"And that's it for today, class! Don't forget your homework, and I wish you all a wonderful weekend!"
There is general bustle as everyone starts to pack up their belongings, Okuda included. She strategically tips her books into her bag in a way that her right hand remains immobile. Too late, she spots a pencil slowly rolling off her pile of books, doomed to a shattered fate. She braces for the strike of the pencil against wooden floorboards, but it never comes.
"You should be more careful," Karma reprimands, swooping in just in time to catch the object.
"I will, thank you," she apologizes, glancing through the window. Gray skies, threatening to break their water. Better get home fast.
What's up with him? He's been coming to save her more than often this week. It's like Nakamura had said -
"He's your knight in shining armor."
She tucks the pencil behind her ear as she's too lazy to dig out her pencil case, which is buried under her mound of books. She places a plastic slipcover over the top just in case they get rained on.
Karma waits for her as she shoulders her bag. It's been a routine lately. They'll walk home together, he'll drop her off and then continue on his own. Maybe it was spawned from the first day, where she narrowly avoided being beaten thanks to the redhead, she didn't know. She was eternally grateful, though, and that was all that mattered.
"See you next week!"
"G'bye!"
"So we're walking home today, right?"
"Yes, Karma," she sighs. He asks the question every day, in a nonchalant fashion but persistently so. "You already know it."
"I'll see you two tomorrow, then? At the library?" Nakamura calls, packing up beside the pair.
Right, we have that science project. "Tomorrow," she confirms.
"Sure."
At least her matchmaking schemes have stopped...for now.
"Okay, I'm ready." She stands up and pushes in her chair neatly, dusting herself off with her one available hand.
They set off on a comfortable pace, returning and initiating various goodbyes and reminders. The path down is not a difficult one, but she has to adjust every now and then, eliciting help from Karma.
It's nice to have friends like this.
The silence between them, one could describe as awkward - but strangely, it's not. With anyone else, even someone like Nagisa, or Koro-sensei, she would be panicking, racking her brains for something to say, but Karma...he makes it easy. She sincerely enjoys his company, and she hopes he does as well.
They have been on the path for about two minutes when he speaks up.
"I have something to tell you." He's unusually demure with his hands in his pockets and a thoughtful look on his face.
"Okay," she replies in what she hopes to be an encouraging tone. He's done so much for her, being a good listener is the least she can do.
It's impossible to tell what's going on in that mind of his. He has that same contemplating expression, dragging the moment on and on until he finally opens his mouth and -
A crack and a flash.
Water is spilt yet again, drenching whoever is unfortunate enough to get caught in the downpour. Sadly, that means Karma and Okuda.
"Shit," Karma curses, breaking into a run. "Follow me, my place is closer!"
She hurriedly chases after him, she has no desire to get home with soaked schoolbooks and a cold for the weekend on top of a possibly infected arm.. She shields her casted arm under her uniform.
Wait, if his place is closer then why do we drop me off first? She wonders while sprinting as fast as she can through the school grounds. That's no fair to him, he's really going great lengths for me already.
It doesn't take long at all for two teenagers to run from school to home fueled by weather-induced adrenaline and a desire to get dry, even if one is weighed down by heavy school materials and a one-arm swing. Once they are both safe inside his building, she drops her bag and clutches the wall for support, leaving a wet streak down it.
"Whew...new...record…" Karma pants. "You went...pretty fast with only one arm and a heavy bag."
"Aah…" She can't find the strength to speak, it feels like she just ran a marathon. Which is true, to some extent. She slides down the wall, hitting the floor with a dull thud. Breathe in, breathe out. Control is what you need.
With some difficulty, she manages to slow down her pants to a passable regular breathing speed. Karma is examining his clothes, which, of course, are totally soaked, through and through. She doesn't even want to look at her own - she can feel them, sodden and weighing a ton. It's with heavy eyes that she looks out into the downpour again - she'll have to go back out there to get back home. She lifts her bag and hoists it on her shoulder. "I'll walk home, Karma, thank you."
She takes two steps when a strong hand grips her shoulder. She turns back in surprise to see Karma. Concerned. "Come up with me. It's too heavy to go out there again."
She looks into those rarely concerned eyes, and she desperately wants to accept - but she'll just be a burden. She regretfully turns away. "I-I can't, you've done a lot for me already -"
"You're coming, and that's that." He fully turns her around and practically drags her into the elevator. Shocked by his forcefulness, she doesn't make a move to stop him until it's too late.
"But...Karma..!"
Ding! The doors slide closed, cutting her off.
"You can call your parents when we get there. You're wet and miserable, and you're already here," he says. "There's no point in going back out."
What he says makes sense, but it's all wrong.
He lapses into silence, allowing her to mull over her thoughts.
I'm so useless, it's all because of this stupid right hand! If I hadn't fallen, maybe none of this would've happened…
She'd promised herself she wouldn't feel any resentment towards Terasaka, but it sure was hard not to. She definitely was feeling hated by herself, though. She tried to picture those feelings melting away, dissolving, gone forever, get that negative energy out. It just kept returning tenfold.
The doors open again before long, on the fourth floor. She drags her bag behind her, doggedly following in Karma's footsteps. The halls are a nice, creamy colour, lit by beige lamps. The floor is laminated hardwood, thankfully, so the water can be cleaned out easily. The entire space generally gives off a nice, homey feeling. It reminds her of her own.
He stops in front of a kobicha-coloured door and unlocks it, swinging open without a word. The apartment is fairly well-lit, clean, and spacious. There is a mat at the side of the door with a one pair of shoes on it, soon two, then three.
She pulls the door closed and stops at the edge of the mat.
"Um, I don't want to track water in…"
"It's fine, I'll just have Ms Sasaki clean it up later," he waves her worries off, already heading towards a darker room. His bedroom, she expects, to change out of the wet clothes.
Oh, that's right. She doesn't have a spare change - she couldn't have anticipated this.
Oh, don't tell me I"ll have to wear his clothes...she doesn't even try to stop herself from blushing. Just like in all the rom-com mangas…
He comes out not a minute later, all dressed in casual wear and his hair slightly ruffled. Carrying a pile of folded clothes and a towel. "Here, figured you didn't have any extra, so borrow these for now."
She doesn't know whether to laugh madly or cry incessantly. She settles for a simple 'thank you' and takes the clothes.
"There's a bathroom there, or you can change in my room," he calls while heading into the main area.
"I-I'll take the bathroom…" she mutters. Her bag stays on the mat against the wall.
Checking out the bathroom has revealed it's too small to maneuver comfortably. So here she finds herself in Karma's room, with the door closed (and locked). It's a simple layout, bed on one side, dresser on the other, shelf holding various objects at the back. There is a single lamp on the dresser and a ceiling light as well.
She lays out the clothes he has chosen for her. Nothing too revealing or big and shouty, solid colours. It looks like it fits her as well. They all smell faintly of...something unexplainably nice. It's more than likely Karma's.
She carefully undresses, one article at a time. The only difficulty she has is with her right arm, but it's over in a bit. Undoing her hair from its braid, she rubs the towel all over, resolving to succeed without making a total mess.
She emerges from the room, now dressed in clothes that smell of Karma. Not that it's a bad scent. It's quite relaxing, soothing, actually, the smell of Akabane...she just can't place what it is. It's sort of like a generic Asian family's smell, except something more.
"Um...is there anywhere I can leave these to dry?" She asks, showing her drenched uniform.
He glances around before replying. "Right there will have to do," he says, pointing to a set of hooks beside the exit door. His other hand is holding a glass of what she assumes is water.
Once everything's all sorted out, she takes her bag to inspect damages. Unzipping it reveals the slip cover damp and soggy, but under, mostly dry. She breathes a sigh of relief. The cost to replace the books would be too much for her.
"So everything's fine?" He takes a sip from his cup.
"Yes...thankfully." She folds her bag closed again and sets it aside. "C-can I have a phone?"
He trots off, nodding, without a backwards glance.
"...phew…" She takes the front of her shirt and flaps it back and forth, airing it out. "It feels different, somehow…"
Wait…
She looks down.
That's right. I took it off because it was wet too. But now I'm not wearing it...wearing Karma's clothes…
"This is so awkward…" she half coughs/cries. It's only with Karma that she's ever found herself in these types of situations...she could've easily controlled herself at any of these times, yet she finds herself in another one…
There isn't a plausible reason she can think of. One of the implausible reasons why she sticks around him is because she has feelings (ew, feelings) for him...which is why it's implausible.
"Phone," he says, coming back, and hands it to her. She doesn't say anything, still caught up in implausible reasons. She absentmindedly dials in her phone number.
"Hello?" says the scratchy voice from the other end.
"Hello? It's me, Manami. (pause) I'm at my friend Karma's house because it was raining really hard and we were already walking together and his house was the closest." She steams red for a moment, then seems to calm down. "No, nothing like that!" She leaves what was said to the redhead's extremely active imagination.
"Yes, I'm fine - wait, what!? N-n -"
"What is it?" He presses. He's looking very interested in their phone call.
"They c-can't pick me up...so they told me to spend the night here until it stops raining in the morning…"
"I guess that's fine…" he begins, then frowns. "You don't have a toothbrush though. Or anything else. That'll be a problem."
"Actually…" She smiles sheepishly. "I keep toiletries in my bag, just in case…"
He raises a skeptical but impressed eyebrow.
She blushes. "J-just in case!"
Of course it makes sense...I bring my toothbrush but not an extra change of clothes…!
"Well, we can get a start on that project before dinner," he chuckles. "Ms Sasaki will stop by later to give us a hand."
My moment was ruined earlier, but now I have plenty of time.
Three hours later. Okuda's pretty proud of herself. She's managed to finish a meal without having Karma feed her. Looks like she's learning.
"Thank you for the dinner, Ms Sasaki!"
Ms Sasaki was an older woman, gray-streaked chestnut hair, very kind, caring, and a 'housewife' sort of air about her. She was apparently Karma's 'babysitter' while his parents were away.
"I helped too," Karma comments through a mouthful of rice.
"Don't talk while chewing," the older woman gently scolds. "And everyone helped, so thank yourselves for the meal."
Okuda looked through the clear window, and to the city skyline outlined by a glowing sunset. A few clouds were left over from the day's storm, mostly shredded, dotted here and there.
"If it's stopped raining, do you think my parents will want me back?" She asks worriedly.
"Nah, you can stay," Karma says lazily, leaning back in his chair.
Does he want me to stay over?
Such an enigma.
"Do you want me to stay, too, dearies? I don't relish the thought of you two being alone at night here," Ms Sasaki offers, worry showing on her lines. She gathers up their three plates and carries them over to the sink.
"We'll be fine," Karma reassures her. "I'm more than able to kill - er, incapacitate anyone trying to kidnap us."
"Oh my! Well…" She looks worried for a moment more, then smiles hesitantly. "I suppose I shouldn't question your combat skills. I'll be here for a little while longer then I've got to get home. I'll clean up, why don't you two go back into our living area and do whatever you young'uns do these days."
"C'mon," Karma motions.
Once they're out of earshot, Okuda voices the 'shower thought' that has been on her mind all dinner. "K-Karma, you act...different around her."
"Yeah," he sighs. "I have to be nice to her, she takes care of me, and I'm grateful for that, but she can be a bit overprotective sometimes. I don't want her thinking I'm some sort of juvenile delinquent or something."
"B-but…" She almost afraid to say it, but it's Karma. He would never hurt her.
"Y-you sort of...are…"
"Which is why I can't have her knowing, right?" He grins devilishly. "Do you want to work on the project a bit more?"
"I-If you want to!"
"Okay, let's not," he decides, surprising her.
"Wh-why not?" She blurts out, totally caught off guard.
"You said 'if I want to', but I don't want to." He moves to sit down on the couch, grabbing the TV remote and flipping it on. She stands by the coffee table, unsure of what to do. At last, she brings herself to sit down next to Karma.
Some sort of sport is on, baseball, it looks like.
"Hey, isn't that the pitcher that Sugino's obsessed with?"
She squints. She doesn't know which player is which, though… "Is that the one that hits the ball?"
When he gives her a strange look, she knows she hit the wrong mark. "The pitcher is the one that throws the ball. Do you know how to play baseball?"
"N-no…"
"Then I'll teach you."
"T-teach?" I'd be delighted to take baseball lessons from you! Why does the idea appeal to her so much?
"Right...so that's the pitcher, the one that throws the ball...the one hitting the ball, the one that we guarded so closely, remember?"
The evening drags on while Karma teaches Okuda the basics of baseball non-stop, only paused when Ms Sasaki has to leave.
"It was a pleasure to meet you, Mrs Manami Okuda. Be good, Karma. I'll see you tomorrow!"
"Th-thank you!"
"Yeah, see you."
"So...I think that's about it. Sasaki's leaving, so we should probably get to sleep soon," he continues. The night has fully fallen, the blinds are drawn, and lamps glowing. After about an hour of baseball tutoring sessions, she's beginning to feel the tiredness gnaw at her.
"Okay," she responds.
The baseball game is long over, the TV turned off, and she retreats into the bathroom first.
Brushing teeth isn't as hard as eating with one's left hand. Everything is cleared up quickly and concisely.
Before long, they are both ready for sleep. She's wearing the same clothes he'd given her before.
She knows what's coming. She's read enough manga to be sure.
"I'll sleep on the floor," she cuts him off before he can even make a sound.
His eyes narrow. "Are you sure? I mean, it's raining again…and you have that cast..."
That's true. The soft, muffled pitter-patter of rain hitting walls and windows plays in the background. Every now and then the rumble of thunder reverberates through the room.
"Irrelevant information," she murmurs. In actuality, she has a minor fear of thunder and lightning, but she doesn't want to take up the bed. She'll have to survive it for this night.
"You're good, right?"
"Mmm."
She has a few (million) blankets and a few pillows as accommodations. Could be worse, she reflects.
"Good night, then."
Rrrmmmb.
"Eep!"
This is the, what, sixty-millionth time she's had to suppress a squeal because of the thunder. It's an irrational, stupid fear, but deep-seated and no way of getting rid of it.
"You're still awake?"
She jolts upwards a bit. She's laying on her left side so that her right arm is on top, over a single pillow, one under her head and the other next to her to cushion the arm if it falls off, and to stop her from rolling. It looks as if it's unneeded, however, because she's not going to sleep.
"Y-yes."
She hears her words elicit a sigh from the boy. "Just come sleep here. I can hear you squeal every time it thunders."
Sleep with h-
H-
Him!?
"What is i-it that you're implying!?" She shuts her eyes tight, shutting out that mental image.
"N-no! Nothing like that!" Oh, so his shamelessness does have a peak. He can get flustered too. "I just thought…ah…if it'll help you sleep, just come."
It is pretty cold on the floor...and her position is not the most comfortable. Plus, the idea of being protected from the storm would definitely help…
She stands up disorientedly without her glasses, picking up all three pillows.
"Come on the left side of the bed."
She willingly complies, sliding between the covers. "Th-thank you," she whispers. Amazingly, she is holding back her blush.
"Don't mention it. Now go to sleep."
She's forced to face him, as she has to sleep on her left side with pillows propping her up. It takes much longer for her to fall asleep than him; even though the mattress is much more comfortable, the awkward position is still encumbering enough to hinder her sleeping ability.
Quiet, subdued snores soon start to come from Karma. She sneaks a glance at the redhead boy, even without her glasses, she can see him pretty clearly. She's only nearsighted, which is why she wears glasses for target practice and in general.
His sleeping form is...angelic. So unlike how he is in regular life. He has a ghostly smile on his lips, dreaming about something pleasant, perhaps? His hair is slightly swept, flat, against his forehead.
She pries her left hand out from under her and sweeps it more to the side. Then freezes.
What did I just do…?
She gazes across his form again. She feels her back heat up. What is this she's feeling?
An unknown emotion.
Ha...she smiles to herself. I'm learning more every day…
...and here I am, sleeeeping...with...him…
There have been too many of these moments in the past few days.
Because of Karma, again.
This...is such a strange thing…
Her thoughts are filled with wonders as she drifts off into the void of sleep.
I think I know what I'll be dreaming about tonight.
;-;
I cri to think of how long I left this story before updating it...
I had already written this chapter and was planning to post it after I'd finished the next, but extreme procrastination, along with school, set in, so no writing took place...
Sadly, I'm in writer's block right now, with no foreseeable end. My only hope is that it's over soon, because I do NOT want to abandon this fic to die.
Until next time!