Episode 23

First Period: Summer Festival Time is the twenty-third episode of the Assassination Classroom anime and the first episode of Season 2. The episode premiered in Japan on January 7, 2016.

Summary
With the summer vacation almost over, Korosensei plans some activities for the class to participate in before the start of the second term.

Plot
Following Class 3-E's failed assassination of Korosensei and the Takaoka incident, the students are spending their last evening on the island before heading back to Japan. Their target hastily establishes a test of courage for the students designed to scare the students but hides a desire to create love gossip amongst them by splitting them into boy-girl pairs.

Nagisa Shiota and Kaede Kayano are the first to enter the cave. The pair are spooked by Korosensei haunting them with the tale of a local legend but its effectiveness is reduced when they hear him telling the same story to the next pair. Later on, Karma admits to Okuda that seeing Nagisa's calm expression after defeating Takaoka made him uneasy. For a fighter Karma likes to win but victory to an assassin like Nagisa is meaningless, though he still aims to kill their teacher. Karma and Okuda then turn their attention ahead, suspiciously finding a game of Twister on the cave floor. Meanwhile, Korosensei is unsatisfied that his strategy is not as effective. However he ends up being scared himself by the latter half of the class, starting from Hazama onwards. Afterwards, the students reveal that they knew what he was up to even before the 'test of courage' had begun and scold him for trying to sleazily create an artificial romance among them. The class then see Irina and Karasuma exit the cave, both exasperated at each other. Seeing the students Irina awkwardly walks away from them, as the class and Korosensei sense an opportunity.

The students and Irina return to the hotel as the latter complains about Karasuma's dense nature. In trying to seduce him, Irina herself has fallen in love with him despite her experience, leading to her becoming awkward. The students and Korosensei attempt to help her. First Rio Nakamura suggests that Irina dress up decently like Kanzaki would. However, when Irina wears Kanzaki's skirt she ends up being more sexier much to Kanzaki's embarrassment. Hinata Okano further adds that compatibility is more important than showing more skin. Getting to Karasuma, many suggest Irina appeal to what he likes. Though as he is more military-minded and lives simply, the students start to believe Karasuma is the problem. Regardless, the class sets him up during dinner to have him dine with Irina alone, who is wearing clothes made by Sumire Hara. Despite her reservations about the choice of dining venue and clothing as well as the complete lack of privacy from spying students, Irina cannot help but enjoy herself. During dinner Karasuma mentions how the second term will get more intensive. Irina though asks Karasuma about how he feels about killing, remembering her past life.After tentatively wiping his mouth, she walks away, cursing herself for ruining the moment. The students too cannot accept this and vehemently accuses her. Despite the unfolding drama Karasuma remains just as dense.

On the last day of the summer vacation, Nagisa is having lunch with his father. The two discuss Nagisa's strict mother until Nagisa sees Korosensei inviting him to come to the summer festival at the last minute. Korosensei himself is disappointed that Lovro is unable to make it as he is busy on a mission at the time. After the call Lovro seems pleased that Nagisa is able to successfully pull off the technique he taught him. However the hit man is ambushed and shot in the chest by an unknown assailant. At the festival, Nagisa and the rest of the students enjoy themselves, until Nagisa realises that they are inadvertently funding Korosensei's income as he runs multiple food stores simultaneously. Only Karasuma is not present at the festivities, instead meeting with government and defence officials. Owing to how the class almost cornered Korosensei as a group, the government decide to increase the bounty to 30 million yen should a group of assassins manage to kill him.

Episode notes

 * This episode marks the debut of the third opening, QUESTION.

Differences between manga and anime

 * When the discussion to make Irina closer to Karasuma holds by the class, it happens at the terrace instead of the lobby.