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Chapter Text

Karma looked bored at the needle piercing his skin. He had already stopped feeling pain when the needle pierced his skin and flowed a fluid into his body that Karma didn't want to know what it did. Karma felt that this was normal for him. Since Karma was suspended last year, his parents took him to see a doctor. They said something Karma didn't want to understand. And Karma started with various kinds of medicines that he had to take every day or needles that pierced his skin once a week. Karma doesn't care anymore. He didn't want to care.

"You should rest Karma." Along with those words, a thick red blanket fell over Karma's shoulders.

Karma looked up to see who was covering him and found a red-haired woman matching him smiling sadly at Karma who just stared blankly at her.

The woman sat herself by Karma's side and looked up at the night sky that the red-haired teenager had previously seen.

"There are so many stars, right?"

"Hmm.." Karma looked up again to stare at the night sky which was studded with stars. It was a spring evening and the sky was getting brighter. However, the chill of winter wasn't completely over yet. Karma felt cold fingers gripping his frozen hand from being in the cold for too long.

"You will get well, honey. You will get well."

Karma stared at the woman's face. The woman smiled at Karma. However, Karma could clearly see her own tears falling through those beautiful brown eyes. Karma just nodded slightly but he didn't take her words seriously at all. He had heard that sentence too often to make him feel sick of every lie his parents had said. They said that he would recover. That he would no longer feel the pain of the disease that was secretly eating away at his body. He knew the only thing waiting for him was death. And until death, Karma will still feel the pain of this disease.

The woman who was none other than his own mother was still holding his hand tightly. Karma has stopped crying along with this woman. He's dying. He couldn't feel anything anymore and that made him sometimes wonder if he was still alive or dead.

"Mom.."

"Hmm.. what it is, honey?"

"If I ask for something... will you grant it?"

"Of course! If that makes you happy, of course Mom and Dad will grant whatever you ask for. Even stealing Sirius from his throne I would do for you, dear."

"I have a request."

"Yes.. what do you want?"

"I want to go back to school." Karma looked into his mother's eyes. The woman's heart trembled to see the determination in the eyes of her long-lost son return.

"You.. can't be tired."

“I will rest.”

"Your food must be guarded."

"Mom can prepare lunch for me."

"What if Mom is lonely..?"

“...I..” Karma took a deep breath then looked back at the sky, “I won't be at school to long.”

“Even if Mother says no you will still go right?” Karma smiled a little, it was just a small smile full of pain. Karma's mother stroked her son's bright red mane and smiled at him.

"Go then.. have fun then.. you.. you need it."

...

Karma smiled at Nagisa. He walked up to Nagisa and spoke to the blue teeneger then approached their teacher. Koro Sensei smiled and greeted him warmly. And that's when Karma became the first person who managed to injure Koro Sensei.

Karma lives his life in class 3-E with passion. He loved being with these friends. Studying while thinking about how to kill Koro Sensei. Devise a plan and find out more information about their homeroom teacher. Karma's life is no longer monotonous and boring.

The drug and syringe routine is still there. However, now his life feels more meaningful. More colorful and brighter. Karma was happy to see the sunlight now. He was happy to still be able to welcome tomorrow and meet his friends.

Today there is an exhibition match between class 3-E and the Kunugigaoka baseball club. Karma of course followed that game as well. He enjoyed how his heart raced fast when he ran or how it was fun watching people's reactions when they fell for his provocations.

The match ended and class 3-E emerged victorious.

“That was great! I didn't expect we could win against the main building kids!!” said Maehara Hiroto excitedly.

Isogai Yuuma, their class president, only smiled a little while cleaning up the equipment they used in this baseball game. Sugino Tomohito laughed with his other friends. Karma is happy to see his friends happy because they managed to beat the children from the main building.

“Karma. Oi! Karma!”

Karma blinked in confusion. The scene in front of him was blurry and indistinct. Karma was sure he heard someone calling him. But who? Then.. why do his legs feel so heavy?

“KARMA!”

Dark. Karma didn't know what was going on. Karma doesn't know whether he is dead or not.

Chapter Text

Akabane Karma is a strong person. Gakushuu knew that from the first time he saw him. A teenager with red hair and mercury beads. His eyes had a playful mischievous glint as well as lips that always wore a cocky grin. The teenager was full of enthusiasm and self-confidence. But when he meet again with the teenager after nearly a year of absence, Gakushuu knew something was wrong. The mischievous glint in his eyes was still there and his lips still curved into a grin. But something is missing from him. Something that makes Akabane Karma become Akabane Karma.

Then he saw the teenager fall. Just as he and his classmates were celebrating their victory. An Akabane Karma—a teenager who can beat up their upperclassmen and teachers—faints in the middle of the field after defeating the proud Kunugigaoka Junior High School baseball team.

Gakushuu doesn't know what happened to him, but Karma doesn't seem to be doing well. A man approached the Class E students, said something then took Karma away. The other Class E students followed suit. They looked very worried but also confused at the same time.

For Gakushuu, everything happened so fast. He couldn't even process what was happening as the surrounding silence gave way back to commotion. It's not like Gakushuu really pays attention to what's going on around him. His mind was still spinning on the figure of Karma who had fainted just like that. He knew something was up with the teenager.

...

Until the end of that day, Gakushuu still doesn't know what really happened to Akabane Karma. He only heard a few students talk about the red-haired teenager. They said he had some disease. Some of what they said was nonsense that Gakushuu would not believe. However, the news about Akabane Karma having an illness that made him fainted really caught his attention. What kind of illness might he have?

Is that the reason Karma disappeared all this time?

And if that's the case, Gakushu is again confused by himself.

Why does he care about Karma?

The question kept spinning in his head until he returned home.

Just in time for dinner, Gakushuu was surprised to find his father also in the dining room reading something on his laptop. Even though he always eats dinner out with his business partners and doesn't come home until 9 pm. When Gakushuu approached, his father greeted him without even glancing at him. Gakushuu only replied briefly because to be honest he was reluctant to face his father.

Gakuhou is a mad man. Gakushuu doesn't even know why his mother could fall in love with a man like that. But after all, Gakuhou was still his father and he had half of that man's blood in him. Also, he still has to be stuck with Gakuhou until he enters college. What a great life.

Dinner was silent. No one spoke and there was only the soft clink of cutlery. When Gakushuu had finished his meal and intended to return to his room, his father said something that caught his attention.

"Akabane-kun, the student who fainted earlier, he was sent to the hospital again earlier."

Again?

"I am sorry, but did you say, 'again'?"

“Yes, you heard me well. Nearly a year ago his parents came and asked permission for him to remain a Kunugigaoka student but not take lessons like other students. Each exam would be sent to the hospital where he was admitted for him to complete. And since his grades have always been fine, I feel there's nothing wrong with letting him remain a Kunugigaoka student. A few weeks ago his parents asked him to go back to school as usual. Since his grades are always good, I see nothing wrong with that.”

Akabane Karma has indeed been hospitalized all this time.

“But it looks like he will be back in the hospital for a long time. What a shame. He's a smart and talented kid."

Gakushuu doesn't know whether his father purposely said that to make him jealous or not. He didn't really think about it. The thing that was on his mind right now was a teenager his age who had a cocky grin whenever he faced him and a mischievous look at his mercury bead. He still couldn't imagine Karma having to undergo such a long treatment for his illness.

Since Gakuhou no longer said anything, Gakushuu immediately withdrew to his room. He sat quietly on the edge of his bed thinking. Recalling the Akabane Karma he saw on the field today.

Now he knew what the teenager was missing.

Akabane Karma had lost his spirits because of whatever it was.

Chapter Text

The familiar white ceiling was the first thing Karma saw when he woke up. The smell of disinfectant around him only made Karma more aware of where he was right now. Though he had fun yesterday. Now all he could do was stare blankly at the white ceiling above him imagining some random thing.

Maybe what other silliness would his homeroom teacher come up with while thwarting an assassination attempt on himself. Or he could think of some of the video games played by him and his classmates.

Karma was so absorbed in his thoughts that he didn't realize the door opened and revealed the figures of his parents. He only realized when his mother touched his hand gently.

“Hey, baby. How are you?" His mother asked.

Karma didn't know if he should answer honestly or make a joke. Just yesterday his life was wonderful and now he has to be stuck in a hospital bed again. How easily his life changes.

Karma didn't pay much attention to his parents because he was preoccupied with his thoughts. If only he had done so, he could have seen the look his mother gave his father. The brown-haired man cleared his throat and put on a smile, “Don't worry, you'll only be here for one night. The doctor just needs to keep an eye on you for now and you can return home tomorrow.”

Those words brought Karma's attention back to his parents. His two mercury beads stared at them in disbelief. The father smiled reassuringly, so did the mother. Though of course he could see the worry in his parents' eyes and the nervous gestures they gave. Karma is too happy to care about all that.

What his father said was true. The doctor only came to examine him a few times without injecting any fluids into his body again. He didn't even get an additional dose of medicine to take. Karma was completely sent home the next day. Even though he clearly knew that his current condition must be worse than before, the thought of going home and not being cooped up in a hospital room really lifted his mood.

Of course, Karma can't go back to school yet. His parents are still very worried about him. It's kinda boring just being in his house. But much better than a hospital room. His classmates came to visit several times. Especially Nagisa. Nagisa always visited him every day. Apart from bringing homework for Karma, Nagisa did come to visit Karma.

Nagisa is an interesting friend. Talking with him is not boring and there are always ways that Karma can do to make fun of his classmate. Even so, Karma was still looking forward to returning to class and interacting with his classmates.

Fortunately, after a week of being stuck at home, his mother finally gave him permission to go back to school. Karma's parents had definitely become more protective than before. They would not allow him to walk to school again and had to be escorted by one of them. Indeed, they couldn't take them to the 3-E class building because of the location and whereabouts of Koro Sensei, which Karma kept very secret from his parents, but they still insisted on taking Karma to the main building. Likewise, when he came home from school, Karma had to contact one of his parents to pick him up.

Since it was a deal for Karma to return to school, the teenager had to accept it despite his objections.

“Karma! Nice to see you back." The greeting from the class leader made Karma flinch before smirking. Teasing the dark-haired teenager about the class being too quiet without him. Isogai Yuuma just laughed at his joke.

Some of his other classmates started to approach and greet him. Saying they were happy Karma was okay enough to go back to school with them.

It's really nice to be back in school.

...

Even though going to school feels so much more fun than being cooped up in a hospital, Karma still feels that school is only entertainment for his short life. There was never a reason he had to fight in his short life.

His friends are kind and fun. Koro Sensei and the other teachers are also great. The murder plan they made was also so exciting.

But when Karma came home, sat in his quiet room imagining his life that might end soon, all the fun he had been doing disappeared in an instant. In his mind, he would die anyway. He just wanted to have a nice life in the end.

“Akabane?”

Chapter Text

This is not a good day for Gakushuu. Not included in the category of bad days but also can not be included in a good day. As usual but with a bit of bad luck. As the student council president at school, it's certain that Gakushuu does far more work than the other kids. He is also the student with the best grades in school and must be able to maintain his grades.

It's really such a heavy burden that he has to carry at his current age. But Gakushuu never complained about it or hated it. Of course he gets tired sometimes. After all he was only a teenager.

When he felt too tired from all the burden he was carrying, he would walk around the forest behind the main building just to clear his head. That was exactly what Gakushuu was doing right now. He just didn't expect to run into Akabane Karma in the middle of his outing.

“Akabane?” Gakushuu subconsciously called out to the red-haired teenager.

Karma turned to look at him, a look of surprise or whatever still plastered on his face before turning into his usual mischievous grin. While it would feel like an offense for Gakushuu to admit this, he was actually relieved to see Karma back at school and still managing to put on that mischievous grin.

“Oh? What is 'His Royal Highness' doing here?” Karma said. His mischievous grin grew. His laughter floated in Gakushuu's ears and for some reason it sounded as entertainment to Gakushuu. Even unconsciously Gakushuu pulled a small smile at the sound of his laughter.

“What are you doing here, Akabane?”

Karma pouted, as if feeling confused by Gakushuu's question. Why does that teenager look cute in Gakushuu's eyes? Does fatigue make him hallucinate? Maybe he should sleep earlier today. He must be so exhausted to be hallucinating like that.

"I asked you first. But I think your level of intelligence has decreased because you can't process simple questions like the one I asked earlier, so I will satisfy your curiosity. If you are smart enough to understand that the location of my class is nearby, then it would only be natural for me to be in this place.” Karma said. The disdainful grin that was on his face should have pissed off Gakushuu and wanted to punch him in the face. But right now Gakushuu didn't have that urge.

“Then answer my question now. Why are you here, Asano-kun?”

Gakushuu snorted, “This still belongs to the Kunugigaoka area. As Kunugigaoka student, I have the right to be wherever I want. Including this place.”

Judging from Karma's expression, the teenager had something to say that irritated Gakushuu. But he quickly lost to Gakushuu who asked about his condition.

“You.. how are you? I heard you were in the hospital."

Karma was stunned. Gakushuu could tell he wasn't ready for the question he threw. To be honest, this is the first time for Gakushuu to see an Akabane Karma stunned by a simple question. He didn't think he could see Karma without that annoying grin on his face.

"Gosh, I didn't know you were gossiping right now." Karma said in a disdainful tone. But Gakushuu now knows that it was just Karma's way of provoking his emotions. It seemed that Karma was losing his skills bit by bit.

"I don't like to gossip. But as you know, walls have eyes and ears. Shouldn't you be spending your time in the hospital?"

There was a slight expression of annoyance on Karma's face. Even so the teenager managed to neutralize it with his relaxed expression. Karma shrugged indifferently while looking at Gakushuu lazily, “Why? Are you afraid that I will usurp your position as the student with the best grades in school?”

"It's not something I should be afraid of."

Karma snorted, his chin lifted and gave Gakushuu a condescending look, “You better start getting scared of that. Even if I spend my school days in the hospital, I will still be able to surpass you.”

Gakushuu replied with a cynical smile, “Oh yeah? Then I'm looking forward to the fight with you. Let's see what an outcast like you can do against me.”

A suspicious smile appeared on Karma's face. A smile like a devil who is happy to find his toys. His mercury beads seemed to give off a sinister light with his face covered in the shadows of the trees, "Then just wait for me to beat you to the punch."

Even if it was only for a moment, Gakushuu really felt goosebumps seeing Karma's smile and gaze. The Red Devils from 3-E really don't get his nickname for nothing. But Gakushuu couldn't be called Asano Gakuhou's son if he showed his emotions so clearly. Not a scared expression appeared on Gakushuu's face but a smile on his face that widened even more.

Challenged Karma to do as he said.

His rival is indeed an interesting person.

Chapter Text

The smug smile that was on young Asano's face annoyed Karma. He wanted to punch the headmaster's only son in the face. But Karma knew that was what Gakushuu wanted. Maybe he wanted to cause trouble for Karma to get suspended again and give Class 3-E a bad impression.

But thinking back to how Gakushuu asked about his situation sounded sincere. It was as if he was truly worried for Karma's welfare—which Karma honestly doubted.

How could Asano Gakuhou's son worry about him? And again they do not have any relationship other than as rivals.

"Shouldn't you be going home now, Akabane?"

Gakushuu's voice managed to bring Karma out of his thoughts. He looked back at Gakushuu. The teenager still had that arrogant face and judging by his words, Gakushuu was underestimating him right now.

"What is this? Are you suddenly worried about me, Asano-kun?”

Gakushuu snorted. As if Karma's words were a joke that wasn't funny.

“If you collapse right in front of me, the one who will be troubled will be me.” The way Gakushuu talks is really annoying to Karma's ears. His eyes as well as the smile that was on young Asano's face really emphasized that he was underestimating Karma right now.

“Do you think I'm too weak to faint in front of you? Could it be that you thought if I fainted in front of you and you took me to the medical room it would make me fall in love with you like those crazy fans of yours? Even if you carry me like a handsome prince carries his princess, I will not fall in love with you."

At that time, Karma was sure that his illness had caused hearing problems because he could swear if he heard the choking sound of Gakushuu trying to hold back his laughter. Even he could see the amusement on Gakushuu's face.

"I didn't know your imagination was so active, Akabane."

To be honest, this made Karma feel embarrassed. He shouldn't say such embarrassing things in front of his rivals. Maybe Gakushuu will think that Karma likes to imagine him. Damn it!

“I don't know what's going through your mind right now, Asano-kun. But I can guarantee the answer is no.” Karma hissed sarcastically at Gakushuu who still looks amused until now.

Karma's words only made Gakushuu look even more amused. The teenager laughed so clearly in front of Karma.

“Stop laughing, Prince Centipede. You look even more terrible if you like that." Karma sneered. Trying to act casual while eliminating his embarrassment from being laughed at by his rival.

"What's with that nickname? Akabane you are talented enough to make jokes though.”

Karma began to hiss in annoyance. Gakushuu still bravely put that amused face on Karma. He mocked Karma and boldly laughed! And again which part of his words is funny? Does Gakushuu really feel like he's a comedian?! Annoyed at being laughed at by Gakushuu, Karma subconsciously stepped closer to the dusk-haired teenager and stomped on the older teenager's feet firmly.

“Akabane!” Gakushuu shrieked. Maybe it was because he was shocked or because he was hurt—though Karma doubted the last. Karma jumped away while sticking out his tongue, “Bleh!”

"Are you children?" Gakushuu looks like he's grunting in annoyance. He looked down at his shoes which now had Karma's footprints on them.

"Why? What? You want to complain to your mother?” Karma barked back. His eyes narrowed sharply at Gakushuu who was cleaning his shoes.

“You really are childish, Akabane.”

"I'm not asking you to judge my behavior."

Karma could see when Gakushuu rolled his eyes lazily. Maybe he was treating Karma's words as something unimportant or he had started to treat Karma as a child who only knew to say nonsense.

“I can do it without you asking, Akabane. It is my right to judge someone whether good or bad.” The way Gakushuu explained it to Karma made Karma feel like he was being lectured by an adult. And he hated it.

Why is Gakushuu acting like an adult? He's just a teenager like Karma. Could it be Asano Gakuhou's influence in Gakushuu's life that made the teenager in front of him behave like that? Yes, it's no secret that their relationship is not so good. If it weren't for their similar surnames and facial resemblance, Karma would feel like Gakushuu and Gakuhou only have a teacher and student relationship. Not father and son. This adult nonsense made Karma sick.

Karma glanced at Gakushuu who was checking his watch again. Come to think of it, hadn't he spent too much time arguing with Gakushuu? He should have arrived at the Main Building to wait for his parents to pick him up. Aih, Karma would surely be scolded again for being late and not telling them the reason for being late.

“It's late, Akabane. Do you intend to spend the night in this place?”

"Even if I spend the night here, you have no right to kick me out."

Gakushuu could be heard clicking his tongue, “To be honest I don't even care if you spend the night in this place and freeze to death. But if that's the case, I'll be in trouble for being the last person to see and talk to you.”

Karma snorted. He walked past Gakushuu and purposely bumped into Gakushuu's shoulder quite hard. Making his Middle School Student Council President pushed back a little. Without turning around, he could hear Gakushuu's disgruntled voice.

Chapter Text

Even though Gakushuu doesn't want to admit it, talking—or rather arguing—with Karma pretty much relieves his stress. Karma's childish attitude actually comforts him who interacts too much with people who are trying to be adults. It's nice to be able to interact like children at his age.

Not cooped up in a room to study and just study.

He just wished he could have another conversation with Karma. Maybe with a little more decent. But his pride was too high to invite Karma just to chat. Their relationship has never been more than a rival. He admired Karma who was open-minded and full of surprises. He also knew that Karma respected him or perhaps admired him as a worthy rival because of his intelligence.

However, they had never had such a long conversation like this afternoon. Gakushuu never realized that Karma was a fun debate partner. Unknowingly, this actually brought a smile to his face.

"You know, you look like an amorous teenager in love."

Gakushuu jumped in surprise because of his father's voice. Even accidentally dropped the fork because it nudged him in surprise. The older Asano raised one of his eyebrows in surprise. As if wondering what made his son behave like that. Maybe his guess was right? Gakushuu is in love with someone?

"I guess I'm forgetting the fact that you're at the age to start liking someone." Gakushuu could have sworn he heard the amusement in his father's voice! The man must be teasing him right now!

"Is that proper table talk?" The young Asano tried to sound irritated, but his blushing face did little to help him. Even Gakuhou let out a small snicker in response.

“Your mother always talks about things like that at the dinner table. It's not something taboo to talk about, is it?"

"Now I wonder if you used to be such a gossipy person as to interest Mother."

Gakuhou let out a snort. The amused smile on his face had not disappeared, in fact, if Gakushuu looked closely, his smile only widened. What made his father act like this? Don't tell me that guy is really interested in this kind of talk?!

“Did something fun just happen? You look in a good mood.” Gakushuu asked. Trying to divert their conversation.

"Not really. I just found some old albums that your mother kept.” The way Gakuhou spoke was enough to make Gakushuu surprised. The man's eyes sank and a nostalgic smile appeared on his face. Gakushuu clenched his fists and looked down.

Nothing else was said between them. Gakuhou had finished his meal and left the dining table with the excuse of finishing his pending work. While Gakushuu was still staring at the food he half ate.

His mother.

How long have they not talked about it? 3 years? 5 years?

In the end, Gakushuu didn't finish his food and went back to his room. The teenager is lying on the bed. Staring at the white ceiling from his room. After a while, he got up to walk towards his desk. Opened a desk drawer and took out a photo from it.

Gakushuu put the photo on his desk and smiled a little, "I'll find my peace, Mom."

...

"Why do you always to meet me?" the irritated voice that entered Gakushuu's ears only made the corners of his eyes twitch. He really wanted to bang the owner of the voice's head against the wall.

"It's not my fault I was in a library meant for everyone, Akabane." Gakushuu replied. His face had a smile on but his eyes stared intently at the teenager standing beside him.

This time Karma is not alone. There were several of his classmates who followed Karma. Some of them eyed Gakushuu warily as if he was going to attack them—which he honestly wouldn't do even if he had the chance. Surely verbal assault doesn't count?

"But why of all the creatures that exist on this earth, I have to meet the incarnation of a centipede like you?" Karma said dramatically.

Gakushuu should be mad at Karma for making fun of him in front of other people. But Gakushuu couldn't muster any reason to be angry at the red-haired teenager. Instead, he found it funny how Karma dramatized his words. Does Karma not have aspirations to become a comedian?

Chapter Text

Seeing the look on Gakushuu's face, Karma knew that the teenager was trying to hold back his laughter. Karma wanted to step on the teenager's toes again to stop him from laughing. Fortunately, Gakushuu immediately returned a neutral expression to his face. He still wore a friendly smile when talking to Karma's friends. Acts as if he is a kind and friendly Student Council President instead of a manipulative bossy.

Gee, hypocrite man.

Karma kept looking intently at Gakushuu who was currently exchanging words with Nakamura Rio. The two of them exchanged taunts in a way that Karma didn't want to investigate.

"If you keep looking at me like that, I'll start to suspect you have feelings for me, Akabane."

Karma jumped in surprise at those words. Immediately he threw a disgusted look at Gakushuu who was instead answered with the typical amused look of a teenager. Only then did Karma realize that Gakushuu was just trying to tease him. Karma really had the urge to step on Gakushuu's face to stop him from making that face.

Karma really wondered why he kept seeing Gakushuu these past few days? Is Gakushuu actually the incarnation of a demon who is stalking Karma? Or maybe he's a grim reaper who wants to take Karma's soul? The thought of his soul being taken by Gakushuu just gave him goosebumps.

Then Gakushuu stood up, closed the book he had been reading, "Move aside, Akabane."

Karma lifted his chin, smiling defiantly at Gakushuu. Unfortunately, Gakushuu was not provoked by his actions. Instead he sighed and made an appearance as if he was facing a delinquent who wouldn't listen.

It's unpleasant to see such a calm Gakushuu. Karma quickly lost interest in bothering Gakushuu and chose to do his original purpose of going to the library with his friends. Gakushuu doesn't seem to care about Karma anymore because now the teenager walks to a shelf to return the book he was reading earlier.

Karma no longer paid attention to the teenager because his focus was now on his classmates.

"I didn't know you were that close to Asano-kun." Nakamura Rio started the conversation offhandedly when she saw that Karma no longer focused on Gakushuu. Karma made a look of disgust on his face. However, Karma's expression made the blonde girl laugh out loud. If Kayano and Nagisa didn't calm him down, Karma was sure she would have kicked them out of the library. And that was the last thing Karma wanted especially since Gakushuu was still in the library with them!

"Although it sounds impolite, but I also didn't expect you to be that close with Asano-kun." Yuma said.

Karma really doesn't understand the concept of being close that his friends think. What part of insulting each other is included in being close?

"Yes, we got along so well that I felt it was legal to kill him." Karma said with an innocent smile. His friends only laughed awkwardly in response to Karma's words.

"Forget it." Karma said quickly. The teenager then told his friends to focus on their goals. The Midterm Exams are getting closer and his friends are starting to worry about their grades. Since Class E cannot freely access their school library, Karma's classmates agree to form a kind of study group. They will study at the public library or at the home of one of them.

This time, they intend to study at the public library to make it easier for them to access books. What a coincidence they met Gakushuu in this place. Talking about that teenager, Karma glanced back at Gakushuu, the teenager with evening hair has returned to the chair he was sitting on and is now focused on reading a book that maybe he just found.

"Hey princess, your prince won't run anywhere. Stop staring at him and help us now.” Nakamura Rio snapped her fingers a few times at Karma to get his attention. She chuckled as Karma glared at her but then laughed when Karma cursed at her.

"Guys, let's focus." Yuuma said weakly. He really couldn't stop Rio from annoying Karma, at least he hoped that the red-haired teenager was more level-headed than usual.

Hearing the desperation in his class president's voice, Karma decided not to throw his blonde friend with books and rushed to ask the problems his friends were facing in class so he could help them.

Study groups in the library proved to be more effective because they could freely search for books related to their studies. They can discuss the answers they think are correct even if they have to keep their voices down so they don't disturb other people. Karma was quite satisfied with their learning outcomes and he knew his friends felt the same way.

Normally he wouldn't study even when exams were around the corner, but his friends were eager to raise their grades, and Karma was happy to help them do it.

Besides that, he also wants to experience the life of a teenager. Study and hang out with friends. Not sitting staring out of a hospital window.

Karma smiled a little, subconsciously his eyes glanced at the place where Gakushuu was sitting. He did not find the teenager there. Gakushuu might have left when he was discussing with his friends.

Too bad he couldn't bother the Asano heir before he left.

Chapter Text

Asano Yukino is a cheerful and passionate woman. Even though her face could only be classified as normal, her spirit and cheerfulness gave her a special charm. Moreover, she has intelligence that amazes people. No wonder she was able to melt Asano Gakuhou's heart.

Most people would say that she was very lucky to marry Gakuhou, but Gakushuu always thought that his father was the lucky one to marry his mother. The woman is gentle and affectionate. She is also full of understanding. Gakushuu still remembers clearly when his father mourned the death of his first student—Ikeda Rikuto—his mother who would always be by his side and comfort him.

But sadly, the death of his father's first apprentice had far more repercussions than his mother could think of. Gakuhou changed. He rarely spent time at home and began to form his strange educational philosophy. Where he has to make his students become 'strong' and alienate those who are weak.

Gakushuu knows that his mother has tried her best to comfort and accompany his father. But all her dedication was not enough for his father who was crazy and made her sick. Her enthusiasm and cheerfulness slowly faded. Gakushuu has seen with his own eyes how his mother who was once a woman full of enthusiasm turned into a woman with an empty stare.

When she died, Yukino told him to seek his peace. Don't let him end up like his parents. He, who was still in elementary school at that time, certainly could not understand what his mother meant. Even so, his genius brain had concluded that his father was the cause of his mother's death.

He hates his father. Maybe until now he still hates the man who became his father.

But Gakushuu has promised to seek his peace. And he knew that the first step he had to take was to let go of his mother's death and begin to forgive his father.

Even if it took years, Gakushuu knew he would be able to forgive his father in the end.

...

"What did you feel when Mom died?"

Of course Gakuhou didn't expect that question from his only son when he invited him to have lunch together at his late wife's favorite restaurant. Gakuhou looked at Gakushuu who was sitting in front of him quietly. The teenager was propping his chin while playing with his food with his other hand.

“Is this what you wanted to talk to me about when you asked me to lunch?”

Gakushuu shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly. He made no expression on his face and was reluctant to look back at his father. Talking about his mother is forbidden for Gakushuu because he always feels that his father killed his mother. But a few weeks ago, the father suddenly brought up the topic regarding the mother with an expression that Gakushuu didn't understand. At that time, Gakushuu thought back to the question that had always been on his mind since his mother died. What did his father feel when his mother died?

“Yukino-san was an amazing woman, it's hard not to mourn her death.” Gakuhou answered calmly.

Gakushuu bit his tongue, trying not to let out a curse. The hand holding the fork tightened.

“I don't expect you to talk about her the way you talk about your business partner. I want you to tell me what you felt when your wife died to your only son."

Again. A strange expression appeared on his father's face.

A thin smile with eyes that look into the distance. It was as if Asano Gakuhou had been cut off from his surroundings and was now somewhere else.

The silence that hung between the two of them really made Gakushuu feel uncomfortable. What is his father thinking? Why didn't he say anything?

"Confused." Gakuhou simply said. Gakushu stared at him in astonishment.

“If you ask how I feel, maybe I can say that I'm confused. I didn't know what to feel or what I was actually feeling at that moment."

Gakushuu stared at Gakuhou as if the man had just grown another head. What did his father mean by that? How could he not know what to feel when his wife died? Did he even love his Mother?

Maybe Gakuhou could read what was going on in Gakushuu's head, the man opened his mouth again and said, “I love your mother. As I said, she is an extraordinary woman. It's hard not to love her. Maybe because I love her that makes me confused about what I should feel. Angry maybe, sad maybe, hopeless maybe, regret maybe. You can't tell which one you should and which one you really feel when you lose someone you love."

"Shouldn't you feel sad when you lose someone you love?"

Gakuhou smiled sadly, “Feelings are a complicated thing. You can't understand it until you experience it."

Chapter Text

Life is hard. But that doesn't mean we should just give up.

People say so. But it's not like everyone has the same predicament. Everyone's problems are different and not everyone can successfully deal with theirs. Most people would choose to run away than face their problems. Karma doesn't see people who run away when they face problems are cowards.

No.

Because to be honest he would also run away if he could.

Some people choose to run away of course for a reason. Whether it's because of fear or tired. But many more people choose to give up. When you run away, you still have a chance to face your problems again. But when you give up, you won't have a chance to solve your problems.

When he saw the needle that was stabbing his skin again, only one thing occurred in Karma's head. If he decided to give up on his illness and stop fighting, what would happen?

"You will get better, baby." His mother said so. But Karma only needed to see his teary eyes to know if his mother was lying to him again.

"Mom, is the truth too painful for you to say?"

The woman was dumbfounded. Maybe he didn't expect Karma to say that. But Karma was fed up with all the lies his mother told him. Why did his mother have to lie to him? He already knew about his condition. He already knew what would happen to him.

Akabane Kazuha's hands were shaking and her eyes were hot. The woman held her son's shoulder and began to sob. Karma didn't say anything, he just stared straight at his mother. The woman returned to cry for him when Karma himself had stopped. What are the tears for?

Is it to cry over the misfortune of Karma?

Or to cry over her fate that will lose her only child?

Either way, Karma doesn't want to know.

..

"You must be feeling tired right?"

Karma didn't turn around when he heard his father's voice. He didn't even move to glance at the man now sitting beside him. The cold night air managed to calm his raging mood earlier.

"Do you feel that Mom and Dad are selfish because we want you to keep fighting?" The father asked again. He ignored the fact that ever since his appearance, Karma had simply ignored him.

".... I do not know."

The brown-haired man smiled bitterly, "Maybe your mother lied because she wanted you to still have hope to fight."

Karma only glanced briefly before returning his attention to the night sky. There wasn't a single star in sight that honestly made Karma feel disappointed. He has developed a habit of looking up at the sky when he is in a bad mood or when he wants to think.

"Maybe she also lied to strengthen herself so as not to give up and join the fight with you."

This time his father's words caught Karma's attention. When the teenager turned, he saw his father looking at him with a gentle smile. Two pairs of identical eyeballs stared at each other.

"Strengthen herself?"

“Karma-kun, to Mom and Dad, you are our world. How are we supposed to keep going when our world is about to be taken away from us?”

"But have to lie?"

This time the father stroked his hair while saying, “Dad knows it's the wrong thing to do. You must be tired of it. But being honest with you is the same as having to make your mother admit that she will lose her world. She was scared and chose to hide.”

“Does that mean Mom is just running away from her problems?”

“You could put it that way.

Karma nodded his head, "If it's like that, will there ever be a time when her have the courage to face it?"

"I'm sure she will."

Chapter Text

"Don't you have any other skills besides studying?"

That voice was really becoming more and more frequent for Gakushuu now. Ever since he met Karma in the forest behind the school, he had been seeing the red-haired teenager more and more often. And now they meet again in the woods behind the school.

It wasn't Gakushuu's intention to meet that Red Devil from 3-E in this place again. Karma that appears out of nowhere when Gakushuu is trying to calm down to study and chooses to disturb Gakushuu again and again. His voice buzzed in Gakushuu's ears like the sound of an annoying mosquito.

“Akabane, I believe that you should be home by this time.”

Karma instead made a face of shock—which Gakushuu believed to irritate him—while saying, “Gosh, how did you know my schedule? You're a perverted stalker!"

The corners of Gakushuu's lips twitched in annoyance, “Isn't that you? I've been seeing your face so much lately that it makes me think I'm being haunted by a demon.”

"Why do demons want to haunt their prince?" The way Karma said it with an innocent face was a complete contrast to what he was saying.

Looks like Karma really wants to use up the remaining stock of patience that Gakushuu has for him. Maybe the teenager in front of him could detect that Gakushuu was annoyed with him, because of that the grin on Karma's face widened and the teenager's eyes flashed mischievously. Why does it seem like bothering Gakushuu always gets Karma excited? What's so interesting about that?

“Akabane, it would be better if you used this spare time of yours to study instead of bothering me.” Gakushuu hissed as he felt Karma start poking him with a branch who knows where he found it.

However, Gakushuu's hiss was met with laughter from the younger teenagers. For some reason, Karma looks very lively and happy while laughing at Gakushuu. He looks like the Karma that Gakushuu knows. Maybe that's why Gakushuu doesn't feel angry even though Karma laughs at him.

“Ne~ Asano-kun, other than studying I'm sure you don't have any skills.” Karma said that while laughing.

"And your greatest skill is definitely annoying people, Akabane."

“Asano-kun, you know me really well.” Karma said by dramatizing his tone. Feeling annoyed by the disturbance Karma gave him, Gakushuu moved from his place. Intending to return to his home instead of suffering from disturbances from stray demons like Karma.

But Karma doesn't seem to have any intention of leaving Gakushuu alone. Because that teenager is now following Gakushuu while saying other nonsense just to annoy Gakushuu.

“Go home and study, Akabane. The exams are starting in a few days and you're being so relax like this."

“I can easily rank in the top 5 without having study. Even if I learn just a little, I can definitely usurp your position.” Karma's voice sounded confident. Without even having to look at the teenager's face, Gakushuu already knew that Karma was currently wearing his trademark arrogant expression. With a raised chin and eyes that look down on others.

“You won't be lucky forever, Akabane. In the end your luck will lose to people who work hard.”

Gakushuu will not be surprised at Karma's arrogant attitude. He is someone who was born rich and has above average intelligence. Without requiring much effort, he can successfully do what he wants. That must have always been on Karma's mind, which made him always act the way he wanted.

It wasn't that Gakushuu didn't understand what he was feeling. He also had the same thing with Karma, but his father always made him learn to try hard. No matter how rich or how smart, someone will still fall if they don't try.

Karma's expression said that he didn't believe what Gakushuu said. Gakushuu doesn't bother about that, he has no intention of convincing Karma to stop underestimating his opponent.

"You better go home, Akabane." Gakushuu said while looking up at the orange sky above him.

“Asano-kun, do you want to make a bet?”

Gakushuu turned quickly to Karma. The teenager started to pull a cruel grin on his face. The dimming sunlight made the smile on Karma's face look scary and bloody. It's like being confronted by a killer who isn't satisfied with just killing. Like dealing with a psychopath who has just tortured his prey.

"What do you want to bet on?"

"That I can beat you in the Final Semester Examination later."

Gakushuu snorted, “Oh?”

Chapter Text

"Oh?"

Karma's grin seemed to grow wider. From the way Gakushuu answered, Karma could feel that Gakushuu was confident that Karma wouldn't succeed in doing it. This made Karma feel even more excited. He couldn't wait to see the look of shock and defeat on Gakushuu's face when he succeeded in overthrowing the Prince from his throne.

"But what do you want to bet on, Akabane? You know I don't lack money or expensive things."

"Sure, betting money or goods is boring. How about we bet on your pride?"

This time he could see a frown on Gakushuu's face. Karma felt even more excited when he saw Gakushuu silent with a disturbed expression. How fun it would be to annoy this Asano heir.

"My pride?"

Karma chuckled, "Yeah, your pride."

The way Gakushuu looked at Karma as if he had lost his mind made Karma feel even happier. Ah.. this sensation is very pleasant.

"As you said, you don't lack money or expensive things. But you clearly have high self-esteem as the student council president, the principal's son, the holder of the ranking as the student with the highest grades in school. If I beat you, wouldn't your self-esteem be affected? destroyed?" Karma pulled a smile to provoke Gakushuu. He didn't expect that instead of being provoked, Gakushuu laughed like Karma was telling a joke.

"Akabane, you were acting so serious just now and that's all you're willing to bet?"

Karma didn't like the dismissive tone in Gakushuu's voice. He didn't like the way Gakushuu looked at him as if he was an idiot. Even Gakushuu was now looking at him like he was looking at a clown performing.

"Then what do you suggest?"

"Just beating me in the Midterm Exam won't make me feel embarrassed, Akabane. And a bet like that will only benefit you. Are you afraid of betting something that will make you lose, Akabane?"

Now it was Gakushuu who looked at Karma in a disdainful manner. The red-haired teenager squinted sarcastically at Gakushuu, which was met with a sly smile from the other teenager. What is Gakushuu planning? Does the teenager want to make Karma's attack reverse?

"Let's bet that you can beat me in one exam this year. Even though it's too classic, you can ask me to do anything if you succeed. And if you want me to be humiliated, I'm sure you'll have a much better idea than earlier."

Karma didn't understand why Gakushuu looked so calm when he suggested this. Isn't it Gakushuu who will suffer the loss? Karma could have asked Gakushuu to dress up as a woman and parade around the school or even make him dance naked in front of all the students.

Karma was about to say something but when he saw the confident look in Gakushuu's eyes, he finally understood that Gakushuu felt he couldn't win. Because of that Gakushuu dared to suggest a bet that could even be detrimental to him. Without realizing it, this made Karma annoyed. His fingers throbbed as if he wanted to punch Gakushuu's face.

"Don't regret what you said now, Asano-kun. I could ask you to dance naked in front of your friends if I win later."

Gakushuu's expression faltered slightly when he heard Karma's words, but his confidence immediately returned as if it had never shifted. Gakushuu gave Karma a winning smile before turning around and leaving Karma.

This time Karma didn't follow the teenager. He was lost in thought, what could he ask Gakushuu to do to succeed in defeating the Asano heir? Something embarrassing? Karma is very good at that.

The red-haired teenager cheered excitedly. The first step he must take is to defeat Gakushuu in the Midterm Exam first.

..

For the umpteenth time that day, Karma vomited the things in his stomach again. Beside him, his mother knelt while rubbing his back gently. Karma leaned weakly against his mother when he had finished removing the things in his stomach.

Honestly, Karma didn't understand what was happening to his body. A few days ago he was still fine, but since last night he felt unwell and this morning he felt terrible. His head was throbbing like it was ready to explode, his stomach kept feeling nauseous and he couldn't even eat anything without throwing it up.

"I've contacted Sato sensei, he said he'll be here soon." Karma could faintly hear his father's voice. The man tried to sound calm even though he was actually very worried at the moment. Karma understood that his father was trying to remain calm so as not to panic his mother. He's a strong man.

Karma's eyelids felt very heavy. He felt very sleepy. He would sleep for a while to rest his body.

When Karma woke up again, he was again faced with the familiar white ceiling. It seemed like he was back in the hospital sooner than he expected. Ahh... Karma hates his weakened body even more now. Could he really not live in peace without entering a hospital as if it were just a tourist spot?

Maybe he should just give up.

Chapter Text

Gakushuu didn't find Karma that day. Even after he waited for him for several hours in the forest behind the school, Gakushuu still didn't see the red-haired teenager. Of course this brings questions to Asano Gakuhou's only son. Did something happen to Karma?

"What is this? Have you just been dumped by your boyfriend?"

Gakushuu choked on his food. The teenager stared in horror at his father. Meanwhile the perpetrator who made Gakushuu choke on his food was actually laughing brightly while gracefully cutting the meat on his plate.

"Why are you looking at me like that? Are what I said true? You've looked very frustrated since coming home from school even though just a few weeks ago you looked very cheerful." If it wasn't him who Gakuhou was talking about, maybe Gakushuu would believe his father's words.

Asano Gakuhou looked at his only son with a teasing smile. He wanted to know which teenager had succeeded in making his child express such emotions.

"Father, did you just tease me?" Gakushuu narrowed his eyes.

His and Gakuhou's relationship was probably better than it had been in years. He again called the man father at home and tried to speak informally to him. Even so, he was still not used to Gakuhou's attitude of teasing him over the little things he did. Seriously, how could his mother fall in love with a man like that?

"I'm not teasing you. I'm just saying something based on my observations." The way Gakuhou spoke only made Gakushuu's mood worse. He didn't know why Karma's absence made him feel a little disappointed—maybe it was because the teenager had been in his sights for the past few weeks that he had gotten used to it—and then now his father decided to tease him about something that Gakushuu didn't actually understand.

"If you feel what I said is wrong, then what makes you make a face like you've just been dumped all day?"

Gakushuu rolled his eyes subconsciously. They're still going to have this conversation?

"Honestly, I don't understand what you're talking about, Father."

Gakushuu watched as his father decided to shrug his shoulders as the end of their conversation. Even so, he also didn't miss the mysterious smile on his father's face. He didn't know what his father was thinking or planning right now.

Forget it. Gakushuu better focus on the upcoming Exam. He had to prepare himself well because of the bet with Karma. Even though he had no doubt he could get the highest marks in all subjects, that didn't mean Gakushuu could relax. He had to make sure he won.

Midterm exam day came quickly. As usual, the exam will be held in the main building. This is to facilitate access to supervision so that no student commits fraudulent acts.

At that time Gakushuu was on his way back to his exam room after break time when he saw Karma. The teenager was in class 3-E and would definitely be in the last room assigned to Exam takers. Karma was not alone at that time, he was with his blue friend. Maybe they just bought something to eat.

But what caught Gakushuu's attention was not that. But rather the fact that Karma's skin looks very pale and there are dark circles under his eyes. The teenager also seemed uninspired and as if he would collapse at any time.

Gakushuu already knew that Karma was suffering from an illness that made him spend more than a year in the hospital. He even saw Karma faint before being rushed to the hospital. But after that he always met Karma, who was cheerful and full of enthusiasm. Teasing him for whatever Gakushuu did. That alone was enough to make Gakushuu forget that the 3-E Red Devil was suffering from a disease that was definitely dangerous.

And now seeing the teenager appear with pale skin without any enthusiasm for life on his face made Gakushuu realize that his rival could die at any time due to his illness.

Gakushuu averted his gaze subconsciously, he tried to get rid of the uncomfortable feeling in his heart looking at Karma who had lost his enthusiasm again.

Returning to the exam room and faced once again with the question paper, Gakushuu couldn't help but drift to Karma's pale face that he saw earlier. Can Karma answer the questions well? Maybe he should go easy on Karma and not count the Midterms into their bets. But Gakushuu doubted Karma would accept it. Without needing to know the teenager any further, Gakushuu already knew that Karma had too high self-esteem.

If Gakushuu decided not to count on the Midterm Exam this time, perhaps the teenager would feel that Gakushuu pitied him. Even though in reality Gakushuu didn't do that. He was actually amazed at Karma who was still fighting until now.

Chapter Text

When Karma was 6 years old, his mother once asked him what he wanted to be when he grew up. As a child, Karma answered with what was on his mind. He said he wanted to be a superhero who could protect and save many people.

However, Karma's current wish is just a simple wish. He wants to live a healthy life, he doesn't want to get sick anymore, take medicine, get injections and lie in a hospital bed endlessly, and he also wants to stop making his parents worry. He didn't like seeing his mother crying or how his father with teary eyes still tried to stay strong while hugging his mother.

When Karma woke up again in the hospital, he already knew something was wrong with his condition. His body felt very weak and tired. There was an IV tube attached to his hand and an oxygen mask on his face. Karma wanted to stay awake to wait for his father and mother to return, but his body was too tired and his eyes closed again unconsciously.

When he woke up again, he could hear the sound of his mother sobbing softly. Karma didn't make any sound, just silently looked at his mother who was now crying in his father's arms. How bad is it?

It seemed like Karma had fallen asleep again because when he opened his eyes again, only his father was left sitting by the bed. The man was silent and his eyes stared blankly into the distance. Akabane Hitoshi is a successful young businessman. He is only 37 years old. He always looks charming and well-groomed. But what Karma saw now was that his father looked like a man in his late 40s who had lived a hard life.

"Ah? You're awake, Karma-kun.” His father gave a smile. But that smile looked very forced.

“Your mother has gone home. She said she wanted to cook your favorite food because the food at the hospital would taste not good." Karma knew his father was trying to appear fine in front of him. The man even laughed without any humor in his voice.

Karma didn't say anything. Apart from the fact that his body was still very weak and his throat was sore, he also didn't want to say anything.

“I knows what you are thinking. The midterm exam is getting closer, that's why we have asked the doctor's permission for you to go out a few days before the exam. They did insist that you stay in the hospital to make monitoring easier, but Mom and Dad know that you don't like it here."

All Karma did was nod slightly in thanks. Then he felt his father's hand stroking his hair. The man smiled affectionately at him. But his eyes only had sadness in them.

..

A few days before the Midterm Exams started, Karma was finally sent home. From the looks the doctors and nurses gave Karma, he knew he shouldn't have left the hospital. He knew very well that he should continue undergoing a series of treatments that didn't know when they would end.

His father and mother were with him when he was released from the hospital. His mother hugged him warmly and he leaned on her shoulder all the way home. Karma continued to look out the car window as if he was enjoying the moving scenery outside, but what he had been staring at was the reflection of his face in the car window. His face was very pale with dark circles under his eyes. His lips were dry and colorless. Anyone who sees him will know that he is suffering from an illness.

He looks pathetic.

Honestly, Karma doesn't have the enthusiasm for anything anymore now. All the enthusiasm and ambition he had before suddenly disappeared when he had to return to his sickening hospital routine. He's tired. He didn't want to fight anymore. The word surrender feels very tempting to embrace.

And death doesn't sound so bad now.

It's like falling asleep but never opening your eyes again.

No problem.

Back in his room, Karma could only stare emotionlessly at his pile of books. He had been trying to study to win his and Gakushuu's bets. He really wanted to win over the other teenagers. But now he questions why. Why does he want to win? It's not like he can escape his illness.

Karma bit his lower lip as he felt the heat in his eyes. The red haired teen grabbed his pillow and hugged it tightly. He pressed his face against the pillow in his arms to muffle the sound of his sobs.

...

Karma solved the problems much faster than his friends. He knew that the questions given had changed from the grid that had been prepared so far. They deliberately changed the questions so that class 3-E students would not be able to answer them. They must have done this to make class 3-E realize that they were just a bunch of stupid kids who couldn't possibly compete with the kids from the main building.

However, Karma did not find any problems in solving the questions. It's really a shame for the question makers. Karma smiled lightly as he thought about the twisted faces of the teachers checking his exam results. They must have been annoyed and couldn't believe he was still able to answer their questions.

Karma stopped for a moment and glanced left and right to see where he was currently. He was in Kunugigaoka Middle School's main park. Kunugigaoka Park is divided into several places and the largest of them is the main park. Usually the place is always busy with students or teaching staff who want to take a break. But now the park was quiet because the students were taking exams and the teachers were watching them.

He will wait for Nagisa at this place.

Several minutes passed with only Karma sitting casually under a lush tree. Not long after, the bell that signaled the end of the exam rang and the other students started walking out of the classroom. Karma's gaze involuntarily fell on an orange-haired teenager who was talking to his four strange friends.

He looks healthy.

How fun that would be.

Chapter Text

Gakushuu could feel that someone was staring at him quite intensely at the moment. It's nothing new for him because he has many fans. But usually they would do it secretly and sometimes Gakushuu wouldn't even notice. Yet this someone actually looked at him so clearly in the middle of the day like this.

Gakushuu turned his head, trying to find who was staring at him. And he found it. Akabane Karma. The teenager sat under a shady tree, covered in the tree's shadow. His appearance looks very striking with his red hair. He looked straight at Gakushuu with a gaze that could be described as blank. It was as if only his body was there at the moment and his soul had gone somewhere.

Without realizing it, Gakushuu smiled.

"You guys go first, I'll tell you the details later." Gakushuu said to his friends and waved him away. Gakushuu's smile turned into a grin when Karma started to look at him with a sharp gaze. As if threatening Gakushuu not to come to him. But the sharper Karma's gaze was, the happier Gakushuu was.

“Akabane, glad to find you didn't run away from our bet.” Gakushuu said as he stood in front of Karma. The younger teen snorted in annoyance.

“Asano-kun, you're blocking the view with your face. Get out of the way.” Karma said sarcastically.

Even so Gakushuu just laughed because of it. Karma's face might still be as pale as when he saw it a few days ago but Karma no longer looked like a body without a soul.

“What are you doing here, Akabane? Waiting for a miracle to come to defeat me?” Gakushuu asked mockingly. He could see how Karma's face turned sour when he said that. However, Karma quickly corrected his expression and started smiling his trademark grin.

“Why would I wait for a miracle, Asano-kun? Maybe you should wait for a miracle to come." Karma teased.

"You're the one who needs a miracle more, Akabane."

Gakushuu's words somehow made Karma speechless. There was something in Karma's eyes that Gakushuu couldn't explain or even understand. Maybe if he also felt what Karma felt, he would understand the meaning of that look.

"Why aren't you with your friends, Akabane?" Gakushuu asked. For some reason, he tried to change the topic of their conversation because he couldn't stand Karma's gaze.

Karma looked dazed for a moment before smiling again, "Asano-kun, if I didn't know for sure, I would think you were paying attention to me."

Gakushuu's face felt hot for some reason and his heart started beating faster than usual. He also felt embarrassed for some reason. Even so, Gakushuu could still control the expression that appeared on his face. Even though there was still a faint reddish tinge on his face, anyone could interpret that color as appearing because of the current sunny day.

“Oh? Could it be that you are experiencing your delusions again, Akabane? I'm starting to suspect that you actually really like me to be delusional like that."

Karma's response was an uncontrollable laugh. The owner of the mercury bead held his stomach while laughing. He even started to lie down on the grass as his laughter grew louder. Several students who heard his laughter started to turn their heads and look at them. However, Gakushuu didn't care at all about their stares or tried to make them stop staring. He only focused on the other teenager in front of him.

Karma lying on the grass laughing in the shadow of a tree is the main focus. Karma's eyes were closed and his mouth was open to laugh, the sunlight filtering through the gaps in the leaves fell on his body and face which only gave an astonishing visual effect. Gakushuu has known for a long time that Akabane Karma has a beautiful appearance. The proof is that many students fall in love with him or are jealous of his face.

But today, watching Karma laugh cheerfully in front of him, Gakushuu could only think of one word.

Beautiful.

Maybe he was too stunned by the display in front of him that he didn't realize that Karma had finished laughing. Karma wiped tears from the corners of his eyes, still with the remaining giggle the teenager said, "We're both living in delusions if it's like that."

Gakushuu came to his senses when he heard Karma's voice. He was about to say something when he heard Karma's name being called by someone.

“Karma-kun!”

The two of them turned at the same time, finding a teenager with blue hair running towards them. Behind him were several of his classmates who followed. Gakushuu recognized them as the same people he saw in the library at that time.

"Ah, your guards have come to pick you up, princess." Gakushuu said. There was a mocking smile on his face which Karma responded with a grin. The red-haired teenager stretched out his hand towards Gakushuu.

“Then Your Highness Prince, act like a good man and help me up.”

Gakushuu chuckled softly and took Karma's hand, helping the teen to stand. Both of them ignored the surprised looks from Karma's friends and other students who were in the park at that time. Just staring at each other with their hands still interlocked.

Chapter Text

Violet. Asano Gakushuu's eyes color is violet. Somehow the striking color looks suitable with the young Asano's twilight hair. But compared to Asano Gakuhou's violet color which looked cruel, Gakushuu's eyes color actually looked warm and gentle. Especially when he smiles.

Karma didn't know why he kept imagining Gakushuu's violet eyes looking at him warmly and gently. It felt like anyone who could be stared at like that by Gakushuu would definitely feel very loved.

“What are you thinking, Karma-kun?” Nagisa asked.

Karma just glanced at his friend and said, "Someone who is annoying."

The midterm exam results have come out, and now they are waiting for the teachers to return from the main building to share their exam results. Karma's classmates look gloomy for some reason including Nagisa. Of all the students in class 3-E, the only one who still looks relaxed is Karma. No one can blame them for being that way. However, they have worked hard for this exam, but the difficulty level of the questions they have worked on has changed, making them no longer confident in the results they will get.

When Korosensei walked in, all the students returned to their places and waited anxiously. Korosensei with his quick movements distributed all the exam results to each student. But anyone could tell that their homeroom teacher wasn't in a happy mood. There were no typical jokes or laughter from their homeroom teacher who was usually always cheerful. Korosensei began to speak, blaming himself for taking the main building too lightly, especially the cunning of a certain Asano who served as the principal.

Karma glanced at the exam results placed on his desk and snorted. Listening to Korosensei blame himself and the gloomy atmosphere in his class made Karma feel irritated. It shouldn't be like this. Class 3-E was a cheerful class full of enthusiastic children, even if they were ostracized. What should have been heard were the excited screams of children trying to kill their homeroom teacher. Therefore, he raised the knife that was given to him to kill their homeroom teacher and threw the object at Korosensei who was depressed.

Karma wanted to laugh when Korosensei scolded him for interrupting his depression session, Karma proudly took his test paper and threw it on the teacher's desk.

All five test papers he threw contained very high marks. In fact, none of the five results were below 90. The highest one got a score of 100. Karma grinned arrogantly, "My grades are already good from there, just changing a few questions won't have any effect on me."

By this time, his classmates had gathered around him and were starting to look in disbelief at his exam results. With such high results, it was certain that he could occupy a fairly high position on the ranking list and have the opportunity to return to the main building and again receive the special treatment he once received. Therefore, Karma did not blame the worried and jealous looks from his friends.

He explained to them that he had no intention of leaving class 3-E because he felt that the killings carried out in that class were much more fun than what the main building had to offer. Even though Karma had the highest score in his class and managed to occupy a fairly high position in the ranking list, Karma felt dissatisfied.

This just means he lost one bet with Asano Gakushuu. However, Asano Gakushuu's name still stands firmly at number 1 on the ranking list. He must reply to Gakushuu in the final semester exam later.

..

"Are you the only one I'm going to see here, Akabane?" Gakushuu's voice sounded annoyed.

Karma raised his head, seeing the older teenager standing in front of him. He stuck out his tongue to mock Gakushuu. When the other teenagers chuckled, Karma actually giggled happily. Who knows since when he found being around Gakushuu much more enjoyable than before.

“I also wonder why I see you more and more now. Are you sure you're not a ghost who likes to stick to people?” Karma said. But his hand motioned for Gakushuu to sit by his side.

Gakushuu rolled his eyes. Even though he looked annoyed, he still took his place by Karma's side. The two were just silent for a while before Karma opened his mouth to say, “I lost this time. But that doesn't mean our bet is over. You said it yourself to beat you in one of the tests.”

“Yes, I did say that. And I look forward to you continuing to try to beat me.”

“Oh, you're going to cry because you let me try.”

The only response Karma received was a mocking snort from Gakushuu. Whether Gakushuu believes it or not, Karma will prove that he is capable and able to beat Gakushuu in the upcoming Final Semester Exam. Besides, how hard is it to beat Asano Gakushuu? He managed to rank 4th without having to try hard for this exam.

“Forget that for now. Are you going on our study tour to Kyoto?”

Honestly, Karma wasn't ready for the question given by Gakushuu. If he was honest, he was too busy thinking about his life and the stakes that he didn't remember that their school always held a trip every time the Midterm Exams ended. Now if Karma thought about it, he probably wouldn't have been given permission by his parents to go on that trip.

It would be a shame if he couldn't come. His friends had made a murderous plan for this trip. Karma had to think of a way to seduce his parents so they would agree to let him come along.

“Of course I will come! Are you afraid if I leave, Asano-kun?”

"In your dreams, Akabane."

Chapter Text

School trips to Kyoto have become a hot topic for all 3rd grade students at Kunugigaoka Middle School. Many of them can't wait to go on the trips and are starting to plan what they want to do on their 3 day 2 night tour in Kyoto later. However, there are a handful of people who seem normal about this trips.

One of them is Asano Gakushuu.

Going to Kyoto was nothing new for him, especially since he wasn't that close to his classmates. Mostly he just thought of them as tools he could use later. Chess pieces that can be directed wherever he likes to achieve his goals. He didn't arrange anything to do in Kyoto with his classmates. Not like he could even have fun with them.

But for some reason, Gakushuu felt at least somewhat looking forward to this trip.

..

The day of the trips began. Gakushuu stood at the station shouldering his bag with a bored look. Certainly nothing interesting will happen at this time. It was a shame that the Class A and Class E carriages were far enough apart that Gakushuu couldn't see the Red Devil 3-E. Traveling by fast train is something that is normal for Gakushuu. Nothing interesting happened along the way and he just sat reading a book to fill his time.

When they arrived in Kyoto, the teacher immediately directed them to the hotel and put away their things before starting to explore. Some of his classmates invited Gakushuu to join their exploration, but Gakushuu didn't want to tire himself out for nothing. He politely rejected all of his friends' invitations. And chose to rest himself.

Gakushuu just spends his time sitting in his room reading books and occasionally surfing the internet. His friends returned some time before sunset bringing various stories about the things they did or what happened to them. Some returned crying from encounters with thugs and other bad experiences. But all of these are common things that happen during a shcool trip.

Gakushuu sighed in his heart. The room would become very noisy with their stories and disturb Gakushuu's peace.

“Asano-kun, where do you want to go?” Sakakibara Ren asked when he saw him standing.

“Getting some fresh air.” Gakushuu answered briefly.

Walking out of the hotel, Gakushuu didn't know where he should go. Then he remembered the E class place to stay during this trip. Compared to those given private rooms in luxury hotels, class 3-E was only in place at a less well-known traditional inn. It's actually quite easy to find that place, especially since Gakushuu once went there with his parents when he was little. That's his mother's favorite place. His feet unconsciously brought him to that place. When he almost reached the inn, he accidentally saw Karma who had just come out of a place. Looks like a pharmacy.

Gakushuu quickened his steps to approach the teenager.

“Akabane.” He called after feeling close enough to Karma.

He didn't expect his voice to make Karma jump in surprise as if the teenager had just done something illegal. Under the light of the street lamp, Gakushuu could vaguely see the bruises on Karma's face and Karma's movements only increased Gakushuu's suspicions.

“Asano-kun, I'm starting to feel like you're a stalker now. How can we meet in a place like this when I'm alone? Are you following me?” Karma narrowed his eyes sharply, a suspicious look was clearly visible in Karma's eyes.

"You hurt?" Gakushuu asked without paying attention to Karma's sarcastic sneer.

“Why should I tell you, Asano-kun? I don't remember us being that close for you to feel free to ask me that.”

Gakushuu subconsciously rolled his eyes, a little annoyed by Karma's annoying attitude. He grabbed Karma's right hand just to prevent him from escaping. He didn't expect that his actions would actually make Karma lose his balance and almost fall. Luckily Gakushuu has pretty fast reflexes and is able to stop Karma from falling.

“Ah—I'm sorry.”

Gakushuu thought Karma would curse him as usual or say some other nonsense, but Karma just kept quiet. His facial expression became strange as if he was in pain at the moment.

There seems to be something wrong with Karma.

"You have to go to the hospital, Akabane."

Karma shook his head weakly, rejecting Gakushuu's suggestion. Without realizing it, Gakushuu chuckled because of his behavior. He started looking around, holding the taxi and helping Karma get in. If Karma didn't want to go, then he would drag the teenager away. Gakushuu could faintly hear Karma's voice protesting his actions in between his cries of pain. Throughout the way to the hospital, Karma's body was pressed against his body with Karma's head resting on Gakushuu's shoulder and Gakushuu's hand embracing Karma's shoulder to prevent him from falling.

Of course he didn't forget to tell his father to find him immediately. Because he himself knew that there were limits to what he could do at his age. Like he couldn't possibly be Karma's guardian to sign the papers that would be given by the hospital later. And if the doctor prescribes medicine for Karma, Gakushuu won't be able to take it because he's still underage.

Gakushuu didn't really pay attention when several nurses laid Karma on the bed and started pushing him away. All he can do now is wait for his father to come to help with Karma's administration.

His father came quickly and looked a little messy—his hair was not neatly styled and he was only wearing a plain shirt without a jacket—it seemed like the man was in a hurry to arrive. Gakushuu gave his father a small wave and shifted uncomfortably as Gakuhou began to scan him from head to toe. As if trying to find out what was wrong with him.

“Is this the latest method to attract my attention?” Asano Gakuhou said as he stood before Gakushuu. The man massaged his temples to get rid of a headache that didn't actually exist.

"No. Honestly, I never thought of a method like this because I thought it wouldn't work on you. I called for another reason.”

“Oh? And what was it that made you just text me that you're in the hospital right now?”

"I need an adult to take care of Akabane's administration."

"Akabane?"

“Yeah, he's the reason I'm here. I met him and he fainted while we were talking.”

Gakuhou sighed, as if resigned to his only son's behavior.

"Didn't it occur to you to just take him to the clinic instead of the hospital?"

Gakushuu shook his head, "He looked like he was in a lot of pain, I thought there was something wrong with him."

Gakuhou nodded his head, then walked to the reception desk to start taking care of Karma's files. Meanwhile Gakushuu waited quietly for his father to finish. Even though he looked calm on the outside, Gakushuu's mind was racing right now. Even though it was only a glance, he clearly saw the bruises on Karma's body. The bruises on Karma's body were clearly from beatings. Was Karma involved in the fight?

In a body condition that has a disease like that, Karma still dares to get involved in a fight?!

Akabane Karma is indeed insane.

Chapter Text

Karma knew he shouldn't have been reckless in trying to fight those high school students pretending to be thugs. He knew his body's condition better than anyone else. But how could he just stand by and let his friends be taken away by those thugs? He was lucky that Korosensei came to help, or else what would have happened to them?

In his heart, Karma had vowed to find out the identities of those thugs and settle the score with them. They would regret ever messing with Akabane Karma.

He had only gone out to buy medicine at the pharmacy, never expecting to encounter Gakushuu. Even more unexpected was his body's inability to withstand the pain, causing him to fall in front of Gakushuu. It was truly embarrassing to have to rely on help from his rival just to stand up and be taken to the hospital by his rival.

Karma didn't know when he fell asleep, perhaps due to the influence of the anesthesia given by the doctor when treating his wounds. When Karma woke up, the first thing he noticed was the unfamiliar scent of shampoo, strangely comforting. Perhaps because the scent of the shampoo near his nose masked the smell of disinfectant in the surroundings. This made Karma not feel the same as when he woke up in the hospital before.

Karma blinked several times before turning to where he felt the scent was coming from. He could see the head of someone with twilight hair sleeping so close to his face. Unconsciously, Karma shifted his gaze to the window to see if it was still dark outside. However, when he glanced at the wall clock in the room, Karma knew he had been lying in the hospital almost all night.

Didn't that mean Gakushuu had been with him all night? Why?

Even his parents would go home when they felt tired. Karma rarely woke up in the hospital with someone by his side. Of course, this surprised him to find Gakushuu by his side all night. Why would Gakushuu do this? They weren't close friends. Their relationship could even be described as quite bad.

Karma couldn't explain what he felt when he found out Gakushuu had stayed by his side. Nevertheless, there was something he felt warm about knowing there was someone there with him in the hospital.

Karma couldn't go back to sleep, especially with Gakushuu sleeping beside him. Since there was nothing he could do, Karma simply observed Gakushuu to see if he could use the way Gakushuu slept to tease the teenager later. However, it was quite difficult to see Gakushuu's sleeping face. Besides the fact that Gakushuu's head was too close to his, Karma also couldn't move freely.

But when Karma managed to find a way to observe Gakushuu's sleeping face, he fell silent and began to admire the other teenager. Gakushuu's eyelashes were long and curly - one of the differences from Asano Gakuhou; his face was soft with traces of childhood that had not completely disappeared yet; Gakushuu's nose was sharp, and although there were faint dark circles under his eyes, they didn't seem to be disturbing; Gakushuu's skin also looked very smooth, without any signs of acne scars or other signs of puberty. He must take good care of it.

Although still a teenager, Gakushuu had already shown that when he grew up, he would have a handsome appearance. More people would admire him in the future. Whether for his intelligence or his looks alone. Maybe an Asano was destined to be popular.

Karma didn't know how long he had been staring at Gakushuu's face. If only Karma wanted to be honest, he quite enjoyed watching Gakushuu's face. Slowly, Gakushuu's eyelids began to move, his eyebrows furrowed, and Gakushuu started to make sounds. It seemed that Gakushuu would wake up soon, but Karma didn't look away.

When Gakushuu's eyelids opened, Karma could clearly see Gakushuu's violet iris.

Gakushuu looked dazed for a moment, as if he was still trying to gather the remnants of his consciousness. When he fully regained his senses, Gakushuu quickly sat up to move away from Karma. Actually, this made Karma want to laugh, but he couldn't do it without feeling pain in his jaw. All he could do was stare at Gakushuu.

Gakushuu looked restless, perhaps feeling uncomfortable being stared at continuously. Karma gave a slight smile at this. It turned out that the famous Asano Gakushuu didn't like being stared at.

"I'll call the doctor." With those words, Gakushuu got up and left the room.

After Gakushuu left, Karma began to look around seriously. The room he was in looked quite luxurious, and he was the only one in the room. When Karma fainted at school, he knew he was sent to the hospital and lay in the ER with others before his parents came and moved him to the room.

And seeing that only Gakushuu was by his side, didn't that mean his parents hadn't arrived yet or didn't even know his condition? So how could he be in such a nice room, alone without other patients?

Who paid for his hospital expenses to be able to be in this room?

Chapter Text

After calling the doctor to check on Karma, Gakushuu chose to wait in the hospital corridor. Going into the room felt wrong because he doubted Karma would want him to know the teenager's condition—although he already did. He also hadn't returned to the hotel since last night because he felt responsible for Karma. After all, he was the one who brought Karma to the hospital, and he couldn't just leave Karma because the teenager was already in the hospital.

Gakuhou had told him that he would soon contact Karma's parents and ask them to come. The doctor said Karma needed serious treatment. It was impossible to handle a patient like Karma carelessly. The doctor was even surprised why Karma—with his serious condition—was wandering the streets instead of getting treatment in the hospital.

Gakushuu didn't understand why Karma's parents didn't let Karma stay in the hospital, knowing their child was dying. Or rather, he didn't understand why they let Karma wander outside without the treatment he should have received. But that was their decision, and Gakushuu had no right to question their decision.

With a sigh, Gakushuu massaged his tense neck. The sleeping position last night was very uncomfortable; when he returned to the hotel later, Gakushuu would immediately sleep. He didn't care about any sightseeing planned by his friends. He just needed rest in a decent bed.

The doctor had finished examining Karma and happened to see him. He said something about Karma's condition and hoped to discuss it with Karma's parents. Gakushuu could only answer that both of Karma's parents were on their way to this place. Although he actually didn't know where Karma's parents were at the moment. He also asked the doctor if Karma could eat food brought from outside and not hospital food. The doctor then explained what Karma should avoid.

When he entered the room, he was immediately faced with a pair of mercury eyes staring at him. Gakushuu felt a little awkward with Karma's gaze but didn't let it show on his face.

"Uh... how are you?" Gakushuu asked.

He saw Karma roll his eyes. Gakushuu admitted it was a stupid question. The red-haired teenager gestured for Gakushuu to sit. Perhaps he felt uncomfortable seeing Gakushuu standing in front of him—and frankly, Gakushuu also felt uncomfortable.

"I'll ask my parents to reimburse your money when they arrive," Karma said.

"Huh? That's not necessary. My father is the one paying, not me."

The look Karma gave him seemed to say that because of that, he should reimburse his hospital expenses.

"This will be the school's responsibility. Anyway, you were hospitalized during the sightseeing trip," Gakushuu explained. Despite that, Karma still looked at him with an unbelieving gaze. Gakushuu felt helpless and decided not to say anything. He checked his phone again and received messages from his father and his classmate—Sakakibara Ren.

Gakuhou said he would come to the hospital after he finished his meeting. Meanwhile, Ren asked why Gakushuu hadn't returned to the hotel and when he would return. Choosing to ignore Ren's question, Gakushuu replied to his father's message, asking him to come sooner.

"Is there anything you want to eat?" Gakushuu asked Karma.

"You're asking me?" Gakushuu rotated his eyes, "Of course, Akabane. It's just you and me in this room."

"Do you want to buy it for me?"

"My father will come after the meeting. And I know hospital food tastes bad. I asked the doctor, and he said it's okay. It's just that there are many things you have to avoid. Like food that's too spicy or oily."

Karma looked at Gakushuu with a disbelieving gaze and then shifted his gaze to his hands in his lap. Why did the teenager look so surprised? Wasn't this a normal treatment for a sick person?

Or did Gakushuu say something wrong that elicited such a reaction from Karma? But Gakushuu thought it was normal to ask a sick person what they wanted to eat. Wouldn't most sick people have a craving for something?

Karma's reaction was completely unexpected for Gakushuu.

In his mind, Karma would ask for various things to annoy Gakushuu. Instead of that, Karma just stared at him with a surprised and silent gaze for some reason.

Gakushuu remained silent, waiting for Karma to say what he wanted.

Chapter Text

Honestly, Karma was very surprised when Gakushuu asked what he wanted to eat. His parents never asked him that. They clearly treated him very well and loved him very much. But they were too worried and treated Karma like fragile glass. They prohibited him from doing what he liked and never asked what he wanted to eat. However, Gakushuu treated him like someone who just caught a fever.

It was impossible for Gakushuu not to know about Karma's illness. It was also impossible for him not to know about his body condition. Nevertheless, Gakushuu did not look at him with pity like his classmates did when they first found out he was sick or with sadness like his parents always did. He also did not treat Karma like fragile glass.

He just treated Karma like Karma.

Not to mention, he was willing to accompany Karma overnight at the hospital and now asking what Karma wanted to eat. Having someone who treated him like this, Karma felt happy but also scared and confused at the same time. He was really not used to this kind of thing.

"Yatsuhashi[1]."

"Huh?"

"I want to eat yatsuhashi. My classmate said it's quite delicious and recommended as a Kyoto specialty souvenir." Karma glanced at Gakushuu from the corner of his eye, afraid that Gakushuu would reject his request. However, Gakushuu was busy typing something on his phone. His eyebrows furrowed for something that appeared on his phone and quickly disappeared as he started typing again.

"Done." Gakushuu looked up at Karma and smiled.

"My father will come at 10 a.m., still quite a long time. He has also informed your parents and said they are on their flight here if there are no obstacles. I will return to the hotel after both of your parents arrive." Gakushuu explained.

Karma could only nod like an idiot because he didn't know what to say. Perhaps it was the lack of response from Karma that made the atmosphere awkward. Karma wanted to say something to disturb Gakushuu as usual, but he was still trapped in the new emotions he had just felt. It felt wrong to disturb Gakushuu right now.

Fortunately, the awkward atmosphere created between them was interrupted by the sound of the door opening. A nurse entered to deliver breakfast for Karma. She apologized to Gakushuu because only patients would be served. Gakushuu responded lightly, politely smiling and saying he would eat at the hospital cafeteria later.

Karma looked at the food given to him with disgust. Even after spending a lot of time in the hospital, he could never get used to the food in the hospital. The bland taste and overly soft texture were really not to his liking. What was given to him was just standard white rice with vegetables that seemed to have been cooked only with water and without seasoning, and a boiled egg. Oh, there was also an orange. Okay, the fruit was not a problem for Karma.

Karma still stared at his food when he saw a hand take the orange from his food tray, making his eyes squint.

"Hey! That's mine!" Karma protested. How dare Gakushuu steal the only taste in his bland food.

Gakushuu just shrugged nonchalantly, "I know."

Karma continued to squint disapprovingly, especially when Gakushuu started peeling the orange that was supposed to be for him.

"You should eat your food, Akabane. Just looking at me won't make you full."

Karma started to grumble in his heart. He withdrew his words. Gakushuu was still very annoying. After a lot of grumbling, Karma finally ate his food reluctantly. He didn't want to be scolded by his mother if she appeared and found out he hadn't eaten.

However, Karma couldn't eat much because he felt nauseous after just a few bites. At that moment, he saw that Gakushuu had finished peeling the orange and placed it on a tissue. He gave it to Karma. The orange was peeled and separated from the white fibers. When Karma ate it, the sweet and slightly sour taste of the orange spread in his mouth. Making Karma forget the unpleasant taste of his earlier meal.

"Have you finished eating?" Gakushuu pointed at the food tray in front of Karma. Karma nodded his head, focusing on the orange given to him.

Gakushuu removed the food tray and lowered the table. He also adjusted the height of the bed to make it comfortable for Karma. He asked if Karma wanted to watch TV or do something else. When Karma said he wanted to watch TV, Gakushuu started looking for the TV remote and turned it on for Karma. He even helped Karma find the channel he wanted to watch.

"I will go to the cafeteria for breakfast. Is there anything you want?"

"If there's strawberry milk, buy it for me."

Karma could see Gakushuu snort at the commanding tone of his voice, but the other teenager did not refuse. He just left. Since he could only watch TV right now, Karma started to change channels when he got bored.

If only he had brought his phone, he would have asked Nagisa to play online games.

Wait.. did his friends know he was in the hospital?

Chapter Text

The food in the hospital cafeteria was quite good according to Gakushuu. Unfortunately, some of the food was not to his taste. Before returning to Karma's room, Gakushuu saw a vending machine for bottled drinks. He looked for strawberry milk and found there were still a few boxes left. Gakushuu decided to buy two boxes and then returned to Karma's room.

Karma was currently calmer than before. Now he looked like a obedient child, making Gakushuu feel happy to take care of him. If only Karma continued to be calm like that, maybe Gakushuu would consider forming a good friendship with him.

Back in the room, Karma was still watching TV calmly. However, the expression of boredom on his face was very clear. Gakushuu felt it was normal, as he had to be confined in a room without being able to do anything. He didn't even have a talking companion. This reminded Gakushuu of when he sprained his ankle and had to stay overnight in the hospital. He was very bored and didn't know what to do.

"Is this to your liking?" Gakushuu handed the strawberry milk to Karma. There was a glint of happiness captured by Gakushuu in Karma's eyes as he received it.

Gakushuu sat back on the chair next to the bed, he started playing with his phone while Karma watched TV and drank strawberry milk.

"Asano-kun, do you know how to play online games?" Karma's sudden question surprised Gakushuu.

"Why are you asking that?"

"Ugh.. you must not know how to do it! I know you're only good at studying." Karma spoke. He was like a annoyed child because his friend didn't know the game he knew. Gakushuu really didn't understand why Karma could behave like a cute child but could also act like a psychopath who didn't hesitate to kill.

"Give me your phone." Karma asked. Gakushuu handed his phone to Karma and watched as Karma downloaded a game to his phone. When the download was complete, Karma deftly installed the game app and created a game account for Gakushuu. Karma explained that the game was about defense strategy. Where Gakushuu had to think of a strategy to defend against enemy attacks and win battles.

Okay, that sounds quite interesting.

"Look, you press this button to move forward and this one to attack. Then this one to see your character's status. You can see the level and abilities you have." Karma explained enthusiastically. There was happiness when he explained the game to Gakushuu. It made Gakushuu think that Karma was currently showing off his favorite game to him.

Gakushuu watched as Karma played the tutorial set, Karma was very skillful at it. Whether he liked it or not, Gakushuu was impressed by this one skill of Karma's. After completing the tutorial set, Karma gave Gakushuu's phone back and told him to play the first level of the game. Gakushuu had played games before, but he rarely played them. And this game was quite new to him.

Because of that, Gakushuu felt a little awkward playing it. Karma protested a few times about his awkwardness but still taught him what to do. Since this was a defense strategy game, Gakushuu started the early stages by gathering information about his game character and the number and strength of his troops. Then he began to assess the strength and number of his opponents. Only then did he start thinking about strategies that were suitable for the game.

Maybe some people would think that thinking about strategy in a game is pointless. It would be better to attack directly. But Gakushuu didn't think that was true. Just like soccer that had to have a strategy in attacking and defending, this game was also like that.

After several trial rounds, Gakushuu managed to complete the first level of the game well. This even earned him amazed exclamations from Karma.

Karma said that if Gakushuu reached a certain level, he could invite friends to play online together. Even Karma enthusiastically mentioned that he would invite Gakushuu to play online when Gakushuu reached that level.

It felt like.. a normal conversation between friends.

Gakushuu smiled unconsciously.

They continued to play until they lost track of time. They didn't even realize Gakuhou's presence. The man came earlier than he said. At first, he was worried that his son and Karma would start a strange fight in the hospital. But look at them now, playing games together like they were good friends and not rivals. Hm, they looked very familiar with each other.

Chapter Text

Gakushuu is truly skilled in studying. Karma can loudly acknowledge this. And Gakushuu is a fast learner. The proof is, he only explained how to play the game once to Gakushuu and the teenager had already mastered it as if he had been playing the game for a long time. Karma knew it wasn't because the game he downloaded was easy—indeed, it was a difficult game—but it was because Gakushuu was indeed talented in almost everything he learned.

Karma had once taught Nagisa and Tomohito to play the same or easier game, but they needed a few days to be able to play it well. While Gakushuu only needed a few tries and could do it well on the same day.

If Gakushuu decided to become a gamer in the future, Karma was sure he would become a famous gamer who successfully conquered difficult games.

As they were engrossed in playing, the headmaster suddenly appeared and startled them. Karma swore he even heard Gakushuu cursing in surprise at the sudden appearance of his father. The headmaster asked about Karma's condition, he also brought a package containing yatsuhashi as requested by Karma and a basket of apples.

From the corner of his eye, he saw Gakushuu stand up from his seat and let his father take his seat. Gakushuu stepped out for whatever reason.

"I've informed your parents. Most likely they will arrive in the afternoon if there are no problems. Your class guardians have also been informed but it seems they won't be able to visit today." The headmaster explained.

Karma could only nod his head. They were probably still busy carrying out the assassination mission for Korosensei which made their class so busy. He wouldn't want to be an obstacle in their mission. He had already caused them enough worry with his condition, he shouldn't jeopardize the plan they had carefully devised.

Karma glanced back at Gakuhou with a bit of hesitation. He had never been in the same room with Gakuhou who didn't emit a deadly aura. The Gakuhou in front of him right now only looked like a wealthy man who was well-groomed and friendly. When Gakushuu appeared—for the first time—Karma was very grateful to see Gakushuu's appearance.

The teenager brought a small plate with a fruit knife. He took 2 apples from the basket and took them out to wash them. Karma could see how Gakuhou looked at his son with affection. It seemed that the rumors saying they had a bad relationship were not true.

Gakushuu returned with the two washed apples. He stood on the other side of the bed while skillfully peeling the apples. He cut the apples into easy-to-eat shapes and handed them to Karma.

Honestly, Karma was a bit curious why Gakushuu was paying such attention to him. But, considering the atmosphere Karma was feeling right now, he felt happy. The first time Karma was hospitalized, his mother cried incessantly because of his illness while his father only looked at him with sadness. As time went on, the tears lessened but the lies started to follow. Unconsciously, Karma felt disgusted with that routine.

When he received different treatment from usual, Karma became confused but happy at the same time. Both Gakushuu and Gakuhou had managed to make him comfortable even if he was spending time in a place he really didn't like.

Gakuhou didn't talk about his illness, or his parents, or Korosensei, or anything else Karma didn't like. Gakuhou made pleasant conversation with Karma for the first time. Even Karma laughed at Gakuhou's stories about his students when he first started teaching. Gakushuu would occasionally interject but the teenager was far more focused on the game they had just played together. It seemed he was determined to reach a certain level today.

Then suddenly Gakushuu's phone rang loudly. A sign that someone was calling him. Gakushuu walked out of the room to answer the call so as not to disturb Karma.

"Hm.. that kid is quite attentive." Karma heard an unconscious murmur from Gakuhou. The much older man was staring at the door that had just been closed by Gakushuu when he left. This certainly aroused more curiosity from Karma. He wanted to ask but didn't know what to ask.

"I didn't expect him to treat you so well. I thought you would argue."

Karma nodded unconsciously. Because honestly, he had also thought about it. But Gakushuu was very patient and attentive to him. How could Karma provoke someone who was like that to him?

"His mother passed away when he was young and he was the one who accompanied her every day at the hospital. He also accompanied his grandmother when she was hospitalized recently. So don't be surprised if he is quite skilled at taking care of you."

Karma was quite surprised to hear the headmaster's words. He didn't expect Gakushuu's mother to have passed away. He only thought Gakushuu's mother was busy and chose to divorce Asano Gakuhou because of her job. Or maybe like Karma's parents who often go on business trips so they are rarely at home.

Does Gakushuu... feel lonely often like him?

Chapter Text

Gakushuu was quite surprised to find his father and Karma getting along so well. They even exchanged jokes occasionally, as if they had known each other for years. For Gakushuu, his father and Karma would never be associated with the word "close." Who could, considering their personalities? Or perhaps it was because of their personalities that they could become close to each other?

Unfortunately, a phone call from Ren interrupted everything. The short-haired teenager kept asking where he was and informing him about some delayed plans. Honestly, Gakushuu didn't care.

After telling Ren that he would be back in a few hours, Gakushuu ended the call abruptly. Back in the room, he found two newcomers. The two adults looked very much like Karma. The red-haired woman had a similar face to Karma's but with a much softer smile. While the brown-haired man had the same golden eyes as Karma. Their way of smiling and talking also resembled Karma's.

Gakushuu guessed they were Karma's parents. They were currently talking to his father. Gakuhou glanced at him briefly as the two thanked his father. The man then explained that Gakushuu was the one who had helped and brought Karma to the hospital. Gakushuu tried to put on a polite smile as the two adults thanked him.

When he glanced at Karma, there was a strange expression on the teenager's face. Why didn't Karma look happy with his parents' appearance?

Fortunately, his father invited the two to leave to discuss something. Gakushuu hurried to sit by Karma and took out his phone. He told Karma that he had reached a high level in the game they had just played. Karma was immediately distracted from his thoughts and started talking to Gakushuu about the game.

As Karma's parents and his father re-entered, Karma asked his parents to borrow their phone. Although they seemed hesitant at first, probably because Karma seemed so excited, they eventually lent their phone to him. Karma began downloading the game app, installed it, and logged in with his own account.

Karma looked very proud as he showed off the levels he had reached and the rankings he had achieved. It seemed Gakushuu's guess was right; the game Karma taught him was Karma's favorite game.

Since Gakushuu's level was still too low to play with other players online, Karma told him to continue increasing his level while he started playing mini-quests in the game. The mini-quests in the game did not affect the main scenario but still provided benefits in the form of useful items for the character. It could be herbs or even weapons.

"This level is quite difficult. How do I defeat these spider troops? They seem endless." Gakushuu asked. Karma shifted his gaze to Gakushuu's phone. He looked very serious. Most likely, he was trying to remember what he did to win that level.

"You have to find the Spider Queen first and kill her. The Spider Queen gives orders to the spider troops. If the Queen dies, the spider troops will die too."

"But how do I find the queen?"

"You have to have a scanning skill. With that, you can find the queen's location."

Karma then explained to Gakushuu how to obtain that skill. Gakushuu didn't realize he was starting to pay attention to Karma's face, which was beaming with joy as he explained, rather than the explanation itself. Of course, Karma would notice if there was something wrong with Gakushuu. The teenager stopped talking and looked at Gakushuu, his face showing a mixture of disgust and confusion.

"Why are you looking at me like that?"

"No, I just realized you look very similar to your mother."

"What?"

"I said, you look like your mother. Your face and hair are very similar to hers."

Karma's expression still hadn't changed, and he even narrowed his eyes and looked at Gakushuu suspiciously.

"I won't accept it if you have a crush on my mother."

Gakushuu suddenly felt an urge to hit Karma for thinking that, but unfortunately, Karma was still a patient. 

"Your thoughts are weird, Akabane. I just said you look like your mother, it doesn't mean I like your mother."

"Who knows, maybe you have a thing for older women." Karma shrugged. Gakushuu really didn't understand Karma's thought process and seemed unwilling to understand it. Karma was Karma. The troublemaker teenager who had been his rival since they entered middle school.

"Why are you suddenly saying that?"

"Like I said, I just realized you look very similar to your mother. But your eyes and smile are like your father's."

For some reason, Karma looked a bit hesitant now. As if what Gakushuu said contained lies. But Gakushuu was just stating what was on his mind based on his observations. Because what he noticed first when he first met Karma's parents was how much Karma resembled his mother. Even his slightly childish facial features would now be categorized as feminine by Gakushuu after seeing how much he resembled the red-haired woman. If Karma's eye color didn't match his father's, Gakushuu could say that Karma would be a perfect copy of his mother.

"As for you, you look very much like the Headmaster. My friends often joke that he split himself to give birth to you. And I actually started to think it was true because honestly, you really do look a lot like him."

"Akabane, you watch too much anime. Your thoughts are getting very weird."

Karma snorted in annoyance and crossed his arms. It was clear from his face that he was annoyed by Gakushuu's words. Whether he liked it or not, Gakushuu laughed at his childish behavior. When his laughter subsided, Gakushuu smiled thinly and said, "Yeah, I also feel like I have no resemblance to my mother."

"I doubt that. Your gaze is different from the Headmaster's. I'm sure it's similar to your mother's."

Chapter Text

Gakushuu seemed very surprised when Karma said it. Why did Gakushuu look so confused? Wasn't it obvious that Gakushuu's eyes were very different from his father's? Gakuhou had sharp and intimidating eyes. Looking into them would make anyone feel scared. But Gakushuu's eyes were generally warm. Although filled with ambition, the way Gakushuu looked at people was different from how Gakuhou looked at them.

If Gakuhou tended to see everyone as pawns to be moved, Gakushuu saw people in various ways. Those violet eyes had many shades to see others with. From seeing someone as a worthless entity to someone worthy of his respect. Sometimes, Karma could even see Gakushuu's eyes look at others with a warm gaze, very different from Gakuhou's cold gaze.

It was clear that Gakushuu's gaze was not inherited from his father.

"Why are you so surprised?"

The surprised look on Gakushuu's face turned slightly sad. Maybe he was thinking about his mother. Karma wanted to say something to comfort the teenager, but he didn't know what to say. At that moment, the door of the room opened, and the adults walked in.

"Gakushuu-kun, it's time for you to go back to the hotel," said the Principal.

When Karma glanced at Gakushuu, the teenager's face had a slight frown that Karma interpreted as disgust. Gakushuu didn't say anything, but he nodded his head. After saying goodbye to Karma's parents, the teenager walked toward the door calmly. Karma felt a bit annoyed that Gakushuu didn't say anything to him. After all, he treated Karma very well earlier. Like a close friend. But now, he didn't even want to say goodbye.

However, Gakushuu stopped in front of the door and turned to Karma, giving a small smile that felt sincere. "See you again, princess."

Karma smirked. "You too, Your Highness the Prince."

..

"Was that the Principal's son?"

"Um." Karma nodded. His mouth was busy chewing the yatsuhashi brought by the Principal while playing a game.

"You two seem close."

His father's sudden comment almost made Karma choke on his yatsuhashi. Even so, he didn't immediately respond to his father's words. The truth was, he and Gakushuu did seem close earlier. Gakushuu took him to the hospital and waited for him all night, peeled oranges and apples for him, and even played games with him. They could be categorized as friends, right?

But Karma didn't dare to conclude too quickly. He didn't know what was in Gakushuu's mind and was reluctant to guess.

Karma chose to stop thinking about the other teenager and focus on the game he was playing and the yatsuhashi he was eating. His parents said he should go back to rest. He would be sent to a Tokyo hospital in a week. That meant his friends would return to Tokyo while he would still be stuck in the hospital in Kyoto. Ah.. such a pity his trip with his friends ended so quickly because of his condition.

At night, Korosensei came through his window. Korosensei came to bring his belongings because his friends would return to Tokyo the next day. Honestly, Karma wouldn't be surprised if his homeroom teacher did that. But he still felt it was very unnecessary. Wouldn't it be easier to send a message to Karma's parents to come pick them up or maybe just ship them?

Wait.. doesn't that mean Gakushuu will also return tomorrow? Karma was hoping Gakushuu would visit him again tomorrow and they could play games together again. Hanging out with Gakushuu, Karma realized that his student council president still had a teenage spirit behind his mature attitude. All this time, he thought Gakushuu was a mature man trapped in a teenage body.

It's really a pity they couldn't hang out longer.

Maybe if Karma wasn't in a critical condition, they could become good friends. Studying together, playing together, and competing in exams. It would be very fun to hang out with Gakushuu if he were healthy.

But if he were healthy, he might not discover that hidden side of Gakushuu. Maybe they would still be throwing insults at each other while competing to get better grades.

For some reason, Karma was a little grateful for his current condition.

And the week he spent in the Kyoto hospital felt much lighter because Gakushuu still invited him to play online games or just sent silly messages that always lifted Karma's mood. This hospital stay felt much more enjoyable than before.

Chapter Text

Gakushuu felt a bit guilty for not saying goodbye to Karma. According to what he heard from his father, Karma would be transferred to a hospital in Tokyo in a week. That meant he wouldn't be able to see Karma for quite a while. It's a shame Gakushuu forgot to ask for Karma's phone number.

Well, maybe he would ask for it when they met again.

Gakushuu was busy overseeing his classmates to make sure they were all accounted for and that no one was left behind when he saw the students from Class E walking towards their carriage, joking around. Among them, he spotted a blue-haired teenager that Gakushuu recognized as Shiota Nagisa. If he remembered correctly, the blue-haired teenager was quite close to Karma.

Without thinking twice, Gakushuu handed over his supervisory duties to Araki Teppei, who happened to be nearby, so he could approach Karma's friends.

Naturally, Gakushuu's actions drew the attention of all the students who were queuing to board their carriage.

After all, Gakushuu was a well-known student at his school; it was almost impossible for anyone not to recognize him. He was the top student and a handsome student council president. Of course, this was aside from his father being the principal of Kunugigaoka Junior High School. Almost all the students wondered what Gakushuu was doing approaching Class E. Was he going to mock them? Humiliate them to remind them of their place? Or perhaps show them pity?

Unfortunately, none of the students' speculations proved true. Gakushuu approached Class E, specifically Nagisa, with a friendly smile. He greeted the teacher he saw briefly and stated his purpose without beating around the bush.

"Shiota, I want to ask for Akabane's phone number."

Of course, Nagisa would be surprised by Gakushuu's request. Honestly, Gakushuu himself was surprised by his own actions. He could have easily asked his father to find out Karma's number, but Gakushuu felt that would be an invasion of privacy. At least if he asked Nagisa and Karma wondered where he got the number, Gakushuu could say he got it from Karma's good friend.

"Umm.. why are you suddenly asking for Karma-kun's number?"

Gakushuu didn't find it strange that Nagisa questioned his actions. That's why he honestly explained the reason behind his request.

"I was the one who took Akabane to the hospital, and honestly, I still feel responsible for him. I need to check on his condition because from what I heard, he won't be back in Tokyo for another week."

"Why not send a message to his parents?"

"It would feel awkward to ask his parents for news about him. Isn't it better to ask him directly? Besides, I know you're the closest to him."

"Yes, you're right." Nagisa smiled slightly before taking out a notebook and writing a series of numbers on a piece of paper and handing it to Gakushuu. Gakushuu also didn't forget to ask for Karma's email address just in case.

At first, Gakushuu worried that Karma would find him intrusive, but he was surprised that Karma warmly welcomed his messages. Karma even admitted that Gakushuu made his days in the hospital much less boring.

Gakushuu felt their relationship was now more than just rivals. It seemed like they got along well and could become good friends. Maybe they should hang out more often.

"I didn't expect you and Akabane-kun to get along so well. I thought you two would start killing each other."

Gakushuu was very unimpressed by his father's sarcastic comment. Was their relationship so bad that his own father thought they would kill each other? It didn't feel like their relationship was that bad. Didn't they just throw insults or compete intellectually? They had never really fought. Gakushuu had never hit Karma, and vice versa. Gakushuu admitted they often threatened to kill each other, but they never really meant it. They were just junior high students! Even if Gakushuu hated to admit it, they were still just kids!

"Are you and him friends now?"

"Father, haven't you become much more talkative now?"

"Really? I don't feel that way."

Gakushuu sighed in frustration. He began to consider whether it was better to have his cold father or his current talkative father. Maybe he should consider his friends' theories that aliens existed. Because if aliens existed, Gakushuu could make the excuse that his father had been kidnapped by aliens and thrown somewhere, and the one bothering him now was an alien imitating his father.

Honestly, that theory sounded far more plausible than thinking all his father's behavior over the past few weeks was genuinely his own. Gakushuu had doubts that Gakuhou had indeed changed to become a caring and loving father for him. Was there some kind of scheme being played by Gakuhou?

"You haven't answered my question, are you and Akabane-kun friends now?"

Gakushuu gave a small smile. "You could say that."

Chapter Text

"You're really screaming like a teenage girl when the ghost appears." Karma laughed heartily. Even a tear escaped from his eyelid due to his laughter. Beside him, Gakushuu wore a disgruntled expression.

"Ha ha, very funny, Akabane."

"It really is funny," Karma said while wiping away his tear.

Karma had returned to Tokyo a few days ago. To monitor his deteriorating health, Karma's parents agreed that he should stay in the hospital. Honestly, Karma had thrown a fit because he didn't want to spend his time in the hospital again. Of course, his parents didn't care. Hitoshi and Kazuha cared more about their son's life than Karma's tantrums.

Because of his frustration with his parents, Karma sent a message to Gakushuu saying that he had arrived in Tokyo and hoped Gakushuu could hang out with him again. Karma was very happy when Gakushuu replied that he would come to visit and that they could play some games on Gakushuu's laptop later.
Karma had given many interesting game recommendations to Gakushuu. He didn't expect that Gakushuu would actually download the games Karma suggested on his laptop just to let Karma play.

"Why did you suggest this kind of game?" Gakushuu asked as he continued playing. The teenager only flinched slightly this time when a scary figure appeared on the screen before resuming his game. Karma, observing Gakushuu's behavior, somehow felt a bit annoyed.

Gakushuu's ability to adapt and learn was very high. Even though he was initially startled by the ghost's appearance—even screaming—now he played it as if he were playing a casual game like Candy Crush! Was this genetic inheritance or the result of Asano Gakuhou's hard teaching?

"This is an interesting game. I often play it with my classmates, especially if they come for a sleepover at my house."

"Oh? But we're not at your house right now."

Karma didn't know if Gakushuu was naturally sarcastic or if it was just a random comment he made. Either way, Gakushuu was still annoying.

"Asano-kun, are you naturally talented at everything?" Karma's tone sounded disbelieving but curious at the same time. However, Gakushuu looked at him as if Karma was asking a strange question.

Wasn't what Karma asked a reasonable question? Anyone would think that Gakushuu could do everything, considering the teenager appeared so perfect. Like he had no flaws to be mocked. So why did Gakushuu look at him like that?

"No human has such talent, Akabane. There will always be one or two things we can't do."

"Really? Then what can't you do?"

"Do you want to use it against me? I won't tell you."

"Tch, I didn't even think about that. You're always suspicious of me. You said that all humans have flaws. I just want to know if you're a human without flaws or like other humans." Karma said. His sulky expression only made Gakushuu laugh.

“It's not that I think badly of you, Akabane. But given our history, isn't it reasonable for me to be suspicious?”

“Are you sure it's not because you underestimate me?”

“Maybe that's a factor too?”

Karma swung a punch at Gakushuu's shoulder, but the teenager easily dodged it. Karma squinted his eyes as if threatening Gakushuu. But what did Karma's threat mean right now? He was lying in a hospital bed with an IV drip attached. Even last night he needed an oxygen mask to help him breathe and received a sedative injection this morning for the pain that plagued him.

Karma's threats felt empty right now.

"You better save your strength to recover, Akabane. I'm still looking forward to winning our bet." When Gakushuu said that, there was a mischievous smile on his face. The teenager who Karma knew only put on a polite smile whenever he met people now smiled genuinely in front of Karma. And his eyes... those violet irises looked warm.

Whether it was the room's bright light or Gakushuu's smile having a strong effect, in Karma's eyes, the teenager seemed more handsome and attractive.
It seemed something was wrong with Karma's eyes.

Maybe his illness had affected his vision.

Chapter Text

"Akabane... you must be joking." Gakushuu couldn't believe Akabane Karma's antics. I mean, how could there be a person like that?

Wait... did Akabane Karma even belong to the human category? Considering his personality was more like a little demon roaming the earth. For now, Gakushuu felt safer assuming Akabane Karma was half-human and half-demon.

And to strengthen Gakushuu's guess, the teenager laughed cheerfully. Like an innocent child who accidentally made a funny mistake. But Gakushuu couldn't associate what the teenager did as a mere innocent prank! Because Karma had planned all this intentionally!! He even involved Gakushuu in his plan.

"Come on. This is a great plan, Asano-kun! You need to show your youthful spirit!"

"Akabane..." Gakushuu looked at Karma skeptically, "I can't equate stealing from the hospital kitchen with the great plan you mentioned!"

"Asano-kun, you're overdramatizing. You're starting to sound like my parents, you know?"

"Yes, because that means I'm being reasonable while you're acting crazy!" Gakushuu nearly shouted at the red-haired teenager. He hoped Karma would realize that what he called a good plan was just a chaos Gakushuu didn't want to get involved in.

However, Karma looked at him with a disturbed and disgusted expression. As if Gakushuu was someone who had ruined his fun. Which might be true. But Gakushuu didn't want to be blamed for acting like a normal sane person. Karma should thank him for keeping him out of trouble. And maybe Karma should be grateful that Gakushuu at least still had his brain cells for thinking instead of just displaying them in his head.

"Asano-kun, you don't know how to have fun." Karma pouted.

"Akabane, I know how to have fun without getting myself into trouble." Gakushuu hissed.

Gakushuu was too busy arguing with the red-haired teenager to notice that a hospital kitchen staff had been watching them. The middle-aged woman approached them, startling both Gakushuu and Karma. Not wanting to get involved in trouble, Gakushuu quickly bowed to apologize and pushed Karma's wheelchair away.

Meanwhile, the teenager in the wheelchair just laughed heartily. Akabane Karma was indeed childish. Even so, all the irritation Gakushuu felt disappeared instantly upon hearing Karma's laughter. Akabane Karma who didn't laugh like a demon was far better. And unconsciously, he joined in Karma's laughter.
They walked down the hospital hallway with laughter that Gakushuu was sure disturbed others. Nonetheless, Gakushuu didn't want to think about that right now and just enjoyed laughing with Karma.

...

"Phew, if only you didn't run away, we might have gotten some free fruit."

"If only I DIDN'T get us away, we'd be in trouble right now." Gakushuu replied irritably. He was still trying to catch his breath. Running while pushing Karma's wheelchair was not as easy as he thought. Why did people in movies make it look so easy?

"AH... Asano-kun, you're no fun."

"I told you, Akabane. I know how to have fun without getting into trouble. Maybe you're the one who doesn't know how to have fun properly."

"I'm a patient here, Asano-kun! It's not nice to mock me like that!"

Gakushuu rolled his eyes lazily. Karma's unreasonable childish behavior again. This time, Gakushuu chose to ignore him. He needed a rest. Pushing the wheelchair all day was exhausting. It was a very good choice to run to the garden instead of hiding in the storage room as Karma suggested. Sitting on one of the benches in the hospital garden, Gakushuu started observing the people also in the garden.

There was a couple joking together, an old man and a child taking a walk, an elderly couple sitting enjoying their time, a girl just sitting silently with a blank stare, a woman crying in another woman's arms. There were all kinds of people with all kinds of expressions.

While Gakushuu was busy observing the people around them, Karma just stayed silent. The teenager beside him seemed lost in thought, and Gakushuu knew it was best not to disturb him.

"Hey, Asano-kun..."

"Hm?"

"Do you often feel lonely?"

Gakushuu glanced at Karma out of the corner of his eye. Karma's face showed no expression other than what Gakushuu could describe as a calm expression. Gakushuu looked away again, "Yes, I feel it quite often."

Chapter Text

Karma always felt like a child who needed a lot of attention from those around him. He always wanted to be noticed by others. He didn't want anyone to take their eyes off him. Because of this, he always tried to do many things to get people to notice him. He quite enjoyed the commotion that came from the attention he received.

However, sometimes Karma didn't want anyone to see him. Sometimes he didn't like being in a crowd. Because being in a crowd doesn't necessarily mean people will see you. It doesn't necessarily mean people will pay attention to you. It doesn't necessarily mean people will notice your presence. Most will just walk past you, unaware that you're standing among them.

Karma's parents were always busy. They always had work out of town or abroad. It was very rare for them to spend time with him. When Karma began to understand how lonely he was without his parents, he started acting out. Doing many things to get his parents' attention.

Karma couldn't say that his efforts were successful or unsuccessful. Because if he wanted to remember what he had done to attract his parents' attention, getting sick was never on the list.

When he was sick, his parents stopped being busy and started to pay attention to him. They became more often by his side until Karma sometimes felt sick of it. Why did they only start spending time with him when he was sick? Was it because his time was now limited and could end at any moment? Why didn't they show up when Karma was still healthy? When Karma was still free to run around and laugh joyfully?

Didn't they know that Karma felt very lonely in that big empty house? Didn't they understand that Karma, like other children, wanted to spend time with his family? He wanted to go fishing with his father, he wanted to help his mother cook, he wanted to go to the amusement park with his parents.

He just wanted time with them.

"Yes, I often feel that way."

Upon hearing Gakushuu's answer, Karma knew he wasn't the only one with such thoughts. And from Gakushuu's current appearance, didn't he seem much lonelier?

Gakuhou said that Gakushuu had lost his mother since he was a child. Growing up with a workaholic and seemingly insane father like Gakuhou, Gakushuu must not have had a pleasant childhood. Even if Gakushuu's exterior seemed mature and responsible, inside he was still a teenager needing attention. Whether from his parents or from his surroundings. Perhaps his mature appearance was a mask to protect his lonely inner self.

"Don't you often play with your friends?"

"What's this, Akabane? Do you really want to know about me?"

Karma knew Gakushuu's words were meant to tease him. But he couldn't help it; he responded with a sneer that made Gakushuu laugh out loud. Could Gakushuu not go a day without laughing at him?

"Asano-kun, you're very rude to a sick person like me." Karma pretended to put on a sad face. Of course, Gakushuu wouldn't fall for his trick easily. The sunset-haired teenager just snorted and flicked Karma's forehead. He treated Karma like a naughty little child who was only six years old. For some reason, his treatment made Karma feel both annoyed and happy at the same time. He didn't like that feeling.

Karma slapped Gakushuu's hand, glaring at the other teenager who just responded with a small smile, "Are you implying that playing with your friends means hanging out and stuff?"

"Yes, isn't that how you socialize with your friends? Like going to the arcade to play games or catching bugs together during the summer or reading comics at each other's houses."

"Hm... I don't think there are that many things you can do with your friends."

"Asano-kun, how have you lived all this time?" Karma asked dramatically.

How had Gakushuu enjoyed his life all this time? Did he really just revolve around studying and studying? How could he never have caught bugs with his friends as a child or maybe gone to the arcade to play games with his other friends after school? What did Gakushuu do after school? Don't tell him he just went home and started studying again.

Didn't Gakushuu feel bored living in such monotony?

If Karma got out of the hospital and could go back to school, he would invite Gakushuu to explore the mountain behind the school. They could catch beetles since it was summer. Of course, he would avoid the places they often used for practicing killing Korosensei. Ah, he could also invite Gakushuu to go fishing at the small river in the mountain behind the school. One of Karma's classmates said that the river had plenty of fish.

Then what else could they do together? Maybe they could play at the arcade with Gakushuu bringing his friends and Karma bringing his as well. That would be fun. And they could read comics at Karma's house or maybe play games. Besides that, they could also do homework together or just exchange thoughts on their favorite subjects.

And since summer vacation was coming up, they could do activities usually done during the summer!

"Asano-kun, what have you been doing all this time?"

Chapter Text

Gakushuu didn't understand why Karma was looking at him with such a strange expression. It felt like he had just said something wrong, but Gakushuu didn't know what the mistake was. He didn't think his activities were abnormal, even if they did seem boring. The important thing was that Gakushuu enjoyed doing them.

When his mother was still alive, she would take Gakushuu to the park every weekend or take him to interesting places. If they couldn't go out, she would invite him to bake cakes together or read stories.

Of course, after Gakushuu's mother passed away, he could no longer do those things. Because Gakushuu was afraid of feeling lonely every weekend that he should have spent with his mother, he began to engage in many activities. He chose to study martial arts and soccer because he was interested in both sports.

Entering middle school, music started to interest Gakushuu. Because of that, he had music classes to attend every Tuesday evening. Then there were other activities as a member of the student council, and sometimes he would help some classmates who were struggling with their studies.

Gakushuu knew better than anyone that his schedule was too busy for a middle school student. But Gakushuu did all of it happily, even though sometimes he felt tired of his monotonous activities. And once again, Gakushuu didn't see anything wrong with his activities. The fact that he didn't have much time to socialize with his friends didn't bother him at all.

So why did the way Karma said it make it sound like he was a pitiful person?

"Why do you sound like that?"

"How else am I supposed to sound? You implicitly said that you've never had fun with your friends. Is your life just revolving around studying? You also act like an adult even though you're still a teenager."

"What do you expect me to do? Act childish?"

"There's nothing wrong with acting childish sometimes. You're only 15 years old! Isn't it normal to still have a childish side? Even many adults still have their childish traits."

"I feel fine with the way I've been acting, Akabane."

"That's impossible! Act your age, Asano-kun. When you grow up, you'll find it difficult to express your feelings. And that will be very exhausting."

Gakushuu didn't understand why Karma was pushing him so hard on this matter. Acting mature or childish honestly didn't matter much to Gakushuu. Maybe it was because of Gakushuu's environment and Gakuhou's upbringing that made Gakushuu feel that acting mature was normal?

"Acting mature isn't really a mistake. But when you truly reach adulthood, you'll feel tired or even lost because you missed your chance to express yourself. That's why I'm telling you to act your age."

"Akabane, what have you been eating to say things like that?"

Maybe if Karma could move freely, he would have punched him. Gakushuu did laugh at Karma's words, but he knew better that what Karma said was the truth. Is it okay to act his age now? Is it not too late? Besides, how does one act like a 15-year-old?

Gakushuu was still thinking about this even when he got home. Thinking back, what was the real reason he decided to act more mature than his age? Was it because his mother died? Or because of his father's strict upbringing?

Maybe because of that...

Or maybe for another reason?

Gakushuu's memories of his life before his mother's death weren't many. He could only remember a little. But he was sure his family was harmonious and warm. A father who came home on time, a mother who greeted his father with a warm voice, a father who would carry him on his shoulders to play while his mother prepared dinner, and their harmonious family dinners...

What changed? Why did it change?

...

"I told you I don't want you to escort me, Asano-kun!" Karma's hiss was only met with a snort from Gakushuu. He wouldn't have done it either if Karma's parents hadn't begged him to take care of their son. Karma's mother even looked so happy when Gakushuu said he would escort Karma to class safely and pick him up after school.

"I wouldn't want to do it either if I hadn't promised your parents."

Chapter Text

"I wouldn't want to do it either if I hadn't promised your parents."

Argh! Karma really couldn't understand why his parents so easily entrusted him to Gakushuu of all people. Why not ask Nagisa or Tomohito? Karma would have even accepted them calling Karasuma-sensei for help!

Even though he and Gakushuu had spent a lot of time together while Karma was in the hospital, that didn't mean they were so close as to trust each other completely!

Also, why did Gakushuu make that promise to his parents?! What was he thinking? Karma didn't know how to hide the existence of Korosensei or the special assassin training of Class 3-E from Gakushuu. Karma already had a lot on his mind, don't add more burden!

Fortunately, on the way to school, Karma had contacted Nagisa and informed him of his situation. Karma was confident his friend could handle this. He just hoped Korosensei wouldn't decide to do something strange. Like flying across the sky to catch a missile, perhaps.

Climbing the mountain to Class 3-E proved to be exhausting. Even when Karma was in good health, the activity was always annoying. But Karma felt happy because he could chat with his friends. And now Karma's condition was not suitable for climbing the rocky and slippery path quickly. He was already out of breath even before reaching halfway, and his legs started to feel weak. He had to take breaks at several places during the climb.

Hah... if only they could use vehicles to get here. Why not build an easier alternative route to Class 3-E? Such terrible discrimination.

"Get on."

Karma blinked rapidly. He looked puzzled at the back right in front of him. Gakushuu was slightly crouched in front of Karma with his back facing Karma.

"What is this?"

"Get on, Akabane. I'll carry you to your class. You're so slow, and if this continues, I'll be late to my class."

Without needing to see Gakushuu's face, Karma knew the other teenager was rolling his eyes. Acting like that because he thought Karma was slow in understanding the information.

"No! What will my friends say if they see me being carried by you?"

"Ck. Akabane, I don't have all day to deal with you. There's only 20 minutes left before the bell rings, and we haven't even reached halfway! Hurry up and get on, or I'll drag you to your class."

Karma pouted. Although he was actually annoyed, he couldn't deny that Gakushuu's words made sense. There were only a few minutes left before the bell rang, and they were still quite far from the class. Even if Gakushuu ran from the 3-E building to the main building after dropping Karma off, he would still be late.

Karma felt a bit satisfied thinking that Gakushuu, who was always on time, would be late because of him. Wouldn't that be funny?

"Akabane, don't make me drag you to your class. You'd better get on now, or I'll do something you won't like."

Gakushuu sounded very irritated. If only he were in better condition, Karma would have gladly teased Gakushuu until the teenager snapped. But right now, Karma couldn't even walk properly; if he made Gakushuu angry and left him in the middle of the forest like this, what could Karma do then?

So, reluctantly, Karma leaned against Gakushuu's back and let Gakushuu carry him. Since he had never been carried by anyone other than his father, Karma almost strangled Gakushuu, causing them to nearly tumble down the hill. If it weren't for Gakushuu's reflexes and physical abilities, which Karma had to commend, they might have ended up back in the hospital together.

"Akabane, just tell me if you have a grudge against me. Don't plan a secret murder like this." Gakushuu said that as they continued climbing. Meanwhile, Karma laughed at Gakushuu's words.

The teenager wouldn't believe it if Karma told him that he had already learned a lot about planning the perfect murder, and killing Gakushuu like this wasn't on his list at all. Besides, a clean murder was much more interesting to Karma than a careless one.

They arrived at the 3-E building about 10 minutes later, and Karma didn't want to look at his classmates, who were now staring at them intently. Gakushuu didn't seem to care at all about the stares he received. The teenager casually lowered Karma from his back and then reminded Karma not to go anywhere after school because Gakushuu would be picking him up again. Damn it! Why did Gakushuu have to be the responsible type? Wouldn't it be better if he ran away from his responsibility? That way, Karma wouldn't have to deal with his classmates. And Gakushuu just left after making Karma lose face in front of his classmates!

Damn you, Asano Gakushuu!

Chapter Text

"Asano-kun, it's unusual for you to be late." One of Gakushuu's classmates approached him. Gakushuu put on a friendly smile for his friend and replied that he had some business to attend to that made him arrive much later than usual.

Gakushuu was lucky that his classmate didn't ask further about the reason for his lateness. Gakushuu hoped no one else would ask, though he knew that was just a vain hope. During the break, Gakushuu had no intention of leaving the classroom. He was too lazy to do anything. Usually, he would review the lessons he had learned or just work on some problems. But right now, Gakushuu really didn't want to do that. In times like this, he had the urge to ask Karma to play games with him. As Gakushuu was contemplating whether he should send a message to Karma to invite him to play games or just play alone, his friends came to approach him.

Ren took a seat on his left while the other three stood in front of him.

"Asano-kun, you arrived later today. You were almost late to class," Ren began.

"Yeah, I had some matters to take care of first," Gakushuu answered nonchalantly.

"But I saw you come with a kid from Class 3-E early this morning," Araki Teppei blurted out. This made Gakushuu want to shut the teenager's mouth. Beside him, Ren looked very surprised before staring at Gakushuu curiously. Now Gakushuu wouldn't have a peaceful day.

"Hn. I had to take him to his class first."

Gakushuu really tried his best to ignore the shock from the four people surrounding him. Now he felt a little regretful for not using his break time to relax for a moment in the student council room. At least he wouldn't be disturbed like this in that place. He could even hide in the principal's office with the excuse of meeting the principal, although it would only make his father annoyed.

If he knew it would be like this, Gakushuu should have escaped earlier.

Well, it's useless to regret it now, right?

"Why did you have to take Akabane to his class?" Seo asked, representing Gakushuu's four other friends. The four of them stared at him as if demanding Gakushuu to answer their question. Gakushuu could only sigh resignedly. Yes, after all, it was natural for them to be curious.

Gakushuu decided it was better to tell the truth. After all, he didn't feel it needed to be hidden considering he still had to take and pick up Karma until the teenager got much better—which Gakushuu doubted.

"His parents entrusted him to me because they were worried."

"How close are you for his parents to entrust him to you?"

Gakushuu really wasn't surprised if they asked him that. It was natural because the last time Gakushuu checked his relationship with Karma, they were still rivals.

"I don't know." Gakushuu shrugged indifferently.

His seemingly indifferent attitude seemed strange to the other four. They were silent for quite a while until Gakushuu thought they finally gave up on asking about his relationship with Karma. But then Ren blurted out, "Did something happen between you and Akabane before this that made you close?"

"Why are you all so curious about my relationship with Akabane? Nothing happened between us, and my closeness to him is none of your business."

"But Asano, he's from Class E!" Seo said.

Gakushuu was starting to get annoyed with this conversation. It seemed endless. Didn't they know from the beginning that he and Karma were rivals? He just felt that Karma was a rival equal to him, and no matter which class Karma was in, Gakushuu would still respect and consider Karma as his rival.

So why did they sound so disbelieving of Gakushuu?

"Yes, and he ranked 4th in the Midterm Exams this time." Gakushuu smiled politely at the four of them and was grateful that the bell signaling the end of break had rung. This saved Gakushuu from more questions. Gakushuu would make sure not to stay in the classroom during breaks again.

...

Taking and picking up Karma was actually a hassle. Because besides Karma being an annoying and demanding person, Karma's class location was also very annoying. Why did they have to climb a hill with such a dangerous route to get to class? He had to start protesting to his father about the Class E route. It's very troublesome!

Gakushuu had sent a message to Karma to wait in the classroom after school and informed him that he might take a while due to a student council meeting he had to attend. Karma didn't reply to his message, and Gakushuu felt the teenager might have done it on purpose.

Thinking back, why did Gakushuu agree when Karma's parents asked him to take care of their child? He could have politely refused. That way, he wouldn't be stuck in this routine.

But no matter how much Gakushuu thought about it, he couldn't turn back time to cancel it.

Chapter Text

Gakushuu was the most annoying entity Karma had ever known. How could he casually drop Karma off in front of Karma's classmates and leave just like that? He made Karma face a barrage of questions not only from his classmates but also from his teacher.

Korosensei—the ultimate gossip—got very excited when he asked about the closeness between Karma and Gakushuu. Believe Karma, he had no energy reserve to deal with his homeroom teacher. It didn't stop there, Nakamura Rio—the person Karma thought was his loyal partner in crime—stuck to him and kept asking a lot of weird questions.

Karma was truly exhausted all day dealing with the questions from his classmates. He should have accepted his mother's offer to stay at home today. It felt so tiring. Luckily—or maybe not—Karasuma-sensei suggested he rest and not participate in the assassination class. So what Karma did while his classmates were planning Korosensei's assassination was sit on the sidelines and watch his friends try to stab or shoot Korosensei.

Ah! They also got a new friend while Karma was in the hospital. Karma's classmates called her Ritsu. If not mistaken, it was taken from Jiritsu Shiko Kotei Hodai. Quite a convoluted name. According to Nagisa, she was an assassination machine developed by the government. The first day she was in Class 3-E, she fired non-stop bullets that made her classmates unable to study peacefully. Then with Korosensei's help in modifications, the assassination machine now became like them. A student who wanted to learn and socialize with her friends.

Hm.. it was quite fun to have a new student in their class even if it was just an AI.

As school hours were coming to an end, Karma received a message from Gakushuu telling him to wait. Karma frowned at the message, wishing he could punch the sender. It wasn't like Karma had a choice, right? His parents would be angry if he went home without Gakushuu and again because of this morning's incident, Karma was reluctant to ask his classmates for help. What if he ran out of energy on the way and had to be carried by his classmates? It was embarrassing enough to be carried by Gakushuu, Karma didn't want to experience being carried by someone else again.

"Karma-kun." Nagisa approached him, holding a magazine in his hand, "Did you know the Sonic Ninja sequel is finally out in theaters?"

"Eh? Is it showing already? I haven't been paying attention to the news these past few days."

"Today's the premiere in theaters in America. Unfortunately, we have to wait to be able to watch it here."

Such a shame. Karma thought. He and Nagisa were quite looking forward to the sequel to this series. But unfortunately, they had to wait until the film was released in theaters in Japan.

And maybe this was Karma's lucky day because coincidentally Korosensei—who was currently chatting with Rio—said he wanted to go to Hawaii to watch it. Karma glanced at Nagisa and at the same time, Nagisa glanced at him. It seemed he was thinking the same thing as Karma.

When their classmates had gone home, the two of them blocked Korosensei who had planned to go to Hawaii. They conveyed their intentions to their homeroom teacher and how lucky they were because Korosensei allowed them to join.

Flying with Korosensei was truly an amazing experience. The views Karma saw during the journey were really stunning. And again, unlike flying on a plane, during the journey, Karma didn't hear any sound except for Korosensei's chatter about air pressure or Ritsu's voice on Nagisa's phone and Nagisa himself.

Compared to taking a plane, flying with Korosensei was much more enjoyable and fast. Karma really hoped Korosensei would take him flying again.

"Uh.. it's so cold." Karma unconsciously complained about the cold air in the theater. Ritsu explained that theaters in Hawaii always had air conditioning on. Maybe because they were a tropical island? Fortunately, Korosensei pulled out a blanket—for who knows where it came from—for them to wear. Korosensei also helped them translate when there were foreign words they didn't understand. So far, the movie was quite exciting but Karma didn't really like the ending because it was made too cliché.

When they returned to Japan, it was already night. Karma was a little worried his parents would panic since he hadn't come home yet. Especially since he hadn't told them beforehand. It seemed he had to prepare his ears to face a long lecture from his parents. Moreover, Karma had turned off his phone since they were about to leave. So he didn't know if his parents had tried to contact him or not.

Unfortunately, Karma forgot about someone else who would scold him for not giving any news.

"AKABANE!"

Chapter Text

The student council meeting was annoying. Gakushuu was serious about that. And the fact that he was the student council president, which required him to attend every meeting, made it even more annoying. This time, the meeting was honestly very annoying, but Gakushuu could still bear it. Unfortunately, he couldn't focus because he kept thinking about Karma. It was almost 6 PM, and the meeting didn't seem to be ending soon. Gakushuu started to get frustrated.

School had ended an hour and a half ago. Was Karma still waiting for him? Gakushuu checked his phone again to see if Karma had replied to his message. But he found no messages. Once again, Gakushuu sent a message to the other teenager. But this time, he asked Karma to go home first. He even generously asked his driver to check Karma's classroom, thinking the boy might need help.

But the driver reported that the classroom was empty and only a male teacher was left, tidying up sports equipment. Gakushuu breathed a sigh of relief. Of course, Karma wasn't an idiot who would wait for hours just to be escorted home. Surely, Karma had asked one of his friends to help him home or maybe contacted his parents.

Even so, Gakushuu still couldn't attend the meeting peacefully. When the meeting ended, Gakushuu had decided to go straight home and rest. Unfortunately, his plan was ruined by a phone call from his father asking where he was. Gakushuu thought his father might want to tell him he couldn't come home because he still had business with a colleague. But what his father said left Gakushuu confused and panicked.

Karma hadn't come home yet.

Gakushuu told his father about his unanswered messages and that he had asked the driver to check Karma's classroom but found no one but a teacher. Where did Karma go? Did he try to go home on his own and end up fainting somewhere in the forest? Hopefully not, because if that were the case, Gakushuu would definitely hit Karma over the head.

Gakushuu ran to the old building, hoping to find Karma hiding in his classroom so the driver didn't see him. Mostly, he prayed not to find Karma lying on the road.

The classroom was empty, as were other rooms in the old building. Where did Karma go? Don't tell him Karma really fainted somewhere on this mountain?!

Gakushuu was getting more and more panicked and worried. He started looking for Karma around the old building while shouting Karma's name. But he got no response. He began to widen his search range around the mountain. Several times he stumbled due to the lack of lighting, but Gakushuu hadn't stopped. Karma could be somewhere on this mountain; he had to find him quickly.

During his search, he saw something fly across the sky and land somewhere that seemed to be the main building. Driven by curiosity, Gakushuu rushed back to the old building. There, he saw Karma standing with Nagisa, and they seemed to be chatting about something.

Without thinking, Gakushuu shouted the boy's name, "AKABANE!"

Karma and Nagisa turned towards him. Both of them saw Gakushuu running towards them. Gakushuu observed Karma from head to toe, making sure the other boy wasn't hurt. Karma seemed fine. But Gakushuu felt he couldn't relax just yet.

"Akabane! Where have you been?!" Gakushuu unknowingly raised his voice. But he thought it was understandable because he couldn't focus on the student council meeting due to thinking about Karma waiting for him. Then when he wanted to go home, he got the news that Karma wasn't at his house. He ran from the main building to the old building to look for Karma. He stumbled and fell on this mountain just to make sure Karma was okay. Then the boy appeared just like that and looked at him with a confused look as if he hadn't made Gakushuu panic and worry.

"Asano-kun? What are you doing here?"

Gakushuu looked at Karma in disbelief. How could Karma ask him so casually?!

"I was looking for you!"

Karma frowned, starting to look annoyed, "I didn't ask you to look for me."

Gakushuu really wanted to hit Karma over the head to make him realize. Gakushuu clenched his hands to hold back his growing emotions, "Akabane, did you forget you have parents who worry about you? Did you also forget that you were under my responsibility today?! Your parents called my father because you didn't come home or give any news! I've sent you dozens of messages and called you multiple times, but you didn't answer any! Don't you know I was so worried you might have fainted somewhere on this mountain?!"

Karma's face looked as bad as Gakushuu's. The red-haired boy pushed Gakushuu and started shouting, "Why are you so angry?! I never asked you to worry about me! Besides, you don't need to feel responsible for me! You're not my babysitter, and I'm not a child for you to take care of!"

"Akabane! Don't you understand you could have died somewhere, and no one would know?! How can you be so relaxed after making so many people worry?! Couldn't you send me a message about where and what you were doing before deciding to disappear?!"

Chapter Text

"I don't have to report what I'm doing to you, Asano." After saying that, Karma walked away. He was annoyed with Gakushuu for yelling at him. Deep down, he knew he was at fault. But Karma's ego was much higher than his guilt, and besides, he didn't feel responsible for telling Gakushuu where he was going or what he was doing.

"Akabane! Are you just going to run away?!"

"Shut up! I don't feel like arguing with you!" Karma kept walking away, ignoring Gakushuu's voice calling out to him. He even forgot about Nagisa, who had been trying to mediate the argument between him and Gakushuu.

"Who does he think he is?! Scolding me like that?" Karma started grumbling to himself, still ignoring Nagisa chasing after him. He was too upset with Gakushuu.

Unfortunately, Karma had underestimated his health. Midway, he started to pant and almost stumbled due to the lack of lighting. Unconsciously, his pace slowed down, and his vision began to blur. Karma stopped for a moment, trying to catch his breath. His ears started ringing, and even Nagisa's voice sounded faint.

"Karma-kun! Are you okay?"

Karma shook his head. He couldn't define his condition as okay. Everything around Karma became unclear. He no longer knew what was happening. His head felt so dizzy, his eyes so heavy as if they would soon close even though he forced himself to stay awake. To Karma, the forest view he saw suddenly turned into the interior of a luxurious car.

Karma blinked a few times, still not understanding what was happening. It seemed like he had fallen asleep or something. When he opened his eyes again, he was already in his room. His parents stood by his bedside, with Sato-sensei examining him.

Sato-sensei's face looked worried. Even so, he realized that Karma had woken up and offered him a small smile. He told Karma to rest while he talked with Karma's parents. All Karma could do was nod weakly in agreement with Sato-sensei's words.

Karma closed his eyes. He planned to sleep for a bit and wait for his parents to come back into his room. However, what Karma thought was a brief rest was actually a whole night. The sunlight had already pierced through his room, passing through the gap in the curtain that wasn't fully closed. A soft snore made Karma focus on someone sleeping in a sitting position by his bedside.

It was his father. The man looked very tired. Had he stayed up all night to watch over Karma? Sleeping in a sitting position must be uncomfortable. His father would wake up with neck and back pain later. Karma wanted to wake his father, but he also felt guilty for making him stay up all night.

Karma's hand reached for the digital clock on his bedside table. The time showed 7 AM. He would be late if he didn't get ready for school soon. Though Karma doubted he could go to school today. His body still felt weak, and he doubted his parents would allow him to go. Especially after he made them panic and worry yesterday by not coming home on time and coming home in a bad condition.

Speaking of which, Karma felt very guilty towards his parents for not informing them. They must have been very worried because he didn't come home on time and when he did, he was in bad shape. Besides, who brought Karma home? Was it Nagisa? The blue-haired teenager was with him when Karma didn't feel well. So, it's most likely that he brought Karma home.

But vaguely, Karma remembered riding in a luxurious car and leaning on someone. Also, that person had a different build from Nagisa, who tended to be more feminine.

Other than Nagisa, who else was Karma with when it happened?

A few seconds later, Karma finally realized who had brought him home. It must have been Gakushuu. Who else did Karma know who had a luxurious car and was willing to take responsibility for him? Also, Nagisa wouldn't have been able to carry him down from the mountain. Only Gakushuu could be the answer. Unless Korosensei decided to show up out of nowhere and bring Karma down the mountain and put Karma in a luxurious car—which Karma knew Korosensei didn't have—that brought him home.

Ugh! Now Karma had to face the guilt growing in his heart for being annoying to Gakushuu. He even snapped at Gakushuu, who was worried about him.

He knew he had to apologize to Gakushuu, but his ego just made Karma confused about how to say sorry. He had never apologized to anyone before. Should he ask Nagisa? Nagisa was much more humble than he was.

Yes, he would ask his friend once he felt better. And now it was better for him to prepare his ears to listen to his mother's scolding.

Chapter Text

For the umpteenth time when his phone vibrated, Gakushuu checked it again to make sure if he had any message notifications. But there was not a single message from the person he hoped for. Only a few classmates sending messages about assignments or just wanting to chat.

Unconsciously, Gakushuu sighed in disappointment.

Was Karma okay? He looked in so much pain when Gakushuu took him home. Gakushuu shouldn't have let his anger get the best of him when dealing with Karma. He should have remained calm instead of snapping at Karma. This was all his fault for not picking Karma up on time and then scolding him when he showed up. Maybe Karma got bored of waiting, so he went off to play with Nagisa somewhere on that mountain.

He had to visit Karma tomorrow. What should he bring as an apology gift? If Gakushuu remembered correctly, Karma seemed to like strawberry milk. Should Gakushuu bring that as a token of apology? Or perhaps he should buy the latest video game? But Karma would probably be prohibited from playing video games, and his diet would surely be strictly controlled.

What should you give as an apology to your friend?

Who should he ask about this? Is there something like this on the internet?

Gakushuu started searching for things to give your friend when apologizing. From several articles Gakushuu read, the best way was to apologize directly with sincere, straightforward words. He hoped Karma would know he was sincere in his apology. Because Gakushuu felt it was entirely his fault, he was the one who had to apologize and give something to Karma as proof of his apology.

Now, about what Gakushuu should give. Some articles suggested giving something your friend likes. However, some also said that you don't need to give anything when apologizing to your friend. A sincere apology was more than enough.

Gakushuu slightly doubted that part. Therefore, he planned to buy some strawberry milk to give to Karma later.

He would visit Karma after school tomorrow. Hopefully, Karma would no longer be angry with him.

...

"Yamamoto-san, please stop by the bookstore." Gakushuu gave instructions to the driver. The old man who had been his family driver for years responded politely and followed the young master's directions. Gakushuu had asked Nagisa earlier about Karma's condition, and the other teenager explained that Karma was fine but still needed to rest at home for a few more days. Nagisa also told him the things Karma liked. Nagisa said the latest Sonic Ninja comic would surely make Karma happy. Moreover, Karma, who had to focus on his recovery, hadn't been able to follow the series well lately.

When he arrived at the Akabane residence, Gakushuu felt a bit nervous for some reason. Maybe because Karma was the first person he truly considered his best friend, and he was afraid Karma wouldn't forgive him.

"I'll call you again, Yamamoto-san. Thank you very much." Gakushuu said before stepping out of the car with a paper bag. After gathering his confidence, Gakushuu pressed the doorbell, waiting for someone to open the door. It didn't take long before a red-haired woman whom Gakushuu recognized as Karma's mother appeared. She looked slightly surprised but smiled warmly and welcomed Gakushuu.

"We didn't get a chance to thank you properly last night. Please forgive our rudeness. But we were so relieved when Asano-kun brought Karma home. So, thank you very much."

Gakushuu could only smile awkwardly at Karma's mother's words. He didn't feel like a hero to the Akabane family. Instead, he felt very guilty for almost causing their son to pass out somewhere in the forest. If it hadn't been for Nagisa shouting for him, he wouldn't have known Karma was in pain.

They shouldn't be thanking him.

Gakushuu felt very awkward as the woman opened Karma's room door and invited him in. Of course, Gakushuu didn't forget his manners and thanked Karma's mother. However, that didn't lessen his nervousness when facing Karma directly.

"Hi..."

Gakushuu cursed himself internally for saying something so cliché. Damn his nerves! He could even see Karma raising an eyebrow along with a disgusted expression. Gakushuu cleared his throat quietly and then lifted the paper bag he was carrying.

"This is for you." Gakushuu handed it to Karma, who accepted it with a suspicious look. As Karma began to inspect the paper bag, Gakushuu's nervousness increased.

"Sonic Ninja? Why are you giving me this?" Karma asked, making Gakushuu even more uncertain about his gift.

"Shiota told me you liked it." Gakushuu tried to stay calm, though he was planning to beat up the blue-haired teenager if he was embarrassed here.

"Are you kidding?! I love it!" Karma said cheerfully. Even his golden eyes sparkled as if he had just received a precious treasure. This made Gakushuu relax and promise to thank Nagisa later.

"This is the special edition that hasn't been filmed! How did you get it? They say you have to wait in line for hours to get it." Karma kept chattering enthusiastically.

Gakushuu blinked repeatedly, not understanding what Karma was saying. Did this mean he was forgiven? But he hadn't even apologized to Karma yet.

Chapter Text

Karma was overly excited to receive a gift from Gakushuu, so much so that he didn’t notice the other teenager awkwardly standing at his bedroom door. It was Gakushuu's voice that brought him back from his daydreams about his favorite comic series.

"But... I wasn't even waiting...?" Gakushuu's voice sounded very confused. Karma turned to look at him, seeing Gakushuu standing awkwardly at his bedroom door, a bewildered expression on his face. Karma almost wanted to hit himself for making Gakushuu stand at his door like an idiot. He pointed to a small chair, usually occupied by his parents when they monitored his condition, as a sign for Gakushuu to sit down instead of standing there like a fool.

"Where did you buy this?" Karma lifted the comic in his hand.

"At a bookstore...?"

Why did Gakushuu sound so confused?

"What kind of bookstore? I once asked Nagisa to buy it for me, but he said he couldn’t find it anymore because it was sold out, and the next time there was always a long queue." Karma found it hard to believe that Gakushuu just got it so easily from a bookstore. And he trusted Nagisa. There's no way Nagisa would lie to him.

"I bought it at a regular bookstore, Akabane. It’s not even that far from your house."

A bookstore near Karma’s house? Hmm... if he recalled correctly, there were indeed a few bookstores close to his home. But out of all of them, rarely any sold comics. If they did, they only sold comics bundled with merchandise, and the prices were exorbitant for most people.

"Asano-kun... don't tell me you bought this comic along with the merchandise package..."

Karma carefully observed the changes in Gakushuu's expression. The teenager seemed to realize something and pulled out his phone to send a message to someone.

"Ah, I thought you only wanted the comic. I left the rest in the car. I planned to give it to Ren if he wanted it." The way Gakushuu explained this only made Karma frown.

"Did you really buy it?" Karma asked incredulously.

"Uh... yeah. Because that’s how it was sold."

Karma rubbed his face. Damn Asano Gakushuu, for not understanding this. How could he buy one comic along with a merchandise package? Even Karma was reluctant to spend his money on that!

Only a few minutes passed before his mother knocked on his bedroom door again, handing a much larger paper bag than the one Gakushuu had given him earlier to Gakushuu. Karma truly didn’t understand why Gakushuu was willing to spend his money on all of this! He could have just brought fruits or sweet cakes for a visit. What kind of business did Asano Gakuhou run that made his son not hesitate to spend a considerable amount of money just to visit a friend?

Could it be because the Principal allowed Korosensei to teach at his school, earning him a huge payment from the government? But that didn’t seem likely. Though Asano Gakuhou appeared to be a jerk, he didn’t seem like someone who would commit corruption just for money.

"Why did you buy all this? If I’m not mistaken, it’s quite expensive." Karma commented as Gakushuu pulled out the items one by one from the paper bag.

"The price was a bit high. I was also a bit surprised by it, but it’s no big deal." Karma watched as Gakushuu smiled at him. He seemed very relaxed as he said that.

"I wanted to apologize for yesterday. I shouldn’t have yelled at you like that. I’m sorry for forcing you to do something you didn’t like." As Gakushuu explained why he was apologizing, Karma could only remain silent because he was too shocked. How could Gakushuu be the one to apologize first when the whole problem happened because of Karma’s childish behavior?

Even though Karma was aware of his childishness and knew his fault, he didn’t say anything to apologize to Gakushuu. He just let Gakushuu apologize to him and acted as if there was no problem between them. It felt like Karma had just become a jerk.

"Tell me, Asano-kun. Do you have any hobbies?" Karma asked just to change the subject. He didn’t want to keep feeling like a jerk for making someone else apologize for his mistake.

"Hobbies? I guess you could say I quite like playing music and reading things." Gakushuu answered casually. The other teenager was tidying up the mess Karma had previously made. Karma suspected that Gakushuu might have OCD. Or maybe it was just Gakushuu’s perfectionist nature?

Karma wouldn’t be surprised if he ever entered Gakushuu’s room and found it impeccably organized.

"What instruments do you play?" Without realizing it, Karma sounded very curious, even though he just wanted to continue the conversation to avoid focusing on Gakushuu, who kept reorganizing the stack of books beside his study desk.

"Just piano and guitar. I can play the violin and cello too, but I don’t like them as much."

Okay... now that sounded interesting.

Chapter Text

Due to Karma's simple question, Gakushuu unconsciously started talking about his love for music and even promised to let Karma hear him play one of his instruments. Something he had never done for anyone before.

"What about you, Akabane? Do you have any hobbies?"

"My hobby… does reading comics count?"

Karma's answer made Gakushuu chuckle. He stopped laughing when Karma started throwing pillows at him. To calm the red-haired teenager, Gakushuu had to change the subject. They talked about many things, and because of that, Gakushuu learned that Karma really liked the *Sonic Ninja* series. Karma also enjoyed playing games with his friends. Most importantly, Karma was someone who was very active. If it weren't for his illness, Gakushuu was sure Karma would be out and about with his friends right now. He would probably be jumping around somewhere, burning off the excess energy in his body.

Gakushuu didn't even realize how much they had talked until Karma's mother knocked on the door to ask if Gakushuu wanted to stay for dinner. Gakushuu politely declined, but Karma's mother insisted that he stay. She said it was a way of thanking him. Gakushuu thought it would be impolite to refuse her again. Besides, it seemed like she had cooked enough for him to join them for dinner.

"Let me help you, Auntie," Gakushuu offered. But Karma's mother said Gakushuu could continue his conversation with Karma.

"Asano-kun, can you cook?" Karma blurted out. It was so sudden that Gakushuu almost wasn't prepared for Karma's question.

"Why are you asking, Akabane?"

"You offered to help my mom. Is it wrong to assume you can cook?"

Gakushuu sighed softly and smiled slightly. His hand unconsciously gripped the book he was holding.

"I can… um… make simple dishes. So, yes. You could say I can cook."

Karma—for some reason—seemed quite curious, "Oh? Who taught you? Did you learn on your own? You're very good at learning, so I'm sure you could master it quickly."

Karma's question was purely out of curiosity. Gakushuu couldn't blame him for hitting a sore spot since Karma didn't know about his past. All he could do was grip the book in his hand more tightly.

"My mom… my mom taught me how to cook," Gakushuu answered calmly, trying to suppress the emotions he had long buried deep inside.

"Your mom is amazing if that's the case," Karma said with a bright smile. Then he continued with a pout, "My mom always forbids me from doing a lot of things. She screamed the first time I got into a fight, forbade me from buying the latest Sonic Ninja series. She even forbade me from walking in the hospital garden when I first started treatment."

"I guess that's because your mom worries about you. That's why she forbids you from doing things she thinks might hurt you."

"Boo… that's so annoying."

"That's how moms are, Akabane."

This time, Karma didn't say anything. The teenager turned his head away and clicked his tongue. Gakushuu could only understand because most teenagers were beginning their rebellious phase and felt like their parents were only getting in their way. They didn't continue their conversation about their mothers. Besides, Karma seemed uninterested, and Gakushuu was also reluctant to talk about his own mother.

Asano Yukino had been a taboo topic for him since the woman passed away. Perhaps because Gakushuu loved his mother so much, her death left him with deep trauma. Even though he was determined to find his peace, it wasn't easy to forget what had happened in his life. His childhood, which should have been full of joy, was instead overshadowed by dark clouds due to his parents' behavior.

Sometimes Gakushuu liked to imagine. If only Ikeda Rikuto had been able to endure the bullying he experienced, his mother would still be with him now. If only his father had realized that the dead couldn't come back and appreciated his mother's efforts to stay by his side, Gakushuu would proudly talk about his mother to his friends.

But once again, those were just fantasies that would never happen. The reality was that Asano Yukino was gone from Gakushuu's life, leaving a festering wound in the heart of her only son.

Had Gakushuu ever been jealous of others who still had both parents? Yes, he often felt jealous. Even of Akabane Karma.

After all, Asano Gakushuu was just a boy who wanted his mother back.

Chapter Text

Karma had seen enough to understand that the topic of Gakushuu's mother was taboo. He had seen Gakushuu's reactions to know that Gakushuu definitely didn't want to talk about his mother. Losing his mother must have hurt Gakushuu deeply. How old was he when he lost his mother? The principal said that Gakushuu was still very young when he lost her. Could it have been before Gakushuu understood the meaning of loss? Karma didn't know what caused Mrs. Asano's death. Maybe it was an illness. Or perhaps something else.

Didn't the principal mention this once? He said that Gakushuu developed his caregiving abilities because he was the one who stayed by his mother's side during her illness.

What happened in the past must have been so difficult for Gakushuu that it made him not want to talk about it. But for some reason, Karma hoped that one day Gakushuu would tell him what happened to his mother and why it hurt him so much.

"Asano-kun, do you want to play a game?" Karma offered.

He saw Gakushuu look slightly confused before agreeing to Karma's request. He took out his laptop from his school bag and started opening a game app that was still installed on his laptop. Karma didn't expect Gakushuu to still have it. He thought Gakushuu would have deleted it immediately because he didn't consider it important. Did Gakushuu also keep the game app that Karma had downloaded onto his phone?

"Oh! You've reached quite a high level! Admit it, Asano-kun. Have you been secretly playing instead of studying?"

"I sometimes play it when I'm tired of studying. I guess that doesn't count as secretly playing, does it?"

Karma just waved his hand dismissively. They played the game until they were called for dinner. This time, it was Karma's father who called them. He even laughed when Karma pouted because he lost.

"Continue the game later; it's time to eat now," said his father as he ruffled Karma's hair. Hmm... it seemed like his father was trying to cheer him up. Karma secretly glanced at Gakushuu to see the older boy's reaction. Karma was unprepared when he saw a small smile on Gakushuu's face as he watched Karma's interaction with his father.

Oh? Oh! Gakushuu's small smile looked genuine. His violet eyes appeared warm, and it... looked very beautiful. Karma averted his gaze, feeling an inexplicable embarrassment.

Karma's father had noticed the odd behavior of his only son. Even so, the man didn't say anything. He chose to remain silent while smiling. He thought this was a matter for his son and his friend. Hitoshi put his arms around both teenagers and led them to the dining room.

In the dining room, Karma's mother was already waiting for them while setting the food. The dining table was full of Karma's favorite dishes. His mother had signaled for Gakushuu to sit next to him, and Karma had to be content with that arrangement. He grumbled softly in frustration but didn't dare to protest his parents' decision. All he could do was eat quietly while occasionally nudging Gakushuu's leg.

What impressed and annoyed Karma about Gakushuu was how gracefully he ate. What was that?! It was as if he was dining with some noble dignitary rather than a teenager his age.

Did Gakushuu also learn manners like the old nobles?

"Oh my, Asano-kun, you eat so politely. Who taught you to be this well-mannered?" Karma glanced at his mother when she spoke to praise Gakushuu. On Gakushuu's face was the polite smile Karma always saw when Gakushuu had to deal with adults or people he considered strangers.

"My grandfather on my father's side was very strict about manners. That's why I had to learn about etiquette from a young age. This included how I ate, which had to meet the standards of politeness set by my grandfather. He said that manners were how people judged a man."

"It must have been quite difficult for you. Karma could never sit still when he was little." This time it was Karma's father who spoke, making Karma glare sharply, not accepting what his father said. The three of them laughed together before Gakushuu continued to explain that as a child, he was also quite difficult to manage.

Now Karma was forced to imagine a 5-year-old boy rebelling against sitting still just to eat. He also imagined an old man with Gakuhou's face wearing a yukata while holding a cane to discipline his grandson. He didn't forget to imagine little Gakushuu holding back tears as his legs were struck by his grandfather. Had Gakushuu's grandfather ever spanked Gakushuu?

Karma chuckled at his imagination, and as a result, he choked on his food. While his parents panicked because he suddenly choked, Gakushuu beside him remained calm as he poured a glass of water for him. He even patted Karma's back gently to soothe him.

Karma's eyes watered, and his chest hurt. He promised himself he wouldn't imagine weird things while eating again.

"Do you want to continue eating?" Karma heard Gakushuu ask very softly. Without realizing it, Karma leaned against the older boy and shook his head. He looked like a small child being coddled by his older brother. Gakushuu's arm wrapped around his shoulders, and Karma's face rested in the crook of Gakushuu's neck. Meanwhile, Gakushuu seemed very natural as he positioned himself to make Karma feel comfortable.

Ugh... why did choking hurt so much?

Chapter Text

"Asano-kun seems to be used to doing this."

Gakushuu lifted his head, looking at Karma's parents who had been observing his actions all this time. Gakushuu could only offer them a shy smile while his free hand gently stroked Karma's hair as he started whining like a small child. It seemed that choking had caused Karma enough pain to act this way.

"I often take care of my younger cousin. He has digestive issues, and if he eats the wrong thing, it makes him very sick."

Gakushuu answered simply. He noticed Karma's parents' eyes soften as they looked at their son, who was still whining in his embrace.

"You really don't want to continue eating?" Gakushuu asked gently, as if speaking to a spoiled child. Karma responded with a whine about his throat and chest hurting from choking earlier, even saying that he had lost his appetite because of it.

But Gakushuu didn't give up on persuading Karma to eat, "How about some fruit? Would you like to eat that?"

"I don't want to. My throat hurts."

"How about rabbit apple slices?"

"Uhh…" The sound Karma made was like a whine. Even so, Gakushuu knew that Karma agreed with his suggestion. So he asked Karma's mother to get him a knife while he adjusted his and Karma's positions so that his hands were free to cut the apple the way Karma wanted.

Oddly enough, Karma's parents just looked at him with puzzled expressions, as if they had never seen their son act spoiled like this. Yet, whenever Karma was hospitalized—every time Gakushuu visited him—Karma would whine and ask Gakushuu to cut apples into rabbit shapes. He would refuse to eat if the rabbit apples weren’t served on the plate. If there were no apples, he would force Gakushuu to peel oranges and clean off the white pith.

Does Karma rarely act spoiled in front of his parents? Perhaps it’s because Karma doesn't want to appear weak in front of them. Maybe Karma thinks that if he looks weak, his parents will feel very sad. Especially since Karma is their only child. They must be very afraid of losing him. Yeah, that explanation makes sense.

After feeding Karma the rabbit apple slices, Gakushuu could finally continue his dinner, albeit with some difficulty. In truth, Karma's parents had tried to pull their son away from Gakushuu. But Karma kept clinging to Gakushuu and refused to let go. Karma's mother said that perhaps it was because of Gakushuu's gentle care that Karma felt comfortable and subconsciously started to rely on him. Yes, Gakushuu could accept that reasoning.

"Asano-kun and Karma look like siblings when they’re like this." Gakushuu unconsciously tensed up at Karma's mother's comment. He glanced at Karma, who was currently playing with his phone but was still reluctant to move from his previous position. He had asked his father to fetch his phone so he could play while Gakushuu finished his dinner. Truly a little brat.

"My arm is starting to go numb. Should I take you to your room?" Gakushuu asked Karma as he adjusted his position again. Karma pouted but nodded. Gakushuu escorted Karma to his room and kept him company for one round of gaming before deciding it was time for him to go home.

Karma just waved him off indifferently. He was now engrossed in his new comic. Gakushuu said nothing more and left Karma's room. Gakushuu was glad that Karma liked the gift he had given him, and he was happy that Karma had forgiven him. Gakushuu just hoped they wouldn't fight again.

Karma's parents had informed him that Karma would be able to return to school in a few days. They had asked him to look after Karma again, and this time, Gakushuu promised to do his job properly. Gakushuu was the first person to be told when Karma would be back at school. Because of this, on the day, Gakushuu was already waiting for Karma in front of the red-haired boy's house.

Karma looked grumpy as he got into the car. He even refused to look at Gakushuu or respond to his questions.

Childish.

Gakushuu just rolled his eyes, unfazed by Karma's behavior. They left much earlier than the other students at Kunugigaoka. Of course, because Gakushuu had calculated the time it would take for him to climb the hill with Karma. The driver dropped them off right in front of the main building, and they began walking toward the old building on top of the hill.

Karma walked ahead of him as if hoping Gakushuu wouldn’t follow. Even so, Gakushuu just casually followed behind him. He knew it wouldn’t be long before Karma grew tired and slowed his pace. When the younger boy began panting heavily, Gakushuu moved in front of Karma and offered to carry him.

But just like before, Karma refused and started pushing himself to walk faster again. Such a bad decision because not long after, he had to stop to catch his breath. Gakushuu chuckled in victory as Karma shot him a sharp glare and was forced to accept Gakushuu’s offer.

So finally, they arrived at the old building with Karma on Gakushuu's back.

Chapter Text

For some reason, Karma was grateful to Gakushuu for deciding to leave for school much earlier than usual. When they arrived at the 3-E building, no other students had arrived yet. Only Karasuma-sensei was doing something in the teachers' room, and Korosensei was nowhere to be found in the building.

Karma didn't say anything to Gakushuu when he was let down. He quickly darted into his classroom without even glancing at Gakushuu. As he sat at his desk, the phone in his pocket vibrated. Karma pulled it out to check and found a message from Gakushuu telling him not to go anywhere after school. This made Karma roll his eyes. Gakushuu was starting to act like a babysitter.

Waiting for his friends to arrive was incredibly boring. The only one he could talk to at that moment was Ritsu, but he quickly grew bored. So, Karma asked Ritsu to play a game with him instead.

Karma had no idea how much time passed as he waited for his friends until they started arriving. He only realized it when he was in the middle of an intense battle, Yuuma and Hiroto walked into the classroom. They both looked quite surprised to see Karma, perhaps because they weren't used to seeing him arrive so early.

Hiroto, of course, commented on it, but Karma just ignored him, wanting to focus on his game.

Karma didn’t pay much attention as one by one his classmates arrived. He only noticed when Ritsu ended their game, saying it was time to study. That was when Karma realized that all his classmates had arrived, and it wouldn’t be long before Korosensei would enter the class to teach while they would try to kill him.

...

"How are you feeling, Karma-kun?" Nagisa asked. They were just sitting in the classroom, enjoying their break. Both Kayano and Tomohito were seated around Karma, with their lunchboxes on his desk along with Karma's.

"Better, I guess," Karma replied, stabbing at the octopus-shaped sausages in his lunchbox before switching to his school bag. He searched through it but couldn’t find what he was looking for. With a resigned sigh, Karma went back to stabbing his octopus sausages, this time more intensely as he imagined a specific octopus to kill.

"Akabane-kun, that’s not Korosensei," Kayano said with a giggle. She might have thought Karma was upset with Korosensei and decided to take it out on the poor sausages shaped like an octopus.

Karma shrugged. He stabbed the octopus sausage with his chopsticks and brought it to his mouth. From the corner of his eye, he could see Korosensei watching him. This made Karma smirk as he continued to stab the octopus sausage in his lunchbox.

Karma then shifted his gaze back to his lunchbox and started pouting. "I want my rabbit apple."

He had grown too used to Gakushuu visiting him at home every day and accompanying him during meals. At those times, Gakushuu always made sure Karma had his rabbit apple. It was all Gakushuu’s fault for making him like rabbit apples!

"Rabbit apple?" Tomohito looked confused.

Kayano chuckled, "It’s an apple that’s cut into the rabbit shape."

The teenage girl then turned her gaze back to Karma, who was still pouting because he didn’t have what he wanted. "I didn’t expect Akabane-kun to like something so cute."

Karma rolled his eyes, too lazy to respond to his classmate's comment. He didn’t finish his lunch. He only ate a few octopus sausages and one shrimp. The rest of the food remained untouched. Karma had long lost his appetite. Sometimes he even refused to eat because he always felt nauseous at the sight of food. But his mother always prepared lunch for him, making sure to cook food that Karma liked. Karma thought it was because his mother just wanted to see him healthy again like before. But deep down, Karma knew it was just a futile effort on her part.

Break time was over, and the other students started entering the classroom one by one. Karma watched as his classmates cheerfully planned their assassination attempts or simply chatted about something that interested them. When Irina-sensei entered the classroom, Karma pulled out the rubber knife they claimed could kill their homeroom teacher. He stared at it for a long time before turning his gaze back to Irina-sensei, who was explaining something at the front of the class.

For some reason... all the enjoyment he once felt from planning and participating in the assassination attempts was slowly starting to fade.

Something felt wrong. Something was missing. Karma was beginning to feel empty again. And honestly, the emptiness terrified him.

Chapter Text

Gakushuu left the classroom much earlier than usual. Normally, he was always the last person to leave the classroom, making sure that none of his classmates had left anything behind. He often waited for the students on cleaning duty to finish their tasks before he himself would exit the room. That’s why his actions this time puzzled his classmates. But Gakushuu never really cared about what they thought.

The teenager hurried toward the old building to pick up Karma. He didn't want the events from a few days ago to repeat themselves. When he arrived at the old building, he was surprised to find it wasn’t as empty as he expected. There were still many students lingering around the building, for reasons unknown. Normally, Gakushuu would have been interested in uncovering what the students of Class E were up to and what they were hiding. But now, his mind was entirely focused on the red-haired teen sitting by the embankment, watching his friends.

Karma looked isolated, as if he were in a different world from the others, completely ignoring his surroundings. Without even realizing it, Gakushuu could see a high wall separating Karma from his friends. From a distance, he could also see Karma's blue-haired friend glancing over at Karma from time to time, clearly concerned about his behavior.

“Akabane,” Gakushuu called out. The red-haired teen flinched, looking at Gakushuu with a confused expression. Gakushuu gave a helpless smile, seeing the bewildered look on Karma’s face. He was just about to say something when Nagisa and the Class 3-E president approached him. At that moment, Gakushuu realized that he and Karma had caught the attention of the students of Class 3-E.

“Nice to see you, Asano-kun. But could I ask why you’ve come all the way to our building?” Isogai Yuuma asked. The black-haired teen smiled kindly, his tone polite. However, Gakushuu knew better—Yuuma was interrogating him. He seemed like someone who felt his territory was being threatened. Gakushuu glanced around and noticed that the other Class 3-E students were also eyeing him as if they were wolves circling their prey.

But who was he to be frightened by intimidation from kids his own age? They should try living under the same roof as Asano Gakuhou to understand true fear.

Gakushuu calmly responded, “I’m here to take Akabane home.”

Suddenly, the attention shifted from Gakushuu to Karma. However, Karma didn’t seem to care as he walked away from his friends. Something was wrong with him. Gakushuu gave a slight nod to Yuuma as a form of farewell before following Karma, who had already started walking ahead. He didn’t notice how confused Karma's classmates looked.

Gakushuu called out Karma’s name several times. However, the younger teen didn’t stop and continued walking as if he hadn’t heard Gakushuu’s voice.

“Akabane.” Gakushuu tapped Karma’s shoulder, stopping him in his tracks. Karma said nothing, didn’t even smirk. He looked like an empty shell, his eyes vacant, which only deepened Gakushuu’s confusion. Just that morning, Karma had seemed so full of life. But Gakushuu knew this wasn’t the right place to ask questions. He simply stood in front of Karma, bent down a bit, and indicated for Karma to climb onto his back.

Karma did so without much protest, completely ignoring the shocked shouts of his classmates. Gakushuu did his best to ignore them too. He walked straight ahead, not looking back, with Karma on his back.

“Akabane, what’s wrong with you?” Gakushuu decided to ask once they were far enough from the old building.

Karma didn’t answer immediately. He just remained silent, a silence that made Gakushuu certain the teen wouldn’t answer his question. But as they neared the main building, Karma softly whispered.

“I’m tired.”

At that moment, Gakushuu knew there was no point in asking what Karma meant. He wouldn’t understand why Karma was exhausted, even if he tried. He wouldn’t be able to understand Karma’s feelings. Because Karma looked just like his mother when she was dying—someone who had lost the will to keep fighting.

Gakushuu didn’t understand why someone could appear fine one moment and utterly shattered the next. He had seen it happen with his mother and couldn’t do anything to help. Now he was seeing it again with Karma. And he still didn’t know what to do to help.

All Gakushuu could do was remain silent and make sure Karma got home safely.

Deep down, he wished he could understand what they were feeling. Just standing by and watching them suffer truly hurt Gakushuu.

Chapter Text

Karma wrapped himself tighter in the blanket. The darkness surrounding him felt both unfamiliar and familiar in a way Karma didn't want to recognize. He was in the corner of his room, wrapped in a blanket with the door and windows tightly shut. The night had arrived several hours ago. Karma didn't know how long it had been since the sun had set, but he was sure it was still the early hours of the morning.

The silence both in his room and in Karma's mind was terrifying. Usually, Karma would stay awake because of the chaos in his head, thinking about many things. But this time, his mind felt empty. It was as if no sound could penetrate his ears. It was as if everything had left him. Even the thoughts in his mind were unwilling to create any noise.

Karma's hands trembled as he clutched the blanket wrapped around his body. What was wrong with him? Why was he acting like a wounded animal? Why was he curled up in the corner of his room like a pathetic person?

Karma reached for his phone, which he had placed nearby. When the device lit up, the light from the screen hurt Karma's eyes, which had grown accustomed to the darkness. He almost threw the phone into the corner of the room as if it were something terrifying. When his phone rang, Karma couldn't help but shudder. He peeked at who might be calling him at this early hour.

Asano Gakushuu's name appeared on the screen. Unconsciously, Karma laughed. Why was it always Gakushuu who showed up? Why was it always him who came when Karma was at his lowest point?

Of course, Karma didn't answer the call from Gakushuu. Even when the boy kept calling him, not a single call was answered. After all, why should he?

Karma just stared at his phone, which had run out of battery. He didn't even realize that morning had arrived to replace the night. Sunlight pierced through the thick curtains that adorned his bedroom window. The noise of morning activities began to be heard. But none of that succeeded in pulling Karma out of the embrace of his blanket. He continued to curl up in the corner of his room, with the blanket hugging him tightly, staring at his phone, which had long since died.

What was he thinking at that moment? He had been on the brink of death. Many times, in fact. Why did he fight instead of giving up? Giving up seemed so much easier, didn't it? He wouldn't have to feel pain, wouldn't have to feel the suffering of making his parents sad, wouldn't have to feel ostracized because of his illness, and wouldn't have to fall into abnormal depression due to his illness not getting better.

At this point, Karma admired himself for still being able to maintain his sanity.

"Akabane!"

Karma jolted. He looked around his room in fear. There was only himself in the room.

"Akabane! Open the door!"

Karma clutched the blanket tighter. His mind was playing tricks on him again. Wasn't it just quiet a while ago, with not a single sound in his head? So why was he now hearing voices calling his name? Sometimes Karma wanted the voices to go away, but when they did, he felt empty and hollow. Then the voices would return and leave Karma confused. Karma felt like banging his head against the wall to stop whatever noise it was.

He shut his eyes tightly, covering his ears with his hands, the blanket hanging loosely on his pathetic figure curled up on the floor of his own room. The room was still dark as before. The cold floor of his room distracted Karma at several points when the piercing voice calling his name wouldn't stop. He wondered if, when he died, did his body would be as cold as his bedroom floor?

Didn't people always say that the dead had ice-cold bodies? Karma's bedroom floor felt so cold to the touch, and maybe that could be his body temperature later. Maybe Karma should lie down to get used to that temperature.

Suddenly, he was pulled from where he lay and forced to sit up and face whoever had disturbed him. The blanket fell away from his body as Karma was forced to sit. His eyes looked confused for a moment before widening at the sight of violet before him.

Violet displaying anger but also worry and sadness.

Violet filled with so much emotion.

Full of life.

"Akabane, I swear you just want to make me die young."

Karma couldn't register where the voice came from. Maybe it was just another voice in his head, but this voice sounded both near and far. Buzzing in his ears. He chose to ignore the voice and just focus on the beautiful violet in front of him. Maybe he could ask his mother to buy him something with a similar color. He remembered the amethyst-embedded necklace his aunt owned. The gemstone on that necklace looked very similar to the violet that was staring at him. Could he ask his mother for something similar?

Chapter Text

Gakushuu truly didn't understand what was happening to Karma. At first, he seemed scared, then confused, but Gakushuu had a feeling that Karma's thoughts were somewhere else. His assumption was reinforced when Karma suddenly grabbed Gakushuu's cheeks with both hands, holding onto them so tightly. The red-haired teenager continued to stare into Gakushuu's eyes with a strange expression, as if he wanted to gouge Gakushuu's eyes out of his head.

When he heard his mother’s voice, Karma turned his head, but his hands didn’t let go of Gakushuu. Karma seemed to be contemplating something to say to his mother, but then he shifted his gaze back to Gakushuu—or more accurately, to Gakushuu’s eyes. Karma then said, "I want something like this."

Gakushuu barely noticed the choked sound from Karma's mother or the confusion on Karma's father's face. He was startled by how close Karma’s face was to his own and by Karma's unblinking stare that never left his eyes for even a second.

"Beautiful. Beautiful. A pair of beautiful violet jewels," Karma murmured.

Karma's murmurs brought a knowing smile to Gakushuu's face. He responded by placing his own hands on Karma's cheeks. He let out a small laugh and replied to Karma, "Beautiful. Beautiful, a pair of shining gold."

Karma blinked a few times before joining in the laughter. He finally released his grip on Gakushuu’s cheeks but continued to stare into Gakushuu’s eyes. He seemed a bit afraid that Gakushuu might look away.

Gakushuu chuckled again, "Relax, okay?"

Karma appeared to nod unconsciously. Gakushuu's hand moved to pat Karma's head as a gesture of praise for his behavior. If Karma’s mind hadn’t been somewhere else, Gakushuu’s hand might not have survived the act. For now, he ignored the potential danger and chose to focus on Karma. He helped Karma stand and guided him to the bed. After helping him lie down properly on the bed instead of on the floor, Gakushuu then picked up the blanket from the floor and tucked it around Karma. The teenager seemed a bit calmer than before.

In truth, Gakushuu didn’t fully understand what was happening or what he should do to help Karma. After all, he had only come because Karma’s mother had called him in a panic. The woman had said that Karma hadn’t left his room since returning from school. They had tried to coax him out in every possible way, but Karma wouldn’t come out. At first, Karma’s mother had thought that he just needed some time alone and needed to rest. But even by morning, Karma still hadn’t left his room, which made his parents worried.

They didn’t dare break down Karma’s door because the last time they did that, Karma had a severe panic attack—bad enough that the teenager had nearly died from not being able to breathe. The experience had been so traumatic that Karma's parents didn’t know what else they could do to coax their son out. So, they called Gakushuu early in the morning to help get in touch with Karma, but none of his calls were answered by Karma. Worry for Karma’s state was what had led Gakushuu to the situation he was in now.

Gakushuu was sure that Karma’s mother was saying something to him, but he wasn’t really listening, only catching the phrase 'calm Karma down.' Dealing with Karma sometimes felt like dealing with a cute yet annoying child. At times, Gakushuu had to gather all the remaining bits of his thinning patience to avoid shouting in front of Karma because of whatever antics the teenager had decided to pull.

"We’re truly sorry to have made you come here so early, but we really didn’t know what else to do." Karma’s mother said. The woman sat at the edge of the bed, her hand gently stroking Karma’s hair as he slept after Gakushuu had convinced the teenager that he would get him something with a color similar to his eyes so Karma would close his eyes.

"Why didn’t you just open the door like I did earlier? I mean, enter slowly and try to calm him down." Gakushuu asked unconsciously. He quickly covered his mouth when he realized that he hadn’t even done what he was suggesting. He had been so panicked that he forced Karma's parents to give him a spare key to Karma's room, and then he had just barged in and yelled at their son.

"As we mentioned, we’ve done that before. This isn’t the first time Karma has acted this way. The first time he did it, we were so worried and immediately broke down his door. Karma had a severe panic attack because of that and couldn’t sleep peacefully because of nightmares. The next time it happened, we tried opening the door to his room more calmly and tried to approach him. But Karma started lashing out and couldn’t be calmed down. He also looked very scared. When it happened again, we tried to stay calm and open his door. We thought he would be calmer if we did that, but it turned out he wasn’t. Karma was really afraid of us for a whole week."

Hearing the explanation from Karma’s father, Gakushuu couldn’t help but glance at Karma. He did notice a bit of fear on Karma’s face when he pulled him earlier, but that fear had quickly passed because Karma was too busy staring into his eyes.

"We called you because we knew Karma trusts you," Karma’s mother said gently. There was a pained look in her eyes that Gakushuu believed was because their son didn’t trust them but trusted someone else instead. Gakushuu couldn’t blame them. After all, he and Karma hadn’t been close friends before the Kyoto trip. Initially, they were just a pair of rivals who respected each other in a strange way.

"Why not try his other friends? I mean, Shiota knows him better than I do."

Gakushuu’s question was met with a shake of the head from Karma’s mother and an understanding look from Karma’s father. The older man glanced at his son and then said, "No matter how close Karma is to his other friends, he doesn’t trust anyone like he trusts you."

Gakushuu didn’t know whether to feel proud or confused by Karma’s father’s statement. In the end, he could only accept everything Karma’s parents said without protest. He stayed at the Akabane house until Karma woke up in the afternoon. Gakushuu was really grateful that it was the weekend, meaning he didn’t have to worry about skipping school.

What would his father say if he was caught skipping school?

Chapter Text

"You're crazy, Asano-kun."

Gakushuu dared to look offended when Karma genuinely considered the teenager to be insane! What sane person would so easily give their friend a snow globe with real gemstones inside? Not just any gemstone, but a beautiful, sparkling purple one! Moreover, Karma actually saw his name engraved on that snow globe, which could only mean that the cursed item was custom-made!

"Did your father never tell you that wasting money on useless things is a complete waste?"

Gakushuu raised one eyebrow as if assessing Karma's reaction, perhaps thinking Karma was overreacting. But Karma knew full well that he was reacting the way any normal person would. Both his parents clearly had jobs that earned them plenty of money, and Karma had never felt financially lacking while growing up. He knew very well that the cursed object Gakushuu had given him was more expensive than Karma’s latest model laptop from a famous brand!

Not only did Karma recognize the company logo on the snow globe as that of a famous jewelry brand favored by his mother, but he also recognized the gemstone inside. The purple gemstones covering the body of the stag inside the snow globe were amethysts that were surely of high quality. Karma didn’t count the total number of gemstones on the stag’s body, but he knew there were more than enough to drain a fortune. The stag’s body was even entirely made of silver, adorned with purple gemstones!

"Why did you spend so much money on this? And why did you give it to me?"

Gakushuu had the audacity to laugh at Karma’s question. Karma genuinely wished he could smash Gakushuu's head against a wall to make him realize how insane his actions were, because even wealthy people wouldn’t want to spend so much money on things like this! Or maybe some would, but they must belong to the group of insane people like Gakushuu.

"You asked for it, Akabane."

"When did I ask for it?"

"Two weeks ago. And I promised I would give it to you." The ease with which Gakushuu answered made Karma wonder where Asano Gakuhou’s money came from. He began to consider that Asano Gakuhou might be involved in massive corruption, or perhaps the man was engaged in illegal activities like organ trafficking on the black market.

Karma lifted the snow globe Gakushuu had given him, letting the sunlight shine on the gemstones on the stag's body. At that moment, he realized that the purple gemstones on the stag's body were the same color as Gakushuu's eyes. For some reason, both sparkled in a remarkably similar way. Karma was sure that if he stared at the stag, the first thing he would remember was Gakushuu's eyes.

"I… this..."

"Beautiful. Beautiful. A pair of beautiful violet jewels." Gakushuu hummed with a small smile on his lips. For some reason, Karma was sure that Gakushuu was teasing him. But aside from that, he didn’t understand Gakushuu’s actions and chose to let it go.

...

Of course, Karma accepted the snow globe Gakushuu gave him. At first, he placed it on his study desk. But then it moved to the nightstand beside his bed. He still admired the purple gemstone that truly matched the color of Gakushuu’s eyes. Did Gakushuu deliberately match the gemstone color to his eyes color? Just for Karma? Why did that sound both embarrassing yet pleasing at the same time?

Karma tried to dismiss all the thoughts that crossed his mind. But he couldn’t deny that every night before bed, he would gaze at the stag in the snow globe, thinking about a pair of similarly colored eyes that held a warm gaze and made him feel safe.

Or the fact that he now eagerly looked forward to the next day. Even when he accidentally overheard his parents talking with Sato-sensei one night, saying that his condition was worsening and that there was no hope.

"Did you know that most people at the age of 15 do a lot of irrational things because they have more courage than at any other age?"

Beside him, Gakushuu looked quite curious, though Karma felt the teenager also didn’t believe what Karma was saying.

"And where did you learn that?"

Karma waved his hand dismissively at Gakushuu's question. Instead, he nudged Gakushuu's shoulder as he sat beside him. Perhaps annoyed, Gakushuu splashed water on Karma's face, but that only made Karma laugh loudly. Karma stomped his feet, causing water to splash everywhere, soaking them both. Gakushuu jumped up but nearly slipped on the slick river stones. Gakushuu glared at Karma, who clearly didn’t care.

"Akabane, we still have class after this, in case you forgot," Gakushuu hissed.

Karma just shrugged and continued playing with the water at his feet. Of course, he remembered that they were only relaxing during their lunch break. Karma had merely brought Gakushuu to one of the amazing spots he had discovered in the forest behind the main building one day, and now this place had become their shared secret spot. The location wasn’t far from the main building and was also easily accessible from Class 3-E's building. The perfect spot for them.

Karma chewed on the strawberries Gakushuu had given him, enjoying the surrounding view. The stream where they were dipping their feet must be connected to one of the rivers in this mountain. As far as he knew, Koro-sensei had managed to build a pond by utilizing the river on the mountain. Perhaps this stream was connected to the river that Koro-sensei had used. However, unlike their somewhat hidden pond location, this place was quite open, making it easy to see the sunrise from here because it was at a high enough elevation, and there weren’t many trees blocking the view. What would it feel like to watch the sunrise from here? Maybe this summer vacation, he should invite Gakushuu to watch the sunrise. Of course, after making sure none of his friends were attempting to assassinate their homeroom teacher around here. Because if he remembered correctly, his friends had started training very hard and had devised various plans to kill their homeroom teacher.

"Asano-kun, have you ever heard of the golden river?"

Karma didn’t need to look at Gakushuu to know that the other teenager was frowning at that moment. Then Gakushuu chuckled and ruffled Karma’s hair, "What's wrong with you, Akabane? I'm sure the food I gave you didn’t contain any addictive substances to make you talk nonsense like this."

Karma clicked his tongue softly at Gakushuu's words. He didn’t know whether it was sarcasm or a joke.

"I'm serious, Asano-kun," Karma ignored Gakushuu's mocking tone and continued calmly, "A river with golden water flowing gently. Shimmering like precious diamonds. They say you’ll find the treasure you desire there, or if you hide your treasure, only the person you deem worthy will find it."

Karma could hear the scoffing sound from Gakushuu, which he didn’t appreciate at all. Karma wished he could smash Gakushuu's head against a rock and give him a concussion. Unfortunately, he’d surely be hunted down by Asano Gakuhou for injuring his only son. Of course, that didn’t stop Karma from imagining smashing Gakushuu's head against the large rock he saw in the stream. His beautiful imagination was interrupted by a gentle pat on his shoulder. Gakushuu said they needed to return soon because their break was almost over. Reluctantly, Karma agreed with Gakushuu's words while considering whether it would be better to wear his socks and shoes with wet feet and walk back to class or walk barefoot to class instead? Neither option felt comfortable.

"Dry your feet before putting on your socks, Akabane."

"Are you telling me to dry my feet with your shirt, Asano-kun? Because it seems I can't find anything else to dry my feet with besides the clothes you're wearing."

Gakushuu appeared to roll his eyes before reaching into his pants pocket. He handed Karma a packet of tissues and told him to dry his feet. Karma did so with a grumble, pouting at Gakushuu, who didn’t seem to care. The teenager was more concerned with cleaning up all the mess Karma had caused than with dealing with Karma.

Oh, he would remember to get back at Gakushuu later for ignoring him.

Chapter Text

Gakushuu had long suspected that something was off with Class 3-E during his year. It started with the suspicious death of Class 3-E’s homeroom teacher. Then there was the time he accidentally saw a group of men in suits leaving his father's office at school, and later, he ran into them again when he entered his home. They seemed to be discussing something very serious with Gakuhou, but Gakushuu didn’t know what it was. He didn’t ask, knowing that Gakuhou wouldn’t tell him anything. Moreover, their relationship was still very strained at that time. He had a hunch that their discussion might be related to the death of the Class 3-E teacher, but Gakushuu quickly dismissed the thought, as those men didn’t look like police officers investigating a death.

Then, out of the blue, his father introduced a strange, large man who would become the homeroom teacher for Class 3-E. Gakushuu still didn’t think much of it, although the seeds of suspicion had already begun to take root in his heart. Not long after, Gakushuu noticed how Gakuhou paid far more attention to Class 3-E than to the other classes at Kunugigaoka Junior High. What was puzzling was the kind of attention Gakuhou gave them. It wasn’t the loving attention he once showed to his first students or the faded love he had for Gakushuu as his son. It was a kind of attention that was terrifying and destructive. Honestly, Gakushuu would rather be ignored by his father than receive attention in such a way.

Gakuhou seemed almost eager to destroy Class 3-E and everyone in it by the cruelest means possible—which Gakushuu couldn’t understand.

What had Class 3-E done to make his father act this way?

He had tried to find out with all the resources at his disposal, but he still couldn’t uncover what was really hidden behind the old building that housed Class 3-E.

Then, suddenly, he befriended Karma—his rival since they first compared grades—which made everything more complicated. At first, he intended to use Karma to learn the secrets of Class 3-E, but he knew that even though Karma was a jerk, he was a loyal jerk. Karma would never betray his classmates, and Gakushuu knew that. He gave up on using Karma because it was a futile endeavor. Yet their friendship continued, and Gakushuu secretly cherished their friendship.

He may have given up on using Karma to pry information about Class 3-E, but that didn’t mean he had given up on uncovering the secrets of Class 3-E, which his father had been so focused on.

Unfortunately, he never signed up to learn the truth in this way. Gakushuu was truly dissatisfied with how it happened.

He only intended to deliver Karma’s lunch earlier to the red-haired teen’s classroom and inform him that he wouldn’t be able to join him for lunch or after school because of some unavoidable obligations. He didn’t send any message to Karma, thinking that Karma was probably studying at this time and it wouldn’t be right to disturb someone while they were in class. He certainly didn’t expect to find a group of middle schoolers wielding various types of weapons and shooting at some target that appeared to be moving very fast.

Gakushuu froze in place because of this. He didn’t even realize when all eyes turned toward him. What brought him back to his senses was the sound of something falling. It was the lunch box he had been holding.

He didn’t look at the Class 3-E students who were now staring at him with sharp eyes or those who seemed to be panicking. He picked up the lunch box from the ground, silently thankful that it was still securely closed and hadn’t spilled its contents. Maybe the food inside was now a mess, but it should still be edible. Though he doubted Karma would want to eat it now.

When he returned his gaze to the group of teenagers in front of him, Gakushuu felt a rough pull on his arm and didn’t realize that Karma had already stood beside him. His face was a mixture of panic and anger.

“Asano,” Karma hissed. For a moment, Gakushuu suspected Karma was choosing to pretend that what they had been doing these past few weeks had never happened. But he saw a promise in Karma’s eyes, a promise to explain everything later.

Gakushuu’s attention then shifted to a male teacher who hadn’t looked like a teacher since the beginning. Seeing how the Class 3-E students were so accustomed to handling various weapons, Gakushuu had no doubt that this man was a professional in this field.

The man mentioned something about calling his father and then led him to a room that looked like a teacher’s lounge. There was a woman inside who was too sexy to be a teacher, and Gakushuu couldn’t help but think that none of the teachers assigned to Class 3-E were teachers at all.

They all remained silent until Gakushuu heard hurried footsteps that he suspected belonged to his father. Strange, he thought. Gakuhou was always a dignified and authoritative man. He was always calm and rarely showed emotion. Maybe a few years before Ikeda and his mother’s deaths, Gakuhou had been an ordinary man with emotions. The last time he saw Gakuhou like this was when Gakushuu called him to the hospital because he couldn’t handle Karma’s paperwork.

The door to the room was roughly opened, revealing his father, who looked… worried? The older Asano’s eyes scanned the room in panic before they landed on Gakushuu, who was sitting calmly with the lunch box still on his lap, unaware that he hadn’t let go of it.

“Asano-san,” the man Gakushuu now knew as Karasuma greeted Gakuhou politely, although Gakushuu had a faint impression that Karasuma was somehow blaming his father at the same time.

Gakushuu didn’t pay attention as Gakuhou stepped into the room and locked the door behind him, nor did he notice that he was the topic of discussion at this moment.

His mind was too chaotic to focus on whatever they were discussing. He simply stared out of the open window in the teacher’s lounge, thinking that the sky looked very blue today, and the clouds seemed so white and soft. Gakushuu even noticed a few birds flying in the sky and the cool breeze that entered the room through the open window. The field outside was empty, and Gakushuu guessed that the Class 3-E students were either waiting inside their classroom or eavesdropping outside this door. Either way, he didn’t care because his mind drifted back to the years when he still had his mother. The field outside had once been a vast meadow because his father hadn’t had enough money to hire a landscaper to create a field like the one out there. But gradually, Gakuhou made a simple basketball court to play with his students.

He remembered running after grasshoppers and picking wildflowers with his mother when they came to deliver lunch to his father. He remembered playing with his father’s first three students. He remembered his mother’s sweet smile and his father’s warm hand as they walked home together.

He hadn’t realized how much had changed in this old building.

When he felt a hand on his shoulder, Gakushuu held himself back from flinching or showing any emotion on his face. He saw his father standing beside him with an unreadable expression. Meanwhile, Karasuma and the female teacher also looked at him with expressions almost identical to his father’s, but much less friendly.

“Asano-kun, what’s on your mind?” Gakuhou asked. Gakushuu couldn’t help but turn his gaze back to the window, staring at the field outside.

“That field. I remember it was a vast meadow before you turned it into a basketball court.”

Gakushuu noticed his father tensing up because the hand on his shoulder suddenly became heavy and stiff. There was no way his father didn’t remember the time Gakushuu spent with his mother here.

“Yes. It was indeed a vast meadow before,” Gakuhou’s voice sounded strangely hoarse.

Gakushuu then shifted his gaze to Karasuma and the female teacher. Strangely, he hadn’t seen the large man who was supposed to be the homeroom teacher of Class 3-E.

“Did I stumble upon a forbidden secret?”

Of course, he wasn’t expecting any response. He had already pieced together a series of events that might have occurred using the various bits and pieces he had found. It wasn’t the full story, and there were still many gaps, but at least he had the outline.

“Will I be punished for this?” Gakushuu asked calmly. He didn’t understand how he could remain so calm in such a serious situation. Maybe it was his father’s hand on his shoulder or the familiar yet unfamiliar view outside the window. Or perhaps it was the memory of his mother. Whatever the reason, it didn’t matter to Gakushuu.

He remained silent, waiting for the decision of the three adults in the room.

Chapter Text

Karma anxiously bit his nails. He couldn’t stop blaming Gakushuu for his reckless decision to come to the 3-E building while they were trying to kill Korosensei. He also couldn’t stop blaming himself for not noticing Gakushuu's arrival, as he had been too happy to move freely without feeling pain. He was too enthralled by the renewed hope that maybe he could be cured.

Now, all he could do was sit and wait in class like an idiot. Korosensei stood at the door to stop anyone from eavesdropping on the serious conversation happening in the teacher's lounge. Strangely, the octopus didn’t seem interested in eavesdropping, even though this was a matter of his life. Or perhaps it was precisely because it concerned his life.

What would happen to Gakushuu? When he first returned to class 3-E, he was told to keep the existence of Korosensei a secret. If he told anyone who is not involved in their assassination attempt, his memories would be forcibly erased.

Was that what would happen to Gakushuu? Would they erase his memories? Karma's hands grew sweaty with fear and tension. He didn’t want Gakushuu’s memories to be erased. That would mean the precious weeks they had spent together, along with their budding friendship, would also be erased. He didn’t want Gakushuu to go back to looking at him the same way he did before they grew close. Even if Karma was reluctant to admit it, Gakushuu had become one of his best friends. Karma also saw him as the older brother he never had.

Unfortunately, he knew there was nothing he could do now except wait. Some of his classmates had started discussing why Gakushuu had come to class 3-E and what would happen to him. Some voiced Karma's own thoughts, and he couldn’t help but feel nauseous hearing them. He couldn’t stand the possibility of Gakushuu forgetting him.

Not long after, Karasuma-sensei entered the classroom. For some reason, Karma felt as if Karasuma-sensei was staring at him intensely, even though the man was talking to Korosensei. The two teachers left the classroom after giving them a stern warning not to try to find out what was happening. Karma’s hands grew even sweatier, and he felt as though there was a lump in his throat.

Were they really going to erase Gakushuu's memories?

No one could blame Karma for choosing to ignore his teachers’ warning and run out of the classroom. After all, when did he ever follow the rules? He wasn’t going to let them erase Gakushuu's memories. He wasn’t going to let them take his friend.

He had just reached the teacher's lounge when the door opened, revealing Asano Gakushuu still holding his lunchbox. The boy saw Karma and gave him a small smile before walking away without saying anything. The principal followed behind him but gave Karma a small nod. The father and son walked away without bothering to explain anything to Karma.

"Asano! Asano-kun!" Karma called out. He chased after Gakushuu, but a pair of tentacles held him back. Karma turned to see Korosensei standing behind him, holding him gently but firmly enough that Karma couldn’t break free. Karma turned his attention back to Gakushuu, who continued to walk away.

"Asano-kun! Gakushuu! At least say something to me!" Karma kept calling out, but Gakushuu never once turned back. He walked away with his father. Karma glanced at the teacher's lounge, where Karasuma-sensei and Irina-sensei were still inside. They had the audacity to look guilty when they realized Karma was staring at them.

Suddenly, Karma felt all the strength drain from his body. He looked back at Korosensei and allowed his homeroom teacher to guide him back to the classroom. On the way, Karma asked Korosensei to call his parents because he wanted to go home. He wanted to wrap himself in his blanket and hug the snowball Gakushuu had given him.

After everything that had happened today, Karma couldn’t bring himself to hate anyone, which was honestly strange. It wasn’t like him, someone filled with hatred and resentment. He couldn’t hate Karasuma-sensei or Irina-sensei for doing their jobs. He couldn’t hate Asano Gakuhou, who was probably just looking out for his only son’s safety. He couldn’t hate Korosensei for not noticing Gakushuu’s arrival earlier. And he couldn’t hate Gakushuu for being unaware of how dangerous it was to come to class 3-E without warning. He couldn’t hate anyone. Not even himself.

He said nothing, not even when Karasuma-sensei tried to explain what had happened to Karma and his classmates. He also didn’t say anything to Nagisa or Korosensei, refusing to acknowledge the looks they gave him. When his parents arrived, Karma allowed his mother to pull him into a hug and guide him home. He didn’t even notice his father carrying his bag or the fact that his mother was still wearing her house slippers instead of shoes.

“Do you want me to contact Asano-kun?” his mother offered when they arrived home. Karma simply shook his head and said he needed time to think. His parents didn’t say anything, but Karma felt the gentle hug from his mother and the affectionate pat on the back from his father. They understood. They had learned to accept that Karma had his own world they couldn’t touch. Karma had seen them learn to stop worrying too much about him and let him do what made him feel calm and happy. Maybe going in and out of the hospital these past few months had made his parents understand—or perhaps even give up.

Entering his room, Karma felt a little safer because it was the space where he had spent most of his time. Karma didn’t care about his uniform. He simply collapsed onto the bed and closed his eyes, trying not to think about what would happen in his life if Gakushuu's memories were truly erased. Unfortunately, the more Karma tried not to think about it, the more the thought kept resurfacing in his mind, making him feel vulnerable.

Chapter Text

"You know, it would be better if you took a few more days to think about it." His father's voice sounded sad. Gakushuu didn't know that Gakuhou could still feel sadness at this point. Gakushuu kept finding his father's behavior today strange. He looked weak and sad, yet he was trying to appear strong. His eyes were sorrowful, and Gakushuu couldn't help but think of Karma's father, who certainly couldn't be older than his own father but seemed almost to be in his late forties. His father was only 41, but now his expression looked older than his actual age.

"This isn't a wise decision, Asano-kun." Gakushuu looked confused at his father, who seemed so desperate to convince him that his choice wasn't a good one, as if Gakushuu had a choice in this matter.

"I don't think it's my decision to make. It's the government's." Gakushuu replied skeptically.

"But that doesn't mean you can be so calm about agreeing to it!" Gakuhou's outburst wasn't surprising. Unfortunately, Gakushuu refused to acknowledge his father's anxiety. Karasuma's offer to erase his memory was too tempting. Maybe then he could forget the painful memories he had of his mother's death and create new ones, where his mother simply passed away from illness and he had spent her final days in happiness. Forgetting the fact that his mother had suffered severe depression and that Gakushuu didn't know how to help her, or the fact that his father's indifference during her death had hurt him more than anything. He wanted to forget the endless tears he shed in his grandmother's arms, terrified by nightmares and unable to find his mother. He wanted to forget the pain he felt every time he visited her grave, wishing she was still there to listen to his stories.

He just wanted to forget his pain.

Without memories, Gakushuu would simply keep living, without fear when looking at his mother's photos, without remembering his helplessness.

"Gakushuu, I understand why you agreed. Losing someone you love is so painful that you wish you could forget them just to make the pain stop. But that pain never truly goes away, even if you forget them." It was strange hearing his name spoken by his father. Gakushuu had long thought that in his father's mind, his name had simply turned into 'Asano-kun.'

And Gakushuu wasn't even sure whether his father was talking about Ikeda or about his mother. He shifted his gaze away from his father and was surprised to see a photo of his mother on his father's desk. Perhaps Gakuhou noticed Gakushuu's intense stare at the object on his desk, which made the man pick up the photo Gakushuu had been looking at.

"Your mother was an extraordinary woman, Gakushuu," Gakuhou's eyes grew even sadder, and his face showed a flicker of nostalgia. "She was a beautiful woman, loved by everyone. Losing her was incredibly hard and painful. But are you sure you want to trade all the joy she brought while she was alive just to erase your pain?"

If only he had an answer to his father's question. If only his pain didn't cloud his thoughts. If only he could properly face his grief.

"They'll only erase your memory of today," Gakuhou said, stating what was already obvious to Gakushuu.

"I know that."

"Then why did you ask for them to erase your memories from five to seven years ago too?! Do you really want to forget your mother that badly?!"

"I don't know!" Gakushuu snapped. He quickly realized his mistake and immediately closed his mouth. He glanced hesitantly at his father, who seemed frozen in shock. Maybe the man hadn't expected Gakushuu to explode like that.

"I just... I don't know. Whether I want to forget my mother or if I want to forget the fact that I no longer have a mother." Gakushuu spoke softly, his voice barely above a whisper. But he was sure his father heard him. From the corner of his eye, Gakushuu could see his father's gaze soften.

"Gakushuu, if they agree to erase your memories from five to seven years ago, that means you'll be forgetting almost half your life. You'll forget your victory in the soccer team when you were 11, you'll forget the gift from your grandmother for your 12th birthday, you'll forget the old novel your late aunt gave you, you'll forget the amazing places you discovered with your uncle in his village, you'll forget almost everything. Including how close you've become with Akabane-kun now."

It was strange hearing his father list off the things Gakushuu would be sacrificing just to heal his grief. He hadn't expected Gakuhou to know about the things that had brought Gakushuu happiness after his mother's death. Maybe his father had never been indifferent before. Maybe he had only used his indifference to hide a grief too deep to bear.

Though his father had a point, Gakushuu was still very tempted to erase all his memories, not just those of today, but of everything in his life.

"What did your mother say before she died?"

Gakushuu simply shook his head. He didn't want to answer his father's question. He didn't want to remember his mother's final words and the fact that he had actually failed her. He had failed to fulfill her last request because even now, when he thought he could, the truth was, he still couldn't find peace for himself. He was still haunted by guilt and the sadness of losing someone he loved so dearly.

Chapter Text

When morning came, Karma truly wished he wouldn’t open his eyes and could keep sleeping indefinitely. He didn’t like it when he opened his eyes and all the memories he had been trying to forget flooded back into his head. Karma groaned lazily and pulled the blanket over his head, trying to fall back asleep.

Karma didn’t know how long he had spent trying to fall back asleep when his bedroom door was suddenly knocked on. He could hear his mother’s voice gently trying to wake him up—as she usually did. Karma’s response was a lazy mumble to let his mother know that he was already awake, hoping the knocking would stop.

Yes, the knocking did stop for a moment, but then it started again. Karma tried to ignore it while attempting to sleep again. However, the knocking wouldn’t stop, and it became increasingly annoying. He had no choice but to get out of his warm bed and open the door to stop his mother from knocking incessantly. He started to worry there might be a hole in the door if his mother didn’t stop.

The door opened, and standing in front of him wasn’t the long red-haired woman who shared Karma’s features. Instead, it was a teenage boy with dusk-colored hair. The boy smiled slightly before it shifted into a teasing smirk. “I know I’m incredibly charming, Akabane. But there’s no need to stare at me like you’re drooling.”

Snapping out of his daze, Karma instinctively wiped his mouth and shot a glare at the boy in front of him, realizing he had been played.

“Why are you here, Asano-kun? Shouldn’t you be at school or something?”

“Yeah, I got the day off. Something about being shocked up or whatever. And I heard from Shiota that you went home early yesterday. He said you weren’t feeling well. So I’m guessing that means you’re not going to school today.”

“Then why did you choose to show up at my bedroom door this morning?” Karma asked sarcastically. He was still upset that Gakushuu had left without saying anything yesterday, even though Karma had been really worried about him and feared they might have erased his memories. Judging by his behavior, Gakushuu’s memories seemed intact.

Gakushuu’s gaze softened. He looked a bit guilty as he spoke, “There’s something... I need to explain and ask you about.”

Karma narrowed his eyes, then moved aside to allow Gakushuu into his room. Gakushuu sat on one of the chairs while Karma sat on his bed. They fell into silence, neither of them wanting to speak. Karma had considered kicking Gakushuu out and going back to sleep because of it.

“I didn’t see much, except that you all seemed very skilled with the weapons you were holding. And I noticed that the target you were aiming at moved very fast, but I couldn’t make out what it was. When your teacher, Karasuma-san, called him, that was the first time I saw him,” Gakushuu said calmly.

“They told me that my memories from yesterday would have to be erased because I had no involvement in what you were doing. As an outsider, I wasn’t supposed to know about it. They said it was a highly sensitive secret, and they refused to explain further.”

What Gakushuu said was the truth. When Karma first joined Class 3-E, he was given a similar warning. He wasn’t allowed to reveal Korosensei’s existence to anyone, not even his own parents. If he was caught telling someone who had no connection to the assassination, he would be arrested, and his memories would be forcibly erased. Were they giving Gakushuu the day off because they were going to erase his memories?

“But my father argued with Karasuma-san. He said it was purely the negligence of your teachers for not noticing my presence. He refused to let them erase my memory.”

Karma waited for Gakushuu to continue, but the boy didn’t seem inclined to say anything more. So Karma decided to ask the question that had been bothering him since yesterday, “So what happened? Will your memory be erased?”

Gakushuu shook his head, "I don't know either. My father is strongly against it, but honestly, I wouldn’t mind if my memories were erased."

Karma's breath caught in his throat. He wanted to say how ridiculous Gakushuu was for agreeing to such a thing, but no sound came out.

"Did you know that my mother passed away a long time ago?"

Karma was startled by Gakushuu's question. All this time, Gakushuu had always avoided any topic related to his mother. Karma didn't expect him to bring it up now. He could only nod stiffly to answer Gakushuu's question, "Yeah, the principal already told me."

"My mother passed away when I was 10, but she started getting sick when I was 8."

“I... if you don’t mind me asking, what illness did she have?"

Gakushuu smiled, "I don’t really remember, but one thing’s for sure, she also suffered from severe depression."

Karma's mouth went dry, and he found it hard to swallow. Depression. Gakushuu's mother had depression.

"My family... my family was once an ordinary family of a father, mother, and child. My father was a hardworking man—you already know that. He was very dedicated to his work, but he was also a man who loved his family deeply. He was so warm to both me and my mother. As for my mother, she was a loving and caring woman. At first, she had a job too, but she decided to quit after I was born. She said she wanted to take care of me completely. My father had no problem with that, because he deeply respected her decision." Gakushuu glanced at his hands on his lap for a moment before continuing, "My father... he worked at several schools before deciding to open his own. You know that the building for your class was originally the Kunugigaoka school building, right?"

Karma nodded again.

"At first, he only had three students. One of them was a boy named Ikeda Rikuto. I used to play with him when I was little. You could say we were quite close because he loved basketball and would often invite me to play whenever my mom and I brought lunch to my dad. He was kind and cheerful, although he sometimes tried to skip my dad’s classes." Gakushuu let out a small, wistful laugh.

"My father’s first three students were very precious to him. He poured everything he knew and had into them, giving them lessons in a fun and easy-to-understand way. He really hoped they would grow up to be successful adults thanks to his guidance. But... only two of them were able to fulfill his hopes."

"Why?"

"Ikeda-san... couldn’t do it."

"Why?"

Gakushuu gave a small smile, "He chose to end his life in high school. Before he did, he called my father and asked to meet. Said he wanted to talk about his progress in basketball, or something like that. I don’t really know. I just remember my father being very happy when he got that call, and he promised to meet Ikeda-san after finishing his work. He even bought a basketball to give him. But... when he arrived at Ikeda-san’s house, all he found was a group of grieving people."

"And... how does this relate to your mother’s death?"

"As I said, my family was once a normal, happy family, but Ikeda-san’s death dealt a heavy blow to my father. It changed him from a warm man who loved his family into someone cold and indifferent to everything but his work. My father quickly learned various martial arts and started studying business. He expanded his endeavors and rebuilt his school according to his ideals. He believed that his school should be designed to teach children to be strong, to withstand all the pressures they would face in the future. That’s why he created the isolation system for Class 3-E. For children who were deemed lower in value compared to others. My mother tried to stay by my father’s side during his grief. She once told me that it was her duty to support her husband when he was weak. But no matter how much my mother devoted herself, my father never looked her way."

Maybe Karma made some kind of sound that caused Gakushuu to pause his story. Gakushuu gave him another small smile, as if to reassure Karma, though Karma felt it was he who should be comforting Gakushuu.

"My mother became stressed and started blaming herself. She felt like she had failed as a wife, and slowly, her stress began to weaken her body. She fell ill more often and attempted suicide several times."

At Gakushuu's last sentence, Karma heard the boy give a bitter laugh, his expression growing even more melancholic. This was a painful subject for Gakushuu to talk about. Karma wanted to stop him, but he felt like he shouldn't. Gakushuu might want to confront his pain, which was why he was telling this to Karma. If Karma stopped him, Gakushuu would go back to avoiding his pain, secretly hoping his wounds would heal, though they would only get worse.

"My father... well, he became even more indifferent to us. Even when my mother was dying in front of him, he just turned away and focused on his work. When my mother died, I didn’t see him cry. He just stood there because he was her husband, but he didn’t seem to be mourning at all. He looked like a stranger who had come to the funeral of someone he didn’t know. Most people said he was too devastated by her death, but I don’t know if that’s true or not." Gakushuu gave a wry smile.

"My relationship with my father deteriorated after that. I hated him because I believed he had killed my mother, and he seemed to care more about his work than his only son, who had just lost his mother."

"Asano-kun... I think—"

"Hold on, Akabane. Maybe you've already realized this. Losing my mother was a huge blow to me. I couldn’t even look at her photos for years without feeling the same pain I did when I lost her. Maybe it’s because I loved her so much that I couldn’t accept the fact that she was gone. The memory of her passing is still so fresh in my mind. Every action she took while she was sick, right up until her death, is still vividly recorded in my brain, and it hurts me over and over again."

"Is that why you agreed to have your memory erased?"

Gakushuu nodded, "I want to forget the pain."

"But you know they’re only going to erase your memory of yesterday, right?"

"Yes, my father already explained that to me. But I asked them if they could erase my memories from 5 to 7 years ago. They said they could."

Even though Karma understood why Gakushuu wanted that, he still couldn’t accept the reasoning. Was Gakushuu really willing to sacrifice half his memories just to heal his pain? Didn’t he know that it would only create new pain because he wouldn’t remember anything afterward? What if they erased the wrong memory? What if they made a mistake that put Gakushuu in danger?

If Gakushuu’s memories from 5 to 7 years ago were erased, wouldn’t that mean Karma would also be erased from his life? He would just be a stranger with memories of Gakushuu. He wouldn’t mean anything to Gakushuu. Why did that thought hurt so much?

"What I want to ask you is, how can I heal my wounds without erasing my memories?"

Chapter Text

Karma blinked, looking genuinely surprised by Gakushuu's question. It was a heavy one, and certainly difficult to answer. Even Gakushuu hadn't been able to find the answer after all these years. He wouldn't blame Karma if he couldn't provide one either.

"Without erasing your memories... wait, does that mean you *won't* erase them? They're not going to erase your memories?!" Karma exclaimed. Strangely, he seemed almost ecstatic, his eyes sparkling with joy and a smile spreading across his face.

"Eh? Of course, my memories won’t be erased. My father convinced them not to touch me because I promised to keep whatever I saw yesterday a secret," Gakushuu explained.

He watched Karma's expression carefully. The pure happiness that Karma showed over the fact that his memories wouldn't be erased was so obvious, it made Gakushuu feel guilty for even considering forgetting the boy just to heal his own wounds. It was selfish of him. He had only thought of his pain, without considering the grief others would feel if his memories disappeared.

Karma cleared his throat once he calmed down a little. "So, what was your question again?"

"I asked, how do I heal my wounds without having to erase my memories?"

"Yeah, I don’t really have any great advice for that. But you could start by letting go first. I think part of why you're feeling so hurt and sad is because you haven't fully accepted your mother's death."

Gakushuu scoffed involuntarily. It was what everyone had told him while trying to console him. He had tried it before and it didn’t work. He doubted it would work now either.

"I know it sounds annoying, but it's the only thing that comes to mind. Not like you’ve got a better idea yourself," Karma added with a hint of sarcasm in his voice. It made Gakushuu laugh. If he did choose to erase his memories, he would miss out on moments like this—teasing Karma.

His laughter was rewarded with a pillow being tossed at him by an irritated Karma, along with a few insults hurled by the redhead.

"So, how do I let go of my mother's death?" Gakushuu asked after finishing his laugh.

"You just did one of them."

"Huh?"

Karma shrugged, "From what I know, the quickest way to let go is by facing the pain that comes with losing someone you love. You're hurt because of your mother’s passing, which makes you avoid talking about her, since, as you said, you can still vividly remember the pain of losing her. You've been burying your feelings or, more accurately, running away from them. But that’s not healing your wounds, it’s making them worse because no matter how fast you run, the pain will always catch up to you and remind you of the loss. What you should do is confront it. Sure, it’ll hurt at first, but eventually, you’ll realize the pain fades over time. The wound will heal, and the scars will fade. You’ll still know it’s there, but it won’t matter. It’ll just be a reminder of your courage to face the pain. And what you did today, talking to me about it—that’s a good start. At least talk about your feelings with someone."

Gakushuu was captivated by what Karma had said. He didn’t expect the troublemaker to give such advice. "Did you eat something weird, Akabane? You sound so wise, and you're not even a quarter of the way through life."

"Oh, shut up. As if you’re not a 15-year-old trying to act like an adult."

Gakushuu laughed again. He picked up the pillow Karma had thrown earlier and placed it back on Karma’s bed.

"Akabane, thank you," Gakushuu whispered.

At that moment, he was sure Karma hadn’t heard him because the other boy stayed silent. Gakushuu decided not to repeat himself, not wanting to inflate Karma's already large ego. Sometimes, Gakushuu was convinced that Karma’s head was bigger than their school bags, considering how much confidence he seemed to carry.

"Karma."

"Huh?"

"I think it’s time we drop the politeness—which never existed in the first place—and start calling each other by our names. You can call me Karma."

For a moment, Gakushuu found himself at a loss for words, too shocked by Karma’s suggestion. He had never imagined, even in his wildest thoughts, that Karma would let him call him by his first name, as if they were close friends. Or perhaps that’s exactly what their relationship had become.

"In that case, it’s only fair if I let you call me Gakushuu."

Karma laughed and extended his hand. "Hello, Gakushuu-kun. Nice to meet you."

Gakushuu laughed as well and shook Karma’s hand, pretending as if they’d just met that day. "The pleasure’s all mine, Karma. So, what do you think about hanging out at my place today?"

Chapter Text

Gakushuu’s house—for all that Karma had imagined—didn't have the luxury that his friends often mentioned. It was just a two-story house, seemingly as large as Karma's own. In fact, Karma could tell that the house was more than 10 years old. If the moss-covered walls weren't an indication of its age, then the design of the house might be. Gakushuu’s house wasn’t located in an elite neighborhood like Karma had expected, either.

To be honest, Gakushuu’s house would make anyone think that he was just a regular teenager with parents who might work in an office as regular employees, not holding very high positions but earning a stable and sufficient income.

Enough about the outside of Gakushuu’s house—the interior was closer to what Karma expected, though not entirely. There were a few luxurious touches inside, like some fancy furniture Karma had only seen in his grandmother’s mansion or antique items displayed in beautifully carved cabinets.

Some items didn’t seem to match one another in the same room, but somehow Karma felt comfortable with whoever had chosen this aesthetic. He doubted it was Gakushuu or Gakuhou’s doing, considering how similar they were in their pursuit of perfection. Perhaps it was Gakushuu’s mother who arranged the furniture, since most of the items looked to be over five years old.

Oddly enough, there were no family photos in Gakushuu’s home. But Karma noticed faint lines on the living room wall, indicating that some photos had once been hung there. Perhaps the pictures had been taken down after Gakushuu’s mother passed away.

Gakushuu gave him a brief tour, and Karma found a room set up as a simple music room. There was a beautiful white piano near the window, a drum set in the corner, a few electric guitars, a cello, and some other instruments Karma didn’t recognize.

“Wow... you really love music, don’t you?”

“I guess you could say that. But I do enjoy playing some of these instruments.”

Of all the instruments Karma saw in the room, he hadn’t found the one that had intrigued him since Gakushuu mentioned it. “I thought you said you played the violin too. Why isn’t it here?”

“Ah. That one... I keep it in my room.”

From the way Gakushuu answered, Karma knew there was something more to it. But he decided not to ask. Gakushuu let him look around the room and Karma gladly took the opportunity. The piano was the first thing he had noticed when he entered, so it made sense that Karma would examine it first. Judging by its smoothness and appearance, the piano looked like it had been bought recently. Maybe a year ago, or even less.

“It looks new. Did you just buy it?” Karma asked.

“Um... it was a gift.”

Karma quickly turned around, seeing Gakushuu standing awkwardly by the door. “A gift?”

“My grandmother gave it to me. But I suspect it was actually from my father.” In his last sentence, Gakushuu’s voice lowered, as if he were mumbling to himself. Karma decided not to comment on it. He continued to explore the room, even touching some of the instruments out of curiosity, until he was satisfied with what he had seen. Gakushuu made a promise to teach Karma how to play any instrument he wanted. He would keep that promise when he felt interested in learning one. Then, Gakushuu invited him to his bedroom. Karma wasn’t at all surprised to find everything in the room neatly organized, with even the books on Gakushuu’s desk open in a tidy manner.

Gakushuu’s room was on the second floor and large enough to fit several bookshelves, a bed, a wardrobe, and a study desk. Karma approached the bookshelves and found that most of the books were related to their school, along with a few others that didn’t seem to have anything to do with their studies. He even spotted some novels tucked between the thick, boring-looking textbooks.

“I didn’t know you liked reading novels,” Karma commented. He heard Gakushuu make a strange sound before replying, “Well, you never asked.”

Without thinking, Karma rolled his eyes at Gakushuu’s response. “Right, sorry for associating you with adults who don’t know how to have fun because you always act like one.”

There was another sound, and this time Karma assumed Gakushuu was scoffing at his remark. Ignoring the room’s owner, Karma continued to explore Gakushuu’s room, trying to find something that would catch his attention aside from the novels. On the study desk, a few open books suggested that Gakushuu had been studying before coming over to Karma’s house. What caught Karma’s interest, however, wasn’t the books but a photograph sitting on the desk.

There were two people in the photo: a small child, probably around three years old or younger, and a young woman who appeared friendly. Without needing to ask, Karma already knew that the two were Gakushuu and his mother. Young Gakushuu was smiling happily in his mother’s embrace, and the woman looked at the camera with a soft gaze that strongly resembled Gakushuu’s own.

“She was a beautiful woman,” Karma said.

There was no response from the other boy. Karma turned to see Gakushuu covering his mouth with one hand while gripping the edge of the door so tightly that his knuckles turned white. After a few moments, Gakushuu looked at him with tear-filled eyes, but a small smile appeared on his lips. “Yes, she really was beautiful.”

Chapter Text

“This isn’t fair,” Karma whined. The red-haired boy was rolling around on Gakushuu’s bed, making a mess of the neatly made sheets from that morning. “Why is your bed so comfortable? The mattress is so soft, and the blanket is warm and smells nice too. Tell me, Gakushuu-kun, what kind of soap do you use to make your blankets smell so good?”

Gakushuu had to hold himself back from rolling his eyes. Leave it to Karma to turn any conversation into something annoying. Now Gakushuu was starting to question his decision to bring Karma to his house. They should have just played video games at Karma’s place. After all, Karma had all the gaming equipment, unlike Gakushuu’s home. Now, he was stuck in his own room with Karma whining while making a mess.

“Stop messing up my bed, Ak—Karma. I didn’t spend time making it just for you to come and wreck it.”

He heard Karma snort before continuing to roll around. This time, Karma was tugging at Gakushuu’s blanket and even threw a few pillows onto the floor in the process. Forget it. Gakushuu knew Karma wouldn’t listen to anything he said. So, he chose to let Karma do whatever he wanted while Gakushuu walked over to his desk to tidy up the mess he’d left before heading over to Karma’s house earlier.

He worked quietly while listening to Karma grumble about how, even though Gakushuu’s blanket smelled so nice and was so comfortable, it still belonged to Gakushuu. For some reason, Gakushuu had the suspicion that Karma might try to steal his blanket if he wasn’t in the same room. What a ridiculous thought.

“Gakushuu-kun, do you know the legend of the sword in the stone?” Karma asked suddenly.

Gakushuu turned to find Karma lying on his bed like a starfish, staring at the ceiling with a dreamy expression. What happened to all the rolling around?

“Yeah, the sword from Arthurian legend, right?”

“Yeah. The sword in the stone that only the true king could pull out. I was thinking of something similar but different.”

“Oh? What were you thinking?”

“What if instead of pulling the sword, it was about driving the sword into the stone?”

Gakushuu frowned. Karma was still staring at the ceiling, so intensely focused that Gakushuu couldn’t help but glance up to see if he was missing something. But there was nothing there.

“Why drive the sword into the stone?”

“Well, just imagine. You drive the sword into the stone, and it gives you a reward. The sword is like a key. In the legend, you pull it out to get the reward. But wouldn’t it be more interesting if you had to stab it in to get the prize?”

Gakushuu shook his head at Karma. “I don’t understand your logic.”

Karma snorted. At that moment, he turned to look at Gakushuu, and they made eye contact for a few seconds. Karma was the first to break it. He went back to staring at the ceiling with that dreamy look again. “Just imagine it, Gakushuu-kun. To get the reward, you’d have to find the sword that fits the stone. Think of the stone as a treasure chest and the sword as the key. Without the key, you can’t open the chest. It’s like an adventure to find the right key.”

“Sounds boring.”

“That’s because you don’t know how to have fun, Gakushuu-kun.”

Gakushuu just let out an annoyed grunt. They’d had this conversation many times before, and Gakushuu always ended up being the wrong one because Karma wouldn’t admit his ideas were ridiculous. The best way to avoid the argument was to let Karma babble on as much as he liked.

"Gakushuu-kun, why don't you ever ask?" Karma suddenly asked, forcing Gakushuu to turn and look at him. Karma was lying spread out like a starfish on his now messy bed, staring at the ceiling with a distant gaze, as if he was somewhere else and not in Gakushuu’s room with him.

"What should I ask?"

"I don't know. I mean, you must have been surprised by what you saw, and you’re probably thinking I lied to you all this time by not telling you anything. And now that you know... I thought you'd ask about what you saw yesterday."

"Haven't I already said that I didn’t see clearly what you guys were doing yesterday? I just saw a group of middle school kids holding weapons naturally, as if they were born for it. Then suddenly, I was told something absurd and asked to keep quiet about whatever I saw, or my memory would be forcibly erased." By the end of his sentence, Gakushuu chuckled sarcastically. He wondered what was going through the government's mind when they entrusted a tentacle-like creature that had destroyed half the moon and blown up a lab to teach middle school students. Even training middle school kids as assassins to kill that creature. Even if the weapons they used were harmless, the skills they acquired were dangerous. From what Gakushuu had seen, the students of Class 3-E were already very familiar with the weapons they used. What would happen if they applied those skills to commit crimes?

What was his father thinking when he agreed to this?

"Shouldn't that make you more curious and pressure me to answer your questions? Why don't you ask anything?" Karma turned to him this time, staring at Gakushuu so intensely that it made him want to answer whatever question Karma had.

"I... honestly, I don't know what I should ask you."

"You don't know?"

"Hm. Let’s just say my mind was a mess at the time. Maybe from receiving too much information, or maybe from the temptation of erasing my wounds."

Gakushuu didn’t expect Karma to understand what he meant. From the start, he and Karma had been walking different paths, though they always crossed. Their paths were never meant to intersect. Yesterday's incident was an accident that made them meet on the same road. Gakushuu had always felt that there was a part of Karma's world he should never disturb. That he should never know, no matter how curious he was. And he found his answer yesterday. Karma's world, where they planned to kill their homeroom teacher, was something Gakushuu should never have known.

"Ah." That was all Karma said. They both fell into an awkward silence for several minutes. Gakushuu wondered what was going on in Karma’s mind at that moment. Maybe he was thinking Gakushuu was too cowardly or too stupid.

"When I came back from the hospital after not attending school for a year, I thought that killing with my friends would fill the emptiness in my heart."

Gakushuu quickly turned to Karma. The other teenager was looking at him with an expression Gakushuu couldn’t decipher. Karma looked away when he continued, "My time at the hospital felt like hell. I completely lost track of time while I was there. Had the day ended or not? Was it time for another injection or another round of meds? Would I be leaving soon or still stuck in that room? I didn’t know."

"How—how did you end up in the hospital back then?"

Karma winced slightly, then let out a bitter laugh. Perhaps because he had to recall a memory he didn’t like, "Oh, it's a funny story. I had just gotten back from school, and I was feeling fine at the time. But then my parents took me to the hospital for a checkup. They said it was just a monthly checkup, but I knew that was a lie because our family doctor would usually come to our house for that. They kept telling me everything would be fine. I didn’t understand. Because, honestly, I really did feel fine. Then they talked with the doctor, saying something I’ve forced myself to forget. And suddenly, I found myself in the hospital, having to undergo a series of treatments that felt more like torture than anything else. Day after day."

"Is that why you left the hospital?"

"You could almost say that."

Even though Karma said that, Gakushuu could hear the hesitation in his voice. It was as if that wasn’t the only reason he had chosen to stop all the life-sustaining treatments. While he was curious about what Karma was hiding, Gakushuu couldn’t bring himself to force Karma to tell him. Just the thought of Karma being forced to reveal his secrets because of Gakushuu’s pressure felt painful to him. He wanted Karma to be honest with him. He wanted Karma to tell him because he trusted Gakushuu. Because he believed Gakushuu was worthy of knowing his secrets.

"When I came back to school, they spouted a bunch of nonsense about saving the world and all that. Oh, of course, they also threatened to erase my memory if I told anyone. At the time, I thought, 'Whatever. How dangerous can it be? I’m going to die soon anyway.' Or something like that." Karma waved his hand dismissively, as if he didn’t care about what he was saying.

Gakushuu wanted to say something. But even he didn’t know what to say. He was worried that if he spoke up, it would make Karma shut down again. They might have only formed their friendship a few months ago, but Gakushuu had already decided that Karma was someone important to him. Seeing Karma comfortably sharing his story with him made Gakushuu happy. It was better not to comment on anything right now.

He could always ask when Karma brought it up again later.

Chapter Text

For some reason, Karma felt very happy being able to share his story with Gakushuu. He felt relieved to talk about how he felt when he was admitted to the hospital and the time he spent there. Gakushuu listened to every word he said, refraining from commenting on Karma in a way that Karma would hate. Several times, Karma noticed Gakushuu opening his mouth to speak but closing it again after careful consideration. Gakushuu understood that Karma just wanted to talk. He simply wanted someone to listen to his complaints, to let out the feelings he had been holding in.

In the end, Karma ended up sharing almost everything he did in his assassination class, including the time he jumped off a cliff just to kill Korosensei—believe it or not, Gakushuu yelled at him for being reckless and compared him to a single-celled organism with no brain.

"Is your head just for decoration? Even single-celled organisms like protozoa know the proper way to survive!"

Gakushuu said that, but Karma just waved it off nonchalantly. They discussed a few things about Korosensei and the government's brilliance in assigning middle school kids to carry out an assassination. Karma also shared his assassination plans and received some surprisingly useful input from Gakushuu.

At this point, Gakushuu could be said to be on the same page as Karma. Although Gakushuu couldn't participate in the assassination activities, Karma didn’t mind sharing his plans and listening to Gakushuu's suggestions. After all, Karma knew full well that Gakushuu was far more skilled at strategizing than he was. With his leadership skills, Karma was confident that Gakushuu’s plans would have a much higher success rate than his own. If only Gakushuu had been in Class 3-E with him, they could have taken down the octopus that was Karma's homeroom teacher and blackmailed him. Well, the last part was something Gakushuu, with his moral integrity, would never do. Still, they could have been a deadly duo.

They wouldn’t have realized how much time had passed if it weren’t for a phone call from Gakushuu’s father, asking if he wanted to join him for lunch. Karma unconsciously held his own stomach, which had started to growl. He hadn’t eaten properly the night before because he was worried about Gakushuu, and this morning, he hadn’t managed to sneak breakfast from the kitchen before leaving with Gakushuu.

Karma hoped Gakushuu had at least some bread he could eat.

What was truly surprising was that Gakushuu declined his father’s invitation, saying he would cook his own lunch. Karma knew Gakushuu could cook, but he didn’t know that Gakushuu much preferred cooking for himself over eating lunch at any restaurant with his father.

"Come on, what do you want to eat?" Gakushuu asked.

Karma jumped happily at Gakushuu's offer. He didn’t care why someone would go to the trouble of cooking for others. What mattered to him was that Gakushuu was willing to fill his stomach with food.

And so, here he was, sitting at the dining table, watching the teenager who used to be his toughest rival—still was, to this day—prepare food for him. Gakushuu was everything the girls in Karma's class described as the ideal boyfriend. He had a handsome face, a caring side, could cook and take care of people, and had a wealth of knowledge that made conversations with him never boring. Karma knew there was a group of girls at school who called themselves Gakushuu’s loyal fans. Every one of them would give anything to see Gakushuu like this. Karma unconsciously snorted. Like it or not, he had to admit that this centipede really did have an attractive appearance.

"What are you going to make?" Karma asked curiously.

"Maybe just shrimp tempura and an omelet," Gakushuu replied. The teenager had taken some shrimp out of the freezer along with a few eggs. He grabbed a frying pan and turned to Karma. "What do you want to eat?"

"Do you know how to make chicken soup?"

"Of course. But it will take much longer. Don’t complain if you end up starving," Gakushuu said, his tone making it sound like he was reminding a small child not to regret their choices. Karma genuinely wanted to hit Gakushuu’s head with the frying pan the teenager was holding. The words "annoying" and "Gakushuu" would always be inseparable.

"Do you think I’m a five-year-old?" Karma grumbled. He truly couldn’t understand—and refused to accept—why Gakushuu always compared him to a child. Sure, he didn’t mind Gakushuu acting like an older brother to him. If he were honest, it was nice to have an older brother who cared for and spoiled you. Unfortunately, that wasn’t enough of a reason for Karma to accept being treated like a five-year-old by Gakushuu.

But all his reasons for being annoyed evaporated when he watched Gakushuu cook. The teenager looked far more skilled with kitchen tools than anything Karma had imagined. He would never have guessed that Asano Gakushuu, the top-ranked student at their school, would have a talent for cooking.

Then again, Karma already knew that Gakushuu’s true talent was learning. Gakushuu could master anything he studied, whether it was something trivial like playing video games or something more complex like cooking or playing musical instruments.

"It seems like you really enjoy cooking," Karma said.

He noticed Gakushuu’s movements pause briefly before the teenager turned to him with a strange look. There was a hint of hesitation in Gakushuu’s expression that Karma didn’t understand. To Karma, it seemed like Gakushuu genuinely enjoyed cooking. He moved deftly and even hummed unconsciously while sautéing spices. What was wrong with what Karma had said?

"Yeah... I enjoy myself well enough while cooking," Gakushuu replied.

Karma immediately realized what had happened. He decided to shut his mouth before saying anything else that might offend Gakushuu. From any angle, the joy that had initially enveloped Gakushuu while cooking was slowly fading away because of Karma’s brief comment. Karma felt foolish for forgetting that Gakushuu had once mentioned his mother was the one who taught him how to cook. Commenting on it would only reopen wounds that Gakushuu had just decided to face. Karma should not have made Gakushuu confront all his pain at once.

Chapter Text

Their lunch was rather awkward because Karma didn’t say anything, while Gakushuu himself didn’t know what to say. Usually, Karma was the one to start conversations, spouting whatever nonsense for Gakushuu to comment on. But this time, the teenager chose to remain silent. All because Gakushuu couldn’t control his emotions when Karma made a remark about him. It hurt when Karma reminded Gakushuu of the fact that he truly enjoyed cooking—a passion that stemmed from his mother, who had always spent time with him, teaching him to cook from an early age.

Gakushuu felt like a coward hiding in the shadow of his grief.

Several times, Gakushuu tried to say something, but every attempt ended in silence because he was afraid of making the situation even more awkward. At that moment, he debated whether it would be better to finish his meal quickly to avoid conversation or eat slowly while searching for something appropriate to talk about.

"I… Were you very close to your mother?" Karma asked so suddenly.

Gakushuu was clearly unprepared for Karma’s question. He had thought the other teenager would stay silent until their lunch was over. And yet, the question Karma asked wasn’t entirely unexpected. Gakushuu knew Karma would ask this sooner or later; he just didn’t think it would be this soon.

Gakushuu lowered his gaze, staring at his plate with a small smile as memories of his mother came to mind. "Yes. Very close. I guess it’s only natural since she was always there for me. She taught me everything she knew and did everything she could for me. So yes, I was very close to her."

"Ah… My mom and I weren’t like that."

"Really?"

"Yeah… She and my dad were always too busy with work. Before… you know… they were rarely home because they were always traveling. Either out of town or overseas. They only came back on certain occasions. So it feels strange having them around all the time now."

For some reason, Gakushuu could understand Karma’s feelings. After all, he and Gakuhou hadn’t had a good relationship since his mother passed away. They barely interacted at home, let alone outside. They only spoke when necessary, and Gakushuu didn’t call Gakuhou "Father" nor did Gakuhou call him by his name.

Their relationship over the past few years had seemed more like that of a teacher and student, or a principal and student council president, rather than a father and son. It was quite surprising when Gakuhou seemed to be trying to mend their relationship. Not just surprising, actually—it had been downright unsettling for Gakushuu.

He wasn’t surprised that Karma felt the same way about his parents being home every day instead of constantly traveling.

"I mean, I’m glad they’re here for me now. But sometimes, I can’t help thinking that they’re only spending time with me because they know I’m going to die soon. If not, they’d probably still be off traveling, leaving me alone."

Gakushuu didn’t know how to respond. To him, what Karma said was likely true. If Karma’s parents didn’t know about his illness, would they have changed their behavior and chosen to spend time with their son? Gakushuu doubted it would have been that simple. Even Gakuhou had taken years to change, and Gakushuu still didn’t know what had caused his father’s change.

Don’t tell him his father was also dying and had decided to spend the rest of his life with Gakushuu? Ridiculous. Gakushuu needed to cut back on watching TV dramas. But he should probably check his father’s medical records. Gakushuu wasn’t ready to become an orphan just yet.

"Have you tried giving them a chance? I’m sure they regret not spending time with you before," Gakushuu suggested.

For some reason, Karma gave him a complicated look before gazing into the distance. The red-haired teenager said, "I guess they’ve finally realized that every human’s time is limited."

Gakushuu didn’t know how to respond. He hated to admit it, but Karma was right. Nothing lasts forever. Everything in this world, including humans, has a very limited time. And that meant if he laughed with Karma today, perhaps tomorrow he wouldn’t have the chance to do the same. Maybe that was what Karma’s parents were thinking. Maybe it was also what his father had been thinking.

"How about we forget about that for a moment? This heavy conversation is hardly suitable for the dining table," Gakushuu suggested, half-joking, hoping to ease the palpable tension between them. Karma stared at him for a moment before laughing and returning to his lunch. They didn’t talk about their families again, even after finishing their meal. Silently, they had an unspoken agreement not to bring it up again—unless under special circumstances. 

Gakushuu let Karma decide what they should do next, and to his surprise, Karma chose to make Gakushuu play some of his musical instruments.

Of course, Karma teased him on several occasions, and Gakushuu had to pretend to be annoyed by the teenager’s antics. But throughout the entire music session, Gakushuu felt genuinely happy to have someone like Karma listening to him play.

"Hey, Gakushuu-kun, what do you want to be in the future?" 

Gakushuu glanced at Karma from the corner of his eye. "Stay as human, I guess." 

"Ha ha. Very funny." 

"Come on, you have to admit that was funny." 

Karma rolled his eyes, clearly unimpressed with Gakushuu’s joke, but that only made it funnier to him. The red-haired teenager chose to look away and wandered around the music room.

"You're so good at everything. You’ve even mastered some of the games I introduced to you so well. I think whatever career you pursue in the future, you’ll achieve it easily." 

"Was that a compliment I just heard?" 

Karma turned quickly, his face slowly turning red as he began spouting a series of denials. Gakushuu just laughed at Karma’s reaction and teased him, calling him a girl. Trust me, he didn’t walk away unscathed. His head hurt from Karma’s smack, and he had a painful bruise on his arm from Karma’s deadly pinch. 

Chapter Text

Karma glanced at the clock mounted on the wall of Gakushuu’s room. It was almost 7 PM, and only he and Gakushuu were home. Earlier, an older woman had come to clean the house, but she had left as soon as she finished her job. And up to now, Karma hadn’t seen any sign of Asano Gakuhou.

“Your father’s not home yet? School ended hours ago, didn’t it?” he asked, out of curiosity.

Gakushuu, who was busy working on some practice questions, glanced at him briefly, then looked at the clock as well. “No. He’ll be back around 8 or 9.”

“Wow, what’s he even doing?”

“Maybe having dinner with some important people or attending a meeting. I don’t know.”

From Gakushuu’s tone, Karma could tell the other teen didn’t want to talk about anything related to his father. Maybe Gakushuu felt uncomfortable—or perhaps he simply didn’t know much about his father. After all, Gakushuu had admitted that he used to resent his father, blaming Gakuhou for his mother’s death. Karma decided not to press further.

But he was incredibly bored and had no idea what to do. He had already informed his parents that he’d be staying over at Gakushuu’s house that night, so they had sent him a change of clothes. He slightly regretted forgetting to ask them to send his laptop too, because now he was stuck in boredom. Gakushuu had been working on practice problems for over an hour and seemed to be getting more engrossed as time passed.

“Gakushuu-kun, lend me your laptop. I’m bored to death here!” Karma demanded. The older teen looked mildly annoyed but still handed over the laptop. Karma grinned gleefully and powered it on. If he remembered correctly, they had played games on Gakushuu’s laptop before. He just hoped Gakushuu hadn’t deleted them—he didn’t want to go through the hassle of downloading them again.

He was in luck—Gakushuu hadn’t removed the various games Karma had once ordered him to install. Now both teens were absorbed in their little worlds, unaware of how much time had passed. When they heard the sound of a car pulling into the driveway, both of them jolted and checked the time simultaneously.

It was almost 9 PM.

“I think that’s my dad,” Gakushuu whispered. The auburn-haired teen rubbed his face in slight frustration, then closed his workbook and started tidying up his things. Karma just watched him briefly before returning to his game.

“Karma, do you want dinner?”

“Meh, I’m not hungry.”

“Apple bunnies?”

“Well, of course. There’s always room for that.” Karma replied.

He could hear Gakushuu chuckling as he exited the room. Karma would get back at him later for that. Faintly, he could hear voices downstairs before footsteps echoed in the hallway as someone climbed the stairs. Shortly afterward, Gakushuu reappeared with two plates in his hands—one with apple slices shaped like bunnies and the other with his dinner.

“You’re not having dinner with your dad?”

“He already ate out. Here, eat. Don’t come complaining to me later if you get hungry.”

Karma accepted the plate of apple slices happily. How lucky he was to have Gakushuu pamper him with all his favorite things—though it wasn’t like his own parents didn’t spoil him either. It was just… different, having Gakushuu do it.

“Hey, Gakushuu-kun.”

“Hm?”

“Do you have any movies on your laptop? I’m getting tired of gaming. Let’s watch a movie!”

For some reason, Karma became the type who kept demanding his wishes be granted by Gakushuu. And Gakushuu, in turn, didn’t seem to mind—in fact, he pampered Karma even more by doing or giving whatever he asked for. Just like now, Gakushuu set aside his dinner and started browsing for a movie Karma might want to watch. He even adjusted the bed so Karma could get comfortable. When the movie started playing, Gakushuu turned off the light at Karma’s request and sat beside him to eat while watching.

Karma had always figured Gakushuu would make an amazing older brother if he had a younger sibling—and he’d be a very considerate partner to whoever ended up with him. But for now, Karma was content enjoying Gakushuu’s kindness all for himself.

“Do you think I should go say hi to your dad?” Karma asked.

Gakushuu, perhaps too focused on the movie, turned to him in surprise. Karma chose not to speculate about what might be going through his head, since the other teen took a while to respond. Naturally, Karma couldn’t really read Gakushuu’s expression either, since the light from the laptop wasn’t bright enough to see clearly.

“Probably not. My dad’s already in his study and he doesn’t like to be disturbed.”

Gakushuu’s response made Karma pout. “But I’m staying at his house tonight. Isn’t it rude if I don’t greet him?”

He could hear Gakushuu chuckle softly, followed by a warm pat on his head. “I’m sure he doesn’t mind. Besides, since when do you care about manners, Karma?”

Karma rolled his eyes in annoyance. Leave it to Gakushuu to tease him over the smallest things.

“You can greet him tomorrow morning. He always has breakfast with me at 7 AM and leaves for work at 8. After that, we can head to school together.” The way Gakushuu said it so lightly made Karma almost believe there had never been any tension between him and his father. Still, Karma wisely chose not to comment on it and focused back on the movie.

In the end, Karma fell asleep before the movie even finished.

Chapter Text

Gakushuu stretched his body as the movie ended. He glanced at Karma, who was fast asleep, hugging the blanket tightly. A small smile formed on Gakushuu’s face as he turned off the laptop and switched on the light. After moving his plate aside, Gakushuu gently adjusted Karma’s sleeping position, freeing the blanket from his grasp and tucking him in properly to make him more comfortable.

Karma looked so peaceful in his sleep, almost like an innocent child, not the delinquent who enjoyed picking fights. Even Akabane Karma could be tamed by sleep.

Gakushuu picked up the plate he had used for dinner and the plate of bunny apple slices Karma had eaten from. He didn’t have a futon in his room, but if he remembered correctly, there was one in his father’s bedroom. He’d go get it after washing the dishes.

Gakushuu couldn’t help but wonder how a simple visit had turned into a sleepover. Honestly, this was the first time he’d ever had a friend sleep over at his house. Was he that much of a loner that this had never happened before? From the way Karma acted so casually, it seemed like staying over at a friend’s house was something normal. Gakushuu never thought of himself as a loner. He got along well with his classmates; they even seemed to adore him, and he was often surrounded by people. But no one had ever invited him to sleep over, or even just to hang out at their place.

His mind raced, trying to figure out what had gone wrong in the way he socialized all this time.

Then it hit him—most of the people who surrounded him were drawn to his intelligence, his looks, or simply because he was Asano Gakuhou’s only son. No one had ever truly wanted to be close to him just for being Gakushuu. A regular teenager with buried trauma from the past.

He and Karma didn’t even start as friends. Gakushuu never expected to become one of the redhead’s friends. They were rivals—rivals who respected each other, even though Karma mostly mocked him. Still, Gakushuu didn’t regret how their relationship had developed. He was glad to have someone like Karma, someone he could genuinely call a friend. Even though Karma constantly annoyed him with his sharp tongue, he still acted like a real friend.

Karma never flattered him. He always said exactly what he thought. The good and the bad Karma told him were purely his honest opinions. Sure, Karma lied to him from time to time, but never about who Gakushuu was. Karma trusted him enough to share stories he hid from most people. Karma trusted him to touch and comfort him when he was overwhelmed by fear and panic. Karma was hurt at the thought that Gakushuu would erase his memories, yet he never called Gakushuu selfish for it. Karma seemed to understand the pain Gakushuu carried—something even Gakuhou, who arguably shared the same grief, never fully managed to do.

Gakushuu shook his head, deciding not to dwell on his relationship with Karma any further.

Better to focus on how he was going to get the futon from his father’s room. His father should still be in his study at this hour. Sometimes Gakushuu wondered if the room was even used anymore since Yukino’s death. After all, who would want to sleep in a room once shared with someone who had passed away?

It shouldn’t be too hard to get the futon from one of the closets in that room. Unfortunately, Gakushuu didn’t know which one held it, and he doubted any of the wardrobes would be left unlocked. Should he ask his father for the key? Why did that feel so awkward—just asking for a key to a closet? It’s not like his father was hiding anything valuable in there that Gakushuu shouldn’t see. He really hoped there wasn’t anything suspicious in that closet, because honestly, he didn’t need any more mental burdens when it came to his strange father.

In the end, Gakushuu decided to check for himself whether the closet was locked. If it were, he’d ask his father for the key and where the futon was stored. But if it wasn’t locked… then he’d just go through the closets one by one until he found it.

To his surprise, Gakuhou’s bedroom looked almost exactly as it had in Gakushuu’s memories from when his mother was still alive. Of course, the roses his mother loved were gone from the window sills, and there was a new bookshelf, but overall, everything was arranged just the way his mother had kept it. What shocked him most was a little corner of the room that displayed pictures of him as a child, various trophies and medals he had won, an abstract piece he once proudly called his “masterpiece” from kindergarten which he had given to Gakuhou, and even the crayon scribbles he had drawn on the wall after his parents bought him his first box of crayons.

Gakushuu walked over and crouched down to look at the scribbles, adjusting his height to match the childish marks on the wall. The shapeless doodles he’d made as a toddler hadn’t been erased by his mother—she had insisted they were proof of his growth. Why hadn’t Gakuhou erased them?

“I know I didn’t teach you much about manners, but I thought your grandfather had taught you enough to know it’s rude to enter your parents’ bedroom without permission.”

Gakushuu flinched at the sound of his father’s voice. He quickly stood up and turned to face him. Gakuhou’s hair was disheveled, his shirt sleeves rolled up to his elbows, the top two buttons undone, and his face looked tired.

“I just wanted to get the futon. Not my fault the door wasn’t locked,” Gakushuu said—the last part more quietly than the first. Even so, Gakuhou must’ve heard, as he let out a sigh like he was dealing with a misbehaving child. That annoyed Gakushuu—he’d always been praised as a good, obedient child, even from a young age.

Gakuhou took something from a small box on a bookshelf that Gakushuu hadn’t noticed before and walked over to one of the wardrobes to unlock it. He pulled out a futon, handed it to Gakushuu, and immediately sent him on his way.

What the hell was that?

Was his father really hiding something in that closet? Was it something illegal? There wasn’t a body in there, was there? If there was, it should’ve started to smell.

Then what? A gun? Drugs?

Would his grandmother scold him if he reported his father to the police for illegal activity?

Forget it. Gakushuu wasn’t ready to be thrown into an orphanage just yet. So, clutching the futon in his hands, he quickly made his way back to his room—choosing not to think too hard about whether or not he was guilty for not turning his father in.