Deadly One

Chapter XXVIII: Valentine's Day Time (Edited)

"Happy New Year!" Korosensei exclaimed. "A new year is upon us!"

Emiko looked up to see everyone dressed in either Yukata, Hakama, or Kimono. She was the only one who hadn't changed, standing out in her usual attire.

"Tackle your studies and your assassination with a new emotion! Now then..." The yellow creature sprawled on the floor, watching TV. "Time to laze the day away."

'Where's he going with this?'

"So you're trying to take all the fun year-end events you missed out on and cram them into February?" Yoshida asked, voicing the collective confusion.

"Ah, exactly right!" Korosensei confirmed cheerfully.

"Our only winter break, and not one of you came to visit!" He cried, his tentacles drooping. "And you were so earnestly worried and trying so hard on my behalf that it didn't feel right for me to invite you over..."

"Dumb thing to fret about when we were all so bummed out," Yoshida remarked dryly.

"With that all behind you, now's the perfect time!" Korosensei sprang to his feet, his tentacles waving energetically. "We'll take back the winter break we lost—all at once!"

Emiko sat in the seat in front of Kayano- well technically Yukimura, who she continued to refer to as Green Pea.

"Blueberry, hm?" she teased, making the girl jump and instantly turn red.

"Th-that's not—" She stammered, glancing nervously at the chocolates in the compartment of her desk. Nakamura and Karma popped up beside her, grinning mischievously.

"Oya Oya?" Nakamura taunted.

"Who are those for, hmm?" Karma added, his tone teasing.

"Wh-What do you mean? It's just for formalities!" Kayano insisted, her eyes darting between the duo.

Emiko sighed internally. 'No use in hiding it, Green Pea, you're like an open book.'

"They could be for anyone!" She protested, but her eyes kept drifting toward Karma and Nakamura.

Karma decided to take their teasing further and whipped out his phone, showing a picture of Nagisa kissing her. "Oh? Here I was sure you were giving them to this guy here."

"Forgive me! Please forgive me!" She wailed, her face a deep shade of crimson. Emiko fought the urge to facepalm.

'Children...'

---

A few hours later, Emiko scratched under her bandana and sighed in deep thought. 'Why have I taken so long to kill the Octopus? I haven't even tried since I first met him. It's only been threats and empty gestures. I don't know if I'm glad that I waited this long to figure out his real identity or if I'm angry. Angry because now I'm afraid my feelings might get in the way. Ryushi was the closest thing I had to family, but then he died when I was twelve, and now here he is, as an octopus.'

She heaved another sigh. Her thoughts continued to run rampant.

'But I'm also slightly happy because now I know that he didn't die and he's still alive. But he's not the man who used to be my family anymore; he's simply my target, one who is a threat to all humanity.'

She placed her head in her hands, staring hard at her desk. 'How am I supposed to kill him knowing who he is? Hell, he doesn't even remember who I am. I need to tell him before his assassination, but the question is how?'

"Mizuki?" She looked up and saw the very being that had thrown her into her current conundrum. She ignored him and stood up. As she moved to walk past him, he sped in front of her.