Another transfer student, hm? This could prove interesting, especially if he's as far superior to Ritsu as she claims. Judging by both her and this Shiro guy, he must really be something special. Sharp canines bit harshly into his tongue to deter the psychotic grin that threatened to appear on his face. Finally, some real competition! I can hardly wait to get started. Oh, I hope he's on the intelligent side; it'd be no fun to compete with some muscle-bound, overpowered brute.
Karma tilted his head in contemplation. Then again, if he's some genetically altered super genius, we'd have to compete academically as well. That could be troublesome, especially if he has an unfair advantage. Though, considering Ritsu is an all-knowing super computer, they might've chosen to focus on phy-
CRASH!
Karma nearly leapt out of his skin at the sound of someone - Is that the boy? Is it him? - bursting through the solid wood wall behind him, leaving a human-sized hole in his wake. Seemingly disregarding the unnecessary display of power, the boy sat nonchalantly in the chair Shiro had dubbed his, hands folded over the desk and a wild, mad gleam in his eyes.
"I . . . am victorious," he said, voice low and flat. "I have proven myself to be stronger than this classroom's walls. That alone is enough. That alone is enough," he muttered to himself.
Karma fought to keep his eyebrows from climbing high in disbelief. O-kaaay, they definitely chose to focus on the physical aspects with this one. Jeez, does this guy even have a brain? Though, Karma thought, eyeing the new hole in the wall warily, with strength like that, I suppose he doesn't need one. All he has to do is follow Shiro's orders - no need for him to plan or strategize. He sighed. How boring.
Despite him being a disappointment, Karma resolved to study the new boy. It wouldn't do to be caught unawares if the boy was more than he appeared; Karma would much rather analyze his classmate to determine his weaknesses and strengths so there would be no surprises down the road. While he hated many things (failing, annoying people, the smell of dead octopus), his hatred for surprises ranked in the top ten. Karma always had to be prepared for anything, no matter what it might be; that included his mysterious new classmate who tried to prove his strength by assassinating a wall of all things.
Itona, wasn't it? Itona Horibe. He doesn't look like much at first glance, based solely on appearances. Short, skinny - how did this shrimp knock a hole in solid wood? His eyes are disconcerting, though. If I had to choose between manic, crazed, bloodshot, or empty as the most fitting adjective, I'd have to say all of the above. This kid has serious mental issues; are they seriously planning to enroll someone this unstable in our class?
Karma paused in his examination, eyes narrowing as he zeroed in on one vital aspect of Itona's appearance that had escaped his initial study. Wait a minute, how did he . . .
He smoothed his features into something relaxed and nonchalant before calling out, "Hey, Itona. It's kinda been bugging me, but you weren't carrying anything when you came in just now, right?"
Itona just stared, so Karma took that as a no. "So why aren't you even the slightest bit wet when it's pouring outside?"
The class fell silent. Karma watched with the appearance of detached interest as Itona rose slowly from his seat, while inwardly his adrenaline hummed to life. "You," the boy said, making his way towards Karma's desk at the same pace, and Karma vaguely wondered if he was about to have a hole punched through himself, too, "are probably the strongest one in this class. But don't worry," Itona said, in what Karma guess was some form of twisted reassurance as the boy reached his desk. The class watched in horrified fascination, like one would watch a train wreck, as he bent down to Karma's level, looked him dead in the eyes, and rubbed his head.
Karma could only stare, stunned into stupefied silence, as Itona continued. "I won't kill you," he said, then moved away from Karma and down the aisle towards Korosensei. "I only want to kill those who might be stronger than me."
He watched the scene between Itona and Korosensei play before him mutely and ignored his class' shock at the sudden bombshell, still going over Itona's words in his head repetitively, obsessively.
Those stronger than you? Then I'm weaker than you? So if I'm weaker than you, does that make me weak, period? Or, since you say I'm the strongest in this class, does that make me strong? Am I strong only when pitted against weaker opponents, or am I weak only when pitted against stronger ones? Does one's strength depend on those around one, or is it something wholly independent, uninfluenced by anyone except oneself?
Karma remained silent until the end of classes.
How is this possible? How can I compete with strength like this, strength on par with Korosensei's? How can I even hope to reach such heights?
Karma watched the match between tentacles stoically, giving no hint of distress or despair. Inwardly, though, he raged.
Is this what you wanted, father?! This kind of impossible strength that no ordinary, or extraordinary, person could withstand? Is this what it would take to satisfy you? Or would even this not be enough? Would the sacrifice of my mind and sanity, even for such incredible power, still disappoint you? Would I still fall short?
His hands clenched in a white-knuckled fist inside his pockets, fingernails digging crescents into his palms.
Would I still be weak?
Karma stared in disbelief at the girl standing before him, completely dumbfounded as she blushed and stuttered her way through what he assumed to be a confession. She was cute; Karma could admit that much. Short, curly brown hair, sparkling gray eyes, with a button nose and a smattering of freckles - Karma might be indifferent, but he wasn't blind. She even had a cute voice. But why on earth would a cute girl like her confess to him?
Is she new? Karma wondered. Does she not know to avoid Class E scum yet? Has she not heard all the rumors about me? Is this a prank or a dare or something? Jeez, I thought I'd scared all the girls off by now. How am I supposed to intimidate a sweet girl like her without feeling like a complete prick? Now that I think about it, how does she even know me? I can't recall ever speaking to this girl. Karma glanced around his surroundings, looking for anyone with a camera or phone out. Surprisingly enough, the two of them were completely alone. Considering they stood at the foot of Class E's mountain, that struck Karma as rather unusual, seeing as it was directly after remedial training ended and he should be able to see his classmates trekking down the mountain, but he brushed it off. Maybe they're doing an assassination or something.
The girl - Did she introduce herself? I can't remember - was watching him intensely, earnestness practically oozing out of her, but her face fell when she realized Karma's total lack of recognition. She seemed to deflate all at once. "You don't remember, do you?"
Crap. I'm starting to feel bad. "Um," Karma said, very eloquently.
The girl looked crestfallen. "It was last year. A guy had been harassing me all year - grabbing me, making gross comments. It got so bad I was considering transferring, but then one day you stepped in. You said, 'Leave her alone, you swine, nobody wants your disgusting hands on them.' and then he said, "Back off, loser! You wanna lose your front teeth?' and then you smiled, like, a really creepy smile, and went BAM!" She mimed throwing a punch and Karma couldn't help the spark of amusement at the exaggerated gesture. "And knocked his front teeth out!" She sighed dreamily. "It was so cool."
Karma smiled, impressed by the girl's newfound confidence, and a little bashful at her fervent admiration. Her story had done more than amuse him, though. "And when I asked if you were okay, you just stared at me before saying, 'I'm perfect.'"
She beamed at him. "Yes, you remember! So, um, do you. . . " she trailed off, shuffling nervously. Her complexion returned to its previous rosy hue, and Karma inwardly bashed his head against a wall repeatedly.
How am I supposed to be mean to her?! Dammit, this is going to be hard. Okay, okay, I can do this. I can totally do this. Just say she's too ugly to be my type, or I would never even go near her in a million years. Something cruel!
"Sorry, Maki." That's her name, right? "You're too . . ." Karma faltered at the dismay filling her eyes, turning the previously sparkling color to a dark, stormy gray. He could see the tears threatening to spill over. He cleared his throat uncomfortably. "I mean, you're cute and all, but I'm not really interested in - well, people. Not like that, anyway."
Karma mentally slumped in defeat. I couldn't do it. I've made tons of girls cry before, but I just couldn't do that to her. I'm not that heartless! Dammit, this is the first girl I've ever been honest with, and it was only because of her sad gray eyes. Dammit!
"Oh," she said, her disappointment palpable. She struggled to smile, but she managed it. "Well, I guess that can't be helped, huh?"
"Sorry," he repeated, feeling awkward for the first time in a while.
Maki waved him off. "It's okay. I figured it was a long shot, anyway. They say you've rejected every girl who's ever asked you out."
Karma scowled fiercely. They? Who's they? Are those stupid girls gossiping about me again?
"A-anyway," she stuttered, eyes darting around nervously. Karma managed to return his features to their previous warmth and that seemed to soothe her a little. "Um, it was nice talking to you again, Akabane. See you around?"
He nodded. "Sure."
She smiled at him one last time before turning and walking away, back towards the main campus. Karma watched her leave, thoughts whirring, before a thought struck him.
"Maki!" he called after her.
She spun back around. "Yeah?" Thankfully, she didn't look like she expected him to have changed his mind.
This time, it was Karma shuffling nervously. "Um, well, I just wanted to know - don't you care that I'm in Class E now?"
She cocked her head, eyes gazing at him curiously. "Why would I?"
Karma gaped. "What?"
She grinned impishly. "I mean, I already know you're smart and nice and cool. What does being in Class E have to do with anything?"
His lips quirked into a small, genuine smile. Maybe there is some hope for the main campus students. Who knew? "Nothing, I guess."
Maki winked at him before resuming her walk, and Karma could only huff a laugh behind her.
Really, who knew?
Okajima cornered him the next day at lunch.
"Hey, Karma, who was that cute girl you were talking to yesterday? It looked like she was confessing!" He stood in front of Class E's door, blocking the exit and Karma's escape.
Karma glanced around him, about to make a make a break for it, before Nakamura and Sugino slipped in beside Okajima, effectively trapping him inside. "Eh?" Nakamura grinned, a teasing lilt to her voice. "A girl confessed to you? Who? Do we know her? Is she pretty? What did you say?"
He scowled, eyeing the door longingly. "None of your business."
"C'mon, man!" Okajima whined. "There hasn't been any good gossip in this class for ages."
"Yeah," Sugino agreed. "And it never involves you, so that makes this doubly interesting!"
Karma's frown only deepened. He spun sharply on his heel, returning to his desk with his chin up and eyes avoiding all contact. Unfortunately, the three of them followed, surrounding his desk expectantly. Do they ever quit? Karma thought, amused despite himself. Why is my love life so interesting?
He sighed exasperatedly. "Yes; a girl from the main campus; no; yes; no."
Once they'd parsed his answers, they all gaped at him. "A cute girl from the main campus asked you out and you said no?" Sugino clarified, eyes wide.
Karma nodded.
"Your good looks are wasted on a moron like you!" Okajima wailed.
Karma shot him a nasty glare and he quieted, but Nakamura was studying him with a contemplative look in her eye. "Why'd you say no? Too boring? Too bubbly?"
They're not going to let this go, are they? Dammit, I've never told anybody the truth, and now I'll have said it twice in as many days. I miss the days when I could just glare at these people and they'd scatter, Karma thought mournfully. I liked it when they were afraid of me. It was so much simpler, then. Quieter, too.
"No, she was very nice and cute and funny," Karma answered. "I just don't date."
Okajima was staring at him in total disbelief, like he just couldn't process Karma's indifference. "Like, ever?"
"Ever," he confirmed, struggling not to roll his eyes.
"Okay, but why?" Nakamura pressed, keenly interested.
Fine, whatever. It's not that big a deal, anyway. Who cares whether I like girls or boys or nobody at all? They'll all forget in a day or two. Really, who cares?
Still, despite his bravado, Karma avoided their eyes when he answered. "I just don't like girls like that."
"Oh?" Nakamura questioned, eyebrows raised. "Do you like boys, then?"
"No."
"So let me get this straight," Okajima said, still baffled. "You don't like girls or boys. At all. Romantically, that is."
"Correct."
"You've never been interested in anybody."
"Nope."
"Never even had a teeny-tiny crush."
"Never."
He blinked. Once. Twice. Thrice. Finally, he threw his hands into the air in complete exasperation, loudly exclaiming, "How?!"
Karma shifted uncomfortably in his seat, self-consciousness beginning to overwhelm him. "I don't know. I'm just not interested in things like that. I guess I don't really see the point . . ." he trailed off as he realized his explanation really wasn't helping at all.
Luckily, Nakamura stepped in. "Well, there's nothing wrong with that. You just have other goals in mind." She smirked at him, patting his head teasingly. He swatted her hand away, scowl prominent, but inwardly he felt relieved.
"Yeah." Sugino grinned. "That just means less competition for us, right, Okajima?" He elbowed the other boy sharply, eliciting a pained yelp.
"Right!" Okajima agreed, rubbing his side ruefully before brightening substantially. "Less competition!"
Karma rolled his eyes, but a small smile was threatening to appear and he could finally relax, however minutely. Judging by the other three's grins, he wasn't hiding it as well as he could've, but Karma found, to his genuine surprise, that he didn't care.
Jeez, these people are so weird. I can't understand them at all.
Karma found he didn't mind that, either.
Karma hadn't realized other people had been eavesdropping on their conversation, but Kayano brought it up later that day when he walked home with her and Nagisa. Maybe if he had, he would've chosen to sprint home, no matter how sore and fatigued remedial training left him. Karasuma-sensei is a monster, Karma mentally complained. It's like all the muscle I have from fighting doesn't exist at all and I'm just a puny twig like Nagisa. If he keeps this up, I'm going to have to buy actual food. Cup ramen really isn't doing it for me. Damn, this is going to be such a pain, he thought dejectedly. I haven't even touched a stove in forever.
Kayano darted out in front of the boys, pivoting abruptly on her heel to face them, and continued walking backwards. "Hey, Karma, would you mind explaining something to me?" she questioned. The mischievous glint in her eye immediately put him on guard.
"Okay," he hesitantly agreed, eyeing her suspiciously.
"You said you don't like girls romantically, but Nagisa said, when the boys asked who you liked during the field trip, you said you like Okuda. So," she grinned broadly, "care to explain?"
Karma flashed an annoyed look at Nagisa, who just smiled apologetically. "I do like Okuda," he answered dutifully. "She's cute and smart and knows how to make multiple types of poison. She also doesn't bother me with stupid questions." He glared pointedly at Kayano.
If anything, that only made her smile brighter. "But do you like her?"
He sighed, conceding defeat. "If you mean would I date her, then the answer is no. Like I said, I don't like girls like that."
"Or boys," Nagisa chimed in.
Was everyone listening? Karma wondered exasperatedly. Don't they have anything better to do than listening to private conversations? Like - oh, I don't know - assassination?!
"Or boys," Karma agreed, nodding his head.
Kayano feigned a dejected sigh. "That's too bad. I was looking forward to teasing you mercilessly when you finally got together with someone."
What am I supposed to say to that?!
"Sorry?" he tried, unsure of what exactly he was apologizing for.
"No, no, it's fine." The grin returned full force. "I'll just have to focus all my attention on Nagisa instead."
The other boy's eyes widened in what Karma could only label as pure terror. He tried to stutter out a denial, but it was too late. Kayano returned to her spot at Nagisa's side and began to tease him - quite mercilessly - about every single girl who had ever even looked at him. Karma felt a twinge of sympathy for him, but only briefly. Rather than defend him, or offer a change in subject, he joined Kayano's side.
"Yeah, Nagisa, I saw you talking to Nakamura the other day. Isn't she pretty? Do you like her?" Karma teased.
Nagisa blushed crimson, blue eyes screaming you traitor!
Karma cackled, swinging an arm around Nagisa's shoulder. "Hey, don't worry. I think she likes you too!"
This is nice, Karma thought, watching Nagisa splutter, an unfamiliar, warm feeling in his chest. Mercury eyes darted over, watching Kayano snicker. Having friends is nice. He smiled, warm and genuine.
I want this to last forever.