It was a quiet evening. Erika was peacefully doing her homework in her room. She usually did it in the underground lab with Akira, but recently he had been working in secret.
She didn't know what he was doing, but knowing him, if he were building anything dangerous, he would have excitedly shown it off to her first. So he was probably working on something important or planning some kind of surprise. Deciding to let him be, she continued with her homework.
Then suddenly, a sound similar to a dragon's roar echoed throughout the house.
Erika let out a startled cry.
"W-What happened? What is that sound?"
The roar echoed again, making her even more worried.
"This world doesn't have any monsters. Did one of Akira's genetic experiments go wrong?"
Selena's voice came through telepathically.
"Well, I wouldn't say it's a genetic experiment this time, but it is related to my brother. It's better if you go check."
Erika quickly asked,
"Is he fine? Is everything alright?"
Selena replied,
"He is… well… it's not that serious, but just go and check. You'll understand."
Another roar echoed through the house.
Erika immediately stood up.
"I'll go look."
She ran down to the underground lab. When she opened the door, she found Akira slumped unconscious over the work table.
Erika rushed over.
"Akira! Akira, are you alright? What happened?!"
Just then, the same roar echoed again. But this time, Erika realized where it was coming from.
It was Akira's stomach.
Erika blinked in confusion.
"What…?"
Akira stirred weakly, his voice faint.
"I… need… food…"
For a moment, there was silence.
Then Erika screamed,
"Are you an idiot?!"
After that, she gave him emergency treatment by shoving an Energy Bar Beta into his mouth. Only after eating it did he regain consciousness. He stood up dramatically.
"Prepare yourselves, completed homework, for I have been revived!"
Erika, who was standing right next to him, immediately dragged him back into her arms.
"Stop joking. Why were you like that? What happened? Did you forget to eat again?"
Despite being hugged by an angry Erika, Akira looked strangely happy as he answered,
"Actually, I don't know either. I really did eat, but I got hungry again. For some reason, I've been getting more and more hungry lately. One Energy Bar Beta is not enough to satisfy me anymore."
Erika asked worriedly,
"Is something wrong? Is it serious?"
Akira shook his head.
"I don't think so… my appetite has always increased before, but this time it increased more than expected. I need to run some tests on myself before I can be sure."
Erika asked,
"It's fine, right?"
Akira nodded.
"Yeah. At worst, I develop some new mutation and start eating more and more. Nothing that can't be reversed."
Erika flicked his nose and sighed.
"Why do you always worry me like this?"
Akira smiled.
"Well… I am trying to be less worrying… it's just…"
Erika sighed again.
"Fine. Just don't do anything too crazy that will put you in danger, okay?"
Akira nodded obediently.
"Yes, I will."
Then Selena's teasing voice rang out.
"So… how long were both of you planning on hugging each other?"
Erika quickly pushed him away, flustered.
"I wasn't hugging him. I was restraining him."
Selena replied,
"Sure, sure. Whatever you say."
Akira, looking a bit sad from being released from the "restraint," said,
"Alright. I'll run some tests on myself, okay?"
Erika asked,
"Do you need any help?"
Akira shook his head.
"Not really. Just some blood tests and scans. Nothing major."
Erika nodded.
"Then I'll go finish my homework and make dinner."
Akira smiled.
"Okay."
As Erika left the lab, Akira began drawing blood for the tests.
Suddenly, Erika paused at the door and turned back, staring at the blood in a bit of a daze.
Akira noticed and casually asked,
"What? Want some?"
Erika immediately snapped out of it, her face turning red.
"Go do your experiment."
And with that, she hurriedly left.
After Erika left the lab, Akira placed his blood sample into the analyzer and started a full-body scan. The results would take a few hours to process, and it was already dinner time. Deciding to check everything tomorrow morning instead, he headed upstairs.
When he reached the dining table, he saw Erika absentmindedly plating the food she had made. She still looked a bit dazed.
Akira sat down with a bright smile.
"Oh, what did you make?"
Erika snapped out of her thoughts and replied,
"Just Shioyaki and Saza-Nami Lemonade."
Akira picked up his chopsticks.
"Basic but effective."
He took a bite of the fish and immediately paused. His expression turned blank, then slightly confused. Erika noticed and asked,
"What? Is something wrong?"
Akira looked at the fish.
"Are you sure this is Shioyaki and not sugar-grilled fish?"
Erika blinked, then took a bite herself. Her eyes widened.
"It's… sweet? Did I use sugar instead of salt by mistake?"
Akira chuckled.
"Honestly, I'm surprised you didn't burn the fish. It actually looks like proper Shioyaki. Are you sure you didn't secretly go to Totsuki?"
Erika sighed in embarrassment.
"Don't joke. I was just… a little distracted, that's all."
Akira shrugged and took another bite.
"Well, this sugar-crusted fish isn't that bad. I can eat it."
He casually picked up the lemonade and took a sip.
The moment the drink hit his tongue, his jaw clenched and his face instantly puckered. He shot up from his seat, rushed to the sink, and started drinking water straight from the tap.
Erika stared in shock.
"What happened?!"
Akira sighed after gulping down several mouthfuls of water.
"…Try drinking it."
Erika looked at the lemonade warily and didn't touch it.
"Did I switch the sugar with salt too?"
Akira nodded.
"Yep."
He sat back down and asked gently,
"What happened? You're usually more careful when cooking. Did something happen today?"
Erika sat down, staring at the table in silence.
"It's nothing. I'm fine."
Akira looked at her quietly for a moment, then suddenly stood up. Before she could react, he scooped her up into a princess carry.
Erika's face immediately turned bright red.
"W-W-W-What are you doing?!"
Akira answered seriously,
"Taking you to my bedroom."
Erika's voice went up an octave.
"WHATTTT?!"
Akira continued walking while carrying her.
"Your bloodlust is acting up, right? Knowing you, you'd probably wait until we were about to sleep to tell me and try to hold it in. That's not good. You don't have to suffer in silence. Just come with me and drink my blood."
Erika's face was still red, but she had calmed down a little.
"…But that's still…"
Akira pushed open the door to his room with his foot.
"Listen. I don't like it when you try to suffer like this. Drinking my blood isn't some tragic or painful thing. I actually like it."
Erika buried her face against his chest and muttered in a small voice,
"…But it's embarrassing…"
Akira froze for a second.
That's what she's worried about?
Then he smiled softly.
"I know you're embarrassed, but this is important. When you want my blood, don't even ask. Just bite me, alright?"
Erika looked at his serious face and softly replied,
"…You're the one who said that, okay?"
Before Akira could answer, she leaned in and bit his neck, completely giving in to her instincts.
The sudden movement caused Akira to fall backward onto the bed, but Erika didn't stop. She hugged him tightly and started drinking more than usual.
Akira didn't say anything. He simply hugged her back and let her drink.
At first, everything was fine.
But soon, he began to feel his blood running dangerously low. Confusion appeared on his face.
She usually stops way before this level… Is this okay…?
Selena's amused voice echoed telepathically.
"Hehe, don't worry, brother. Knowing you, as long as you're not completely dead, your healing factor could probably bring you back to normal… probably."
Akira weakly thought back,
"I know, but… if this keeps going… forty percent of my blood is already…"
And then everything went black.
Erika, still drinking, soon passed out as well.
Selena let out a soft sigh.
"Sigh… They're definitely going to be late for school tomorrow."
---
The next morning, just as Selena had predicted, they woke up far later than usual, completely missing the first period. They didn't even have time to feel embarrassed before Ritsu's call came in. Only then did Akira realize he had far too many missed calls from both Ritsu and Koro-sensei.
After calling Koro-sensei to ask for permission to be late, they hurried back to school. However, Akira was more tired than usual, so by the time they reached the area near the school, the second period had already ended as well.
Akira breathed heavily.
"Erika… I don't think I can make it… you go on without me…"
Erika slowed down and supported him.
"Don't be dramatic. You'll be fine."
But seeing his pale face, she softly said,
"I'm sorry. I drank too much of your blood."
Akira shook his head.
"Don't worry about it. It seems your need for blood also increased. Maybe when we get back to our world, I'll improve my healing factor to produce more blood. For now, we should divide it into two times a day — morning and night. What do you think?"
Erika looked concerned.
"But what about you? You'll be running on low blood if it's twice a day."
Akira replied,
"We'll figure it out. I'm sure it'll be fine."
Erika sighed.
"Why are you always…"
Just then, Ritsu called them again. Akira answered, and Ritsu immediately said,
"Akira-kun, come to school immediately."
Akira asked,
"What happened?"
Ritsu replied,
"A new teacher is bullying our classmates."
Akira immediately realized who it was.
"I'll be there."
Then he remembered his current condition and turned to Erika.
"Can you carry me?"
Erika sighed again.
And under Ritsu's confused gaze, she gave Akira a piggyback ride and rushed toward the school grounds while Ritsu explained what had happened.
By the time they reached the schoolyard, they saw all the students doing squats. A muscular man with a large waist and belly stood in front of them, while Koro-sensei, Karasuma, and Irina sat on the sidelines. Karasuma was deep in thought, while Koro-sensei seemed to be talking to him.
Just then, Kurahashi couldn't continue anymore and sat down.
"Karasuma-sensei…"
That man walked over to her, cracking his knuckles.
"Oi, Karasuma's not part of our family. Punishment time. This is what happens to kids who don't rely on their daddy alone!"
He raised his hand to hit her.
Just as Karasuma was about to intervene, someone else grabbed his arm.
Everyone fell silent.
The man looked back, expecting to see Karasuma, but instead found a pale-faced Akira smiling at him.
He frowned.
"Who are you?"
Akira replied,
"A student of Class 3-E."
He increased the pressure in his grip, pressing his thumb against a specific point. The man immediately let out a miserable scream.
"AHHHHHHHH!"
Everyone was shocked, though the students were secretly delighted.
He tried to fight back, but Akira's grip caused such excruciating pain that he couldn't even resist.
Karasuma immediately spoke up.
"Wait, Akira…"
Koro-sensei also moved.
"Akira-kun, violence is not the answer here."
Akira let him go, and the man immediately stumbled backward in shock.
Akira calmly replied,
"Koro-sensei, violence is not the answer. Violence is the question, and the answer here is yes."
Koro-sensei protested,
"But it's illegal. What if he sues you?"
Akira answered,
"He won't find anything. I only pressed his pressure points to create immediate pain. There won't be any evidence or lingering effects after I release him. And if he tries to sue me, I'll counter-sue him for trying to scam me out of money."
Maehara muttered,
"As expected of Akira. He hurts you first and then asks for emotional compensation."
Isogai nodded.
"Takaoka-sensei might be a villain, alright, but not a supervillain like our Akira."
Meanwhile, Akira asked,
"Anyway, I heard he's the new teacher."
Koro-sensei nodded.
"His name is Takaoka Akira, the new PE teacher."
Takaoka, having regained his composure, sneered.
"So you're that superhuman boy. Does bullying ordinary people make you feel strong?"
Akira calmly smiled.
"Oh, ordinary people? You're physically abusing middle school students despite being military personnel. Compared to them, you're practically superhuman. If you enjoy doing it, why shouldn't I?"
Takaoka replied,
"I am educating them as their teacher. It's for their own good."
Akira took out his phone, typed something, and said,
"Let's see… Takaoka Akira. Both you and Karasuma-sensei were in the same military unit, and you both became Air Force instructors. But Karasuma always had better results than you. Let me guess… you're jealous of him, right? And you came here because you wanted to bully Karasuma's students because of it. Or perhaps you wanted to steal them away and become the teacher of the students who killed Koro-sensei, taking that achievement for yourself. What do you think?"
Takaoka froze in shock. After a brief pause, he answered,
"Don't say things without evidence. I'm here as a teacher."
But that brief hesitation was enough for everyone to realize Akira had hit the mark.
Karasuma immediately stepped in.
"That's enough. If you want violence, then direct it at me."
Takaoka, secretly relieved to stop talking to Akira, grinned.
"I told you, right? This is education, not violence. I don't want to settle things through violence. If you want to claim my teaching style is wrong, prove it."
He pointed at the students.
"Choose the best among the normal human students you've trained. Let them fight me. If their knife so much as touches me, I'll admit your style of education is superior and leave."
He walked over to his bag and pulled out a real knife.
"But we won't be using those toy knives. No, you'll be killing me… and that means you'll need the real thing."
Karasuma's eyes widened.
"A real knife? Enough! They're neither trained nor prepared to kill a human!"
Takaoka laughed.
"Relax. Stopping just before contact counts as a hit. And I'll be barehanded. What more of a handicap do you want?"
He smirked.
"Well, Karasuma? Pick one. It's that, or obey me unconditionally."
Akira immediately said,
"How about I teach him an important life lesson he will never forget?"
Takaoka shouted,
"Normal student, I said normal student!"
Koro-sensei also stepped in.
"Akira-kun, I know you are angry, but they have to solve this problem themselves."
Erika nodded.
"Yeah. If you want to, you can beat him up after they finish with him."
Akira sighed.
"Fine…"
Meanwhile, Karasuma fell into deep thought. He picked up the real knife and looked at his students. After thinking it over, he turned to Nagisa.
"Nagisa… will you do it?"
Everyone was shocked. Even Nagisa looked surprised.
Someone asked,
"Wait, why Nagisa?"
Karasuma continued,
"As someone entrusted with an assassination mission to save the Earth, I consider you all fellow professionals. And the very least compensation you deserve is the guarantee of a normal junior high school life. So there is no need to force yourself to take this knife. I'll make every effort to have Takaoka continue providing you with that compensation."
Nagisa looked at the knife thoughtfully before taking it.
"I'll do it."
Takaoka laughed.
"Karasuma, your eyes must be going bad."
Standing beside Koro-sensei, Irina whispered,
"What the hell is Karasuma doing, picking Nagisa?"
Koro-sensei smiled.
"Just watch. You'll see."
Everyone watched Nagisa with a mixture of worry and anticipation.
Takaoka smirked.
"Bring it on."
Nagisa smiled innocently and walked straight toward him, as naturally as if he were simply walking to school. Takaoka didn't even react to how harmless he looked.
As soon as he got close, Nagisa suddenly slashed toward Takaoka's throat. Startled, Takaoka barely avoided it by leaning backward. With his balance broken, Nagisa grabbed his shirt, pulled him down, and slipped behind him like a snake, placing the knife against his throat.
Smiling, he said,
"Gotcha."
The entire class stared in shock. None of them had expected Nagisa to actually pull it off—except perhaps Koro-sensei, who knew his talent, and Akira and Erika, who had already watched the show.
Then Nagisa looked down at the knife.
"Wait… was I supposed to use the back of the knife?"
Koro-sensei immediately took the knife and started eating it.
"That's enough! The match is over! Karasuma-sensei, honestly, are you out of your mind giving a real knife to a student? What if he hurt himself?"
Karasuma calmly replied,
"You'd have been there at Mach speed to patch him up."
All the students rushed over to Nagisa excitedly.
"You sure know your way around a knife!"
"Are you really Nagisa?"
"That assassination rush was amazing!"
Takaoka stood up angrily.
"You brats, turning on your father figure and celebrating some fluke victory?! One more time… I'll tear you in two… body and soul!"
Nagisa calmly replied,
"If we fought again, I'd lose for sure. But what's obvious is that Koro-sensei is our teacher, and Karasuma-sensei is our training instructor. And that's final. You and your forced father figure act don't come across as even half as warm as Karasuma-sensei and his professionalism. We're grateful that you genuinely tried to make us stronger…"
He lowered his head slightly.
"But I'm sorry. Please leave."
The entire class stood beside him.
Irina raised her hand.
"Wait… what am I?"
Takebayashi adjusted his glasses.
"You're our bitch."
Irina snapped instantly.
"You're dead."
Completely humiliated and furious, Takaoka was about to attack Nagisa again, but Karasuma struck him with an elbow, sending him to the ground.
Karasuma turned toward the class.
"I apologize for the trouble my colleague caused. Don't worry about what comes next. I'll negotiate with my superiors to resume my teaching position."
Just then, Principal Asano walked in calmly.
"No need to negotiate. I was curious about how our newest teacher was doing and happened to witness the whole thing."
He crouched beside Takaoka, grabbed his chin, and said,
"Takaoka-sensei, your lesson was a joke. Yes, fear is necessary in education. But a teacher who can only instill fear through violence is a teacher of the lowest order."
Takaoka tried to protest.
"But… I…"
Before he could finish, Principal Asano stuffed a piece of paper into his mouth.
"This is your walking papers. The Ministry of Defense has no hiring rights here. I call the shots around here, and don't you forget it."
Then he calmly walked away.
Completely broken, Takaoka screamed,
"Dammit… Dammit… Dammit… Dammit… Dammit… Damn it all to hell!"
He grabbed his bag and ran away.
The entire class erupted in cheers.
"Hooray!!"
Everyone celebrated.
Ritsu asked from her screen,
"You won't ask him for compensation this time?"
Akira shrugged.
"What am I going to get from him? He doesn't have much to his name."
Ritsu replied,
"He probably has some substantial savings."
Akira grinned.
"Not that much. Besides, spreading the video of him getting beaten by a junior high student throughout the military sounds far more fun."
Only after a while did everyone notice how unusually pale Akira looked.
Maehara asked,
"Akira, why do you look so pale? You look like you're about to fall over."
Akira started to answer,
"Because last night—"
Erika immediately covered his mouth.
"Stop talking nonsense."
"Mmph!"
Without enough strength to resist, Akira could only mumble helplessly.
Everyone laughed at the sight.
Just another normal day in Class 3-E.