Chapter 4: Introduction

It turned out that the seating order was decided by lots. Manami lost her vantage spot in the front, and Karma was evicted from the much coveted space at the back. Instead, they found themselves situated right in the center, Manami in the middle of the third row and Karma right behind her in the fourth.

"It's a bit like last year, isn't it?" Manami noted as she hooked her bag onto the side of her desk.

"Except I was in the back last year," Karma corrected. He pulled his chair out with a toe and dropped himself into it with a clatter, clearly disgruntled.

Manami was about to offer him some words of consolation when the teacher coughed and they were forced to face the front.

A young man dressed neatly in a dark gray suit stood behind the teacher's desk. Behind him, on the blackboard, was written "Inuoka Tadashi" in neat lettering.

"Good morning, and nice to meet you! I'm Inuoka Tadashi, and I'll be your homeroom teacher for this school year. I'm hoping to get along well with you all! So, in order to get to know each other a bit better, I'd like to do a little self-introduction." He glanced down at the class attendance list, then looked back up, his eyes seeking out Karma. "Akabane-kun, if you could start, please."

There was a sudden rustle of movement as everyone turned and craned their necks to get a look at the boy. Karma crossed his ankles and leaned back in his seat.

"I'm Akabane Karma. Nice to meet you."

Inuoka-sensei tried to hold his smile, but the corner of his mouth twitched into a grimace. "That's nice, Akabane-kun. If everyone else could stand up and tell us a bit more about themselves, like what school you went to before, that would be nicer. Um… Iwatani-kun, your turn."

Iwatani was the glum-looking boy wearing square-rimmed glasses in the seat next to Manami's. He shuffled to his feet, bumping his desk clumsily, and introduced himself in a mumble. Karma did his best to repress a snigger, but it slipped out, prompting Manami to send him a look of disapproval. That's not nice, she seemed to be saying with her face.

"I'm Iwatani Kazuya... I went to Shinagawa Middle School. Uh… My favorite subject is science... um... in particular math and physics."

Iwatani shuffled back into his seat, looking moodier than before. Inuoka-sensei flashed him an encouraging grin, then called up the next student, a girl.

Manami felt anxiety bloom and intensify in her stomach as Erisawa Eri stammered her way through a long list of hobbies. She wasn't too worried for herself—or at least, hadn't been—but the poor girl's nervous display was instilling within her with a fear that she would be just as pitiful. (At this thought, she silently apologized to Erisawa Eri.)

"Okuda Manami."

Manami stood quickly, her nerves making her motions erratic. The legs of her chair squeaked against the floor as she pushed it back, the sound echoing conspicuously, and a flurry of snickers broke out. She tried to ignore it, but couldn't prevent a light flush from creeping up her cheeks.

Something shifted behind her, and the laughter stopped abruptly. Manami had an inkling as to what it was, but resisted the urge to glance back. She cleared her throat.

"I'm Okuda Manami. I like science, especially chemistry. I went to Kunugigaoka Middle School before this. I hope to get along well with you all!"

She could see a few girls eyeing her with interest, appraising her critically. No doubt they were those of Karma-kun's fans who had seen them together. Manami sent them a quick smile, hoping to ease some of their animosity, and sat back down, pulling her chair forward with another squeak.

The girls didn't look appeased at all.

Karma felt a sharp spike of irritation. Before him, amidst a stir of snickers, Manami stood awkwardly, her body rather stiff. She appeared to be putting up an indifferent front, but Karma caught the hunch of her shoulders that gave her away. Her toes scuffed against the dirty wood of the floor, a clear sign of her discomfort. He felt his indignation rise in his throat and sat up straight, glaring at everyone in the classroom.

That shut them up. Pierced by his sharp gaze, everyone quickly and quietly averted their eyes. He settled back, satisfied, and listened to Manami as spoke into the echoing silence. She finished and sat, and the teacher called for the next student.

Karma was yawning, prepared to zone out for the remainder of the class, when Manami twisted around to face him. He blinked in surprise at the big smile on her face. Her lips moved silently, and Karma raised his eyebrows as he read, "Thanks for that."

Karma shrugged as if to say "No problem," and leaned back, closing his eyes. He could feel Manami giving him a disapproving look again, but he ignored the prickle of her stare. He let sleep take him as an eager, energetic boy announced his name loudly, establishing himself as the class clown. His last thought was that high school was looking to be very unentertaining, compared to life in Class E with Korosensei.

The sound of a bell echoed down the hallway, followed by the sudden bustle and chatter of students being let out. Inuoka-sensei jumped and whipped his head around towards the clock, then fumbled at his wrist for his watch. His mouth dropped open in a silent "oh," and he guiltily faced his class.

"Dismissed," he announced sheepishly, before gathering his things and scurrying out of the room.

Manami stretched her arms up, arching her back. She rolled her neck, tipping her head far enough to catch an upside-down glimpse of Karma's face. His eyes were closed in genuine sleep, his relaxed mouth open just a tiny fraction. Like this, he looked very much like an ordinary, innocent freshman. Manami almost laughed out loud at the hilarity of the mere idea.

Her thoughts were cut off when someone tapped her shoulder, making her jerk upright. Her neck cracked loudly at the movement, and she winced and brought a hand up to rub the pain away. She raised her head gingerly to see a girl standing over her desk and another crowd approaching more slowly.

"Sorry about that," the girl said, not sounding sorry at all.

"It's okay, I'm fine," Manami reassured. "So, uh..."

"I'm Kurobe Rika. These girls wanted to know how you know Akabane-kun, and what your relationship is."

Kurobe shoved a thumb over her shoulder at the girls standing behind her, anxiously waiting for the answer. They scrutinized Manami with blatant curiosity that bordered on suspicion.

"Ah, um, we're just friends," Manami said in a hurry. "Classmates, from middle school."

Kurobe turned to face the girls. "There you go. See? All you have to do is ask." Rolling her eyes, she stalked out of the classroom, leaving Manami to deal with the crowd alone.

The girls closed in, a few migrating to Karma's desk. "Is that really it? Do you know if he has a girlfriend?"

Manami nodded, then shook her head. "Yes, we're just friends, and I don't know if he has a girlfriend. I don't think so. He didn't in middle school."

She didn't mention that Karma was more interested in manipulating people than dating them.

At her answer, most of the group left Manami's desk to stand around Karma's. He was still asleep, blissfully ignorant to the chaos he was causing. A few boys were hanging around too, no doubt attracted by his cool attitude. A girl who Manami recognized as Sayama perched herself on the edge of his desk and leaned in. A few people gasped as her lips neared his, but she only blew on his face softly and tapped his nose.

"Um, Akabane-kun? Class is over."

Thank you so much for taking the time to read this story, and thank you for reviewing. I am really grateful for every word you give me, and really sorry that I can only give you so few.

It just made my life when I read the nice things you've written in your reviews. I am so, so sorry for being a slow writer, and I'll do my best to wrangle out more chapters.

Please review, and feel free to point out any flaws in my story.