That evening, after writing a short note about their punishment for being late and returning from school, Akira and Erika went straight down to the basement lab to check the test results.
Erika asked as they stepped inside,
"So… did you find out what's wrong with you?"
Akira was already standing in front of the analyzer, staring at the results with a complicated expression.
"This… it seems like the Gourmet Cells from the Energy Bars Beta are influencing my body and increasing my appetite."
Erika tilted her head.
"Gourmet Cells? But didn't your body completely digest them and turn them into mana? There shouldn't be any problem, right?"
Akira nodded slowly.
"That's what's supposed to happen normally… To be honest, I didn't expect this either."
Erika crossed her arms.
"What happened? Out with it."
Selena's voice chimed in telepathically.
"Yeah, don't keep us waiting."
Akira scratched his cheek.
"Well… usually in our world, I expel excess mana by doing this or that. Even when I'm doing nothing, I'm actively releasing it through mana circulation techniques. But since magic is forbidden in this world, I stopped doing that, and the mana I created had nowhere to go. Because of that, the Gourmet Cells didn't digest properly. A few of them started circulating through my body, and now they're increasing my strength a bit… and my appetite."
Erika looked worried.
"So is this a problem? You'll be okay, right?"
Akira shook his head.
"Nothing too serious for now… but there is one problem. Mostly related to you."
Erika blinked.
"What is it?"
Akira asked almost casually,
"Well… my blood tastes better recently, right?"
Erika's face instantly turned red.
"T-That's…"
Selena immediately scolded him.
"Idiot brother! That's not something you ask a young girl… a young Dhampir girl!"
Akira looked genuinely confused.
"What? What did I do?"
Erika finally admitted in a quiet voice, still blushing.
"…It's better than before… I guess…"
Akira nodded proudly.
"See, Sis? It's not that much of a secret or anything."
Selena's irritated voice came back.
"You absolute idiot. If I were there, I would definitely kick you in the butt."
Akira looked even more confused.
"What did I do now…?"
Selena snapped,
"Shut up and continue explaining."
Akira scratched his head while Erika continued blushing beside him.
"So what happened was… because of what I said, my blood now contains traces of Gourmet Cells. When you drink it, the taste is influenced by them, but it also transfers some of those cells into your body. So the reason your need for blood has increased is because of that."
Erika thought for a moment before asking,
"So how do we stop this?"
Akira answered honestly,
"To be honest, it's a bit difficult in this world. I need more time to make new devices and figure out a proper solution. But the changes have already happened, so forcing them back might be dangerous. For now… we'll just adapt. Once we're back home, I'll figure out a proper fix."
Erika looked concerned.
"But wouldn't that mean you'll lose too much blood?"
Akira gave her a small smile, putting on the expression of someone making a great sacrifice.
"That's why I said we should do it twice a day. Don't worry, Erika. For you, being a little weak is nothing."
Erika looked at him, blushing again.
Selena's voice came back, completely deadpan.
"You just wanted an excuse to be close to her more than once a day, right?"
Akira immediately turned his head away and changed the subject.
"…Anyway, don't worry. It's nothing serious."
Erika also blushed as the implication sank in.
Then Selena chimed in again.
"Honestly, both of you are hopeless."
Akira and Erika stood there awkwardly for a few seconds before finally giving up and going to do their homework.
---
The next day, Koro-sensei led the students—all in their swimsuits—to a clearing in the forest behind the school.
He turned around dramatically and revealed a large pool.
"Nuruhuhuhuhu~! All right, we're here! Behold! A pool I made specially for Class E!"
It was a beautiful natural pool he had created by damming a mountain river and using his Mach 20 speed to construct the surrounding facilities.
All the students cheered. They quickly took off their outer jackets and jumped into the water with excited yells.
Akira, still looking a bit pale from the blood loss of both the previous night and that morning, slowly stepped into the water and let out a satisfied sigh.
"It feels really good in this heat…"
Erika, who had removed her iconic red ribbons, stepped in beside him and sighed as well.
"Yeah, it does… but can you even be in the water right now? I mean, your blood level is really low."
Akira waved it off.
"It should be fine. I've been in worse situations. Besides, with my healing factor, low blood pressure is nothing."
Just then, Nagisa swam over.
"By the way, Akira… why do you look so pale? I mean, you're usually a bit pale in the morning, but recently you've looked extra pale."
Akira opened his mouth to answer.
"It's nothing. Just… let's just say because we increased it from once to twice a day— Mmph!"
Erika instantly covered his mouth with her hand, blushing furiously.
"I've told you so many times—don't make them misunderstand!"
Akira could only make muffled sounds.
The girls nearby burst out laughing.
Nakamura pointed at Akira's torso.
"I have to say, Akira-kun, even when you look this pale, you've got an amazing body."
Fuwa leaned in with sparkling eyes.
"I never expected you to be hiding that under your clothes. You didn't look that athletic."
Nakamura nodded.
"I know, right? Erika-san, hide him from us…"
Erika stepped protectively in front of Akira, still flushed.
"Don't drag me into this!"
Nakamura waved her hands.
"Don't worry, don't worry. On the other hand…"
She looked at Nagisa and tilted her head.
"Nagisa… you're a boy!"
Nagisa blinked.
"You just noticed?!"
Fuwa shrugged.
"Can you blame us?"
Akira looked at them, then turned to Erika with a serious expression.
"I suddenly, really want to hug you. Can I?"
Erika immediately backed away, blushing even harder.
"No…"
Akira whined.
"But I want to…"
Erika turned and started running through the water.
"No means no!"
Akira immediately gave chase.
She splashed him with water.
He splashed her back.
And just as they started playing around like they had when they were children—
A whistle suddenly rang out.
Everyone turned to look at Koro-sensei, who was sitting atop a lifeguard stand in a full lifeguard uniform.
He immediately pointed and shouted,
"Kimura-kun! No running at the poolside! You could trip and hurt yourself!"
Kimura scratched his head.
"Oh, sorry…"
Another whistle blew.
"Hara-san and Nakamura-san! Watch the breath-holding! I'm worried you'll stay underwater too long and drown!"
Then another.
"Okajima-kun, I'm confiscating that camera!"
"Hazama-san, don't just read all day… swim!"
"Akira-kun, tone down the romance!"
The whistles kept coming nonstop.
Everyone collectively thought,
S-so fussy…
Nakamura sighed.
"I guess when you make a pool, you start feeling like the ruler of it."
Maehara nodded.
"Yeah… it kind of puts a damper on all our gratitude."
Koro-sensei laughed proudly.
"Nuruhuhuhuhu~! My elaborate design makes the most of the natural surroundings, from the scenery to the layout. It must be enjoyed in an orderly fashion!"
Kurahashi pouted.
"Aw, don't be such a stick-in-the-mud, Koro-sensei!"
She splashed some water at him.
"Have a splash!"
But Koro-sensei let out a scream like a little girl.
"Kyaaa!"
Everyone froze.
What was that scream?
Then Karma casually walked over and shook the lifeguard stand.
Koro-sensei panicked instantly.
"Ahhh! Karma-kun, stop that! I'll fall in! I'm going to fall! Do you hear me?! Please!"
Maehara pointed.
"Koro-sensei… don't tell me…"
Koro-sensei coughed awkwardly.
"Oh, I just don't feel like swimming, that's all. It's not like my tentacles get all swollen and useless in water or anything."
Nagisa finally came to a conclusion.
"Sensei can't swim! This might be his most promising weak point yet!"
As everyone excitedly discussed this newly discovered weakness, on the other side of the pool, Akira was still chasing Erika through the water.
Splash!
Splash!
"Erika! One hug!"
"No!"
"Just one!"
"No!"
"Half a hug?"
"No means no!"
Splash! Splash!
Everyone looked over at the two of them, completely lost in their own world, and sighed with helpless smiles.
---
The next day, Akira sat at the dining table, already dressed in his uniform, tiredly eating an Energy Bar Alpha. He was still noticeably pale.
Erika came out of her room, wearing her uniform and carrying her school bag.
"Come on, what are you waiting for? We're going to be late."
Akira slowly stood up.
"Fine… I'm ready."
They left the house and hurried down the forest path toward school. The route was usually quiet at this hour, but today it felt strangely empty.
Akira breathed heavily as they walked.
"Can't we slow down a little?"
Erika eased her pace and sighed.
"Sorry… Should I carry you again?"
Akira waved a hand dismissively.
"As much as I like being carried by you, let's walk normally. I have a weird feeling for some reason…"
Erika frowned.
"A weird feeling? What is it?"
Akira looked around.
"This forest path is too quiet today."
Erika tilted her head.
"Isn't this path always quiet at this time of day?"
Akira shook his head.
"No. We usually see people from time to time… and the birds are missing too."
Erika frowned.
"What? Is there a bear in the area or something?"
Akira chuckled weakly.
"What bear in this part of the country? Well, whatever… no matter what comes, we just have to beat it down."
Erika sighed, then suddenly remembered something.
"By the way… is it time for that pool episode? The one where Itona comes back to kill Koro-sensei again?"
Akira thought for a moment.
"Well, you mean the one where Terasaka blows up the pool? Honestly, it should be a few days away technically, but there's something called the butterfly effect, so I'm not so sure."
Erika looked worried.
"What's your plan to deal with that? We can't put all the students in danger, right? Should we secretly remove the bombs or something?"
Akira considered it for a moment.
"I don't think so. It was Terasaka's redemption episode. I don't want to interfere with his character development. I won't do anything."
Erika immediately pinched his cheeks.
"What redemption episode? What character development? There are living, breathing people involved. You can't put them all in danger just for that."
Akira winced.
"I knowww, I knowww… forgive meee. I only said that because I know I can save everyone if something happens… believe me."
Erika sighed. She knew he wasn't wrong, but still—
"Don't treat it so casually. We need to be careful and save everyone immediately."
Akira nodded.
"Okay…"
Then he fell into thought.
Erika raised an eyebrow.
"What is it?"
Akira spoke slowly.
"I'm just thinking… in the original story, Shiro used that plan because Koro-sensei was the only one who could save everyone easily, and he used that against him. But now both of us are strong enough to save them even without Koro-sensei. Do you think he'll use the same plan?"
Erika thought for a moment.
"You think he'll change it?"
Akira nodded slightly.
"Well, whether he changes the plan or tries to take us out of the equation… in that case—"
Before he could finish, Akira suddenly tackled Erika to the ground.
Startled, Erika blurted out,
"What—?"
Then she saw it.
A bullet hole had appeared exactly where they had been standing moments ago.
Her eyes widened.
"That's—"
Akira held her close and rolled across the ground as another bullet struck where they had just been.
He quickly pulled her behind a thick tree for cover.
Looking her over, he asked,
"You okay?"
Still a little dazed, Erika nodded.
"I-I'm fine… just caught off guard."
Akira smiled.
"Yeah, it's your first time being targeted by a sniper. It's always a little hard the first time, but you get used to it."
Erika stared at him.
"Why are you talking like it's a normal everyday event?"
Akira shrugged.
"I wouldn't call it everyday, but—"
Selena's voice suddenly snapped through their telepathic link.
"Guys, come on. There's a time and place for this. We're under fire."
Akira shook his head.
"Don't worry. A sniper can't penetrate a tree this thick that easily."
The moment he said that, the tree was bombarded by heavy gunfire, likely from multiple automatic rifles. Bark exploded everywhere as the trunk began to splinter under the sustained assault.
Akira stared at the damage.
"Seems like an entire team has shown up."
Erika asked,
"How many are there? Can you see them with your Mystic Eyes?"
Akira deadpanned.
"I can see energy. I don't have X-ray vision… Well, maybe I can use Transparent World. Let me try."
He closed his eyes and activated Transparent World to sense the area around him. Though he couldn't see them clearly, he could still perceive their movements and positions.
After a moment, he spoke.
"There are twelve of them. Six providing cover fire, two snipers, two support personnel, and two are… giving orders. Seems like we've got a full mercenary squad."
He paused.
"Oh. Grenades."
Two grenades arced toward their position.
Akira calmly drew his anti-sensei BB gun and fired at a nearby rock. The BB ricocheted off the stone, struck one grenade, and knocked it into the second.
Both explosives were deflected away and detonated harmlessly in the distance.
Akira let out a tired sigh.
"Looks like we need to finish this quickly… or we'll have to write that self-reflection essay again."
---
Erika stared at him in disbelief.
"That's what you're worried about?"
Akira looked genuinely offended.
"Do you know how long those things take to write?"
Erika deadpanned.
"That's because you keep writing them like novels—"
RATATATATAT!
Automatic fire shredded another section of the tree they were hiding behind.
Akira calmly observed,
"Oh. Four of them are advancing now."
Erika immediately said,
"We have to do something."
Akira thought for a moment. Then he pointed at a specific spot on the tree.
"Okay. Follow my lead. When I say so, hit the tree right there, then move to the next tree for cover. I'll handle the rest."
Erika shook her head.
"What? No. I'm helping. You're weak right now, but I'm still perfectly fine."
Akira sighed.
"Erika… I know you're strong, and I know you want to help, but—"
Seeing the look on her face, he immediately gave up.
"Sigh… Fine. Just stay in the back, keep moving, and throw those anti-sensei knives at them."
Erika blinked.
"Those? They won't do anything to them."
Akira nodded.
"You're throwing them at nearly the speed of sound. Even if they don't hurt anyone, they'll force them to react. That's all I need."
Erika nodded.
"Okay."
Akira looked toward the advancing mercenaries.
"Ready... now."
Erika immediately struck the tree exactly where he had pointed.
CRACK!
The trunk snapped and collapsed forward.
The four advancing mercenaries barely had time to react before the massive tree came crashing down on top of them.
Dust and debris exploded into the air.
For a moment, even the suppressing fire stopped as everyone waited for the dust to settle.
Before it could—
A figure calmly walked out of the dust cloud.
Akira.
In his hand was a large silver pistol he had apparently taken from one of the fallen mercenaries.
He looked at it appreciatively.
"Oh. A Desert Eagle. Not bad."
The remaining mercenaries stared at him in disbelief.
Akira casually spun the pistol once.
"Don't worry. They're not dead."
He glanced back at the pile of unconscious bodies.
"But they probably won't be waking up for a few months."
Then he looked at the remaining enemies and smiled.
"Well, well... this gun has eight bullets."
He checked the magazine.
"Eight people left."
He pointed it at them.
"Perfect. Everybody gets one."
The squad leader immediately shouted,
"OPEN FIRE!"
Gunfire erupted again.
Before they could properly aim, however, two anti-sensei knives suddenly flew out of the dust cloud at incredible speed.
Instinctively, the mercenaries dodged.
Only to realize—
Rubber knives.
That moment of hesitation was all Akira needed.
BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!
Four shots rang out.
Each bullet struck the barrel of a rifle.
The mercenaries reflexively pulled their triggers.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
All four weapons exploded in their hands.
The resulting shock knocked them unconscious almost instantly.
Akira lowered the Desert Eagle.
"Four down."
The two snipers immediately opened fire from long range.
Akira casually tilted his head.
The bullets missed by centimeters.
At the same time, two support mercenaries threw grenades.
BANG! BANG!
Akira fired twice.
Both bullets struck the grenades midair.
The explosives flew back toward their owners before detonating.
The support pair disappeared into smoke and debris.
Akira nodded.
"Six."
The remaining snipers immediately tried to reposition.
Two anti-sensei knives suddenly shot toward them from the dust cloud.
Erika.
The snipers were forced to dodge.
One of them looked up—
And found Akira already standing in front of him.
"Hi."
Akira stepped on the man's hand.
The rifle dropped.
He fired a shot.
The second sniper collapsed instantly.
Then Akira turned toward the last sniper.
The man desperately fired.
BANG!
Akira fired his final bullet at exactly the same moment.
The round traveled straight through the rifle barrel.
The weapon exploded.
The sniper screamed before being knocked unconscious by the blast.
Akira walked over and lightly kicked the nearby wounded sniper.
The man passed out immediately.
Silence returned to the forest.
Akira looked around.
Twelve mercenaries.
Twelve down.
Then he struck a dramatic pose.
"Mission accomplished."
Erika immediately ran over.
"Akira, are you alright?"
Akira smiled.
"I'm totally fine. And I got everybody."
Erika let out a relieved smile.
"That's good—"
His phone suddenly rang.
Ritsu appeared on the screen.
"Akira-kun, it's an emergency—wait, what happened here?"
Akira glanced at the battlefield.
"Just some bad guys causing trouble. Don't worry about it. What happened?"
Ritsu answered urgently.
"Itona-kun is back. Terasaka blew up the pool and the students are in danger."
Akira immediately nodded.
"I'm on my way."
Then he paused.
"Huh. Erika, can you carry me again?"
Erika sighed.
But nodded.
A moment later, Akira was riding piggyback while Erika sprinted toward the school.
As for the mercenaries?
Akira was fairly certain somebody would come collect them eventually.
---
By the time they arrived at the pool, everything was already over.
Koro-sensei had won.
All the students were safe and celebrating.
Terasaka had gotten his moment.
And just like in the original story, Shiro and Itona had been defeated.
Shiro spoke calmly.
"Well, you got us. We withdraw. Even if we slaughtered all these children, who knows how his antimatter organs would run amok."
He turned.
"Let's go, Itona-kun."
Koro-sensei called after them.
"Well? Wasn't spending time with everyone fun? Why not join us properly this time?"
Itona looked slightly shaken.
But when Shiro called his name, he jumped up and followed.
The two began walking away.
Akira didn't stop them immediately.
He waited until they were some distance away.
Then suddenly appeared in front of them.
"Oh? Leaving already?"
Itona instantly tensed.
Shiro calmly placed a hand on his shoulder.
"Oh, Akira-kun. I figured you would survive that little ambush."
Akira shrugged.
"Yeah. Killing me isn't that simple."
He smiled.
"At least bring an army next time."
Shiro raised an eyebrow.
"Perhaps."
Then his eyes narrowed slightly.
"So? Are they dead?"
Akira shook his head.
"They're alive."
He thought for a moment.
"But I doubt they'll be picking up weapons again anytime soon."
Then his smile sharpened.
"Anyway, enough about them. We still have a debt to settle."
Shiro sighed.
"What is it this time? More compensation?"
Akira's smile widened.
"No. Consequences."
Shiro narrowed his eyes.
"Oh? And what exactly are you going to do? Kill me?"
Akira chuckled.
"Killing you would be boring."
He casually pulled out his phone.
"Besides, dead people don't suffer."
He tapped the screen.
"So I came up with something more interesting."
Shiro frowned.
Just then, his own phone began ringing.
He answered it.
As he listened, the calm expression on his face shattered.
His voice trembled.
"You... did it?"
Akira smiled brightly.
"Yep."
"I hacked every device connected to your network and permanently deleted all your saved data."
His grin widened.
"Yeah. Including about half of those antimatter research files. All gone."
Shiro's fists clenched.
"You—"
For the first time, genuine anger leaked into his voice.
Akira simply shrugged.
"Don't look at me like that. The fact I didn't delete everything is already me showing mercy."
His expression turned slightly colder.
"Good thing nobody got hurt this time."
Then he turned away and began walking back toward the others with Erika.
"I won't stop you from targeting Koro-sensei. But if you ever try hurting my classmates or the people I care about again..."
He glanced back over his shoulder.
"Lost data will be the least of your problems."
He waved casually.
"See you around."
As they walked away, Akira muttered to Erika,
"...I still have to write that stupid self-reflection essay."
Behind them, Shiro stood motionless.
His fists were clenched so tightly that his phone cracked in his hand.
Without saying another word, he turned and walked away with Itona.
---