Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

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Chapter One

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Ota Haruka was one of the most unassuming girls in Kunigigaoka Junior High School. She sat in the middle row of Class 3-A, always answering questions correctly when called on and making a point to always be on time. She finished her assignments as quickly as possible and rarely initiated conversations with her classmates. She had a soft beauty about her, with her long, sandy-blonde hair and violet eyes, which attracted the attention of both boys and girls. Her classmates learned quickly that trying to become her friend was pointless.

Despite her stoic facade and lack of popularity, she was quite skilled in the ways of school gossip. Her mother always joked that her power was enhanced hearing because of how she always managed to overhear something. Nine times out of ten it was true. Classmates would often come to Haruka seeking dirt on other students. Friends wanting to backstab each other, exes wanting revenge – no matter the situation, reputational assassination was the most common and effective method of attack. 

There was a downside to her evasiveness, however. Some people began to believe that Ota Haruka simply didn’t see anyone as worthy of her friendship. She remembered one time a couple of girls put eggs in her bookbag and asked if that met her standards. All of her things got ruined, and she walked home with little drops of egg falling from her bag onto the sidewalk. She didn’t feel like she was missing out simply because the happiness gained by popularity was superficial and fleeting. 

Of course, this all changed the day she became the target of one Asano Gakushu. 

She was the last one to leave that day and had just finished packing her things when the top student of their class caught her in the hall. 

“Oh, my apologies,” she stepped back and bowed slightly when she nearly bumped into him. The tall strawberry-blonde boy was rather attractive. He had power, money, and everything that guaranteed him a successful future. 

“Don’t be. It’s Ota Haruka, correct?” he asked with a smile. 

She nodded, “Yes, Sir. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

“Actually, I was just looking for you. Fate’s rather funny that way.”

Haruka raised her eyebrows in subtle surprise, “I guess it is. What can I help you with?” Was he going to antagonise her like those girls? Call her stuck-up.

“Excuse me if I’m too forthright, but do you have any plans this evening?” Asano’s smile widened. She had seen plenty of smiles meant to charm or jeer at her, but his was different. Her heart skipped a beat at the sight of it. She had never felt quite so mesmerised before.

“I suppose not,” she answered quietly.

“Well, I hope you won’t mind if I take up some of your time,” Asano reached out and took her hand in his, “I’d like to invite you to dinner tonight. My treat.”

Dinner with the guy every other girl and guy on campus fawned over? The literal King of Kunigigaoka? She understood the hierarchy better than anyone, and who was she to refuse such an offer? 

“I’d love to,” she nodded, cheeks turning a rosy shade of pink. 

“It’s a date, then,” Asano gave her hand a gentle squeeze before leaving. Haruka would eventually come to regret those three words, but for a bit, everything was paradise.

Haruka rushed home to put on the nicest dress she owned and a pair of black heels. Her mother would be gone for the next few days on a work trip, so she had the house to herself while she got ready. Giddy didn’t quite describe how bubbly she was feeling as she applied her makeup. A nice smoky eye and a few coats of mascara accented her lavender-toned eyes. 

The Ota’s weren’t rich per se. They were a single-income family, living off of her mother, Mai’s, salary as a flight attendant. Haruka missed her mom when she was away, but always understood the importance of her long work trips. She kept the house clean while she was away and managed her own food so she could spend as much time with her mother as possible once she came home.

Realising she had probably made it to her latest destination, Haruka dialled her mother in hopes of catching her while she was still awake.

“Hello, ‘Ruka, Darling! What time is it?!” Mai, Haruka’s mother, sang through the phone. Haruka couldn’t help but giggle at her mother’s chipper attitude. With how much she travelled, it was astonishing that she had any energy at all.

“It’s six in the morning, Mom,” she snorted.

“Aiya! It’s eleven in Marseille! I’m sorry if I woke you up,”  her mother’s soft voice brought her more comfort than anything in the world.

“It’s fine. I was up anyway. When do you come back?” 

“I’m catching a flight back in three days. I should make it before the weekend! Maybe we can catch the release of that new game you wanted?”

“I hope so! I‘ve been waiting for it since they first announced it.” She and her mother ranted about video games, school, and work for fifteen minutes before she steeled herself and swallowed the lump in her throat. “Hey, Mom…I’ve got a date tonight.”

“Really?! That’s great, honey! Send me a message with all the details, including what you end up wearing! Dress appropriately, Ma’am,” Mai instructed sternly.

“I will, Mom,” Haruka promised softly as her mother blew a series of kisses through the phone. 

“That’s my girl. Knock ‘em dead! I love you, my little flower!”

“I love you too, Mom,” Haruka hid the way her eyes got teary when she hung up. She clutched the phone for a moment, wishing her mother would return home quickly, and then ran to the bathroom to dry her eyes. Borrowing one of her mom’s necklaces and a pair of diamond earrings that were most likely fake, she finalised her look and then rushed out of the house for her date.

As expected, Asano took her to one of the fanciest restaurants in town and was dressed in a suit that probably cost more than her apartment. She made sure to order the cheapest item on the menu, settling for a nice chicken marbella. The conversation was kept light and pleasant. Haruka learned that he liked soccer, and she told him that she was first chair in the Kunigigaoka Orchestra. 

“That’s quite impressive. I should come to your next concert,” Asano suggested, eyes never leaving her. She blushed and ducked her head to focus her attention on her pasta.

“Oh, please. I’m surprised you even have time for this . All anyone at school ever talks about is how busy you are,” she admitted in her usual soft tone.

“I’m glad that you discuss me so often,” The prodigy in front of her raised a brow in intrigue.

“Only good things,” Haruka flashed a submissive smile, hoping he wouldn’t grill her on what had been said. How this boy had made her practically speechless with little to no effort astounded her. She had always been good with her words despite how little she used them, but this guy made her feel things she hadn’t before. This blushing fool shtick was for the movies and other kids, but not her. 

“You have a bit of a reputation yourself, I hear,” Asano noted with his hands folded in front of his mouth and elbows resting on the table. He looked like his father, Asano Gakuho. Their mannerisms and names alone told her everything she needed to know about their dynamic, but it wasn’t her place to speak on it.

“Yes, I am the grapevine at this point,” Haruka sighed and wondered if the only reason he asked her out was to pick her brain. 

“Does it get lonely?” he asked. She studied his face for a long while. Her wariness of others left her on her own most of the time, but she had never considered herself lonely. She liked her solitude. No one had to worry about being hurt, least of all her.

“It’s a choice I made,” she hummed as she picked at her food. Despite its fancy garnish and price, it was rather cold. 

“Well, hopefully I can change your mind.”

When the end of the night came, she allowed Asano to take her hand and lead her out of the restaurant. They stopped in front of his limo (because of course he came in a limo) and said their goodbyes for the night.

“Thank you, really. This was absolutely wonderful,” she bowed. Asano’s eyes dipped down to her lips for a second.

“You have such a beautiful smile, doll. I’d love to see it more,” he said without letting go of her hand. Haruka was sure her face was bright red now.

“See you tomorrow?” she asked with a more hopeful tone than she expected.

“Of course,” Asano replied smoothly as he leaned forward and planted a chaste kiss on her cheek, “Goodnight, Miss Ota.”

“G – Goodnight, Mister Asano.”

With that, Asano Gakushu drove off into the night, and Haruka began her trek home. She didn’t mind walking, which gave her time to evaluate her first date. Her hand lay over her quickly beating heart before touching the spot on her cheek that he had kissed. Should she have kissed him back? No, it was too early for anything more than what he had initiated. Haruka squealed and shook her head in delight.

Once home, she threw off her heels and pulled her hair out of its braid, allowing her waves to cascade down her back. She changed into a pink sweater and shorts that were more comfortable, sat down at her computer, and immediately navigated to her favourite website. A light pink page decorated with white sparkles and gold stars greeted her. “The Life of Nozomi” scanned across the top as she began to type feverishly.

“Oh, my gosh! You guys would never believe the night I had! He’s so cute, I just have to tell you about it! Be on in ten!”

The moment she hit post, her screen began to light up with comment notifications.

“A Nozomi update blessing my Friday night??”

“Did our little star finally meet the man of her dreams?!”

“I think she’s talking about me…!”

Every day has its night. Every hero has its villain. Even coins have two sides.

Nozomi, the faceless internet sensation, was the sun to Haruka’s moon. She went viral about a year ago after posting a cover of a popular song at the time. She was described as beautiful by her fans despite never actually seeing her face. Just by hearing her voice and seeing everything she wrote about on her blog, she came across as very energetic and spunky with some edge that caught the attention of kids her age and some younger adults. Many of her fans thought she might be rich, but she made herself relatable by playing video games and hosting regular livestreams of her making her music.

Haruka was very aware that she was a hypocrite. For someone who claimed not to want friends and hated fake personalities, she thrived off her anonymity. She created her online persona when she reached her seventh year of school, treating it like a social experiment. Perhaps the reason she wasn’t so lonely was that she had this second life where she could truly be herself. Nozomi was everything Haruka wanted to be: an anonymous face who could speak her mind.

Seeing the comments pop up faster and faster, she reached for the signature Nozomi mask on her desk. It covered the entirety of Haruka’s face and had a white base with rosy pink lips. The berry red paint around the eyes was airbrushed to look like eyeshadow, while the thin eyebrows were coloured to match Haruka’s hair. Above the left eye was a white textured flower that she added with gouache. Usually, she tried to dress up with silver jewellery or a cute outfit for a gyaru aesthetic, but she didn’t have the energy tonight. Finally ready, she switched on her camera. Her followers flocked to her within minutes.

No longer pitching her voice up like she did during class, she began to speak, “Listen, I know I never really talk about my school life here, but I think your girl’s luck is turning around!”

“Nozomi, you look so cute!!!!!”

“Do tell, girlie.”

“I told you guys she was talking about me!”

She snorted, “No, no, like seriously! He’s sweet and has money, which isn’t important, but it’s a plus. He seems to understand me better than most other people do…I’m totally set, you guys.” 

She scanned the comments before settling on one that read, “ Will we finally learn more about this mysterious idol?!”  

Haruka scoffed, “Aiya , you guys have got to stop calling me an idol. I don’t even do shows! While I would love a collab with Babymetal, you can’t put me up there with the pros. Love you, though!” She held her hand up and crossed her index finger and thumb to form a heart. For the next hour, Nozomi gossiped with her parasocial friends until she grew tired and excused herself to get ready for bed. 

The next day, Asano waited for Haruka at the school’s entrance, and the rumours about them spread like a disease. The most sought-after girl and the most unattainable boy had officially begun dating, and it was all the students could talk about. Asano walked her to class every morning after, giving her a quick kiss to the forehead before going about his own day. They ate lunch together, and when elections came, she helped him run for student council president. He was going to win with or without her help, but her extra influence was useful.

Once he was finally elected, she sat in on a few of the student council meetings every now and then, taking notes when needed. Asano bought her fancy gifts and took her to the nicest restaurants in town, much to the chagrin of the girls who still saw him as a bachelor. On their first anniversary, he bought her a new violin with a bow made of horsehair and gold motifs along the frog. Various types of woods were used for the body of the instrument, each carefully crafted to provide optimum sound. It was the nicest thing she owned, and she cherished it dearly, using it for every concert. Ota Haruka truly loved Asano Gakushu. 

It wasn’t long after that that things started to change. Their cute dates became scarce, and it felt as if the only time Haruka ever really saw Asano was when they were at school. His smile, which was once so warm, felt cold and distant now. One day, he didn’t bother holding her hand as they walked to class, and the next, he didn’t even wait for her. She heard that he had another woman on the side or some people believed he was losing feelings, but she didn’t take any of these to heart. Rumours were just rumours after all. She had no proof.

“We could go to that museum this weekend. I think they just finished a new exhibit,” she suggested as they walked the hall during their lunch.

“I have work to do.”.

“Oh,” Haruka‘s face fell a bit, “Alright then. No worries.” The silence that followed ate at her. She waited until they were in a less populated area and stopped walking. Asano got a few feet away before noticing.

“What’s wrong?” he watched her without turning, his eyes narrowing from over his shoulder. The hall was empty, as it only housed a couple of bathrooms and a storage closet beside the stairwell. Haruka clenched her fists and swallowed her pride.

“Is there…someone else?” she asked, suddenly more nervous than she was a second ago.

“Haruka,” Asano cleared the space between them in three slow steps, “Do I not treat you well?”

“No, no. You do, but – “

“Then what does it matter?” 

She froze, “Excuse me?”

He leaned down, grabbed her chin between his index finger and thumb, then tilted her chin up to meet his eyes. “Does that really matter if I treat you as well as I do? I could have a hundred other girls on my mind, and you’d still stay with me. You know why?” His hand fully grabbed her chin, squishing her face, “Because you belong to me.” 

Something in the illusion she had so finely crafted shattered. Haruka’s eyes widened in pure shock as the gears in her head turned. She wasn’t his girlfriend. She was a prize. He got top placement, Student Council President, and the girl who never said yes to anyone. Like a caged bird, Haruka was meant for display. She clung to him everywhere they went like a simple piece of eye candy – a proud badge of honour to add to Asano’s collection.

“You are mine, Ota Haruka. Nothing more,” he whispered so closely to her ear that she couldn’t tell if it was his words or tickling breath that caused a chill to run down her spine. Haruka nodded as much as she could, then watched him plant a kiss on the corner of her lips. 

She pushed her thoughts and feelings to the back of her mind. When she bit her tongue, the Haruka everyone knew at school was more present than ever, but when she spoke her mind as Nozomi, she was an unruly flame. Her hidden personality tried to claw its way to the surface when Asano simply continued on with his day. Nozomi would have cussed him out and shouted at him for saying such mean things to her, but Haruka silently followed behind him, clutching her lunchbox with a white-knuckled grip.

When she got home, the only release she found was throwing on her mask and booting up her computer. 

“UGH, I can’t believe the nerve of this guy! He openly admits that he doesn’t care about me and treats me like shit! Fucking asshole!” she growled and ran her hands through her hair. Her aggravation subsided somewhat when she saw her fans come to her rescue.

“I’m so sorry! No one deserves that :/”

“Names. I want names.”

“ Bomb him.”

Her lips twitched upwards as she laughed at the flood of supportive comments; “I love you guys, really. Thank you for all your help. I don’t want to keep saying sad shit, so how about we play some COD?!” 

As much as she wanted to forget what Asano said, her mind couldn’t grasp how quickly things had changed. If she wasn’t practising her violin or in school, she was following him around like a dog on a leash. She heard a few people snicker when they passed and called her “Asano’s bitch” but she kept her poise. If he were the King of Kunigigaoka, she wouldn’t be the queen. No, Haruka was the bejewelled crown. Asano didn’t need someone to help him rule, just something pretty and shiny to show off his power. 

Haruka didn’t tell her mother. She didn’t need more to worry about. Nozomi’s fans were the only ones that she felt comfortable venting to. It made her feel better knowing that, if she did choose to reveal her identity and drop names, a horde of angry warriors would come to her defence. Then again, Asano was so good at faking it that he might convince them she lied about everything.

It was that thought that caused Haruka to spiral. She couldn’t find the will to make music she actually enjoyed anymore. When she tried, it only felt empty and lacked that usual fiery passion she poured into her art. Soon, she couldn’t even stream or play her violin anymore. As Haruka was moulded into a perfect doll for Asano, Nozomi began to wither. Her shift scared her fans, but they still offered encouraging words. She left one final post on her blog about going on a break and disappeared from the internet for a while. Months passed with no new streams, music, or even an update.

“Your grades are dropping. Keep this up, and you’ll be cast out with the other failures,” Asano noted as they sat in the Student Council meeting room awaiting the other members' arrival. Haruka flinched but stayed silent. “You know that I have no need for you if you can’t prove you’re worth,” he spoke calmly, but his words stabbed into the blonde girl like a hunter’s arrow to a doe’s heart. 

“I’m sorry, Gakushu. I’ll do better,” she mumbled.

“You don’t get to call me that,” Asano tilted his head curiously, that same look of superiority plastered on his face. He stared at her for a long while before leaning back in his chair and calling her over, “Come here.”

Haruka stood, careful of the scraping sound her chair made against the floor. He hated that sound. When she stood in front of him, he grabbed her by the tie of her uniform and pulled her down so she was mere inches from his face. 

“You. Are. Mine. Everything you do affects my image. If you don’t meet expectations, then I can make sure you truly are nothing without me,” he spoke in a low voice that would have been sultry if it weren’t for the fear it created in Haruka. 

“Understand, doll?” He yanked her tie again, and she caught herself on his chair’s armrests to keep from falling onto him. She nodded. Right as the distinct clicking of a door opening echoed through the room, Asano pulled her down and crashed their lips together. 

Haruka thought this would have been a more magical moment. A year and a half in, and they still hadn’t fully kissed, except for a few pecks when Asano felt like it. She never initiated. Her first kiss was supposed to light a fire in her, wasn’t it? When he pulled away with a warning bite to her bottom lip, all she felt was dread. 

“Whoa, nice,” Sakakibara Ren laughed.

“Seriously? You knew we were coming,” Teppei Araki sighed as he looked everywhere but in their direction, cheeks red.

“Sorry, I guess someone’s just a bit enthusiastic today,” Asano snickered as a dazed Haruka returned to her seat. She didn’t take any notes that day. Hell, she barely listened to a single word of the meeting. 

Her mind ran a mile a minute, thinking over what Asano said until something clicked. Earlier, when he mentioned her grades dropping…

“Keep this up, and you’ll be cast out with the other failures.”

He was angry that her grades weren’t up to his standards. His image was his pride and joy. What would hurt more than dating a girl from the worst class in all of Kunigigaoka? Her grades were already tanked, and her mother wouldn’t be happy, but she would be free. Her grip on her pencil tightened until it snapped between her fingers. The Student Council didn’t pay her any attention, but Asano did briefly glance at her from the corner of his eyes. She answered it with a glare of her own, a flame lit within her violet eyes.

Don’t try to manipulate me, asshole. I’m the master. Game set.

Then and there, Haruka decided that the perfect act of revenge would be to sacrifice her so-called reputation by not showing up for class and allowing her grades to fall completely. When it finally happened, she told no one she was dropping down to E Class. The other students could make the connection on their own. She didn’t care and she was taking all of her information with her. Having an excuse to walk away from Asano was satisfying enough, but bruising his ego as well? Fucking euphoric.

The first couple of weeks in Class 3-E weren’t as horrible as she expected. The school was generous enough to offer their “most shameful” class a shuttle up the mountain to their sad excuse for a campus. Her grades remained high as always, but every time the idea of transferring back was brought up, she bombed another test or missed an assignment. Most of the kids were nice, some were annoying, and some she flat out didn’t care for. Their teacher, Miss Yukimura, was a saint in her eyes. She put up with so much but was still so kind, all the way up until the day she disappeared. The fact that the world kept spinning made Haruka wonder how important they all were in the grand scheme of things. 

Then a chunk of the moon blew up, which really put into perspective how insignificant life could be.

Not long after the moon was made into an eternal crescent, Haruka arrived in her first period to find the classroom swarmed with federal agents and armed military officers. Then in slithered the yellow twelve-tentacled blob of holy-shit-what-the-fuck-is-that. 

“First, please understand that what I’m about to say is classified information. Allow me to be blunt; I want you to kill this creature,” the students were instructed of their jobs by Agent Karasuma of the Ministry of Defence.

Haruka looked the creature up and down. Tall, about ten feet, with twelve yellow tentacles and dressed in a graduation gown, tasselled cap and all. Their mission? Kill the genetic nightmare for a shot at ten billion yen before he destroys the entire planet by the end of the school year. 

“Why are you making us assassinate him?” one of her classmates asked.

“Your success will be rewarded with ten billion yen.”

Haruka zoned out after that bit. Ten billion yen could get her mother the life she deserved. Ten billion yen could get her far away from Tokyo and Asano Gakushu. Judging by the sparkles in the other kids' eyes, ten billion yen offered an escape for them all. So, the Japanese government entrusted a group of teenagers to save the world, “or die trying,” as the octopus put it.  

And thus begins the story of how Ota Haruka, the gossip-hording Jewel of Kunugigaoka, ended up an assassin in Class 3-E.

Chapter Text

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Chapter Two

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A proper assassination requires two things.  

First, it requires planning. With such a dangerous job constantly putting one’s life on the line, foresight into possible outcomes is essential. All the best assassins have many strategies and techniques, but should still be able to improvise should things go wrong. 

Second, it requires power. The individual doing the killing must be powerful enough physically and mentally to get the job done. Taking a life is no easy task. On the other hand, the one being killed must be powerful enough to warrant being assassinated. For instance, a famous politician or businessman can be assassinated, but if someone plans to kill their annoying neighbour, that’s just plain old murder. 

The second requirement is where Haruka fell short. She could plan all she wanted, but if the rest of her classmates couldn’t land a hit on the Mach-20 octopus, how the hell would she? Every day, one student or another would try their luck at killing their teacher. 

Through the E class lessons, she found she was better as a sniper than at close-range firing and more adept in the stealth department. What she lacked in speed and strength, she made up for with her quick thinking, agility and innate hearing.

The octopus’s round yellow head and beady little eyes were quite scary at first, but as the days passed, he became less frightening to look at. His skin would change colour and even display patterns depending on his emotions. 

Shiota Nagisa, the shortest boy in the class, was keeping track of his changes and what feelings they aligned with. Green stripes for superiority, pink for flustered, purple with a red X for mistakes, yadda yadda. Oddly enough, sometimes he felt more human than…yellow, blob thing.

Haruka got to class first, per usual. She sat down, pulled out her books and slipped in one earbud as Young Girl A by Siinamota blasted in her right ear. Her pencil tapped to the beat of the drums, and she hummed the melody. She loved the way the electric guitar raged on, almost fighting the vocals for superiority. Just as the second verse began, her fellow students began to trickle in. She lowered the volume so they couldn't hear what she had been listening to, though they were all talking amongst themselves anyway.

 “Earth to Ota! You in there, chick?” A slightly annoyed voice called as Haruka’s earbud was pulled from her ear. She frowned at the blonde girl standing in front of her desk.

“Nakamura,” she sighed, lips unconsciously twitching upwards into a smile. On the first day of school, Haruka had been assigned an ice-breaker assignment and was partnered with Nakamura Rio. It was awkward for a few minutes until Nakamura admitted one of her favourite musicians was Nozomi. 

“My favourite song of hers has got to be Arcadia, but right now I have her cover of Ghost Rule on loop,” she explained, and Haruka was instantly in love. She had never met one of her fans in person, but it hurt to know she couldn’t tell her the truth. Revealing her fake identity meant merging Nozomi and Haruka, which was a lifestyle she wasn’t prepared for. 

“Are you ready for the show?” Nakamura winked. Haruka nodded and smiled.

“I guess it can’t hurt to try, right?” 

The moment the octopus entered the room, the class fell silent. A nervous tension filled the room as each student let their hands disappear beneath their desks. Haruka sighed. This had never worked before, so why would it now? 

“Class monitor, if you would do the honours?” their wriggly yellow teacher called with his signature grin.

“Ready! Aim! Fire!” Nagisa ordered as the students began class, guns blazing. Haruka closed her left eye behind her rifle. If she was going to be graded on participation, she had to try at least, though her hopes weren’t exactly high. Watching all the bullets bounce off the blackboard as they missed their target over and over again, she was the first to put her gun down. The octopus flash-stepped from side to side, dodging every single one of their attacks as he called roll. Haruka followed along.

“Isogai Yuma.” Kind pretty-boy. Class rep for the guys. 

“Here!”

“Okajima?” Buzz cut pervert.

“Here!”

“Okuda!” Chemistry whiz and cute. Very moe.

“Here.”

The list continued, and the bullets slowed until the inhuman teacher reached the end of the list.

“Ota,” he raised his head from the paper.

“Here,” she answered from the back row. The classroom was quiet except for the heavy breathing of the other kids. 

“I get that you were trying to cast the net as widely as possible, so to speak, but the approach lacked originality,” the octopus waggled a finger, “When the target clocks at Mach-twenty, an assassin has to think outside the box.”

Haruka nearly laughed. The box was on fire in this situation. As a brilliant reminder of his abilities, the octopus “popped on over to China” during his lunch break, which Nagisa and Nakamura calculated would only take him ten minutes to do. 

“He’s so arrogant, always trying to make a lesson out of our failed attempts,” the blonde groaned as she dropped back into her chair. 

“He is still a teacher,” Haruka added absentmindedly as she turned her attention to her phone. Her mother had texted her updated arrival time for that afternoon, which brought a smile to her face. She had only seen her mother twice since she cut ties with Asano. Asano…

Her muscles still tensed at the thought of him, but she was able to distract herself with all the assassination business and classwork. No one mentioned her past reputation as the Rumour Queen back on main campus, nor had they discussed her relationship with Asano. Whether they didn’t know or didn’t care was beyond her, but she was glad either way.

“Man, I wish Nozomi would come back from whatever break she’s taking. I could really use a new song right now. Hell, I’d settle for a cover or even a stream at this point,” Nakamura pouted and rested her chin in her palm while her elbow sat against the desk. 

“Oh, yeah. Me too. It’s been, what…four months?” Haruka frowned. She knew exactly how long she had been gone, but even with a change in scenery, she couldn’t make music like she used to. Even streaming didn’t have the same feel to it. Nakamura shared some theories that had been floating around the internet, such as Nozomi having an illness or being arrested. It was nice to know her fans were concerned about her, but would they still be if they knew she didn’t lead some glamorous lifestyle like they expected?

Lunch time came and went pretty quickly. When fifth period came around, Kayano Kaede (a green-haired girl tied with Nagisa for the shortest) raised a good question.

“Do we always have to call you sir? You haven’t given us your name, and I think we need one. I mean, it would be kind of awkward if we didn't call you anything, right?” she asked.

“Ah, well…The trouble is, I don’t have the sort of name you just give to people. Why not pick one for me?” the octopus answered, tentacles dancing around him as if he were fidgeting, “Just focus on meter and syntax! I’ll take a short break while you all sort that out.” His face turned a light shade of pink, and he sat down. 

As if on cue, Nagisa rose from his seat with a paper folded in his hands. From her spot in the back, Haruka could see the knife he had hidden behind it, wondering if he truly thought the octopus was tired enough to simply let himself be stabbed. In a flash of movement, the blue-haired boy tried to strike the teacher in the face, but got his arm caught by a surprisingly strong tentacle.

“What did I say about thinking outside the box – “ Their teacher stopped talking when Nagisa suddenly leapt onto him with his arms outstretched like he was giving a hug. The students behind them couldn’t see, so they had no time to react to the large explosion caused by the grenade that hung around their classmate’s neck.

Haruka ducked her head into her arms that were folded on her desk, keeping her eyes from getting shot out by the ricocheting BBs. Her sensitive ears were ringing from the explosion, but she could hear faint shouting from some other students. When the smoke cleared, Terasaka Ryoma, Muramatsu Takura, and Yoshida Taisei jumped from their seats.

“We did it!” Muramatsu cheered, “We’re gonna be billionaires!”

“What the hell have you done?!” Maehara snapped at them.

“Never saw a suicide bomber comin’, did ya?” Grade-A asshole Terasaka mocked the pile of black goo that their inhuman teacher had been reduced to. Nagisa lay still on the floor.

“What did you make Nagisa do?!” Kayano shouted as she stood up, a mean scowl fixed to her face.

“I’m sorry, did you have a better idea? I gave him a modified toy grenade filled with those stupid BBs and a spoonful or two of gunpowder so they’d scatter at a high enough speed. Don’t worry, it wasn’t enough to kill anybody. I’ll pitch in on his medical bills,” Terasaka laughed as he squatted down in front of where their teacher once stood.

“Bastard,” Haruka’s fingers gripped the edge of her desk tightly. She knew what it felt like to be the pawn in someone else's game. Nagisa was the last person to deserve that kind of treatment, even if they weren’t exactly friends. 

“Whoa, he doesn’t even have a mark on him…and what the hell is this membrane? Did the body, like – “

“It’s not a body, it’s a husk. I shed my skin once a month,” came the teacher’s voice from the ceiling, where he had sprawled out his tentacles to keep himself held up. “I wrapped it around your classmate to protect him from the blast. I’m gonna go out on a limb here and assume you didn’t see this coming.”

Revealing yet another ability and face the students had yet to see, the skin of the octopus’s face turned black, and his eyes sharpened menacingly. He growled as his signature smile became vicious, sending chills down the spine of nearly every student in the room. Flying out the window, he disappeared for a few seconds before returning with a bunch of plaques in hand. Three of them dropped at the feet of the bullies, reading Terasaka, Toshida, and Muramatsu.  

“The nameplate off my house!” Terasaka paled. 

Haruka stilled when she managed to make out the rest of the class’s names on the other placards. When she spotted her apartment number poking out of the top of the pile, her throat dried up, and she gnawed at her lip anxiously. There were a few other apartments within the mix, but seeing hers caused a kind of fear that even Asano couldn’t instil in her.

“The agreement I have with your government forbids me from harming you, but there’s a catch. If you pull another irresponsible stunt like that again, there’s nothing that says I can’t harm someone else,” the octopus let the rest of the nameplates fall to the floor. “Family, friends…Everyone in the world except for you, if I feel like it.”

“Go on! Threaten us! I ain’t afraid of no squid! Where do you get off blowing up the moon?!” Terasaka’s body trembled as he spoke. 

Where does he get off blowing up his classmates?! Haruka thought sourly.

He pointed a finger at the hulking beast before him, “Call us irresponsible, but we’re just defending ourselves!”

Their teacher’s face displayed an orange circle, “Of course, I know that! I’m not calling you irresponsible for trying to kill me! As a matter of fact, Nagisa here gets full marks for technique. His composure was simply outstanding!” Just like that, he was normal again. He patted Nagisa’s head with one of his tentacles, then pointed it accusingly at the trio of idiots, “However, none of you cared if he was injured. Not even Nagisa himself, it seems.”

As he went on and on about self-esteem and valuing life enough to take pride in it, Haruka felt her fear melt into rage. She wasn’t sure if she was more upset with their teacher showing just how ruthless he could be or Terasaka’s gang for using Nagisa, but she felt relief in knowing her mother was safe for the meantime. However, if he knew where they lived, what else did he know? Did he have their hobbies memorised? That thought caused her to frown. 

Is it possible that he…?

 As the octopus began to clean off the nameplates, the other students tried to find a good name for him. They settled on “Korosensei”, a play on the word for unkillable (korosenai) and teacher (sensei) in Japanese. 

Once their last class ended, they each took their plaque back from the newly-deemed Koro-Sensei. When he held out Haruka’s, she grabbed it and quickly darted out of the room.

“Mom, I’m home!” Haruka called when she made it back to her apartment, voice dropping a bit from her usual chirp. Her mother had arrived home a few hours earlier than expected. Ota Mai poked her head out from the kitchen, face lighting up instantly.

“Ah, ‘Ruka! How are you, my little flower?!” Her mother picked her up and twirled her around as if she were still a little kid. The nickname “Little Flower” came from the second half of her name, ”Ruka,” meaning beautiful flower. 

“I’m glad you’re home, Mom. I need to unwind after class today,” Haruka sighed, melting into her mother’s embrace. 

“Of course, darling!” Mai sang as she pat her daughter on the head. They moved towards the couch, and she suddenly frowned, “By the way, you don’t happen to know where our apartment number went, do you? I don’t want the landlord getting on my ass for it being missing.”

“Oh, right!” Haruka chuckled nervously, pulling the placard out of her backpack. When her mother gave her an incredulous look, she busied herself with undoing her braid. “We had to bring them in for an extra credit assignment.”

“Some teacher you’ve got, huh? Is that E Class treating you any better?” Mai asked as she settled into her spot on the couch and started up the PlayStation. 

“I think I’ll be alright, yeah,” Haruka sighed and flopped down next to her mother, legs resting across her lap. Her long, blonde hair was finally free from its bindings and flowed down the arm of the couch. The two talked the night away as they played Mortal Kombat X. Mai chose to play as Kabal, and Haruka picked Mileena. Oddly enough, Mileena’s rows and rows of sharp teeth reminded her of Koro-Sensei and brought her a strange sense of assurance. 

“Mom, what would you do with ten billion yen?” she asked casually as she changed into some comfy pyjamas to have a movie night.

“Hm,” Mai paused for a moment, tapping her chin in thought while making popcorn, “I’d buy us a house, get you through college and…go on one of those luxury cruises!”

“You don’t travel enough already?” Haruka snorted in amusement. She slipped on a grey tank top and some fuzzy white shorts with little bears on them. 

“I travel through the air. A nice cruise would fix me, I think. Plus, if you were old enough, we could drink together!” Mai beamed as she returned with a bowl of popcorn and her own blue pyjama set, “What, are you planning on becoming a billionaire any time soon?”

“No, but you never know. Maybe the impossible will happen.”

Luckily, Haruka’s mother was off for the next couple of days because of how often she had been flying. She was close to her max hours for the month and was exhausted most of the time, but always tried to be in a good mood for the sake of her daughter.

The next few days at school went by without any more self-sacrificing incidents. Their coach for gym class switched from Koro-Sensei to their other teacher, a government-appointed watchdog named Karasuma Tadaomi. With sharp eyes and even sharper hair, the students were glad to have a phys-ed teacher who made sure their lessons were humanly possible. Much to Koro-Sensei’s dismay, of course. Haruka did get a good laugh out of him sobbing while playing in a sandbox, though.

Karasuma asked Maehara and Isogai to try to hit him with the Anti-Koro-Sensei knives they were all given, but they barely managed to get within arm's reach. He pointed out that it didn’t matter if Koro-Sensei knew their training regimen, because they wouldn’t stand a chance without it. 

“When the whole class can hit me, you have a shot,” he added. Haruka swallowed the lump in her throat and tightened her grip on her knife. 

“What do you think of Mister Karasuma?” Nakamura asked once gym class was over.

“I think he’s alright,” Haruka shrugged.

“He’s terrifying but cool at the same time,” answered Touka, a girl with dark brown hair drawn up into a scrunchied ponytail. 

Bug-loving Kurahashi joined in the conversation as well, “I know! He wants you to hurt him, but he’ll pat you on the head if you do it right!” 

“I mean, he’s pretty hot, right?” Nakamura winked and nudged Haruka with her elbow. 

“He’s like twice our age,” the blonde raised a brow, but smiled a second later when she saw the pout on her classmate’s face.

“Let a girl dream,” she rolled her eyes. The two girls laughed as the rest of the class began walking back to the room.

“Nagisa. Sup?”

They all froze when a crimson-haired figure loomed over them from the top of the steps leading back to class. The boy had a threatening aura about him, though all he did was smile and hold a juice box. His eyes reminded Haruka of a snake’s.

“Karma…you’re back?” Even Nagisa looked stunned. 

Karma…I’ve heard that somewhere.

“Who’s this guy?” Nakamura inquired, arm still around Haruka’s shoulders.

“That must be the notorious Koro-Sensei! Wow, he really does look like an octopus,” the redhead spoke casually as he waltzed right up to Koro-Sensei.

“Ah, Mister Akabane, correct? I understand your suspension ends today. Welcome back,” the octopus raised a tentacle in that familiar lecturing pose, “That said, tardiness is a no-no.” His face turned purple with a big X on it.

Ah, right. Haruka vaguely remembered hearing about the troubled prodigy Akabane Karma. She heard talk of a student kicked out for violent tendencies despite being incredibly gifted. Some faculty called it a waste, and the students who knew why he got expelled were glad he was gone. If she remembered correctly, he beat up some kid who had “far more potential”, but she never heard of an explanation, just immediate suspension. 

Karma laughed in a way she recognised. She didn’t know him personally, no, but she knew the type of person he was just by that laugh. That was a laugh she heard everywhere throughout her time at Kunigigaoka. Fake smiles, fake friends, fake people . Nothing ever felt real. Hell, he kinda reminded her of —

Her mind shut off as her thoughts wandered a little too far. She shook her head, watching the rest of their exchange with an annoyed frown on her face.

“It’s kinda tricky getting back into the swing of things. Oh, feel free to call me by my first name,” he said, offering his hand for Koro-Sensei to shake. The moment the teacher took the bait, Haruka’s instincts had been proved right.

When Karma’s hand wrapped around one of Koro-Sensei’s tentacles, it seemingly burst under his grip. Before he could react, Karma slashed at the teacher with a knife he had tucked away in his sleeve. Koro-Sensei flash-stepped out of the way, but it was still a surprising move with incredible speed.

Holy hell.

This kid actually hurt the octopus. He had been the first to destroy a tentacle, and he had been there five fucking minutes! He went on to explain how he cut up an Anti-Koro-Sensei knife and taped it to his fingers and palm. Meanwhile, something bubbled in Haruka that she didn’t quite care for.

Koro-Sensei said nothing as Karma let out a smug laugh, mocked him some more, and turned to walk back to class. A few students moved out of his way, but when Haruka stayed rooted to her spot, he simply brushed past her. Their shoulders touching sent a jolt of electricity through her spine, causing her to glare at his retreating back with violet eyes that practically glowed with animosity.

Haruka did not need another reminder of why she dropped down to E Class in the first place. 

“Whoa, down girl,” Nakamura patted her on the back. She hesitated when she noticed the mean look on her face, “You alright? Looking kinda scary there, pal.”

“Asshole,” she snapped in her regular voice. Without another word, she moved before anyone else did and stomped back to class. Since she was first to reach the room, she had the wonderfully awkward experience of realising Karma’s desk had been put right next to hers. “You’ve gotta be kidding me.”

The snake merely smiled. Haruka scoffed and dropped down into her seat defiantly with her arms crossed. She didn’t see the way he raised an eyebrow at her or how Nakamura gave her a worried look once she entered the room. 

It seemed she wasn’t the only one pouting as Koro-Sensei gave them their quiz, then sat in a corner punching the wall. The soft impact of his tentacles made a squelching sound, which went on for nearly ten minutes before Okano put a stop to it.

“Are you sure you know what you’re getting yourself into, Karma? The jellyfish is sincerely pissed at you,” Terasaka and his gang snickered.

“‘Course he’s pissed. Who wouldn’t be if someone attempted their life? ‘Less the would-be assassin screwed up and pissed himself in the process,” Karma mocked Terasaka’s gruff “manly” tone.

“I didn’t piss myself! That attitude’s gonna get your ass kicked — “

“Quiet, Please!” Koro-Sensei argued with them. While he tried to keep them from talking during a test, Haruka felt a sharp pain building behind her eyes. With her headache pain reaching new heights, she finished off the last couple of quiz questions just in time to see Koro-Sensei try to retrieve his stolen gelato from Karma. Unbeknownst to him, the snake had thrown BBs onto the floor, exploding another one of his tentacles. 

“Wow, that’s twice in one day, teach!” Karma laughed as he started shooting at Koro-Sensei. He got up, shoved the ice cream into the octopus’s robes, threatened him a little more, and then just left. Koro-Sensei went silent and stared down at his paper with an unreadable expression.

Haruka waited a little bit before approaching him, “Sir? If we’re finished, can we go?” 

“Huh? Oh, yes! You’re free to leave, though the bus won’t be here for another thirty minutes.” he nodded and took her quiz. She stared at him for a moment, then, against her better judgement, spoke what was on her mind.

“Guys like that put on an act so they can feel bigger than they really are. Don’t let his ego get to you,” she said with a small smile. 

“Thank you, Miss Ota. It means a lot.”

Feeling a bit better about herself, she left the room and sat on the steps alone to wait for the bus. 

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The next day, Haruka sat in her seat with her earbuds in, chin resting on her palm as she absentmindedly stared out the window. The song Little Things by Canadian rock band Lillix blessed her ears. No one had made it to class yet, so she had both pairs in and hummed along to the melody while her foot tapped in time with the tempo.

I am getting bored, so bored of everything that’s new.

Living in the past is how I keep my point of view.

It’s the little things, oh, the stupid little things, I can’t let them go —

She jolted when a reddish-purple blob appeared in front of her face. She yelped when its glossed-over eye looked in her direction and instinctively grabbed the Anti-Koro-Sensei knife from beneath her desk, stabbing at the freaky flesh monster a few times. When it fell onto her desk, she tried to jump out of her seat, but only managed to fall ass-first onto the floor. 

Both of her headphones fell out, meaning the only noise she could hear was her heartbeat in her ears and the incessant laughter of one Akabane Karma. He held his stomach with one hand and the dead lump of octopus in the other.

“You should see your face! Priceless!” he cackled while Haruka stared at him with wide eyes.

“Why the hell do you have that?” she hissed, keeping her knife up in case she needed to defend herself against this lunatic. Still smiling, Karma strode up to the front of the room and let it flop onto the wooden desk. Then, he pulled out a very real and very large knife that was definitely not school-regulation and plunged it through the head of the octopus. “Oh, that’s fucked up,” Haruka groaned under her breath, resisting the urge to throw up.

“I do what I must,” Karma shrugged and returned to his desk, only to sit on top of it. He leaned back, resting his weight on his hand that was behind him. With an innocent tilt of his head, he asked, “You’ve been especially wary of me since yesterday,” When Haruka did nothing but give him the stink eye, his smile grew. “Are you scared of me?”

Scared wasn’t the right word. She was unnerved by his behaviour, yes, but years of building her network and collecting information made her aware of how ugly people can be. Every time she shared something, it was usually used as blackmail or humiliation, so she got threatened a lot. It never phased her. If they wanted to hurt her, they would have already. 

So, no, she wasn’t scared of Karma . 

“Should I be?” she asked in her modulated, higher-pitched voice, smiling as if Karma had simply asked for help with homework. 

“You sounded good,” he nodded to her phone. 

“Thanks,” she replied dryly. 

“You’re Ota, right? The girl with all the secrets?” Karma asked while studying the Anti-Koro-Sensei gun they were all assigned.

“ Everyone has secrets. It just so happens that teenagers suck at keeping them,” Haruka answered, eyes never leaving her phone as she scrolled through playlists.

“Got any on the teacher?” 

Koro-Sensei’s secrets? Now, those would be a gold mine. 

The blonde paused and thought for a few seconds, brow raised when she finally faced Karma’s waiting grin, “Nothing that the other kids don’t already know. Though if you’re looking to annoy him, he’ll probably have some kind of sweet treat in the teacher’s lounge. It’s especially hot today, and he’ll use what little money he makes to buy food. It’s probably the second most important thing to him.”

“His food, huh?” Karma hummed, eyes shining with mischievous intent, “I’ll make the last day of his life a living hell. Thanks.”

Haruka simply sighed and turned her attention back to her phone, trying her best to ignore the nuisance beside her. Luckily, their classmates started to arrive and immediately questioned the dead octopus on Koro-Sensei’s desk, providing a distraction.

When Koro-Sensei finally showed up, Haruka was happy to see that he made a fool of the new kid by using a goddamn missile flame and his tentacles to cook up a steaming order of takoyaki from the octopus. He threatened Karma with his positive outlook, spending the rest of his day thwarting his assassination attempts rather humorously. The multi-armed beast managed to give him a full manicure and even dress him up during home ec.

“My, my, aren’t you awfully pretty,” Nakamura had to hide her grin at the sight of the heart-patterned apron. It was the lace that really did her in. Karma growled and ripped off the matching headpiece.

“You’ll make a beautiful wife one day,” Haruka’s voice broke as the two girls burst into laughing fits. A few others joined in, their soup assignment put on hold while the classroom revelled in the moment. Karma threw her a wicked grin that said he just might stab her if he got the chance. All-in-all, it turned out to be a better day than she thought.

Chapter Text

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Chapter Three

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Haruka credited her music-making to her ability to recognise patterns and her exceptional hearing. She could pick up underlying instruments and copy their sound by ear, a useful skill that Karasuma wanted her to hone for her assassination tactics and use in the future. 

At that moment, however, she wished she were completely deaf.

She could hear the gratingly high voice of an unfamiliar woman from down the hall, turning her head before her classmates realised. Haruka's headache was immediate when a busty blonde woman entered the room, practically falling over Koro-Sensei. 

“My name is Miss Irina Jelavic! Nice to meet you all,” the woman beamed as Karasuma introduced her as their new English teacher. Koro-Sensei took one look at her more noticeable features and turned bright pink. 

Judging by the other kids’ looks, they were all thinking the same thing: this woman’s trouble.

Haruka sank into her seat a little, a sour frown fixed to her face.

“What’s up with you?” Karma asked.

“Her voice is so obviously fake it’s giving me a migraine,” she huffed, wincing when the blonde bombshell giggled. Was this what people thought when she modified her voice? No, hers was softer. Jelavic’s was…annoying.

Soon, their new teacher was ushered out by Karasuma so that Koro-Sensei could start class. He managed to collect himself and apologise to the students for his lapse in attention. The day seemed to drag on and on. No more trigger-happy Karma or surprise explosions. It was just a normal day except for the new annoyance of one Jelavic Irina.

The good thing about being assassins in training was that their classes weren’t just focused on the core curriculum. That day’s home ec class was replaced with a game of Pass and Kill, named by Koro-Sensei himself. The students were to pass a soccer ball around and then attack him immediately. Honestly, it wasn’t the worst exercise they had done, and Haruka thought it was kind of fun, even if she wasn’t the best at it. She never played many sports as a kid, and it showed.

“Pass,” Karma kicked the ball to her before aiming his gun, “and kill.” A BB followed behind the ball, but Koro-Sensei still managed to dodge it. 

“Pass,” she said, sending the ball Okajima’s way, “and kill.” Instantly, she rushed forward with dual-wielded knives and sliced at a tentacle, but to no avail. 

“Try again! Pass!” Koro-Sensei caught the ball in one tentacle and went to toss another when he got a little distracted.

“Yoo-hoo ~! Hope I’m not interrupting anything, darling!” Jelavic came running down the steps outside the classroom, which was a little amazing considering she was in heels. Definitely an assassin. With a few bats of her piercing blue eyes, she got Koro-Sensei to speed off towards Vietnam for some coffee just as the bell rang.

As expected, her overly amicable attitude dropped the minute her prey was gone. 

“Knock yourselves out. Teacher needs peace, though, so make it a Study Hall,” she said when Isogai told her it was time to start their English lessons. She lit a cigarette and her voice dropped to a normal range, “And we’re definitely not on a first-name basis, so drop it. When the octopus is around, call me Miss Jelavic.”

“So, what’s your game, Miss Jela-bitch?” Karma asked. Haruka snorted in a poor attempt at hiding her laughter. She had to give it to him; that one was clever.

“No nicknames!” their new teacher shouted.

“We got ourselves a real pro here! Just a word of warning from those who’ve been playin’ the odds. You’re not gonna kill the octopus without help,” the redhead added with his usual smugness. Haruka wondered when the octopus in question finally got through to him. 

“Please, Sweetheart. You’re a bunch of saplings. Adults have their own way of doing things. Take note,” Jela-bitch mirrored his cockiness with her own. The She-Devil then turned to Nagisa, “You’re Nagisa Shiota, right?” The poor boy nodded just before she grabbed his face and kissed him until he turned blue. “Do me a favour, show me what you’ve got on him.”

The blonde banshee had apparently called in a few of her “buddies” to help her take care of Koro-Sensei. Their large cases that were undoubtedly filled with guns hung on their broad shoulders as they left the students to their own devices and headed inside.

“A short skirt and a sharp tongue…That’s all she needs to get her way,” Nakamura covered her mouth with her hand and shivered. Hakura made a mental note of that line, storing it for future use in Nozomi’s next song. The blonde sighed and headed over to Nagisa, who was still lying on the floor, completely stunned. 

She helped him up and shook her head, “First day as a ninth-year teacher and she makes out with a student. This is bound to be good.” After a class-wide grumble of unfortunate agreement, the students began to begrudgingly follow the human Barbie back to class. 

“I never considered kissing an effective killing technique,” Karma thought aloud from his desk. Jelavic took Nagisa for a little trip to the faculty lounge in order to bum info off of him, so the kids had a bit of free study period. 

“It’s definitely not,” Haruka frowned, taking her seat beside him.

“Aw, and here I was hoping that you’d want to test it out,” the demon smirked. She was glad that the other students were talking loudly enough to drown out their conversation. 

“Go to hell,” she snapped, voice dropping and her face burning. 

“Boy, aren’t you a fun one.”

“Shut up.”

She then paled as she began to put together the pieces of a puzzle she didn’t want to finish. Multiple personalities, secret skills, blonde…

Oh, my God, I’m a Mini-Jela-bitch. 

Surely neither she nor Nozomi came across that way? She wouldn’t have so many fans if she did, right? Right?!

The new English class was entirely uneventful. Jelavic refused to teach (except for a small spelling lesson when correcting Karma’s “Jela-bitch” nickname) and, by the time Koro-Sensei returned, phys ed had begun. The students were at a loss for words.

“He’s really falling for it,” Mimura sighed, pointing out their teacher’s bulbous form being led into a nearby shed by the succubus. Their firearm lesson for the day was abandoned as they all lowered their guns to watch.

“Mister Karasuma,” Kataoka spoke up with her cool and collected demeanour, “I get that she’s a pro, but she’s not exactly easy to get along with.”

“I know. I’m sorry you kids have to deal with her, but the higher-ups seem to think she’s all that,” Karasuma narrowed his eyes in the direction of the closing shed doors, watching Koro-Sensei and Jelavic disappear behind them, “and seeing what she’s been able to put together in such a short time does tend to make me agree with them.”

“What if this is what finally does him in?” Sugino nervously scratched the back of his head. 

“We all knew he was a pervert. This was bound to happen,” Isogai sighed heavily.

The sudden sound of rapid-fire artillery exploding from the shed made the class jump. A collective bead of sweat fell down the faces of the students. They had to give it to the witch; she had pulled out all the stops. Mere seconds later, a shrill scream ripped through the air, followed by…slithery sounds?

Haruka shivered, each sound loud and clear in her mind, “I’m gonna be sick.”

“I need to know what’s happening in there,” Okajima muttered, face flushing. 

“Maybe we shouldn’t – “ Haruka’s words were ignored as a few of the students rushed towards the shed. She rolled her eyes and chased after them, ever the hypocrite.

The door to the shed opened slowly, smoke pouring out of the cracked door as a bright pink Koro-Sensei emerged. 

“Did you touch her boobs?!” Okajima shouted instantly. 

“Get your priorities in order,” Haruka grumbled and took a step further away from him.

“If only I had the time to be really thorough, but class isn’t going to teach itself, is it, children?” Koro-Sensei beamed as they all turned to watch Ms Jelavic stumble out of the smoke. Her full figure had been tamed by what appeared to be a gym uniform from the eighties, complete with high-waisted shorts and a red headband. She was utterly dazed and confused.

“Miss Jelavic has been stuffed into a tastefully retro gym outfit!” Nagisa gasped. 

“She’s alive at least,” Haruka cringed, watching the teacher fall to the floor, completely exasperated.

“Come now! Back to the classroom, boys and girls!” Koro–Sensei chirped and ushered the students along. Jelavic’s heated glare could be felt on their backs as they walked away, and Haruka glanced over her shoulder just in time to see her rip the headband off. She felt bad for the woman. 

Jelavic Irina only knew how to deceive and manipulate. In a lighter sense, Haruka was the same way as Nozomi. Or was it the other way around? Sometimes it felt like she was acting more when trying to be quiet, little Haruka than Nozomi. The lines were blurry, and she wondered if Jelavic ever felt the same. What does a trained assassin do if she loses herself in the role?

Now aware of her lack of empathy, her classmates took it upon themselves to let her know she wasn’t welcome. When her next class came around, they threw erasers, pens, books – whatever they could get their hands on, really. She looked down on them like everyone else, and they weren’t going to stand for it.

“Do you think she’ll come back?” Karma asked as he leaned back in his chair, hands casually resting on his head. 

“Not if she wants to work uninterrupted. I’m sure he’ll either win her over like he did you or we’ll be down a teacher when she realises she can’t kill him,” Haruka waved her hand flippantly. 

“You’re awfully pessimistic, aren’t you? What, you don’t think he can’t be killed?” the redhead questioned her with that annoying smirk of his, “If you think that, then why are you still here?”

“I think you’re far too nosy for your own good,” she snapped and returned to the textbook assignment she had been doing. Maybe she should ask to move seats? Someone else could be subjected to his endless yapping. She just wanted to coast through the class until the end of the year. 

The next day, the kids anxiously awaited the arrival of Miss Jelavic. After having been called failures and losers in life, they were ready to tell her off again. In between classes, the kids took a vote on who thought she would return and who thought she quit. The result was neck-and-neck but was more in favour of her leaving. 

When she finally did waltz her way back into the room and miraculously began to teach, the class was dumbfounded. What shocked them even more was when she apologised for “being such a bitch”, to which the class responded by bursting into laughter. Haruka couldn’t help but smile at the way Miss Jelavic had been caught so off guard by a group of kids. Seeing the real Irina made her realise just how exhausting it was trying to be someone else all the time.

But who was she?

“Guess this means we shouldn’t call you Miss Jela-bitch anymore,” Okano noted, interrupting her spiralling thoughts.

“To be fair, we didn’t exactly get off on the right foot with that nickname…” Kataoka added.

“Maybe not, but we’ve got to call her something…”

“How about Miss Hellabitch?”

“Or we could just agree to move away from the whole Bitch motif together…” Jelavic cringed, “I’m not opposed to going by Irina if you guys don’t mind calling a teacher by her first name — “

“I wouldn’t plan on the bitch thing going away any time soon,” Maehara smiled, instantly shooting the poor woman down. The classroom bounced a few ideas around the room for a moment, giving Karma another chance to annoy Haruka. 

“Looks like she’s staying. What do you think of that?” He turned to her with a raised brow.

“I think she’ll fit in just fine. Genetically Modified Octopus, FBI Agent, and Professor Bitch make for a great faculty lineup,” the blonde rolled her eyes.

“Hm, that’s not bad,” Karma’s smile grew before he spoke up for her, “How ‘bout Professor Bitch?” 

“I like it! It’s classy!” Kurahashi said excitedly.

“I vote for that one!” Okajima agreed. 

“Nice job,” Nakamura turned in her seat to give Haruka a thumbs up. The blonde sheepishly chuckled before shooting a mean look in Karma’s direction. She shrank into her seat as the teachers’ shrieking only made their classmates laugh harder. It was almost wholesome in a way.

The last bell signalled the end of the school day, and Professor Bitch pinched the bridge of her nose, sighing in defeat. 

“Alright, you brats. Everyone pack it up and go home,” she demanded. The kids did as they were told and filed out of the room to catch the bus.

“You coming?” Nakamura asked as Haruka lingered behind.

“Yeah, one second,” she smiled before approaching the language arts teacher, “Profes – Miss Jelavic?”  

“Yeah? What is it?” The blonde folded her arms and looked down at the girl, just barely taller than her on account of her heels. She seemed a little caught off guard by the use of her actual name with no bitch additive.

“I know it’s like your whole job and all,” Haruka unconsciously tightened her grip on her backpack strap when the teacher lifted a trimmed brow, “but do you ever get tired of pretending to be other people?”

“You’re right, it is my job, and I’m pretty damn good at it. The money I earn helps me to live the life of luxury I’ve always wanted,” she explained, while she inspected her well-manicured nails. 

“But what do you do when you forget who you really are? When what’s real and what’s not blends together?” Haruka asked without thinking. The moment the words left her lips her eyes went wide and she snapped her mouth shut. Jelavic’s attention fell solely on her, icy blue eyes staring directly into fields of lavender. “A – Actually, forget it. Sorry to bother you. Have a nice day,” Haruka bowed hurriedly and then rushed out the door. 

“What did you need to talk to Professor Bitch about?” Nakamura asked when she sat down beside her on the bus.

“Just a class question. Nothing important,” she shrugged as they pulled away from the school. 

The walk home was rather calming. Haruka had allowed her playlist to play without much thought until the song “I Wanna Be Yours” by British Rock band Arctic Monkeys played. The slowly beating drums, ethereal reverberation of the guitar, and mellow bass line made for a sensual instrumental that backed the lyrics of deep yearning. It was a rather popular song and was a nice change from the faster rock songs she usually listened to. 

I wanna be your vacuum cleaner, breathing in your dust.

I wanna be your Ford Cortina, I will never rust.

What began as simple humming turned to quiet singing when she slowed her walk a few blocks away from her apartment building. Her mother wasn’t home, so she was in no rush.

If you like your coffee hot, let me be your coffee pot.

You call the shots, babe, I just wanna be yours.

Haruka had never really had a crush on anyone. Even when Asano courted her, she was only attracted to him because she knew how much power he held in the school. That made her sound like a bad person, but it was true. The things he got her, the dates, the convincing words…None of it mattered. When he was around, the bullying and the people asking for dirt on their supposed friends all stopped. As horrible as it sounded, she didn’t think about dating him until she saw what he could do for her. 

Secrets I have held in my heart are harder to hide than I thought.

Maybe I just wanna be yours. I wanna be yours, I wanna be yours. 

Wanna be yours, wanna be yours, wanna be yours.

In movies and all the music she listened to, love was this alternate state of mind. It was like someone was put under a spell that made them do stupid things and say stupid stuff, yet people couldn’t get enough. It was sickeningly addictive. 

Let me be your leccy metre and I’ll never run out.

Let me be the portable heater that you’ll get cold without.

There were several different types of love, but Haruka was never sure what kind she felt. Obviously, she felt familial love for her mom and platonically loved all of her fans, but what about her old feelings for Asano? Did she truly love him, or did she just love the things he did for her? She found plenty of guys attractive, sure, but never let anyone get close enough to elicit any real feelings.

I wanna be your setting lotion, hold your hair in deep devotion.

At least as deep as the Pacific Ocean, now I wanna be yours.

Finally reaching her apartment building, Haruka rode the elevator alone up to the fourth floor. Her mother had made dinner for her before she left, and the leftovers were calling her name. Taking out her headphones, she entered her apartment and allowed the music to play openly. She sang along with her full voice, just low enough to sing the male main vocals. 

Secrets I have held in my heart are harder to hide than I thought.

Maybe I just wanna be yours. I wanna be yours, I wanna be yours.

She ate dinner alone with some random YouTube video playing in the background. Her eyes wandered to the mask on her desk every now and then. It had been months since she posted anything. Nakamura was right. She had checked forums that referenced Nozomi, and many of her fans suspected she was quitting her semi-idol life. Maybe she should. Her music wasn’t great, and she didn’t think she was famous by any means. 

Haruka had been wrong. She wasn’t a Mini-Jela-bitch. Her life wasn’t glamorous, and she didn’t need Nozomi to survive. She was just so sick of being boring and passive that she became a liar as well. Hell, maybe she was just as bad as that manipulative bastard, Karma. 

The moment her train of thought switched to that track, she shook her head. He was a whole other problem she didn’t want to think about, so she turned her TV up and got ready for bed. After sending her mother a goodnight text, she watched a murder mystery channel until she fell asleep. Her dreams turned to nightmares of a bulbous yellow octopus wrapping its tentacles around the Earth and swallowing it whole.

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“Ugh, this blows,” Nakamura groaned as E Class began their trek down the mountain that housed their shabby classroom. Of course, the school had picked one of the hottest days to hold an assembly and made every class’s attendance mandatory, including 3-E. They all knew it was just an excuse to scare the other kids into doing better, lest they end up banished to the worst class in school.

Haruka could only grumble in agreement, unable to think of anything positive to say. She was starting to sweat, and the school uniform’s long-sleeved sweaters made her even more miserable. Thankfully, she had anticipated the torture and didn’t put on any makeup except mascara. If she ended up looking like a melting snowman, she was going to have someone’s head for sure.

Their “walk” felt more like an action scene from an Indiana Jones movie, complete with the falling rocks and hissing snakes. Luckily, Okajima valiantly sacrificed himself to every trick the mountain pulled on the kids, but it raised the question of how E Class’s off-campus location was ever approved.

Following a dangerous bout with an angry hive of bees, the students stopped to catch their breath. Jelavic came running down the mountain to catch up, appalled by Karasuma’s lack of exertion.

“No one told me about a class trip during lunch!” she whined as she fell to her hands and knees. 

“No offence, Professor, but you look wrecked…” Isogai chuckled, earning a mean glare from the blonde woman.

“Mister Karasuma, where’s Koro-Sensei?” Nagisa asked.

“We told him to wait back at the old campus for security reasons. It wouldn’t do for the other students to see him,” the government agent answered simply before continuing the walk. 

Nagisa’s question lit a small lightbulb in Haruka’s mind. It was quiet. Too quiet. She glanced around and realised they were suspiciously Karma-free. The Red Snake of E Class was nowhere to be found, and she wasn’t going to be the one to rat on him. She didn’t need a reason to be put in his crosshairs.

Once at the main campus, several of the kids collapsed onto the pavement. They had made good time surprisingly, which allowed them to line up in the auditorium before any of the other students arrived. 

Stay quiet and keep your head down, Haruka reminded herself. Coming back to Kunigigaoka’s main campus meant plenty of familiar faces got to see how far the jewel had fallen from the crown. Exile saved her, but now and then, she was reminded of just how horrible junior high kids could be. As the other students filed in, not many of them bothered to look their way. Nagisa was poked by a couple of his old classmates, but they were rather forgettable as Haruka couldn’t remember anything about them. 

The nerve these kids had to look down on them when she knew how maliciously they attacked one another with petty gossip. Every student that passed by had a secret they shared, which eventually ended up circling back around to her: familial problems, medical issues, intimate relationships, etc.

Even the Dean of the school had the audacity to look down on them.

“You are the cream of the crop! This nation’s shining elite! Never forget that. I am proud to be your Dean,” he announced to the mass of students as the assembly finally began, “But don’t get too comfortable. No, let E Class remind us of the perils of that.” A few other classes started to laugh obnoxiously. 

That’s why your wife is divorcing you, loser, Haruka thought with grinding teeth. Everything was as boring as usual until Karasuma and Jelavic walked in, garnering the attention of the other students. Obviously, they couldn’t be normal for one damn second. Instantly, Jelavic began to smother Nagisa with her boobs to try to get him to share info about Koro-Sensei, and Karasuma had to drag her out after telling Nakamura and Kurahashi to put their knives away. 

After the Dean’s heartwarming speech, Araki Teppei was next to speak on behalf of the Student Council. When he took the stand, Haruka ducked her head a little lower so her bangs shadowed her face. He looked like the friendly type and excelled in social studies, but he was an asshole through and through. She hadn’t seen him since Asano stole her first kiss during that council meeting. Her fists clenched at her sides.

“All the upcoming student council events are detailed in the handouts you’ve been given,” he explained as the teachers for the other classes passed around papers to everyone, except E Class, of course.

“Uh, excuse me, sir? E Class didn’t get the handouts.” Isogai raised his hand and spoke up like the brave soldier he was. 

“Oh, wow, really? That’s kind of bizarre. I’m so sorry, I thought for sure we printed enough for everyone. E Class will just have to memorise it from their neighbours,” Araki feigned sympathy with a mocking tone, “Works out for the best. You people could use the mental exercise, I’m guessing.” 

“I’m gonna cut his stupid little – ” Haruka’s grumbled words caught in her throat as a gust of wind blew through the auditorium. Suddenly, every E Class student had a copy of the handout. 

“There you go, Isogai. All of you have a handout of the copy now, correct?” 

E Class couldn’t help but smile at their awkwardly dressed octopus of a teacher. Koro-Sensei’s human disguise consisted of a fake nose stuck to his face, a stupid little wig that sat perfectly atop his round head, flesh-coloured sleeves, and white gloves. Looking at him for too long gave people a very uncanny valley feeling, but he always managed to look out for his students, no matter how strange he appeared to the outside world.

“Never mind. We have some. My mistake,” Isogai beamed up at Araki. Haruka couldn’t help but stifle a laugh as his cocky grin slipped from his face. 

“Someone got lonely,” Nagisa noted with a small smile. As he stumbled through the rest of his boring speech, the students of E Class watched as Professor Bitch tried to stab Koro-Sensei. The other classes beside them watched in confusion, but the appointed “Lowest of the Low” laughed at their antics.

The assembly concluded rather uneventfully. E Class walked out with their heads held high, less phased than normal by the teasing of the other students. 

“Those jerks never learn, do they?” Nakamura snickered as they left the auditorium and waited for Mister Karasuma to begin their walk back up the mountain.

“None of them has any reason to laugh. I mean, Araki has an embarrassingly large collection of figurines in his room. He cares for them like they’re his children, and they’re not exactly PG-13,” Haruka sighed. 

“Yikes…I totally forgot you used to be the Rumour Queen. It seems like so long ago. I bet you’ve got some crazy dirt on all of them,” her blonde classmate hummed, then winced when she noticed how she cringed.

“I once heard someone say you even had blackmail on the teachers and could take down the whole school if you wanted!” Kurahashi added with her usual chipper attitude.

“It’s crazy. I mean, you’re usually pretty quiet, so it’s hard to imagine you as some evil gossiping witch,” Sugino chimed in. 

“Rude,” Haruka huffed under her breath. 

“It makes you wonder what she knows about us,” Okajima shivered, and a few of the other students nodded in silent agreement. The conversation was thankfully interrupted by Jelavic ordering the kids back up the mountain, the teacher watching her carefully as she hesitantly moved with the others. 

“So you’re into keeping secrets, huh?” She asked, carefully stepping over any rocks that would upset her balance.

“I just happen to be in the right place at the right time,” Haruka admitted with downcast eyes. Maybe Jelavic was the one person who could hear the truth about her and understand.

“That quiet kid act is why. People think that since you’re just some meek little girl, whatever you hear won’t get out. A doormat wouldn’t hurt anyone, right?” The sarcastic tone in her voice made Haruka think that she was speaking from experience.

“Is that why you became an assassin?”

“When you’re born weak, you learn to adapt – to survive. Pretending won’t keep you out of trouble, kid.”

Haruka was silent for a minute. Professor Bitch had given her actual advice, but it wasn’t what she wanted to hear. She was right. Pretending to be quiet, obedient little Haruka only got used and thrown away. 

“So then how did you become the person you needed to be?” she asked softly, finally looking up. Jelavic stopped her struggle of a walk and stared at her with narrowed eyes.

“I trained like hell. You know your target's weaknesses and then you use them to make sure they’re no longer a threat, like a true assassin. You’ve got potential, hun,” the teacher poked her sharpened nail into Haruka’s forehead lightly and leaned down until they were eye-level, “But if you have anything on the octopus, you better cough it up. You saw what I did to your classmate, so don’t go hiding anything valuable in that pretty little head of yours.” The bombshell stumbled her way back up the mountain, leaving a blushing girl in her wake. 

That night, fans of Nozomi would receive their first update in months.

“Good things come to those who wait…”  

Attached to the cryptic message was a photo of her mask sitting on her desk. 

.

.

Irina was good at reading people. It came with the job.

So, why the hell couldn’t she figure out what was up with this kid?

Most of the brats in this new class were somewhat forgettable, but she had genuinely done her best to remember a few of them. For example, Nagisa was teaching her all of the octopus’s little quirks, Okuda was that little shy chick who was good with chemicals, that red-haired freak was Akabane, and she wasn’t going within five feet of Okajima. 

“Hey,” Irina leaned across her desk to tap a well-manicured nail on the back of Karasuma’s laptop. The students were outside training with the yellow blob, and they were stuck boiling inside the teacher's office. When his dark eyes finally lifted from the screen, she rested her jaw in her palm and continued her thought, “What do you have on that Ota girl?”

“Why?” Karasuma’s thick eyebrows furrowed a second later, “Please don’t harass any more of the students.”

“I just want a little more info on her, geez. I heard the other students gossiping yesterday after the assembly, and I think she could be useful. It’s like you have no faith in me at all…” Irina explained with a defiant huff. Her new coworker went quiet for a while, then turned his attention back to his computer and turned the screen to face her.

“Ota Haruka. Fourteen. She has two parents in her emergency contacts, but we’ve only found one at the address listed. From what I’ve heard, she’s in E class because of a sudden drop in attendance and grades, though she’s doing exceptionally well in several courses. She’s nearly transferred back to the main campus several times, but then she’ll bomb a test, and the offer gets revoked.”

“She wants to be in this dump?” Irina wondered aloud, turning her gaze to the open window on her right. The brats appeared to be playing a co-cop game of knife tag. Nagisa and Karma had been assigned to be Ota’s partners, then she was blind folded with a few of the other kids. The octopus stood silently in one spot while the unblindfolded students tried to direct their visually impaired partners.

“Turn left! Now keep walking! You’ve almost got him!” Karma shouted, lips twisted into his usual grin. Nagisa gave him a confused look, but he quickly shushed the smaller boy. When Ota followed his directions, she only succeeded in walking face-first into a tree. Her hands flew up to her injured nose as Karma burst into a laughing fit. The blonde ripped her blindfold off and glared daggers at the redhead while Nagisa just helplessly looked between the two of them.

“I’d say she’s only here for the money, but apparently she’s been doing this since before Koro-Sensei showed up. She’s got ears like a hawk and is one of our better snipers. Speed and strength could use some work,” Karasuma explained. 

“I heard she’s good at keeping secrets?” Irina raised a sharp brow curiously.

“That…I don’t know much about that. Nothing’s ever been put on her record, but her name comes up in a few incident reports involving arguments between other students. She seems to know a lot, despite not really being close with many of the others. She’s guarded, but she doesn’t cause trouble,” the agent said as he pulled up a separate tab. Upon closer inspection, it looked like a whole database full of write-ups. A few clicks later, and the list narrowed to just the ones that included Ota’s name. 

Irina went quiet as she read through a few of the reports. It was surprising how personal some of the information was. Was the girl in charge of some kind of spy network or something? Despite all the things she could learn from just her file, there was still the question of what she hid from everyone else.

“But what do you do when you forget who you really are?”

No one ever wonders what kind of identity crises happen when your entire life revolves around becoming other people. Never before had anyone asked Irina a question like that, and something in her was put off by the fact that it came from a fourteen-year-old girl. Maybe it was the hair, or the foreign ancestry she could see in her bone features, but something about this kid reminded her of herself as a child. Knowing what she went through in her youth, that thought only shook her more.

“You would think that with a reputation like yours, you would have a better poker face.”

“Fuck off, Bush Brows.”

Chapter Text

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Chapter Four

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BANG, BANG, BANG!

Haruka let out a loud, dramatic groan of annoyance as she rolled out of bed. It was twelve o'clock in the afternoon on a Saturday, and she had spent the entire night before studying for midterms. She was grateful for all of Koro-Sensei's wacky methods of teaching, but the amount of homework they were given lately was insane, not to mention the amount of information crammed into it. That being said, whoever was knocking on her door like a madman better have a damn good explanation or else her teacher wouldn’t be the only person she planned on killing. 

“OHMYGODWHATDOYOUWANT?!” she roared as she undid the various locks installed on their door. A tall man with an all-too-familiar smile grinned down at her. 

“Hi, Ruka,” he waved awkwardly.

“Dad? What are you doing here?” she scrunched her face in confusion. 

Haruka’s father, Dominik, was the source of her American lineage. His stupid blue Hawaiian shirt was unbuttoned, revealing a plain white tee underneath it that had been tucked into his loose cargo pants. His whole vibe was very friendly and laid-back, especially with his messy blonde hair that fell into his dark green eyes. 

He met Mai when he came to study in Japan during his college years. They eventually fell in love and had Haruka, but as time went on, things changed. It’s natural, and she didn’t blame her parents. Sometimes love didn’t last and they were okay with that. Despite their failed romantic relationship, they were still on good terms and remained friends after the split, so her father’s visits were never awkward. She got her love of music from him, so it was safe to say that if he didn’t influence her interests as much as he did, Nozomi would never have been made.

“Can I not come and surprise my daughter with a day of fun and whimsy?” he crossed his arms over his chest and raised an eyebrow.

“You live in Akita. That’s eight hours away,” Haruka just stared at him, unimpressed.

He rolled his eyes and huffed, “Fine. Your mother asked me to check on you while I was in town for a business meeting. She’s going to be gone for a few extra days but…what do I know? I just wanted to spend some time with you...”

“Don’t be dramatic. I’m glad you’re here,” she smiled and pulled him closer for a warm hug. He smelled faintly of whisky, but more so of mint and sandalwood, which reminded her of childhoods spent sitting in his lap and breathing it in until it was all she could smell. 

“I miss you, kiddo.”

“I miss you, too.”

While Mai was hard at work flying the world and handing out tiny bags of pretzels, Dominik used his easy-going attitude to make a killing as a salesman for some big-name tech company. They were both doing well for themselves, though their jobs took up a lot of time. In reality, Haruka missed both of her parents more than she probably should, but she was proud of how hard they worked. She saw her mother after every flight, and she used to see her father once a month, but it became every few months after he moved up north. Things could be worse.

“Even if I’m happy to see you, that doesn’t excuse you from banging on the door like that. I got no sleep last night,” she whined as she flopped down on the couch. Dominik sat beside her and propped his feet up on the coffee table. “You know Mom doesn’t like it when you do that.”

“Ah, Mai doesn’t like it when I do anything,” he pouted and moved his feet so he was sitting criss-cross instead. “How’s school going?”

“It’s…good. E class has helped me get my grades back up and actually enjoy school again,” Haruka explained. Her eyebrows knit together in thought. The realisation that she hadn’t talked to her dad since she moved classes hit her a little harder than she expected. Had it really been that long?

“Well, I’m glad. Your mom mentioned you weren’t doing so well for a bit, and I’m proud of you for picking things up. You’re gonna do great, kid,” Dominik rustled her hair until it sat in front of her eyes in a big tangle.

“Thanks. How are things in Akito?” she asked as she pushed it out of her face with a groan.

“It’s alright. Work is work, and I’ve not done much of anything else since I started. I can’t complain, though. It pays bills. Oh, get this! An especially grateful client gave me tickets to see the NHK Symphony Orchestra a while back. Now, he wants to go to another show with me and guess who he wants to see? Limp Bizkit! The switch-up is crazy!” her dad began to ramble on about his job and his latest ventures. He loved to hear himself talk, and she was a good listener, so when an hour passed by, they had barely noticed.

Haruka woke herself up with a hot cup of tea and eventually forced herself to get dressed for the day. Dominik wanted to take her out for lunch and get her out of the house for a bit, but he allowed her to take her time getting ready. She pulled her unruly golden waves into a high ponytail, put on a white t-shirt that she had cut to fall one shoulder, and slipped on some ripped jean shorts to combat the heat outside. Her chunky white sneakers made her just a little bit taller, which her dad immediately joked about. Finally, she put on her usual makeup and excess amounts of silver jewellery before heading back into the living room. Her sense of style was very accessory-based, but such is the way of an idol-in-training.

The father-daughter duo began their day with a nice sushi buffet, where they stuffed their faces until they could barely make it out of the booth. It was difficult not being able to tell her dad about the insane situation she was caught in with Koro-Sensei and the government. For someone so great at keeping secrets, she loved to tell her parents everything. Maybe it was because they usually had no idea who she was talking about, or she wanted their attention no matter how she got it, but she didn’t really care. She was having a good day, and just talking to him made her forget about the stress of school.

After eating, they made their way to a cute little record shop that Haruka recommended. She loved the vinyl sound and was excited when her mom bought her a record player a few years ago for her birthday, so her dad agreed to buy her a few albums.

“I hear vinyl’s making a comeback,” he commented, picking up a Luna Sea record that Haruka quickly snatched up. In a span of five minutes, she had already managed to amass a whole stack that she wanted to buy. Music was her kryptonite; she couldn’t help it. 

“As they should. Streaming music is convenient for new artists and audiences, but the sound changes depending on the media used. Records, CDs, big speakers at concerts…” This time, it was Haruka’s turn to ramble. She only stopped when Dominik’s phone suddenly rang.

“Oh, hold on a second, Ruka. I’ve got to take this,” he said as he flashed an apologetic smile and walked away to answer the call, “Hey, Hana…No, I’m not. What’s up?”

Haruka didn’t bother listening to their conversation and continued with her shopping. Once she was finished (and well over budget), she met her dad at the register and made her purchases. 

“Who was that?” she asked, beaming as they left the shop.

“A friend. Told them I was out of town for the day,” Dominik shrugged and changed the topic, “Why don’t we find that arcade we used to go to? I’m sure I could still beat you at that one dancing game.”

“Bring it on, old man.”

One bus ride across town later, and they arrived at an old arcade. They used to visit it every time Dominik was in town. He had said once that he used to take Mai there when they were dating, but she always beat him, no matter the game. Now, his daughter had inherited her mother’s skills and trampled him as well. 

Haruka rushed over to the Dance Dance Revolution machine that was still tucked away in the corner like it had been for the last ten years. Her dad followed behind, frowning down at his phone for a second before re-adjusting to his usual smile.

“Let’s go, Twinkle Toes,” Haruka jokingly hurried him. He snorted out a laugh and then hopped up on the rainbow platform with her. 

There were two sets of directional buttons for the two-player battle mode, and as whatever random song Haruka chose started up, she couldn’t help but grin like a child. Her life lately had revolved so much around assassinating Koro-Sensei and studying that she hadn’t done anything fun in a long time. Her violin was collecting dust, her music wasn’t musicing…It was good to just have a day away from it all. 

The blonde stepped in perfect time with the arrows that appeared on screen, watching her points rack up satisfyingly. Her dad was close behind her, just barely missing a step or two as the arrows got faster and faster. They taunted each other over the loud music as a few kids and parents paused to watch them. Haruka noticed that there were a couple of older girls who looked to be in their early twenties and were whispering amongst themselves as they watched Dominik spin around between moves. He far too confident for his own good and always drew attention to himself with his charismatic nature. 

As the song eventually came to an end, Haruka let out a loud, barking laugh. The two of them stood hunched over, breathing heavily with goofy grins on their faces. Why had she picked the hardest song on the machine after neither of them had played in over a year?!

“I…won!”  she announced.

“Only because…I let you…win,” her father shook his head, only to receive a playful shove in response. Haruka burst into a fit of laughter as he stumbled off the machine and landed ass-first on the colourful retro carpet.

“Well, isn’t this a surprise?”

She nearly jumped out of her skin as a familiar voice made her spin around with wide eyes. Of course, she wasn’t allowed one day – just a single peaceful day – without someone to come along and ruin it.

“What are you doing here?” she frowned at the redheaded snake standing behind her. Karma merely held up a stuffed dinosaur with cute little arms and a big, round body. There were a few others like it thrown into a claw machine elsewhere in the arcade that Haruka noticed when they walked in.

“Enjoying my weekend. Same as you,” he spoke casually.

“This a friend of yours, Ruka?” Dominik asked, completely oblivious to the situation.

“Absolutely not,” Haruka hissed.

“Aw, don’t be mean,” Karma’s eye glimmered with mischievous intent, “We’re buddies, right, Ruka?”

I’m going to kill him.

“I’m her father. You can call me Nik,” Haruka’s dad held out a hand to the boy, who eyed him for a second before shaking it.

“Karma. Ota and I are in the same class,” he explained charmingly.

“Great. Good. Nice to see you. Have a good weekend. Get hit by a bus or something. Dad, let’s go,” Haruka tried to pull her father away from the demon spawn, but he wouldn’t budge.

“Your name’s Karma? Badass! I like it! I never get to meet any of my daughter’s friends. I was worried she was a sad loner or something,” he chuckled, completely ignoring his daughter’s frustrated growl.

“Stop talking,”  Haruka bit out through clenched teeth. Her dad opened his mouth to ask another question, but clicked his tongue in annoyance when his phone rang again. He checked the caller ID, lips forming a tight frown.. 

“You know what, I’ll be right back. Karma, keep an eye on her for me,” he put the phone to his ear as he walked away, “Yes? No, I’m not ignoring you. Hana, just listen…”

Who’s this Hana person, and why are they calling him so much?  Haruka worriedly watched her dad walk away. 

“So is this what you’re like in the wild? I thought you were allergic to fun or something?” Karma asked, cocking an eyebrow in intrigue.

“I’m allergic to you, now go away,” the blonde scoffed as she tried to escape and seat herself at a random table, only for him to follow.

“So, is this like your alter ego? I knew that whole quiet girl shtick was bullshit. You even faked your voice,” he noted with an amused look.

“I’m not faking anything. Why can’t you mind your own business?” Haruka sighed heavily. 

“Y’know that our little assignment is going to take more than one person to pull off. If we’re going to pull this off, I’d like to know who I’m working with,” Karma explained. He placed his chin in his hand and tilted his head as if he was simply trying to have a delightful conversation with her.

“You don’t need to know me. If you think you can actually pull off killing the octopus, more power to you, but I don’t want to take part in your stupid shenanigans,” she stated bluntly. What the hell was taking her dad so long? 

Karma stopped talking for a moment. He stared at the girl sitting across from him for longer than she was comfortable with, the sound of arcade machines and pop music drowning out her thoughts as she looked at anything but him. God, this was awkward. Too awkward. 

“You’re supposed to know everything about everyone, right?” he suddenly asked, drawing her attention back in. 

“If you’re going to ask for secrets on the octopus or people in our class, I already told you that I don’t want to be involved in whatever you’re scheming.”

“I want to hear what you’ve heard about me.”

…Was he serious? It wasn’t like she knew much about him; all she ever heard was rumours and speculation. When she was still attending classes on the main campus, the stuff she heard about other students wasn’t even true half of the time. She usually weeded out the lies based on reactions. Karma didn’t even seem like the type to care about what others said.

She eyed him warily, “Why?”

“I want to see how good you are,” he leaned back in his chair, one elbow resting on the seat pulled up beside him. He’s testing me? 

“Well, my knowledge doesn’t come for free. What do I get out of this?” she asked with an unamused look in her violet eyes. There was no way he was going to pay her; therefore, the conversation should have ended there. What she didn’t count on was Karma sliding his dumb little dinosaur across the table like he was offering up cash in a drug deal. “Really?” Haruka deadpanned.

“Hey, I put time and money into getting that thing. It’s worth like…at least ten bucks.”

Haruka rolled her eyes and snatched up the toy, “Fine, whatever, but just know that I usually only trade information.” It was kind of cute with its beady little eyes and rotundness, so she’d take it. She thought for a minute, keeping her eyes on the red stuffed animal as she absentmindedly played with its arms. 

It was easiest to think of Haruka’s network as a spider web. She began by focusing on one person who lay at the centre of the spider web. As she collected information on that person, each detail became a thread that spun outwards, eventually connecting with other threads as stories crossed. Different perspectives fill in the missing pieces until webs begin to intertwine and weave themselves. Before long, she has a complete map of all the gossip surrounding one person or an event. Then, people looking for more information get caught in the web like flies, offering more information and continuing the cycle.

But what had she even heard about Karma? People talked, but not much since he had been sent away. His web was small in her mind, but not non-existent.

“You are Akabane Karma…E class, obviously. Your grades are surprisingly high, and you used to be close with one of the teachers, which was probably the only thing that saved you from being expelled. You were suspended for violence against both students and faculty. You’re friends with Nagisa, but you don’t make an effort to befriend anyone else, despite how deceivingly friendly you look. You love the idea of getting to kill your teacher, which makes sense considering your record of threatening people.”

“Oh, come on. That’s easy stuff,” Karma’s smile widened as he laughed that obnoxiously cocky laugh of his. Haruka’s eye twitched in annoyance.

“Your preferred method of annoyance is psychological warfare. You can read people and find out what makes them tick, which is why you irritate people more than anything. You like knowing you can get in someone's head,” she added snappily, “I heard that you beat up some kid who made fun of Nagisa and nearly put him in the hospital. I also heard that you actually killed someone, but I don’t think that’s true.”

“And why is that? Don’t think I can do it?” Karma asked with a tone of feigned ignorance. Haruka knew this was dangerous territory. Her web was ending and now she was making assumptions based on how he acted. She never shared what she thought about a situation or a person, only what she heard.

“I think that…despite the violence, you still want some kind of future for yourself. You have potential, so actually killing someone would do you no good in the long run. If you had, tere wouldn’t have been a good enough explanation to give the school board and you would have been expelled for good. This deal made with E class is the perfect opportunity for you to live out your twisted fantasy and continue to attend one of the best schools in the country,” Haruka answered honestly. When she met Karma’s gaze again, she noticed that his expression was different. He was still smiling, but there was a hint of surprise hidden in his eyes and he had adjusted his posture so he was leaning in to hear what she had to say. 

“Is that it, then?” 

“I told you, I don’t know everything. I can tell you that I think you’re an only child or that somehow Koro-Sensei got through to you and you actually respect him now, but these are merely suspicions. I also don’t know why you decide to pick on me more than anyone else in class, but I’d like for that to end.”

“It’s like you said. I like to see what makes people tick. Pretending to be someone else only makes me that much more interested in finding out who you truly are.” The red snake turned his head as Dominik emerged from God-knows-where and approached their table. “I’ll get inside your head eventually. Then, I’ll find out what you’re really hiding besides a bad attitude.”

Haruka scowled, cheeks flushing against her will. She fought the urge to jump across the table and strangle her classmate long enough for her dad to reach the table.

“So sorry. That was your mother asking how things were going. She just landed in Tijuana, and you know how she loves to talk,” he explained and sat down beside his daughter.

“I thought Mom was in Toluca, not Tijuana?” she corrected. Dominik waved his hand, flippantly brushing off his mistake.

“Eh, y’know how bad I am with geography. I’ve never even been to Mexico.”

She’s also been there since this morning…

Haruka was not the one to keep secrets from. She was going to get to the bottom of this.

“I’ll let you two get back to your fun. It was great to meet you, Nik,” Karma nodded politely as he stood from the table. He gave Haruka one last lingering glance before turning to walk away. Had she offended him?

“Hey, no worries, man! Enjoy your day!” Dominik called as he waved goodbye, “What a nice young man.”

“He’s not,” his daughter scoffed, glaring down at the red dino in her hands. She would throw it away if it wasn’t so damn cute…

“Your mother thought the same thing when we met. I annoyed the hell out of her until she agreed to go out with me!” he announced proudly.

The look of horror on Haruka’s face rivalled those of the scream queens she watched in her scary movie marathons, “Don’t make this bigger than it is.”

“I’m just saying that kid seemed to really like you, Ruka,” Dominik waggled his eyebrows at her while she pretended to gag.

“Oh, please. If I wanted to date someone – which I don’t – it sure as hell wouldn’t be Karma,” she said, words laced with more venom than a viper’s fangs.

Luckily, her dad dropped the topic entirely after that. They played a few more games, but Haruka couldn’t stop thinking about what Karma had said. He wanted to find out her secrets to test himself, surely. If he knew what nobody else knew about the greatest secret keeper in Kunigigaoka, he’d have won whatever strange game they were playing in his mind. Another spider was dancing on her web, and Haruka refused to back down. 

When she got home, she shoved the little dinosaur (decidedly named Sota) into the pile of stuffed animals that had already taken up a corner of her bed. Then, she grabbed a few blankets and a pillow from her closet to take to her dad.

“Are you sure you don’t want to sleep in my room? I’ll sleep in Mom's bed,” she offered, dropping the items into a warm, inviting heap on the couch.

“Nah, I’m good. This is just fine!” Dominik grinned from ear to ear. Haruka’s gaze remained on him as he fixed up the couch. The question that had been on her mind all day was eating away at her and she couldn’t help it anymore

“Dad, who’s Hana?” 

Dominik paused. She couldn’t see his face with his head turned, but judging by the rise and fall of his shoulders, he had let out a heavy sigh. When he did turn to her, his happy expression turned somewhat apologetic..

“Hana is…my girlfriend,” he explained slowly, “We’ve been dating for a bit and I didn’t tell her I was heading down here to see you. It’s my fault.”

Haruka’s only reply was a simple “Oh.” Her mind wasn’t racing, and she wasn’t angry, but she didn’t know what to think. She had heard stories from other kids with separated parents. She didn’t dream of her parents getting back together. Perhaps it was because they had split before she was born, so she didn’t know what she was missing, but they had always just been her mother and her father, Mai and Dominik. Never together, but amicably co-parenting. It was enough for her, but hearing that her father was dating someone else worried her. Would she have to meet and come to appreciate this other woman who just walked into her life?

“Does she live in Akita, too?” she asked after an awkward minute of silence.

“Actually, she’s from Morioka. She wants me to move in with her, but I’ve been hesitating,” Dominik laughed nervously and scratched the nape of his neck. “She’s kind and gorgeous, but I haven’t been honest with her. She knows I dated Mai, but she doesn’t know about you. I’m going to tell her when I get home.”

“Well, I hope it all works out. I’m happy for you,” Haruka smiled softly and ended the conversation there. She didn’t want to ask to see a photo of her or if her dad planned on introducing them to each other. That was his life, and she didn’t want to be responsible for holding him back. As long as he was still her dad, she didn’t care.

Soon after, she trotted off to her room to shower and get ready for bed. Her dad’s snoring echoed into her room and, oddly enough, helped lull her to sleep.

.

.

The next day in class, Haruka listened to the song Providence by the ’80s rock band Luna Sea. The lamenting lyrics backed by a dancing violin melody in E minor and slow percussion made for a mellow morning that matched the rain tapping on the window. Haruka wasn’t sad by any means; it just felt appropriate to match the vibe set by the weather, similar to how people listen to slower songs in autumn and more energetic ones in the summer. 

Karma arrived not long after her. For someone who skipped class so often and completely missed the assembly, he seemed to enjoy showing up early just to ruin her morning.

“Have a good weekend?” he asked with that dumb smirk of his. God, what she wouldn’t do to be able to punch him just once.

“No,” she answered flatly..

“Well, you’ll be happy to learn that you were spot on,” Karma noted, earning a confused look from the blonde girl, “I am an only child, and I do respect the octopus, but that doesn’t mean I don’t want to kill him all the same.”

“Thanks for the confirmation. Anything else you think I should know?” Haruka snorted in unamused laughter and rolled her eyes. Predatory golden eyes watched her like a snake waiting for its prey to get closer. 

“Once I figure out what you’re keeping from everyone, it’ll be over for you.” The way Karma looked at her made her uneasy, but his words had goosebumps forming on her arms.

“Why are you so invested in this?! Just drop it!” she bit out angrily..

“Because it’s fun.”

As other students began to enter the classroom, Haruka found it hard to wear her usual friendly mask. Even Nakamura asked if she woke up on the wrong side of the bed that morning. She was letting Karma get in her head…He was winning…

As Koro-Sensei arrived and started class, she shot one last mean glare in Karma’s direction. He just slid his eyes towards her without turning to face her. He didn’t bother smiling this time, or even acknowledging her, but she swore she saw him frown for a split second. That cocky bastard was going to get his comeuppance, and she was going to revel in his downfall.