Chapter Text
“I've been running through the jungle
I've been running with the wolves
To get to you, to get to you
I've been down the darkest alleys
Saw the dark side of the moon
To get to you, to get to you.” -“Wolves” By Selena Gomez & Marshmello
Irina Karasuma walked through the pristine halls of Kunugigaoka High School. The day had been long and exhausting already, moving from school to school like a pinball in a machine, but it was entirely necessary. This was the last stop she needed to make for right now. Heading toward the Principal’s office, she was waved through by the secretary, having notified her of her visit first. Then, reaching the door, she knocked.
“Come in.” Called a voice from the other side.
Opening the door, she entered the office. “Principal Sakai Yamamoto?”
"That would be me.” He said. “And you are…?"
“Irina Karasuma. I was with Kunugigaoka Junior High’s staff a few years ago, teaching English."
“Were you, by chance, one of the teachers from the class taught by that monster?"
“I was. I need to speak with one of my former students, if you wouldn’t mind placing the call to him?”
"With all due respect, Ms. Karasuma, may I inquire as to why?”
Pulling out her ID from the ministry of defense, she showed it to him. “I’m afraid that’s classified.”
At the sight of that, he paled, but nodded. “Who is it that you’re looking to speak to?”
“Karma Akabane.”
“Very well. I’ll call him here then."
“Would you mind too terribly if we borrowed your office for a few minutes to have a bit of privacy?"
“Not at all, Ma’am.” He said, face growing red at the sight of her beauty.
Irina merely smiled at him, long used to such looks. “Thank you.”
“Of course.”
Amidst a math lesson, the loudspeaker crackled to life, with the principal’s voice coming over it.
“Karma Akabane to the principal’s office please, Karma Akabane to the office."
There was a loud chorus of “Oooh’s” from his classmates, none of which he particularly cared for. And yet still, he gathered his things and made his way to the office. Perhaps he was in trouble for skipping out on the assembly yesterday. That seemed about right.
Walking up the halls, he slung his uniform’s jacket over his free shoulder, bag full of books resting on the other. Breezing through the hallways, he thought little about this call to a higher power. It was just another day at the office in that way. And while he didn’t get in trouble as much as he’d used to, his penchant for apathy over school events served to occasionally land in hot water with his teachers and the administration. It didn’t matter much to him in the end, however. It was all a game, and he was poised to win it.
Going toward the office, the secretary looked at him over her half-moon glasses.
“Someone has come to see you.”
He blinked. “Someone came to see me here?”
She nodded. “In the office.”
Who the hell would come and see me here at the office? Nagisa is busy at that specialty high school, and Koro-Sensei is…
He shook off the sorrowful portion of that memory and put his hand to the knob, opening the door. To his surprise, Irina Jelavić stood there, waiting for him.
“Long time no see, Karma.” She said, flipping her blonde hair over her shoulder as he shut the door.
“Professor Bitch. Not that I’m not glad to see you, but I assume you aren’t here to see how I'm doing. You’re not that kind of person.” He said.
She moved her hand out, directing him to one of the chairs in the office. “Take a seat. We need to talk.”
“You’ve got me curious.” He said, letting his bag fall down to the floor and tossing his jacket over the chair. “So what can I do for you?”
“I need your help. Not just you, but the help of all of Class 3-E. You’re the last one I came to since you’re the closest to the old campus.”
“You’ve got my attention.” He said.
“I don't think you need help remembering Karasuma.”
“Of course not."
“He’s missing. And I think we have a bigger problem than that.”
“What’s bigger than that?”
“Tentacles."
The word made Karma freeze for half an instant, before he regained his self-possession. “You don’t mean…?"
"The vials storing them had been either blown up or locked away. But someone broke into the location where they were being held and a few vials were missing. The same day, Karasuma disappeared.”
She flung out a knife- one of the ones they’d used on Koro-Sensei- and he caught it easily.
“I want the help of Class 3-E to help get him back. You will, of course, be taken from school for the matter, and I will pay you out of my personal account for your help."
Karma put up a hand. “Save your money, teach. It’s no good here. This one, I'll do for free.”
For the first time since learning of her husband’s disappearance, Irina cracked a half-smile. “Same old Karma. You haven’t changed a bit in your love for honing your skills.”
“I do what I can.” He said, twirling the knife between his fingers. “So, where's everyone else? You said I was the last one."
“At the old campus on the mountain.” She leaned forward on the desk. “Ritsu is already working on getting a location, so you and everyone else need to be prepared. The grounds will be used for you all to hone your skills and help one another catch up with your skills. The ministry of defense is offering their full cooperation to me so the government is on our side with this one. Normal police tactics don’t have a foothold with those things, and they know it better than anyone. So, I asked to recruit you all. And they agreed. Supplies will be dropped off at the old campus in a few hours.”
Karma smiled. “It’s been, what, three years? But you're still the same Professor Bitch. Nice to know some things never change.”
“Some did.” She said, brushing a piece of lint off of her sweater, and it was then that Karma noticed the ring on her finger.
“You didn’t just call us in because of our experience, did you? You called us because we would understand the situation."
“If there’s anyone I trust to get my husband back, it’s you kids. Don’t make me regret it."
“Wouldn’t dream of it.”
Irina gave him a slight smile. “Come on, let's get going. Before it's too late."
“Right behind you.”