On the day before mid-term exams, Manami and Karma had scheduled a study session at the girl's house. This, was their secret ritual that started when the girl needed the red head's help with language arts. Normally, their sessions were planned by email, but it became something that happened every time. The two would wait for each other after classes and go wherever there was space and peace. He had been over the bespectacled girl's house a few times and had been told that her parents were always away for work and it was absolutely ok that he was over.

Meanwhile, Kenjiro Okuda was driving back to his house in a small silver car while on the phone talking to his wife about his week off. He planned to surprise his daughter who probably missed her parents very much and was probably lonely due to lack of company. Kenjiro was a tall and bulky man who looked older than he actually was. Most of his raven hair had turned white due to stress from his job. As the head of the three person Okuda family in the house, he made sure that his daughter only got the best happiness and working for months was only a small price to pay in hopes of sending her to an elite academy specializing in science.

As he pulled into the small driveway, he noticed that the grass had turned yellow and dry. He sighed. It was always his dream to have a top notch garden, beautiful enough to rival his neighbors, but, he didn't want his daughter to spend so much time on a small patch of ugly grass and he'd never let her go out when it was dark just to water it. In other words, he was a very protective man.

Quietly, Kenjiro unlocked the door, hoping that his daughter wouldn't hear. As he went inside, he dropped his heavy black suitcase and stared with his mouth agape. Who on earth was this red head and why was his daughter hiding behind him?

"D-dad!" cried out Manami as she peeked behind Karma's back, "I thought you'd be home next month!" Seeing his daughter made his confusion settle down for a bit.

"Surprise!" he shouted, smiling. Then he returned his focus to the mischief maker. "WHO THE HELL ARE YOU?!" he shouted, pointing an accusing finger at Karma.

"D-dad," scolded the glasses girl, "Don't be rude. This is Karma-kun, my classmate. He was just helping me s-study." The girl look frightened at her father's glare.

"I don't remember studying having anything to do with hiding behind someone's back," he hissed, glaring at the red head who looked like he was about to say something, but decided not to.

"E-er…I heard the door click and thought it was a burglar so K-Karma-kun decided to hide me just in case it was," explained Manami, trying to comfort her father.

"Nice to meet you Okuda-san," greeted Karma, putting up his fake innocent aura, "I'm Akabane Karma." Bowing politely, Manami wondered if Karma was possibly bipolar.

"Kenjiro Okuda," grunted the older man, looking at the mercury eyed boy with much distaste, "Why are you here again?"

"To help Okuda-san study for mid-terms," Karma replied, smiling like Isogai. Manami thought it was rather strange to have two Okuda-sans in the room.

"So you think my Manami needs help?!" bellowed Kenjiro, "Are you calling my daughter stupid?!"

"Dad it isn't-!"

"Oh no," denied Karma, waving his hand casually, "I needed help with chemistry so in return, I decided to help her with language arts." That was half of the truth. Yes Karma was helping Manami with language arts, but in return, the girl wasn't exactly tutoring the red head. Instead, they were working on a new chemical to melt some tentacles of a certain yellow octopus using one of his tentacles as a specimen.

"Manami," said Kenjiro as he cleared his throat, "Go to your room for a few minutes." Manami looked hesitantly at her guest, but reluctantly went after her red headed companion nodded an ok to her.

"Did you want to talk about something Okuda-san?" asked Karma once his poison glasses (not that he'd admit it in front of the fuming man) was out of earshot.

"I just wanted to ask you a few questions," sighed Kenjiro, still looking very mad, "since you're her boyfriend and all-."

"I think you've misunderstood," chuckled the boy nervously, "We're just friends studying together." Kenjiro completely ignored him and sat down, arms crossed.

"What are your future plans?" demanded the man.

"Mmmm, probably a government worker," replied Karma, avoiding the words 'evil bureaucrat'.

"How's your relationship with your parents?"

"They're usually away so it's pretty strained."

"How are you grades?"

"Good…"

"What do you like about my daughter?" Karma blinked, looking very confused.

"We're not da-."

"What do you like about my daughter?" repeated the man sternly. Karma gulped slightly, but refused to be intimidated.

"I guess she's kind…" started Karma, but decided to explain even more after receiving another glare, "She's very understanding and accepting and is willing to put others before herself. She's also a genius when it comes to chemistry-."

"Is that relevant?" asked Kenjiro, "Is it relevant on what she's good at or not? Do you like her just because she's smart?"

"Her skills help me," replied Karma with a sudden flame of determination in his mercury orbs, "We pull pranks together and I believe…or I know she has fun. So if she's having fun, I am too." Kenjiro studied the boy again and sighed.

"I never knew my child was interested in weird kids," mumbled the middle aged man, "Go up there and study with her. Get out of my sight." Karma stood up and bowed before going up.

Kenjiro laid back and sighed. His little girl was growing up. And worst of all, he couldn't find a reason to hate this young man she brought home.