Each grain of time filtered down rather slowly that school day. For the most part, you were distracted by showering thoughts of Kaho, despite the worried calls from your peers-- especially from Nagisa and Kaede.

Though it was much like a fog of obscurity, you vaguely recalled the fruitful class activities, all accompanied by at least a failed attempt of assassination by the students of the End Class. Koro-sensei's amused, beady eyes and wide grin was preeminent and practically immortal with his Mach 20 speed.

First period: mathematics. You recalled straining to focus on the crucial academic, while the bipedal octopus gave his condensed lecture of algebra, specifically the beginnings of factoring polynomials. It wasn't a strong suit of yours, but it must have been well-explained by the way your classmates reacted to the equations. By the end of the day, it had already scattered from your memory from the growing pallor you sported from stress.

Second period: home economics. Ironically, Koro-sensei decided to elucidate the process of creating delicious octopus balls, as if he was pleading to made into one himself. At the time, your mood and tension was lifted and alleviated, if only slightly, by the thought of scrumptious food, and the overall friendly, relaxing environment. The octopus-teacher, whose shade temporarily turned purple from shock, was quickly alarmed at forgetting the green onions to be diced, hence bringing forth his weakness of being hasty to panic.

Third period: physical education. Run by Karasuma-sensei, as the yellow octopus (who at that moment, happened to be light blue from disappointment) was far too fast to teach P.E. efficiently for normal humans. The Ministry of Defense soldier demonstrated the basics of knife-work and marksmanship, after a warmup of running laps around the track. The towering, almost ten-foot tall monster claimed that your blades for assassination were blunt, and needed to be sharpened for the appropriate homicide. It was still odd to think about how the octopus wanted to be killed, along with merely accepting his identity and crime. It also brought wonders why such a jovial being would have the desire of annihilating Earth.

Fourth period: Japanese. You were tasked with the duty of analyzing and evaluating literature and old, oriental poems written in preceding eras. Blankly, you remained staring down at your page, effortlessly scanning the page, with arms by your side instead of hands lifted to write. It was more the lack of energy to perform rather than the essence of boredom that consumed you.

A familiar, upbeat voice tinted with a tone of worry filled the room amidst the tranquil silence of work. "Koro-sensei! I think somebody broke [Name]-chan."

It was Kaede Kayano.

You froze on the spot, breathing shallow and sweat beading on your forehead from the previous physical training, mixed together with the sudden fear of what the educator would have to say to her statement. You knew that Kaede held good intentions as an optimistic buddy, but you weren't sure how to react from the trepidation. You opened your mouth, a string of words tangled on your tongue, unable to express your ruined day from the early morning. "Um..."

In a flash, the yellow monster materialized in front of you, utilizing his immense speed. He observed you for a split second, before immediately drawing his conclusion. "Why, I've noticed this since math! I appreciate the reminder, Kayano-san."

With another rapidly smooth movement, Koro-sensei returned yet again milliseconds later with a booklet estimated to be around ten pages long, followed by a cassette tape, four small slips of paper, and a note attached on top.

"Nurufufufu~ A gift from me to you, [Name]-san. I call it 'Koro-sensei's Ultra-Condensed Guide!', for today's lesson plan, of course. It appears that you aren't feeling too well from tearing friendships, isn't that right? Please use this to help with your studies tonight. Remember, I'm always here to help."

Hesitantly, you nodded, facing defeat from being easy enough to read like an open book. You politely murmured your thanks, before briefly skimming over the notes provided, amazed that he had even prepared an audio tape in such a short duration of time. Shortly after, your gaze shifted to the note attached.

➢

'Hello, [Name]-san,

Nurufufufu~ As you are in a pinch, these materials will surely be useful in your home-studying. Also attached are four tickets to the latest Sonic Ninja movie, to be shared with Nagisa-kun, Kayano-san, and Karma-kun. Please do remember that E Class is now your family, and nothing of betrayal or the sorts will happen in this safe learning environment. There is nothing to fear, so please enjoy yourself over the weekend with the superhero franchise! You have no reason to be upset, though you do have reasons for happiness.

Please take care of yourself. With love,

Koro-sensei. ('･ω･')'

➢

The emoji was a tad bit overboard, but, upon closer inspection, the tickets were, in fact, four front row seats to the newest Sonic Ninja movie, dated for the upcoming weekend. Though the date had completely slipped out of your awareness bubble, you remembered reading online at some point in the past that the most recent release happened to be today.

Suddenly, the octopus' rounded face transformed into a purplish shade, embellished with a dark red 'X', as well as an incorrect buzzing sound radiating in the background. "It seems that Karma-kun hasn't been attending class today. As a teacher, this must be properly addressed!"

Another flash, and another study booklet accompanied by a cassette tape was set on your table. "I will entrust you, Nagisa-kun, and Kayano-san to lure him out with... those." Koro-sensei stated, discreetly referring to the admission tickets safely tucked in your possession.

You were utterly bewildered at the fact that your goofy instructor happened to know of these petty details, about your, and supposedly the rest of the class', interests. "But, how do you--"

"I'm a teacher, [Name]-san. It is my job to follow the likes and dislikes of each and every one of you, to make this a fun assassination classroom! I add this information to my notebook, with pride!" The octopus merrily chortled with delight, his shade lightening to an orange with a red circle, and a correct 'ding'.

The bell indicating the end of class sounded, while Koro-sensei was in a rush to speed back to the front of the classroom to dismiss everybody, appearing as jaunty as ever as he basked in self-confidence. Surely, the octopus was somebody to be admired for those stunning, positive traits of his.

"Ah... [Name]-san? Is everything alright? We heard about what happened from Isogai-kun and Maehara-kun."

Nagisa slowly approached you with a friendly smile, with Kaede standing alongside him. They were quick to pack, and were already prepared to leave the school premises. You slowly nodded, explaining the situation with the Sonic Ninja tickets as you distributed the fragile slips.

It hadn't taken you long to realize that Nagisa, in fact, was an avid fan of the franchise himself. Another tidbit of information was revealed once he'd mentioned that he and Karma bonded over the series during previous years. Kaede, on the other hand, wasn't a major fan, though was eager to get into the show and fandom for the sake of joining along with everybody else. She was quite open-minded, unlike Kaho.

Kaede stepped closer, tugging up your lips into a forced grin with both index fingers. She simply smiled at the sight, her optimism and brightness practically shining to you. "Don't worry, [Name]-chan. We're all friends here! I'm sure we'll have a great time, so there's nothing to be afraid of."

Though words harnessed the power of scarring, they also held the power of healing, with mere strings of words linked together in harmony. Perhaps you had some of that resilience deep down, past your delicate nature.

Knowing that you had genuine friends by your side, the trip towards the base of the mountain felt lighter, as if the burden crumbled and dispersed from your chest. Mountains had their ups and downs, much like human emotions. Besides, you could only do so much. The presence of Nagisa and Kaede certainly helped, while a warm feeling of friendship bubbled to overtake the lingering negativity. You definitely owed them big time.

Kaho's advice once stated to stray away from the mischievous troublemaker known as Karma Akabane. Though it may have been true, there were probably aspects of him that were more than just a 'bad guy'. More than just a villain, as you wanted to believe. You at least wanted to give him a chance, as you did for her.

It was another problem to deal with if he shattered that chance, however, if Nagisa, Kaede, and even Koro-sensei felt that it was secure, then there was no reason for you to back off. It was much easier said than done, but you at least had to try, for your own sake, too.

After all, their words now held more integrity than the deceptive girl from 3-C.

"It's time to find Karma-kun."