Chapter 23: Future Time

(Congratulations on Graduating!)

Nagisa and I were the first two awake, but gradually the rest of my classmates woke up and joined us, looking out the window at the new day. Nobody said anything. There really wasn't anything to say. The heartache and loss of Korosensei still dogged us - I could see it in the eyes of my classmates, and I could feel it in my chest every now and then - but the worst of the pain had been washed away by our exhausted sleep. In the light of the morning, we had enough things to do to keep our minds off of Korosensei.

Still... It hurt, yes, but we would heal. We would recover.

And honestly, it probably wouldn't take that long. We would mourn, yes, but we were resilient.

The first item of business for most of us was to get a change of clothes. Most of us, myself included, had left strategic changes of clothes lying around the campus in the event that we needed to change out of our custom uniforms back into the school-assigned gym clothes. The only thing any of us had left lying around were the jackets, so we just shrugged off the dirty, tear-stained uniform jackets and put those on instead. Our dirt-stained pants had to stay.

Despite my hunger, and I knew by the occasional rumble of a stomach the others were just as hungry, we didn't have time to go find anything to eat. For one, this school was still a quarantine zone. We might have eliminated the Wolfpack thoroughly, but that didn't mean we were allowed to be up here; if we went out to prowl for food, we'd probably get ejected real quick.

Second, before we could do more than get changed, Karasuma entered the classroom, Professor Bitch next to him, and asked us to take our seats. Naturally, we sat and watched him patiently.

"The target is liquidated," he started off. "The planet is safe. Your hard work over the last year has paid off. I imagine you'll find a few things difficult to swallow," he continued. "Being under constant surveillance, for example, or that you've all been slapped with a gag order. Naturally, I'll do whatever I can to lessen the burden."

He bowed to us, inclining his head without breaking eye contact. "My apologies in advance for any inconvenience."

A quiet murmur ran through the class. Karasuma respected us, yeah, we knew that, and we all knew he was proud of us, but we'd never seen him bow to us, even a little bit.

"It's alright, Mr. Karasuma," Maehara said easily. "We'll be fine." Karasuma straightened up to look at him. "No worries. Whatever settles this, we're on board. We can handle it."

Okano grinned. "Seriously, we don't want to complicate things for you."

Kataoka stood up. "That said, though," she said, "we do have one tiny request." Karasuma and Professor Bitch both blinked. "Kunugigaoka's graduation ceremony is this afternoon, sir. I think we've earned the right to be a part of it. Let us walk across that stage in honor of Korosensei's memory."

Karasuma looked at her, before smiling slightly and nodding. "Sure," he replied. "Yes, of course. I'll handle things and make the necessary arrangements."

Isogai and Kataoka exchanged a glance, before our class president stood up. "E Class, rise," Isogai barked out. Our chairs slid back as we all rose to our feet with the synchronicity born of fighting together for a year.

Up front, Karasuma and Professor Bitch stared, eyes wide as every one of us bowed to them.

"Mr. Karasuma," Isogai said, "Professor Bitch. For everything you've taught us, we are eternally grateful."

"We are eternally grateful," we chorused.

After the moment passed, we straightened up and went straight to chattering amongst ourselves. "So, where's the ceremony exactly?" Sugino asked.

"The main campus is on lockdown, they're probably having it at the civic center," Sugaya replied.

Kimura groaned, pulling out his phone. "Our parents are gonna have to bring our uniforms."

Oh yeah, that's a thing. Shoot, I have to find some way of getting my uniform... Of course, I could just ask Karasuma for a ride.

When I looked up at our teacher, standing at the front of the room, he was watching all of us with a proud look in his eyes. I just smiled a little bit and turned to Nagisa. He'd already pulled out his phone to call his mom and get her to pick up uniforms for himself, Kayano, Karma, and Sugino, so it was easy enough to add me to the laundry list. I had a spare key hidden at the entrance to my apartment, fortunately, or things might have been a little awkward.

I didn't have much time to make my request and have it get in before Nakamura struck, wrapping her arms around Nagisa's neck and playfully rubbing her knuckles against his cheek. Karma laughed and patted Nagisa's head when the smaller boy asked for his help. When his pleading eyes turned on me, I just grinned and made no moves to help him out.

Around me, the rest of the class was splitting up into groups, chatting. It was, well... We were E Class, and we were tough.

That's really everything that needed to be said.

Though, I did bother Karasuma briefly, just before he could leave. "Excuse me sir," I said, leaning on the doorframe. He stopped in the hallway and looked at me. "Could, uh, could you find some food for us? We haven't eaten since we broke out of government custody yesterday."

Karasuma looked like he was about to say no, until my stomach decided to throw its weight around. With a loud groan and rumble, my insides made their displeasure known. "Hush," I snapped, poking my stomach.

It didn't really help, but it made me feel better.

Karasuma sighed, rubbing at the bridge of his nose. "I'll task some of the soldiers to bring something up for you kids," he said. "It won't be much, though."

"Eugh, military rations," I said, making a disgusted face. "Those always taste awful. But thank you, sir, my stomach thanks you." My intestines and taste buds not so much, but I'll survive. I'd suffered through a few of them while on RATH in the name of curiosity and free 'food', so while it wasn't a three-course meal it was better than nothing.

On the outside, the ceremony seemed subdued. Just a single sign marking that this was the site of the Kunugigaoka Junior High School Graduation Ceremony, standing outside of the civic center. E Class had been ferried in a few students at a time, so as to not gather too much attention; when I finally got off of the bus that had been commandeered, I glanced around to see a few student-parent pairs trickling in.

Naturally, my parents weren't anywhere to be seen. That would be a little bit too weird, even for my life.

Still, I did feel a small pang of loneliness when it dawned on me that I'd be graduating again; this time, though, without Kana. She'd sat next to me at our graduation from the SAO Survivor School, and, well... I missed my Catling.

Inside the hall, however, things were a little bit different. The entire hall had been reserved, with five sets of chairs set up for each of the graduating classes. E Class, surprisingly enough, was set in the center of the room, with each of the other classes at each of our corners. Up front, a podium was set up, for the diplomas.

I took my seat in the back of the rows, where I was supposed to sit; Yoshida on my right, and Ritsu's doppelganger to my left. She had her phone in her breast pocket, with the screen peeking out so Ritsu could smile and wave at me. I grinned at the AI girl's enthusiasm, before hurriedly facing front as Principal Asano took the stage.

He started reading off the names, and I sat more or less patiently. Probably closer to less, honestly, but I'm bad at waiting at the best of times. At least I had enough self-control not to fidget too much, though I didn't have the self-control not to use my phone. Until Ritsu showed up on my screen and frowned disapprovingly at me, that is; I poked her cheek out of petty spite and she wrinkled her nose before giggling.

"Taise Yoshida," Principal Asano called out.

"Sir!"

Y'know, I couldn't really see the concept of E Class surviving past our graduation. If it weren't for the news plastering our situation all over TV, it might have lasted longer than it had; after all, his school was known for producing excellent students. E Class had been the necessary sacrifice for that quality, and as long as it stayed under the radar everything was fine.

Then again, Korosensei never once said that the E Class system was something that was wrong, or should be eliminated. 'The world will always be filled with injustice,' he said instead. 'If you have time give up, or hold a grudge against that injustice, then use that time to enjoy battling those injustices instead.'

"Nick Weyr," he called out.

I stood up. "Sir," I said, projecting my voice clearly.

Well, fighting injustice like that wouldn't be too hard. Thanks to Korosensei's lessons this past year, I knew the different ways of doing that. I wouldn't always be the strongest, or the fastest, or the smartest - but as long as I never lost sight of my weakness, then I would have options open to me.

I will win because I'm weak. That will be my greatest blade.

Up on the podium, Principal Asano offered me the diploma. The look in his eyes was softer than usual; he was actually smiling, for once. The gold leaf was on his tie like usual, though he had a colorful flower tucked in the breast pocket of his suit jacket. "Congratulations on graduation, and on your spot at the top of the class," he said. "It was earned by your hard work."

I bowed slightly as I accepted the proof of my graduation from him. "Thank you, sir," I said. "But maybe don't go quite so overboard next time, okay?"

He smiled. "You're not the first to tell me that," he said.

I smiled back, before heading off the stage and back to my seat.

After the rest of the ceremony, all of Kunugigaoka's students scattered and started chattering in the halls of the building. I knew that I wouldn't find any of my family members in the crowd - though that didn't stop me from fruitlessly searching for them for an instant - but I did see someone else with his family. Nagisa was standing and talking with two adults; I recognized one as his mother, and the other... That must be his dad.

I'd never seen his dad around. I'd asked Nagisa about it once, cautiously, after learning about his mom's issues; according to him they'd separated, since his mother was a bit high-strung. It was why he'd asked us to use his first name all year, so that when - he always said 'when' - they got back together, he could go back to using his father's name without any issue. As I watched, Nagisa's shoulders shook. His mother offered him a handkerchief, while his father rubbed his back.

This... was probably another gift from Korosensei... How many will he leave?

E Class naturally grouped together, seeking unconscious safety in our friends among the mass of other students. That, of course, meant that we were all together when the loud bang of doors slamming open startled us.

Stomping of feet followed swiftly, and people started shouting. "Ceremony's over! They're letting out!" "Time to get some reactions!"

My eyes narrowed as I whirled to see reporters rushing towards us, their microphones and cameras held out in front of them like they were being dragged towards us. With a snarl, I stepped forward, putting myself in the front of the class. I don't think Karasuma would be thrilled with me breaking expensive equipment, especially on live TV, but you know what?

I was done with this shit. These reporters had been hounding us and harassing E Class ever since the story first broke, and I'd been irritated with it then.

But now I'd killed my teacher.

So forgive me if I wasn't in any mood to fuck around.

As the first reporter reached me I -

- blinked in surprise as Karasuma appeared out of nowhere. "Whoa there, folks!" he shouted, holding out his arms to block the pushy reporters. "This place is off-limits to the media!"

Government Stooge Alpha and the woman I'd seen following Karasuma around from time to time were also acting as human barriers, keeping the reporters back, but it didn't stop the vultures from doing their level best. "Tell us about the monster!" one idiot shouted. "Did he die!? How did he die?"

"Can you tell us how you're feeling at the moment!" another banshee wearing too much makeup screeched.

Beside me, my classmates gritted their teeth.

"Have you no shame?" Karasuma growled. "These children have been through enough! You're all vultures!"

"Yeah, yeah," one reporter grumbled. "Quit getting in the way, I'm trying to do my job!"

As the reporters started overwhelming the small group of Ministry of Defense agents, a few of them started slipping through the cracks. "Alright, everybody outside now!" Karasuma shouted back to us. "There's a bus on standby at the main gate!"

Unfortunately, it was too late. We were already swarmed by the buzzing gnats. Their camera flashes were blinding and disruptive, and there were too many questions being shouted at once for me to really even comprehend them, much less start answering.

The sea of obnoxious human faces pressed in on us, and I prepared to take action -

- only for a group of bodies to shove their way forward, pressing between us and the media. I blinked, before sighing. Seriously, this is not helping my mental state, having to keep unsheathing and sheathing my bloodlust. It wasn't too disruptive anymore, but that didn't mean I liked doing it.

"Hey! Quit pushing-!" one reporter shouted as a boy shoved her camera to the side, away from us.

Someone stepped forward, passing through E Class's ranks. I grinned lightly at Asano. "I guess I'll have to give you this one," I said. "You came through in the end."

He glanced back at me over his shoulder and smirked.

Over us, a red banner was raised, four A Class students holding one of the corners each. I looked up; it was see-through, but enough to shelter us from any aerial pictures. And around us, the rest of the Kunugigaoka kids were swarming, providing a buffer of bodies between us and the rest of the media piranhas.

Up at the very front, five students stood alone - Asano and his friends. Naturally, the Big Five were in the spotlight.

"Hey, what's the big idea?!" "You're messing with our coverage!" the reporters yelped. Asano just silently raised a hand and gestured for us to walk forward.

With the Big Five acting as our breakers, we cut through the media like they were nothing. "Ugh, coverage?" Seo grunted, thrusting his hand at some reporter's face. "You people are messing with our moment in the sun!"

Araki was holding a camera and making sure to film as many of the pushy reporters as possible. "The Internet's gonna go nuts when I post this," he grinned. "We've taken umbrage with your interview attempts, so a few choice edits and the world will be your judge, heh."

Koyama adjusted his glasses. "And remember, we've memorized what you look like, scum! Gyahaha!"

At some point, Sakakibara had dropped back to, what else, flirt with Kanzaki. Of course, Sugino was having none of that, and had grabbed the playboy's wrists to keep him from touching her. "There," Sakakibara said anyway, ignoring Sugino's death glare as he struggled to keep Sakakibara away from Kanzaki, "nothing to worry about, love. Permit us to be your escort to the front gate."

I even saw Fatso and Lizard acting as bodies in the crowd to keep the media at bay.

With a display like that... I almost take back some of the mean things I say about those two idiots.

"With graduation comes a clean slate," Asano declared, and I grinned at his back. "But abandoning former classmates in a time of need would be disgraceful." He looked over his shoulder at us. "I may be ruthless, but as your future leader I'm not about to court shame."

I shook my head, grinning. Kunugigaoka High School was in good hands, I think. A wise ruler knows that he is better than those he rules over, but also knows that it is his duty to protect them. The good king knows his people safe before he takes his rest, after all.

He'll do fine.

I was one of the first onto the bus, passing by Asano as he gestured to the open door. "It's a shame you won't be returning, Nick," he said. "So few people are worthy opponents."

I glanced at him, pausing as I was about to climb onto the bus, before I smirked just a little bit. "I'm good, really," I said. "Karma should be enough for you. Besides... if I stayed, I might have to start trying for more than just the finals."

Asano's lips quirked into what might be called a smile on someone less severe. "I see," he said. "Perhaps it is for the best after all. I wish you luck on your future endeavors."

I shook my head. "You can just say good luck, Asano, the language of the common folk isn't contagious." With a laugh, I boarded the bus and headed straight to the back.

I had a feeling, buzzing in my chest, that this was going to be the end of the road for my time here. I'd woken up in an empty classroom, with no one around to witness my appearance; here, in this bus, I'd probably vanish just as quietly. In the back, nobody would see me disappear.

Nagisa was the last one on the bus, and after he took his seat the bus purred to life and drove off, heading down the road.

It felt like an ending, finally. The end of my time with Kunugigaoka Junior High. The end of my time with Class 3-E. And... the end of my time with Korosensei.

I settled back and closed my eyes, letting the exhaustion I'd been hiding wash over me. As I fell asleep, I saw a bright light envelop me...

...as I was logged out of the world.

…

…

…

…I opened my eyes.

Hoo boy! That's the end of Viper's Kiss! With the completion of the story comes the end of the Assassination Classroom. (Stay tuned for epilogue after my somewhat incoherent ramblings, though this entire chapter is an epilogue of sorts)

Only one 'book' left before Nick's journey in RATH comes to an end…

(stop cheering you jerks)

Yeah, this chapter itself doesn't have much going on. It's just the denouement of the story, with all of the important things being handled at the end of last chapter. It wraps up the story, ends things on a high note, and that's about it, really.

Still, it's important to have, I think. Just because Nick's story isn't over yet doesn't mean we can't properly close the book on this one, I think.

As for the last two stories as a whole, I'm glad I got the chance to write them. Nick as a character changed a lot over the course of the year with Korosensei, which I think is for the better. It gives me more room to play with his character next book, for one, and for two his old character was just… getting old. His core personality is the same – he's still dry, acid-tongued, and not the nicest person in the world – but there's an inner core of strength that wasn't there before.

That was the point of naming the stories the way I did, by the way.

Anyway, I hope you all stick around for Book Three – Viper's Eclipse. We're finally heading into the Underworld to see Kirito, so stay tuned.

Many thanks to everyone that favorited, followed, or reviewed.

(also shoutout to hammiam and joshua the arcanis for working on the tvtropes page)

Epilogue 1: The Immediate Aftermath

Afterwards, lots of things happened all at once after the whole incident.

...

Apparently, Yanagisawa was still alive; however, due to the near-total destruction of most of his nervous system and internal organs, his body was no longer able to function on its own. He must spend his days in a hospital connected to all kinds of machines dedicated to keeping him alive.

As for his research, it was deemed impractical both in terms of power production - using tentacled creatures to produce energy - and weaponry, and the plans were quickly shot down by the government.

In his room, he lied paralyzed, staring at the ceiling silently. He couldn't speak, and his eyes were vacant and distant. "Hello, Mr. Yanagisawa!" a nurse said as she brushed the privacy curtain back. She wheeled in a trolley with a bin of water, some towels, and other medical equipment. "It's time for me to change your bandages."

The cheerful nurse was kind; as she prepared to change his bandages, she turned his head towards the window. "Look," she said. "It's such a nice day outside."

If he learned from his own experiences, that embracing their humanity is necessary and essential for humanity's survival, he might be able to put his genius mind - the only thing he had left - to good use, for the greater good.

...

Kunugigaoka came under fire for allowing its students to participate in the assassination of a superbeing, despite all assurances that the superbeing hadn't harmed them in any way. The E Class system was quickly abolished, after being deemed problematic - thankfully, in the eyes of the last E Class students to graduate. The old campus building was closed off immediately following the graduation ceremonies, and it closed its doors for good.

As for Principal Asano, while he hadn't broken any laws, he was subject to a much harsher sentencing - one handed down from the court of the public. He had no choice but to resign from his position. Of course, being who he is, it wasn't hard to believe that he had a backup plan, or that all of this was still according to his grand vision.

With his intelligence and drive to succeed, there's no doubt he'll land on his feet.

As Principal Asano packed up the last of his office, he paused when he saw a picture album. It was a commemorative album, holding memories of ten years at Kunugigaoka, and he smiled faintly as he flipped through the pages. Soon, though, he ceased indulging in his flight of nostalgia, and continued stacking books in the boxes he'd brought.

"Anything you need, sir. We're glad to help," a man said.

Principal Asano turned, a mild look of surprise turning into a smile. "Ah! Nakai, Mori! It's been years." The two students from his first graduating class had grown up splendidly, and they both looked wonderful.

"We heard you're having trouble," Nakai said. "And, we're worried about you."

Mori added, "Not just you, actually. All the kids that came after us."

They both stepped forward. "Please, sir," Nakai said, pressing a hand to his chest. "There must be something we can do for you!"

"Let us help our mentor in his darkest hour," Mori pleaded.

Asano smiled, pleased with the way his students had grown to become wonderful people. The way he'd wanted them to grow up all along. "In point of fact," he said, leaning down towards one of the boxes he'd packed already, "your timing is excellent." He produced a bottle of champagne, as well as a set of three glasses. "You two can help me celebrate. I've been saving this bottle, new beginnings are rather high on the list of reasons to toast.

"Raise a glass with me," he said, handing his first students glasses. "Get me up to speed on your lives. I'll air my complaints."

Nakai and Mori grinned at each other. "We're glad to lend you an ear," Nakai said.

"All three of us," Mori said. For an instant, Asano wondered if he could see Ikeda smiling beside his two former classmates, but dismissed the vision as a pleasant daydream.

...

The bounty was promptly paid. There wasn't any delay, or deals attempted to be made; it was all cold, hard cash. According to Mr. Karasuma, it was hush money from the government to keep the E Class students' mouths shut, and they understood.

All that was left was to decide how to spend it.

Naturally, Maehara, Okajima and Nakamura went nuts over the amount of money they'd come into; Maehara in particular was listing all of the things he could do now, like buy an expensive car, take trips around the globe, attract hot supermodel girlfriends... Okano was less than thrilled with him after that last one.

Isogai, on the other hand, stared at the pile of money in his hands. He wasn't able to compute what he was holding – the value of the money in his hands kept giving him an overflow error.

The students discussed among themselves, and in the end they consulted Korosensei's Rules to Live By. 'The accomplishment is its own reward. Nothing stunts your growth quite like immediate access to droves of money!'

In the end, a decision was made, and Maehara yelped as Kataoka plucked the thick wad of cash from his hands. E Class kept just enough to live on; college tuition and minimal expenses, mostly. The three most excited for the money, of course, were plunged into despair at the sight.

Some more of the money was donated here and there - Sakura and Mr. Matsukata stared at the money in total shock, babbling as E Class presented them with a briefcase. Everyone smiled at the sight, though Nakamura and Maehara were still a little bummed out over losing the money.

Finally, E Class made one massive purchase as a class.

It felt a little strange making the decision without Nick present, but he'd disappeared after the graduation ceremony. Everyone had been exhausted and fallen asleep on the long bus ride - he must have been one of the first ones dropped off at his house, because he was gone when the others slowly woke up. Still, Mr. Karasuma assured everyone else that Nick had spoken with him and freely forfeited his share of the money, giving it all to the rest of them to do as they pleased with it.

As for the rest, E Class gave it back to the government as a thank-you for the support they showed E Class throughout the year. It was a largely ceremonial affair where Isogai stood in front of a crowd of reporters and handed Karasuma a certificate, but the media ate it up.

They hoped that Mr. Karasuma - or, rather, Agent Karasuma - would use the gift to make an even better name for himself.

...

Slowly, the crescent moon started to crumble. Under the influence of its own gravity, the pieces would eventually cluster together into a much smaller sphere. The explosion that created the crescent moon in the first place, though, pushed the moon into a closer orbit to Earth.

According to the scientists, after a while, the shape, size, gravitational pull... Everything about the moon would return to the situation similar to what it had been before everything went down.

Ever so gradually, the crescent that symbolized everything E Class had gone through over the past year would fade away from the current reality.

So, the world will gradually reach equilibrium again. Even without Nick, E Class is doing fine.

Epilogue 2: Seven Years Later - Karasuma and Irina

Seven years had passed since the events on that mountaintop. In that time, the moon had crumbled even further; by this point, it was a lot of free-floating chunks in a loosely spherical pattern.

What was more, it was still visible from the daytime, showing through the open curtains of Agent Karasuma's new office.

The years had been kind to him; the only concession to age was slightly closer-cropped hair. He was just as strong as ever, even while he rose through the ranks until being awarded a position of relative importance. One of his jobs, of course, was assigning missions to more junior agents.

"There's sectarian violence brewing in the Middle East," he said. "A group of radicals is on the warpath." He laced his fingers together, leaning on his elbows slightly. "We need a sleeper agent. An operative who's willing to infiltrate enemy ranks. You'll ship out tomorrow. Understood?"

Agent Irina nodded. "Yeah, sure. If that's the job."

She was dressed far more conservatively these days, with her blonde hair in a bun except for two long locks that framed her face. Instead of her glamorous designer suits, she was wearing a simple skirt and white blouse, though the quality was impeccable. She could afford it, naturally.

Of course...

"Oh," she simpered, "but I'm scared. Whatever shall I do, Chief? Imagine a sumptuous creature like moi being captured in hostile territory," she said, sitting on Karasuma's desk and crossing her legs.

...once a bitch, always a bitch.

"Or does the thought get your motor running?" Irina continued, gazing at her husband in a sultry manner. "Your poor, defenseless wife having all sorts of things done to her, by burly men in the desert..."

She reached out to cup Karasuma's chin.

He met her eyes steadily. Likewise, Karasuma was still largely resistant to Irina's flirtations. "This assignment reflects my faith in your abilities," he said flatly. "But if you genuinely see yourself as poor and defenseless, that suggests that your self-assessment leads you to believe that failure is a possible outcome."

He stood up. "Well, I believe you know yourself best. I have no choice but to assign someone else."

"Agh!" Irina shrieked. "Wait, it was a joke!" she cried, clinging to Karasuma as he began to walk away, dragging her behind him. "Is it too much to ask for you to show a teensy bit of concern? C'mon, don't be this way! Ah..."

"So, are you going or not?!" Karasuma barked at her.

"Yes, yes!" Irina nodded.

"Then go get ready!"

Irina burst out of Karasuma's office. "Sir! With pleasure!"

With peace temporarily restored in his office, Karasuma sighed and glanced out the window. It had been seven years since the two of them met, and she hadn't changed at all.

Every now and then, his thoughts turned to the kids. Their kids. What were they doing with their lives? Were they doing well? He wondered, sometimes.

Irina: a bitch cannot easily change her spots. Karasuma: still kinda badass.

Epilogue 3: Seven Years Later - Kayano and E Class

The train station was busy, like it always was. A woman studied a poster advertising a new morning show named Dragonfly. The main character, played by Haruna Mase, was show jumping off a cliff with a huge smile on her face; 'Jumping off cliffs is just what I do', the tagline read.

The bus rumbled into the station, and she turned. Everyone else was nearby already, and she wanted to have some time alone before meeting everyone.

She took the train, before following a familiar dirt path up a mountain. She passed the sign marking the building as the Former Campus, and knelt down by the empty trough of dirt that used to be full of colorful flowers.

She was wearing fancy clothes - nice shoes and stockings, with a pristine red dress and a black jacket over her shoulders. Still, she ignored all of that and started digging a hole with a small spade. Once it was deep enough, she placed a single flower in the hole, her sister's favorite plant. Her offering made, she stood up and clapped her hands together, praying for her sister and her teacher.

"Oh ho! We have a celebrity!"

Kayano opened her eyes and smiled in pure happiness as she heard Maehara's voice ring out behind her. She turned to see the old members of E Class gathering; unlike her, they were all dressed for a day's work of hard labor, carrying all kinds of supplies and tools. There were eleven people there, twelve if she included herself - everyone that could make it had worked this yearly visit into their schedule. "Hi guys!" she called out.

Many of her old classmates hadn't changed, except to grow older. There were a few, of course; Okajima had started growing out his hair a little bit and Hayami had dropped the twin-tails to let her hair hang free, for a few. Kayano herself had let her hair grow out back to her natural black color.

She didn't need to hide herself anymore, of course.

"Look at you!" Yada squealed. "You're in costume? Are you sure you've got time for all this?"

"Sure," Kayano nodded. "I snuck off the set during my lunch break. I can't let you do the heavy lifting without me!" Yada and Kataoka smiled.

Isogai stepped forward. "Awesome," he said, tossing a keyring in the air and catching it. "Okay, people, let's get this building up to code!"

"Alright!" everyone cheered. It might have been seven years since Isogai was one of their leaders, but he hadn't lost any of his commanding charisma.

"Yup, class president until the end," Fuwa called out.

"Hey now," Isogai protested with good nature. "You're the one who wanted me to hold on to the keys."

Maehara grinned. "What can we say, man? We know who best to leave that sort of thing to."

The E Class members went to work with a passion, throwing open the window to air the place out as they scattered to start cleaning up. The floors were mopped and the windows were wiped down; as Mimura cleaned up the blackboard even though it hadn't been used for years, Isogai used a small ladder to reach up and replace the lightbulbs hanging overhead.

The inside of the building wasn't the only thing that the young adults were fixing up. Hayami and Okajima had hopped up to the roof to re-shingle the roof, the sniper banging away while the pervert passed her the shingles. "Hey, did you ever finish reading Korosensei's advice book?" he asked her.

Hayami sighed. "Nowhere near, actually," she said. "It never ends."

Down around the building, Kimura was picking up trash while Yada swept. "Place is getting rough around the edges," he said, tossing yet another empty beer can into the trash bag. "We shoulda hired a groundskeeper when we bought the mountain."

Yada smiled. "We can handle it," she said. "If you let it get messy, you clean it up. That's one of the old rules, remember?"

Kayano was busy repainting some of the wood frame while Maehara worked on the windows. Beside her, Hara picked up an armful of trash and crumpled cans. "But wow, talk about hitting the big time, Kayano," she said. "You've made it."

Kayano paused in painting the wood to look at her friend, but Maehara spoke up first. "You bet she has. She's got the looks, she does her own stunts... Did you see her jump off a cliff with a huge smile on her face like she was jumping into bed? It'd be weird if she hadn't made it," he grinned.

Kayano smiled. "Oh, come on," she said. "I'm just using all the cool stuff I learned here." Then her smile turned a little bit strained. "Okajima," she said, without turning around, "could you stop playing paparazzi and get back to work please?"

The boy was taking pictures of her in her outfit, muttering to himself.

As the weeds were pulled and the grass mowed, Kayano smiled to herself. E Class had wanted a memorial to visit, to remind them of the fun times they'd had in the class. There wasn't a need for an honorary grave or anything like that. After all, it didn't really feel like they were gone.

She looked up at the roof. She knew it was just her imagination, but she could almost see Korosensei smiling down at them, her sister sitting next to him and waving cheerfully.

This building was still their home, just like it was for all the members of E Class.

After the majority of the repairs had been finished, everyone took a break to sit inside and chat. "I've been thinking, guys," Isogai said, setting his can of tea down on the ground. "We really oughta put this place to good use, y'know? Preserving it's fine and all, but it doesn't really feel like enough."

"Okano's using the back of the mountain a lot, lately," Maehara said. "You know she put together an acrobatic performance squad for her squad, right? Said this was the training ground she's used to, so why not?" Kayano smiled. She could see the energetic Okano bouncing around the mountain, leading the pack as her classmates tried their best to keep up with her on the rough terrain.

Maehara nodded. "Pretty sweet, huh? And recently, Kurahashi started giving nature tours to kids."

Isogai laughed. "No kidding. I swear, making money is in that girl's DNA."

Kayano clutched at her bottle of water and smiled. This building was their huge memento of Korosensei and the time they all spent with him. But personally...

...she already had someone in mind, that could put this school building to good use in the near future.

As for the rest of E Class, they'd grown up exactly how Korosensei had wanted them to. As for Manami and Takebayashi, they'd literally taken a page from their life manuals and put it to good use. Korosensei had included the chemical recipe for the revitalizing cell-activation slime in each of their guidebooks, and using that recipe as a foundation the two scientists were researching artificial blood that could be transfused to any person of any blood type.

The shy girl that had started off not wanting to do anything but science had grown up splendidly; she was the one responsible for the development of the project. And Takebayashi, who'd finally broken free from his parents' chains, was helping her work on the clinical side of things. They called their artificial blood RH Slitherblood.

And there was Sugino, who had become a college baseball star. Kayano caught one or two of his games whenever she managed to find the free time; his versatile pitching style and command of the breaking pitches caught the eye of pro scouts from all over. She'd laughed when she heard that his nickname on the time was Slithery Sugino.

As for Terasaka, his particular skills and talents had caught the eye of a certain professor-politician. Mostly his ability to haul large loads quickly, though Kayano wasn't sure he appreciated being used as his mentor's personal pack mule. Once he's out of college, he'll probably start off as a personal assistant.

Yoshida and Muramatsu were thriving. They'd taken over their family business. Itona, too, went to work for his father's business as soon as he graduated from high school. Kayano had visited him once and asked him what he'd do if their business took a turn for the worse again. He simply replied, "Well, if this doesn't do the trick, I know some guys who'd be happy to come help me out. After all, those two are studying management in college."

So, he's good.

Speaking of technical stuff, Ritsu's completely online. She lives her life to the fullest every day and upgrades herself daily. Kayano had talked to the girl recently, and Ritsu had changed her look a whole lot; without the restriction of needing her clothes to be practical, Ritsu had gone all out designing fancy ornate dresses and costumes to wear. Ritsu was so cheerful, smiling and a lot more animated than she'd ever been before. "I'm parallel processing with computers from every corner of the globe! I can make songs, I can draw, I can explore my emotional range..."

As Kayano smiled, watching Ritsu dance around on her screen, she giggled. Yep, she's living the life. The free spirit. And, fortunately, she's more than willing to help out her old classmates.

Not everyone was so easy to find, though. It had been seven years, and Nick still hadn't resurfaced from wherever he'd hidden. Ritsu, of all people, didn't seem to be that worried - whenever someone asked her if she'd found traces of him online, she just smiled and shook her head. Some of the E Class students had started joking that Nick was a ghost all along, or that he'd worked for the government and they'd erased his identity, or that Nick Weyr wasn't even his real name. Fuwa even suggested the theory that he'd been some sort of extra-dimensional being and had left this dimension after graduating, but everyone agreed that was just too ridiculous to be true.

Whatever the truth was, hopefully he's doing well.

E Class by and large was living the life, adapting themselves whenever necessary. Hazama had gotten a part-time job at a library, from what Kayano had heard; as for Nakamura, the outgoing blonde had gone to an international college and was living the life in Britain. Everyone was doing whatever it takes to better themselves, and take steps towards their own goals.

The break was over soon, and everyone got back to work. As Maehara sprayed the side of the wall with water, he said, "Oh, did you hear about Karma? Dude, he passed the National Civil Service with flying colors."

Chiba shrugged. "Yeah, I'm not surprised. Good luck seeing him tank, right?"

Fuwa laughed. "Well, they say the hard part comes after. He's good, sure, but now there'll be a lot of red tape. Tons of interviews, training, inter-departmental hazing... Of course, if anyone could thrive in that environment, it's him."

Kayano knew that Karma would just call the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry something silly, like his personal piggy bank or something like that.

Still, it's Karma they were talking about, so he'd be just fine.

As a matter of fact, everyone from E Class would be just fine.

A splash of water jolted Kayano from her thoughts, and she turned to see Okajima grinning like a loon, holding his hose. Kayano growled, and turned her own hose on him to spray the boy.

Laughing, Okajima ran away from the stream of water. "Hey, stop, I wasn't ready!" he laughed. He hid behind Kataoka.

Kayano's stream of water sprayed Kataoka in the face, soaking the tall woman.

She hurriedly stopped the water, but the damage was done. Growling, Kataoka turned to glare daggers at the cowering boy behind her. "O-ka-ji-ma," she ground out. He shrieked in fear. "What part of your brain told you that was a good idea?!"

"It was an accident, I swear!"

As Maehara and the others laughed, the rest of the E Class students present came running to join in the impromptu water fight.

Whatever the path any of the students chose, Kayano was pretty certain of one thing. No matter where that path leads them, it's a pretty safe bet that Korosensei would have approved. She could see him saying, 'It suits you.'

They had one year together; she knew you could lead a lot of lives in that time. They become part of you. They become part of you, your world. E Class had learned countless lessons about life and how to live it. They would get older, yeah, and life would get in the way, but they could always draw from those heartfelt experiences...

There's the life with pride - Sugaya the artist, making massive sculptures and getting paid what he's worth...

The life with service - Kanzaki helping older folks, wheeling the ones that couldn't walk out in the park to enjoy the nice day...

The life they're given - Sakura walking happily down the main street, full of confidence and bright cheer as she chatted with her friends about the TV show they watched the night before...

And the life they hope to bring into the world... Kayano smiled softly as she looked up at the sky. She sincerely hoped that in the future, she'd be able pass down those ideals - no matter what shape or form that might take.

The countless ways of living... passed down to them in the classroom filled with bloodlust.

Hara sidled up behind Kayano, grinning. "So, tell me the truth... have you been keeping in touch with Nagisa? What's the story there?"

Her grin was teasing as Kayano blushed. On that Valentine's Day, she'd fully expected to have to keep killing her feelings for Nagisa, no matter what - until the boy had run out after her, saying something about understanding what the chocolates meant and that he'd been an idiot for not seeing it when she gave them to him.

She just knew Nick had meddled after she left that classroom, though she wasn't sure what his motives had been - genuine affection? A desire to see both her and Nagisa squirm under the teasing from Nakamura and Karma?

...She figured it was the second one, really. Either way, she got to spend the last month of her life in E Class dating Nagisa; once they went to different high schools it was a little hard to keep in contact, and they'd separated peacefully even though neither of their feelings had dimmed.

"Well..." Kayano murmured to Hara. "There isn't one," she said, smiling a little bit. "I'm not really on his radar these days, sadly. You know how he is... Assassins like him will always be focused solely on their targets."

Once he graduated and had a full-time teaching position, she'd approach him again. Until then, though, she'd be fine watching him from afar, cheering him on all the way.

It's like 'where are they now' epilogues except worse in every way because I'm bad at writing.

Epilogue 4: Seven Years Later - Nagisa

The sign outside the school read 'Paradise Private Academy, Senior Division." This was his first teaching position, and he had it all planned out.

"Okie-dokie, hey class," Nagisa would say, resting casually against the teaching podium. The boys and girls in front of him would smile at him, polite and cheerful. "I'm your teacher-in-training, Nagisa Shiota. Nice to meet you." It'd been seven years, he was way taller than he used to be. He'd cut his hair short. And, he'd be a beloved teacher.

...In his dreams, at least.

A gloom hovered over his head as Nagisa was surrounded by thugs and delinquents, every single one of them looming over him. "A teacher-in-training?" one of them cackled.

"You gotta be shitting me!"

"Get the fuck outta here, I know middle schoolers taller than you!"

"C'mon guys," one thug laughed, "leave the poor girl alone!"

"Why are you dressed like a boy?"

The classroom was totally trashed. Graffiti was painted everywhere, on the walls, floors, and even desks. Windows were broken and poorly taped up, and the blackboard had scratches all over it. Somehow, there were even dirty boot prints on the ceiling!

Nagisa could only wonder how and where things went so wrong.

Life was so unfair! He'd only managed to grow one centimeter after graduating from middle school. Everyone around him kept growing, shooting up like weeds; Kayano reached 157 cm, and when she wore her heels she'd be taller than him!

And Karma? He's over six feet tall! Seriously! This was just some sick, cruel, joke.

And as the icing on the cake, he'd been shipped off to this dysfunctional hell hole, where the power scale was completely flipped on its head from what they had in Kunugigaoka. Nothing like the assassination classroom.

At the back of the classroom, a tall thug stood up. It was clear he was one of the rulers, with some of the others getting out of his way.

The bell rang. "You have any idea what kinda hurt you're in for in this place?" one of the delinquents wearing a hoodie said, brandishing a bat studded with nails.

"From now on, this is a study hall, you got that?"

Nagisa tried to ignore the circle of high schoolers taller than him. "The bell's rung, I'd like to ask you to take your seats please."

"Aw, that's cute," one of the boys laughed, sneering at him. Cruel cackles echoed.

The boy in charge approached them, pushing through the ring until he was standing in front of Nagisa. His hand grabbed Nagisa's tie and pulled him close. "Shut up," the boy said. "You don't get to boss us around. Try it one more time..." His eyes narrowed. "...and we'll kill you."

The cruel laughter seemed to fade away, as Nagisa stared up at the boy threatening him.

Kill?

"Wha?" the tall boy muttered.

Kill... him?

Nagisa's lack of reaction seemed to throw the rowdy boys, and they all stared in confusion.

It was an interesting word, kill. Everyone had heard it at some point in their life. Evocative, but overused.

Nagisa smiled peacefully.

It's lost some of its mojo.

He brought his hands up, letting the roll book fall. The boy holding him glanced down at it in confusion.

Nagisa slammed his palms together.

As the boy reared back, stunned, he let go of Nagisa.

For some of them, though, it still holds the right kind of magic.

Nagisa's hand grasped the boy's chin and tilted his head to the side, exposing his neck. Calmly, Nagisa pressed his middle finger against the boy's carotid artery, electric blue eyes gazing at the rest of the class threateningly. They all stared, frozen, while the boy in his grasp shuddered at his close brush with death.

Nagisa turned him around and smiled. "You're welcome to try," he said brightly. The boy's eyes widened. "You have until graduation!"

Calmly, Nagisa bent down to pick up the roll book that he'd dropped, walking back to the podium without a care in the world.

As he walked away, the thug he'd held in his grip rubbed at his neck and stared at Nagisa's back. It was almost as if... he had an aura. Of some massive, tentacled monster.

Nagisa placed the book on the teacher's podium and smiled. "Alright, people," he said with a grin. "Let's get started, shall we?"

Nagisa status: still a badass. Nagisa status: also still tiny.

(Possible) Epilogue 5: Ten Years Later - Reunion

It's been a while, huh?

I looked around me, noting my position automatically as well as anyone close to me. My practiced eyes scanned over the people nearby, but none of them were anything other than they appeared. Still, I pulled my phone out of my pocket and hummed in thought.

Beside me, Kana nudged my side. "Hey, hey, we don't wanna be late," she reminded me. "This's the first time ya come back here, after all."

I chuckled softly and shook my head, absently putting my arm around her shoulder. A ring gleamed on my left hand. "Yeah, I know," I said. "That's why I was checking the time, obviously."

A lot can happen in four years. Kana and I were twenty-four, now, and graduated from college – with flying colors, naturally. Or, uh, she graduated with flying colors. I might have given up trying my last semester, just because all I needed to do was pass… Eh. Whatever. Still got a 4.0 for the last semester in the end. Obviously, that meant I didn't slack off hard enough.

Still, it felt weird knowing that in here, ten years had passed. My classmates were all the same age as me and Kana; and I'm certain each of them had grown up exactly the way Korosensei intended. I wonder, would he be proud of the man I've become?

"I'm jus' kinda impressed Agent Kikuoka still had the Fluctlights sitting around," Kana said absently as we walked. It was the beginning of spring, so the temperatures were comfortable, and the trees made a brilliantly colored counterpoint to the trek. "Shame Shinono couldn't come with us, though."

"The Fluctlights was a favor to me. Or, more accurately, a payment," I shrugged. "And Shino's busy with her training. Believe me, I asked."

Kana snickered. "Ya really wanna rub it in that perv's face, huh? What's 'is name, again, anyway?"

"Okajima," I answered with a grin.

"Right, yeah, him."

Well, she wasn't wrong. I doubt even ten years cured the photographer of what ailed him. Either way, it didn't really matter, and I fell silent to swim in the feeling of nostalgia this uphill climb evoked. It'd been three years since I made the trip up to the old campus building, but my body remembered it. It helped that I'd stayed in shape thanks to a combination of rigorous exercise and healthy meals. Kana had flatly refused to let me keep eating the terribly unhealthy campus food once we got our off-campus apartment, so I actually had real meals.

I stopped just before we crested the hill, Kana pulling ahead of me just a bit. "Nervous?" she asked, giving me a grin.

I grinned back weakly. "I disappeared for ten years, and didn't say a word, Kana," I replied. "Nervous might be a bit weak. What if they hate me?"

She shook her head, and then embraced me. After a quick kiss, she pulled away and said, "Done being an idiot?"

I just laughed and walked forward, reaching the top of the hill with her by my side.

I knew E Class would be there – or, well, everyone that could make it. It was the ten-year anniversary of Korosensei's death, after all. The Fluctlights had shown on the tracking monitor that E Class gathered here once a year without fail, though the numbers varied each time.

For the first time ever, though, I was going to be joining the reunion.

We walked up the dirt path, and I realized with a small jolt of surprise that the old building was, well… being used. The dirt path was swept clean, the lawn nearby was kept clean of weeds and extra-long grass, the structure of the building was sound and well-cared for. Plus, I could see inside the clean windows into the main classroom, and posters were hanging up along the walls. They were a lot like the projects E Class had made, way back when, and I smiled. Looks like someone's making good use of this place, huh?

I had a pretty good feeling I knew who was using it, too.

The casual chatter of my old classmates wasn't hard to hear – they were all in the back, talking to each other while eating grilled food, if the smells were any indication – and Kana and I picked our way through the halls. As I stepped outside and looked out over the field, I was able to count the number of heads. Everyone had shown up, it seemed, even Mr. Karasuma and Ms. Irina. I didn't see this Ritsu's tower anywhere, but she was an AI; I had no doubt that she'd evolved in the ten years to not even need a physical mainframe anymore.

It didn't take long for them to notice me, and the chatter slowly died away as everyone started looking up at where Kana and I were standing at the top of the steps. I smiled faintly as I looked over at the sea of my classmates. Okajima had let his hair grow a bit; Hayami was letting hers hang free. Kayano's hair was black, and everyone had grown. A particularly tall red-head caught my eye and grinned smugly at me, forcing me to remind myself that I was perfectly average for my age, and that he was the giant.

"Hey, everyone," I said in the sudden silence. "…It's good to see you all."

I'm not sure who moved first, but I barely had time to make it down the steps before I was being swarmed by my classmates. "Nick!" Yada cried as she gave me a hug. "It's so good to see you!" I patted her back.

"Good to see you, man," Maehara said, slapping me on the back. "Where've you been hiding, anyway? We haven't heard a word!"

"Have some food!" Hara pressed a meat skewer onto Kara, who gratefully accepted.

Off to the side, Terasaka gave me a nod. He looked a little haggard but was still standing tall as an ox. I wonder, did he ever make his dream of being a politician come true? The rest of his crew were all standing around him; Yoshida and Muramatsu grinned, while Itona just kept eating his food, face deadpan as usual.

My phone chimed, and I grinned when I pulled it out of my pocket. "Nick!" Ritsu cheered. A complicated emotion flickered through me as I noticed that her eyes were suspiciously red, but I settled on simply smiling at her. She knew where I'd been, but... "You're back!"

"Hey, Ritsu," I said. "Looks like you've done well for yourself. I like the new look, it looks good on you." She giggled, before twirling around to show off her fancy outfit. It was surprising to see such a familiar face wearing clothes that were basically screaming at my eyes with their bright colors. To my right, Kana was smugly showing off the ring on her left hand, a few of the girls cooing over the jewelry. I think Okajima was busy crying somewhere – I didn't tell him about Shino. It would have been too brutal, even for me.

When the greetings were almost done, I felt something brush by my senses. I turned around, and the group spread apart.

A yellow tentacle reached out, and the white tiger inside me stirred, lifting a paw –

- as Nagisa and I shook hands. "Welcome back, Nick," the teacher said.

I grinned. "Hey." Then I tilted my head in thought. "…You didn't grow at all, did you?"

Everyone laughed while the poor guy blushed. "It's not fair," he muttered.

I laughed. "Swap stories with Kana, she hasn't grown since she was fourteen," I told him. "So hey, how's everyone doing? I know I've been out for a while, I really didn't mean to be gone so long…"

A possible future. Depends on how the third book goes, y'know? Elements might be true, might not be, and some might change. And yes, the rings are exactly what you think (and so are the comments about Shino).