COLLISION, assassination classroom

CHAPTER #013. PLENTY OF TIME TO STUDY!

It spoke of experience and that was enough reason for Hajime to remain cautious of the redhead.

"Ne," Akabane called, tone beguiling. "I guess the rumors about you are true then? No straight-laced student would be able to do what you did back there. I'm surprised," The redhead smirked at him. "Here I was thinking you really were just a goody two-shoes."

Hajime met his gaze with an unimpressed stare. Of all the people who could have been present during the altercation, it just had to be the redhead devil himself. It would be difficult to talk himself out of this one, not that Hajime bothered to try. He already had a headache, attempting to persuade Akabane of his innocence would just make it worse. Hajime knew that the male was too intelligent to be deceived. He sighed, walking down the street and spotting a convenience store a few feet ahead. "All rumors have some truth to them. The details just tend to change as they travel from person to person. I never claimed that anything being said about me was completely false."

"So you're just a liar then?" Akabane questioned with a tilt of his head, eyes half-lidded. Hajime frowned at the accusation, something festering in his chest, and held open the door to the convenience store rather than give a response. Akabane strolled inside, Hajime quietly following him inside. The cool and quiet atmosphere of the store was refreshing.

The redhead went straight for the ice cream section while Hajime went to pick up some painkillers for his headache, then a bottle of water. The brown haired male wandered to stand beside Akabane, resuming the conversation as the redhead contemplated which flavor to choose.

"What makes you say that?" Hajime asked, voice low and quiet. The brown haired male was tired and didn't have the energy to put up an argument, but somehow he felt the need to understand.

"That you're a liar?" Akabane murmured back absentmindedly, reaching forward to dig through the packets of ice cream in search of his desired flavor. "You never claimed the rumors to be true either. There's also the fact that you act a certain way that makes people think differently than what's being said, Hajime-kun." He pulled out a strawberry melona ice cream, smiling slyly. "That's lying, is it not?"

Hajime stared, his expression blank. He glanced at the melona, then snatched it from Akabane's hand. The redhead merely smiled at him as Hajime went up to the cashier and paid for all of the items. The chime of the bell at the top of the door echoed into the late evening as the two stepped outside, the sky was darker now, bordering a black-blue color that reminded Hajime it was time to head home.

He removed the strawberry flavored melona out of the plastic bag and held it out for his companion to take. Akabane grabbed onto it, but Hajime held on to stare directly into goldish eyes. "Maybe it is." He conceded. Akabane chuckled at the statement as Hajime let go to look away in mild frustration.

"Thanks for the ice cream~" Akabane waved his treat in the air.

"Whatever. Consider it as a thank you for helping me out back there, Karma-kun." Hajime explained and twisted on his heels, intent on heading home and gaining as much distance as possible between the redhead and him before he considered retracting his admission. It was vexing to be seen through and confronted, especially by someone like Akabane, but there was a lightness in his shoulders that Hajime couldn't ignore.

     Hajime silently wondered if his teacher was alright in the head. In front of him, Korosensei had visually put more effort into his individual tutoring. There were at least three after images of the yellow octopus surrounding his desk and each was holding some sort of reference material pertaining to his weakest subject. His eyes twitched as each Korosensei seemed to be glitching more at the edges. Hajime was particularly annoyed when one had a mickey-mouse theme going on and was tempted to strike him with his rubber knife.