The air was stiff with silence as the two participants glared at each other. I stepped in between them. "If you two will stop staring at each other, I'll start the next round," I told them. They kept their gaze locked on each other for a second and then turned to me. I took a deep breath to calm down. "Alright, the next round will be obedience."
Karma raised an eyebrow along with the ends of his lips. "Care to elaborate?" he asked.
"Do everything that I say." My face stayed stoic as my eyes darted back and forth from the two of them. "I'll judge based on how well you obey me and the one who is unable to do as I say first, loses." Seeing how they had no choice, they both waited for my command. A snide smile stretched across my face. "Kneel." Asano scoffed and Karma's amused faced stiffened. Nagisa stepped forward to protest.
"Wait, Katsumi-san!" he called out. "You're going to far."
"That's right," Okajima agreed. "How is this related to-."
"Spectators should stay put and mind their business," I cut in with an agitated tone. Everyone stood still, intimidated and surprised by my attitude. I glared down at Asano. "Didn't you hear me? Kneel," I repeated. They both didn't move. A small breathy laugh ran out of my lips. I accosted Asano and told him with a firm voice, "Don't get ahead of yourself. Class A? Marriage? Returning to Class A is something that you want, not me. That type of thing isn't important enough to get me concerned. So just keep this in mind..." I told him. "Getting me to come back, is a chance that I gave you. A chance taking our association into consideration." Asano glared at me, with raging eyes insulted by my "consideration". I lowered my voice so that only the people close to me could hear. "Also, marriage is something that I decide. If you want a marriage that badly, then kneel. Otherwise do your best to win my favor... Instead of poking at my personal issues."
He stood speechless, gawking at my impudence. Asano then glared at me coldly. "You're hurt from my last comment about your family. I can understand that," he acknowledged. But his voice grew darker and more intimidating, "Still, do you think you can get away with this? After acting so blatant?"
"Well, it doesn't matter to me," I retorted. This will be enough for him to reveal his weapon sooner or later. Once he attacks, I'll be able to know what his hiding and figure out what he wants from me. What I'm aiming for, is for him to manipulate me... That's when I'll counterattack. After I flashed a smile at him, I turned away. "Since, neither participants could obey such a simple command, both of them will get 0 points." Karma was staring at me blankly. We stood in silence for a moment, locking eyes with each other. Right now, this kind of thought ran across my mind. If I were to really consider marrying someone, then... "It would be nice if you kneeled," I thought out loud. Karma's eyes widened. Suddenly realizing what I said, the heat rushed to my cheeks, causing me to turn away immediately. Idiot! What do I do?! He'll tease me for thinking about marrying him.
Karma turned his head to the side, with a casual smile. "She's a sadist. I can't believe she actually wanted me to kneel before her," he thought.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw an odd yellow, quickly disappearing as I turned. Still?! He's not dead yet? I looked at Chiba and Hayami. Maybe a little distraction will help. "Round 8... Holding hands," I announced. Karma and Asano shifted uncomfortable looks. "It's quite simple." I turned to Chiba and Hayami. "Can you two help me out?" They walked over with a calm composure. I whispered to them, "Demonstrate what I'm about to say, and then when it's my turn, take a shot at Koro-sensei. He'll probably be too distracted to realize an assassination attempt."
"Sure," Chiba agreed. Hayami nodded her head. They're both so serious. I took a step back, so that only those two were in the picture.
"Hold each other's hands," I said. Chiba had a sweat drop on the side of his face, and Hayami's cheeks slowly turned pink, contrasting her serious expression. Both of them were awkwardly reluctant at first, but they did as I said. Koro-sensei was immersed and took careful detailed notes. I guess he ships them too. "So? How does it feel?" I asked, retaining my smirk.
Hayami averted her eyes from Chiba and myself. She blushed and replied, "It's not unpleasant."
Chiba gave his thoughts next. "It's not particularly warm, but it's comfortable." There was a shy, but sweet atmosphere around them. It was nice. They slowly let go, and went back to their spots, discreetly getting ready for an assassination.
"That's basically it. We hold hands, and then I judge." I extended a superior hand towards the two of them. "Who's going first?" I asked in a slightly arrogant tone. Koro-sensei got the pen in his hand- I mean tentacle ready. Karma stepped forward, took my hand gently and brought to his face. Without removing his sly eyes from me, he softly pressed his lips against my knuckles. My face burned as I tried to stay indifferent, unlike my heart. He removed his lips a while later.
"EHH?!!!" the class yelled. Koro-sensei also seemed shocked by this.
"That's not fair!" Okajima shouted. What is he talking about?
"What's wrong?" Karma asked mischievously. "Aren't you going to judge?" His golden eyes focused on me, teasing. I retracted my hand close, as if an injury almost occurred and I pulled away at the last second.
"Karma," my voice wavered. "8 points." He seemed a bit displeased with my answer, but didn't care enough to question it. Why does he feel the need to act so affectionate in public?! It makes me feel like I'm the weird one for being bashful in front of my classmates.
Next, it was Asano. He still seemed pissed from my last comment. I held out my hand in the same arrogant way. Palm and fingers looking down on him. However, his unexpected smile, caused my hand to shake a bit. Asano grabbed my hand and yanked me towards him, holding me close. Karma started walking towards us, pissed.
"NUYA!!!" Koro-sensei shouted. Hayami and Chiba shot at him, but only managed to get a tentacle. Asano was about to turn around, but I held onto him. Karma stopped in place. Asano looked down and me and smirked.
"What's wrong? Is there something that I shouldn't see?" Asano asked.
"..." This guy... Is seriously pissing me off.
"Don't tell me that you're hugging me because you actually have feelings for me?" Koro-sensei escaped the situation in Mach 20 speed. I let go of Asano and stepped back with haughty smirk. It's times like these when I'm glad I have a natural talent for acting.
"Sorry, but I think it's impossible for me to have any feelings for you," I said assertively. "That hug... It was just me confirming what I already suspected." I gazed at him, amused. "You are nothing to me." He stared back with the same amused look. "7 points. Don't make a fuss about it. It's mostly out of pity," I smiled. Asano stayed silent, but he didn't seem bothered at all. If anything, he looked entertained. An uneasy feeling started crawling around me. What's with him? Is he planning something? Did he figure something out?
Suddenly, Karma grabbed my wrist. With an innocent expression he said, "You're finished, right?" He gave Asano a smug look. "I'll be taking her now."
"Go ahead," Asano replied with a lax tone. Karma started walking away, dragging me behind him. "She'll return to me soon anyway," Asano thought to himself.
The sky was dull and grey, overshadowing everything with its gloom. As if it could cry any second, the weather made me anxious. We were going down the mountain, when I finally escaped from his grip. I rubbed my wrist a bit. "Just what do you think you're doing?" I asked for the 10th time, demanding an answer. He turned and looked at me with an innocent smile.
"Rescuing a frightened bunny," Karma replied playfully. I scoffed out of absurdity.
"You thought I was scared?" I glared at him, trying to prove him wrong.
"Weren't you?" He leaned in his innocent face in front of mine.
I pushed his forehead back with one finger. "No. Just a little taken back. He didn't act like I expected."
"Oh~, so that's why you stood there trembling?" Karma teased.
"Then what were you doing? Just standing there letting Asano-kun get to you?" I asked. Coincidentally, I got a text from Asano.
"After school tomorrow, let's go to my house. Since it seemed that you were reconsidering marriage, the contract should also be reconsidered," is what he sent. Oh the contract... I forgot about that.
"Okay," I responded..
Karma's smile faded for a second. Seeing how I was more concerned with the phone, Karma messed with my hair and said, "See ya."
"What?" I questioned, putting my phone away. Karma started leaving without me. "Hey!" I called out. He ignored me and kept walking. I pushed my hair back, frustrated. The image of his back disappeared soon enough, leaving me by myself. Koro-sensei then showed up next to me, with snacks and beverages that could be found a convenience store. "Is there something you need?" I asked in a soft, absentminded tone.
"Did you two fight?" Koro-sensei asked.
"There's nothing to fight about," I sharply remarked. The inside of my chest felt stuffy and suffocating. The fact that I don't know how Karma feels irritates me, and the fact that I can't respond properly after knowing his feelings irritates me even more.
"Is it fine to just leave him like that?" Koro-sensei spoke. "Shouldn't-."
"'Shouldn't you go after him?' 'Don't you think you should ask him what's wrong?' 'Isn't there anything you can do?..." I finished his sentence for him. "An outsider can easily say such things." Drops started to pelt the ground here and there, darkening the world with its stain. Koro-sensei stood still for a moment.
"Katsumi-san, you don't have to be that indecisive," Koro-sensei started. I looked at him, only to be disturbed by how fast he changed into a polka dotted rain coat. He continued while holding an umbrella over my head. "Everyone has something that they're unsure about. Once they've made a mistake that they can't fix, it's easy to lose confidence in a similar situation. However, life will give you new chances and experience will open your eyes to more opportunities. Those who've learned from their experience and analyzed their mistakes, won't make the same decision again. I don't know what kind of experiences or situations you've went through Katsumi-san, but your uncertainty is proof that you have taken something from your experience. Now it's up to you, whether you'll make the same decision or not," Koro-sensei advised.
I stood there with a blank expression, staring at the spot Karma was before he disappeared. "He's not coming back is he?" Koro-sensei didn't respond. I grabbed the umbrella from him. "Is it okay if I borrow this?" I asked urgently.
"Of course," he nodded. I gave him my thanks and headed down the mountain. After sprinting for a few blocks, I saw Karma taking shelter under the ledge of random store. The rain ended up soaking me anyway. Droplets ran down my legs, causing me to shiver. He noticed me and stopped leaning against the wall. I paused to catch my breath, and then took shelter next to him. Karma took off his black jacket and placed it over my shoulders. "So? Why did you, the Queen of Laziness, run over here in the rain?" he asked. I'm sure he was insulting me, but I liked the title he gave me.
I exhaled sharply before saying, "Tomorrow, I'm going to go over to Asano-kun's house."
"Why?" he asked.
"To do this and that," I replied.
"That sounds way too suspicious," Karma thought. I extended the umbrella over his head, suggesting to talk more while walking. He smiled and held the umbrella for me. We started to walk towards my place. Compared to last time, our arms brushed against each other more. Our steps were in sync, and he was on the side that was closer to the main road.
"After tomorrow, wanna go out on a date?" I asked. Karma just gave me a wry look.
"I thought you said we weren't dating," he brought up in a playful tone.
"We can start now." I remained calm, but started to blush. "Just don't say anything to the people in our class. It's none of their business and I don't want to report anyone for stalking." A sadistic grin formed on his face.
"Heh~, you're the type that gets embarrass from a public relationship. How surprising for someone who bashes romances online," he said, purposely trying to prick me. In fact it wasn't enough for him to use words, he started poking my cheek and then my side. I jerked and then wacked his hand away. I really wanted to strangle this guy.
"First of all, I separate my private life from my work life. It just shows how mature and responsible I am," I said. "Second, I don't bash romances... I critique them." Karma smiled, getting amused.
"I see, so you use the word "critique" to deceive people, when really you're just giving your brash opinions," he said playfully. I crossed my arms to prevent my anger from seeping out. Since it seemed that there was a miscommunication here, I used words that he would understand.
"We're going to the amusement park. We'll meet up at the train station at 10:30. We will have fun. And if you tell anyone, I'll kill you." I talked slow enough for him to know I was not kidding. He laughed a little.
"You make dates sound so fun," Karma joked. "What if I don't show up?" His eyes had a playful gleam to them.
Very calmly, I answered, "If you don't show up then I'll kill you and on your gravestone it will read, 'R.I.P. Karma Akabane. Guy who was only in a some relationship.'" He seemed annoyed by the last part. When we arrived at my house, I gave him a kind smile. "Bye."
Karma raised an eyebrow. "You're not going to invite me in?" I took off his jacket and gave it back to him.
"Today's not a good day," I told him. "Maybe some other time."
"Really? Promise?" Karma doubted.
"Yeah," I nodded. I opened the door ajar. "... Hey. I'm sure Asano is participating because he wants something from me. But, what do you want?" I asked. "Is it really just for me to stay in Class E?" He leaned his arm against the door above my head. Karma stared deeply into my eyes as if he was trying to look for something.
"If you know, what are you going to do?" he asked in an amused tone.
"Prepare myself... Properly," I answered. His head dropped as he smiled. Then he closed in on me, forcing me to back against the door. However, this time I wasn't as tense as before. Karma seemed to notice that. With a pleased smile, he whispered into my ear.
"It's a secret."