So, I know I'm 3,5 days late. I'm sorry, I was writing regularly after uni but then got stuck in Switzerland for half a week plus didn't have any Internet/Data so I couldn't make any progress. Nevertheless, the chapter is here, quite lengthy and with a lot of shit happening :D So yeah, enjoy!


"We did it!"

"We pulled down the Big Five in the battle for the top spot too!"

The whole class E burst into an uproar, throwing their exam results into the air.

Koro-sensei watched his students celebrate, one by one announcing their ranking, and his heart swelled with pride.

They beat the odds. Proved the whole main campus and this wretched system wrong, and most importantly, exceeded their own expectations. Slowly but surely, his students have broken free of the learned helplessness that's been instilled in them since the beginning of this year. And quite honestly, there was nothing more Koro-sensei could have hoped for.

"The first place is Karma!" someone points out and the commotion intensifies while everyone's calling out for the redhead to congratulate him. Yet it is only then that it becomes clear that-

"Karma's not here?" Sugino turns to Nagisa in confusion.

"He said he's got something to take care of real quick, I thought he'd come back by now though," the boy confesses. They met shortly in the morning on the way to the school but instead of taking the usual right turn up the hill to their campus, Karma headed left, coincidentally the one that lead to the mean building.

Truth be told, there should probably be no reason for Nagisa to feel as uneasy as he did, but he remembers the prompt interaction the two of them had and the fact that something just didn't feel right. For one, it was strange to see Karma without his usual black blazer and while he claimed to have simply forgotten it, Nagisa finds it difficult to believe as Karma and his insane memory rarely ever forgot anything, let alone the one thing he wears every day.

But then, why would he lie about it?

Regardless, even that shouldn't have been enough to ring alarms. Maybe he's just paranoid. The redhead acted and talked like he usually did but in a way... after having spent so much time around his friend, Nagisa has started developing a sense of what the normal amount of "manic" was. Or so he believes. He's learning to trust himself and his judgement a bit more and it tells him that today, Karma seemed quite... distressed.

"Dude literally overthrows the Asano and becomes the new head of this dictatorship but still ditches classes like a delinquent. Classic," Nakamura remarks but her warm chuckle betrays fondness rather than teasing.

"Yeah, bet he found himself some nice tree to lay on and is just laughing at everyone from up there," Okajima adds, earning himself a laugh from the rest of the class.

It's not such an impossible picture to envision, it actually sounds more probable than anything Nagisa might be imagining, yet the uneasiness doesn't leave him. He picks up his phone and looks at the unanswered messages he sent to his best friend. It's been twenty minutes. Karma tended to be a fast replier (unless he was seriously studying but let's be real, that happened like twice a year) so this only adds to his suspicions.

"Anything wrong, Nagisa-kun?" There's a tentacle on his shoulder and he startles, too deep in his own thoughts.

"Koro-sensei," the boy acknowledges. The class hasn't noticed the interaction so he keeps his voice down, not wanting to draw attention. "No, sorry. I'm just worried about Karma-kun, that's all. He hasn't been answering me."

The teacher ponders for a moment, understanding: "Hmm... I too find it strange for Karma-kun to be absent, he hasn't been skipping classes at all the last few weeks and today we were all supposed to look at the results together. Did anything happen?"

"No," Nagisa shakes his head. "I don't know. I saw him in the morning before he left somewhere else and everything seemed fine but I can't shake off this feeling..."

"Where was he headed?"

"He didn't say. But it looked like the route to the main building," he answers.

Surely, Koro-sensei would say that there's nothing to be worried about. After all, this was Karma they were talking about and Karma always disappeared like this, always liked to bend the rules and stray once in a while like a street cat. Plus, even if he got himself into some trouble, there was barely anything he couldn't tackle. Yet when Nagisa glances up at Koro-sensei, he immediately notices the troubled expression.

It was one thing for him to feel concerned but Koro-sensei?

"What? Do you know something, Koro-sensei?!" the student inquires frantically. It's only then that he notices the room has gone significantly silent and it was just his voice cutting through.

"No, though I have a hunch…" the teacher trails off. He thinks of the main campus and of what Karma could have possibly wanted there and remembers all of a sudden the revelation he had during the school trip regarding the redhead and another student from class A.

Still, he can't figure out the reason for the sudden visit. Why would Karma go to the main campus out of all places, during a regular school day - especially on a day when the results would be published? Did something occur regarding the ranking or marks that he needed to personally clear up with Asano Gakushuu?

Strange, truly strange.

"Nagisa-kun, why don't you try calling him?"


Meanwhile, on the opposite side, crippling dejection fell upon the entirety of the Kunugigaoka Junior high school as they stared at the main board. While the class 3-E rejoiced about their success in taking the top 50, other classes - especially class 3-A only stared in horror upon seeing how far down the list their names were.

It made no sense.

They studied so hard. The principal himself came to teach them and he drilled so much knowledge in their head… and yet they placed worse than ever before.

Of course they did, Karma sighed. There was no way they could have kept such a drastic output for a long time without it significantly impacting them in the long run.

Karma's heard enough from Gakushuu about what kind of regime had been established and he feels mostly sorry for them. His brother may have been forced to stay home and rarely ever talked with the chairman but he still kept tabs on his class, considering he was supposed to be their leader.

But no matter. This wasn't why he came here. And as much as he'd love to see how well he did, he can't even make out a single letter from how far he's standing, the hoard of students in his way. He feels stuffed and the grey uniform he packed in the bag this morning was now uncomfortably clinging to his skin. It's tight enough that he feels his phone vibrate with each message he receives from Nagisa (he will answer, later). He really misses his own blazer, at the very least because it doesn't restrict his movement. However, this boring arbitrary uniform fits well among other uniforms, and the crowd grants him the cloak of anonymity. With his hair neatly tucked in a hat and gaze low, no one even spares him a single glance.

Without missing a beat, he starts scanning through the students. It doesn't take him long to find Gakushuu, not only because of the distinct strawberry blond hair but rather because of the fact that everyone except the Virtuosos kept their distance (probably out of respect, how funny) and let him stand right in the middle with a clear view of the board. Getting to them on the other hand was no easy feat. Annoyingly enough, no one was willing to move away from their spot so Karma had to force his way through and endure more than enough rude comments which would have otherwise earned them the prospect of getting punched in the face... at the very least. Seriously, the amount of self-control he was displaying at this moment would definitely make Gakushuu proud.

"Asano-kun," he silently calls out when he believes to be in his hearing range. The latter doesn't seem to register it though, eyes fixated on the results, so Karma has no other choice than to actually get close to him. He knows that apart from now, the schedule offered no longer breaks where he could catch the boy and talk to him, so even if it means he's going to lose that cloak of invisibility by it, he grabs his brother by the hem of his shirt and calls him again.

Gakushuu flinches and there's a flash of annoyance on his face until their gazes meet and he realizes that the unwelcome tugging was actually his baby brother. His baby brother, who had no business being in this building full of eyes.

"What the-" he gasps but immediately composes himself, keeping his tone low. "Why are you here?"

"We need to talk," Karma stresses, letting go promptly. A few noticed that some random student got bold enough to touch the 'god-among-peasants-Asano-kun' and he felt their stares burning into his back.

Gakushuu frowns, also aware of that fact: "Later, this isn't a-"

"The chairman knows," the redhead cuts him off and that's enough to render him speechless.

The older boy's eyes widen in sheer horror. He thinks he hears wrong, he hopes so, but Karma is looking at him with emotions he hasn't witnessed in years, with something as uncharacteristic of him as fear. He doesn't remember the last time Karma was ever scared of anything, not even as a child, and it comes crashing to Gakushuu that something colossal has befallen them. Or rather, someone.

"Follow me," he chokes out, ears ringing. He realizes that the virtuosos are looking curiously at him now too so he forces out a smile and excuses himself, automatically heading towards the exit. He has no idea where he wants to go but he needs to get away from the crowd at least and speak with Karma.

The redhead tails him without a word and soon they find themselves by the front entrance, shielded from the principal's office view with roofs over their heads. Even though they're alone now, it was probably a question of time before curious students sneaked in to see who it was that was speaking privately to Asano-kun and what the subject of their conversation was and then the gossip got to their father's ears.

Actually, did that matter anymore? Since he apparently knows now.

"How?" Gakushuu clutches his head, too overwhelmed by the whole situation. First the exam stress, then the results and now this.

"I thought you could tell me!" Karma answers exasperatedly. "He showed up in front of my house yesterday after school and-"

"He what?!" the latter interjects sharply. "Did he do something to you?!" His hands automatically pat the younger boy down to make sure he's unhurt.

As endearing as Karma finds it, there's no time for concern. He shakes his head and stops his brother: "No, we only talked. I didn't know what happened on your side and you haven't written to me so I wasn't sure if phones are safe anymore, that's why I had to come find you here."

"My phone has been bugging since Tuesday," Gakushuu explains, suddenly putting the pieces together. "Okay. Shit."

"You think he got into your phone?"

"I don't know. But he hasn't said or done anything to show he knows about us, at least not to me," he trails off, recalling the last few days or weeks. "I've had the feeling that he was watching me more, ever since... after the sports festival? But I thought it was because of our loss or because he was displeased with me. I never thought he would figure anything out..."

Karma groans at that. He knows it's probably none of their fault but the jitters and adrenaline are making him snappy and Gakushuu not providing any answers wasn't helping. He hoped to at least learn something.

"What did he want from you?" the strawberry blond asked, rubbing his temples. Then, something even more unsettling hits him: "Why didn't he say anything to me in the first place?"

The redhead shrugs: "No idea. All he did was ask me to transf-"

"Asano-kun!"

Before the latter could give a full answer, a male voice interrupted them and reminded them of the fact that they were still in public. Both brothers recoiled in shock and Karma immediately faced the other direction, trying to keep himself hidden from the person.

Unfortunately for him, there wasn't just one person. From the other side, more people were heading towards them (not only class A, he noted). Apprehensive, the redhead surveys his surroundings in the hope of finding an opening to leave yet it dooms on him that there were students practically everywhere.

He shoots Gakushuu a bewildered look that said something along the lines of Why the hell did everyone actually follow us?!

"Asano-kun, the class is starting soon. Are you coming? What do we do?" another person asks, this time a girl from Class A. Her voice is trembling and it's clear that she's on the verge of tears.

Gakushuu's eyes widen in realisation and he mentally slaps himself for being so stupid.

After all, just a while ago, the whole school got their results and most if not all students just received crushing news, himself included. He has been toppled from the first place by his own little brother (who probably hasn't even realized yet) and the whole system has seemingly collapsed, leaving his classmates dismayed and baffled. Considering that Gakushuu still was the student council president - their leader, it was understandable that they were looking for his guidance.

But god was this terrible timing.

"Who's that, Asano?" Ren's voice immediately catches his attention and he turns towards it, seeing his friend emerge from the crowd. The brunette comes off as equally exhausted as he looks though right now his gaze carries a hint of alertness if not wariness as he notices the unknown figure standing with the strawberry blond.

Gakushuu's about to brush it off as a random student he met but another boy (if he remembers right, from class B) grunts at Karma, annoyed: "Hey you! Didn't you just drag Asano-kun away before? What class are you from? What do you want with him?"

"Yeah, could you bother him some other time? We have important things to discuss!"

This was getting messier than the strawberry blond would like. He needed to get Karma out of here before they realized that it was him. He supposes the visit would not be appreciated, considering the fact that hardly anyone in the main building liked him before, let alone after he beat them in their scores.

He tries for nonchalance, redirecting their attention to him again: "Everyone, calm down. I'm sorry for disappearing. Let's go back to-"

"Wait!" much to Gakushuu's annoyance, yet another of his classmates interrupted him.

"I swear that hair looks familiar... Hey, take that hat off!"

"You're right, that red hair-"

Shit, shit, shit! Karma curses, self-consciously putting a hand over the back of his head to hide the few loose strands. But it was too late anyway as the murmurs grow louder until-

"Is that fucking Akabane?!"

The cat's out of the bag.

Funnily enough, Karma recognizes that voice and scornfully looks up to see a former classmate from class D surrounded by his bunch of nasty friends. He doesn't even remember the name anymore, just that he was an arrogant asshole that loved to pick on everyone he deemed lesser. Of course he had to fuck everything up. Of course.

While Karma's exchanging death stare with that jerk, the information spreads like fire. The quiet and peace shatters like glass and people surround him, demanding answers.

"What do you want here?!" they ask but don't even give him the time to say anything, churning more questions instead.

"Did you come here to make fun of us?!"

"You think just because you placed first you can walk here like the place belongs to you?!"

Now that was a surprise. First? Did he beat Gakushuu? He almost smiles in pride at that achievement, except right now he was getting swarmed by more and more irked students throwing accusations at him.

His brother tries to intervene but the virtuosos with Ren in the lead find their way to Gakushuu and against his own will pull him away. Without missing a beat, they ask if he's alright or if Akabane tried something on him. On some level, he appreciates the concern and can understand how they came to the conclusion that the redhead was harassing him. All things considered, to the world they were enemies - Asano the perfect, gracious student and Akabane the unruly delinquent. Without context, this could have easily looked like Akabane intentionally came to the main campus solely in order to pick a fight or humiliate him because of the exam results.

Except that wasn't the case and convincing his friends seemed near impossible. Gakushuu grows uneasy as he's lost sight of his little brother in the crowd. He thinks he hears Karma's ringtone though, as random as it seems, but it's gone as fast as it appeared and he wonders if he just imagined that.

"I told you it's fine. We were just talking. Now let me go-"

"It looks bad there, you should stay away," Teppei warns him, nodding to the commotion. And indeed, the agitation has only worsened as more students joined the spectacle, spitting venomous allegations:

"There's no way you and the rest of E-class placed so well! You guys cheated!"

"Yeah, you definitely cheated to get first place!"

"Did you threaten Asano? Is that why you're here you scum?!"

Gakushuu clenches his fists. Something tells him that this won't end well unless he interferes. Fast.

"I have to go," he declares but instead of sounding determined, there's clear urgency in his voice. The virtuosos try to stop him but he slips out, not a single care about what they think. Right now, only one thing mattered. Only one person.

Just as he feared though, the spectacle has turned into a brawl. He notices one student on the ground holding his jaw in pain and knows immediately what happened. There are more guys joining the fight now, the girls are screaming and pushing and pulling and he can barely make out Karma in the middle of it, face contorted in distress as he's trying to not get swallowed by this mayhem.

Panic rises in Gakushuu's throat. This isn't good. The students were out of their minds after the immense emotional stress from being taught by the chairman and now fearing his reaction to their failure. They definitely weren't thinking straight or considering their actions so they simply tried to put blame and let out their frustrations on anyone they could.

"Everybody calm down!" the strawberry blond yelled as he tried to squeeze himself in yet they paid him no attention. There were bodies pressing against his and it feels claustrophobic and painful, very much like a crowd crush.

"Stop this! Let go of him, he came because I asked!" Gakushuu tries again, louder, but even his position as the class representative and their leader doesn't suffice. His heart is racing and for the first time in his life, he experiences hysteric fear. He can't see Karma anymore. Where is he? He needs to get to him. This isn't even a simple scuffle between students or rival classes anymore, this turned into a downright life-threatening situation.

Logic thrown out of the window, he mercilessly starts shoving anyone in his way, no longer concerned about hurting them. He may not look like it but Gakushuu is strong, strong enough to tackle grown men with no problem, but there are too many of the students and he has little space, so it takes him longer than he'd want.

Out of nowhere though, he hears unfamiliar voices shout out Karma's name. There's a yellow smudge in his periphery vision but it disappears fast, only to then reveal particular students from Class E. He recognizes Shiota from the blue hair immediately, followed by a few others whose names he can't bother to remember right now. They seem to understand what's going on because in no time, they're heading to the commotion. While Gakushuu does wonder where the hell they came from and why, he doesn't give a shit because they're now helping him disengage the crowd and that's all that counts.

Finally, he spots red hair. The relief is short-lived though, as the red doesn't stop there - it expands to the boy's face, his neck, even the white shirt and uniform he never wears - and Gakushuu thinks he will burn the whole school to the ground right then and there, along with everyone present.

The bodies around him mean nothing to him anymore and he punches, kicks, elbows anything and anyone hindering him. There are gasps and cries and he knows that this is behaviour unfitting of his status and reputation but fuck if he gives a flying shit about that because his little brother is hurt and bleeding and it's their fault-

"Karma!" he bellows, catching the boy in his arms at last. He holds him firmly in a protective cocoon but his brother hisses in pain, lips forming a tight line. That sight makes Gakushuu's heart sink and he adjusts his touch to feather-light, afraid of further aggravating any injuries. His blood boils at the fact that he let this happen, that he let Karma be attacked by so many people at once that he couldn't fight back anymore and mainly- that he couldn't protect him.

To his left a student knelt with a hand over his stomach, groaning: "Asano, why did yo-"

Gakushuu shuts him up immediately with a piercing glare: "If any of you lay a finger on Karma again," he looks around at everyone present, "I'll personally end you."

This freezes everyone in place. They don't know this version of him, this version that harbours no leniency or tolerance, let alone for the notorious Akabane whom he supposedly couldn't even stand. But Gakushuu is long past pretences, there are no restrictions to his words, his thoughts or actions anymore. And he quite honestly thinks that if anyone here even breathes the wrong way, he might actually kill them. He might actually murder anyone who laid a hand on Karma, even if he's aware that it's not entirely the students' fault, even if some of those students are actually his classmates. The one truly responsible for this after all is none other than the man who pushed them too hard, to the point they fell into insanity.

And speaking of the devil-

"What is happening here?"

None other than Asano Gakuho stepped out of the school building and was now walking up to them, face an unreadable mask. He scans the scene in front of him, his eyes landing on the brothers and asks again: "What is the meaning of this?"

The students have by now picked themselves up from the ground in panic and were scrambling for an answer. But all that came out of them were incoherent sentences and unintelligible sounds.

Meanwhile, the few people from Class E run towards Karma in worry. They try to talk to him, ask him where he's hurt, but the redhead remains dazed, not providing any information. Gakushuu hasn't had time to fully inspect the scope of his injuries but just that gash on his head and unresponsiveness is enough of a reason to feel concerned. He notices that Karma was leaning more on him with each passing second too and he was now practically fully supporting the younger boy's weight.

"I think he needs to go to the hospital," a black haired student (Isogai, Gakushuu remembers) states, looking urgently at both him and the redhead. Next to him stands Nakamura and Shiota, who automatically reach for their classmate.

"We'll take him there. Please leave him to us," Shiota adds, then nervously directs his gaze towards the chairman standing not so far away.

Gakushuu doesn't follow it, he knows exactly what awaits him. And as much as he'd like to hold Karma and stay with him to make sure nothing happens to him anymore, he supposes letting him leave the chairman's sight together with the people his brother trusts is the better alternative right now.

"Okay," he hesitantly gives in, letting Isogai and the other two take his little brother. Behind them stand more E Class students now and they all join in to help, which assures the strawberry blond at least to some extent that Karma is in good hands.

He stares at their back while they leave, frowning. He knows that Karma will probably be alright, that he was tough and this wasn't the first time he got hurt in a fight, still the anxiety gnaws on him. It also doesn't help to know that the whole school just witnessed Gakushuu absolutely losing his marbles and threatening anyone who comes close to Karma.

And then, there was his father.

His father who still kept his eyes only on Gakushuu, not commenting on anything the rest of the students tried to explain.

"Asano-kun, please come with me to the office," the man finally says, no emotion in his voice. "Everyone else, return to your classes."

And with that, Gakushuu takes a deep breath and puts back on the cold, controlled facade he reserved for his father. Steering himself for the most complicated, abhorrent conversation in his life, he follows the man back in the school building.


Right, so that's where I'm leaving this chapter at. Next up: Gakushuu vs Gakuho and all the glitter around that

I have deadlines next week and realize now that writing when I'm dead tired from uni really doesn't go that well so I'd say next update will be on Sunday the 18th, give or take up to three days.

Hope you liked it and let me know what you think! Till then, have a good one!