After much consideration, I decided that with the completion of my Korotan C Rough Summary, that will be my last major translation-esque post on this blog for the foreseeable future. With the kind of stuff life has been throwing at me, I'm afraid I no longer have the energy to expend on such works.
And unlike with a previous blog, this time I want a proper closure. Even if it's painful to do this, I also don't want another unfinished story of sorts.
Thank you to Matsui Yuusei, with your fantastic Assassination Classroom full of intellectual morsels to mentally digest and mull over, along with an engaging cast that we all just want to learn more of.
Thank you to the former Mach 20 Scans team for helping me do better with translations.
And thank you to everyone who have supported me, be it then or now. It’s a pity this blog didn’t get to be as glamourous as I had conceived it to be, but I still hope it brought enjoyment to any who stumbled upon it.
I will still be on Tumblr, and I might reblog or even post something if anything ever really piques my interest, but for now, this is Gamria, signing off of this wonderful blog, Ansatsu Database.
With just a simple new talent, I was amazed at how much better Itona's character became so soon after joining Class E for real. His tech-y skills are ever interesting to watch.
It took a lot longer than I would've liked, but here it is, the last Student Profile. I shall post an "afterwords" of sorts later.
Sorry to say this, but I don't think I saved a copy of Itona's profile before the Assassination Classroom board on Baidu got totalled, so no link this time.
Furthermore, this time it's a direct Japanese -> English translation by me, but nonetheless, while I have endeavoured to keep things as accurate as possible, not everything may be successfully conveyed across
E-28 Horibe Itona (堀部 糸成) – discarding his tentacles, a comrade acquired
“I’ll kill you in the end … Korosensei"
Description
A boy who was sent in by a certain organisation for the assassination. He was transplanted with the same tentacle cells as Korosensei, but failed to assassinate him. Under the Class E students’ cooperation, he discarded his tentacles and began to attend class.
When he first transferred schools, he was observed to have an abnormal fixation on things like “power” and “victory”. With the power of the tentacles, he was an even match for Korosensei.
When he was young, he treated his father’s electronic parts factory like a playground, and as a result his electronics skills are masterfully second nature to him.
Code Name: Not for CoroCoro (コロコロ上がり/ korokoro agari), Yoshida’s idea
He mostly does it (machinery stuff) as a hobby, but Itona takes it to a whole new level. One time, he looked at the Mini 4WD he was working on, and the custom slimming is way too good, and its specs are way too high.
(TN: Mini 4WD here mainly refers to plastic model race cars that are 1/32 (1:32) scaled and AA battery powered without remote control. Asian kids of my generation feel nostalgic for this stuff)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mini_4WD
Explanation on Itona's nickname: it is so long that it deserves its own spoiler tags
Show
So, Itona’s code name, “korokoro agari”, is by far the hardest one to figure out, as every source and translation that I tried examining, across 3 languages, all had their own interpretation. But after looking at Yoshida’s Mini 4WD explanation again, I think I’ve finally figured out what Matsui went for.
First, コロコロ (korokoro) should be a reference to CoroCoro Comic, a Japanese monthly manga magazine published by Shogakukan, primarily targeting elementary school aged boys, younger than the readers of shōnen manga. It comes from the expression "korokoro" that can refer to things that are small, round and rolls around lightly, or that are plump and cute.
It has a sister magazine called CoroCoro Aniki (roughly CoroCoro Big Brother), published quarterly that target 30 to 40 years-old that are the readers of CoroCoro Comic magazine (nostalgia I suppose). As such, many series on this magazine were either spin-offs or sequels to the series serialised on CoroCoro Comic. Two Mini 4WD-focused manga were serialised here too.
Next, 上がり (agari) has so many meanings. Among the ones I believe could prove relevant, they include “rise/increase/ascent”; the “end/stop/completion” of something; the “after” state of something; denoting that something is of an “ex-/former” status.
Since it’s supposed to be something mean, my 2 candidates for his code name were the following:
“Ex-CoroCoro”, as in “no longer small and cute”; and
“CoroCoro After (Story)”, as in like “the stuff that comes after/goes beyond CoroCoro”, following the theme of “CoroCoro Aniki”, and in reference to his Mini 4WD going way beyond and his Ero nature.)
But giving it a bit more thought, I decided on the latter, but with a better tweak: “Not for CoroCoro”.
So there you have it. Hope I’ve got it right for real this time.
Birthday: March 31st
Height: 160cm
Weight: 53kg
Blood Type: AB
Favourite Subject: Science
Worst Subject: Social Studies
Interests and special skills: Electronics
Past Club: Electronics Club
Treasured Item(s): the soldering iron used by his father
Favourite Food: Paitan (White Soup) Ramen
Bento or Snacks: Snacks
Election Headline (from the 1st Popularity Poll): Shitamachi Rocket
(TN: Shitamachi Rocket was a novel by Ikeido Jun, now adapted into a drama. It’s about a man who gives up his career as a space scientist to succeed his father's manufacturing factory. Though the company is confronted with troubles, he strives with his workers to overcome them and pursue his dream of developing rockets. Apparently rather underdog-versus-giant themed, this reference rather fits Itona’s situation)
From Korosensei, Announcement of Results from the Periodic Exams (Main 5 subjects) (credits to young-il-long-kiyoshi)
While Korosensei can't judge his academic skills as a whole since he hasn't partaken any exams, he finds that his fundamentals are good. If he attends his Slippy-Sloppy Intensive Study Sessions, he should make good progress.
1st Trimester Mid-Terms: NA
1st Trimester End-of-Terms: NA
2nd Trimester Mid-Terms: NA
Karasuma’s Assassination Aptitude (graded on a scale of 6)
Due to the application of body enhancements, his physical abilities are exceedingly high. But because he had relied on fighting techniques that centered around his tentacles, his assassination skills are lowered. If he made full use of his manufacturing skills, he'll be suited to backend support.
- During the climax of the Bo-taoshi match at the Athletic Festival, his tag-team high jump with Isogai wowed even the Board Chairman. If he can learn to make the most of this astounding physical abilities of his, it should translate into considerable warpower.
- With his natural manufacturing skills, he can create all kinds of radio-controlled models. Useful for reconnaissance.
(TN: I find the emphasis on his body enhancements odd, given that in Chapter 104 (which is included in Roll Book Time's canon, so to speak), Korosensei cautioned Itona that his body enhancements from Shiro are dissipating, which will result in his body returning to the levels of an ordinary middle school student)
Strategy/Planning: 2
Commanding/Leadership: 1
Execution (Ability to carry out plans): 5
Technique (Traps, weapons, preparations, etc): 6
Scouting/Intelligence Gathering: 5
Politics/Negotiations: 1
B*tch-sensei’s Fashion Check (credits to young-il-long-kiyoshi)
I wonder, before he made a return to Class E, did he coordinate his own fashion? Somehow his vibe now feels considerably different. Before he had put in a bit more planning, but now it feels like his dress sense has worsened, what with his casual style of his unbuttoned uniform over his high neck shirt.
With Tentacles
When he was under Shiro, he was always wearing a fluffy fur scarf, even during the hot summer. Maybe he actually has advanced tastes?
Without Tentacles
After losing his tentacles, the way he's always equiped with a bandana feels a bit out of place. His dress sense is also more casual than before.
Character Relationships
- Terasaka (addressed as Terasaka) -
Dissing Terasaka has already become something like Itona's way of greeting him when starting conversations. But because of such greetings, harsh words became soft. At any rate, he's his most trusted friend.
- Muramatsu Takuya (addressed as Muramatsu) -
After one slurp of the ramen from Muramatsu's shop Shouraiken, he gave it some brutal and severe criticism, but after that he unexpectedly approves of it. There are plenty of times when one just wants to eat some good old-fashioned Showa-era ramen without being super fussy about the latest craze.
- Yoshida Taisei (addressed as Yoshida) -
Their specialties are different, but since they both like machines, they hit it off right away. The events at Wakaba Park was the first showcase of their collaboration.
- Okajima Taiga (addressed as Okajima) -
He is someone who speaks of the will that's needed to be a man. Under the same banner, these two that are bound by a vow of sworn brotherhood exchange intelligence and clash their respective principles against one another on a daily basis.
(TN: not sure if I managed to encapsulate everything, but from the words alone this part is supposed to sound this dramatic, I kid you not. Even though we all know what they are really talking about with one another)
- Kataoka Megu (addressed as Kataoka) -
Together with Okajima, he persisted in his share of daily Ero activities, yet it is rare for Kataoka to scold him. Perhaps it's a bonus of playing the little brother character. In place of that, she scolds Okajima more than usual.
- Okuda Manami (addressed as Okuda) -
The way that Itona bluntly spews venom as easily as he breathes has Okuda scared from the bottom of her heart. Sudden eye contact alone will send her trembling like a small animal.
- Takebayashi Koutarou (addressed as Takebayashi) -
Whenever he goes to Akihabara to stock up on electronic parts he'll often run into Takebayashi, but because the categories of shops they enter are completely different, they'll just nod and pass by each other.
- Irina Jelavic (addressed as B*tch-sensei) -
While he likes big chests, Irina is outside of his tastes. To be exact, Itona treats the 20 years old Irina like something that's gone past the "best before" date.
Matsui-sensei’s Exclusive Behind the Scenes Data
Itona sleeps in a small storehouse that was among the few of his father's assets that avoided foreclosure. Housing an extensive collection of electronic parts, every day he spends time there earning pocket money through tasks like mobile phone repairs, while also continuing to endeavour with work that goes towards the assassination.
When Itona’s electronics work and the power of Ero unite, the bonds between the Class E boys became stronger.
Likes big chests, to the point that on his first day of transfer, he brought a gravia magazine and was absorbed in reading it. He is openly, silently, unspeakably perverted.
He’s silently lewd, and his potential perverseness rivals Okajima. In the past, he’s good with anything that comes with a big chest, but lately he likes chest that’re a bit more low-key.
It has been a long journey, way longer than I would’ve liked, but at long last, I've finally managed to get all 28 Student Profiles of our dear Class 3-E from Roll Book Time translated and posted onto this blog.
Having reached a major milestone of mine, I've decided to write this little Afterword.
I had originally started Ansatsu Database because at the time, I felt that in the rush to get the latest piece of info out of the Assassination Classroom universe, misinformation tends to spread so very easily into the fandom. And misinformation ticks me off like nothing else.
When the Roll Book Time databook came out, fortunately there was a thread on the AC Baidu board in which the creator was dedicated to translating the Profiles. I thought it nice if I shared what I learnt with the English side of the community, so I got started with this blog. I didn't know how much time I can dedicate to this, what with the maelstrom that is my real life, but if nothing else, my unofficial mission statement is to, at the very least, get all 28 Student Profiles onto the blog.
Yes, I certainly wasn't fast, what with my amateur Japanese and real life stuff not helping. But one thing I made absolute sure to aim for is accuracy. Foolproof, correct information from Japanese to English, as closely to perfection as possible with all the intended context captured. To give them as much scrutiny as I did when I was Proofreader for Mach 20 Scans.
Along the way, it does feel nice to share other AC trivia and post a number of my personal analysis regarding the series too. It’s fun to lay out my wild thoughts for others to mull over. To this day, The Class E system – a satire of real life Japanese education remains as my most liked post on this blog.
By no means do I intend for this to be the end of my journey though. I still got the last part of Korotan C's story to translate, and I'll give some thought as to whether I want to give the Class E teachers' Profiles from Roll Book Time a shot as well.
And before I sign out from this post, I want to thank my fellow Tumblrs for their help on this blog, as well as everyone else for their support over these last 2 and 1/2 years. Glad to be of service.
When real life throws predicament after predicament at you, it really lowers your morale for the hobby side of life. It's more delayed than I would've liked, but here's Part 6. Once again, thanks to @blazardragon for help with proofreading.
Also, after checking the original Japanese text once more, I seemed to have mistook something in Part 1.
To recap, I had mentioned that Lea’s mother came from a region of the Norgo Kingdom that connects it with the rest of Europe, of which said region is embroiled in conflict. What I didn’t realise when doing Part 1 was that the conflict hadn’t ended yet, and is in fact still ongoing.
Mentioning this in order to clear up something with the motive behind Lea’s assassination
Previously on Korotan C: Princess Lea of Norgo Kingdom visits Kunugigaoka for a Debate Rally, but she’s decided to sneak out of her hotel and into the city. But after fending off one hitman after another, Class 3-E and Asano Gakushuu are close to escorting her to safety at the Norgo Kingdom Embassy.
The group consisting of Asano, Lea and Class E swiftly entered the street where the Embassy is situated. As they entered their last stretch, Nagisa’s phone rang. It’s a call from Kataoka.
“Wait! Don’t enter the Embassy yet!!” shouted Nagisa to the riders in front before returning to the call, nodding to Kataoka’s response.
“…………the mastermind behind the assassination is the Ambassador!?”
Furthermore, the Board Chairman is also present, along with the police.
Everyone grew solemn at the turn of events. They were so close to succeeding, and the mastermind turns out to be in the home base.
Karma though is optimistic. Hearing that the police are present, it also means that they don’t have to worry about any hitmen for the moment.
“We’ve fled all this way already, there’s nothing worse that could happen to us,” he urged in a relaxed manner.
“We have no need to flee! And if there really is a mastermind, then we’ll just strip his façade straight off!” declared Asano.
Hearing that the Ambassador of her own country is the mastermind, Lea’s face turned pale and her heart uneasy.
“[We’re going in now, are you prepared?]” asked Asano.
“[Yes, I’m fine, if there really is a mastermind, then I shall verify it with my own eyes,]” resolved Lea.
At the entrance of the Embassy are countless police on emergency standby. Beyond the entrance is the Ambassador, plus security guards and the Board Chairman.
When the door opens, Lea’s company part from their bikes and walk onto the lawn.
“[Princess Lea! I’m glad that you’re safe!]” As the Ambassador welcomes her with open arms, Asano pulls Lea behind him.
“Asano-kun, do you realise what you are doing? Hurry and bring the Princess over,” admonished the Board Chairman, his expression even colder than usual.
“I fully understand what I am doing, I am just respecting the Princess’ own wishes, and I was calm and rational when deciding on this course of action,” echoed Asano’s frank answer across the Embassy grounds. Seeing him like this, Lea looks worried.
The Board Chairman senses that there’s some form of intimacy between the two of them.
“Ho? You were supposed to be the Princess‘ escort, and yet you brought her out from the hotel and provided openings for the enemy. You even ignored my counsel and allowed danger to befall her. And you claim these actions to be calm and rational?”
“This is the result of me placing utmost priority on her safety and her point of view, my actions were completely based on reason.”
The Board Chairman snickers at Asano’s rhetoric.
“Asano-kun, do you truly swear that you took action with reason as your basis?”
“Of course!”
“And are you sure that it wasn’t personal desire that triumphed over reason?”
The Board Chairman’s eyes are gleaming with a sharp iciness, as though they can see through to the deepest pits of his son’s heart.
“You exposed the Princess of the Norgo Kingdom to danger, and you caused a crisis to the friendly relationship between Japan and the Kingdom. Let us hear how you intend to bear responsibility to the consequences, Asano-kun!”
Under his questioning, Asano can do naught but helplessly lower his gaze, fists clenched as he endures humiliation coming from his own father.
Bearing witness to the dire situation between father and son, Nagisa and co hold their breath, his thoughts racing for a way to help the princess and Asano.
An idea came to him, and he asks Karma for the phone from the very first hitmen that they took down.
“Hold it!”
Just then, a piercing voice crossed the quiet Embassy. Its owner is Fuwa, stepping her way into the scene with heavy footsteps, with Kataoka’s special ops team following behind.
Suddenly, she points her finger. “Ambassador, there is no need for you to greet the Princess, because your plot to take advantage of this foreign trip and assassinate her has been exposed!”
The Ambassador has an astonished look on his face, eyebrows raised. “What nonsense are you speaking of at such a critical time!? Do you have any proof to back your words?“
As if in response, Fuwa raised her right hand, sending a signal to Takebayashi who is hidden in the courtyard. He then triggered something on his phone, and the phones of everyone on the scene chimed with ringtones of all varieties.
Not understanding what’s happening, the Ambassador brought out his own phone from his breast pocket. It shows an email from an unknown sender, the contents of which is a log of the Ambassador’s numerous scans for the geolocation of Lea’s phone. Seeing everyone’s look of surprise, Fuwa lets out a “huhuhu” laugh of satisfaction, and begins her explanation while looking at the email.
“The email you’re all seeing now is proof of the Ambassador’s assassination of the Princess. His unauthorised inquiry of Princess Lea’s cellphone GPS, as well as hidden software that he had secretly installed. As a result, the princess was ambushed three times.”
“[How…when did this!?]” Hearing Asano’s translation, Lea grips her phone in anger.
Off to the side, Itona has got the hitman’s phone from Nagisa and is straining to break past its security lock. They tried using the greases left on the screen to deduce the password, but to no avail, and they ended up exhausting the attempts allowed by the system.
He has one last trick on his sleeves: he decided to exchange the SIM card from his phone with the one on the hitman’s phone, and then entered his own password.
Meanwhile, Fuwa continues her graceful pursuit. “Furthermore, the Ambassador’s personal bank account has had multiple expenditures of considerable sums, paid in American dollars. Surely they’re reward payments to your hitmen? If you want to see some concrete data, I’ve got them right here.”
From her pocket, she waves out a USB thumb drive. This intelligence on the Ambassador’s personal account was discovered by Irina in his room, which she infiltrated using her intimate connection with one of the local diplomats.
But even when presented with the facts, the Ambassador isn’t as rattled as expected. “True, I installed the software onto the Princess’ phone. But it’s for the Princess’ protection, since she has the bad habit of going missing all the time, and for that I must beg her for forgiveness. However, it is not proof of my assassination of the Princess. Moreover, what reason would I have to assassinate her?”
Fuwa wasn’t phased by the Ambassador’s duplicity. “A reason to assassinate her? Of course you have one! Ambassador, you are the illegitimate son of the previous King, and for the right of succession to the throne the Princess must disappear, that is your conspiracy!”
“…” Ambassador.
“…” Lea.
“…” Nagisa.
“…” Karma.
“…” Board Chairman.
“I mean, an illegitimate son of royalty who is also a pretty boy being the final boss is a staple of Shonen manga!!” nodded Fuwa proudly to herself.
“Uh………. Fuwa-san, don’t you think you jumped way too far out there?”
While all who are present went silent, Itona lightly taps Nagisa on the shoulder. He turns around and sees him with the phone. “The lock has been bypassed. This is checkmate.”
“Thanks!!” Nagisa takes the phone and went to Fuwa’s side.
“Everyone, we’ve been by the Princess’ side since she was ambushed by hitmen. This is the phone from the very first hitman, and now I’ll call the most recent number from its call log.”
Nagisa dials the phone, and a “beep beep beep” ringtone resounds, its origin coming from the phone that’s in the Ambassador’s hand. All on the scene turns to look towards his face.
“Your phone’s ringing.” Nagisa moves the phone over his ear, his words directed at the Ambassador. His face breaks out in cold sweat and is refraining from answering the call. When the phone went to voicemail the ringing stops, but Nagisa just ends his call and dials the same number once more.
“Well Ambassador, let us talk with our phones.” Looking at Nagisa, the Ambassador sees that his gaze is full of bloodlust, as though he has his prey cornered.
“S**t!!” The Ambassador drops his benevolent façade and exposes a malevolent expression, and out of the blue he pulls out a handgun from his waist.
“You bast**ds, don’t think that this is o-“
Before he can finish, his handgun drops to the ground. The person who has been standing next to him, the Board Chairman, made a tight clutch on his wrist, forcing his grip on the weapon loose.
“Let go!!” The Ambassador struggles, when suddenly, his image changed in an instant. His handsome blond haircut was shaved into a top knot. Without thinking, Nagisa and co. laughed out loud. He didn’t know what’s going on, but confused by the laughter all around him, he touches his head and reacts with rage. Looking around, Nagisa sees that expected yellow silhouette up on the roof of the Embassy.
“Intentionally harming my students is unforgivable, so I’ve helped tidy up your hairstyle and gave you an actual top knot, nurufufufu.” Korosensei then throws the severed hair into the air, blond strands scattering above the grounds.
The Board Chairman has the escaping Ambassador held on the ground.
“It’s best if Japanese officials don’t lay a hand on the Ambassador. Have no fear, the laws of our country will judge him.” The employees of the Embassy surround him and cuffs his hands behind his back.
Lea runs over. “[Why did you want to kill me!? Tell me!]”
“[It’s because you just wouldn’t stop prattling on about that sh*tty peace of yours!]”
“[What are you talking about, why would I be killed for talking about peace!?]”
“[As you are well aware, the Norgo Kingdom has become divided over whether to use force to settle the conflict. As a diplomat, had I gotten the country to mobilise and intervene in the conflict, I stood to gain a profit.]”
“[What did you say? You wish for mother’s homeland to continue suffering under the fires of war? I cannot allow that!]”
“[See, that’s exactly it, those pretty words of yours are proving to be a real hindrance for us!]”
“[I’m a hindrance for you?]”
“[Why of course! A most bothersome hindrance! You enjoy popular support among the people, and when someone like that goes on and on about peace, the results couldn’t be more frustrating for us!]”
With that, the employees transported the Ambassador deep into the Embassy, leaving Lea confounded at what she heard.
And so, as Nagisa and co cheer on with the joy of their success, Lea stood to the side with a smile to herself.
“[I see, I finally understand, just what sort of power I hold.]”
Although she is frightened by what she heard, Lea has now realised just what she means to her country. From the bottom of her heart, a newfound confidence surges out.
As many of you may know by now, Korotan D has just released in Japan, with the light novel segments set at the end of the high school age for the former Class E kids. It is considered canon.
Shueisha's J-Books website included some samples of the English Reference book, and as a treat, I've translated one of them.
Hopefully I got most of it right. Also, given the spacing, it’s possible that there may be more lines in-between in the real deal.
"Kayano"
Immersed in her memories, someone is shouting out a name. One by which she was addressed as back when she was in Class E.
...no good, she's so immersed that she can even hear the voice. Furthermore, of all things, it's the voice that she wanted to hear the most...
She gets up from her chair and shakes her head (ie in denial).
"Kayano"
This time she heard the voice clearly. Turning around to its direction, a familiar face is there. It's Nagisa.
"Nagisa!?" She yelled without thinking.
As she rushes over to him, she sees that it's not just him, but the faces of everyone else from Class E all lined up with Karma in front.
"Wha, why is everyone here!?"
"Ahaha," laughed Nagisa. That answer was too ambiguous, so Karma explains the situation in his place with a mischievous smile.
"It's really just a coincidence~. The destination for our graduation trip just happens to be the same as your film location~"
Shoutouts to @blazardragon @irraydiance @greengargouille @kaoarika
Thank you all for the delicious, delicious intel on Korotan D. It looks awesome!
In fact, with the main Assassination Classroom Baidu Board outlawed by the administrators (likely permanently, most likely on account of it assessed as “promoting dangerous thinking” by central government), if it weren’t for you guys, I probably wouldn’t even be aware of this wonder!
I really need to get to finishing my summaries of Korotan C. Aiming to get the next part out before Itona’s Profile.
In case some are anxious, not yet people, it's not over yet. Rest assured, I intend to go through with this little project to the end. I hate unfinished stories.
Also, if any aren't aware, Korotan D is now a thing! Furthermore, @blazardragon has already got Chapter 1 of its light novel sections translated! In addition, I have to thank her for the proofreading, since I don’t have access to the Japanese text myself. I am doing this off of a Chinese fan translation after all.
I also have a translation of the short sample of Korotan D that's available on the official website here, though I can't spare much more effort on that book beyond this.
Additionally, @greengargouille has completed a translation of Korotan A!
Previously on Korotan C: Princess Lea of Norgo Kingdom visits Kunugigaoka for a Debate Rally, but she’s decided to sneak out of her hotel and into the city. But when one hitman after another come for her life, it's up to Class 3-E and Asano Gakushuu to be her bodyguards and escort her to safety.
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Spoilers beware, and remember, this is not intended to be a full word for word translation. This is only so that you have an idea of what is happening.
I have no guarantee that these are 100% accurate
Chapter 5
The next phase of the escort plan is to switch their mode of transport from bus to train. This time, the group with the still-disguised Nakamura will go on the first train, while the one with the real Lea goes second.
The escort guard will also be rearranged a little, and in case their appearances when they boarded the bus were seen by the hitmen, Karma suggests that Terasaka and Asano come along with him elsewhere away from the girls.
“No! I cannot agree to this.” Said Asano.
“Ha? Why?”
“I can agree to the baiting, but that doesn’t mean I can sit by and let the princess’ protection become slack. Not only can I do martial arts, I have escort skills as well, I am absolutely necessary for protecting her!”
Karma makes an evil grin at what he hears, and deliberately raised his volume. “Ah~ah, if Asano-kun said so, I guess there’s no helping it. After all, you did just promise the princess that you’ll always be together in the future~”
“Seriously!!?” exclaimed Maehara.
“Akabane! Do not say that in such an easily misunderstood way!” retorted Asano, but by then it’s already too late, as the Class E students huddle around him with words of praise and well-wishes.
“They’re already a pair? That’s incredible, as expected of Asano-kun.” “Congratulations!!”
Asano is close to fainting from this sudden development. Lea carries a faint smile as she looks at him, her cheeks slightly red.
“Not only does the princess have a big chest, her face also looks like that of an honour student, she’s way too sexy.”
But Okajima’s words immediately killed the jubilant atmosphere, and both boys and girls gave him a dismissive look. And after Karma translated his words to Lea, all of the girls shouted “how lewd!!” in unison. Seeing how even the princess is angered, Okajima can only hang his head in shame, shoulders slumped.
All of a sudden, Nagisa received a text from Kataoka. In order to gather intelligence on the background of the princess’ assassins, Takebayashi and Fuwa have infiltrated the embassy. There they stumbled upon Irina. “Huh? Why is B*tch-sensei at the embassy??”
Hearing Nagisa exclaim in surprise, everyone wondered just who got in contact with her, and that she got inside way too quickly. At Isogai’s behest, Nagisa sent back a response asking for further details.
The scene switches over to the train platform. Nakamura’s decoy team have already boarded a train bound for the city centre, and now Lea’s team is waiting for the next one heading in the embassy’s direction. Accompanying her are Asano and Nagisa; Isogai and Maehara will head for the carriage in front of them, while Muramatsu and Yoshida will head for the carriage behind.
As they sit and wait, Lea points out how there’re so many passengers. Tokyo is so populated. Asano worries that they can’t keep their guard up against all of them, but Nagisa reassures them that he’s pretty good at sensing the aura of people nearby, so just leave it to him.
When the train arrives at the station, after Nagisa’s group have boarded, Isogai and Muramatsu exchanged glances and their groups followed on.
With all the seats occupied, Nagisa’s group opt to stand by the door. Lea silently looks at the passing scenery outside, while Asano advises her not to stick so close to the window and pulled her closer to him.
Nagisa suddenly whispered and asked “Say, just what is it?” Though he’s aware that he asked him about something, he just gave him his usual quick sharp gaze before turning his attention elsewhere. As he turns, Nagisa could sense that there’s an obvious fluctuation in the wavelength of Asano’s conscious. Aiming for the peak of the fluctuation, Nagisa looked to Asano’s eyes and asked once more.
“Hey, Asano-kun, what is it about Princess Lea that caught your eye?”
Having been attacked while his guard was down, Asano’s mind went blank for a moment and gave an answer without thinking.
“I was shocked to hear her call me a boring person.”
As soon as he said it, Asano immediately regrets that he blabbed out something calamitous.
“Wha!? … that’s normally not a reason to like someone now is it?” Nagisa is shocked and flabbergasted at Asano’s unintended confession. Despite being the one to ask the question, he's now feeling flustered at what he got, and conversely Asano who gave the answer is looking intimidating with a terrifyingly angry expression.
“I get it, I won’t tell anybody. Your face tells me that if I do, you’ll massacre me at school.”
“[Hey, what are you guys talking about? It looks fun, use English~]”
As Lea pouts at their exchange of words, Nagisa shudders as he senses some bloodlust behind him. Turning around, he sees that their owner is a man wearing a trench coat and a knit cap, standing behind them (but not directly) with his back turned.
When he relayed his discovery to his companions, Asano had a bit of doubt, but he can see that Nagisa’s gaze now is completely different from he was messing around before. With both his iris fully opened and gleaming, Nagisa’s look sends a shiver down Asano’s spine.
Pondering if they should call for support, Nagisa reaches for his phone, when Asano stops him. “Based on his stance, he’s probably waiting for a chance to perform the assassination. If we do anything rash, we’ll just leave ourselves open. Do you have anything for writing?”
From Nagisa’s pocket is his Korosensei’s Weaknesses notepad and pencil, plus the chewing gum he had just received from Korosensei. The notepad is too small for what Asano had in mind.
From Lea’s purse is a white handkerchief and a pink lipstick. Sufficient for his objective, Asano laid the handkerchief on Nagisa’s back and used the lipstick to write some big words on it. “There’s no need for us to directly confront him.”
Reading what he wrote, Nagisa immediately understood Asano’s intent. “We just need to stick this on his back, right? I’ll do it, I’m pretty good at this stuff.”
“What’re you going to do?”
Giving Asano a quick smile, Nagisa took the handkerchief, and opened the packaging on the chewing gum. After placing it in his mouth, he starts moving alone past the clusters of passengers towards the knit cap man, his head low and wearing a smile.
“[Is it alright to let Nagisa go alone?]” Lea was about to follow after him but was stopped by Asano.
“[We mustn’t make any sudden movements, or we’ll be discovered immediately. Look, he’s not deliberately avoiding anyone while moving, and yet no one has noticed him. He’s concealing his own presence.]”
Passing by the knit cap man from the side, Nagisa slowly lifted his hand, and used the chewing gum to stick the handkerchief onto his back. The assassin noticed nothing at all, and just continued to stand there. Nagisa smiles as he returns to Asano and Lea, the former getting chills just watching him.
“There shouldn’t be any problems now, it should take effect soon.”
Asano just stares at Nagisa with an incredulous look on his face.
“…just what are y-”
“Pfft” A young man on the seats snorted out a laughter, with a lady next to him trying to hold in a giggle herself. As though laughter is infectious, snickers filled the whole carriage, with everyone looking towards the knit cap man.
“[We can get off of the next station.]” Nagisa whispered, to which Lea lightly nodded.
The knit cap man finally realised the state of the carriage, and that the surrounding passengers are all sneaking in looks at him. He lowered his bloodlust towards the movements of Lea’s company as much as possible, but even so, the feeling of being bathed in attention hasn’t faded at all. With the laughter getting louder and louder, the assassin became more and more panicked, he now has no way of carrying out an assassination.
“It’s working Asano-kun! Let’s get off at the next station.”
The train slowly pulls into its next station and comes to a halt. The doors on Lea’s side opened, and with plenty of passengers pouring in, the signal for the next journey started to ring. When the doors prepare to close, Nagisa got off in time, followed by Asano.
But when he looked back at the closing doors, Lea was still in the car. Using his body to block the doors, he reached for Lea’s hand and pulled her out of the train, rescuing her before it took off again.
“It’s because you didn’t explain things properly that that happened!” Asano angrily glared at Nagisa.
“I’m sorry, I did try to convey it to her…”
“What did you say?”
“[We can get off of the next station]. Like that.”
“That’s too vague! [We have to get off at the next station.] It should be like that.”
“[I’m sorry.]” Nagisa apologised to them both.
“[It’s okay Nagisa, in fact that was very exciting.]”
Lea just noticed that her hand is still in Asano’s grasp, her face turning red. They both pulled back their hands at the same time.
“[So what was written on the handkerchief?]”
“[‘I’m currently on my first errand’, like that.]”
“[Well you do have a gift for humour after all~]” Hearing such praises, Asano feels that he’s recovered some points from earlier before.
(TN: First Errand, AKA Hajimete no Otsukai, is a reality variety show that follows different kids as they go about their first errand alone (with very minimal supervision), like going to a shop and buy something back home. You can imagine how nasty a prank Asano’s note is now.)
After Asano contacted the Nakamura team that went before them, as well as their other escorts whom are still on their train, everyone gathers once more.
The kids find it vexing that they can’t shake off their pursuers, whether by bus or train. Taxis are a no-go as well, there’s too little room for movement should anything happen.
Karma then brings up something that he finds strange: the assassins thus far have been easily fended off by them, and yet these same unremarkable assassins have perfectly and effortlessly grasped their movements. Such a mismatch is rather curious.
He had given the possibility of tracking devices some thought, but Lea had already switched out her clothes. Maybe her belongings then?
Aside from her lipstick, mirror and phone, nothing else is in Lea’s purse. Believing that her phone is worth examining, he suggests that they try installing Mobile Ritsu inside of it.
On Nagisa’s inquiry, she tells him that because she’s stored on the memory card, they just need to place one onto the designated phone to perform the install. He also asks her that if she should discover tracking software or anything suspicious, let them and Kataoka’s investigation team know about it.
As instructed, Nagisa then took out the memory card from his own phone and placed into Lea’s, explaining to her that it’s to check if it had been hijacked.
Meanwhile, Asano is getting anxious. They have to move soon, even if they have to walk.
“What about this?” Yoshida was checking something a short distance away, and confidently returns with a bike.
(TN: Apparently, bike rental services in Japan are often located near railway stations and landing points for ships and ferries for easy access)
“Bikes huh? Not bad, and the speed is good, let’s use this!” acclaimed Karma, with Asano likewise nodding.
“Alright! Let’s head to the embassy on bikes!!”
“Look, there’s plenty more to borrow over there,” pointed Yoshida. As the Class E students gather with their bikes, Asano brings his over to Lea.
“[Do you want to sit behind me?]”
“[Yes!!]” Lea strongly nodded at Asano’s suggestion.
The riders begin their advance, with Asano and Lea in the centre and Nagisa and others in the perimeter. With Mobile Ritsu’s guidance, they deliberate chose roads with plenty of traffic, and as they get further away from the station, they accelerated their pace.
“Man, this feels great!” Yoshida exclaimed happily. Now on a slope, their speed increased, and cars passed them by in the cold winter air.
“So cold!” cried Muramatsu. Behind him is Asano, with Lea leaning her hand atop his shoulder, her face brimming with a smile and her blue iris dazzling under the sunlight.
“[This is so much fun!!]” she shouted, as the bike squad ride past the slope like the wind.
(TN: A side thought post-translation regarding the Hajimete no Otsukai prank.
My instincts tell me that Lea probably isn’t referring to the show itself. Perhaps, “hajimete no otsukai” is probably so well known among the Japanese populace by now that people like author Kuma Ataro probably thought that the concept of “first errand” applies the same way anywhere in the world.
That, or he didn’t think that far ahead when he wrote the joke and is therefore an oversight, though minor in the scheme of things)
E-27 Ritsu (Autonomous Intelligence Fixed Artillery) - Character Profile
To this day, Ritsu's debuting chapters are still among my favourite moments of the series. This "student", from her first appearance as an AI housed inside of a giant iPod packed with guns, to her charming full screen makeover as an iPad and back to a hybrid of both, truly it was Matsui Yuusei and his madness at work. I still remember the way I internally sweatdropped and exclaimed with my jaw wide open.
Without further ado, here's the 2nd-to-last Student Profile.
The Baidu forumer from before hadn't posted any profiles beyond Yada's, so this time, main credits for scans of Ritsu's profile go to young-il-long-kiyoshi
Screenshots of Ritsu's profile are in the following link:
Ritsu's profile
Furthermore, this time it's a direct Japanese -> English translation by me, but nonetheless, while I have endeavoured to keep things as accurate as possible, not everything may be successfully conveyed across
“With my own will, I went against my master who created me."
Description
The transfer student assassin who has come to Class E!? With roots in the AI of the Aegis Combat System, she’s equipped with cutting edge shooting systems and self-evolution functions. Through Korosensei’s guidance, she awoke to her own ego.
Upon reflecting on the results of an assassination, she'll promptly make amendments. Through repeated self-evolution, before long she'll be most powerful.
Due to Korosensei’s advice (improvements), her displays of emotions are rich. The cuteness of her avatar surged immensely in one go.
Code Name: Moe Box (萌え箱 / moe hako), Terasaka’s idea
“I have no interest in moe, so is this what moe is supposed to be? I-is she also able to make herself a m-maid? I said I have no idea what moe is!!”
Birthday: January 1st
Height: 170cm
Weight: 499kg
Bust Size: Measurement Impossible
Blood Type: Anti-corrosion Coolant Z
Favourite Subject: Maths
Worst Subject: Physical Education, Modern Japanese
Interests and special skills: Creation of clothing objects (digital)
Past Club: Laptop Club
Treasured Item(s): a present from her classmates, a cosplay database
Favourite Food: -
Bento or Snacks: -
Election Headline (from the 1st Popularity Poll): Aim for the center of 2D!!
From Korosensei, Announcement of Results from the Periodic Exams (Main 5 subjects) (credits to young-il-long-kiyoshi)
To be exact, these test results are those of Fake Ritsu, through tutelage by the real Ritsu. Even so, her grades in Maths are splendid. If she is able to comprehend people’s emotions, she will become stronger still.
Karasuma’s Assassination Aptitude (graded on a scale of 6)
...well, as a weapon, her performance stands out from the rest. If she can evolve past her specialty of shoot-on-sight, perhaps close engagements can become a forte too. Or she could also strengthen her coordination with the students...
- Her self-evolution speed is considerably fast. Her armaments aren't just limited to firearms; as long as she's acquired the design data, she can also develop items used for close engagements.
- This was kept secret from Korosensei, but she was also installed with capabilities to move and operate underwater.
Strategy/Planning: 1
Commanding/Leadership: 1
Execution (Ability to carry out plans): 3
Technique (Traps, weapons, preparations, etc): 6
Scouting/Intelligence Gathering: 3
Politics/Negotiations: 1
B*tch-sensei’s Fashion Check (credits to young-il-long-kiyoshi)
No matter how you look at it, Ritsu's fashion sense must've been pushed onto her by that octopus or Takebayashi! If it were me, I would've made her more revealing, more sexy. Chirarism? I could care less about that!
(TN: "Chirarism" is a Japanese portmanteau of "chirari" (fleeting glimpse/glance) and "-ism", which refers to the "art" of giving a brief glimpse of stuff like panties. The same idea as "panchira", really)
School Uniform
Her school uniform look is truly mischievously ... cute. One of Ritsu's hobbies is to improve her avatar's clothing object data on a daily basis, as much as possible.
Street Clothes
Due to Korosensei's improvements, her program's inclination towards fashion often gives a sense of deja vu.
(TN: the Furigana literally says "deja vu", but deja vu of what, I don't know. With Korosensei's cosplays, maybe?)
Character Relationships
- Shinigami (addressed as Shinigami-san, when she was hacked) -
Ritsu became lazy when she got hacked. When she later reflected on her experience, she made the best of it by overhauling her security system.
- Fake Ritsu (addressed as Nise-san) -
The daughter of Karasuma’s boss. From a bond linked by tutoring, a strange friendship sprouted to life, developing into a relationship where the two talk about anything.
- Kataoka Megu (addressed as Kataoka-san) -
Kataoka doesn’t mind Ritsu’s unique appearance and just greets her like usual. Even here, Kataoka’s non-discriminating personality really shows itself.
- Chiba Ryuunosuke (addressed as Chiba-san) -
Though indoor shooting is Ritsu's specialty, when it comes to the outdoors where an "intuition" for wind directions is necessary, no one is a match for Chiba.
Seeing Chiba's feelings of pressure and unease, as well as his growth beyond them before her eyes, Ritsu is steadily learning about the emotions of people.
- Irina Jelavic (addressed as Irina-sensei) -
Night after night, Irina has Ritsu produce a mimicry Karasuma, then enacts her own charade and scenario. Ritsu is the sole witness of the conditions surrounding the sad unmarried woman, but she has no idea of what to do about it.
(TN: the pictures here are from Volume 9 Omake)
- Horibe Itona (addressed as Itona-san) -
While they're both transfer student assassins, because her performance was concluded to be overwhelmingly inferior (to his) once upon a time, her speech and conduct (towards him) are observed to carry something that, one way or another, resembles a complex.
- Fuwa Yuzuki (addressed as Fuwa-san) -
After getting absorbed in reading Fuwa's recommended Shonen manga, and through analysing all the manga she's read up until now, lately she's been able to read into developments to come in the future.
- Takebayashi Koutarou (addressed as Takebayashi-san, or Master when in maid mode) -
Her maid mode was developed due to Takebayashi's request, but once in a while Terasaka secretly uses it too.
Matsui-sensei’s Exclusive Behind the Scenes Data
Upon receiving Korosensei's advice, her sense of autonomy became more reinforced. She's been expanding her functions to allow herself to steadily back herself up onto the internet via cloud computing, so now even if her main body is destroyed her intelligence can still operate just fine. When her manufacturers come twice a month to carry out maintenance, she can then also let her data escape onto the internet.
Her ego was considered unnecessary for the assassination, but she rebelled against her developers with her own will. Ever since that case, she also developed a specifically purposed dummy AI for when maintenance time comes.
Every day, while she's been enhancing her operating specs for the assassination, she's also been building up a strong persona for herself. Even if it's just a name, she had re-registered with the school as "Onozu Ritsu".
(TN: to explain, the Kanji is still 自律, “jiritsu” for “autonomy/self-control”, only this time the Furigana for it reads as “Onozu Ritsu”, 自 律 with a space between the characters to make it more name-like)
Ritsu's calculation skills are of a certified standard. So under her tutelage, Fake Ritsu had made great strides with her Maths grades in the blink of an eye.
Howdie folks. Yes, it's been ages since my last Profile, or post for that matter, but when work gets more and more hectic, especially if your project is a bottomless pit of dysfunction and staff leave the team you're on, it really drains enthusiasm away from some of one's hobbies.
Anyway, like with Muramatsu, I liked how Matsui fleshed out Yoshida as the resident mechanic, and the way he synchronises with some of his other classmates too.
Also, please note the different disclaimer from usual for the remaining 3 Profiles
The Baidu forumer from before hadn't posted any profiles beyond Yada's, so this time, main credits for scans of Yoshida's profile go to young-il-long-kiyoshi
Screenshots of Yoshida's profile are in the following link:
Yoshida's profile
Furthermore, this time it's a direct Japanese -> English translation by me, but nonetheless, while I have endeavoured to keep things as accurate as possible, not everything may be successfully conveyed across
E-26 Yoshida Taisei (吉田 大成) – risking his life for his comrades, Class E’s shocktrooper
“You can blow away anything you don’t like with speed!!"
Description
A muscle head who likes to rush in, think later. As someone who is greatly considerate of his friends and comrades, he is willing to rely on students outside of the Terasaka Group as well.
A lover of bikes. While he’s certainly never rode on public roads, as a result of polishing his skills on premise (of his family shop), his riding technique can put professionals to shame.
He and Muramatsu are practically harmonised. No matter how difficult the situation gets, it is their creed to tackle it vigorously.
Code Name: Homebase (ホームベース), Sugino’s idea
This is probably a symptom of his occupation (as a baseball player), but every time he sees Yoshida he feels like he wants to step on him. Not out of anger or for any particular reason of course.
(TN: for those how hadn’t noticed it before, yours truly included, the contours of Yoshida’s face resemble a home plate from a baseball field)
Birthday: August 19th
Height: 173cm
Weight: 63kg
Blood Type: O
Favourite Subject: Technology
Worst Subject: English
Interests and special skills: Tinkering vehicles in general
Past Club: Railroad Research Society
Treasured Item(s): a Suzuki GSX 1300R Hayabusa (not yet taken onto public roads yet)
Favourite Food: Monster Energy (the drink)
Bento or Snacks: Snacks
Election Headline (from the 1st Popularity Poll): Kamikaze Striker Taisei
(TN: The phrase here, 特攻の大成, is a reference to Saki Hiroto’s work Legend of the Gale: Kamikaze Striker Taku, a Bosozoku/Yankee-themed manga that was serialised from 1991 to 1997 in Weekly Shonen Magazine, filled with lots of motorcycles too)
From Korosensei, Announcement of Results from the Periodic Exams (Main 5 subjects) (credits to young-il-long-kiyoshi)
In a word, his art and technology grades are magnificent! The embodiment of "what one likes, one will do well". Maths is useful when tinkering with bikes as well, so let's do our best together!
Karasuma’s Assassination Aptitude (graded on a scale of 6)
Karasuma is captivated by Yoshida’s close combat style, the way he leverages his blessed physique like a human bullet. It appears his training has helped him excel at being alert of his surroundings, to the point that he can perceive the moments right before he touches his back from behind and the likes. He looks forward to his progress.
- His tackles that make full use of his body’s strengths are effective even against sturdy foreign opponents
- During the Cops and Robbers game, Yoshida was able to sense Karasuma’s presence, when many students failed to do the same until he touched them. Is he an esper!?
Strategy/Planning: 2
Commanding/Leadership: 2
Execution (Ability to carry out plans): 5
Technique (Traps, weapons, preparations, etc): 5
Scouting/Intelligence Gathering: 3
Politics/Negotiations: 2
B*tch-sensei’s Fashion Check (credits to young-il-long-kiyoshi)
Seriously, he gives the vibe of a no-good middle school brat. Still, the way his fashion sense matches up with his age and stature isn't bad at all, right? From here onwards, as he becomes more and more experienced with the world, I expect that his tastes will continue to refine themselves.
School Uniform
Yoshida also does without a necktie. At 15 years old, he's probably at an age where he's not going to steal bikes nor want to tie somebody up.
(TN: Matsui is probably just jesting here)
Street Clothes
The only one within the Terasaka Group to dress himself smartly. Like with bike customs, clothes are a source of worry for what to spend his money on.
Character Relationships
- Nakamura Rio (addressed as Nakamura) -
The former delinquent Nakamura displays an interest in bikes to Yoshida simply because it looks refreshing, no ill intentions whatsoever.
When Terasaka wrecked the bike that Korosensei had poured his heart into, both Yoshida and Nakamura criticised him. Nakamura often badgers him to "give me a ride!", but in truth Yoshida is feeling embarrassed, possibly due to the thought of going for a ride with a girl sitting behind his back.
- Kanzaki Yukiko (addressed as Kanzaki) -
The Terasaka Group usually carry an arrogant air around them, but in Yoshida’s case, it’s only when he turns to the seat on his left (ie Kanzaki’s desk) that his expression softens up.
- Hazama Kirara (addressed as Hazama) -
Hazama notices that Yoshida softens around Kanzaki, wearing a broad grin as she watches him from behind (she’s seated to his bottom-left). She’s sensitive when it comes to people’s feelings, and is secretly amused at the framework of relationships within the classroom.
- Mimura Kouki (addressed as Mimura) -
At first he made fun of his air guitar, but after watching a performance in secret and seeing his overflowing fearlessness, as well as his immeasurable passion and energy, his gaze towards him has turned into one of respect.
- Takebayashi Koutarou (addressed as Takebayashi) -
From the case of the maid café, Yoshida thought Takebayashi was inadvertently amazing for creating such a weakness out of Terasaka, and frankly he feels he’s stronger than anyone else in the class.
- Sugaya Sousuke (addressed as Sugaya) -
Every day Yoshida solicits Sugaya, asking him that when he inherits his bike shop someday, whether he can count on him to handle the painting for his customs.
- Horibe Itona (addressed as Itona) -
They’re the Class E technology squad. Yoshida handles the structure side of things, and with Itona being in charge of the circuitry, in most cases the results are compatible. Their teamwork are also superb.
Matsui-sensei’s Exclusive Behind the Scenes Data
Yoshida got to know his partners in crime Terasaka and Muramatsu in their first and second years of middle school respectively. Together with Muramatsu, their roles are often to rush in straight ahead but get hurt in the process. However, their courage to do such things comes from their understanding of each other's toughness and from sizing up their opponents' strength. The suicidal operations that they conducted under this courage never fails to earn the class' gratitude.
The three of them have an inseparable relationship that can't be broken even if they tried. The teamwork between the Terasaka Group is something that everyone acknowledges.
He's been making plans with Muramatsu on a ramen shop where you can see bikes, possibly even serving food on them.
(TN: I'm really unsure about this last part)
Yoshida firmly focuses on his future with a sense of excitement. His fellowship with Muramatsu is probably going to be something that'll last a lifetime.
