Yeah, I'm on my way now.
We still don't know the full details,
but there's only one guard on the deal, two at most, so it'll be easy.
You sure about that?
Yeah, I just happened to pick this intel up...
but it checks out.
Got it.
Contact the disposal unit.
Roger that!
I looked over the books...
and there ain't no way we can squeeze out more any money.
If we don't figure something out, the boss's gonna beat the shit out of us.
- Huh? - Who're you?
Who the hell are you, asshole?
Hey, old man!
I said, "Who the hell are you?"
Got a light?
No, I ain't got a goddamn light!
I see.
What the hell is he after?
It's obvious, right?
What?
The extermination of irredeemables.
Dammit!
Shit!
Why him?
The hitman who'll kill anyone if the money's right!
"If the money's right"?
That's news to me.
I make it a rule to only kill irredeemables.
Huh?
I'm sorry.
Please just spare my life.
Die!
Damn, 25 guys, huh?
Impressive as always!
- Kotatsu Nekota... - Yeah?
If I recall, you said there'd be one guard, two at most, right?
M-M-My bad!
But still, you managed to take them all out anyway!
As you'd expect of the legendary hitman!
Say that again, and our partnership is over.
I'll watch my mouth!
Not much in here, huh?
A wasp nest?
Hey, Boss...
Wouldja mind giving me a ride back?
Sure.
Wanna grab something to eat on the way?
Sounds good!
YOSHIDA RAMEN
Here you go.
Can't take hot food.
Damn, this is good!
How much garlic are you adding?
It's fine. Ain't anybody here I need to mind my manners around.
Okay, I'm heading in!
Yeah.
I'm sorry!
You're fine.
I-I'm sorry!
- I'm sorry! - I've never been good with kids.
I never know how I'm supposed to talk to them.
If I'd been a little better at that sort of thing, maybe...
Maybe now...
Things would be...
What should I have done?
I still don't know.
Hell, I don't even know what I should've said.
We don't even have anything in common. No shared interests, nothing.
- My job's is all I've got. - Papa!
A job I do 'cause I'm good, not because I like it.
What a boring life I've had.
Boss!
I'll leave the key here!
Okay.
Hey, I'm gonna use your bathroom!
Then do me a favor and clean it while you're in there.
Ow!
A wasp?
Shit!
I've never seen one like this before!
Boss!
Stay with me!
Kozue...
Nope, I've got no idea!
Where am I?
Oh, you're awake?
Eri...
Then...
Yep. You're in my lab.
I know you just woke up,
but could you answer a few quick questions?
Yeah.
Your full name and affiliation?
Juzo Ogami.
Z.O.O. Assassin Syndicate.
And me?
Eri Wanibuchi.
Chief of Z.O.O.'s science division and my...
ex-wife.
Well, your memory seems fine.
Your vitals were stable,
but when they brought you in, you already looked like that.
So, yeah, I was worried.
It looks like the cause was wasp venom.
A wasp?
Oh, right, there was a nest.
Hmm?
I only just learned about it...
The company your target was dealing with...
was a firm that also researches genetic manipulation in living organisms.
In other words, that was no ordinary wasp.
What the hell? Who is that?
Wait, me?
I mean, me as a kid?
I'll change back, right?
Tell me I can change back!
No clue.
Come on!
You're the organization's resident genius, Eri!
Yeah, but this isn't exactly something you can analyze easily.
More importantly...
my voice is so high!
And my skin's all smooth, too.
Good for you.
Good for you?
The hell it is!
Well, for now, all we can do is keep an eye on things.
You've got no choice but to take a break from work.
What?
That's a problem!
I've got a mortgage, car payment, and child support, too!
Well, I have a job, so I'm good on my end.
Cold!
So, anyway, when I told the boss about it—
Oh, speak of the devil.
Yeah?
Oh, is that really you, Juzo?
Yeah. The voice is higher, but it's me.
Yeah.
Sounds like things have gotten pretty strange.
I'm fine, though.
I can still do the job even looking like this.
Sign me up.
I figured you'd say that.
As it happens, I've got the perfect job for you.
I need you to attend middle school.
Huh?
Here's the deal.
I'm thinking of enrolling my daughter in a certain private middle school next year.
I want you to slip in there and investigate it from the inside.
Hey! What is this doting-dad nonsense?
You call it a "job" so it sounds like a real assignment!
But all you want...
is to investigate the school where your daughter's going!
Sounds fine to me.
You dropped out before middle school, right?
Yeah, but that doesn't mean I wanna go back now!
Maybe I am a doting father.
Don't try to make it sound cool!
But it is a job.
I'll pay you.
LET'S GO TO SCHOOL SATURDAY, APRIL 11th
Oh!
I like the look!
I feel like I'm cosplaying or something.
What's with the glasses?
They've got an earpiece and a camera built in!
Seeing as you're a washed-up old man on the inside,
I'll be backing you up for now!
You're not wrong, but you're saying it way too bluntly, zoomer.
This is a disaster.
I'm bad with kids, so why the hell am I going to middle school?
But it's for the money.
Beggars can't be choosers.
Well then, congratulations on your admission to Rikka Middle School!
At our school...
So, I want to join the basketball team and do my best.
Nice to meet you!
Isn't he kinda cute?
Totally!
Okay, next.
Uh...
I'm Juzo Ogami.
Nice to meet you.
That's all.
Huh?
That's it?
Pass.
He's gloomy as hell.
That intro sucked, Boss!
Y-You little...
Blending in with the class is part of the job, too!
Uh, actually, I guess I'll say a little more.
Hobbies...
None.
Special skills...
Sniping, maybe?
SELF-INTRODUCTION
Guns?
- Huh? Is he at war or something? - Is he in some edgelord phase?
Is he gonna end up in jail?
That's a garbage answer, Boss!
No! Airsoft!
Fake guns, obviously!
Yeah, I'm into survival games!
Oh...
That kind of kid.
Either way, he's definitely a loser.
Yeah, he seems super gloomy.
Okay, next.
That's finally over.
If day one was like this, I'm not looking forward to what's ahead.
...and then he actually talked back.
Oh, sorry, otaku boy.
C'mon!
He'll snipe you.
I'm so scared!
Want me to take them out, Boss?
No, leave it.
Sorry to keep you waiting!
Omurice is served!
Dig in!
Why the hell are you cooking at my place?
Hey, this is good!
If I didn't make something,
you'd chow down on a giant bowl of garlic-loaded ramen, right?
A middle schooler who reeks of garlic is gonna get ostracized in no time.
That self-intro was so god-awful, even I was put off!
Obviously, you need to keep your identity hidden,
but also make sure not to cause any trouble
that could get you suspended or expelled!
Bottom line, if you can't go to school, your income drops to zero!
Are you ready for tomorrow?
What are you, my mom?
Ready for what?
Is there something besides the boss's assignment?
Uh, school is a place where you're supposed to study.
We'll be starting lessons today.
If there's anything you don't understand, raise your hand.
All right, open your textbooks.
Study, huh?
When I was a kid...
I got taken in by the organization and put through training.
I got thrown straight into the field.
Even so, I've still managed to make it this far.
- All right, turn to page six... - I'm 39.
- ...in your textbooks. - I've been through it all.
I've been married, and I even have a daughter.
- We'll start with... - At this point in my life...
- positive and negative numbers. - studying is just...
This is about how numbers are ordered.
First, positive numbers.
Those are the one, two, three and so on that you all use in everyday life.
And now, a new concept.
Numbers...
I always thought they just kept going up.
There's a whole world of negative numbers, too?
That's incredible!
All right, that's it for today.
Make sure to review the material,
and don't forget your homework.
HOW TO USE A MICROSCOPE
This is fun!
Studying!
Math, science, social studies, language arts, all of it!
Learning things I never knew before...
understanding them on a deeper level!
GOD OF STUDY
I can't help feeling excited!
Have I spent all this time deliberately trying not to think...
just keeping my head down and doing the job?
Is this the backlash from that?
Every little thing I'm being taught...
is hitting me harder than even a glass of whiskey after a job well done!
Boss!
Dinner's ready—
Wh-What's wrong?
This has turned into a serious problem.
Huh?
Middle school coursework...
is so damn fun, it's overwheming me!
I have no idea why that's supposed to be a problem.
I finished my review and homework in no time.
And then I went ahead and did tomorrow's prep, too!
Wow, those classes really got their hooks in you.
What's for dinner?
Mackerel in miso.
- DHA's supposed to be good for studying. - Yesterday, at yet another...
- You're careless... - ...middle school...
- ...with the details at work... - ...a man wearing a mask...
- ...but you're surprisingly meticulous... - ...brazenly entered the school...
- ...at cooking. - ...in broad daylight.
See you later!
What should I do?
Today was a blast, too!
Social studies especially.
I was like...
"Oh, so that's what that was. I've seen places like that on the job before."
Stuff like that.
When it connects to your own life experience, it makes it even better!
Boss, you should probably head home soon.
Still...
I'm not good with kids.
I wanna get back to my old body already.
Is it me, or is it noisy over there?
Huh?
Everyone, get back inside the building immediately!
Oh, right.
PANDA MASK
Seriously?
He took him down with one flying kick?
Who is that guy?
How's he so crazy athletic?
- This is hilarious! - Uh, wait.
He's...
coming this way.
- He's coming right at us! - No way!
Okay, I've decided.
Behold all that I am!
S-Screw you!
Go get arrested already!
Don't worry!
I'm confident that I can get away.
And even if I do get caught, I'm prepared for that!
Even if it all ends here, that's fine.
I'll give you...
everything I've got.
- Gross! - What the hell is with that guy?
- You disgusting pervert panda freak! - Ah, springtime, huh?
Aren't those the two girls who copped that attitude with you?
You don't owe them any help.
Why not just leave 'em? It's not like they're gonna die.
FIRE HYDRANT
Yeah, true.
But still...
Those two are about the same age as my daughter.
Huh?
I'm a grown-ass man.
LANGUAGE ARTS 1
As far as I'm concerned, I'm not petty enough...
to not help someone just because I don't have to.
W-Wait, you absolutely can't blow your cover!
Yeah, I know.
Huh?
MODERN MIDDLE SCHOOL JAPANESE LITERATURE 1
I see!
A chalk smokescreen!
And damn, that quick draw is insane!
Would you mind shutting up for a second?
Who's there?
Huh?
I meant to drop him with one punch.
This guy's not actually strong, but...
Oh, right. It's because I turned into a kid.
Wh-Who are you?
Hah, if that's how it's gonna be...
Then we're all going out with a bang together!
Wait, where the hell were you hiding that?
This is way past a little playing with fire.
If you pull something like that again, I'll take your head.
Not that one.
Huh?
Wait, the one who saved us...
Ota...
Ogami?
Huh?
N-Nope.
Some total stranger just happened to pass by and beat him up.
I'm just an ordinary first-year middle school student...
who comes to school to study like a normal kid!
- Huh? - Huh?
So, yeah!
I'm off!
See you tomorrow!
Huh?
Why's he collapsed?
- Did he blow himself up? - Hey!
- That was terrifying! - Stand back!
The explosive device was homemade by the suspect...
PERVERT ARRESTED AT SCHOOL
and the identity of the person who rescued the students remains unknown.
- Yikes! - The man taken into custody...
- So, stuff like this really happens, huh? - ...has no fixed address...
- I guess so. - ...and no occupation...
and police are also investigating whether he may be connected to other crimes.
Hey, after this, let's all go hang out!
I'm in!
Me, too!
Why don't we just make a class group chat while we're at it?
Sounds good!
I'm in, too.
Send me your handle.
That just leaves...
Oh.
Him?
Well, let's just leave him.
He doesn't seem like he'd be into that stuff anyway.
MIDDLE SCHOOL HISTORY
By all means, ignore me.
- Honestly, that works for me, too. - No, let's just ask him.
Yeah, we can't just decide on our own to leave him out, right?
- Huh? - Exactly.
No, I mean, I'm totally fine with it.
They made a class group chat.
Wanna join?
And, uh...
I have a feeling...
I should thank you for the other day.
Thanks.
I really don't care about the group chat thing, though.
Well...
whatever.
Just now...
What is with this insanely fast pace?
There's no way I can keep up,
and the notifications just keep coming nonstop!
How do I make it stop?
Okay, I'm sorry already!
Please have mercy!
This is hopeless.
Middle school is brutal.
Well, old guys do type pretty slow.
Want a cigarette?
I quit.
Besides, ever since ending up in this body,
I can't handle booze or cigarettes anymore.
But still...
I feel way better than I ever did...
after finishing one of my old jobs.
For now, I guess...
I'll keep at it a little longer.
All right.
Time to do my homework.
What is it, Eri?
It's about that wasp that stung you.
The thing doesn't exist in nature.
It was artificially created.
And the company that made it was Mitsuoka Pharmaceuticals.
It's grown rapidly over the last ten years...
and is now the second-largest company in the country.
And get this.
Believe it or not...
the daughter of its president is in your class.
- Morning. - If you can make contact with her...
...you might be able to gain some useful information.
Her name is...
Noren Mitsuoka.
Mornin'.
Morning!