Before we start, I would just like to apologise for the length of this. I'm aware it's long, but I couldn't do anything about it. I'll write out a full author's note for this fic on Tumblr (link to my Tumblr is on my profile) so that should explain a bit, but for now, sorry, please bear with me, and I hope you enjoy this crossover anyway.

"There's a circus near my house." Yada said when she arrived in the classroom that morning, in lieu of her usual morning greetings, sounding very much baffled.

"What do you mean, Yada-san?" Isogai asked, on behalf of all of them.

"Exactly what I said. There's a circus near my house. I can see the place from my bedroom window. And it wasn't there last night."

"How interesting!" Koro-sensei looked up from whatever he had been doing at the front of the classroom and came to join the small group of students, chuckling in his usual slithery manner as he did so. "Tell me Yada-san, what does it look like, this circus?"

The pretty girl frowned thoughtfully as she tried to describe what she had seen, gesturing to try and illustrate her points.

"It's…big, really big, and it's closed in with a fence. Oh! And it's all black and white. Every part of it that I saw was black and white-the tents are stripy, the flags are similar, and the fence is black. I went right up to it when I left home this morning, and even the ground within the fence is black and white! Oh, and the sign with the opening hours was black too. With white writing, of course."

"Now this I need to see. What kinda circus is black and white?" Sugaya asked, absently spinning a pencil in his hands, appearing curious all the same.

"I believe that Yada-san is referring to Le Cirque des Reves. It's been running since 1886, founded by a Mr LeFevre." The electronic voice of Ritsu rang out. Everyone in the room turned to her and stared. Koro-sensei let out another chuckle and moved closer.

"Le-what now? " Kayano asked, tripping up in her pronunciation. Nagisa sweat-dropped, even though he knew that he wouldn't be able to pronounce it any better than she had.

"I think that's French." Rio said, looking thoughtful. "Can't be sure though." She shrugged and stuck her tongue out in a 'who cares?' gesture.

"No, no, Nakamura-san! You are absolutely correct. That is French. The Circus of Dreams, huh?" Koro-sensei mused, translating for the rest of them.

"I can find more information, if you wish me to do so." Ritsu informed them, and started the search when they all agreed.

As other students came in, the ones already there informed them about the mysterious circus near Yada's house and they began discussing it in deep detail while Ritsu dug up archives of various old newspaper articles from all over the world describing the circus-most of them in German, with many English translations following closely behind. There were some photographs too, all of people posing outside tents advertising different attractions. Reflecting the modern following of the circus, there were a few blogs and chat boards dedicated to 'reveurs', the most ardent circus fans. There was also the interesting fact that the large clock that stood outside the ticket booth had been made by the very reveur, a German clockmaker who had been called Friederick Thiessen.

But all the information of the circus all seemed to revolve around attending it, and what it was like to attend it, and even this couldn't be found unless one was actively searching (like Ritsu was).No announcements, electronic or otherwise, could be found announcing any circus arrivals, anywhere. There was no sense of itinerary, the only scheduled thing about it being the opening times- nightfall until dawn. The consistent feature in all depictions of the circus was that it simply seemed to appear overnight. And nobody seemed to know how, or why. Even after so many years, it managed to remain a magical mystery.

"That's…really interesting. " Nagisa said, at a loss for words when Ritsu had told them all there was to know about the circus. Kanzaki looked particularly enchanted as the others oohed and ahhed over the information, speculating over it.

"Pfft, why's it such a big deal? And what's with these 'reveurs'? Couldn't they have thought of a better term?" Terasaka griped, crossing his arms and looking fed-up.

"Why?" Karma teased. "Do you have a better suggestion? One that's good enough to completely eradicate a tradition?" Terasaka simply gave Karma the finger, and left the discussion to go to his own desk and stew along with Yoshida, Muramatsu and Hazama. Clearly, they aren't interested. Nagisa rolled his eyes and ignored them.

"Oh, ignore him!" Kayano chirped cheerfully as if reading his thoughts. "Hey, Nagisa, we should all go to this Night Circus, don't you think? It seems super interesting."

Nagisa considered her words, and then nodded. It certainly sounded interesting, and the level of mystery that surrounded it, even in the current internet age, fascinated him. He wanted to see what sort of place could maintain such a presence for so long.

I sometimes suspect the entirety of the circus is itself a complex illusion of illumination. Thiessen's words (as translated by Ritsu) drifted into his head unbidden, sealing his decision.

"Mhm, we should. What do you think, Sugino-kun, Karma-kun?" Nagisa grinned, turning to his two friends. Kayano jumped for joy and immediately began to try and persuade Manami and Kanzaki that they should come too.

"Sounds good to me." Sugino said, sneaking telling glances at Kanzaki, who seemed to agree readily to Kayano's invitation. Karma smiled toothily and gave a nonchalant shrug. The others debated amongst themselves as to whether they wanted/ were able to go. Yada, as the person who had told the class of the circus in the first place, definitely wanted to go, and happily wrote down directions for people so that they could find the place after school. Naturally, Koro-sensei wanted in on this outing his students were planning, and they all agreed. It could be a good place to assassinate him, after all.

It's a public setting, but it's not as if we haven't attempted public assassinations before, Nagisa reflected, recalling Kyoto.

"Hey, you, are you going to come?" Rio aimed the question at both Hayami and Chiba, as it wouldn't do to assume that one would go without the other. Then, she stared at them, demanding an answer with nothing more than a smirk. An unsettling sight, to be sure.

Having remained largely silent as the others chatted about the circus, Hayami and Chiba exchanged glances before nodding. As usual, it seemed as if they were saying a lot in those glances-it was just hard to tell what they were saying.

"We might as well." Hayami answered verbally for both of them. Rio punched the air happily, clearly leaving the two young snipers bemused. Nagisa sweat-dropped at the sight, but couldn't help smiling, as he was sure that the circus would be a more enjoyable experience with most of his classmates. And everyone seemed to feel the same, as the circus talk continued even as the first lesson began, with Koro-sensei managing to weave in mentions of acrobats and wild animals into the topic content.

He was in the middle of taking them through a word problem involving trapezes and top-hats when suddenly, he stopped dead. His normally yellow face went blank, like an emoji.

"What's wrong, sensei?" Isogai asked. Koro-sensei turned yellow again, but went on to bury his face in his tentacles and start wailing. In amongst the wailings the students could make out sentiments about embarrassment and teaching standards.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, that's very emotional all of a sudden!" Maehara spluttered. Megu muttered something about the utter randomness of the outburst. Nagisa and Kayano joined in with the questioning until Koro-sensei eventually blurted out his troubles, not ceasing his weird sobs while doing so.

"I FORGOT TO TAKE THE REGISTER THIS MORNING!"

…

The circus buzz didn't fail to reach the other two teachers in the old building. The students and their target hadn't been able to talk about much else, even at break-time. Karasuma had no particular opinions about circuses, but it was still somewhat pleasant to hear the students so enthusiastic about something other than assassination.

"You know, I saw this circus once, a few years ago." Irina said conversationally to him during the lunch break, looking out at the groups of students who had decided to eat outside. Despite it being October, the weather was quite nice.

"Mhmm." He said as he went through his emails. Irina seemed to take that as a sign of interest, because she went on to talk about it.

"I was in Brussels, on a mission. Undercover, of course. I was on my way to meet the target after work-naturally; he was taking me out for dinner that night. It was dark, so the circus was already open, the name of the circus all lit up- Le Cirque des Reves- huge lights. Almost romantic, I think. It would have been a good place for seduction, and I tried to persuade the target to take me there. No such luck. So I had to resort to the usual seduction techniques."

"How unlucky for you." Karasuma commented caustically. Irina pouted.

"I didn't really think about the place after that-life happens, more missions, then I end up here…but I wonder, since it came here…."

Karasuma sensed that Irina was wondering if she should try to visit the circus again. He also wondered why she felt the need to run the decision by him, if that's what she was doing.

"Then why not go? It's here, isn't it? I hear that some of the students are going."

"Pfft, of course they are. Damn brats. Still, perhaps I can teach one or two of them a few things." Irina seemed mollified by this, and talked no more of the circus, to Karasuma's relief. The rest of lunchtime passed quickly, and soon it was time for the Physical Education lesson-otherwise known as training for assassination. As usual, the students gave it their all, and they all improved in their skills, in one way or another. A satisfying session, and he told them as much when the lesson-and the day- ended. This gave Hinano an opening to ask him something.

"Karasuma-sensei, Karasuma-sensei, did you hear about the Night Circus? "She asked as she bounded up to him cheerfully. Yada, Rio and Kayano were hot on her heels, also looking happy.

Night Circus, huh? Sounds fitting, from what I've been hearing all day. "That I did. Are you going?"

"Well, of course!" Rio said, breezy as ever. "It's a Friday after all, so no sweat if we're out a little late."

"It's convenient for me, too, because it's so near." Yada added. "Say, do you want to join us, Karasuma-sensei?" At Yada's request, Hinano seemed to swell with happiness.

"Oh please do! A whole bunch of us are going, and it'll be fun! Pleeeeassse!" Hinano gave her best puppy-eyed look, which Kayano imitated. Karasuma couldn't help but let out a single laugh.

"Is he going too?" he asked, referring to Koro-sensei.

"Yup!" Kayano bounced in confirmation. She then reeled off the names of the other students who were going. Not all of them, but a good few. And they were all students who had chosen him, over Takaoka. Who had just accepted the weirdness that he had brought into their lives and now seemed to relish it. Students who still remained just that-students, despite their close acquaintance with assassination. So if they were reaching out to him, and having fun with it, who was he to refuse? That, and somebody needed to make sure the tentacle-d teacher didn't cause too much trouble in public.

"Are you going straight there?"

"Oh, no." Kayano shook her head vigorously, her bounciness rivalling Hinano's. "Home first, then regroup and meet there."

"I see." He nodded. "Opens at sundown, correct? Then, I'll see you all there, at some point in the evening."

The overjoyed reactions of the girls were all that Karasuma needed to be sure that his decision wasn't to be regretted.

…

There was a reasonable sized crowd gathering outside Le Cirque des Reves when Manami arrived with Kayano and Kanzaki that evening.

"Somehow, it seems even more majestic in reality than it did when described the archived writings that Herr Thiessen wrote." Kanzaki said, looking up at the tents and gate. Manami thought that she seemed a little starry-eyed. She didn't blame her. It did look a little overwhelming, especially with the sheer size of the gates and tents. And there was a faint but distinct scent of caramel and wood smoke about the place, enough to add to the atmosphere.

"Kayano-san, Okuda-san, Kanzaki-san, over here!" Manami turned to the voice and saw Isogai, Maehara and Yada standing together near the gates. With them were two little children-a boy and a girl. Judging by their dark hair, they were probably related to Isogai. And sure enough, when they got there, Isogai introduced the children as Ryou and Naomi, his little brother and sister.

"I was talking about the circus at home and they wanted to come, didn't you?" Isogai explained as he ruffled the hair of his siblings. Ryou pretended to be annoyed and moved away slightly, while Naomi just grinned, clinging onto Isogai's trouser pocket and peering at them curiously.

"Ahh, cute!" Kayano cooed, squatting down to the height of the youngest kid, Naomi. Kanzaki did the same, and they introduced themselves to the children, and engaged them in conversation. Manami also chatted to the children, but she remained standing, watching the others in their class as they came and joined their little group, and looking out for the other person she considered a close friend.

Ah, there he is. At last.

"Karma-kun!" she shouted, waving to catch the red-head's attention. He pulled a hand out of his pocket to wave back, and continued walking at his very relaxed pace to join them.

"Hey there, Okuda-san. You seem excited."

"I-I guess so?" Was she? She examined her thoughts about the circus, and decided that yes, she was excited. "Yeah, I am." She beamed at him, and he smiled back.

"That's good to know." He said, seeming sincere. Manami smiled, and then turned to talk to Kayano. The rest of their group chatted amongst themselves as the sun went down and it gradually became dark. Then, a strange quiet fell upon all of those waiting to go into the circus, and everyone looked to circus, waiting for something to happen.

And sure enough, it did.

"Look!" Hinano cried. The lights dotting the circus started to light up, slowly, one at a time.

"It's so pretty…" Kanzaki breathed.

"Yikes! Did that one just pop?!" Maehara and Sugaya jumped back in surprise.

Rio snorted. "Oh, don't be silly!"

"Bright…" Hayami could be heard murmuring. Various other surprised and enchanted responses occurred all around her as Manami stared at the lights. Then, she noticed something in the formation of the lights. In particular, the ones on top of the huge gates.

I think it's….

"It's spelling out the name of the circus!" Nagisa pointed out before Manami could say anything.

"It does? Oh, it does! How cool!" Kayano said. Ryou and Naomi laughed and clapped their hands in glee.

Manami pouted, but her disappointment soon left her as the final light got lit up, and the gates swung slowly outwards. At last, they could enter.

Ryou and Naomi looked as if they were about to explode as they dragged Isogai forward, with Maehara very close behind.

Poor Isogai-kun. Manami thought wryly. Nothing was a match for the enthusiasm of little children. Not even their own excitement, which saw her swept up in a roughly formed queue to buy tickets to enter the circus. Even the ticket booth was black and white, with the lady selling tickets clad in a snow-coloured dress. There was a huge clock opposite the ticket booth, with an ornately decorated fa-Woah, hold on! Is the clock face moving? There's an entire scene painted out and…wow!

Sugaya, who was just ahead of her, seemed similarly baffled, and a lot more excited by the clock, as he was babbling about it and trying to get closer looks at it, all while buying the ticket. It was a funny sight, especially when he had to enlist Karasuma's help in dissuading Koro-sensei from dismantling and reassembling the clock at Mach-20 speed. But he did manage to buy his ticket, and soon it was Kanzaki, Kayano, Karma and Manami's turn.

"Looks like we have to go through that curtain." Karma pointed at the thick, heavy black curtain in front of them. It did seem to be the only way to get in. Manami shivered at the thought. It looked scary. But other visitors seemed to breeze past them and go through the curtain with no hesitation.

"Creepy." Kayano shivered, pulling an impressively funny face. "Oh well. It's now or never." With that, she pushed through, with Kanzaki, Karma and Manami following suit.

The curtain led into what seemed to be a dark tunnel. What stopped it from being pitch-black was the presence of little silver lights everywhere, making it look like she was under the night sky. And she also seemed to be alone. She turned around, but she couldn't see any of her friends, or any circus visitor. This didn't make any sense to her, as there had been so many people around her earlier. Unsure of what to do, she just kept on moving forward until she eventually came to another curtain.

Perhaps everyone is on the other side of this curtain. That would be logical, that would make sense. People don't just randomly disappear after stepping through curtains, after all. With a deep breath, she pushed it aside-and was blinded by a brilliant white. Blinking, she stepped forward. When her eyes adjusted, she noticed the light came from a bright bonfire within what she could only call a cage. The flames seemed to dance around each other, with a few sparks escaping from time to time. It was fascinating, made even more so by the fact the fire was pure white.

"Okuda-san, you're daydreaming!" Kayano tugged Manami out of her reverie, and she noticed that they were in a courtyard of sorts. Various vendors selling food and drink were dotted around the area- Hara, Nagisa, Sugino, Kanzaki, Maehara, Isogai and his siblings were all purchasing various items. There were also a few performers- jugglers and a contortionist- here and there. Different paths led out of the courtyard, presumably to more tents, and some of the others were already heading down those paths. And all of it was in the same colour scheme as the rest of the circus, and all of it was illuminated in the brilliant light of the bonfire.

"It's a 'dream' circus, isn't it?" Manami replied, attempting to make a joke.

"That sounds apt, Okuda-san." Kanzaki returned from the queue she was in, and handed Kayano and Manami a bag of chocolate mice, which made Kayano squeal in glee and Manami grin. "I think we should go explore more, see what other treasures are here."

"Yeah, you're right."

"Yay! Mini adventure!" Kayano crowed, linking arms with both of them.

With that, the three girls picked a path at random and went down it, munching on chocolate mice and chatting happily.

…

They wandered through a room that-despite the colour scheme- resembled the parlour of some rich English Victorian lady, and another room papered from top to bottom with Shakespearian works. Rio, being Rio, couldn't resist showing off and reading some of them, and then translating to Hinano and Yada.

"Oh, stop it!" Yada said playfully, shoving gently at Rio, who just struck a pose in response, before darting away quickly, colliding into Hinano, who giggled and jumped out of the way.

"I found a door!" Hinano said when she recovered, and pushed at it. The three of them went through it to find a room full of tall white trees in a pitch-black forest. The trees seemed to glow, and shimmer, making them seem almost other-worldly.

"Whoa….this is kind of creepy…." Hinano said, spinning around to take it all in. Yada murmured in agreement. Rio agreed, but just shrugged.

"In which case, let's find a way out!" she ploughed forward, and her friends followed. She wondered how the hell someone managed to transport freaking trees into this tent-or how a tent could fit an entire labyrinth. It shouldn't be possible, but it was.

Wait, we have a goddamned octopus as a teacher and I think THIS doesn't make sense? Rio shook her head in annoyance, blond hair whipping her face.

"At least there won't be a Minotaur waiting at the end of this." She said, completing her train of thought aloud. Yada turned and gave Rio a pained look.

"Really, you had to make me think of scary m-oh!" Yada paused at the tree she had just almost walked into, and pushed at it again. Part of the trunk shifted, and she pushed again, and again. Recognising a possible door, Rio and Hinano went to help her, pushing so hard that all of them fell face first into white sand.

"Bleurgh. Circus sand." Rio commented as she sat up and dusted the sand off her, looking up and noticing that she appeared to be under the night sky, one that was shimmering with stars, with the moon shining brightly. A full moon.

Aaand that's how we know this can't be real. Rio rolled her eyes at the image of the moon, then stood up and went to help up Hinano, who seemed to be particularly taken with this room.

"We could make a sand-castle!" she chirped as she stood up.

"The sand's too fine for that." Yada told her wryly, patting her on the head when she pouted impressively. Rio laughed, and ran across the sand, kicking it up and spinning around and generally being carefree. Having fun, just like she used to before it all went wrong.

"It's a desert! Nobody builds sandcastles in the freaking desert! You wander around in the desert!" She declared as she continued being carefree. Hinano and Yada laughed at her, and came to join her.

"Oh!" Hinano jumped, and turned behind her. "Did you hear that?" She gasped, wide eyed. They fell silent, and strained their ears. Sure enough, a small burst of twinkly laughter could be heard. But it wasn't the sound of their laughter.

Weird.

Rio eventually found a door hidden in the 'sky' and they went through it to find themselves in a corridor papered with black-and-white playing cards, from top to bottom. There were many doors along the corridor, each one covered with an enlarged version of a particular playing card. Even the lanterns hanging from the roof were made from playing cards.

"Oh-kay then…." Rio muttered, scratching her head. "Anyone want to pick a door?"

Hinano bounced happily on the spot, and agreed to, but was interrupted by the sound of another door opening- and their Foreign Languages teacher spilling out of one, and wobbling dangerously on her high-heels.

"Oi. Bitch-sensei, you drunk?" Rio called out. Irina stopped dead, then stood up straight and fixed them with a contemptuous look.

"No, I'm not drunk, you brats. What would you know about being drunk?"

"We can smell the alcohol." Yada explained, clearly aiming for a conciliatory tone. Weirdly enough, Irina seemed satisfied with that explanation, and her glare turned into an arrogant smile.

"This place has a drinkery tent, with the finest wines and beers an adult could ever imagine. Can you believe it? Very, very good vintages. Not that you'd know. Anyway, I'm going to find my way out of here! Byeee!" With that, Irina went to a door papered with a black-and-white two of clubs, and went through it, wobbling all the while.

"….she's plastered." Yada sighed. She undid her ponytail, and re-did it. Then they noticed that Hinano hadn't stopped bouncing on the spot since they'd reached the corridor. Undaunted, Hinano kept smiling.

"What?"

"Nothing…." Rio said dryly, feeling as if she'd reached a social low. "Anyway, we need to pick another door. Not the one Bitch-sensei went through."

"Okay!" Hinano immediately stopped bouncing, and ran to the end of the corridor, picking the door she stopped in front of. And they instantly entered another long hallway- where it was snowing.

"Now this takes the cake!" Yada said, holding her hand up. A few snowflakes fell into her hand, and melted. Rio noticed that there were footprints in the snow, tracking the ways that people had entered or exited the hallway. She figured that would be helpful, and attempted to fit her own feet in the footprints. Naturally, Hinano went to a corner to try and build a snow man.

"What the-?" Rio looked up at the deep voice, and saw that Chiba and Hayami had come into the room through another door. Both seemed stunned as they stepped slowly into the room.

"This can't be real." Hayami stated bluntly, even as she turned her face up to feel the soft snow falling. Rio cackled.

"Sure it is!" she said, just to be defiant. Hayami gave her a dark look, but that didn't dampen Rio's good mood. With a flourish, she jumped and landed in the snow, on her back, looking up at the dark top of the room. After some consideration, she moved her arms and legs, attempting a snow angel. Soft thumps and cries of laughter told her that her classmates were doing the same. Glancing lazily over told her that she was correct, and that made her happy. The snow angels would probably render the footprints useless, but they'd be able to find their way out easily enough. They were assassins tasked with killing their teacher, after all. Magical labyrinths were child's play, in comparison.

And she wanted to play like a child for as long as possible.

…

When Maehara and Koro-sensei insisted on taking Ryou and Naomi off his hands for a few moments, Isogai was somewhat relieved. Naturally, he protested, but Maehara's persistence matched his own, and he knew Koro-sensei wouldn't hurt them, so he let his siblings go back to The Carousel for the millionth time, and he wandered around to see what else the circus had to offer.

Koro-sensei really seems to like playing with little kids. I wonder if Nagisa's noticed. It might be useful for him to note down. I'll tell him when I see him, Isogai thought as he wandered around. The assassination would be a group effort, after all. He had no intention of hindering that. It would not be fair, after all.

He passed by a tent advertising fortune telling, but that didn't appeal to him. The same went for a few others. And then he came across the Hall of Mirrors, and he had a memory of wandering through a fairground when he was Naomi's age, clinging onto the hand of his late father. The memory of the two of them made fat or thing or square shaped by nothing more than slabs of glass tickled him, and so he decided to enter.

But this was nothing like that. The mirrors were all different sizes, in various frames. Some black, some white, some silver. Some ornate, some tacky and others plain. In one mirror, he saw his face staring back at him, but in the one below him, he couldn't see his torso, as would be expected. Other circusgoers were reflected in some of the mirrors, but a glance of the others made it appear as if he was utterly alone. He caught glimpses of a bowler hat in some mirrors, but not who was wearing it. At some points, he had to look behind him to be sure that he was still surrounded by people.

The disparity of the images reflected eventually made him think back to the assassination he and his class were tasked with. It was an important one- they had the fate of the world in their hands, after all. Not a responsibility to be shirked. Not one he intended on shirking. As a Class Rep, he embraced responsibility. This was no different-it was occurring in their class, after all.

Except that this wasn't his own responsibility. It was all of Class 3E's, and that meant teamwork, which was fine. Teamwork was his thing; he liked being helpful, liked making an effort. Often to his own cost, Maehara liked to point out, but he didn't think of it as such. This assassination, it would definitely have to be a collective effort. Their target was Koro-sensei, after all. A man-made creature with otherworldly attributes, a creature that was invincible, even in the hands of their government. Their teacher. As a class, they were the only ones who had gotten close enough to almost kill him, and that made him proud.

But…

But there was money involved. A 10 Billion Yen reward for whoever killed Koro-sensei. That was a lot of money, especially for someone with his life. That money could put him through the rest of school, and college too. It would cover any costs incurred from Ryou and Naomi's schooling careers, and there'd be plenty left over to improve other aspects of family life. He'd never have to worry about his family again. It would be such a relief to be able to do that…yet it would exclude his classmates. He wanted the reward to himself, for his family, but he also wanted the joy of sharing it with his class. His friends, when all was said and done. He looked behind him, hoping to see one of these friends entering the Hall of Mirrors, but all the faces behind him were those of strangers. Sighing, he turned back, stuck his hands in his pockets, and trudged onwards. Bits and pieces of him continued to disappear and reappear in the mirrors as he did so.

So many things I want, and don't want. Where do I draw the line and put aside my wants? Where do I put up a barrier against the needs of the people I care for?

The corridor ended in a round room, mirrored completely from top to bottom. He noticed that the mirrors lined up almost perfectly with the black and white stripes that decorated the floor and the roof, a detail that impressed him. The only other item in the room was a single tall lamppost, bathing the place in white light, being reflected over and over in the mirrored walls. As he walked further into the room, he was reflected over and over. And all he could do was stare. Stare at him and his multiple wishes, his multiple selves, and wonder which one of those was his true reflection.

…

Hayami found herself feeling ridiculously relived when they finally managed to find another tent to visit. After finally leaving The Labyrinth, the two of them had left Rio, Hinano and Yada and gone to see the acrobats. When they had come out of that tent, they had almost collided into a statue of a coal-black pirate, holding a sword and grinning with teeth that were (thankfully) white. They had only been able to stare at it, and soon figured out the statue was actually a person, moving ever so slightly so that it was difficult to figure out where the line between human and thing lay. That had sparked a mission to look out for any other statues that might be in the circus, and so they had wandered around doing just that.

Which had been fine, until they had stumbled across the statues of 'The Lovers'. Suspended on a silver platform, the two seemed to be forever locked in the moment after (or maybe before?) the kiss. Touching without actually touching. And just looking at them made her want to kiss Chiba, with a yearning that was almost scary. Scary enough that it felt as if her entire being broadcasted it, and that wasn't something she wanted.

So when he pointed out a tent named 'The Drawing Room' she gladly accepted. She wasn't really sure what type of tent that would be, but anything was better than those statues and the thoughts they were making her think.

As it turned out, the tent was a literal portrayal of its name, with blackboards for walls and boxes of white chalk littered here and there. There were quite a few patrons in the room, either working alone or in groups, and the walls were quite substantially filled. From a distance, she could recognise the handwriting and drawing styles of some of her classmates. Nagisa. Sugaya. Karma. Hara. Isogai. But she didn't go closer to see what they had written. Recognising that they had been here was caring enough. To look closer would be an intrusion. Instead, she made a beeline to where Chiba had found a free space.

"Move over, I can't sit here otherwise." She ordered. He obliged, and then she squatted down beside him, and looked at the black space, tossing the stick of chalk from hand to hand as she did so.

"So…" they said in unison. "What should we draw?"

They stared at each other for a moment, a bubble of silence separating them from the chatter of everyone else in the room. Then, they laughed, side-splittingly. Their laughter broke the bubble, making them blend in with their settings, yet at the same time, it felt to Hayami as if they were in their own world.

"I was thinking…" Chiba replied when he calmed down. "We could just put the chalk to the board and see what happens."

Hayami tilted her head curiously at him. "Improvisation?"

Chiba shrugged and gave her a lopsided grin. The grin tugged at her heart, and she found that the image of 'The Lovers' was still fresh in her mind. She'd do something about that later but here, now, that didn't matter. They were just a boy and a girl in a circus tent, getting ready to draw on a chalkboard.

"Sounds like a good idea to me."

…

"Yes, yes , we've found it!"

As Kanzaki showed an uncharacteristic level of excitement by rushing into the tent, Kayano and Nagisa couldn't help but exchange looks and laugh, a few more Labyrinth feathers falling out of their hair. They had been in and out of a dizzying array of tents ranging from conventional circus attractions to the utterly bizarre labyrinth, and a board games room that saw them collaborating successfully with a bunch of German 30-something-year-old tourists to play life-sized snakes and ladders, despite the language barriers. And now, they were at a tent called 'The Ice Garden', one that Kanzaki had been wanting to find for a while.

"It seems to me as if Kanzaki-san might just be the latest reveur." Ritsu commented from Kayano's phone.

"Mhmm." Kayano agreed, doing a little dance before following Kanzaki.

"She looks really happy…" Sugino observed, looking very love-struck as he walked behind the two girls.

"You might want to do something about that blushing though." Chiba pointed out, deadpan. Embarrassed, Sugino patted at his face as they went into the Ice Garden. Kayano rolled her eyes. At this rate, Sugino would be searching out a red scarf for Kanzaki. Not a terrible thing, per se, but Sugino really had it bad, and that was almost painful to see.

Woooah, Kanzaki-san, you were onto something here! Unlike the other tents they had been in, which balanced black, white, grey and silver in varying degrees, this tent was entirely white, and glitteringly so. And, as advertised, nearly everything, from the trees to the blades of grass and even the benches were all ice. The only things that weren't were the ribbons strung up here and there.

"Ooo, it smells like sugar!" Kayano bent to pick a tiny ice daisy and turned to show it to Nagisa and Manami, only for it to shatter in her hands. "Aww…" for some reason, the event made her feel heart-broken. Nagisa patted her on the shoulder comfortingly.

"The flower grew back. Look" he told her, pointing at it with a kind look. Sure enough, there was another daisy in the same place as the one she had just picked. Kayano scrutinised the spot, convinced some sort of deception was going on. How on earth could ice grow?

"Perhaps it's just better to look at everything instead." Manami suggested kindly. "I wonder what Karma-kun would think of this place…." She mused as an afterthought, unintentionally managing to distract Kayano from the tragedy of the shattered daisy.

"Who knows….?" Nagisa answered Manami with a nervous laugh as they continued to wander around the Ice Garden.

"It's kind of weird, this place." Chiba spoke up suddenly, changing the topic again and causing all of them (save Kanzaki, who was wandering around the garden and looking right at home in the process) to stop and stare at him.

Well duh! Kayano thought, hoping her expression conveyed that.

"Yeah, I guess…" Nagisa said, shrugging and holding his hands out in a 'who-knows?' gesture. Chiba turned to face them, leaning against an impressive ice-apple tree.

"Well, I know this circus is odd, but this place, in particular. It's cold, and I can feel that as a fact, but I don't actually feel cold."

Now you mention it…Kayano realised that the sniper was talking a lot of sense. She for one wasn't shivering, and she had chosen to put cardigan over her clothes in favour of a proper coat that night, to reflect the mild weather outside . A lot of them had done the same.

"Yeah, I think you're right." Manami agreed cheerfully, examining a rose bush.

"Hey, we should play hide-and-seek!" Kanzaki announced suddenly, joining them again. The other five looked at her quizzically as she began to tie her hair with a large, lacy white scrunchie. Kanzaki simply smiled, looking just a touch devilish. As this was an unusual look for her, Kayano's curiosity was piqued.

"Hide…and…seek?"

"You want to play a game, Kanzaki-san?"

"Everything's see-through. Realistically, there isn't anywhere we could hide. "

Kanzaki giggled, and started to take off her bright blue jumper.

"Yeah, let's play hide-and-seek!" she repeated. "Oh, and Chiba-kun, everything's technically white. See?" She abandoned her jumper on an ice-bench, and ducked behind a large shrub momentarily, before getting up and running to hide beside a tree. Although there were flashes of black from her hair and tights, Kanzaki could hardly be seen. Because her dress was white. As white as the tent they were currently in.

"Ah, how clever!" Kayano exclaimed. "Then let-"Kayano paused, clocking what Kanzaki was implying.

"Heyyyy, that's cheating!" she cried, chasing after her good friend. "Not fair!" the others clocked, and immediately joined in with the chase, rushing around and around and laughing as they ran around the Ice Garden, making it their playground, attempting to catch Kanzaki, the newest reveur, who had somehow managed to hoodwink them all.

…

Chiba had to work hard to hold back a chuckle when he found himself reaching into the bucket of black stones at the exact same time as Hayami did. He had been perfectly happy to sample the sights and sounds of Le Cirque des Reves without her for a while, but found that now they were together again, he felt at peace.

"You're entering the Pool of Tears too?" he asked. Hayami mock-glared at him.

"I'm taking a stone, aren't I?" Chiba let out a chuckle at her tsundere moment, and simply led the way.

"Why is the roof covered in umbrellas?" Hayami asked incredulously as she entered the tent behind him, looking up at said umbrellas with an incredulous expression before shrugging and circuiting the room. Chiba had wondered the same thing, but in truth, he was struck at just how…Hayami the tent was. He'd hardly tell her as much (even with all the things they tell each other), but there was something about the soft crunch of the gravel, the smell of the ocean, the understated glow of the pool and the overall simple elegance of the room that reminded him of her.

Do you recognise yourself here? He wondered silently as he followed her to the low wall that was near the pool, sitting next to her. As neither of them seemed to feel the need to say anything, they just sat, side by side in a comfortable silence. Occasionally, he'd sneak a glance at her, trying to engrave the sight of her in his mind. He also found himself noticing the bottom of the pool was littered with stones just like the ones they were holding. Why that would be, he had no idea.

And then the sorrows started crowding his thoughts. The disappointment of failed assassinations (particularly that summer), the loneliness of being sent to Class 3E, various childhood disappointments and frustrations. The burden of the world's fate, regrets over arguments he'd had with Hayami and others he cared about. And, perhaps most importantly, the crippling fear that in 10 years' time, he wouldn't be able to look at the space next to him and see her there. Any life he would have then would not be much of a life if Hayami wasn't there. He hoped she felt the same way. All these horrible, horrible feelings (some of which had been long forgotten until then) built up and overlapped and clouded his mind, unrelenting.

Stop it, stop it, stop it!

He tried and tried to push back all the unwelcome thoughts and memories, but to no avail. They insisted on staying, no matter what he did. In the midst of his mental efforts, the stone in his hand slipped away and fell into the water with a gentle plop noise.

And just like that, the sorrows left him.

Stunned, he stared at his stone, which was almost camouflaged by the others, despite the pool's glow. It felt as if he'd just let go of something more than a stone. He felt weirdly light, and even as he flexed his limbs in utter bafflement, the feeling remained. As if every trouble he'd had had left him, care-free and calm. Then he looked at Hayami.

Okay….not completely trouble free. Because Hayami was hunched over, hands still clutching her stone, and holding it to her chest, as if she was trying to compress her personal pains, squash them in a box. But judging by the look on her face, it wasn't working. The pain she showed struck right through Chiba, making him feel unbearably sad.

In 10 years' time…

"Hayami, let go." He whispered. She looked up abruptly, and stared at him, her green eyes wild and liquid with tears. She didn't seem to know what he was talking about.

"The stone." He elaborated, still whispering. "Drop it in the pool." Hayami stared at him as if he had taken leave of his senses, but all the same started to slowly unfurl one arm until it hung limp at her side, stone still trapped in her fist. Still wary, she gave him another aggrieved look, and he nodded encouragingly. Gradually, her fingers straightened out, and the stone slipped out, sliding down the edge of the pool's shore, until it disappeared into the glistening water. The relief that washed over her was even more visceral than the sorrows, and she straightened, stretching her arms and breathing in and out deeply a few times.

"Thank you…Ryuu." She said, softly, using the nickname she only ever addressed him with in their closest moments. Her voice, although a touch shaky, sounded happier. He smiled at her, and inclined his head in response. Then, he stood up.

"Let's go."

"Mmm." Hayami stood up, and they left the tent. Even if the place reminded him of her at first, he was all too glad to leave it. The tent might have been just like her, but she was there, by his side, in that moment. Why on earth would he want a tent instead?

Blindly, he reached out for her hand and gripped it, tight but gentle. And when her fingers curled around his in return, he truly felt the last of his sorrows fade away.

…

As an apology for making her go on The Ghost Train with him, Karma decided to take Manami to the courtyard and buy her a mulled cider. Admittedly, it was an excuse to buy yet another cup of the beverage (which he was now mildly addicted to), but he figured it would be a nice gesture. That, and seeing the way she gazed at the large bonfire was very cute. He'd noticed how she had initially gravitated towards it at the beginning of the night, when they had entered the circus via that oddly isolating tunnel. The interest she obviously held was so typically Manami-like that he'd had to work hard to hold back on his laughter at the matter.

"Here you go." He said, joining her. She took the mulled cider gratefully, and sipped at it.

"Mmm, it tastes….really good! You were right when you said this was better than the tea they have here!" Manami turned away from the fire to smile at him.

"Well, to be honest I don't really like tea anyway, so I would probably say that." Somehow, he didn't want to admit to her that he'd had 26 cups of the mulled cider. Luckily for him, she was too sweet to notice the evasive nature of his words and just shrugged and turned back to the bonfire. He did the same, and for a moment they just stood and watched the bonfire in what would have been silence if it wasn't for the coming and goings of other circus-goers.

"It's an impressive fire, isn't it?" he said, eventually, sipping easily on his drink. "And the cauldron it's in is quite unique."

"I thought it was a cage?" Manami stared at the container keeping the fire in, forehead crinkling. Karma just laughed, causing her to flash him an offended look before smiling again.

"I think the fire itself is the better part. Did you see the performers who use fires? You know, those fire-eaters and the dancers? The flames they used were white like these ones. All the way through." Her voice was full of awe at the phenomenon.

"I suspect you'd be able to recreate such flames, if you wanted to." Even if arson wasn't his thing, if he ever changed his mind about that, he knew he'd want the fire he'd make to be an unnatural colour. All the better to confuse people, after all.

"I know of substances that burn with colourful flames….but I can't remember anything that makes a white like this! It's….almost unnatural. But I can think of a few possibilities…." Manami trailed off, tilting her head as if trying to view the flames from another and Karma could practically see the way her thoughts were connecting to each other in her head.

"Perhaps you should try it out in the Science lab one day, after school. I'm sure Koro-sensei'd be more than happy to help. Especially with a circus experiment." He recalled the octopus creature's attempt to be one of the live statues that were littered around the circus, and suddenly felt depressed. Koro-sensei posing as a black and white belly-dancer- that image would be burned in his mind forever. Especially as Karma hadn't been able to use that moment to kill him

"That sounds like a good idea! I'll do that!" Manami exclaimed cheerfully. Then, she gave Karma a look that made his cheeks go slightly pink. "Perhaps…perhaps Karma-kun would like to help me out, when I do that? I'd appreciate the company, especially if it was Karma-kun." Her last sentence was said a lot more shyly than the ones before, but she still managed to sound confident.

She's growing. That's good.

Fighting hard to hide the growing blush on his cheeks, Karma shifted his cup from one hand to the other so that he could give her a large thumbs-up.

"I'd be happy to." He answered. Manami gave him a thumbs-up in return, and went back to sipping her drink. They stood in silence for a moment, sipping at the cider.

"Hey, Karma-kun, why'd you look so traumatised earlier? Before the Ghost Train, that is."

"Oh, that? Well, now that's one hell of a story." He related the whole sorry Koro-sensei-as-a-statue-of-a-belly-dancer tale, making Manami face-palm in sympathy, but still unable to prevent a grin. Which he didn't blame her for-it was kind of funny, after all. When he finished the story, Manami smiled at him.

"Right, I think we should look for another tent. One neither of us have been in yet." She decided with the same unusual confidence she had shown when asking him to be with her when she experimented with fire.

Karma raised an eyebrow.

"Oh, really now?" he drawled casually, tilting his head at her. When Manami gave him a flustered look, he burst out laughing. This only seemed to confuse her more, which made him laugh harder. When he managed to calm down, he replied.

"Don't worry, of course I'd like to go explore new tents with you. Night's still young and all."

"Phew." Manami sighed in relief. Then her expression changed. "But first, I'm buying you something to eat." She stated.

"Erm…why?" Karma stared at her.

Manami sighed and shook her head. Karma had the peculiar feeling that he was about to get told off for something, but he wasn't sure what that would be. He'd already apologised for the ghost train, after all. And she'd accepted the apology. So he frankly didn't have a clue.

"Because you haven't eaten all night! Sure, you've had lots of cider, but that's not food!"

Ah, busted.

…

After Kayano had overheard two high school girls talk about a tent that was modelled on an old-fashioned British sweetshop, complete with sweets that could actually be taken and eaten, there had been no stopping her. And when they had bumped into Hinano and Hara, something unstoppable had been unleashed. And as a result, Nagisa was now wandering the circus alone, which, oddly enough, left him bereft.

"Nagisa-kun!"

Nagisa turned at Isogai's voice, and saw that he was with his siblings, Karasuma and Irina. Naomi seemed to be taken with Irina's appearance, and so was clinging onto one of her hands, while using the other to grip Isogai's trouser pocket. Ryou was sitting on Karasuma's shoulders, and Karasuma didn't look too put out about the fact, holding securely onto the little boy's legs while chatting to Isogai about something relating to their training.

"Are you on your own?" Karasuma enquired matter of fact-ly. Nagisa nodded.

"Yeah, Kayano's on a mission….something about a sweetshop-style tent….." he trailed off, and shrugged.

"Ooh, sweets! Yuma-Nii-Chan, can we go there?"

"Yeah, can we? Please!" Ryou cried from his vantage point. He wobbled a little, but Karasuma steadied him easily.

"Careful, Ryou-kun." He admonished, but not harshly.

"You've had a lot of snacks already guys…" Isogai said with a tone of exasperated affection.

"Pleeeaaaasseeee." Naomi fluttered her eyelashes at all three of the older members of the group. "Irina-san, what do you think, can we go get sweets?"

"I don't think it would do too much harm." Karasuma stated, reasonably. " This is hardly a normal Friday night."

"But sensei, you don't have to deal with the-" Isogai stopped, and looked from one sibling to the other, and then sighed, giving in.

"Okay, let's go find the sweetshop. Nagisa-kun, do you want to come with us? "Isogai asked, turning to Nagisa suddenly. Nagisa blinked, and thought about the scene that had occurred in front of him just now. The camaderie, the gentle scolding, the cute moments, and the way they all got on with each other, and most importantly, the impressions of love the little group seemed to have developed seemed just like a family. Even though it was a teenager, his teachers and his little siblings, they all seemed meshed like a proper family.

A proper one, who care for each other. Who take each other just as they are, no matter what. Things he watched from a distance all the time, but had never really experienced. The portrayal in front of Nagisa now made him feel particularly raw.

"No, I'm fine. " Nagisa said, laughing and trying to come off as casual. "You go on and find the sweetshop. Kayano and the others went that way, I think." He gestured in the direction they had run off in.

"Well, if you're sure….shall we go, Ryou, Naomi?"

"YAY!" the group of five continued walking in the other direction, and Nagisa wandered off, deep in thought, all sorts of emotions spinning in his head.

Darkest Desires Disclosed. Nagisa stopped dead still, blinking. Where had those words come from? Wildly, he looked around; trying to find an answer, and then noticed a tent he hadn't seen before, slightly behind him. Slowly, he stepped over, and regarded the sign.

"Fortune-teller…Fates Foretold and Darkest Desires Disclosed…" he read with some difficulty. At least it partially explained where the words had come from. He recalled a lesson where Koro-sensei had talked about the use of subliminal perception in advertising. Perhaps something similar had happened here. Either way, it couldn't hurt to go in the tent. At least, he hoped so.

Furtively, he looked to either side of him, breathing a sigh of relief when he didn't see anyone from his class walk past. Infact, there didn't seem to be all that many people in this part of the circus. So, after a few deep breaths, he entered the tent…and found himself in a parlour. The few seats in the room were unoccupied, and there was nobody else waiting. The room was lit by a sparkling chandelier, which also illuminated the bead curtain on the other side of the room. Nagisa gazed at it, thinking it looked like frozen rain.

Erm…what do I do now?

"Come in, please." The female voice made him jump, sounding so near despite the lack of anyone else in the room. It took him a moment to realise that the voice must have come from beyond the curtain, so with some caution, he pushed through it. The sound it made further reinforced his initial impression of frozen rain.

The woman who had (presumably) called out sat on one side of a table draped with black velvet, some candlesticks illuminating her, the table and the room. A thin black veil covered her face and obscured her features, although Nagisa got the impression of bright eyes gazing at him. On the other side of the table, there was a chair. He walked to it and sat down, surprised at just how comfortable the chair was.

"I'm afraid payment is required before we may begin." The woman said, somehow sounding apologetic. Nagisa shrugged, and dug in his pocket, locating his wallet and pulling it out.

"Erm…" he looked at the coins in his hand, then looked up at the woman. "How much do you need?"

"Whatever you wish to pay for a glimpse of your future." Nagisa had no idea what to make of that, so he gathered a few more coins and put them down on the table. Hopefully he had given an adequate amount. The woman didn't comment on it, however, simply choosing to hover one of her white-gloved hands over the coins, making them disappear. Then, she held out her other hand, and dropped a pile of sparkling silver stars onto the table, and started shifting them around, occasionally looking up at Nagisa before concentrating again. Nagisa wondered what she was doing- he was pretty sure that fortune tellers used cards or crystal balls-he'd certainly never seen something like this. The stars seemed to shimmer and shift in the candlelight- a fleeting version of the night sky.

"You…you have a hard few months ahead of you. You have something important that needs doing, by the looks of it. Something that needs to be done…by next March?"

Nagisa stayed stock still. "Mhmm." He said vaguely. What she had said so far correlated with the assassination his class had been tasked with, even if her wording was vague at first. But that was a government secret.

"Ah, it's not just you. Some fri-your classmates. I recognise faces some from earlier. You're all in this together, and as such, you've worked together and will do so. Nobody will ever really acknowledge it, but in truth, the class you are part of are far stronger than the ones that call themselves the better ones. You'll use that knowledge to your advantage, in both the mission and in life. So even though you've failed to complete the task, as of now, and will have failures, that won't be a lasting pattern. Eventually, you'll cut through those defences and kill the creature threatening the earth. But that relies on all of you, working together. If you don't work as a class, then the assassination won't succeed. And afterwards, you'll need each other, for comfort and more.. "

His mouth fell open. He wasn't sure which was more surprising- that some other members of his class had sought out their futures, or that the fortune teller seemed to know specifics of his-and his classmates'- situations.

"So…erm….I…." Nagisa couldn't form a sentence properly, and eventually just opted to stare. The fortune teller chuckled softly, which reassured him slightly, even though the astonishment remained.

"Yes, there will still be a world after March. You'll have all succeeded, remember? I can't tell you how, because that's not how this works, but I can promise it'll happen. Would you like to know some of what the stars have to say about afterwards?"

"I…erm…sure. Yes, please." The fortune teller chuckled again, and moved a few stars around.

"The toll of having had such a mission will weigh on you all, in different ways, and I believe a lot of the choices you will make from there on out will be informed by your experiences, as it will be with your friends. And friends you will remain, much the same as before, despite everything…no, wait. Except one. It's clear you treasure this person, but h-they aren't who you think they are, and that'll be revealed as a result of this assassination. You might even lose h-that person because of this. But even so, they'll remain precious to you. So you'll need to be aware of your classmates, and what they are like. But they aren't the only surprise- you're a bit of a wild card yourself, you know. "

"I am? I'm just ordinary." And who could possibly be claiming to be someone they're not? Technically, we're all doing that in our lives. If anything, it's only with each other we are freer.

"No, you're not. You've got a good eye for assassination missions, you know that much. But you have a…talent, and a drive, that I don't think you've realised yet." Nagisa remembered what it was like to hold a real knife for the very first time, and had a feeling he knew what she was saying. "But in time, you will, and you'll use it. This much is clear to me- the stars say it is inevitable-and it's also clear that you'll use this gift well. But my advice to you would be to not use it too well. "

Now Nagisa was utterly confused. He rubbed his eyes tiredly and blinked.

"I'm sorry, I don't understand." The fortune-teller regarded him, and Nagisa thought he could sense a sympathetic expression under the veil. He also had the feeling that her eyes were blue. Much like his. He didn't have a clue why, but that was the instinct he got.

"You've a long life ahead of you, Nagisa, whatever you do. "The fortune teller said, moving the stars around the table. "But using this gift of yours could turn it into a curse- you'll be in the shadows. Disappear from the lives of the people you know. And if you do that, your mother won't get the chance to see you grow, to realise that actually, what she had is good enough. I can tell, from what I'm seeing, that things are not so great now, but they can and will get better, I promise. But your mother needs a chance, and being in the shadows won't let that happen. "

The mention of his mother had him cold, recalling unwelcome memories, alternated with Isogai's little group and the happiness they showed, before finally, he thought of the faces of all of his friends. But it was the fortune-teller's words about his mother that convinced him that she truly did have power. Those issues had remained firmly behind doors. Not even the closest of his friends knew of what she was like, what she did. What she continued to do.

But an opportunity for forgiveness….Oh, how he'd love that. He needed it. So it was good to know that if he stepped carefully, it would be there.

"I…I think I understand. "As he said those words, he realised that he did understand. Not all of it, and he doubted his ability to explain any of it, but he felt a lot more…surer of his life. Standing up, he prepared to thank the fortune teller, and leave, when something occurred to him.

"Those stars, that's how you see the future, right? Any future?"

"That is correct." The fortune teller's voice had a hint of cautiousness in it. Even so, Nagisa continued to question her.

"So, that means when you look up at the sky at night, the first things you see are glimpses of what's to come?"

The fortune teller tilted her head.

"What of it?"

"Doesn't that make you sad? That you can't just enjoy the stars for what they are?" Surprising Nagisa, the fortune teller laughed.

"You don't have to worry about me. I'm used to it, I don't know any different, after all. "

"I-I see." Nagisa reddened, feeling embarrassed. "Well, I'll go now. Thank you, for telling me all of that."

"Not a problem. And remember, Nagisa, the future isn't set in stone. Your actions can change things. So be wise, and careful. "

"Mhmm." Given the warnings about not going too far into shadows, Nagisa had already suspected that much. Still, it was reassuring to be told that. Especially since it seemed that they'd succeed in assassinating Koro-sensei.

I'll look forward to that day then.

The moment he left the tent, Nagisa realised the fortune teller had used his name, despite him not having mentioned it. And that was all he needed to believe that every word she'd said had been true.

…

Somehow, Kanzaki thought, it was incredibly fitting that the part of the circus where they all reunited happened to be none other than the Wishing Tree. All those wishes, each lit up by one that had gone before. And now, their wishes-the ones that they all shared-were being added to the tree, making it seem even brighter to her.

When she had put up her candle, she stepped back to watch her special group of classmates and teachers. On one side of her, Karma and Manami were sharing a large packet of flavoured paper, their conversation flowing even as Karma jabbed his knife at the ever-speedy Koro-sensei. On her other side, Kayano was rearranging the feathers that still remained in Nagisa's hair so that they seemed part of his hairstyle( having done the same with her own hair) all while Nagisa attempted to put up his own candle. In a corner of the tent, Chiba and Hayami stood gazing up at the utter brilliance of the tree, seeming so close as to be touching, but not actually touching, a lot like a certain pair of statues she had spotted earlier. Sugino, Sugaya and Hara chatted. Hinano, Rio and Maehara chased Ryou around the tent, while Isogai held up Naomi so she could reach the tree. Yada was in an extremely absorbing conversation with Irina, and Karasuma simply watched it all.

Much like Kanzaki was. And in watching, she truly felt the impact of the words that Thiessen, and other reveurs after him, had written. Adding and adding to the stories of the circus. From the moment she had arrived at school that morning and heard everyone discussing the mysterious circus outside Yada's house, she'd felt a connection to this place she had never seen, and a strange compulsion to visit it. Now she'd managed to enter it, and experience some of what the black-and-white wonderland had to offer, she felt as if Le Cirque des Reves was part of her. In other words, she was a reveur.

And proud of it. And I don't need to disguise it.

"Ah, man, I'm beat!" Sugaya said. "I think I'm going to check out Thiessen's clock, and then head home."

"Yes, yes." Koro-sensei clapped his tentacles together decisively, cleverly dodging yet another attack from Karma. "I think it's time for everyone to head home."

No, not yet.

"Actually, I think I'm staying until closing time." Kanzaki replied, politely but firmly.

"Ah, is that so?" Koro-sensei enquired. Hinano and the others stopped running and came closer.

"Yeah." She smiled, already planning on how to spend the hours. Koro-sensei chuckled.

"I see. This circus seems to have affected all of us, but I sense that it has touched your heart the most. In that case…." Koro-sensei's tentacles moved around quickly, and then a few seconds later, there was a red, knitted scarf draped over them. The ends were tasselled, and looked almost silky. Momentarily, the others could only stare before going back to what they were doing.

"Teachers should encourage their students to embrace their dreams." Koro-sensei said as explanation. "As long as they're told to keep an anchor in the ground, students should be able to soar as far as they like. So make the most of these dreams, Kanzaki-san, and have fun."

"Thank you." Touched, she took the scarf and bowed. "I will."

"Ah, if that's the case, let me tag along, Kanzaki-san." Rio said, stretching lazily. "It's a Friday night, after all. Yada-san, Kurahashi-san, you in?"

"It's right in front of my house, after all." Yada said by way of reply. Hinano gave her a thumbs-up and Irina took the turn in conversation as an invitation to head back to the Drinkery tent.

"I'd stay, but I'll be expected back soon." Sugino said, apologetically. Kanzaki turned to him and gave him a smile, shrugging. Isogai also declined the idea of staying late, citing his little siblings as another reason as to why he had to go- and to be fair, they did seem like they were getting tired. After a little more debate and discussion, Nagisa and Kayano decided they would also stay a while (and, by extension, Ritsu would too). Neither Chiba nor Hayami contributed to said discussion, but Kanzaki knew they wouldn't be leaving anytime soon. They were reveurs too, after all. She was convinced of it. Not that she'd ask them about it, but she could sense it strongly.

Once they were all sure that they had lit candles, they all left the tent and walked to the courtyard together. Farewells and thank-yous were exchanged, and then they all parted ways, whether that was towards home, or to another corner of the circus. Kanzaki waited in the middle of the courtyard, bonfire illuminating her, watching until those who were leaving had left.

"Kanzaki-san! Are you coming or what?" Kanzaki turned to see Rio waving madly at her, Nagisa and Kayano standing next to her and smiling, beckoning Kanzaki.

Good friends, a magical circus, unforgettable experiences. Perhaps being part of Class 3E is actually a blessing.

"Yeah, I am! Wait up!" And with that happy thought, she ran to join her friends, and enjoy the rest of her night.