The convenience store fell completely silent.
Akira and Erika stood frozen.
Across from them—
Koro-sensei froze mid-page.
…
Then—
"NUUHHHH?!!"
In an instant, he vanished.
A blur of motion—shelves rattled, air cracked—
His color instantly changed from yellow to deep purple as he zipped backward at blinding speed without knocking over a single shelf in the process.
"How did two people just appear out of thin air?! Are you ghosts?!"
Akira sighed and immediately snapped telepathically at his sister.
What the hell, sis? Why did you drop us right next to him?
Selena's voice echoed calmly in his mind.
I delivered you straight to your destination, just as I said. Efficient, isn't it?
…I'm going to deal with you later.
Akira pinched the bridge of his nose, then looked up.
He had to say something, but he didn't know what to say, so he looked at Erika for help.
Erika sighed, then stepped forward slightly.
"Um—Koro-sensei, right? Please calm down—"
Koro-sensei stiffened.
"…How do you know my name?"
Erika froze, suddenly remembering they weren't supposed to know his name.
She slowly turned to Akira with a look that clearly said, I'm sorry. You try.
Akira sighed.
I'm in a bind now… what do I do… what do I do…
Then an idea struck him.
He decided to try something.
Putting on his best confident smile, he began speaking.
"Of course we know you, Koro-sensei. You're famous. A lot of people from where we come from say you're the greatest teacher ever."
Koro-sensei's color instantly shifted back to yellow with green stripes of pride.
He puffed up slightly.
"Nuuhuhuhu~! Is that so? Well, I suppose that reputation is only natural~!"
Then he leaned forward.
"So… where exactly are you two from?"
Akira and Erika froze again.
They had absolutely zero time to prepare a backstory.
Erika slowly turned to Akira with a look that screamed, Do something.
Akira looked back with a look that said, I'm trying, alright?!
Yeah… somehow, they could now communicate just by looking at each other without even using telepathy.
Maybe that was how well they understood each other now.
But Akira was still cornered.
Seeing no way out, he decided to fully embrace the chaos.
Using all the knowledge he had as a seasoned otaku, he immediately started inventing a backstory on the spot.
"We are from the Village Hidden in the… Stars."
For a moment, no one said anything.
Even Erika stared at him with a What the hell are you saying? expression.
But Koro-sensei's eyes sparkled dramatically.
"Nani?! A hidden guardian village?! Just like in the legends?! Are you ninjas?!"
Akira struck a proud pose.
"We are not ninjas. We are… guardians of humanity. The Counter Guardians of Alaya Village…"
Silence filled the store once again.
Erika covered her face.
I'm done.
But Koro-sensei leaned in even closer, completely hooked.
"So what happens next?!"
Akira didn't stop.
Now fully committed, he began weaving together everything he knew.
As a high-ranking otaku, he knew countless anime plots—and he shamelessly mixed them together with random Hollywood movie plots too.
"We are Counter Guardians working for the Counter Force of Alaya Village. Whenever the world faces destruction, we are sent out to eliminate the threat. And once our mission is complete, we return to the village… waiting for the next danger to appear…"
Akira continued, combining elements from The Legend of Zelda, Fate, Naruto, Star Wars, and even Titanic into one bizarre yet somehow emotional story of love, destiny, sacrifice, and heartbreak.
He kept going for an entire hour without stopping.
And by the end—
Koro-sensei was crying.
"I never expected you two to have such tragic backstories…!"
Erika genuinely didn't know what to say anymore.
Even after all that storytelling, Akira technically hadn't said anything completely false.
He had just… rearranged things a little.
Like changing the story of them almost dying to werewolves into something suspiciously similar to Titanic for absolutely no reason.
She couldn't help but sigh.
After wiping away his tears, Koro-sensei sniffled and asked,
"So what exactly are you both here for?"
Akira, without missing a beat, delivered the finishing blow.
"We're here to become your students."
...
"And you expect me to believe that?"
Karasuma sat behind his desk, arms crossed, eyes sharp.
His gaze moved from Koro-sensei… to the two unknown students beside him.
He clearly didn't believe a single thing Koro-sensei had said about their background.
Of course, Koro-sensei had conveniently left out the part where they literally materialized out of thin air.
Koro-sensei puffed up proudly.
"Nuuhuhuhu~! What's wrong with that? They seem like good kids! They said I'm the greatest teacher ever, so of course I accepted them!"
Karasuma pinched the bridge of his nose.
"There is nothing about either of you in any database. You weren't even registered in any country."
Akira coughed lightly.
"Well… about that. I'm sure it's a mistake. Check again. I'm sure you'll find us there."
Karasuma gave him a long, suspicious look, but typed on his laptop anyway.
A few seconds later, his eyes widened.
"…They're here. Both of them. Fully registered."
He looked at Akira suspiciously.
"Did you hack it?"
Akira turned his face away innocently.
"I have no idea what you're talking about."
Koro-sensei also turned his face away, his color shifting to pure white poker-face mode.
"Yeah… I definitely didn't see them hack into anything~"
Erika decided the best strategy was to pretend she didn't know either of them.
Karasuma sighed deeply.
"So… what exactly are you both here for?"
Akira put on a serious expression and began dramatically,
"We are the guardians of—"
Erika stepped in before Akira could start another one of his ridiculous one-hour monologues.
"We're here for the bounty."
Both Akira and Koro-sensei turned to her at the same time.
"What?"
Karasuma, finally hearing something that made sense, leaned forward.
"I see. But just so you know, joining Class 3-E means working together with the rest of the students. If you team up with them and succeed in the assassination, you'll have to share the bounty. There are also other strict rules. Understood?"
Both Akira and Erika nodded.
Akira added casually,
"Sure. We accept your conditions."
Karasuma nodded, then said seriously,
"But first, I need to know your abilities. Show me what you can do."
Akira casually picked up an anti-sensei knife from the desk, tested its sharpness, and said,
"Sure. Star Breathing, First Form—Flashing Comet."
He vanished.
—
The next instant—
He appeared beside Karasuma.
The knife rested gently against his throat.
Karasuma froze.
Koro-sensei froze too.
Even he hadn't expected that level of speed from an ordinary human.
Akira stepped back with a smile.
"So, what do you think?"
Before Karasuma could respond—
Koro-sensei clapped his tentacles excitedly.
"Fuhuhuhu~! That's great! But I'm twenty times faster than you!"
Akira grinned.
"I can't sustain it like you. Mine's just short bursts… but don't worry—this isn't my final form."
Koro-sensei stared at him in shock.
"What?! How many secret forms do you have?!"
Akira casually brushed his hair back for absolutely no reason and replied,
"…That's a secret."
…
Karasuma finally spoke.
"…Can humans even reach that speed?"
He was still shocked, but quickly regained his composure.
Then he turned to Erika.
"Can you do that too?"
Erika sighed.
"I'm not as fast as him…"
Akira proudly added,
"But she's stronger than me in raw strength."
He tossed her a thick baseball bat.
Erika caught it, sighed again, and casually snapped it in half with her dhampir strength.
Koro-sensei's eyes widened.
"Nuuh?! How do you have that much strength?!"
Karasuma was equally stunned.
He stared at the two of them for a long moment before finally sighing.
…I don't know why they're here… but with abilities like these… we might actually have a chance at the assassination.
He stood up.
"Fine. I'll help you get into Class 3-E."
Akira and Erika smiled.
"But," Karasuma added flatly, "you're paying for what you broke."
Both of them froze.
Akira immediately pointed at Koro-sensei.
"Koro-sensei will pay for us!"
Koro-sensei's color instantly turned purple again.
"Nani?!"
Akira grinned.
"Don't worry, I'll pay you back soon! Right now, we need to find a place to stay, so… goodbye! We'll be back tomorrow!"
Before Karasuma could respond—
Akira grabbed Erika's hand and bolted out of the room.
Seeing them run away, Karasuma looked at Koro-sensei and said,
"I'm deducting the cost of damages from your salary."
Koro-sensei looked horrified.
"NUH?! My salary?! That's a teacher's lifeline! Why?!"
Karasuma replied flatly,
"Because they're your students now. You have to take responsibility for them."
"Nuuhuhuhu… fine, fine. Supporting the youth is the duty of a teacher, after all!"
Koro-sensei pulled out a small money pouch and began placing coins onto the desk one by one.
Clink.
Clink.
Clink.
He looked up.
"Is this enough?"
Karasuma's eye twitched.
"…You're doing this on purpose."
He took a deep breath and calmed himself down.
"More importantly… what were you thinking? Everything about those two is suspicious."
Koro-sensei smiled.
"Fufufu… my teacher instincts are telling me something."
Karasuma narrowed his eyes.
"…And that is?"
Koro-sensei puffed up proudly.
"That they are excellent students!"
His color shifted to bright yellow with green stripes as he looked smug.
"…And they acknowledged my greatness as a teacher, so naturally I accepted them!"
Karasuma sighed.
"Whatever suits you."
Ping.
Koro-sensei froze.
Then he pulled out his phone, eyes widening in surprise.
"Nuuh?! The exact amount was just deposited back into my account!"
—
Meanwhile, Akira and Erika were walking along the quiet mountain path leading away from the school.
Akira had his phone out, rapidly trading stocks and placing calculated online bets.
His Golden Rule B skill was working overtime—every risky move somehow turned into steady profit.
Erika walked quietly beside him, lost in thought.
Selena's voice echoed in their minds.
"See? I told you the Golden Rule skill was great, right?"
Akira muttered while still working on his phone,
"I could do this even without the Golden Rule skill."
Selena replied,
"You could, but you wouldn't make this much money normally, right? For some reason, the stock market always makes you rich, and gambling gives you absurd luck boosts."
Akira sighed.
"Well, whatever. It is useful, I guess."
Then he added,
"Anyway, we somehow got into Class 3-E on the first day. All that's left now is buying a house before night."
Selena sounded smug.
"See? My plan to teleport you directly next to Koro-sensei worked out perfectly."
Akira deadpanned,
"Don't start. That could've gone very badly."
He stretched, then turned toward Erika, who was walking a few steps behind him, unusually quiet and distracted.
"Anyway, right now we need a base of operations. Erika, what kind of house do you want?"
Erika didn't respond.
Akira slowed down and looked back at her.
"Erika? Are you listening?"
She startled slightly.
"Huh? What did you say?"
Akira repeated gently,
"I asked what kind of house you want."
Erika looked away.
"Oh… the house. I don't know. You choose."
Akira paused, concern flickering across his face as he stepped closer.
"Is something wrong? You've been too quiet."
Erika instinctively stepped back.
"It's nothing. I'm just a bit tired, that's all."
Akira studied her for a moment but didn't push further.
"If you say so… then let's buy a house for now so you can rest. If you don't like it, we can look for another one later."
Erika gave a small nod.
"…Fine."
After a few more trades and quick searches, Akira found the perfect place—a secluded two-story, four-bedroom house on the mountainside, not far from the school. It had a basement suitable for a small workshop and a nice garden overlooking the forest.
"Found it. Four bedrooms, basement, private. Should work as our base here."
He completed the purchase instantly.
Erika nodded slightly, though she still seemed distracted.
After finalizing everything, Akira and Erika moved into their new house on the mountain slope.
The two-story, four-bedroom home was fully furnished and ready to move in—clean, modern, with a spacious living area, a nice garden, and a basement perfect for a small workshop.
It was already night by the time they stepped inside.
They chose the two first-floor bedrooms that faced each other.
Erika seemed distracted the entire time.
She quietly said,
"I'm tired… I'll go rest first."
She entered her room and closed the door without another word.
Akira stood in the hallway, worried.
He checked her with his Mystic Eyes of Truth but found nothing wrong with her biologically.
Still uneasy, he decided to handle other things first.
He went to the ground-floor bedroom and carefully placed the two Pokémon eggs along with the Super Shiny Charm onto a soft cushion he had prepared.
Selena's voice echoed telepathically.
"I still can't believe you brought the eggs here."
Akira replied,
"Time will be stopped in our world once the mission fully starts. What did you think would happen if we left them there? We'd have to wait years for them to hatch after we got back."
Selena paused.
"…Makes sense."
Akira then headed to the basement.
He took out the portable lab from his inventory and activated it.
With a series of mechanical sounds, the compact box expanded and settled perfectly into the room, transforming the basement into a high-tech miniature laboratory.
Good thing they had already eaten outside.
No need for dinner tonight.
But Erika still hadn't had his blood.
He walked upstairs and knocked gently on her door.
"Erika? You haven't had my blood tonight yet. Do you want some now?"
From inside the room, her voice came back quiet and slightly strained.
"Don't want it now… maybe later."
"…Fine. But don't forget, okay?"
Akira stood there for a moment before deciding to rest.
He went to his own room, turned off the lights, and lay down on the bed, thinking about what else needed to be done before the real mission began.
A few minutes later—
The door opened silently.
Erika stepped inside.
Akira opened his eyes.
"You're finally here—"
Before he could finish—
Erika moved.
In a blur, she pinned him down against the bed.
Akira froze.
"…Erika?"
Her grip tightened slightly.
Only then did he see her clearly.
Her golden hair was slightly disheveled, falling messily over her face.
Her breathing was uneven, almost trembling.
And her hands gripping his shoulders shook faintly.
Then, in the darkness—
he saw her eyes.
Her usual clear blue irises had turned a deep crimson, hazy and trembling with hunger.