The throne room was quiet.
Dozens of translucent screens floated in the air around Selena, each one filled with shifting data and glowing symbols. The faint hum of computation echoed softly. Her eyes moved calmly between them, fingers occasionally flicking through lines of code with precise, practiced motions.
"The Equilibrium System isn't even allowing it… seriously… But if I adjust the restriction parameters here…"
Then suddenly—the doors burst open.
"Selenaaa!"
Selena's hand stopped mid-motion.
A faint crease appeared between her brows as she turned, clearly annoyed at being interrupted.
"What is it? I told you I'm busy—"
She paused.
Her expression went completely flat.
"…What am I looking at?"
Erika stood at the entrance, her cheeks slightly puffed in complaint. On top of her head sat a small white direwolf puppy, comfortably curled up like it was the most natural throne in the world.
Akira—in his Ghost form—refused to move even an inch.
His tail swayed happily behind her.
Erika pointed upward, exasperated.
"He won't get down."
Selena stared.
"…Why is he on your head?"
"I don't know! He just climbed up and refused to come down!"
Erika reached up and grabbed him.
"Look, I'll show you—"
She tried to pull him off—
Akira immediately leaned forward and looked at Erika with the most heartbreaking, glossy purple puppy eyes imaginable—the kind that could melt steel.
Erika's resolve instantly crumbled.
"See?! How am I supposed to resist that?!"
His tail wagged faster.
Her grip loosened.
"…This is emotional manipulation."
She slowly let go.
Akira settled back comfortably on her head like a king reclaiming his throne.
Selena pinched the bridge of her nose.
"…Unbelievable."
She looked up at him.
"Get down."
Akira turned his head away with a huff.
"No."
Selena blinked.
"…Excuse me?"
Akira didn't even hesitate.
"No. This is my place, and I will not get down."
A short silence filled the room.
Selena's eyes twitched.
"Fine. Then I'll do it myself."
She stood up, walked over, and without ceremony grabbed the small puppy by the scruff.
Akira immediately flailed.
"Hey—wait—!"
A small portal opened beside them.
Selena tossed him in.
"NOOO—Erika—!"
Erika instinctively reached out.
"Ah—!"
The portal snapped shut.
Silence.
Erika stood there, hand still slightly extended.
"…He'll be fine, right?"
A faint thud echoed from somewhere deep in the castle.
Selena turned back toward her screens as if nothing had happened.
"He'll survive."
She crossed her arms and gave Erika a flat look.
"You spoil him too much."
Erika lowered her hand, cheeks faintly pink.
"…Not that much. He's just… too cute when he does that."
Selena sighed deeply, rubbing her temple.
Then her expression shifted—subtle, but serious.
"…That's actually part of the problem."
She closed the floating screens with a wave of her hand.
"Anyway, we need to talk."
Erika hesitated for a moment after Selena closed the screens.
"…Is this about Akira?"
Selena glanced at her.
"He's been acting strange since the school trip," Erika continued quietly.
Selena raised an eyebrow.
"When has he ever been normal?"
Erika paused.
"…That's not what I meant."
Selena smiled faintly.
"Don't worry. He's already doing fine. See for yourself."
She waved a hand, and one of the floating screens expanded in front of them.
On it, Akira was standing dramatically in the middle of the lab, surrounded by all his robots.
One of the robots emitted a series of mechanical beeps.
"…Why don't you have voice boxes?"
Akira crossed his arms.
"So what? We all understand binary. That's not the point."
Another series of beeps.
"Then why does C-3PO get to talk?"
A pause.
"…He's supposed to talk. That's his job!"
The robots began beeping louder, almost arguing back.
Akira frowned.
"No, that's not fair logic— aesthetics are important. Wait, stop, don't all talk at once—"
The entire group started clamoring over each other.
Erika watched… then let out a small sigh.
"…He looks normal."
Selena closed the screen with a small hum.
"Exactly. He'll go back to normal on his own. Just leave him be for now."
Erika nodded, looking a little more at ease.
"So… what did you actually want to talk about?"
Selena's expression turned serious.
"The next world mission."
Erika straightened slightly.
Selena continued calmly,
"You've seen the anime and read the manga, right?"
Erika nodded.
"…Assassination Classroom," Selena said. "On the surface, it feels like a quirky children's show. But underneath… it's quite dark."
Selena sighed.
"There are dangerous people. Violence. And the way Class 3-E is treated—it's not just strict. It's deliberate isolation."
Erika frowned.
"…Bullying."
Selena nodded.
"And the people in charge encourage it."
Selena paused, letting it sink in.
"Akira's emotions are already unstable right now. I'm worried about how he will react to all that."
She gave a troubled smile.
"…If he decides to act, no one in that world will be able to stop him."
Erika's eyes widened slightly.
"But… we can't use magic there, right?"
Selena gave a small, knowing smile.
"Akira is more dangerous than you think. Even without magic, if someone pushes the wrong buttons, he won't react calmly."
Erika went silent for a moment, processing Selena's words, then asked carefully,
"Well… he won't take bullying lightly, and if assassins target him, he might get angry… but he won't go too far, right?"
Selena smiled, but it wasn't a light one.
"It's worse than that. Imagine this—what do you think he will do if some assassins hurt you… or hold you hostage?"
Erika blinked.
"He might hurt them… but I don't think he will kill them. If we told him not to, he would listen."
Selena leaned forward slightly, her smile turning a little sharper.
"Sure, that's the easy mode. Physical violence is one thing. But what do you think will happen if the principal and the rest of the school start bullying you—since you'll be placed in Class 3-E?"
Erika hesitated.
"…Why did you mention that after the assassins? I don't think he will do too much, right?"
Selena looked at her gently, but her voice was serious.
"Erika-chan… you don't know just how petty and protective he can be, especially when it comes to you. You are the most important person to him. He will not let those things go easily."
Erika didn't know what to say.
Deep down, she knew Akira would go far if someone tried to hurt her. Part of her felt happy and warm at that thought… but another part felt uneasy about how extreme he could become.
Selena's tone softened.
"Don't worry too much. You will know in the future. But when the time comes, please take care of him, alright? You are the only one who can do it."
Erika stayed silent for a few seconds, then nodded firmly.
"…I understand. I'll do my best."
Selena's expression finally relaxed into a small smile.
"Good. Now let's go see if he's finished arguing with his robot army."
Erika nodded.
"Yes."
They found Akira in the workshop, standing dramatically in front of his robots.
"Fine! I promise I'll give you all voice boxes after this mission! Just be patient!" he declared.
The robots started beeping in celebration.
Selena said,
"Oh, seems like you're all having fun."
Akira turned when he saw them and immediately pointed an accusing finger at Selena.
"Oi! Sis, why did you throw me away earlier?!"
Selena waved it off casually.
"Don't worry about that. Go with Erika and double-check if you packed everything. Make sure you have what you need for the mission."
Akira grumbled, but Erika walked over, took his hand, and said softly,
"Don't worry about her. Let's go together."
Akira immediately calmed down.
"Fine… let's go check together."
As the two of them left the workshop side by side, Selena watched them go and let out a long, quiet sigh.
"…Let's see how this will go."
After another full day of frantic preparation, the three of them finally gathered back in the grand crystal throne room.
Raven and Rose immediately flew over, circling excitedly.
"Caw! Take us! Take us!" Raven cried.
"We want to come too!" Rose added.
Selena shook her head with a gentle but firm smile.
"Sorry, but no. Erika can't use magic in that world, and keeping two magic creatures like you there would be… complicated. You'll stay here this time."
Both crows drooped visibly, letting out disappointed little caws.
Erika looked at Selena curiously.
"I'm a vampire, right? So… what can and can't I do there?"
Selena looked at her.
"Your biology remains. So yes—you're still a vampire. But anything that relies on magic is sealed."
Erika nodded slowly.
"…So I still need blood."
"Yes," Selena nodded.
Akira, standing beside Erika, raised his hand like a student.
"What about Breathing Techniques? Do they count as supernatural?"
Selena thought for a moment.
"…They're in a gray area. They don't rely on external supernatural power—just the body and natural energy."
She gave a small nod.
"So they're allowed, but you can't use your Device for it."
Akira grinned.
"Nice."
Erika frowned slightly.
"Wait, I use my Blood Breathing techniques with my Device, Églantine, though. What should I do?"
Akira smiled.
"Don't worry. I'll make you a whip-sword with anti-sensei material. You can train with that later."
Erika sighed but nodded.
Selena said,
"Let's do the mission briefing one last time."
She raised her hand.
A familiar system window appeared in front of them.
---
[Main Quest: Save the World from the Yellow Speedster]
Objectives:
• Join Class 3-E
• Prevent planetary destruction
• Learn assassination techniques
• Raise all Class 3-E students into the Top 50
• Research anti-matter tentacle lifeforms
• Graduate with honors
Difficulty: A
Time Limit:
Until Graduation Ceremony
Rewards:
• 1× Gacha Ticket (based on Final Evaluation Rank)
• Star Credits (based on Final Evaluation Rank)
Bonus Reward:
??? (Hidden)
Restrictions:
• All supernatural powers sealed
• Technology beyond local world limits restricted
• Only approved equipment permitted
Mission starts in 30 min.
Accept Mission?
[YES] [NO]
---
She then looked at both of them seriously.
"You already know the objectives—just attend the school and save the world. As for how you are going to enter Class 3-E, you'll have to figure it out once you're there. Did you get everything?"
Akira grinned.
"Don't worry, sis. We've got it."
And he pressed [YES].
Erika did the same.
"Ready?"
Akira took Erika's hand. Erika gave a small nod, squeezing back.
Selena said,
"Then your new mission begins now!"
The entire throne room—no, the entire Nexus Castle—began to glow.
Akira glanced at her.
"One more thing, sis. Don't drop us out of the sky this time, alright? We can't use magic here."
Selena gave him a flat look.
"Don't worry. I'll send you straight to your destination."
"…You said that last—"
Before he could finish—
She snapped her fingers.
And the light enveloped them both.
When the light faded, they found themselves standing inside a small, ordinary Japanese convenience store.
Fluorescent lights buzzed overhead.
Shelves of snacks surrounded them.
And right beside them—casually flipping through a rather explicit ero magazine—stood a tall, yellow, octopus-like creature wearing academic robes and a mischievous smile.
Koro-sensei.
He slowly lowered the magazine, his tentacles freezing mid-page as he noticed the two humans who had just appeared out of thin air right next to him.
His face shifted into a comically surprised expression.
"Nuuh…?"
Akira and Erika stared.
Koro-sensei stared back.
…
…
For a moment—
No one said anything.