This is for Kayano's (fake) birthday. It's based off of a headcanon I have that Kayano was the one to cut Nagisa's hair after graduation. I suppose I could have published this as a part of my post 3-E vignette collection Aftershocks, but I've already got a Nagikae chapter planned for that, so I decided to post this separately.

Review, please! It's been so hard to write things since I finished Great Teacher Nagisa. And if you're waiting on updates for Fake Smiles, chapter four will be out by the end of the week.

Nagisa was sitting in the old classroom. What day was it again, what time? March 27th, 8:09 at night. In less than 24 hours, his first day at Keisetsu University's High School would begin. His desk was familiar and comfortable. He placed he head down on it.

Nagisa didn't know it, but he was not the only student to have visited the classroom that day. Kataoka spent the afternoon here looking through her copy of Koro-sensei's Book of Advice (she left in tears hours before). Itona came to find a remote-controlled tank he made with the guys a few months ago. Really, why wouldn't they visit here? Those government agents had finally left the school to its own devices, and the class was about to begin the process of buying the mountain to keep this area preserved forever.

He could smell the cherry blossoms in the air with the windows open. A chilly breeze blew in. He shuddered, but couldn't summon the energy to shut the window. So there Nagisa sat for an amount of time he wasn't even sure of himself.

It was so silent there that he found himself focusing on his own breathing. Nagisa knew it wasn't healthy, but he was holding on to the past. He didn't want to leave Kunugigaoka. He didn't want to leave the assassination classroom behind. He didn't want to leave his classmates. They were connected via Line, sure, but that wasn't the same as seeing them every single day.

And Koro-sensei? Was he watching them right now? Nagisa was sure of it. He and Yukimura-sensei both. They were those kind of teachers.

Nagisa heard footsteps echo throughout the halls and approach the classroom. His pigtails perked up.

It better not be one of those government agents, I'm pretty sure they took all our weapons so I'd have no way to defend myself, Nagisa's mind rambled on. Maybe I could use the desk as a shield-

A voice abruptly stopped his train of thought. A voice he had heard almost every day for a year. "Hey Nagisa."

He turned around. "Oh, hi Kayano."

One of his closest friends stood in the doorway. Like him, she held a somber expression. Her hair wasn't in twin tails anymore, but instead flowed in loose locks. Nagisa took a moment to admire how long it was.

"Nagisa?"

Damn it, he didn't realize he was zoning out. "S-sorry." He gestured to Kayano's desk next to him. "Would you like to join me?"

Kayano didn't answer. She just walked toward her friend and crush (though Nagisa wasn't aware of the last part). She sat on the top of Nagisa's desk so that they could sit next to each other while looking out the window.

Things were peaceful for a few minutes. There were no chirping bugs to annoy them (they wouldn't spring back to life for another few weeks), and no one was out at this time of night on a Sunday to potentially interrupt.

"I guess you're here for the same reasons as me." Nagisa turned towards her, pleased that he was joined by company. Especially since it was one of his best friends.

"If those reasons are that I felt nostalgic, then yes. Plus I forgot something." She wasn't her perky self today. But that was to be expected given the situation. Who would be cheery now? They were still in grieving, all twenty-eight of them.

"Yeah. Soon I'll have to go home to my mom." Nagisa observed an owl flying past the window. Its hoots were a good background noise to their night. His hands unconsciously went to his hair, rubbing strands between his fingers. "She's promised to change, but there are still things that make me uncomfortable there."

Kayano had been looking at him, so she knew what was in the back of his mind. Even if he didn't want to admit it. "Like your hair?"

"Y-yes. She doesn't make he wear it down while I'm home anymore. But when she looks at my hair, I know what goes through her head."

"Hmm…" Kayano shuffled her hands. It was clear that something was on her mind, but she was struggling to say it out loud. "Do you want it cut?"

Nagisa was a bit surprised at her ability to read him. She was an assassin too, after all. But he didn't want to admit she was right. She gave him these cute little twin tails to match hers; what if she felt insulted that he wanted them off? And didn't his pigtails connect him to this past year?

"Well," Nagisa played with his hair. "I've got so many conflicting memories attached to it. It's a constant reminder of the way my mom raised me. But this specific style, I've only worn it this year. So it connects me to that. And… " Nagisa gulped, not sure if he could spit out the next part. Kayano waited patiently.

"And… You gave it to me. We shared it. And we won't be going to the same high school, so I don't know how often we'll meet up. I want something to remember you by, something to share with you." Nagisa blushed while saying it, something he hadn't done in who knows how long.

Kayano, who longed for the day that Nagisa would call her by her real name, wasn't quite sure how to respond to that. So she tackled the issues one at a time.

"Look," She grabbed a fistful of her own locks. "I don't have that hairstyle anymore. It's a tie that binds us to Koro-sensei and 3-E, but we have to grow and become the people Koro-sensei wanted us to be. And you have to cut ties with your history with your mother, so you can both grow as people and develop a better relationship."

Nagisa seemed pleased with her rationalization, but it still didn't address their status. "And you? What about us?"

"I'll give you something else to remember me by." She found the strength to smile for the first time since Valentine's Day. She already knew exactly what she would do for him.

What Kayano was saying made sense. So Nagisa accepted it.

"Let's move on together." Nagisa nodded in agreement.

Kayano reached into her desk. She pulled out a pair of scissors.

"Why do you have scissors in your desk? Isn't that a violation of the safety code?" Nagisa asked. On his first day of teaching, Koro-sensei pulled out a list that stretched to the door full of guidelines on how to stay safe in the classroom. Number 134 was don't chew gum while breathing ("You could choke!"). Number 356 was don't use a ruler with sharp edges ("You could get a papercut!"). And Nagisa remembered for sure that number 584 was don't keep your own pair of scissors in your desk because you could forget it's there, reach in, and get stabbed.

"Because you can't really open up a package of pudding with one of those anti-sensei knives."

Nagisa wore his signature what-will-I-ever-do-with-you face.

"Okay. Sit down in your chair." Kayano instructed him. She put the scissors down for later.

Nagisa felt anticipation in the pit of his stomach. He'd wanted this for years, and it was finally happening.

Facing his back, Kayano removed the hair ties from her friend's pigtails and let his hair flow loose. She ran her fingers through his hair, rejoicing in the fact that he allowed her to be the one to do this. She reached into her desk for her other favorite tool: a brush.

"You just keep a brush in there?" Nagisa asked.

"I sure do. Actually that's part of the reason I came back tonight. I forgot to take it home, and I guess the government folks didn't confiscate it." Kayano shrugged.

Kayano brushed Nagisa's hair carefully. The last person who brushed Nagisa's hair (besides himself) was his mother. Now was different. Kayano was gentle and he felt affection flow from her. The cherry blossom-scented wind blew through his hair.

Kayano picked up the scissors from her desk. She saw her own reflection in their blades. She opened and closed them, making a snip snip sound. She had a moment of hesitation. "Are you sure I can?"

"Yes." He was certain about it now.

It only took a few seconds and a series of snips. Silky blue hair fell to the ground, and on Nagisa's shoulders, and in Kayano's hands. His head felt lighter. His eyes got misty. Graduation was now truly over with.

Kayano brushed the extra strands out. She was on the verge of tears herself, and she knew the same was true about her companion. So she walked in front of Nagisa.

Nagisa attempted to use his fingers to wipes away to tears, but that proved insufficient.

"… Thank you, Kayano." He said after collecting himself.

"Mhmm." Kayano knew if she opened her mouth she'd cry out, so she settled for making noises. Feeling bold, she grabbed Nagisa and pulled him into a hug. Nagisa leaned into it and she placed his hair ties in his hands.

"I promised you something else." Kayano held out her hand. "Give me your phone."

Nagisa looked up at her. He was a bit confused, but he did so. Kayano pressed the touchscreen a few times then handed it back to him.

The contacts app was open. Her number was displayed, but the name above it was not Kaede Kayano. It was now Akari Yukimura.

"No one has called me Akari since my sister died." The green-haired girl explained. "But I want you to. After all we've been through, I think you should be allowed to call me by my real name."

Nagisa felt a swelling in his heart. Like something was growing there, something he'd never felt before.

"It's getting late. C'mon, I'll walk you home, Akari."