Specimen T-04

Part 2~Pun

"Let's write some free-verse poetry. I'd like you to end all your poems with the word 'Tentacles'. Please bring them to me when you're done. I'll be checking grammar as well as your use of metaphors and similes. If you're done, you may leave for the day." The teacher leaned back, his face changing colour for a second when Kayano raised her hand.

"I have a question."

The yellow one hummed, returning to normal. "What is it, Kayano?"

"I know the school year has already started, but what's your name? We can't really call our teacher 'strange octopus-thing we have to kill.'"

"That's a bit long, yes. You know, I don't have a name! Why don't you think of one for me? But after you finish your poem."

"He's lying," Keiji whispered into Nagisa's mind, huffing when he didn't get a response. Nagisa was watching the normally yellow octopus turn pink. "Hey, Nagisa, what's the character for tentacle? Nagisa?"

Nagisa stood up, holding the knife behind the slip of paper.

"Ah, done already Nagisa?" The being grinned as Nagisa approached.

"Nagisa! What are you doing?!" Keiji screeched in Nagisa's mind, hating times like this. He couldn't read someone's thoughts if there were no thoughts to read.

Nagisa pulled out the knife, slicing at the teacher, only to be stopped.

"I told you already, you need to come up with a better plan-" the being was cut short as Nagisa fell forward, a soft smile on his face.

Terasaka pressed the button, and the BB grenade went up in smoke.

"Yeah! We did it! That 10 billion is mine!" Terasaka jumped up with a smirk, his lackeys following suit.

Keiji screamed, rushing forward in horror. "What did you do?!"

"A toy grenade stuffed with gunpowder and those special BBs made quite a mess. Don't worry. It's just a little explosion. I'll cover Nagisa's medical bills with my 10 billion." Terasaka kneeled before Nagisa as Keiji grabbed him, pulling him up.

"Listen here, you little shit, I'm going to tear you apart one molecule at a time unless you don't give me a heck of a good reason not to. Actually, forget it. Nothing you say now will ever excuse you for hurting my Nagisa."

"How about he didn't hurt me." Nagisa stood up, unharmed and hitting Keiji atop his head. The boy cried out in pain, falling back before staring up at Nagisa.

"Nagisa! I was so worried!" Keiji launched at Nagisa, hugging him and burying himself in Nagisa's shoulder.

"I'm fine." Nagisa patted Keiji's head softly as Keiji spoke into his mind.

"You can't do that. Those BBs hurt the octopus. What if it hurt you too?"

Nagisa shook his head softly, speaking back. "I'm fine. I wouldn't do anything I was confident I couldn't get back to you from."

"Wait," Keiji spoke aloud, pulling back, "how aren't you hurt. Not even your clothes are touched."

Nagisa pointed to the floor where a strange clear cover lay. "Our-" he cut himself off- "the octopus protected me, I think."

"Actually, I shed my skin once a month or so." The class jumped as they looked up. The not-so-yellow any more octopus hung from the ceiling, completely black. "I covered the bomb with it to absorb the explosion. I don't like having to do that. Terasaka! Yoshida! Muramatsu! You came up with this plan, didn't you?!"

The goons panicked, trying to blame Nagisa, who almost looked annoyed. In a flash, the being was gone. He blasted himself around Japan, returning with his arm full of house plates.

"I made a deal. I promised I would never harm any of you, but if you try to assassinate me like that again, let me remind you that everyone else is fair game. Your family. Your friends. Maybe the whole world except you."

Nagisa gulped, hearing Keiji's voice in his head. "Still think he's our saviour?"

"What are you?!" Terasaka fell to the ground, pointing at the octopus in horror. "You're a nasty creature! You disintegrate most of the moon and tell us you're going to blow up Earth. Why shouldn't we use nasty methods to kill a nasty creature?!"

"Nasty? I thought your idea was wonderful. Brilliant." The teacher's face turned red proudly, not offended in the slightest, while Nagisa was only being held back by Keiji's totally-not-telekinesis-improved-restraining-hug (trademark pending). "Especially your contribution, Nagisa." The being patted Nagisa's head as he calmed down. "I give you ten out of ten for your smooth and natural movements until you grabbed me. I was totally caught off-guard."

Nagisa blinked, unused to praise.

"However, the rest of you didn't even consider Nagisa's safety, and Nagisa let you take advantage of him! You're better than that, all of you!" The octopus's face turned purple as he turned to face the rest of the class. "I want you to assassinate me with a method that brings a smile to your face, one that you can take pride in. You're more than capable of that. Just take a few words of advice from your target."

Nagisa smiled, finally prying himself out of Keiji's death hug as he ruffled Keiji's hair.

"Well, then, I have a question for you, Nagisa." The teacher brought Nagisa's attention back to him. "I have no intention of getting killed. I'll enjoy teaching you until the end of the school year, and then I'll destroy the world. So what do you need to do to prevent that from happening?"

Nagisa chuckled, wishing to repeat the words he told Keiji the first day their saviour showed up. 'He saved us. We should already be dead, so let's keep him alive for as long as our lives are still here.' Instead, he said what the teacher was looking for, what wouldn't give him and Keiji away. "I'll kill you before I let that happen."

The being laughed, his face turning green. "Then let's see you kill me right now. I'll let you go home early if you do!"

Kayano hummed, watching the octopus. "A teacher who can't be killed. 'Sensei' means 'teacher', and 'Korosenai' means 'can't be killed'. How about if we call you 'Koro-sensei'? It's a pun!"

And so, the fight between the experiments and the students began, even if they didn't know about the traitors in their mists.