[Break] Dying was on Koro's to-do list.
Teaching 3-E a second time and trying to kill 'himself' wasn't.
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If someone had told him he would one day walk up the mountain to building 3-E, Koro, without a doubt would have laughed. But now, here he is...
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After the incident by the baseball field, a few things changed within 3-E.
The first most obvious change, apart from the frustration of losing while so close to victory, was how much more vicious the main building got in their harassment of the students. It was as if seeing 3-E so close to success had triggered them, making them react in a way that reduced 3-E to an even more bitter state. They were afraid that 3-E would take this near victory as synonymous with success— that they would grow overconfident and challenge them.
So the main building nipped the problem at the bud, squashing whatever self-esteem that could have appeared from the next day onward.
Fortunately, 3-E was not the same class as at the beginning of the year, the harassment was a chore, a heavy strain on their psyche, but they knew how to cope and deal with it. The lesson they received on psychological torture did magic, promoting their resistance and defensive mental mechanisms by leaps and bounds. Whether it was a fortunate or unfortunate turn of events was hard to say.
The second change was with Koro— Sorrel Aarden, or was it Yucca? The blond teacher would have a pensive look on his face, hidden by a mask of friendly composure. His argument with his supposed cousin had put the hitman's mind in shambles, and although his guard was instinctively up, the assassin seemed to be often musing to himself.
In this fashion, June reached its end. With Sugaya showing off his artistic talents through tattooing skills, the cloud over 3-E alleviated slightly. On the other hand, the harassment went back to its previous state. It remained somewhat meaner than before, but it was much tamer than after the baseball game.
July made its entrance, the rainy season still going somewhat strong, and after a few days of class, Karasuma got a notification from the higher-ups about a new teacher to take up his role. Karasuma supposed he could understand. Even now, after delivering his latest lesson, his students tried to bond with him only to get flatly rejected.
It would be frustrating to have someone take over after almost four months of hard work, but the mission's success was the top priority, as were headquarter's commands.
The Ministry of Defense's newly dispatched member was to arrive today; a competent member from the Special Service Division, recognized by his peers for his brilliant teaching and admired by his students for his guidance, earning him deep-rooted loyalty.
His name was Takaoka Akira.
—An asshole with issues if Koro had to describe the man.
Leaning over the teacher lounge's windowsill, his green eyes overseeing the class, Koro allowed his gaze to last one second longer on the new teacher. It was long enough for people to think he merely sized him up, but not too long that Takaoka would deem him a threat.
After all, the man was from the Special Division. He was keen on feeling people's attention on himself, especially those that looked at him like hawks preying over their next target.
