In the quiet basement lab, the atmosphere had grown heavy.
Akira stood in front of the containment unit, his expression serious as he looked over the scan report.
"As we predicted… if left like this, even though the chances aren't fully 100%, there is still a real chance you will eventually lose control and explode, destroying the Earth."
The basement fell completely silent.
Koro-sensei stared at the floating tentacles for a long moment.
Then he let out a soft, almost resigned laugh.
"Nuuuhuhu… Oh? So you discovered Sensei's little secret."
There was no sadness in his voice.
Only quiet acceptance.
As if he had already known this truth for a very long time.
Erika's expression tightened with concern.
"Is there… any way to stop it? To prevent Koro-sensei from exploding?"
Akira crossed his arms, thinking carefully before answering.
"If the goal is simply to keep Koro-sensei alive without killing him or letting him explode… then there are methods I could use."
He glanced toward the preserved tentacles floating inside the gel.
"But they'd basically involve locking him away permanently. Similar to how these tentacles are being stored stored in the gel right now."
Koro-sensei's tentacles wiggled slightly.
"So Sensei would become… Sensei jelly?"
Akira shrugged.
"Well… there are other possibilities too."
He paused briefly.
"But I'm not sure those would really count as 'living' anymore."
Another heavy silence filled the lab.
Erika looked between the two of them before speaking again, her voice quiet but determined.
"I'm sure there HAS to be a better way… right?"
She looked toward Akira.
"I'm sure you can find something."
Akira nodded slowly.
"To be honest, antimatter biology is completely new territory for me. I'll need more testing and data before I can come up with an actual solution."
Then he turned toward Koro-sensei.
"So… what exactly do you want to do here, Koro-sensei?"
For a moment, Koro-sensei went quiet.
His usual playful energy dimmed slightly as he considered the question.
Then he answered gently,
"For now… Sensei simply wants to continue being a teacher."
A faint smile appeared on his face.
"As for the future… Sensei will think about it if there is one."
Akira and Erika exchanged a quick glance.
Then Akira nodded seriously.
"Well, for now we'll keep gathering data. A few carefully controlled experiments should help."
Koro-sensei's expression became thoughtful.
"Experiments related to this are dangerous…"
Then he smiled warmly.
"But it is a teacher's duty to support his students."
He clapped his tentacles together cheerfully.
"So from now on, Sensei will personally supervise the experiments~!"
Akira answered casually,
"That works for me."
Koro-sensei nodded happily.
"Excellent! Then Sensei shall take his leave for now. I still have another student to help today~!"
But just before disappearing, his eyes suddenly landed on the 3D printer in the corner.
Inside, another pair of titanium handcuffs was slowly being printed.
This time—
with a small timer attached.
"Oh? A new pair of titanium handcuffs with a timer? Nuuhuhuhu~"
Erika's face instantly turned bright red.
Akira explained matter-of-factly,
"Well… it's for safety reasons. We don't want to repeat what happened last night."
Koro-sensei wiggled his tentacles playfully.
"Yes, yes~ It's wise to prepare proper countermeasures in advance~!"
Erika, now completely overwhelmed with embarrassment, immediately wrapped Akira in a chokehold from behind.
"Why are you always like this?!"
Koro-sensei laughed cheerfully.
"Oh, to be young~!"
And with that—
he vanished at Mach 20 speed, leaving Akira entirely to his fate.
The next day, Class 3-E was as lively as ever.
Okuda shyly showed a small bottle of red liquid to her friends.
Kayano tilted her head curiously.
"So he told you to bring this poison to class?"
Okuda nodded timidly.
"Yes… He said it should theoretically work this time."
Nearby, Nagisa quietly flipped through a manga at his desk and muttered,
"He even made a manga explaining proper poison storage… He's always ready to help."
Sugino stared at them in disbelief.
"A poison that can actually kill him? What exactly is he thinking?"
Okuda smiled awkwardly.
"I think… it's his way of encouraging me. Even if I'm not very good with words…"
Before she could finish—
the classroom door slid open.
Akira and Erika entered together.
The entire class immediately turned to look at them.
Erika looked bright as usual, though a faint blush still appeared whenever she glanced toward Akira.
Meanwhile—
Akira still looked pale and tired.
At least he no longer looked spiritually dead like yesterday.
Instead, he now carried a faint expression of dissatisfaction.
The entire class collectively thought the same thing.
Okay… what happened THIS time?
Just then—
the door burst open dramatically.
"Good morning, everyone! Please take your seats~!"
Koro-sensei entered cheerfully.
Everyone quickly returned to their desks.
Okuda nervously walked up to him while holding the round-bottom flask.
"Sensei… I brought it."
Koro-sensei's eyes sparkled brightly.
"Well done! Then Sensei shall drink it immediately~!"
He took the flask and swallowed the entire contents in one go.
Instantly—
his eyes glowed bright red.
A powerful crimson aura erupted around him as his body trembled dramatically.
"Thank you, Okuda-san! Thanks to your concoction, I can ascend to an entirely new level!"
Okuda blinked nervously.
"W-What do you mean…?"
Koro-sensei let out an exaggerated scream like someone undergoing a transformation sequence—
Then suddenly melted into a gray metallic puddle on the floor.
The entire class screamed.
"HE MELTED?!"
The puddle shifted slightly, and Koro-sensei's voice echoed out casually.
"I merely had you create a tonic designed to stimulate my cells and increase my fluidity~!"
The metallic liquid suddenly shot across the room at high speed before slipping directly into Akira's desk compartment.
"As a liquid, I can now fit into even the tightest spaces~!"
Akira's eyes instantly lit up.
"Oh. Great. New material."
He immediately slammed the desk compartment shut.
But Koro-sensei was faster.
Before the drawer could fully close, the liquid escaped again—
though not before Akira sliced off a small portion of the metallic fluid and sealed it inside the Gourmet Case.
"Yep. I think that's enough."
At this point, nobody in Class 3-E even reacted anymore.
Somehow, Akira casually harvesting pieces of Koro-sensei during class had become completely normal.
Koro-sensei reformed himself and bounced around the classroom happily at high speed.
"I remain just as speedy as ever~! You cannot catch me~!"
Okuda looked genuinely betrayed.
"Y-You tricked me, Koro-sensei…"
Koro-sensei stuck himself to the ceiling and replied cheerfully,
"Okuda-san, the ability to deceive others verbally is an essential part of assassination."
He smiled warmly.
"Even the deadliest poison is meaningless if you present it so honestly that your target can take advantage of your sincerity."
Then he dropped down from the ceiling and turned toward Nagisa.
"Nagisa-kun, how would you poison Sensei?"
Nagisa thought for a moment before answering.
"I'd probably mix it into a sweet drink you like and offer it as something special I made myself."
Koro-sensei nodded approvingly.
"Exactly! And what about you, Akira-kun?"
Akira answered casually,
"I'd just mix anti-sensei BB pellets into your snacks like yesterday."
Koro-sensei froze.
"…So it WAS you?!"
He looked genuinely offended.
"Those snacks were delicious, you know?! Such a waste!"
Then he immediately regained composure.
"Anyway, the key to deception is understanding the feelings of others and communicating creatively."
He looked toward Okuda kindly.
"Language is the foundation of effective poisoning. Your scientific talent will someday become useful to many people, so I hope you continue developing the communication skills necessary to explain your ideas clearly."
Okuda smiled shyly.
"I will."
Akira quietly muttered under his breath,
"Is explaining things really that difficult?"
Erika immediately gave him a completely flat look.
"Maybe you should learn how to do that too."
Akira blinked in confusion.
"What do you mean? My explanations are perfect."
Erika stared at him silently.
Her expression clearly said Seriously?
Meanwhile, Karma leaned back in his chair, laughing quietly.
"At this point, assassination is probably the least of everyone's worries."
Akira tilted his head, genuinely confused.
Then what IS the problem?
During lunch break—
he learned exactly what Karma meant.
During lunch break, Karasuma suddenly entered the classroom.
"Everyone gather up. There's a school assembly today. Line up."
The entire Class 3-E immediately looked visibly dispirited.
Still, they stood up and began preparing to leave.
Koro-sensei clapped his tentacles together cheerfully.
"Alright everyone! It's time for the assembly! Please line up and—"
Karasuma immediately cut him off.
"You're not going anywhere."
Koro-sensei froze.
"You're a state secret, remember? We can't risk other students seeing you."
Koro-sensei's entire body instantly turned gray while a blank neutral-face emoji appeared on his head.
"…Sensei is an outcast all alone…"
Meanwhile, Akira—who had been half-asleep at his desk—suddenly muttered,
"Oh. The assembly."
He slowly stood up.
"I almost forgot."
Then his eyes sharpened with purpose.
"Alright. The time has come."
Erika immediately placed a firm hand on his shoulder.
"What are you planning?"
Akira answered innocently,
"Oh, nothing much."
He casually stretched his arms.
"I just planned to fundamentally destroy all those main building students and teachers in a peaceful way using my overwhelming charisma and flawless logic."
He looked towards the sky dramatically.
"I will destroy that stupid system they created."
The entire class turned toward him with the exact same expression.
Oh… this is going to be interesting.
Erika's grip tightened instantly.
"No, you are not going anywhere."
At that moment, Selena's voice echoed telepathically inside his head.
"Yeah. Knowing you, it definitely wouldn't stop at 'talking.'"
Akira frowned slightly.
"What do you mean? Attendance is compulsory, you know."
Karasuma sighed.
"Yeah. Last time you broke into my meeting with the government officials… It's better if you stay here with Erika-san. I'll take care of the rest."
The entire class collectively thought the same thing.
He did WHAT to the government meeting?!
Akira looked like he wanted to argue.
But Erika held onto his shoulder firmly.
"Just stay here with me. Isn't that better?"
Akira paused for a moment.
Then he sighed in defeat.
"Well… if you say so."
From the back of the classroom, Karma smiled knowingly while Nagisa quickly scribbled inside his notebook.
"He only listens to Erika-san."
And so—
the entire class left for the assembly.
Leaving only Akira, Erika, and Koro-sensei behind in the old school building.
Koro-sensei sighed sadly before walking toward the faculty office.
Akira and Erika remained seated together in the now-empty classroom.
Akira muttered grumpily,
"I even prepared a cool speech too…"
Just then—
the classroom door slid open again.
Karma walked back inside with his usual lazy grin.
"Oh? Now I'm genuinely curious what would've happened if they let you attend."
Akira and Erika looked toward him.
"Oh. Karma."
Akira tilted his head.
"You're skipping the assembly too?"
Karma shrugged casually.
"Not really interested in wasting my time there."
Then his grin widened slightly.
"But I do have a question for both of you."
Akira asked curiously,
"What is it?"
Karma leaned lightly against a desk.
"Are you two actually human?"
The classroom immediately fell silent.
Akira tilted his head thoughtfully.
"Well, that's a great question. But I wonder… what constitutes being human? Me and Erika look completely human, right? Or are you talking about our biology?"
Karma chuckled.
"Haha, well… who knows. Both can be there. But what do you think? Are you human?"
Akira thought quietly for a moment before answering.
"Well… at least I feel more human currently than before, I guess."
Beside him, Erika gently placed her hand on his shoulder.
Her fingers pressed lightly against him with quiet warmth and protectiveness.
Karma's eyes sparkled with interest.
"Hehe…"
His grin widened.
"You two really are interesting."
Just then, Koro-sensei suddenly returned to the classroom for a moment.
"Oh? Karma-kun is here too?"
Then he immediately added cheerfully,
"Anyway, Sensei is going to check on the students! Don't wander around too much while I'm gone, okay~?"
And just as quickly—
he left again.
The three remaining people in the classroom silently shared the exact same thought.
He must be lonely.
Inside the principal's office, Asano Gakuho sat behind his large desk, his sharp eyes fixed on the computer screen before him.
The footage from the school assembly played silently.
On the screen, two students from the main building had cornered a smaller boy with light blue hair.
They grabbed Nagisa by the collar, sneering down at him arrogantly.
"Say something, E-Class trash! What, you want me to kill you?!"
Nagisa looked up at them calmly.
Then—
he smiled.
A silent, eerie smile.
"As if you've ever tried to kill anyone before."
For a single brief moment—
an overwhelming wave of ice-cold killing intent radiated from the small boy.
The atmosphere in the video visibly changed.
The two bullies instantly froze.
Their faces turned pale as instinctive fear gripped them.
Without another word, they staggered backward.
Nagisa calmly adjusted his collar and walked past them as if nothing had happened.
Asano Gakuho leaned back slowly in his chair, fingers steepled beneath his chin.
"The E-Class…"
His eyes narrowed slightly.
"The End Class… pushing aside ordinary students without hesitation."
He tapped the desk lightly.
"That does not make sense."
His gaze sharpened.
"Not within my school."
A faint silence filled the office.
Then he spoke quietly.
"It seems I'll have to make a few adjustments."
He clicked another window open.
Two student profiles appeared on the screen.
Hoshino Akira.
Sendo Erika.
Asano studied their photos carefully.
"And these new transfer students…"
A faint smile slowly formed on his face.
"Quite interesting."
His eyes lingered on the files thoughtfully.
"I wonder how they will perform during the midterms."
For a long moment, he remained silent.
Then he murmured quietly to himself,
"Assassination can wait."
His smile sharpened slightly.
"This is now my highest priority."