12 Chapter 9:

I wave my hand in my face, trying to cool off. This scorching heat really sucks.

"Um..okay. So he really asked you to bring the poison to class?"the girl with green hair asks the girl with braids. Can't remember their name. Well, it's not really like I made an effort to try to remember. Or even know. What would be the point? I only know braids was the one who made poison with the teacher. Which will probably backfire.

Because I've noticed something about the octopus. Even though his student's mission is to kill him, he doesn't make an effort to actually help. And he hasn't exactly pointed out how to kill him Which leads me to believe, he doesn't actually want to die.

But it doesn't make sense. At all. This octopus is truly a nut case.

"Yeah! He said the stuff in this glass should work like a charm!"braids responds to the green haired girl.

"He even drew a manga of the safety guidelines for proper use in storage."says Nagisa. He's the only person whose name I can remember. And Karma, of course. "I'm impressed. Going the extra mile yet again."Nagisa continues.

"We know he's unconventional and all, but giving us the goods on a poison that'll kill him?"another guy says.

"Exactly. It doesn't add up."I say while laying my head down. "He's not stupid. And I don't exactly thinks he wants to die."

"Huh?"Nagisa says.

"It doesn't take a genius to figure it out. He hasn't exactly made it easy for us to kill him. He also expects for some random teenagers like us to kill him when even the brightest scientists couldn't. He knew we would be less likely to kill him, so he took advantage of the fact that he can, quite literally, end all life as we know it. And recruited a class of useless teenagers he knows have no chance against him."I explain, tired and annoyed.

"Hm."says Nagisa, as if processing all the words I just said.

"I think it's his way of encouraging me. I'm good at chemistry, not words. He says to focus in my strengths."the girl with braids says.

She can't possibly believe that. Can she?

"Good morning everyone!"the octopus says loudly as he comes into the classroom.

"Go give it to him!"greenie says.

I chuckle lightly, knowing that poor girl is most likely about to get embarrassed.

"Here it is, sir. Just like you asked."she says, walking up to him and handing him the potion.

I take off the shrug that goes our uniforms and pay attention. This is something that I know is gonna be fun.

The teacher takes the potion and says something. I'm not able to hear it, though, because in that moment, someone comes up to me.

"You seem to know that this will probably go bad."Karma's cunning voice says behind me.

"Precisely."I smile, watching the octopus drink the potion. "You?"

"I have a feeling.."he says simply.

The reaction from drinking the potion automatically hits the teacher. He grunts, like in pain, and starts glowing red. The room starts shaking like an earthquake.

He starts laughing hysterically and everybody just stares.

"Bloody hell.."I mumble.

"This doesn't feel right."greenie says.

"Thank you, Okuda."the octopus says. "Thank you very much indeed."

Thank you..?

"This concoction is precisely what I need to level up!"he continues.

I feel my eye widen as I realize I was correct. I'm always correct. I smile the idiot girl as she starts mumbling in shock. I look to my side to see Karma squatting on the ground and looking at me.

"Looks like you were right."he smirks.

"I always am."

A white light fills the room and we close our eyes and look away.

A second later, everything goes back to normal, except the teacher, who's become a gray, gooey, blob.

"What the.."I say, puzzled by the whole encounter.

A small "pew"is heard from the octopus, or should I say blob.

"HE MELTED??!!"the whole class seems.

Well, that much is obvious. Is it a good or bad thing, though?

"You didn't think that was actual poison, did you?"he asks. "On the contrary, I had you whip up a special tonic designed to increase my fluidity."

He zooms around the classroom, darting quickly.

"In liquid form, I fit comfortably into the tightest nooks and crannies."he continues.

"What are you doing in there?"a girl asks the teacher who's in her desk, sounding annoyed and tired.

"Best of all, I lose none of my speed!"he yells and starts darting around the room again.

Everyone starts yelling and freaking out.

I turn my blade around in my hand. This is just great.

"Well, there you go, chemistry girl."I roll my eyes at her.

"I..."she mumbles. "You tricked me! That's not fair!"she turns and yells at the teacher who has settled for a corner in the ceiling.

No, you were just stupid.

The teacher smirks and says, "Verbal deception is a vital part of a successful assassin's tools."

I look and stare at the idiot blob. What??

"Huh?"the girl asks.

"What are you talking about?"Nagisa asks.

"Approaching the target so naively is a good way to fail your mission."he responds.

Well, obviously.

"Even the deadliest of poisons is useless if one can't persuade the mark to drink it."he continues.

"How the bloody hell.."I mumble, annoyed and confused at everything. Karma laughs at me and I glare at him.

"Nagisa, let's say you wanted to poison me. How might you go about it?"the octopus asks Nagisa.

"Huh..well let me think about it."he responds. "I'd probably put it in something you like. Then I guess I would offer it to you as a gift."

Finally. Something that makes sense.

"Excellent."the teacher replies, now on the ground. "You see to deceive someone, you'll have to get inside their head, know what they respond to, use language creatively."

He turns back into an octopus as he climbs back into his everyday outfit.

"If poisoning, as in life, the key to success is communication."he says. "Imagine if you make an earth-shattering scientific discovery, how can it benefit man-kind if it stays locked inside your head? Knowing the right thing to say makes all the difference, right?"

The girl nods and smiles. Did he seriously just make a life lesson out of someone trying to kill him?? I don't understand this bloody octopus at all.

"We've got a lot more to think about than assassination, it seems." Karma says.

I turn to him, shocked as I realize. "You..knew?"

"I wasn't sure, but I had a hunch. He wouldn't just help a student to kill him, but he also wouldn't deceive them like that. They're had to be another motive."

I stare at him, dumbfounded he actually figured it out before me.

"Son of a..."I laugh. "Should've figured it out..."

"Aw don't pout because I'm better than you."he smiles.

"Oh don't get so cocky now. You only figured out one thing."

"I've always been better than you either way."

"Sure."I chuckle.