𝐁𝐔𝐋𝐋𝐄𝐓𝐏𝐑𝐎𝐎𝐅. karma akabane

「74th period」: favor time

I R O H A I N U K A I
犬飼 彩葉
student no. 29

"Hey, Karma..."

"Yeah?"

"Can you do me a favor?" I asked, gathering the last amount of courage I had left.

"What is it?" He hummed in return, slicing up the apples that were beside the bed side table of the hospital.

"Uh...you see, it's been a month since they told me that my brother regained his consciousness" I told him. "But I don't really have the guts to see him... so I was wondering if you would---".

He cut me off, pressing a slice of apple against my lips. Deciding not to finish my sentence, I just ate it instead.

"Then, what are you waiting for? Let's go" he faced me, putting down the stuff he was holding.

"Huh?".

"You want to meet him right?" he said as a matter of fact. "You're stubborn as fuck but I know at least that much".

I laughed sheepishly, feeling a bit relieved.

That was the thing about Karma. No matter how sadistic he is, he knew when to be an asshole and when not to be. And there was also the fact that he payed attention to things a bit more than anyone else.

— — — — —

Thus, the reason why we were standing outside my brother's room like a pair of idiots.

"You're so slow. Just go in dammit" he pushed my back when he finally got pissed enough to open the door and lead me in. "Sorry for intruding~".

"Karma, you ass---" I cursed him anxiously, only to get cut off when I was apparently by my brother.

"Iroha!" He greeted me, with that stupid grin on his face.

There it was again.

The anxiety I was afraid to face. The fear in my gut telling me my brother hated me, telling me that everything that happened was all my fault.

"H-Haru-nii" I returned the gesture, trying to hold the tears in.

» Please don't say you hate me. «

"It's been awhile, huh?" He chuckled, "how are you? Hiyori told me a lot of things".

» I'm sorry. «

I shrugged. "Fine. What about you?".

"Pretty lively. The doctors are letting me off, so I'm finally going to get released tomorrow" he told me. "Speaking of which, I'm glad you're still alive, Iroha".

The moment he said that, like a little girl, I burst into tears, as if all my walls and all the restraint I had were crushed in an instant.

"H-hey..." I could hear my brother's attempt to comfort me.

"I thought you'd despise me" I sobbed. "I thought you'd hate me for taking 2 years of your life away, for making Hiyori-nee lonely, for being your little sister... I'm sorry".