical response to the freelance interpreter’s shenanigans. “I still can’t do anything about that…!!! If you’re horny, just come home already!!”

            Oh, the blonde had been sending a ton of lewd shots over the years. It’s clear why she kept sending them, Nagisa’s relationship situation wasn’t exactly… run-of-the-mill. Rio was out there, working towards being a diplomat; it would still be a while before she came back home, or at least that’s what she kept saying. But no matter how much the years kept piling up, Rio’s words felt more and more hollow, and it was only a matter of time before she cracked and came back. Rio was homesick – not just of Japan, of E-Class, but of him. As expected of a long-distance relationship, the blonde needed frequent, consistent reassurance that he still had feelings for her. That she still had a home to return to…

            Of course she did. Nagisa always took a flabbergasted selfie, courtesy of Ritsu, whenever lewds were sent to him, and he sent those selfies to Rio to prove she still had that effect on him… But he really couldn’t do anything about her… needs… until she came back.

            Now, Yukiko and Akari, on the other hand… They were his more immediate concerns, since they currently lived with him. His flustered expression melted into a soft smile as he nodded at Yukiko’s message, which said that she’d pick up milk on the way home, and anything else they needed, just let her know. If Nagisa was anxious about entering a polygamous relationship with three girls – who happened to be his three childhood crushes – Yukiko certainly made the whole experience easier on him with how kind and helpful she was.

            … Seriously, though. His Junior High self would balk at dating three girls. And probably outright faint. He scratched his cheek sheepishly as he still remembered some of their… adventures before Rio left to globetrot as a translator. They got married a month before Rio left; the reason being that she empathized with Yukiko and Akari, who would have held off their own happiness with Nagisa otherwise. Plus, this way Rio had to come home someday… This was nonnegotiable.

            Yukiko was like the polar opposite of Rio. Not to say that the dark-haired beauty  didn’t get… clingy, or that she never had dirty thoughts. However, she was the most similar to Nagisa in her friendly, loving nature. Nagisa and Yukiko didn’t have flashy jobs like Akari and Rio; they were interested in helping people, and that same passion was extended to their relationship. Chores, shopping, Nagisa and Yukiko were the most on top of things when it came to the nuts and bolts of a marriage, the daily and weekly necessities. That’s not to say Akari never chimed in, or Rio when she was here, but Nagisa and Yukiko definitely cut those two some slack because their jobs were that much more intensive. Nagisa and Yukiko were the homemakers of their family, and the bluenet was grateful to her.

            “Just a few more pudding cups for Akari, and bread, cereal, and sushi…” Nagisa muttered, quickly sending out that response, too; he was pretty sure they were stocked up on everything else, and if not Yukiko had likely sent the same message to Akari, who’d let her know of anything else. He knew that it was about time to get back to his students, but the bluenet paused to skim the third and final personal message he received that afternoon, and squinted at it in confusion.

            “I’ll be there in 5~! n___n” Akari had texted.

            Nagisa’s brow furrowed. The actress must have sent that message to him on accident… As far as he knew, Akari was still on a filming session, and even if she wasn’t, Akari knew that he was busy teaching the kids. Or would be, as soon as he decided how to reply here. Nagisa sweatdropped and decided to just go with simplicity. It was likely a mistake, anyway; the context just didn’t make sense to him, otherwise.

            “?????” The bluenet knew he was being a tad on the rude side, sending a text of just that, but he’d make it up to the actress later, even if it was just a small gesture.

            Nagisa got up and stretched, pocketing his phone and fishing out the materials that he’d immediately need from his bag, and set aside some other materials to easily access them later. He then casually cradled the papers and small books under his arm as he stuffed his hands in his pockets and wandered back to the classroom.

            His brow furrowed as he heard some hubbub from within the room. Not that the kids talking amongst themselves was out of the norm, but this sounded… different. He could make out squeals and shouts of joy for some peculiar reason, a lot of disbelief and shock, too.

            Sliding open the door, Nagisa opened his mouth to get to the bottom of what was going on.

            “Hey, guys, what’s u…” The bluenet trailed off as his eyes bulged at the sight of the new dark-haired woman at the front of the room, being fawned over by his students. Some asking for autographs, others wanting to shake her hand and ask her questions. Nagisa could only stare incredulously, and rub his eyes with his free hand. When the actress was still there, and clearly not a figment of his imagination, he could only muster her name. “Akari…?”

            “Nagisa~!” His third wife chirped, clapping her hands together as she beamed pleasantly at him. “I wanted to surprise you. Mister Asano requested my help a few months back, having an extracurricular project in mind for the kids.”

            “A project…?” Nagisa echoed before he blinked owlishly. Nothing immediately sprang to memory for him, but then he dialed his memory back to staff meetings a few months ago… and his eyes bugged out in astonishment. “Th-That drama festival thing…? H-He wants me to take part in that, too?!”

            Nagisa gulped. That was one of the reasons he’d wanted to get around to starting up a school here. To ‘get out of dodge’, as the saying went. Not to badmouth Mister Asano or his ideas, but Nagisa struggled enough trying to motivate the kids to keep up with their normal studies. Getting them to write and perform a play that wasn’t part of their main school curriculum, that was just for fun to share some art and entertainment with the other classes that they rarely interacted with… Well, it sounded good on paper, but they weren’t going to like all that memorization and stage direction. Nagisa and Akari’s E-Class were proof of that.

            Not to mention, this was a Cram School. They were already pressed for time as it is, just getting to the main material. Nagisa could only imagine the unholy havoc this would bring to his lesson plans.

            Akari nodded, seemingly oblivious to the inner turmoil her husband was going through.

            “Mmhm~! Mister Asano figured that you might have been skimping out on that… So he reached out to me, knowing that I could prepare the kids in the couple of weeks you guys have left until the festival. You don’t mind, right? It’s just something fun to spoil the kids with, and give them a bit of a summer break~! Mister Asano says he can help you tweak your lessons later to cut out some of the filler stuff. He loves reviewing your overall performance, anyway~!”

            Nagisa’s eyes were dilated as his right eyebrow twitched slightly. Poor, poor Akari was missing out on so much context… The bluenet enjoyed learning under Mister Asano as a novice educator learning from a Master, but now that he had seven years of experience under his belt, he could safely say that having Mister Asano looking over his shoulder was one of the most stressful things he had to endure as a fledgling teacher. The man was a hard taskmaster, even after he’d gone through a transformation of sorts, courtesy of Koro-sensei. Mister Asano didn’t expect perfectionism or anything silly like that, but he certainly made Nagisa perform very thorough reflections on the examples he selected and the ways he reached out to students; the biggest thing was that while Mister Asano did applaud Nagisa’s efforts to make tailor-made lessons to each of his students, his senior did point out that he needed to apply himself more in challenging his kids to go outside of their comfort zones.

            … And you know what? That was fair. But Nagisa could readily admit that every time Mister Asano got his hands on one of his lesson plans, the bluenet suffered a heart attack from waiting for the man to give his evaluation. Seven years on, and the last thing he ever wanted to be stuck doing was a ‘last-minute strategy meeting’ with Mister Asano. Nagisa was going to shave another ten years off his life from this setback alone…

            But as he gazed at Akari and the kids… how happy they looked with each other… Nagisa could only slump and rub the back of his neck in defeat, expression going blank.

            “W… Well… This came outta nowhere, b-but sure. It’s what Mister Asano wants… and you already set aside some time, obviously, so…” He trailed off as the actress giggled cutely at his reaction.

            “I lied about the filming, Nagisa~! I’ve got the next month free, so we’re going to be very busy ‘off the clock’~…” She sent him a smug, demure expression, and Nagisa could only gulp fearfully again.

            And tense up in horror when Oowada made a smartass remark.

            “So in other words, you’ll be ‘off the cock’ when you’re with us.”

            “Didn’t expect Haruna Mase-sama to be shameless like that.” The pink-haired Kotoko added without a second thought, a blank expression of disbelief on her face.

            … Did the classroom suddenly become a freezer? Akari was still beaming pleasantly, but Nagisa could tell that they had pushed a wrong button with her. A button that should never, ever be pushed!!!!!

            The actress just seemed to nod sagely, as if she’d expected such immature antics. But he could tell a mask was in place… Uh-oh.

            “Oowada-kun, was it~…? I think somebody just signed up for prop maintenance duty. That means you do all the lifting, and all the cleanup~!” Akari nodded sagely again, turning to Kotoko next. “And Kotoko-chan~… Since you’re so wise, you can be the one to write the stage play~! I expect great things~!”

            The aforementioned students cringed at being assigned duties right out of the gate; Oowada seemed to accept his role, even if he wasn’t happy… But Kotoko… She seemed heartbroken at being tasked as the writer, and not one of the actors. Nagisa nervously chuckled, supposing he could have a chat with Akari later about Kotoko, since the pink-haired girl had aspirations about getting into the field of theatre.

            Yet, he dare not say anything now while Akari was just settling in as the main teacher of this curriculum, getting an idea of where everyone else was at in terms of what passions they had for acting, costume/makeup designing, and other ins-and-outs of drama. He reminisced that the last time E-Class did a play – their E-Class – Akari had taken a more modest, unassuming role; but now that she could be real, she could really strut herself as the star actress that she was. The bluenet just knew that Akari and the kids would hit it off; he didn’t even mind taking the supportive role on this one. If he did have one regret, however… Nagisa stared down at the materials in his hand, lamenting that they’d be worthless now, and was preparing to take them back to the faculty lounge when he heard a student suddenly speak out.

            “Are you kidding?! Who even cares about this acting crap? We’re gonna suck balls anyway!! Half these guys can’t memorize worth a damn, and some of these floozies just abuse the fact they have huge knockers!!!” Saionji griped.

            Nagisa froze as he heard some of the angry, frustrated mutterings of the blonde girl’s classmates, who had to put up with Saionji’s scathing tongue on a regular basis. He didn’t have to look back to see there was a proud smirk on Akari’s face as she gushed over another girl with Boob Envy. Someone that “understood her pain”.

            … Of course, that all took a one-eighty as Saionji ran off her mouth on “Mase-chan’s lackluster bod” next, and Nagisa darted out of the room as he felt the freezing temperatures return. Yep, yep, yep… He was just gonna step out and consult Ritsu for a few minutes. Nothing major~… Nagisa just needed to know what the chances were that they’d get through these next couple of weeks without kids suddenly going mysteriously missing.

            It’s not that Nagisa was suspicious or anything… He just, um… He needed to know. … For science.

Chapter Text

            “See you tomorrow, Mase-sensei!” The brunet boy with an ahoge called out as he bolted out of the classroom and down the hall after coming back to retrieve his bookbag. He needed to catch up with his friends, who were already making their way down the mountain.

            “You sure will, take care~!” Akari hollered after him, flashing a goofball smile at nothing in particular as she stayed rooted in the classroom for a moment. Her eyes roved over the desks that were back in their nice, tidy rows, and then lingered on the blackboard, which still had names and assigned roles, as well as various concepts and terms related to drama and theatre.

            One week into E-Class’s preparations for the drama festival, and they weren’t using the classroom as much, anymore. The first couple days it was used for brainstorming and reviewing the script when they finalized it; Nagisa was in charge of the group of students in here, while Akari had seen to the other groups as they went out shopping for costumes, props, and other various items they would need. The bluenet had been able to get the kids to produce a solid enough script, but Kirara took time out of running her library to review it and give the scriptwriters some pointers. And on Akari’s end, she was happy to handle managing everything by herself, but naturally Sosuke stepped in to help the kids design backgrounds for their play; and some of the girls, like Meg, Yuzuki, and Toka got the kids dreaming big on costumes and makeup, even on a shoestring budget. All they needed to do was know where to look, and sometimes develop hobbies like knitting, which the original members of E-Class were happy to oblige, passing on their knowledge. Koki even lent a hand, training a kid or two that had an interest in editing and cinematography. They didn’t have to take time out of their busy lives like that… but seeing Nagisa’s class seemed to spark a nostalgic fire in their classmates, and hearing about another drama festival certainly got them invested. If their E-Class had to endure the ‘hassle’ of a stage production, nudging the new generation into a similar experience was worth putting their lives on hold for a day or two.

            These days, the kids were practicing outside, memorizing their lines and going through rehearsals while some of their peers worked on the backdrops and spruced up the costumes. Every day was jam-packed, and it sometimes seemed like they were running a circus more than a drama production. Akari did feel sorta guilty about turning Sensei into a ragged errand boy, putting props away in the storage shed and bringing them out each day for practice, on top of so many other chores… Still, Nagisa insisted that’s what he was here for. The bluenet gave her full autonomy, the class was hers to run until the play was performed. It was great to take the wheel for stuff that she was well-versed in, but there was always that nagging guilt in the back of her mind that she was stealing Nagisa’s kids away from him…

            Akari wouldn’t even get into the tingly warm and fuzzies coursing through her veins, now that this class was becoming a daily routine for her. Oh, some of the kids were smartasses, there was no getting around that. Their E-Class was chockful of smartasses, too – kids could just be so cheeky. But that was part of the charm, y’know? It’s like one of the secret lessons that Koro-sensei imparted to them was the key to handling such mischievous rascals. You could empathize with kids if you’ve been in their shoes, but that won’t always work, they won’t always trust you off the bat; the real secret is to be tenacious and patient. Akari used her stardom as leverage to keep the kids wowed, but not everyone was captivated by her. Some creativity was needed for the cheeky brats that butted heads with her just because they could.

            … The actress wouldn’t even get into the mixed feelings she had about the bloodlust these kids had for Nagisa. The first few days, they kept trying to attack the bluenet to get out of participating in this production, but Nagisa eventually put his foot down and said their usual deal was suspended while Akari was the temporary teacher. The actress appreciated the gesture, and while she did laugh at seeing leftover BB guns and anti-Sensei knives that Mister Karasuma left in Nagisa’s care, there was a part of her that… was protective of the bluenet. It didn’t matter that those weapons were harmless to humans – one of those very knives managed to end the life of someone irreplaceable to her, to all of E-Class, and Akari just felt these surging emotions rise up within her, demanding to keep Nagisa safe. That he shouldn’t have to follow Koro-sensei’s example to this extent…

            Still, part of these feelings were probably the result of being married to the blue-haired man. As amusing as it was consider giving these kids pointers on training, to keep up with Nagisa, being a part of the “Blue Team” camp of that civil war had never truly cleared out of her system. “No more death,” she had said back then, and Akari meant it. Her bloodlust was long since dried up, or at least severely watered down from what it used to be. Now she just had the compelling urge to take part in this little ‘game’ Nagisa was continuing as a tradition, but throw her lot in with the target. Would that make things so much harder for the new E-Class? Sure. But to be fair to the bluenet, he was only human, it was fair if he had a partner to back him up~… It was thirty against one. Hardly a fair match to begin with.

            Even if Nagisa could handle himself… She would just feel better, covering his back. There was a certain charm to the idea that Akari just couldn’t shake off.

            “Was that the last of ‘em?” Nagisa asked, looking up from what he was jotting down on some pages in a folder, fixated on the actress as she trotted into the faculty lounge with an unreadable expression after making sure everything was tidied up in the classroom. The sun was setting, so they’d be able to make it down the mountain before nightfall.

            Akari cracked an uneasy, closed-eyed, open-mouthed grin as she awkwardly laughed off the deep musings she’d just been having.

            “Yep! We’re good to go. Hope Yukiko-chan’s still up for some time at the arcade, ‘cause I could use the stress relief after what a whirlwind today was…” The dark-haired woman muttered distractedly. Was it unusual for three adults, approaching their thirties, to be hanging around a video game arcade after 9pm…? Maybe.

            Thankfully the arcade they frequented was for all ages, and usually it was the adults that were lingering there at this time of night. The establishment was open until midnight, which worked out great for the Shiota Clan, really. Nagisa’s teaching job had long hours, that went without saying; but Yukiko-chan worked at the Higashi Saikyo Nursing Home, and that kept her busy all day, too; and finally, Akari’s filming schedule was all over the place – morning, afternoon, and night, anything was fair game, but nights were usually when she was free.

            The bluenet grinned reassuringly at his beautiful dark-haired wife, nodding slowly.

            “Yukiko’s cool with it. I got off the phone with her fifteen minutes ago, she’s getting ready to clock out, too. We’ll get there around the same time, so it’s all good. And since I spent last night rearranging the bulk of my lesson plans, I’m basically free to spoil you guys tonight! Anything you wanna do, it’s on me. We can even stop by that one café you love.”

            Akari couldn’t really explain what came over her, but a strange, bittersweet smile was suddenly tugging at her lips, and her eyes were filled with nothing but adoration and longing as she slowly approached the bluenet, who was furrowing her brow in concern at her as they stared into one another’s eyes… And the actress sat right down on Nagisa’s lap, looping an arm around the back of his neck as she said nothing, and just rested her head soothingly in the nape of his neck. That unreadable smile never dropping even as she closed her eyes blissfully as Nagisa tensed up slightly but then settled down and looped his arms around her waist securely. He affectionately pecked her cheek as he gazed at her in concern.

            “Everything okay? We don’t hafta go out tonight if you’re tired. A quiet evening at home works just as well.” Nagisa backpedaled, but he felt the dark-haired beauty nuzzle into his neck as she shook her head.

            “No, no… Going out tonight sounds fun. I’m just… Being back here really makes me happy. We’ve been maintaining this place for years, but… it just didn’t feel the same. We were cleaning a memorial, and now it’s… it’s home, again…! I know they’re your kids… I’m just being greedy, but they’re growing on me. If this is how it was for Aguri… I can see why she treasured being a teacher. You’re really lucky, Nagisa…”

            Nagisa grinned softly as he squeezed her waist, hugging her more comfortably as he rested his head against hers.

            “They don’t have to be my kids… You know that Mister Karasuma and Bitch-sensei were our teachers, right? It’s… the same principle. You’re welcome here anytime, Akari. They can be our kids. I’m happy to share them with you!”

            Akari’s eyes suddenly widened as her face flushed, and she drew her head back to stare at her husband incredulously.

            “S… Seriously? B-But I’m not even good at teaching things… Bitch-sensei was at least great at English, and that was p-practical…!”

            Nagisa’s warm smile never faded as he reached up with one hand and petted his wife’s head intimately.

            “I can talk with Mister Asano, and we can have ya as a drama teacher! I mean, sure, not all kids go into that field, but there’s some that are passionate about acting or the more technical side of it, y’know? It would be an elective class, and you guys could work putting on shows throughout the year; maybe having a big production in spring, and another in the fall. Or the summer and winter. Whatever you’re more comfortable with, there’s definitely a ton of options available to you! I just want you to know I’m serious about this. If you still want to make movies, that’s fine, too; I know you made it as an international sensation, so you’re in crazy high demand. But I promise… There’s always a seat available to you here! Like you said, this is home. And we’re just getting started, using what this place was intended for all along!”

            Akari melted at his words and the genuine offer he was making, and she couldn’t help kissing him passionately to try and clear her head a bit… But sadly, the kiss only made her more of a hot, steaming mess, especially when he deepened it and held her close with both hands looped around her.

            When she withdrew her head, several minutes later, Akari was blushing furiously while her brain short-circuited. She sighed miserably in a poor attempt at reeling herself in, and Nagisa could only chuckle at the effect he had on her.

            “… I, um…” Akari coughed awkwardly as the redness on her face deepened and steam rolled off of her in waves. “Th-That’s very tempting, Nagisa, and I-I’ll have to think about it… I’m not s-sure if I can h-hang up my Haruna Mase t-title yet… I-I’ve only been back on the scene for a decade, and my fanbase has s-swelled… I-I-I do have a… d-duty to them…”

            Nagisa could only nod in understanding as he continued to hold her close, but allowed their faces to be apart as Akari averted her gaze in shame and longing.

            “I figured. We’re still young, and I want you to keep doing what you love, okay? Trust me, I’m not begging you to stay. I mean, I’d love it, if you did… But I know how hard you work as a star! I’m just trying to reassure you that you can settle down here, whenever you’re ready. I’m not going anywhere, and this is just my first batch of students at Koro Mountain Academy. I hope to have tons more, and make so many memories here. You, Yukiko, and Rio are fantastic, and I can’t stop any of you from pursuing your dreams; but I can make sure to leave enough room if anyone gets homesick. Koro-sensei would have done the same!”

            Akari sighed morbidly as she accepted her face was going to stay on fire for a while, and her heart was probably going to leap out of her chest and run a marathon at this rate. Yukiko-chan was content with working at the Nursing Home, and Rio was still stuck abroad… Akari figured that she would be in the same boat, addicted to being a big-time star.

            But still. Butstillbutstillbutstill…

            Home was alluring. Nagisa was finally here, and god did she miss home… Once she settled down here, that was it. She wouldn’t want to go back to the silver screen…

            Akari moaned pitifully, more steam rolling off her face as she went back to resting in the nape of his neck, a very conflicted expression tugging at her lips.

            “Please wait for me…” The actress moaned again, enjoying Nagisa’s shoulder rub a little too much. “I can’t… I can’t stay away forever, b-but I need a f-few more years… J-Just a few…”

            Nagisa’s warm grin continued to melt her.

            “Take ten, fifteen, however many years you need, Akari. We’ll be here.” He promised, continuing to massage her shoulder with his hand.

            “It’ll probably be more like five.” Akari deadpanned, eyes beginning to swirl as she got lost in the sensations of being held by her husband in his lap. She could sense him quirking his eyebrow at her curiously. “There’s no way I can stay away ten more years. Maybe Rio’s that strong, but I’m not!! I j-just need a little more time…”

            Nagisa nodded in understanding. If that’s what Akari decided on, then that was the end of it. Although…

            “Well, I think you’re plenty strong, Akari! When your mind’s fixed on something, you just keep rolling. That’s how you’ve always been.”

            “And my mind’s fixed on home.” Akari moaned, eyes still swirling in pleasure. “I dream about this place every night. I can’t stay away forever.”

            Nagisa chuckled sheepishly before planting a tender kiss on her lips, and drew his head back a few moments later, noticing how she’d stopped responding to all these pleasurable stimuli. He might hafta carry her down the mountain at this rate.

            … Which is fine. The bluenet had plenty of experience carrying his lovely wives, but especially Akari. His first experience carrying her wasn’t pleasant… but it got better after that. Much better.

            Nagisa couldn’t blame her for dreaming about this place, either. While there were some traumatic memories associated with this mountain, some of the best memories  of their lives were right here.

            And he’d love to make more with her. Especially if they were both teachers… that’d be sweet.

            ~*~

            In fairness, Yukiko suspected marriage wouldn’t be the end of her troubles with men. Oh, don’t get her wrong – Nagisa was never the problem. Every relationship had disagreements, so naturally, while rare, she did get into arguments with the bluenet. However, they always made up afterwards; Nagisa was so unabashedly sweet to her, and Yukiko sometimes wondered what she’d done to deserve such a wonderful husband.

            … Nevertheless, Nagisa was her ray of sunshine amidst a sea of dark, chaotic clouds with rolling thunder almost perpetually on the horizon. Even though she was a far cry from a celebrity, Yukiko simply had that charming effect on men, a veritable siren if there ever was one. The dark-haired beauty didn’t mean to bewitch and lead along so many guys of an alarmingly wide range of ages, but it only seemed to get worse as maturity set in for her; she aged gracefully, and there was even a racy tabloid about known married women in Tokyo that were highly desirable, featuring her among the list.

            It was embarrassing, but thankfully her friends made those tabloid publishers rue the day that they printed that article. That tabloid was discontinued, but the damage was already done with how many copies of the article were circulating around out there. Yukiko Shiota was not a celebrity, but in a terrible way she was… An unwilling, highly uncomfortable ‘star’, yet still something approaching celeb status. All because of the lustful men out there that couldn’t keep it in their pants whenever they saw her.

            Usually, Yukiko could bear this curse by herself, no problem. That’s why a job at the Nursing Home was ideal for her, because as smitten with her as the older gentlemen were, they never did anything beyond enjoy being put in her care for the day. In fact, the patients that she looked after often congratulated her for discovering her Prince Charming while she was so young. Yukiko adored exchanging marriage stories with the older men, because whether their partners were still alive or had passed away, everyone got something out of the shared stories. The retired folks got to relive their glory days, and Yukiko got lovely dating ideas to try out with Nagisa later, even possible places to visit for vacations; and on the flipside, Yukiko got to gush about her deadly, heroic lover, and the retirees got their passion for love rekindled. More often than not, the people she looked after were freshly retired, so they still had time to spark new relationships if their loved ones were gone and they were lonely.

            Still, as peaceful as her job was… Trouble inevitably found its way back to her. As it always did. All it took was one rain cloud, and oh, the deluge came down in buckets.

            “Yukiko-chaaan~! Long time no see!!!!!” A slightly inebriated young man with short dark hair came trotting up to her in the arcade, waving to her the entire way. He was as chipper as ever, but that was a consequence of being around her.

            Yukiko heaved a tired, internal sigh as she plastered a beaming smile on her face, politely deigning to shoot a single glance his way before resuming her attention on the FPS game in front of her.

            “Sojiro-kun… What a pleasant… surprise…” The dark-haired beauty muttered, fully empathizing with Akari-chan in this moment. Akari made facades look so easy… though, perhaps that wasn’t completely fair to the actress. Even the Drama Supernova (Yukiko’s affectionate nickname for her best friend) had chinks in her formidable armor. If the people were annoying or aggressive enough, Akari had no qualms snapping at them; she just took a more passive aggressive tone in retaliation whenever people got under her skin.

            That passive approach does not work on Sojiro. Drunk or sober… the man is somehow worse than Ren Sakakibara ever got. Ren, as forward as he was, as many girls that he… dated… Ren at least had gentlemanly colors to his character. Ren backed off when mildly threatened (with a sharpened pencil), and hell, several years back Gakushu managed to set his philandering friend straight. Yukiko could respect Ren, even if the guy wasn’t her most favorite person ever.

            Sojiro… Sojiro made Yukiko want to curl up into a ball and forget about the world for a while.

            “No need to be so modest, Yukiko-chan~! We’re coworkers, y’know? I memorized your usual hangouts and routines ages ago!” Sojiro impishly slid his arm around Yukiko’s waist and purred seductively into her ear after planting a sloppy kiss on her cheek. “Waddaya say? Wanna take me up on my generous offer and get wasted tonight~? I promise it’ll be the best night of your life. A Queen like you deserves the real Royal Treatment, and once you’ve seen my Penthouse Suite, you’ll forget all about that loser, Shiota.”

            The dark-haired woman huffed as she fought back the urge to physically assault the scumbag touching her. That was now groping her… She didn’t have the freedom to resist the molestation.

            Because this wasn’t the first time Sojiro approached her brazenly like this. He was a million times worse when he was sober, but he got drunk because he could afford to get reckless – there were always bodyguards nearby, and Sojiro pressed charges if he was so much scratched. The bastard was one of Tokyo’s wealthiest, and his family had dirt on the police and the courts; while Akari managed to counter Sojiro’s influence with her own star power, and ensured that neither Yukiko nor Nagisa had to pay a single yen to the slimeball when settling matters with the courts… It was always a circus, dealing with Sojiro. Even if they avoided monetary concessions, there was still the matter of a court date if Yukiko so much as poked the scumbag with her pinky; his bodyguards fabricated stories to spin the situation out of context, and of course days before the court resulted in media and public harassment… The man was as sadistic as Takaoka used to be, only he didn’t have the military training or background to overpower Yukiko himself. His strength was in his power, money, and influence as a wealthy member of the elite. Confronting Sojiro head-on was never the solution, and Yukiko wasn’t so desperate as to assassinate the guy, even if Akari said the guy had it coming…

            Sojiro didn’t even need to work at the same nursing home as Yukiko. He just did because he could, and it provided more opportunities to… fondle her… Still, despite how brazen he was, the guy had never full-blown raped her yet; because Sojiro knew how to dance along the fine line of the law. If he ever crossed that line, Sojiro would have a chink in his armor, one that Nagisa and Akari would move Heaven and Earth to turn into the one Killing Blow they needed to deal with this bastard for good. He touched her, harassed her, talked dirty to her… But even his considerable resources would not save him if he actually went that far.

            Sojiro enjoyed the thrill of lording his power over Yukiko, making Nagisa’s life Hell… He’d been a thorn in the Shiota Clan’s side for a year. And yet… hopefully… Hopefully today would be the end of it.

            After all, Koro-sensei taught them to think outside the box, right? They were assassins. They were E-Class.

            Taking a deep breath to summon her courage, Yukiko knew that the moment her phone buzzed in her pocket, Nagisa and Akari were in place. And Sojiro’s… handlers… were no longer an issue. Strongly, Yukiko raised a hand to Sojiro’s chest, and pushed him away from her, scowling deeply.

            “Sojiro, I have told you, endless times, I am married. And I have no interest in you!!” The dark-haired woman sternly reprimanded the drunk, who was glaring at her incredulously and with frustration. “Go home and think about what to do with your life. I will never be yours!!”

            The drunk snarled savagely, slapping her impatiently when he couldn’t stand glaring into her defiant eyes any further.

            “You… You bitch!!!!! Do you have any idea who I am?! I can make sure you and Shiota never find work in this town again!!! Go ahead and scream, I’m done playing the gentleman!!!!! I’m gonna fuck your brains out, and then I’ll put a hit out on your ‘husband’ to put an end to this nonsense. You wanna fight back, fine, but your next day in court will be Shiota’s last, I can guarantee you that!!!!!”

            Yukiko flinched as Sojiro snatched her by the wrist and started to drag her out of the arcade. But as they were on their way out, Sojiro stumbled into somebody and shouted at the bystander for not watching where he was going.

            … And then rich douche paled as his inebriated mind drank in the sight of who was standing before them. He shuddered fearfully at the pleasant, innocent grin plastered on Nagisa’s face, his eyes reflecting a bitterly cold kindness that dared Sojiro to repeat anything that he just said. The bluenet beamed as he sidled over to Yukiko, plucking Sojiro’s nerveless fingers from her wrist as he checked her over for injuries.

            “Are you hurt?” Nagisa asked tenderly, cupping the cheek that Sojiro had slapped only seconds ago. Yukiko shakily nodded as she grinned in relief, shedding tears as she embraced him in gratitude and love.

            “I… I’m fine. You’re here. S-So… I’ll be alright.” The dark-haired woman softly murmured, drinking in his scent and the security, warmth, and happiness he filled her with effortlessly.

            “I promise he won’t bother you ever again.” Nagisa promised so easily, and Yukiko couldn’t help it… the tears just kept coming out, and she was so happy…!

            Sojiro stumbled back in bewilderment and wariness as he glared daggers at the back of Nagisa’s head.

            “You talk a big game, Shiota, but I ain’t going anywhere…! You made a fucking huge mistake, getting in my way!!!!! The public’s gonna love your new court date!!! Maybe you’ll even make the obituaries pages, bastard!!!!!” The drunk snarled again.

            Nagisa rubbed Yukiko’s back soothingly a few more times before reluctantly pulling away to give Sojiro a sidelong glance, that cold smile and frigid eyes still boring into Sojiro’s soul.

            “Sojiro-kun… I think you should do as Yukiko said and kindly reflect on your life choices! You’ve made mistakes, but it’s not too late to turn yourself around. Your bodyguards ran for the hills, so it’s your word against ours if you really want to go back to court so bad… But let me tell ya, it’ll be the last time, and you’ll be paying us for harassing Yukiko for a whole year – we’ve finally gotten enough evidence to make a case against you, and it’ll be your reputation in tatters after it’s all over. Please… Just go home, and never approach Yukiko again!”

            Sojiro opened his mouth to loudly protest… But the moment ‘fuck off’ was on the tip of his tongue, the bluenet handed over a single photograph. One of him slapping Yukiko. The evidence slipped from his numb fingers as he staggered back fearfully from the coldly polite Nagisa, who wasn’t even raising a weapon towards him or doing a single threatening action. It didn’t need to be spelled out for him that this picture was just the tip of the iceberg; whoever was being a smartass, they’d clearly captured enough evidence to put him in a very unfavorable light. After all, if anybody recorded him mouthing off to Yukiko, and there was a very excellent chance they had, even a bribed jury would be hard-pressed to rule in his favor without coming across as bought out…

            Shiota wasn’t fucking around. Even sticking around the nursing home would be pointless now; they had blackmail on him. Sojiro was through. And he didn’t even want to know what this psycho did to make his bodyguards abandon him.

            “Damnit… DamnitdamnitdamnitDAMNITTTTTTTTT!!!!!!!!” Sojiro screeched as he high-tailed it out of the arcade, stumbling like hell in his mad rush to get as far away from Nagisa as possible.

            And the whole time, the bluenet held Yukiko’s hand and squeezed it comfortably before accepting a second grateful hug from his wife. He grinned softly and petted the dark-haired beauty’s head.

            “I’m sorry we took a year to deal with that guy, Yukiko… Even a single day – no, even one second with that bastard… I’m so sorry.” The bluenet mumbled, resuming his slow, steady massage of Yukiko’s back.

            The dark-haired woman sniffled as she shook her head and just let the tears continue to fall as she hugged Nagisa tight.

            “No… I’m just glad he’s finally out of our hair. Sojiro’s influential, so it’s not as simple as scaring him off. I… I understand it was… complicated dealing with him… I know firsthand how much of a weasel he was.” She whispered hoarsely into Nagisa’s ear, lightly sobbing.

            This was definitely the worst guy that she ever had to deal with. But Nagisa kept her safe, in the end, and that’s more than she could ever ask for. Well… Nagisa and Akari…

            “Akari’s probably making sure that guy’s gone for good.” The bluenet chuckled nervously, strengthening the hug between them, holding her dearly close. “She definitely got every second of that altercation, and Karma can pull some strings to get Sojiro fired from the nursing home. And once we get all the other evidence to the police and the media… he definitely won’t be coming back. Sojiro can try to cover his ass, but Ritsu dug deep into his personal background; there’s way too many fires to put out. He’s toast.”

            After a while, Yukiko drew her head back, tenderly gazing into Nagisa’s eyes before planting a deep, affectionate kiss on his lips, her fingers trailing up the pulse of his neck. The kiss lasted for a hot minute, especially with Nagisa kissing her back… But sooner than Yukiko wanted, she pulled back breathlessly as she gave a wobbly, grateful grin.

            “Nagisa. Thank you… I’m just… I’m glad it worked out. You saved me again… I don’t mind a little publicity, if this’ll give a warning shot to all the creeps out there!” Yukiko shakily sighed, prepared for the media attention.

            Anything to be rid of Sojiro… She could endure the attention, because she had Nagisa and Akari. Yukiko was never letting them go.

            Nagisa cupped her face again tenderly, going in for another passionate kiss before drawing back a few minutes later and smirking.

            “With all that unpleasantness outta the way… Why don’t we get started on those games, huh?”

            Yukiko’s eyes glinted with delight, and she smirked back challengingly at him.

            “If you can keep up, Mister Sonic Ninja~…” The dark-haired beauty teased gleefully, making his face heat up but his grin never dropped.

            Nagisa wasn’t that great at FPS… But that was okay. There was a Sonic Ninja game, too – and it was even multiplayer. So there was room for him, room for Yukiko, and… room for Player Three, Akari.

            Yukiko couldn’t keep the big, stupid grin off her face. Video games were so therapeutic~… They never failed to brighten her day.

            Just like her Nagisa.

Chapter Text

            Rio Nakamura never believed in “love at first sight” or any of that kind of lovey-dovey BS. The concept of finding your soulmate and knowing you’ve found them at just the first glance, Rio thought it was a load of crock, and that the very idea was an insult to love in general. It was way too arrogant, and the idea tossed everyone else you’d ever meet right out with the bathwater.

            Just look at her and Nagisa. Their first meeting had been anything but glamorous, and Rio honestly didn’t know what to think of that mouse of a kid.

            “Wait, wait, wait… You’re a boy?” The blonde parroted incredulously, after the bluenet had corrected her on the first day of Third Year. It was morning before classes, and because Rio had nothing better to do, she came up the mountain half an hour early. Her reason besides that? Well… she was transferred into E-Class last year, so she figured she would come and scope out the class on the first day of the new year, to see if there’d be any fresh blood.

            Yeah, it sucked when Kunugigaoka shuffled new victims up here after they fell behind in their studies… But still, Rio was morbidly curious about what new personalities the class would get; after all, there was meatheads like Terasaka and his crew, the creepy Hazama, the chirpy and bright Hinano, the geeks like Takebayashi and Fuwa… And of course, there was her own type, the flashy, dense mischief-makers.

            That was the part she was supposed to play, anyway. She wasn’t the gifted child prodigy anymore. Why, just look at her now, gaping in open-mouthed shock at not being able to tell if someone was a boy or a girl! Classic idiot blonde, eh?

            “Well, yeah…” Nagisa scratched his cheek sheepishly as he placed down his bookbag on the open desk to Rio’s left. “I know my hair’s long. But… it’s out of my control. I’m a guy, and I won’t get a sex change just ‘cause people keep bringing up I look better as a girl!”

            “Dude, it’s not just the hair! You’ve got lashes, soft lips, the works!! There’s not a single muscle on that string bean of a body.” Rio deadpanned, hands on her hips as she squinted at him in disbelief. “Is it your tatas? Well, lack thereof??? Is that why you think you’re better off as a guy???”

            Nagisa heaved a tired sigh, pretty much used to receiving such comments from anyone and everyone. He just shook his head in annoyance.

            “Nakamura-san, I promise I’m not lying… What’s it gonna take for you to drop it…? I’ll do anything short of stripping down – because that’s just indecent and weird...” The bluenet muttered grouchily, as if that had been requested of him way more times than he’s comfortable with.

            Rio snorted a little before shrugging nonchalantly, sitting down on top of her desk and kicking her feet in the air lazily.

            “Hey, whatever rocks your boat, Nagisa-chan~… Whether you’re a girl or a girl pretending to be a guy, doesn’t make much of a difference to me.” The blonde picked at her nails for a second, seemingly oblivious to the bluenet’s twitching eye. “Tell me somethin’, though? Why are you so comfortable with people calling you Nagisa right off the bat? That’s a bit too… forward for a mouse like you.”

            Nagisa’s twitching intensified at the usual comparison to a mouse. It’s fine, he was used to it. … He didn’t like it, but it was fine.

            “My family life’s complicated.” Nagisa’s expression became unreadable, and the blonde quirked an eyebrow curiously at the development. But then he shook his head and a peaceful smile was back on his lips. “Um… Enough about me, though. What got you sent down to E-Class, Nakamura?”

            Okay, the bluenet knew that was an invasive, loaded question, but at this point he was so done with being the butt of jokes. If Rio was offended by his query, her expression didn’t show it. If anything, she seemed bored, like this was just par for the course. Like they were following some kind of itinerary.

            “Meh. Dress code violations, shitty language, and ditching classes. Just the typical anti-establishment stuff. How about you?” She raised an elegant eyebrow again, and Nagisa breathed a sigh as this seemed much more… talkable for him.

            “I sucked at science, and before long I suffered in other subjects, too.” Nagisa nervously laughed and rubbed the back of his head anxiously.

            Rio blinked slowly, as if registering him for the first time. Nagisa didn’t know it, but the fact that he finally opened up about something… It touched her, in a weird way. Especially how blunt he was about his own failings.

            “Hey, don’t let that get you down! I pretty much suck at academics, too. None of it makes a lick of sense to me.” The blonde cringed internally, painfully aware that was not always the case…

            A part of her missed being… smart. Still, if she was honest, being dumb was the lesser evil; at least she wasn’t lonely anymore.

            “School’s hard, sure…” Nagisa chuckled sheepishly, sitting down in his seat as he pleasantly beamed at the blonde. “But I’d be lying if I thought it was all bad! Science is my worst subject, but English is cool. I’m not sure why, but picking up a second language is… kinda awesome. At least I feel more confident with language than I do with rigid facts that I have to commit to memory… I’ve got more options with understanding English, I guess that’s what I’m trying to say.”

            Rio’s eyes lit up as she stared back at the bluenet over her shoulder, grinning impishly at his straightforwardness.

            “No kidding~? Sounds like we’re birds of a feather with English! Though truth to tell, I hate civics more than science. At least science is useful for knowing why stuff is the way it is, even if it can get complicated; civics sucks because that stuff’s only for stuffy, ‘I don’t have a life’ types. Who cares about formality and duty if you’ve got the essentials down pat? Just be a decent human being, and you can’t go wrong~!”

            Nagisa sweatdropped as he chuckled sheepishly.

            “I guess that’s fair… Civics comes easier for me, but I know it can get a bit… blegh. Personally, I’d rather not get in trouble with the law, so that’s why I put some effort into keeping up with civics, but I don’t obsess over it. Like you said, it can get a bit… boring…” He mumbled, eyes averting to the desk in front of him as he thought about the real reason he gave effort into school. He didn’t want to get into this heavy topic with a possible new friend, so he was careful avoiding the matter of studying at home.

            Rio peeked at him strangely, though. As if the blonde somehow knew he was holding something back. For the girl in question, she most certainly could sniff out someone holding stuff back. It’s not like she distrusted Nagisa or anything, but she was used to reading people because sooner or later, they pulled away from her for… reasons.

            Or in other words: Rio showed her serious side a bit too much, and people either got intimidated or jealous by her intelligence. The gap between her and most people used to be that big, but not so much ever since she started genuinely bombing in her studies. Nowadays, people were just leery of how sleazy she could be without even trying.

            Admittedly, there was a part of her that died inside when she saw Nagisa hiding stuff from her, after being so forward. Whatever reasons he had, the bluenet would certainly turn his back on her sometime during this school year; people that kept secrets got ornery about others of their kind, so either this kid would confront her, or he’d just coldly (“politely”) put her at a distance. That was just her luck. This Nagisa kid seemed so nice, too.

            “Here’s to a fruitful year, then!” Rio flashed a forced, toothy grin as she stuck out her hand towards the bluenet.

            To her amazement, Nagisa did reciprocate the handshake – with that pleasant beaming smile still on his face – but what shocked her most of all was that the kid’s grip was… strong. Not to the point that it hurt her, but she was surprised at how not-gentle it was. Through his resolute gaze, Rio could see that he had strong willpower, and his grip must have been something of a silent promise to be her friend.

            Rio was doubtful at best, and outright didn’t believe him at worst. She’d barely just met Nagisa, how was she supposed to be able to trust him? People gave up on her, that’s just the trend that she’s suffered since coming to Kunugigaoka. Nagisa could be kind all he liked, but he was gonna have to put his money where his mouth was, if he wanted her to give him a chance.

            ~*~

            Friendship with Nagisa was… slow in its buildup. That was Rio’s fault, though. She was so used to people quitting on her, she kinda gave him the cold shoulder when he got too… buddy-buddy. Granted, how was Rio supposed to respond when a supposed guy (for weeks after meeting the bluenet, she was still convinced he was a girl) put up with all the messing around she did with him? If Nagisa was a dude, how come he didn’t do more than whine when she took cracks at his lack of masculinity?

            But Nagisa blew her expectations out of the water, yet again. He kept sitting by her during class. If he bottled up his anger about the cracks about being a girl, he never let it show that he was beyond just irritated. That was probably what scared her most of all, that Nagisa was so open about most things, and he never had anything but good things to say about her as a person.

            She would’ve been tickled pink… if things hadn’t changed so suddenly, just a couple weeks into their Third year. First, Miss Yukimura, who was genuinely a great educator, disappeared on them. The moon blew up. Koro-sensei came. And worst of all… that new girl, Kayano, strutted into their lives. For Rio, that was the suckiest development of all… Because in just those couple of weeks, Nagisa started to grow on her; oh, he still had a lot to prove, but he was managing it.

            And then Kayano waltzes in and wraps the bluenet around her finger. Ironically enough, Nagisa is sitting smack dab between her and Kayano, but Rio knows the score here. Between her, who makes Nagisa’s life Hell with pranks and insults of his supposed gender, and Kayano, who tied up his long hair into pigtails to mirror hers, makes the guy feel tall, and makes friendship just look so easy… It’s a wonder that Rio hasn’t slapped Kayano or something for snatching up her… friend.

            But Rio doesn’t lash out. She still waits for Nagisa to stop hanging out with her… He’s got Kayano, and the blonde feels sick to her stomach watching how well they click together. Against all odds, however, Nagisa treats Rio just like he always has – with respect, and only mild frustration with her impish antics. Kayano steals time away from Rio, but the bluenet doesn’t exclusively hangout with the green-haired girl or anything.

            … Kinda sucks that Nagisa pulled Karma, and not her, into his and Kayano’s group for the Kyoto trip and beyond, but hey! Rio was the problem child again, not Nagisa. She didn’t wanna come across as clingy and desperate, and admittedly there was some part of her that didn’t want to see Nagisa and Kayano make googly eyes at each other. Rio would just be more of a nuisance to the bluenet and drive a bigger wedge between them; that’s what she feared.

            Nagisa still got caught up in her attempt to see Koro-sensei naked. Honestly, it was just more messing around, but the bluenet swallowed that BS about getting data on the octopus by knowing what his body looked like. It was kinda fun, even if the moment was short-lived. Nagisa… was really chill and sweet.

            Now… Rio wasn’t being salty or anything later that night, when she got the ball rolling on talking with the girls about boys that they liked in E-Class. To be fair, Nagisa wasn’t hottie material. Maehara, Isogai, and Karma all had the bluenet beat out in the looks department. So Rio bringing up Maehara and Isogai was an objective assessment of looks and charisma; it’s not that Rio was taking a jab at Nagisa’s attractiveness… He had more of a puppy vibe, while the other dudes were wolves, Great Danes, what have you. Rio was just calling like it is.

            And hey~! If the other girls were going after Maehara and Isogai, that was more puppy for her. Not that she was head over heels for the bluenet – it was just… a fledgling crush. Something innocent, and might not really go anywhere. Shame that no one was really taking the bait, though… Maehara was ick with that womanizer fetish he couldn’t kick off, and Isogai was too professional as Class Monitor to care about dating yet. Plus, they were only Junior High kids. Thinking about dating this early was… weird.

            Rio would be lying if she said she wasn’t a little territorial of the bluenet, though. Biggest shame of all was that Kayano kept quiet about any guys she might’ve liked; the blonde just wanted to have an idea of how screwed she was when it came to getting Nagisa to notice her. Kayano and Kanzaki both kept mum about their tastes in guys, however… Kanzaki was another potential rival, much to Rio’s dismay; she caught sight of Kanzaki and Nagisa both blushing as the girl was brought into their group by Sugino. And then there was that little adventure Rio missed out on when Kayano and Kanzaki got kidnapped by highschoolers… Rio still didn’t have the deets on that, and maybe that’s why she sought Nagisa out after the whole failed pincer attack with Koro-sensei. Rio felt left out, and Nagisa didn’t seem like that great of a friend for not sharing the juicy details with her… Though, again, that was kinda her bad for walking on eggshells around him because of Kayano lurking by his side all the damn time. Case in point? Rio internally winced when she saw him chatting together with Kayano one-on-one, but managed to catch him before he went back to the boys’ room for the night.

            … Okay, so her ‘crush’ might be pretty intense for a first-timer… But you know what??? Screw you. Rio was starved for friends, and the bluenet was one of the rare few that was proving his mettle. Sure, she still had doubts about their friendship ‘cause of how much Kayano was eating into his time these days, but until he actually started turning his back on her, Rio would give him the benefit of a doubt.

            “Yo, Nagisa~…!” The blond swaggered over to him, halting the bluenet before he could turn the corner towards the boys’ end of the dorms. “You got a sec? We haven’t had a lot of time to hangout on this trip, and it’s been bumming me out~!”

            Nagisa chuckled anxiously and fully turned to face her with an earnest expression.

            “S… Sure… It’s our last night here, we should make the most of it.” He nodded slowly.

            Rio grinned, slipping an arm around his shoulders as she guided him back to the same balcony where the bluenet and Kayano hung out for a bit. Though this time, he and Rio sat there cross-legged as they stared out at the nightlife of Kyoto, and the ever familiar crescent moon in the sky.

            Hey~! If Kayano gets her moment with the puppy, then Rio gets to steal a moment, too! Harmonious balance and all that crap.

            “Seems like Professor K’s Kyoto Gambit didn’t pay off.” The blonde casually mused, reclining back and propping herself up with her hands. She was in no rush to jump into the juicy gossip.

            Nagisa nodded slowly again, a small grin tugging at his lips.

            “It’s probably for the best. We’re still growing, and this trip would’ve gone down a lot worse if it wasn’t for Koro-sensei. I know I’m being selfish… But I’m glad the mission is ongoing. We’ve… We’ve got time.”

            Rio eyed the bluenet curiously, raising an elegant eyebrow.

            “Even if the world would be saved, the minute he dies? I don’t wanna be that chick, but we’re kinda screwed if we don’t give this mission our all with every opportunity we’ve got! That’s just the way it is. Sure, we’ve still got time, but that’s just piling on more pressure as the deadline gets closer.”

            Rio was playing off her sense of duty, but she did genuinely feel obligated to see this assassination through. She didn’t want anyone else to snatch the kill; Koro-sensei was their mission. Nagisa squirmed at her gaze, and scrunched his face up uncomfortably.

            “Believe me… I know. Like I said, I’m being selfish. I just can’t help noticing what Koro-sensei’s done for this class. We’ve got world security to think about, fine, but what happens after we save the world? I’m not even talking about our grades – he’s… he’s fun. Koro-sensei gives us hope, and he’s showing us our potential! The minute he’s gone, Kunugigaoka’s gonna eat us alive. You saw how they pulled a cheap trick with the first round Midterms; the Main Campus wants to see us fail. We can have a devil-may-care attitude all we like, but some of us just… we need more time to get our bearings. This is the first time in years that some of us have had anything super positive happen… I know we need to kill him. I know we need to eventually set aside our own happiness… But I just can’t yet. Not when our lives are just on the upswing again…” The bluenet heaved a depressed sigh, and Rio frowned in concern at his tone.

            That didn’t sound too impersonal or detached. Nagisa wasn’t just talking about the others struggling through stuff; this sounded like a guy speaking from personal experience. Part of Rio just wanted to shake the bluenet by the shoulders and make him ‘fess up about his problems… But she was trying to stay understated. Rio didn’t want to go back to being the serious, no-nonsense girl genius.

            … Not to mention, she didn’t want to scare Nagisa off with an interrogation. Not after this was their first time hanging out by themselves in days.

            “Geez, no need to go sourpuss on me~…” The blonde teased, forcing a bittersweet grin as she shook her head, gazing up at the moon. “I never would’ve even guessed a guy like you could be selfish! But hey. I’m glad, y’know? After all you’ve done to support us as a class, it’s great you can still express your own interests. No guy or gal should have to be selflessly devoted all the time…!”

            Nagisa rubbed the back of his neck anxiously as he chuckled nervously.

            “W-Well… I kinda want Koro-sensei to stay as long as possible for the class, not just myself! Th-That’s about as selfish as I’ll get… I know I don’t have much of a future anyway. W-Well… not yet, I guess.” The bluenet mumbled uncertainly, brow furrowing as he glanced down at the balcony’s floor.

            Rio’s frown deepened, eyes narrowing suspiciously.

            “Right, ‘cause none of us have much of a future until the octopus bites the dust…” The blonde replied leadingly, and to her frustration Nagisa answered like she thought he would.

            “Um… Th-That, too.” Another self-depreciative chuckle. Nagisa wouldn’t even look at her now, and the urge to shake him around like a ragdoll was intensifying. Whatever his situation was, the bluenet was keen to bottle up his problems. And it was pissing Rio off.

            Rio closed her eyes calmly and sucked in a deep breath. She genuinely didn’t want to scare him off… She was just worried for one of the first real friends she’d had in years. Nagisa wasn’t supposed to compartmentalize; that’s not how this worked.

            “Well, I guess with the octopus around, he can save our bacon when we get kidnapped…” The blonde reopened her eyes and glared at him searchingly, and Nagisa stiffened for a moment before laughing nervously again and rubbing the back of his neck, ashamed.

            “O-Oh yeah… Um. See, there was these highschooler thugs…” The bluenet got the hint, and started talking.

            Rio listened with rapt attention, and waved around a stray Guidebook that someone had left out on the balcony once Nagisa was done explaining that day’s adventure.

            “Who knew these bricks would be good for something, eh? Maybe you had a point about the octopus sticking around for a while~… Kayano-chan and Kanzaki-chan sure are lucky. Although, he can’t be around forever. We’ve gotta stand on our own, eventually.”

            Nagisa nodded sadly with a pained smile.

            “I know. It’s just… we’re Junior High kids. Even if Koro-sensei and the government make it an obligation to be assassins, we’re still learning the ropes, y’know? Things would’ve gotten a lot hairier if we didn’t find Kayano and Kanzaki until later… Can you imagine what those thugs would’ve done, if they had their way?”

            Rio grimaced, shaking her head in a disturbed manner.

            “Trust me, I’m with ya 100% on this one. If those bastards were gonna bring in cameras, there’s only so many possibilities how that was gonna go down. No kid should have to go through that so early…” The blonde shuddered, hugging herself a little. As dirty as her mind and jokes could get, rape was a whale of a different color. Sex should be consensual between two people, and even then, they should hold off until they’re at least adults.

            As much as she was jealous and wary of Kayano and Kanzaki, the blonde didn’t wish for them to suffer. Not like that.

            Rio blinked slowly as Nagisa raised a comforting hand to her shoulder, and she stared at him in astonishment, feeling her discomfort fade as quickly as it manifested in her.

            “I couldn’t protect them on my own. Not even Karma could stand up to those guys, not yet. It’s selfish to want Koro-sensei to stick around… But I can’t help it. This incident showed me that I need to get stronger, and if Koro-sensei’s terminated, then there goes my chance. Mister Karasuma and Professor Bitch won’t stick around once the mission’s over. I don’t want to be that helpless ever again, not with my friends on the line… That’s all I’m trying to say.”

            Rio’s expression softened, and she fought back the urge to wrap him up in a big, great bear hug. She sighed to calm her nerves, but it wasn’t working that well.

            “It wasn’t your fault, Nagisa! The world doesn’t rest on your shoulders.” The blonde huffed, averting her eyes as she curled her knees up to her chest, averting her gaze. She subtly relaxed into the hand massaging his shoulder, and eventually surrendered to a loose one-armed hug from the bluenet. “Let’s just both get stronger so that the octopus can rest… We shouldn’t need him for the rest of our lives, especially with what a damn perverted gossip he is…”

            “A-Ahaha…” Nagisa chuckled nervously as he rubbed her shoulder consolingly, not minding that this was a half-hug at this point. “You guys, too, huh? I should’ve put two-and-two together.”

            Rio blinked owlishly, craning her head to peer into his nervous eyes.

            “What were you guys doin’ that had you all so hot and bothered???” The blonde quirked an eyebrow expectantly.

            Nagisa tensed and tried laughing it off.

            “N-Nothing…!” He stuttered.

            “Nagisa…?” Rio wasn’t having it, she was smirking in annoyance and twitching her eye now.

            The bluenet hung his head in shame.

            “… The guys were doing a popularity ranking of the girls.” He mumbled, knowing that he was breaking the Bro Code.

            But how was he supposed to deny Rio?! The blonde was relentlessly persistent when getting the dirt on something!!!

            Rio’s cheeks flushed pink before she smirked deviously, knowing that she had Nagisa now. She leaned into him menacingly and made him squeak, retracting his arm, but she kept getting right in his face.

            “Tell me the list, Nagisa~…! Whose kneecaps do I need to break~?” She smirked devilishly.

            Nagisa’s blush intensified.

            “I-I’m not gonna tell you that…! Th-There’s a Code, and I’ve already said too much!!!” He shook his head wildly.

            But Rio wasn’t letting him go. No, really. She literally clutched at his kimono as she stayed right up in his face.

            “You’re not going to bed without spilling the deets~…! Where was I on that list?” The blonde demanded to know.

            Nagisa sweatdropped as he thought back to the list.

            “…. The ranking was decided by vote. Um. No one voted for you.” He could say that much, he supposed, and not get in trouble.

            Rio’s twitching intensified, making the bluenet retract that opinion hastily.

            “What?! What the hell kind of list was this?! Kanzaki made the cut, but not me?!?!”

            Nagisa’s eyes bulged in horror.

            “H-How did you know that…?” Nagisa squeaked uncomfortably, and the look of vindication on the blonde’s face made him feel worse.

            “Aha…! I freaking knew it. Who else? Kayano? Yada?” The blonde pressed, tugging at the bluenet’s kimono impatiently, gritting her teeth slightly.

            Nagisa sweatdropped and heaved a sigh, knowing at this point Rio would literally not release him until she knew everything. He made a silent prayer, hoping the guys would forgive him…

            “Kanzaki was at the top with four votes. Yada had three votes… Then third place was a tie between Kurahashi and Kayano, who each had two votes. And then Meg had one vote…” He trailed off helplessly, feeling more anxious as Rio’s stormy expression didn’t subside.

            “Freaking Meg, and Kurahashi, and not me… What’s this world coming to?!” Rio griped, beginning to shake him a little like a ragdoll. But just a little.

            Nagisa gulped as he gave his theory.

            “W-Well, it’s not like it was totally a list based off of looks… Um. The guys generally voted for the nice girls with a ‘great personality’. Heck, that’s what they put next to Kanzaki’s ranking.” The bluenet sweatdropped, knowing that he was digging his own grave, but he had to be honest.

            Rio didn’t take it that well, though.

            “I have a charismatic personality!!!!!” The blonde griped.

            Nagisa held up his hands peacefully, chuckling nervously yet again.

            “Yeah, but you’re also mischievous, and kinda pick on everyone… Honestly, if we could’ve voted for multiple people, I wouldn’t have picked just one girl. ‘Cause… I’ve never been a fan of popularity contests. I think I would’ve given each of you girls a vote, if I could. You’re all great.” He rubbed the back of his neck anxiously as he averted his gaze in shame.

            Rio’s expression softened and she released his kimono, smoothing it out and patting him consolingly.

            “Yeah, you’re a nice guy like that… A real gentleman. … I’m just annoyed with the other bozos, I guess.” She half-lied. Because it didn’t take the blonde much deduction skill to figure out who Nagisa likely voted for… He wasn’t a trend chaser. The bluenet probably figured she and Kanzaki had some votes going for them, while Kayano had squat. If Nagisa had to vote, he was going to spread the love around. Especially since he and Kayano were so tight. Still, though… “That said~… Did you guys ever get to gossiping about the chicks you liked?”

            Her eyes glinted in curiosity. Nagisa flushed in horror, shaking his head, not liking where this was going.

            “N-N-Not really… No one was willing to sh-share… Though when Karma was asked, he said he’d pick Okuda.” The bluenet hung his head in shame, knowing that once again, he was just incapable of saying ‘no’ to the blonde that was right up in his face.

            Persistence is a thing, boys and girls.

            “Huh. Talk about ironic.” Rio muttered, a far-off look in her eyes as she recalled the science girl speaking up in Karma’s defense earlier. She stroked her chin thoughtfully, but dropped that topic in favor of the more interesting one in front of her. “How ‘bout you, Nagisa-chan~? Any hotties in our class get your goat?”

            To be fair, Rio wasn’t actually expecting an answer this time. Nagisa was too much of an herbivore to talk about his own crushes; hell, getting the deets that she had tonight had been like pulling out teeth!

            “N-N-Nakamura…!!! That’s not something I can talk about with a girl!!!!!” The bluenet’s face heated up massively, shaking his head in denial.

            But Rio just smirked, noticing how his mood was improved from just a few minutes ago. Flustered Nagisa was better than depressed Nagisa, so this was a win in her books.

            “So you do have someone~!” She purred, eyes glinting in triumph. “Or maybe…? Does Nagisa-chan have multiple crushes~? That’d explain you voting for more than one girl, you dog~…”

            Nagisa retreated from the blonde hastily, a haunted expression on his face as he kept shaking his head at her.

            “I… I’m going to bed!!!!! G-Good night!!!!!” He squawked, taking off with a burst of speed that Koro-sensei would be proud of.

            Rio didn’t hesitate to give chase, still grinning impishly. True, she was pushing her luck, teasing the bluenet relentlessly like this… But Rio was gonna milk this friendship for all it was worth. At this rate, Nagisa was going to be putty in Kayano’s hands with how things were going; she might as well just enjoy the time they had before he ended up in a relationship.

            That’s the logic he used for Koro-sensei sticking around, after all. Nagisa brightened her life, so she was gonna cherish him for all that she was worth.

            ~*~

            Rio grinned bitterly as she waited in the airport, an hour before her flight was scheduled to take off. Memories such as those had been plaguing her for years… And now that videos of Nagisa teaching in the old school building were surfacing, her homesickness had gotten unbearable.

            The blonde knew that she never should have left. Her dream to become a diplomat was important, sure, but the fact she was treating it like the mission to kill Koro-sensei should have been a dead giveaway that she wasn’t going to last for long out here. Maybe she lasted longer than expected; it’d been a good seven or eight years since her exchange trip started.

            Rio stretched lazily as she stood by one of the windows, looking out at the planes coming and going. Her mind couldn’t help comparing them to her friendships over the years… E-Class aside, of course. People would come and go, and she would just as easily and carelessly drift in and out of their lives, too. Honestly, Rio never meant to keep Nagisa waiting this long for her… Hypocritically, she thought that by travelling out into the world, it’d make things easier on herself and on Nagisa when he realized Akari and Yukiko meant more to him than she ever could.

            … But this exchange program only made things so much worse. Nagisa used to check up on her everyday; and only at her request did he dial back the calls to every few days. Texting still happened everyday, and that was hard enough for Rio to endure. If she heard his voice every day for these past eight years, Rio would have turned around a lot sooner than this… And it took all of her willpower to withstand calls every few days.

            She loved Nagisa so much. And if the way he kept calling her was any indication, Nagisa had it just as bad for her. Nagisa was hanging on by a thread, but he never stooped to begging her to come home. The bluenet knew how much this job meant to her, and he knew how dutiful she was… Yet as Rio knew full well, Nagisa could be selfish when he wanted to be. He proved that back in Kyoto, and there was several other times that he demonstrated he wasn’t perfect in considering the feelings of others.

            Still… that imperfection was what drew her back in. Nagisa put his own life on the line without thinking how his friends would feel about him dying. She hadn’t been there to see the bluenet take down Takaoka a second time, but she heard how intense that fight was, how uncertain everything would turn out… Even if she hadn’t been on the verge of death, Nagisa still kicked the ass of the guy that targeted them. He saved her, and everyone else who got sick with that manmade virus.

            Nagisa didn’t even falter against Reaper 2.0, despite losing to the bastard like they all had… Well, that was partly Professor Bitch’s fault. Still, Nagisa just kept getting stronger, leaving her in the dust, and he kept internalizing his problems with his mom. Maybe that’s why, even after learning the truth about his home life, she kept harassing him with the crossdressing and crap… Rio was a little petty, maybe a little vindictive, and she didn’t like that ‘third wheel’ vibe that she had going on. Nagisa could be strong without her, and he just allowed her to keep harassing him even after the truth came out and he had every reason to blow the whistle on her fun. Rio felt… vulnerable. Replaceable. Akari was still so intimate with him, and when they did get around to finally learning about the actress, Nagisa didn’t bear a grudge against her at all for lying and tricking them all.

            Nagisa demonstrated how big and forgiving his heart was by just that alone, and Rio just… couldn’t deal. He was too good for her. So when he voiced the desire to save Koro-sensei, she just had to speak out against him… Because while she did genuinely have that sense of duty to see the assassination through, there was a part of Rio that couldn’t let Nagisa slip up to that extent and ignore the others’ feelings. He was an important part of their E-Class family, and he shouldn’t just assume the whole class was on the same wavelength as him.

            But Nagisa pleaded his case, beat her and Karma’s team fair and square. And then Akari went and showed that she definitely fell for their scruffy puppy… Rio honestly figured that was the final death flag for her shot at Nagisa; this whole time she’d been a nuisance to him, making him cross-dress and calling out his femininity, and then she disagreed with him on something so huge as the mission, whereas Akari had stuck with him through thick and thin…

            Yet that wasn’t the end of the story. Once Koro-sensei was gone from their lives, that’s when the real fun began with the decisive ‘war’ for Nagisa’s affection… Rio and Akari were holding themselves back for reasons, so Yukiko comes back like some epic underdog, and that prompted her and Akari to get off their asses. High school and college were chockful of new, spicy memories, and Rio was dwelling on them right now, in this moment…

            ‘Cause they all married Nagisa in the end, didn’t they? She might’ve held herself back out of guilt, left Japan behind because she still had doubts that her thing with Nagisa would last, but now Rio couldn’t take it any longer. Their ‘thing’ was all Rio could think about, night and day, and she tried keeping a distance so that Akari and Yukiko would gobble him up… But the bluenet never forgot her, and she could never forget him if she tried.

And now it had come to this. If Nagisa was gonna be the Second Coming of Koro-sensei here, then it was high time that she fulfilled her role… as Professor Bitch’s successor. ‘Cause… Koro Mountain Academy could use an English teacher, right?! Of course Rio knew she was right, her confidence was off the charts~…

            Rio watched as her plane came down and docked, letting passengers out. She gripped the bag strap around her shoulder and grinned eagerly. Boarding for her flight back to Japan would begin shortly. The blonde wasn’t gonna run away anymore. She was gonna chase hubby like a dog, just like she had back in Kyoto~…

            They had a lot of catching up to do. And a new group of kids to terrorize. Didn’t that sound delightful~? Of course it does~…

Chapter Text

            Their time together had been sweet. Remarkably so. Rio honestly felt like the luckiest woman in the world! … Well, one of three. But how else were they supposed to resolve this? Nagisa was major catch. Considerate. A great listener. His bloodlust made him kinda hot… Nagisa didn’t need to be strong like most men; his drive and focus were so immense, the bluenet thought outside the box so often that it was nearly second nature to him. Nagisa never lorded his natural abilities over others, if anything his self-esteem levels were always in the red because of how he was raised.

            But don’t let his meek nature fool you. Nagisa stood up for himself when it mattered, he never let bullies get the last word. Especially if it was his friends that were at stake. Under all that ‘weakness’ slumbered an indomitable strength, but not necessarily the physical kind. It had more to do with willpower, and ingenuity. First and foremost, Nagisa was an assassin. That was his heart and soul. Yet rather than use that power for its ‘intended’ purpose of ending lives, Nagisa channeled that strength to protect others. That’s just the kind of man he was.

            Nagisa was one-of-a-kind, in every sense of the word. Sometimes, his aura took some getting used to. Most people overlooked him; but sharper individuals, the pessimistic and shrewd kind, they could see the potential in Nagisa… and they were wary of him. Like Karma had been. Karma, who wanted to drag out the hidden serpent in Nagisa and crush it. And like Rio herself had been. Rio, who only extended a hand of friendship on a whim and expected Nagisa to be like everyone else she ever met. People hated secrets. Hated deception. And with how Rio and Nagisa were wired, they seemed doomed for a spectacular collision course.

            … Except the ‘inevitable impact’ never came. Not in the way Rio was expecting. Nagisa was relentless with the friends he forged bonds with. No matter how she teased him, how much she disagreed with him on principle… The bluenet never gave up on her. That kindness kept her coming back for more and more.

            Rio was precious to Nagisa. And if she was honest… Rio couldn’t live without him. All the teasing, flirting, ‘bullying’… It was a reflex on her part because she felt unworthy of Nagisa, but Rio was also scared. Terrified of her feelings for a guy that couldn’t commit to just one woman. … But to be fair, they kinda pushed him into this. It wasn’t his fault, and Rio wasn’t blaming him. Despite the eccentric arrangement, Nagisa tackled the polygamous relationship like a fish to water. That’s not to say the bluenet didn’t struggle, of course he struggled… He was dating three women. Any guy that found such a challenge to be easy wasn’t worth being in a relationship with. Because chances were, those types of guys would never stop at dating just three chicks. Those types didn’t really care about the women they were dating; they were pigs.

            No. Nagisa worked hard to be worthy of all three of them… That’s why he was a ‘natural’ at it. Working diligently was in his blood. They stuck it out with him because they wanted to be in a relationship as badly as he did. When both parties make the effort, when they’re a team, that’s when you know a relationship is solid and that it’ll work. It’s not just one person carrying the burden.

            They were married now. Rio should have been satisfied… Fears abated. Maybe that’s why things turned out this way.

            Because her fears weren’t dealt with. They festered and grew within her, like an ugly flower in full bloom. Rio didn’t even know how things escalated to this point… But they had. Too many circumstances snowballed together, eventually resulting in Rio’s early departure from Japan.

            “Rio…!! Please, just wait…!” Nagisa scrambled after the blonde as she strutted through the airport with purpose. She just got done checking her suitcases in, and now she was almost to the security checkpoint.

            … Now, if the bluenet would just… just take a hint for once…

            “Nagisa, forget it, okay? I’ve gotta do this. It’s best for everyone.” She grunted, hauling her carry-on bag with minimal effort.

            Nagisa’s brow furrowed as he scrunched his face in mild, bewildered confusion.

            “But why?” He pressed, gesticulating a little as jogged a little to keep pace with the aspiring diplomat. “Your flight wasn’t for another week, and I don’t think the flight schedules would change that drastically…! If it was a day earlier, maybe, but a week?! Rio, please… talk to me…”

            Rio rigidly came to a halt, biting down on her lower lip with almost enough force to make it bleed. But she kept her back to him, shoulders tense, as she did her best to avoid making a scene as others passed them by in the hall. Her hair fell over her eyes as she grimaced, clutching the strap of her carry-on just a little more tightly.

            “Nagisa… you really need to go be with Akari. She was wrapped up in that explosion, and she almost didn’t make it. I can’t tear you away from her when she needs you most; don’t worry about me. I’ll be fine.” Rio insisted, keeping her voice hushed even if she sounded pained and torn up about this.

            Nagisa bit his lower lip anxiously, feeling only more confused and hurt at the blonde’s explanation that still made no sense to him.

            “Akari needs both of us, Rio!! It’s not even about marriage… Everyone from E-Class should be here to support her. We’re the only family she’s got left! Y-You can’t just walk out on her…!” The bluenet flinched as Rio glared back at him with a mixture of frustration and… something else. Something that he wasn’t understanding.

            But the unnamed emotion felt vaguely familiar…

            “I’m going because she has everyone else…!” Rio snapped, grimacing again as the bluenet recoiled slightly and clenching her eyes shut to dial back her emotions before resuming facing forward. “I… look. There’s twenty seven of us, Nagisa! Twenty seven people to watch over a single pampered pri- star… Between us and her coworkers and fans, Akari’s got more than enough people flooding her room every day. She won’t miss one person getting back to their life. Hell, you know the hoops Karma has to jump through to make a visit!! We’re throwing everything to the wayside for Akari, and some of us just can’t  do that forever. Eventually we have to… move on, life as normal. I was gonna be leaving in a week anyway; might as well get this out of the way now…”

            Nagisa’s expression softened in worry as he looked over Rio’s stiff shoulders and the way she was trembling slightly. There was definitely something more going on. The blonde was holding something back – something ugly. And… And he didn’t understand.

            “Rio… Of course she’ll miss you…! You, Yukiko, Manami, and Toka are some of her best friends!! Akari’s not trying to inconvenience you, none of us are! W-We could just use your support while… while you have time…” The bluenet murmured, and flinched back again when Rio’s harsh tone was back, en masse.

            “Nagisa, Karma was right about you!! Your problem is that you have no respect for how hard this is for everybody who isn’t you!!! I’m trying to be gentle. But you know what? Fine, I’ll come out and say it!! The world freezes over when Akari’s in trouble, everyone stops what they’re doing because they care so much about her! So what if she lied to us for nine months? So what if she hurt you when trying to kill Koro-sensei?! Stop the presses, because Akari Shiota’s in danger!!! You try and act like you don’t have a favorite among us, but it’s always the same. If everyone’s not hooked on Akari’s every single ragged breath, every beat of her heart, you lose it!! You don’t rally the troops for me or Yukiko when we’re under the weather. I-It’s just… it’s… frustrating…! If I hafta sit through this for one more week, I’d rather just go now, get an early start adjusting to England. I’m sorry, Nagisa, it’s just… I know I’m being an ungrateful bitch, and I’m just creating more drama for you guys… It’s best for everyone if I get outta here.” The blonde huffed, raking a hand through her hair anxiously, keeping her back towards him; but she did crane her head back a little to peer at him – though not enough for Nagisa to see her eyes. “… I’ll call when I make it to England, okay?”

            Still. The bluenet registered the deep, miserable sadness in Rio. A wretched, bitter loneliness that draped over the blonde as she shuffled off meekly when he offered no response for several minutes. Belatedly, he tried to go after her again, but by then she reached the security checkpoint and was out of his reach.

            That was their last ‘chat’ before she left. Honestly not the tearful sendoff that Rio wanted, but too many coincidences snowballed into each other and stirred up restless emotions in the aspiring diplomat. A part of Rio suspected that might just be enough for Nagisa to finally grow sick of her, break off the marriage between them…

            But that’s just another reason that she left. Because… she knew Nagisa. Rio knew that even if she’d been the most disagreeable, jealous bitch in that moment, the bluenet would try to talk her down. Try to understand her… Nagisa always tried his best when it came to the three of them. That’s just what marriage was about.

            … Rio didn’t deserve any of that mercy and kindness. Nagisa should have gotten mad at her – and he did, he blew up at her when she called the next day as opposed to that night, but not to the extent that Rio yearned for, that she deserved. Yet the blonde knew that if she hesitated any longer in that hallway, that flight to England would have been delayed indefinitely. And if that happened… Rio would be struggling with this nagging question all her life, ‘What would have happened if I followed my dreams? If I hadn’t just settled for Nagisa at the start?’

            That’s one regret Rio didn’t want on her conscience, so she ran. Ran far away. The bluenet was always pushing hard for them to follow their dreams, because it’s what Koro-sensei would have done. He was Koro-sensei’s legacy. But more than that, Rio was terrified of her feelings for the teacher-in-training. How she wasn’t satisfied with his selflessness… How a part of her would just throw everything to the side to make him happy. Because Nagisa always made too many sacrifices for them, was always the whipping boy for teasing and venting in equal measure. The bluenet deserved better than he got; it’s a wonder the poor guy even knew how to speak his mind between Rio and Akari being so vocal about their values and opinions. Everyone needed a little selfishness, otherwise they wouldn’t be human.

            Rio got what she wanted. In a sense. She left for her exchange trip, and didn’t look back after that last horrible spat with the bluenet. But as she settled into the role of a freelance interpreter, Rio did find herself calling Nagisa, Akari, Yukiko… everyone in E-Class, really. At first every day, before dialing the talks back to every few days. In that sense, she did look back. But only when she was far away across the world, when it would have been ‘too late’ to turn back.

            Despite her shrewd decision-making, Rio still ended up regretting every moment of this trip. The homesickness just became unbearable after seven painfully long years… But still. In that moment, after parting ways with Nagisa… for that fleeting moment, she thought that she made the best decision for both of them.

            And she had never been more wrong.

            ~*~

            “My, my. It seems that even with Koro-sensei gone, his legacy still holds my school in his ironclad grip…” Principal Asano huffed with amusement, a small smirk tugging at his lips as his sharp eyes viewed the proceedings from the back of the theater, elbows resting on the armrests of his chair as his hands were clasped in front of him.

            Nagisa’s brood of kids had travelled to the Asano Cram School’s main campus to perform for the Drama Festival, and much like the E-Class of yore… Well. Naturally, the children of E-Class were special, to say the least. Fourteen years ago, E-Class performed a play about a pregnant peach, fought over by an old couple that divorced. And to no shock to Asano, the performance this year centered on a boy that gains immortality through sheer misfortune, and was cursed to never grow; he subsequently falls in the crosshairs of terrorists and government officials alike, who try determining the authenticity of his immortal condition and attempt to capture the boy for their own ends. The boy’s only ally is an aspiring shrine maiden, who debases herself in the art of assassination to protect the boy when he resigns himself to becoming a target, and later a guinea pig for experiments.

            … It goes as badly as you think. The former maiden dies at the end, only for the boy to magically surrender his immortality so that she may live. At the cost of his own life. Clearly, elements of Nagisa and Akari’s past, along with Koro-sensei’s past, were used for inspiration of this strange tale. The play in itself was just a clever ruse for Nagisa’s students to practice ‘assassination attempts’ on him. All attempts that he deflected or dodged, mind you, because the plot hinged on his… immortality.

            Still, the plot was all over the place because of E-Class’s “inventiveness” and seemingly endless stream of attacks. As the Principal understood it, that ‘deal’ Nagisa had with his students was on hold until the end of this performance, so the children shouldn’t have been that invested… But, practice makes perfect, as they say. And because the performance went on for well over an hour, that threw off the schedule of the other plays that were to come on after theirs. Naturally, the crowd was perplexed and frustrated with what they just sat through, resorting to throwing what they could get their hands on and grumbling sourly like the teenagers they were.

            Nagisa and Akari slipped backstage amidst the storm of discontentment, and despite the main campus students’ reactions, the new E-Class seemed quite satisfied with the chaos they accomplished. Asano had no doubt that they were chasing their evasive Sensei backstage and making that area a nightmare to clean up.

            “Still… As carefree as this new generation may seem, one must wonder – will they get the fairytale sort of ending that eluded their predecessors? There’s no government conspiracies. No world in the balance… Nagisa carries on my legacy and Koro-sensei’s, yet what good will bloodlust do for the students if there is no threat to overcome? What purpose do they strive for? These children are aimless, Nagisa; there’s a chance the ‘tried and true’ method may backfire on you. And in my experience of such things… The only person qualified to predict what may happen next is me. I won’t needlessly meddle in your teaching philosophy… But I hope someday, you’ll understand everything that happens this year is for your sake. Students need to be strong – yet they also need to be adaptable, and perhaps just as importantly, the teacher must be equally, if not even more capable. Capable enough that they respect and admire you as their model protector. I have faith that you will pass this year with flying colors, Nagisa… But it won’t be by your merits alone. Amidst the coming storm… a teacher must find his own path. Be comfortable, but not complacent – because that will lead to nothing but tragedy. Koro-sensei had his methods, and I have mine. I think we’ve glimpsed countless times where your strength truly resides. So let’s build up that confidence… You’ll surpass me and Koro-sensei in every significant way, I’ll make sure of it.”

            As the Principal quietly mused to himself about the coming year, Nagisa and Akari had successfully managed to navigate backstage, only suffering minor difficulties in dodging assassination attempts on the bluenet. They made it to the exit out back soon enough, and quickly barred the door to slow the little mischievous scamps down. … Not that a full trash can and a wooden plank over the doorknob was going to serve much of a barrier in the face of such motivated bloodlust, but still.

            “The killing machines you’ve made out of these guys is… terrifying.” Akari yelped as soon as the door started to rattle the second the makeshift barrier was in place.

            Nagisa chuckled sheepishly, scratching his cheek as he sweatdropped and took Akari’s hand in his before running like hell.

            “They know any hit on me today won’t count, but, uh… I think it’s a matter of pride at this point. I’ve already congratulated them on a job well done, and promised to take them out to dinner next week… Nothing else we can do except call it a day!”

            Akari released a soft giggle in response to this nostalgic thrill of the chase, shaking her head as they managed to make it as far as the mouth of the alleyway before the door burst open, trash can toppling over and wooden plank launching into the air as the first few kids spilled outside with savage grins and evil glints in their eyes. And the way they brandished those rubber knives and BB guns…

            “Y’know, this would probably be freaktacular if we didn’t have context.” The actress mused dryly, blinking owlishly back at the overeager, bloodthirsty children as Nagisa dragged her out into the public street, seamlessly squeezing in amongst the crowds of people milling about. “Ummm… Not to be a partypooper, but won’t Principal Asano get upset if your kids cause a public scene???”

            The bluenet chuckled wryly, releasing Akari’s hand once they were safely tucked away in the throngs of city dwellers.

            “Oh, trust me. I learned from our mistakes! They won’t cause a stir if they know what’s good for them~… I threatened extra homework if they ever let their knives and guns be seen in public. That’s pretty much as good as Koro-sensei getting pissed off, so we’re home free!” The bluenet rubbed the back of his head bashfully, as if he hadn’t just admitted to putting the fear of God into those kids.

            Akari sweatdropped, raising an index finger in objection.

            “… Trying to ‘murder’ you during that play doesn’t count as disturbing the peace?” The main campus kids sure didn’t seem to care for E-Class’s avant garde… storytelling.  

            “Nope~!” Nagisa chirped brightly, beaming pleasantly at his wife. “Mister Asano knows what to expect from E-Class by now. If it’s in the confines of his school, anything’s fair game! Besides… he asked us to participate. And you’ve gotta admire their initiative, writing a whole play around me getting endlessly assassinated. … I’m pretty sure Kirara tailor-made these roles just for us, though. I tried to tell her that we were happy with directing and supporting behind-the-scenes… But I think once she sat down to talk with the kids, they had other plans. S-Sorry if you were wanting downtime with this gig. I’ll make it up to you!”

            Akari’s expression softened before she flashed a fragile smile, patting his shoulder consolingly.

            “Nagisa, don’t worry about it…! Mister Asano asked me to help, and I was glad to lend a hand. Besides, I can’t remember the last time I got a chance to act with you!! I think the closest we ever got to you hitting the silver screen was the few times you acted as a stunt double for a few actors, back when you were in university. But back then, I kinda had to beg for your help… Not so much this time~!” The dark-haired woman petted Nagisa fondly, and he stared back at her with love, admiration, and a touch of chagrin.

            “Yeah, I’m sorry… It’s my fault, really. I know with one word from you, and most directors will approve me being a part of a movie, even if it’s only as an extra… I just get so nervous that I’ll screw up and make you look bad for recommending me. It is fun, acting alongside you… I just wish I could squeeze into any role, like you! You’re the best, Akari, and I feel like only the very best should be on the same stage as you.” The bluenet rubbed the back of his neck anxiously, his expression becoming bittersweet.

            Akari’s frown deepened. There he went again, putting himself down… It drove the actress crazy how that gut reaction came as easy as breathing to him. They’d talked about this loads of times; if Akari didn’t believe he had the acting chops for certain roles, she wouldn’t offer him the chance to play them.

            Nagisa was bad at lying, that was the truth. Playing pretend was a mixed bag with the bluenet – he could do it if the ‘assassination’ called for deception, but if the situation wasn’t serious enough, well… That’s why Akari was on the lookout for roles where he could be as natural to his character as possible. She wanted to cheer him up, for Nagisa to be proud of himself, for the rest of the world to see how awesome he is… The training they received from Koro-sensei and Mister Karasuma made E-Class perfect for action roles, but Nagisa was just too… considerate with her reputation.

            It wasn’t fair. Most guys would jump at the chance to be in movies, and the bluenet simply cared too much for her to even try. On rainy days, on days when she reeled from dealing with asshole directors and arrogant costars, Akari thought his overcautious nature was sweet and endearing. The actress was ashamed to have days when she was glad that he didn’t have the confidence to dip his toes in the acting world, that he left it as her domain… Akari knew that was messed up, because on every other day she was cursing that very same overcautious nature, wishing that he’d just take a chance. Honestly, this play was a godsend…

            … Even if she was leery of the ending. Seriously, what had Kirara been thinking?! Okay, so she probably had angst and tragedy on the mind, as usual, but she still should have known that roles like this would have been too raw and hit close to home…

            “Well, I’m glad we shared the same stage~!” Akari pouted moodily as she glomped him a little continuing their walk to the train station. “You stole the title of best assassin in our class from me, Nagisa… I’ve wanted to spoil you rotten with a big, famous role for a while, but you’re way too considerate!! This play was great for showing off to your students how amazing you are… even if they kept trying to ‘murder’ you. Everything was perfect until that ending!!!”

            As Akari huffed in exasperation, Nagisa’s cheeks flushed pink as his eyes darted to the side in a not-so-innocent manner that the actress couldn’t help narrowing her eyes at.

            “H-Honestly, I was relieved with that plot twist!” The bluenet chuckled weakly as he could feel Akari glaring daggers into the side of his head. “You dying was a little too… I dunno. That hit too close to home. I’m glad I could use that ‘immortality’ to bring you back… That whole ‘Kiss of Life’ scene was the only time we had any peace up there. Though, I think that was because the kids were getting blackmail pics. Yeah, I’m pretty sure that’s the case, looking back on it.”

            Nagisa rubbed the back of his head bashfully, and Akari blushed a deep red as she averted her gaze to the ground. That kiss was the best part of the whole performance for her, she just hated the part that came after. She huffed again, resting her chin on his shoulder as she used an index finger to poke his cheek moodily.

            “I’m glad we could practice that scene for hours, mind you, but I still hate that you died right after…! What kind of cheap immortality is that, anyway, that you die the moment you give it up?! Th-That’s just…!” The dark-haired woman grumbled sourly, still poking his cheek.

            Nagisa chuckled softly, sliding his arm back around to wrap around her waist and embrace her in a one-harmed hug as they walked.

            “I’m pretty sure the moral is that no good deed goes unpunished, and that sometimes, unfortunately, it takes everything we have to save a life so precious to us. I mean, I’ve read about cases of mothers dying right after childbirth… I wouldn’t be surprised if Kirara drew inspiration from that!” He grinned weakly as Akari pinched his cheek in retribution for talking about this so lightly.

            “Nagisa. I am not losing you. After Aguri and Koro-sensei… I think it’s about time life started pulling its punches!! Look, I’ll try not to throw away my life willy-nilly, but if it’s for you, to keep you safe… I have to do everything that I can. I. am not. losing. you.” The actress muttered stubbornly, and her eyes narrowed suspiciously as Nagisa sighed and leaned his head against hers affectionately.

            “Don’t you realize it’s the same for me? You died once already! I carried your body, so I know!! Just like you, I’m going to do everything I can to keep you safe, and that’s that. It’s only gonna get worse when we have a kid on the way… I might not be the best, manliest dad ever, but you can bet I’ll try to be good for them!!!”

            Akari moaned pitifully, leaning her head back into his and closing her eyes in defeat, nuzzling into his one-armed embrace.

            “S-Stop tempting me already…!!! We get frisky enough as it is, s-so it wouldn’t be hard to make you the best dad ever!!!!! I just… I think Yukiko should be the first. Has she said anything about why she’s holding back…?” The dark-haired woman cracked open her eyes to peek at the bluenet vulnerably, and Nagisa grinned wryly.

            “Yukiko doesn’t feel right with getting a massive headstart on Rio. Of course Rio knows about the, um… sex…” Nagisa mumbled that even quieter, embarrassed to be talking about this out in public. “Y’know, since Rio started it before she left. But if we go too crazy, Yukiko knows her kids and your kids are gonna be several years older than Rio’s! She’s just, uh… trying to close the gap by holding off.”

            Akari twitched in aggravation, flashing a ‘pleasant’ grin that didn’t quite meet her eyes.

            “Of course Yukiko-chan’s the one with a heart of gold, caring about leaving that Devil in the dust…!!!” The actress groaned, poking his cheek again stubbornly as her mouth set into a hard, firm line. “Nagisa. It’s been seven years since Rio left. And if she’s not gonna be back for a while, well… that’s her own fault. So here’s the deal: We’re gonna call Rio-chan tonight, see if she’s still gonna be a stubborn bitch about playing ‘Keep Away’, with no earthly idea of when she’ll come back… And if she is, hey~! I say screw Rio-chan!! We can’t keep putting off our own happiness for her! We can only do so much; the rest is up to her, and we’ve been waiting a while… I say tonight we celebrate a job well done on that play~! You’ll knock me and Yukiko-chan up, and it’ll be the best reward ever~! No more holding back. Rio-chan wants us to be the first to start our family, so we’ll give her what she wants~!”

            The bluenet shuddered a little at the casual way Akari was talking, and averted his gaze to the sidewalk as he blushed heavily and mulled over how he felt about getting the ball rolling without Rio. On the one hand, it didn’t feel right to leave the blonde out of the… fun… But on the other, Akari kinda had a point. They were already approaching their thirties; it was time to settle down with kids. He kinda wished the actress would be kinder and not call Rio a ‘bitch’, but, well… There was a rift between the two, and he could only be grateful that their marriage stayed intact. Sure, Rio didn’t help her case by all the merciless teasing she did when they were kids, but the last seven years had… Well. Maybe not ‘exacerbated’ matters, but things certainly weren’t better than when they were in school and Rio was partners-in-crime with Karma.

            He just had a bad feeling that if he had to satiate both Yukiko and Akari tonight, he was going to be beyond sore tomorrow. And God knows what he’d do to the kids if they tried their usual antics… He could be rather blunt and no-nonsense when he wasn’t feeling in the greatest shape. Part of him wondered if it was leftover aggression from the crossdressing crap when he was in Junior High; because while that was a long time ago, and Rio stopped doing it when they hit high school, Nagisa still didn’t like being messed with very much.

            … Makes one wonder why he followed Koro-sensei’s example of being a target, but in his eyes it was sort of different. There was a nostalgia factor to it that crossdressing didn’t have. Hell, crossdressing after all this time might make him feel bloodthirsty at this point… So he kinda hoped whenever Rio got back that crossdressing stayed buried. Because he didn’t want to plot revenge on one of his wives… Especially not Rio.

            Rio would fan the flames of war if he fought back. And Akari and Yukiko would step up to his defense if he seemed overwhelmed by pranks; and if they put their foot down, Rio was gonna bring in Karma for her backup… So again, the best outcome for everyone was that crossdressing stayed dead.

            That was not a pipe dream. He just had to keep telling himself that…

            ~*~

            Nagisa winced when he finally made it to the old campus building, glaring down in frustration at the time on his phone. He was late. Very late. And what’s worse, he knew that this was going to be the case. They’d done as Akari wanted, and called Rio last night. Of course the blonde seemed stuck in England for the foreseeable future, though Nagisa did note how Rio refused to make the call a video call. Normally, she was eager to see his face… So for her to turn down the opportunity, something seemed wrong.

            … The bluenet did not get long to reflect on that mystery. Akari made sure that his mind was on anything except Rio, after the call was over. Yukiko and Nagisa were both flustered by Akari’s sexual frustration, but they’d gone at it like rabbits the whole night. Well. Into the wee morning hours, at least. When he was done climaxing with Yukiko, Akari made him switch to her, and that gave Yukiko time to bounce back… And the normally kind, compassionate woman got hot and bothered while watching him and Akari go at it, so…

            So yeah. Akari and Yukiko were still back at home, taking the day off because they were too sore to go in for work or do much of anything. For the first time in so long, Nagisa lamented Koro Mountain Academy was situated where it was. It just wasn’t fair that he still had school, still had a class to teach…

            With how late he was, there wasn’t even a guarantee that the kids would still be here. They typically jumped at the chance to ditch when he wasn’t punctual.

            … So imagine Nagisa’s shock when he limped to the classroom door, after dropping off his things in the  faculty office, and slid it open. He found two, not just one, things that he did not expect to find in that classroom. One, naturally, was his class. All present and accounted for.

            And the other…

            “Geez, Nagisa-kun~! I know you’re besties with Karma, but I didn’t seriously think you’d pick up his habits! You’re a teacher, you should live by example~!” The blonde woman at the front of the room teased, standing behind the podium that he usually taught at.

            “Indeed, Sensei, shame on you~…!” A dark-haired girl in Gothic Lolita, Taeko, smirked devilishly at their teacher’s first major slipup in a while. From the look of it, the class had all adjusted to Rio’s presence, and were getting along swimmingly with her. What’s more, up on the board there was some English phrases written, as if Rio had hopped straight into teaching them English while they waited for Nagisa to get there.

            The bluenet would have worked up the effort to deadpan, if he had the energy to. But alas… He was too exhausted, and seeing both his class and Rio Shiota standing there like there was no issue… It was too much. So he just stood there, mouth agape in shock as his eyes glazed over, staring at Rio as a flood of different emotions swelled up within him.

            “R… Rio…” Nagisa whispered, frozen in the doorway and uncaring how he looked to his students. He only had eyes for the blonde, who hadn’t been in Japan for seven years…

            Rio just grinned coyly at him, seeming to know something that he didn’t.

            “I’m gonna go out on a limb and guess you were too tired to check your e-mail today~! Mister Asano sent out a last-minute update to you, I know he did. We wanted to surprise you, but I guess somebody got too extracurricular last night to know what’s up~…!” Rio placed her hands on her hips as she fixed him with a serious, yet mildly playful look. “So, here’s the deal: Mister Asano wants to throw an English course into the curriculum, and he knows there’s fewer people more qualified than me to teach the language~! Starting from today, I’m gonna be the English Professor at Koro Mountain Academy! Let’s make our time a productive one~! We’re a united front from hereon, Nagisa-kun. I promise… I’m home. For good.”

            Nagisa continued to stand there, gaping, but he couldn’t deny the warmth that flooded his chest as he listened to Rio’s explanation. He’d have to check that e-mail out later, but he would believe that his wife was telling the truth – Rio was always serious when it mattered.

            … Yet even if he was feeling incredibly happy to have her here, a horrifying thought dawned on him as he fully processed the implications of Rio returning home… If Rio was really back… Then… Then…

            He was gonna be busy tonight. Again… No way Rio wouldn’t want to hop right back into their intimacy; seven years was a long time to go without feeling each other’s touch… His cheeks burned as he released a small groan and slid the door back closed to block the sea of BB’s shot his way while he was distracted. He could hear Rio cackling on the other side, and the bluenet could only shudder at this development.

            If worse came to worse – pun intended – Nagisa might have to call in sick for a day. … Or a week. Akari and Yukiko were already difficult to juggle, keeping them satisfied – with Rio back home, he’d have to adjust back to the old… ‘schedule’… If you could call it that.

            Sexual frenzy from Hell aside, however, Nagisa truly was grateful to have Rio back. … Even if he was equally terrified out of his mind, wondering if his body and mind would survive. Rio and Akari would still have to sort out whatever their differences were, but he figured Yukiko would be relieved to have the blonde back home. And if Rio really was the English Professor now, then he’d have a comrade-in-arms for school. And in a few more years, Akari would probably be joining them as a drama instructor.

            … Nagisa desperately needed that silver lining. Because he loved Rio… he did. But Rio had this nasty habit of putting him into cardiac arrest with her jokes, embarrassing the Hell out of him…

            Oh god. He didn’t want to think about Rio collaborating with the kids on their assassination attempts. No, no. He couldn’t allow himself to go down that dark road of thought… It was too plausible, and he was scared shitless right now just thinking of the possibility. Rio was on his side. She was on his side. Nagisa needed to believe that.

            … He would have to keep a good eye on what she was teaching them. For his own sanity. And even that was probably a part of her calculated plan… Crap. How far down the rabbit hole did this possibly go?!?!?!