ad astra per aspera : karma x gakushuu

╰☆☆ 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟏 ☆☆╮

Ever since Karma could remember, he's always been alone. Award ceremonies, holidays, school events, his own birthday. Not a single soul around. As a kid, he was never able to relate to those lucky children whose parents brought in cupcakes for the entire class as a birthday treat, or taken out of school early to do something fun.

It's always been.. just him. Alone with his own thoughts. All he ever had were maids, but they left with haste once they found out that his parents would never return. He would get in trouble at school with no consequences, since his parents never cared.

Karma's hope that they would at least react to his misbehavior is something he will never admit out loud. Negative attention is still attention though, right?

Karma had some friends, but none he could trust. Misery loves company, but company seemed to hate him.

Everything changed once he had joined Class 3E. He learned to trust. He learned that just "winging it" wouldn't get him very far in life. He learned how to love. For once, he wasn't alone.

Of course, good things do not last forever. His favorite teacher, the only one who didn't betray him, died. Partly to his hands. It's a death he will forever mourn.

Time moved on, whether he was ready or not. It's already his second year of High School. Karma's day is always the same, never once straying from its cycle. Wake up to an empty house, go through his morning routine, eat, walk to school, throw a couple of paper airplanes at Asano Jr's head, go home.

Messing up even one thing in that routine was bound to be a bad omen. This morning, Karma had woken up late. He had been up all night trying to rank up to ascendant in Valorant. His shower was cold, and the toaster was broken.

It was bound to be a bad day.

He arrived at school a whopping 2 hours late. It wasn't like he cared much. No one could reprimand him anyways. He quietly opened the back door of his classroom and walked up to his seat (which was all the way in the front, of course. How else would he bother Gakushuu?)

Gakushuu Asano paused his reading with an annoyed sigh, glaring at the intruder. "Why are you so late?" He whispered.

"Oh? Are you concerned, Second Place?" Karma smiled, opening up his book and nudging Gakushuu teasingly.

Gakushuu shot back a disgusted look. "I would not be caught dead being concerned for you."

Karma just laughed, opting to cross his arms on the desk and take a nap. Gakushuu let him; just this once.

When Karma had woken up, the classroom was empty.

"Lunchtime..." he muttered, and moved to stand up in his chair.

As he walked through the hallways, he noticed he was getting a couple of strange glances from passersby. Was there something on my face? He wondered.

Thinking that could be true, he headed to the closest bathroom. To his dismay.. he had a mustache and unibrow drawn on him.

Must be the work of Asano Jrs weird friends. Whatever. He shrugged it off, grabbing a paper towel and dampening it with water.

After a couple of rough scrubs to the face, he managed to get it all off.

The bell chimed throughout the school, signaling it was time to get back to class. Karma didn't even get to eat lunch.

This is all because the stupid toaster was broken.

When he got back to the classroom, he noticed that his English teacher had a stupid look on her face. The stupid look she has whenever she is planning on doing something awful.