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I'm so sorry, Koro-Sensei. Please. I can't get my mind off of yesterday, how I dealt your final blow. I know I had your permission, but it still stings. It hurts. We all miss you so much. The classroom feels empty without you, and the money is no consolation for the loss we've gotten through. I'm sorry we couldn't save you. I know you said that all good times must end, but I never wanted them to. The final roll call is something I'll never forget. You told me to "kill with a smile" and I hope I fulfilled your dying wish.
Thank you for the advice books. They're wonderful. We - the whole class - fell asleep reading them. We'll never forget what you did for us, and these books prove that it was real. So, thank you for that.
And graduation… from junior high, I mean, it's still three more years until high school graduation. But my parents were there. And they said you asked them to be there together. My dad said he'd try to rejoin the family again, try again with my mom. And hopefully me too.
The media's all over us, though. It's kind of insane. Sad, almost. It's like a constant reminder that you're gone and we did it, and we were told to do it.
But you can't disobey a teacher's orders. I promise I'll always be your student.
Your Student (Seat 11),
Nagisa Shiota
Hey, Koro-Sensei. It's been a while, hasn't it? Almost a year now. I miss you. We all miss you. It's really hard to walk into a classroom every day knowing you're not there to teach us, to make us smile again. Do roll call again. I still remember the final roll call you did, Koro-Sensei. Every second, every feeling, every moment. I could cry just thinking about it, really. I'm sorry we couldn't save you. We really wanted to, you know that? I hope you know that. Maybe you'll get these words in some weird way. Maybe I'm just writing this letter for no reason. It's been a year, after all. We - the members of what was Class 3-E - decided to each write a letter to you. Like…not quite a final goodbye. But something to help us get more closure. We're going to do it at night. I'm not sure what we'll do with the letters yet, though. Bury them, burn them, float them away on the river? I guess we'll decide when it happens.
Thank you, Koro-Sensei. Thank you for everything. No amount of words can express how much the school year we had meant to me, meant to everyone.
Respectfully,
Nagisa Shiota
Hey, Sensei. It's been…quite awhile. Three years, in fact. We're graduating tomorrow, and I really wish you were here to see it. You have no idea how much you've changed our lives. Truly. Oh, I got into the college I wanted! Keisetsu University! I couldn't take it the day of because of snowfall, but thankfully it got rescheduled. I studied hard, the way you taught us to!
I'm officially going to become a teacher. Are you proud of me, Koro-sensei? I hope so.
We're planning to take a graduation trip, thanks to Karma's suggestion. We're going to go to Kayano's film shoot, since she's filming and couldn't come with us otherwise. Our English skills have developed so much thanks to you, and it came in handy to find the shooting location. Thank you.
I'll never forget what you taught me, I promise. I'll keep working, harder and harder, to become just as good of a teacher as you were. Maybe I can help others, maybe save some people from their situation. The way you helped me. You picked me up off my feet when I was down, when my mother wouldn't stop, and you taught me that I didn't have to conform to what my mother wanted. Just… just to what I wanted.
I still remember that night, as clear in my mind today as it was when we were living it three years ago. I'm sorry. I still am. I wish we could've helped you the way you helped us.
Thank you, Koro-sensei. I promise I won't let you down.
We miss you,
Nagisa Shiota
Hey, Koro-sensei. It's been seven whole years, and I am…still not taller. But I am a teacher! A teacher-in-training, sure, but I have the class under control. I work at Paradise High School, in class 3-5. It's mostly delinquents, and they can be hard to deal with, but I manage to settle them down well enough. One of them threatened to kill me, and I told him good luck doing it before they graduate. Just the way you did, Koro-Sensei. I put a photo of you on my desk, so it feels like you're there, to help me teach these students. I wish you really were here.
A lot has changed, Koro-sensei. Mr. Karasuma and Miss Irina got married! And we're working on cleaning up the old 3-E building. The school got rid of the system - they realized it wasn't exactly, well, fair. Okuda and Takebayashi are scientists, and they're making artificial blood in their lab, with the notes from you. Sugino's getting professionally scouted by baseball teams, Okano and Kurahashi are using the mountain for a lot of nature trips, and Terasaka's working under this fancy politician. Ritsu's fully online now! Nakamura's overseas in London, Hazama's a librarian, and Itona, Yoshida, & Mutamatsu took over their family's businesses. Karma became a politician, no surprise, I'm sure (and he got a lot taller!). He's working in the Ministry of Economics. There's so much to tell you about, Koro-sensei. I wish you were here to see it all. Maybe they'll write their own letters to you. Maybe they didn't do anything after that first year.
I should bring it up again. Maybe once we clean up the school, we can have an anniversary celebration - to celebrate your teachings. Maybe we'll write more letters.
I could never thank you enough.
Your friend,
Nagisa Shiota