The Assassin Within

Part 30~Tetrodotoxin

Nagisa sighed as he read the email. Another transfer student was coming to class E. "I wonder what level of psychopath we have today," he pondered, biting into his breakfast before pausing. "Saw! Did you poison my breakfast again?!" Nagisa pushed away the plate, getting up with a sigh.

"...No!"

Nagisa sighed. Saw poisoned his food. Pulling open the fridge, Nagisa groaned. "And I'm assuming you didn't poison everything in the fridge as well!" The pause was answer enough.

"Morning Vi," Okabe greeted, grabbing Nagisa's discarded breakfast.

"I wouldn't eat that if I was you," Nagisa warned but Okabe didn't listen.

"Humm, you spill Tetrodotoxin on this? Tasty." Okabe took another bite out of the food as Nagisa shook his head, grabbing the antidote and pouring it into a jug of orange juice, taking about a shot himself before leaving the rest for Okabe.

"Well, you enjoy your poisoned food. I'm going to get a proper meal." Nagisa didn't wait for Okabe's reply, leaving the hideout and sneaking his way to a nearby cafe. He sent a quick warning to Karma to make sure he checks Okabe drank the orange juice. Okabe had a habit of forgetting to drink the antidote.

By the time Nagisa got to the school, he was soaked to the sink. Karma and Okabe were sitting by each other's side, Okabe having his head on Karma's shoulder, a pale tinge to his cheeks.

"You checked the orange juice, right?"

Karma looked up in surprise before shaking his head. "I only got your message when we had already left. I don't know if he drank it."

"Good thing I'm smart unlike him." Nagisa pulled out a spare vial of the antidote, forcing it down Okabe's throat. "He'll be strange for a few hours but he should be fine."

"Good morning students," Koro-sensei interrupted causing the conversation to fade off. "I'm sure you've heard from Mr Karasuma that another transfer student will be joining us today."

"Um, yeah. I bet it's going to be another assassin," Maehara commented with his head on his hand.

"The last time, I underestimated Ritsu and got myself in trouble," Koro-sensei continued, "This time, I won't let my guard down! At any rate, I'm sure you'll enjoy having a new friend."

"Hey, Ritsu," Hara called. "Anything you can tell us? Didn't you two train together?"

"Yes," Ritsu answered with a kind smile. "At first. Originally, we were going to transfer to this class together. I specialize in long-range attacks and he specializes in close-range combat. We were to cooperate to kill Koro-sensei. But that plan was cancelled for two reasons. First, because it took much longer than expected to tune him up. And second, I just wasn't as good an assassin."

A dreading silence filled the classroom. That didn't fill them with hope.

"My skills weren't strong enough to support him. So they decided to deploy us consecutively. I suppose they sent me in first as a kind of test."

Nagisa shared a look with Karma. If Ritsu could shoot off Koro-sensei's finger on the first day, this guy must be pretty special.

Dramatically, the door flung open, a man standing in completely white robes entered the classroom. He held out his hand and created a dove. "Sorry to startle you. I'm not the transfer student," the man said.

"Obviously," Okabe slurred, almost falling out of his seat when Karma grabbed him.

"Is he alright?" The white man pointed at Okabe as Karma laughed awkwardly.

"Yeah, just a bit of tetoydothoxin poisoning," he attempted making Nagisa facepalm.

"Tetrodotoxin," he corrected as Karma shrugged his shoulders. "Continue."

"Well, as I said I'm not the transfer student. I'm his guardian, the white magician. You may call me Shiro." The White Magician bowed politely.

"Hey, you've got mould," Okabe drunkenly pointed to the corner where Koro-sensei hung from the ceiling in his liquid state.

So much for the last resort. "Oh... well... It's because Ritsu made the new student sound so scary," Koro-sensei explained with sweat drops falling from his head. Who knew Koro-sensei was so susceptible to rumours. "Nice to meet you, Shiro. Now, where is the little darling?" Koro-sensei reformed, his usual octopus appearance returning.

"Nice to meet you, Koro-sensei. My ward has some problems dealing with social situations. He can be a bit difficult... especially at first. So I thought I'd introduce him to you myself," Shiro explained, pulling out a bar of red bean jelly. "Well... they look like nice students. I'm sure he'll fit right into this classroom. Is that his seat, Koro-sensei?" Shiro spotted the spare desk now placed beside Ritsu.

"It is."

"Wonderful. I'll introduce him to you now then. Itona! You can come in!"

Nagisa jumped back as the back wall was destroyed. Itona walked in and sat in his chair. Why didn't he just use the door? Okabe screamed, falling to the floor and throwing up.

"I've won. I've proved that I am stronger than the classroom wall. That's all that counts. That's all that counts..." Itona repeated the end like a prayer as Karma rubbed circles on Okabe's back.

"Are you alright?"

"I don't feel well," Okabe groaned, picking himself up and sitting on Karma's lap, clinging to him like a lifeline.

"I tried to warn you," Nagisa mumbled causing Karma to glare at him.

"Allow me to introduce Itona Horibe," Shiro announced. "Oh, and if you don't mind. As his guardian, I'd like to keep an eye on him for a while." oh great, more trouble.

"Hey, Itona," Karma called, leaning back slightly- nowhere near his usual laid back way since Okabe was still sitting on him. "Can I ask you something? You just came in through the door- literally- without an umbrella or anything. But it's pouring outside. So how come you're not the slightest bit wet?"

Itona slowly stood up. "You... Are probably the strongest student in this class-" Nagisa had to hold back the snort. Karma wasn't even fourth- "but don't worry. You're weaker than so, so I won't kill you." Itona ruffled Karma's hair, ignoring Okabe's grumbles telling him to leave them alone. "The only people I want to kill are those who are stronger than me. And in this classroom that's just you, Koro-sensei."

"Stronger? WEaker? Them's fightin' word Itona," Koro-sensei commented, biting into the jelly bar. "And I don't think you're ready to take me on just yet."

"Sure I am." Itona pulled out his own bar of jelly. "Because we're siblings."

"Siblings?!" Well, the class didn't expect that.

"The one who loses dies, Big brother."