At last, it was time for the first final exams since I transferred to Kunugigaoka Junior High.

Right now, to get us through the exams, Koro-sensei is teaching each of us one-on-one.

“Nuru-fufufu, everyone, over this first term you’ve built your fundamentals properly, at this rate, we can expect a jump up in your final exam scores!”

“So for the finals too, are we aiming for everyone to place within the top 50 again?”

“Good question, Nagisa-kun, back then I was only fixated on total points, but I believe each student should set goals that suit them, so this time, I’ve set a goal that fits Assassination Classroom perfectly. Now then, just like Shiro-san said before, when I lose tentacles my movements slow down, for each tentacle lost, I lose about 10% of my mobility and now for the main point, this time, in addition to total score, any student who takes first place in a subject will be awarded the right to destroy one of my tentacles. This is the final exam of Assassination Classroom, whether you can get closer to the 10 billion yen bounty depends on your efforts.”

“One tentacle per subject’s first place, huh…”

“Yes! Let’s all do our best!”

“You’re fired up for once, Okuda-san.”

“Yes, because science is my strong suit, I might finally be able to help everyone.”

“We’ve got quite a few high-rankers too, if it’s just one subject, taking the top spot might not be a dream.”

While I was talking about that with Kayano and the others, Sugino’s phone rang.

The message was basically, watch out for Class A’s top scorers, the ones called the ‘Five Elites’ ‘Goeiketsu’, meaning the five outstanding students.

First place in each subject to destroy a tentacle, I can’t let a chance like this slip away.

With that decided, I should move too.

As I was packing up to head home, a voice called out from behind.

“Ayanokōji.”

“Do you need something, Isogai?”

“Yeah, it’s your first test since coming to our school, right? You probably don’t know what it’ll be like, so how about a study group in the library after school tomorrow? Of course, I’ve already invited Nagisa and the others too.”

“It’d be harder to find a reason to refuse, I’m counting on you.”

“Yeah, see you tomorrow!”

Right as Isogai left, the person I’d messaged earlier walked up, like she’d been waiting for that moment.

“So, what was it you wanted, Kiyotaka-kun♪”

“I was trying to avoid using my name anywhere except when we’re alone.”

“But right now, there’s no one around besides us♪”

“Fine, but not here, let’s move somewhere less noticeable.”

Kanzaki and I changed locations to a café where there wouldn’t be any Class E students.

“You remember the promise about first place in a subject meaning you get to destroy a tentacle, right? Kanzaki, you’re going to take first place in some subject.”

“Me, first place?”

“Yeah, for the two weeks from today until the finals, I’ll watch your studying and I’ll teach you every subject, not just what you’re good at, so your grades actually go up.”

“I appreciate that, but Kiyotaka-kun, are you holding back in studying too?”

“Yeah, obviously, since transferring up to today, there hasn’t been a single problem I couldn’t solve.”

“Then shouldn’t you just take first in every subject, Kiyotaka-kun?”

“If I do that, I can destroy tentacles, but I can’t assassinate him.”

“Alright, I get it, I’ll do my best, but if I take first, I want a reward♪”

“As long as it’s within what I can do.”

“It’s a promise!”

“Yeah and tell me who the top students are in each subject in Class E, like how science would be Okuda, it doesn’t mean anything if you’re the only one taking first.”

“Hm, for social studies, Isogai-kun, for English, Nakamura-san, for math, of course Karma-kun, I think I’m relatively good at Japanese.”

“Got it, you’ll take first in Japanese and tomorrow, I’m doing a study group with Isogai and the others anyway, I’ll settle it there.”

“Wait, at this study group, are other girls going too?”

“I don’t know the details, but since Isogai is hosting it, a lot of the girls will probably come too.”

“Hmm… I’m going too.”

“I didn’t invite you…”

“I-I mean, the more chances you have to teach, the better, right? And I can support you too, Kiyotaka-kun, okay?”

Don’t look up at me like that, it makes it hard to refuse.

“Fair point, that’s fine.”

Maybe she was that happy about studying, Kanzaki looked genuinely delighted.

“Then let’s start studying right away.”

* * *

The day after finishing a study session with Kanzaki, we were in the main campus library, working hard.

“Oh? If it isn’t Class E, what a waste, this library is pearls before swine for you.”

“Move it, losers, that’s our seat, get lost.”

“This is a seat we properly reserved.”

Even though Isogai was stating the obvious, the ‘Five Elites’ ignored him and kept talking.

“Did you forget? Class E with bad grades can’t oppose Class A.”

“We can oppose you! We’re aiming for first in each subject on the finals and when that happens, you won’t be able to act big!”

“W-what? Don’t talk back, you lowly Class E!”

“Not everyone in Class E is trash. Look, even a garbage heap has its crane. What a shame, if you had the academics, you’d have a face that matches mine.”

As he said that, a guy named Sakakibara stroked Kanzaki’s hair.

Thinking this was about to get annoying, I tried to quickly withdraw from the seat.

But Kanzaki, sitting next to me, grabbed my sleeve, so my retreat failed.

“Oh? You’re a face I don’t recognize, a newcomer?”

“Yeah, I only just transferred.”

“Transferred and you’re already in Class E, how pitiful, someone like you doesn’t match her, be a good boy and step aside.”

“Step aside or not, I’m not exactly dating Kanzaki.”

The area went dead silent.

Nagisa and Kayano, maybe even out of pity, turned their eyes toward Kanzaki.

Kanzaki herself was radiating a black aura from behind me.

“Ahem, let’s stop the arguing here, we from Class A have a proposal for you, Class E. How about this, between our two classes, whichever class gets more first places across the five core subjects gets to order the losing side to do anything.”

“What’s wrong, all talk after all? We don’t mind betting our lives, hahah.”

The moment he said that, Nagisa and the others pointed their pencils with killing intent toward Class A.

Why are you the only one pointing your mechanical pencil at me, Kanzaki…

“I think you shouldn’t bet your life so easily.”

“Fine! You’re taking this match, then!”

And just like that, our Class E and Class A settled on a final exam showdown.

* * *

With the test match against Class A decided, Koro-sensei’s teaching has more intensity than usual.

“Fwaaah…”

“Hey, Karma-kun! Study seriously! You can absolutely aim for a top overall score!”

“Even if you don’t tell me, I can take it. Your teaching’s good, after all. But, sensei, lately every time you open your mouth it’s ‘top’ this and ‘top’ that, you sound like a normal teacher and it’s boring. And Class A looks like they’re plotting something too…”

“Don’t worry, Karma, there’s nothing left for us in Class E to lose, hahah.”

“If we win we get anything we want, huh, I want rights to use the cafeteria, maybe~♪”

Okajima and the others were taking it way too optimistically.

But it’s obvious we won’t get off scot-free if we lose.

Because the opponent is the chairman’s son.

And now that a direct fight between Class A and Class E is set, the school side will likely crank up the exam difficulty far beyond before to crush us completely.

Looks like even I need to get a little more serious.

“Nuru-fufufu, about that, I have an idea! How about ordering them to hand this over!”

As he said that, what Koro-sensei showed us was a travel voucher to a deserted island in Okinawa, written in the school guide.

“You all experienced rock bottom once, which is exactly why I want you to experience a fierce fight for the top next, if you’re assassins, you must be able to take the top on purpose.”

Class E, us, raised to be assassins.

Class A, them, raised to be strong.

Our first killing match against peers our own age.

With jeers and cheers at our backs, the bell of battle rang out.

* * *

After two days of fierce fighting, the final results were left to the number of circles.

“Now then, everyone, I’ve received the grading results for every subject, you’re ready, of course, right? Then I’ll announce them, first, English…”

“Class E’s first place… and also first in the entire grade, Nakamura, Rio!”

“!!”

“Perfect. I was worried because your motivation can be unpredictable, but—”

“It’s a 10 billion yen bounty, after all, don’t forget that one tentacle, Koro-sensei♪”

“Of course! Now then, even if you take the top in one subject, the tentacles you can destroy are only one step, whether you can celebrate or not comes after we return all the subjects.”

“Next, Japanese… Class E’s first place is… Kanzaki, Yukiko! Congratulations and you’re tied for first in the grade with Asano-kun!”

The moment I realized she was grade-wide first, Kanzaki shot a quick glance at me.

So I looked back at her with the meaning of well done.

Even so, Asano really has no openings.

For all of us to suppress him and take the top together would be called a near-impossible feat.

After that, with Isogai taking grade-wide first in social studies and Okuda taking grade-wide first in science, the five-subject match was already decided, our victory.

It was a little surprising to me that Karma lost in math.

But it’s fine.

The plan I planted is functioning smoothly.

* * *

Koro-sensei POV

“As expected, Class A is strong. Up through sixth place in the five-subject total score, they monopolized it. The only ones who made it into the overall top ten were Kataoka-san, Takebayashi-kun and Kanzaki-san. You could call it the natural result. Class A is working hard too, there’s no way Karma-kun, a slacker, could keep up.”

“What are you trying to say?”

“You were thinking, ‘I win easily, I’m so cool,’ weren’t you? How embarrassing, hahah.”

“The ones who earned the right to destroy my tentacles are Isogai, Nakamura-san, Okuda-san and Kanzaki-san, four people. In assassination and in gambling too, you weren’t any combat power at all this time. You neglected to sharpen your blade, you’re not an assassin. You’re just a brat who held up a rusty blade like you were proud of it, hahah.”

“…Tch!”

“Is it fine to say it that far?”

“Don’t worry, Karasuma-sensei. I made him fail in a way that someone like him will recover quickly. And besides, our class still has a problem child left.”

“Huh?”

“No, that was just to myself. He is blessed with many talents. But those with power are often immature. Because they keep winning even without going all out, there’s a danger they grow up never knowing a real match. If a big talent learns the frustration of losing early, it can grow tremendously. A test is a chance to teach what winning means, what losing means, the meaning of victory and defeat, I want him to breathe it in until his chest is full. Because that’s something very important that even I didn’t realize until the very end.”

“Now then, could you come out already, Ayanokōji-kun.”

* * *

It would be bad if Karma stopped functioning from here on, so I tailed him, but I didn’t think I’d been noticed.

“Do you need something, Koro-sensei?”

“Eavesdropping isn’t admirable.”

“I just happened to pass by.”

“Fine, let’s say that’s what it was. But, you know, there’s something I want to ask you.”

“If it’s something I can answer, go ahead.”

“Why are you holding back? Every student who took first this time, you made contact with all of them several times before the test. Is that really just a coincidence?”

“It’s a coincidence. And isn’t it because of their own effort and because your teaching was good that they took first?”

“Ayanokōji-kun, to be honest, I’ve had doubts about your academic ability for a while now. Your tests are always average, but the parts I call on you in class, you get right. So this time, for the students who could aim for first in each subject, I taught them with a focus on their weak subjects rather than their strong ones. Can you still play dumb now?”

If I’m being honest, my thought was, he got me.

“So no matter what I say, you won’t believe me anyway. Even if that’s true, is there a problem?”

“Even though you have enough academic ability to lead everyone to first in each subject, why don’t you seriously take tests? I don’t think there’s ever been an opportunity where academics help assassination more than this.”

“Isn’t it something you already understand, that I dislike standing out?”

“Then are you saying you have no intention of cooperating with the class in assassination from here on too?”

“If that was the case, I wouldn’t be helping my classmates.”

“Sensei still doesn’t feel like I can understand what you’re thinking.”

“It can’t be helped. It’s not like you can read minds and since we’re both ‘human,’ differences in thinking are natural.”

Leaving that behind, I headed back to the school building while adjusting the plan going forward.

But he’s mistaken.

The number of tentacles you’ll lose isn’t four.

* * *

“Now then, everyone, those were wonderful results. Across the five core subjects, the number of first places you managed to take was four. Let’s start the assassination right away.”

‘Even if I lose about four, I can handle it♪ Six would’ve been seriously bad, though…’

“Hey, wait, octopus, the condition’s different, isn’t it? You said one tentacle per subject’s first place.”

“Yes, I did, Terasaka-kun. So Japanese, math, English, science—!”

“You finally noticed, when you say ‘each subject,’ that includes the five core subjects plus the elective subjects too, hahah.”

With that, Terasaka and the others slammed a home economics test paper down in front of Koro-sensei.

“H-h-home economics?!”

Yeah, the moment he said ‘each subject,’ it was obvious electives were included too.

That’s why after that, I told Terasaka and the others I had a plan to surprise Koro-sensei and pitched this strategy to them.

These guys normally have no motivation to study, but when it comes to making that octopus eat dirt, their focus and drive are stronger than anyone in this class, that’s what I judged.

Then, timing it, I signaled Karma with my eyes to start provoking him.

“Isn’t that rude, Koro-sensei, talking to the strongest home economics like that?”

“Yeah! Sensei, keep your promise!”

“Eight tentacles total!!”

“And Koro-sensei, we all talked about this, but we’re going to use the spoils from the bet against Class A in this assassination too.”

“…What? You really got me good. But you know, sensei is happy. Your effort, your free thinking that hits blind spots and your concentration for a single strike, you all became students worthy of this classroom.”

As he said that, Koro-sensei spread sheets of paper with double circles drawn on them across the whole classroom.

And with that, Kunugigaoka Junior High, third year, Class E’s first term of fundamentals came to an end.