Hey! Super late but the new chapter is here!
This takes place after the school festival where the E-class improvises and uses the mountain's resources to open a restaurant and it becomes a huge success.
"Suspicious," Nakamura quips, observing a certain redhead who has been checking his phone way too often and smiling at it for seemingly no reason.
"Maybe he's just planning yet another prank," Nagisa suggests, recognizing the self-satisfied grin from all the past instances.
"It may look like it, but there's definitely more." The blonde shakes her head. "He's been going home earlier lately too instead of searching for trouble. And last week-" she stops herself abruptly, almost forgetting that this particular piece of information is private:
Their conversation from on the phone.
Frankly, hearing Karma so vulnerable unsettled her, but it did give her a new perspective about who he truly is behind that mask of a mischievous devil. Thankfully, things sorted themselves out, if his words were anything to trust, but one thing remained:
Nakamura's newly gained awareness of a special someone in Karma's life.
"He must have a new girlfriend," she concludes. It makes the most sense - he's being secretive about many things (and even though Karma thinks he's being sneaky about it, Nakamura can tell when he's dodging questions or certain topics), he's spending a disproportionate amount of time texting someone on the phone (she has eyes, she can see him type) and most importantly, he's been skipping on their regular prank meetings.
It's a big deal. Who is Nakamura supposed to buy copious amounts of itching powder, stink bombs, glitter and neon-coloured dye with? How is she supposed to inflict terror upon the main building and its snobbish students all alone?
"Who would it be though? I don't think he's dating anyone in the class." Nagisa points out.
True. If he was seeing someone in the class, they would have no doubt been able to tell. But it's also not like Karma knows people outside of their school. Which means…
"I have a feeling it's someone from the main building."
Even though Nakamura comes to that revelation herself, she still feels horrified by it. But prior to their phone call, Karma ran back to the school in distress. That must have been connected with his claim of having 'hurt someone he loved'.
"Oh," Nagisa gasps out of nowhere, his eyes widening. "Oh."
Nakamura clasps her hands on his shoulders. "What?!"
The wheels in his head turn, rewinding to the island incident in particular. Then, they click into a… peculiar and slightly uncomfortable image.
"It might be someone from class A," Nagisa starts, careful about his choice of words. After all, this very well may be a historic discovery. "I honestly don't know much about their relationship and I'm probably wrong. I mean, I must be wrong. There's no way-"
"Spill, Nagisa!" Nakamura shakes him.
"I noticed that Karma-kun and Asano-kun sometimes called each other by their first name. And they were sometimes too nice and caring towards each other, despite only knowing each other from the first year. Asano-kun gave him his extra shirt to keep him warm and Karma-kun really flipped when Asano-kun got attacked by Takaoka-sensei."
The girl chokes, not believing her own ears.
"Oh my god."
Asano? As in Asano Gakushuu, the son of the principal and the student council president, AKA the source of most of their problems?
And yet, it kind of matches the narrative - Karma storming off after Asano-kun after defeating him in the pole topping, the student council president getting so butthurt that their delinquent felt bad, them being super secretive about this! Of course they'd never admit it! They would never hear the end of it if anyone from the school knew of!
Both of the class E students gawk at each other.
Meanwhile, Karma almost pisses himself. His friends aren't being that subtle and from just a few desks behind, he hears every single word, even if he doesn't show it.
But whatever, it's easier to let them speculate and honestly more fun to see them battle with the conflicting image of him and Gakushuu hiding a relationship. Sure, on some level, the idea repulses him, but the hilarious faces Nakamura and Nagisa-kun pull win this one.
Just to clarify though, he hasn't been doing pranks because he dedicated his free time to checking on Gakushuu. And the reason he's been smirking at the phone is because the tonkotsu ramen Gakushuu requested is finally done and he just proudly announced it to his brother. He must have completely forgotten about it or not fully meant it, judging from the whole paragraph of question marks he just sent as a reaction. However, Karma very much took that quest personally and committed to making homemade broth, noodles, pork belly, soy bacon tare and miso tare. The only thing he didn't produce himself might just be the eggs and mushrooms.
So tonight, they are in for some feast.
Gakushuu gives his father the excuse of eating out that evening. It's nothing new since they both rarely ever dine together at home, plus his father is aware that he does frequent a few particular places, so there's nothing to suspect. This time too, the man accepts it, though Gakushuu still cannot get rid of the feeling that something is amiss.
"We should maybe change up our form of communication," he suggests while waiting for Karma to serve the ramen.
His younger brother raises an eyebrow at that. "Is something going on?"
Gakushuu shakes his head. "No, I just feel uneasy. Better safe than sorry. It's not like Father wouldn't be able to learn Latin in a short time if he ever stumbled upon any of our messages."
And so he dumps a seemingly normal notebook (which includes about every word under the sun that the two of them could ever use in their conversation) into Karma's hands with instructions on how to use it to code and decode their messages from now on. Apart from Karma grumbling that Gakushuu's being too paranoid and sending him an exasperated look, he surprisingly accepts and adapts it quickly.
Before Gakushuu digs into his bowl, he eyes it suspiciously and then looks at Karma's. Experiences have been made, lessons have been learnt, so he waits until his younger brother takes his first bite and then swaps their bowls without explanation.
Karma gives him an eye-roll. "It's not drugged."
"Like I said, better safe than sorry," Gakushuu retorts, putting a spoonful into his mouth. However, as soon as he tastes the broth, he drops the utensils and shoots up in alarm, his palate seemingly on white fire.
"Why did you put wasabi in there?!" he screams, tearing up. "Why is there so much?!"
His brother shrugs smugly. "I like it. Do you want your bowl back now?"
Gakushuu snatches it and washes down the taste of wasabi with actual broth, breathing out in relief. Thankfully, the pain subsides shortly after.
"You do realize that it was just melatonin last time, right? No illegal substance, just a normal over-the-counter kind, " Karma remarks. It sounds true, except anything this devil spews out of his mouth cannot ever be believed, so Gakushuu only sends him a glare.
"Besides, I have no reason to put anything into your food if you're sleeping properly and taking care of yourself."
Which Gakushuu has been putting effort into doing, in order to shake off this redheaded leech. On one hand, he recognized it came from a good place and that Karma merely worried about him. On the other, he would rather not ever be scrutinized like that ever again.
One thing he has to admit and thank Karma for though. It seems that regular sleep, decreasing his workload and once in a while relying on others (mostly the virtuosos to prepare the tutoring material or other council members to take care of the mundane tasks) really does benefit him. Gakushuu's head feels the clearest it has been in the past few months, with no demons lurking and waiting for their chance to deprecate him, his heart no longer racing from extreme caffeine intake or weighing him down with doubts and misery.
It's also mostly due to the improvement in his well-being that he manages to lead his class to a victory in the School Festival ranking. They keep their number one spot. Gakushuu utilized all the resources he had after all and even showed off his guitar skills.
Yet he still can't stop staring in disbelief at the board.
1. place Jr. High 3-A
2. place High 3-A
3. place Jr. High 3-E
Their win was a given. Just as was Class E's downfall. And yet, there they were, third place despite all the hardships and inconveniences they'd been faced with. After all, they received no support from the school or sponsors. They surely did not have a high budget either. Their classroom rested on top of a mountain, the pinnacle of inconvenience and yet they managed to attract a ridiculous number of customers.
After seeing their capabilities in the pole-topping competition, he expected they would find a way to adapt.
But to this point?
Gakushuu can't help but start to respect the E class.
He no longer feels repulsed by the thought of spending a minute in the same room with them. After all, he's realizing just how much of his thought process and judgement had been clouded by the ideology his father taught him. This mindless scorning doesn't seem right to him anymore, not in the face of opponents as formidable and honourable as the E class.
So he thinks again.
Why should he hate the E class?
Because of their grades? But those have improved significantly. If nothing else, the recent exams showed that they were capable of just as much, if not more than the students of the main building. The behaviour issues, sans Karma's initial proneness to violence, entailed nothing worse than Isogai's part-time job. And truth be told, even Gakushuu wouldn't necessarily view it as problematic - after all, Isogai did need the money. Why would he need to be labelled as "worthless" for providing and caring for his family?
In fact, why was caring for others being punished in the first place? Why did Gakushuu grow up with the conviction that emotions were nothing but a hindrance, a weakness one should strive to eliminate?
His father taught him so. His father drilled it into his head to only trust himself and use others to achieve his goals, no remorse or second thoughts.
In hindsight, even if it didn't quite sit with Gakushuu back then - especially when all he had known prior to his father's abrupt change of character was kindness, consideration and love - what else could he, aged 6, have done? Where else would he look for guidance and a reference point for right and wrong? After losing both his mother and younger brother, what would he have not done to keep the last remaining link to his previous life?
So he followed Gakuho's footsteps, learning quickly in a futile chase to receive a word of approval from him. He made connections where needed, his whole address- and phonebook filled with prominent and promising individuals - and yet, all in all, Gakushuu was alone. With no one to truly relate to and no one to lean on. Apart from Karma, whom he had disconnected from and fought with so many times at this point anyway, it was quite a miracle they even lasted this long, he had kept a distance from everyone.
But he didn't think much of it. After all, that's what success meant in his world. A tenacious, cold man standing with his chin jutted forward, wearing smiles like masks and wrapping everyone around his finger like puppets on strings. A man with no friends to rely on, only mindless minions he created for his benefit. After all, why would a perfect man need to rely on anyone?
That was the person he was taught by and pushed to become.
And Gakushuu tried, god knows he did. He drove himself into a corner doing so and almost ruined the only meaningful relationship he had in his life. He still can't forget the fight between him and Karma at the beginning of the third year, the words 'Me caring about you is an unfortunate weakness' stinging like a cut.
After living his entire life with his Karma standing by his side, how could Gakushuu have ever considered his younger brother an unfortunate weakness?
Suddenly, Ren appears by his side and pulls him away from such thoughts.
"The E class sure is persistent," he says, the tone lacking their usual annoyance and sounding concerned more than anything else.
"Don't you think they're kind of... catching up?" Seo laughs nervously.
"We still won though," Araki brushes it off.
"Right," Ren agrees, putting a hand on Gakushuu's shoulder. The physical contact almost makes him jump out of his skin.
"And as long as it is you who leads us, we will always win in the end. Isn't that right, Asano?"
Gakushuu nods, though his mind wanders again. This time, it's about Ren.
Why is he suddenly being so supportive? What changed between them last week that made Ren come up to Gakushuu and confess his own uncomfortable experience? Why and how could he have even come to the conclusion that he - the son of the chairman, the council president, regarded a genius and unyielding ruler - could feel anything but unshakeable confidence?
The hand on his shoulder relents and Gakushuu finds himself quietly gasping for air, only now realizing he had been holding his breath.
Something has shifted. Not just within himself, but also in the people around him. Somehow, they no longer act the way Gakushuu anticipates, no longer faceless pawns with no will of their own. Ren is merely most prominent of an example, but even the Virtuosos come up to him with more than blind admiration in their eyes nowadays. They wrote him after the sports festival, they cheered on him and tried to lift him up even though they should have rightfully scorned him for failing as a leader.
It's a ridiculous proposition. An outrageous thought. But maybe… maybe they aren't mere minions anymore. And Gakushuu isn't a cold, lone despot.
What are they, then?
He turns towards his four classmates, biting through the discomfort in order to find out: "Why do believe in me so much? Is it because of my academic success?"
The question takes them aback, seemingly out of nowhere. Still, the virtuosos don't take long to react.
"To some degree." Ren starts, rubbing the nape of his neck. "You've made it clear over and over again that you're capable and worthy of the title of being our leader."
"Yeah, you are really smart, genius smart and incredible in everything you do. It's no doubt everyone admires you," the other three agree.
This, Gakushuu expected. Praises, compliments, everything that should boost his ego and make him stand proud. Yet he feels a heavy stone dropping in his stomach for some reason.
Why? Why is he upset about their answer?
"But…" Ren drawls out, earning himself the attention again. "There's more to it. We trust you because we also see you working relentlessly towards your goals. We know that you ultimately stand with us and take care of your own people."
Gakushuu has to physically stop himself from cringing. Does he take care of his own? He obviously has to play the part of a benevolent ruler, bordering on people-pleasing in order to win favours and achieve his goals. But does he actually feel some kind of emotional responsibility or attachment to his class and the virtuosos?
The whole afternoon passes and yet he still has no answer. Every instinct screams no, because Asano Gakushuu should not be emotionally attached to anything or anyone, but at the same time… sometimes, he does catch himself thinking about how his classmates fare. In a way, he does care about what happens to them but isn't that because it also reflects on him as the student council president?
Is that what Ren meant then?
As if sensing this inner dilemma, his classmate approaches him at the end of the day with a seemingly casual suggestion:
"Hey, Asano, wanna grab a coffee or something?"
It's not unusual that they'd go out somewhere but as far as Gakushuu remembers, most of the time it always somehow related to studying. Yet Ren proposes no study session, doesn't bring up any subjects nor topics he wants to go through, only expectantly gazes at him.
"Sure," Gakushuu replies in the end, biting the bullet. "Just let me get my bag."
So they head to a coffee shop a few streets away from Kunugigaoka. The entire walk, Ren fills in the space between them with spontaneous topics ranging from the newest gossip at school to sports and TV shows. The brunette truly excels at talking, making even someone as uninterested in such things as Gakushuu pay attention and occasionally laugh. However, it's still clear that there's still a line, one that none of them dares cross and Gakushuu wonders: since when did he care about it?
Only after they place their orders and sit face to face does silence befall them. Gakushuu doesn't try to break it out of consideration, suspecting that the brunette is trying to work his way towards the reason for this spontaneous hangout. However, the struggle stretches on, Ren squirming and at a loss for words for once, so Gakushuu takes the initiative himself:
"You want to discuss something with me, don't you?" he offers, keeping his voice low.
His classmate's eyes widen slightly in surprise, deflecting to the side.
"Yeah." Ren nods, still tense. "I'm sorry for ambushing you like this out of nowhere. It's been on my mind for some time but I only found the courage to bring it up now. "
"Bring up what?"
"Us," he says, sheepish. "Sorry, that sounds strange. I mean that there have been- I feel like some things are different now and I want to be honest with you."
"Honest about what? What's different?" Gakushuu questions, subconsciously letting his curiosity get the better of him. It's not like him to blurt out questions so carelessly, which doesn't slip Ren's notice and makes him even more flustered.
"I-It's kind of hard to explain. Obviously, there have been lots of external shifts, especially with class E and…"
the loss, he wants to say but decides to leave out for now, mostly for his personal safety.
"You know what I mean? But more than anything else, you also… you've changed. I can't quite put a finger on it but it's just…" he sighs, clearly out of his comfort zone. After all, this was the Asano Gakushuu he was trying to speak to. Like one person to another, rather than a subordinate to his superior.
Ren's heart races anxiously, yet he pushes through, believing that the time is right. Saying this will be alright.
"You have been our strong, fearless leader since forever. And we - I - never doubted you. I've always admired you so much, I've always seen you like this... like this role model, someone I wanted to become. You just seemed so perfect, you know?"
The word perfect suddenly makes Gakushuu nauseous, a reaction he's never quite experienced before. He swallows dryly though and listens to the rest.
"I never viewed you as anything but this distant, untouchable concept of perfection. But in the last few weeks, I've realized just how ignorant I have been. I hope it doesn't come across as me undermining or depreciating you. But I don't think it's that way anymore. I think I see you more as a person now, probably not entirely equal because I still regard you very highly… but a person with feelings, ambitions and… problems too."
Ren glances at the strawberry blond carefully, gouging whether it's safe to carry on. He's afraid of pushing the boundaries too strong and too fast, of severing the thin line connecting them in this vulnerable moment. However, Gakushuu no longer watches him like a hawk, instead his gaze remains plastered on the table in contemplation.
"I'm sorry for bringing it up, but I feel like a big part of why that might be is our loss against class E. It opened my eyes to a lot of things. When I saw you walk back from the court and then to meet the chairman… you hid the dejection really well, but it dawned on me that you felt it nevertheless. That you're not any less impervious to fears, stress and such." Ren's voice softens. "I think I'm speaking for everyone when I say that it allowed us to relate and connect with you more on a meaningful level. Because even though we've known you for almost three years now, we couldn't have hoped or imagined ever sharing the same stage with you."
"So you're basically telling me that losing knocked me down to the level of any other commoner," Gakushuu scoffs, bitterness spreading through his body. Of course others would rejoice at seeing him fail. "I suppose that must have been satisfying to watch-"
"No, no," Ren immediately interjects, frantic. "You're misunderstanding, Asano-kun. None of us think less of you. In fact, we respect you even more!" he declares, staring earnestly into Gakushuu's eyes. "We simply used to think of you as a genius with no flaws who never struggles with anything. But now we're realizing that you're achieving such great feats in spite of the hardships. That this strength you show us comes from your own effort and tenacity. That's so much more impressive."
The words linger in the air for a while as Gakushuu takes them in.
More impressive? How can a loss make others respect him more?
"Is it?" he asks silently, baffled by the explanation.
"Yes. You're really amazing, Asano-kun," the latter confirms with a smile. The warmth of it dispels Gakushuu's initial upset.
"I know that we have very different backgrounds and that you may not even want to hear this from me, but I can imagine the pressure you might feel at times. I've always accepted being a mere follower, a pawn at your disposal. But I just want to let you know that if you're okay with it, I want to be by your side and help you too. Truly help you. As a friend."
The little fight left that Gakushuu has in him evaporates, chest swelling with too many emotions at once. He finds it too bold of himself to believe Ren's words, yet despite his better judgement, they paint the world around him a bit brighter. Like a switch turned off, Gakushuu's dreariness lifts and allows things to fall into place.
The sudden attention from Ren and the virtuosos. The discrepancy between how he expected to be viewed and how they truly treated him. The questions Gakushuu asked himself today.
Who is he? Who does he want to be?
He feels his father's iron shackles loosening. Gakuho's disapproving glare becomes hazy, the teachings about how sympathy and friends are a weakness burning up in smoke.
And Gakushuu realizes he doesn't want to live like that anymore. He doesn't want to keep others at an arm's length away, to freeze his own heart and trample upon others. Success should come as a reward, not as a trade-off for all good in life.
Ren is right. Before him, Kevin was right too. And ultimately, so was Karma. Failing does change one, but not necessarily into something worse. Losing to class E made Gakushuu see the faults in his doings, it helped him learn that his worth boils down to more than just academic success or abilities. And that no matter how strong he is, he can't do everything alone.
How funny that it never occurred to him: More than anything, Gakushuu has always strived to beat the chairman and be acknowledged by him. Why should he ever succeed though, if all he does is follow in his footsteps and fit into the mold his father created for him? In order to win, Gakushuu has to be different. He has to be stronger, with more allies, by being a better leader. And a better person.
"Thank you, Ren," he says, the epiphany sweeping him off his feet. "I think I understand now."
The latter breathes out in relief: "Okay."
"It's all quite new, honestly. All these changes, the things you've told me. I'm still figuring it out. But," Gakushuu swallows, feeling self-conscious for the first time in his life, "I'd like that. Having you as a friend, I mean."
Ren smiles at him, all tension gone. "I'm glad. It's quite new to me too, but I really want to get to know you more, Asano-kun. As a friend," he declares, offering a handshake.
Gakushuu chuckles at that, taking the hand.
The air around them no longer feels brittle after that and Ren returns to his usual, laid-back persona. His lip curls up playfully as he leans in closer and whispers: "So, what about we go and give the staff hell, friend? Because it has been 20 minutes and we still don't have our coffees."
Gakushuu rolls his eyes in amusement. Neither of them really cares about the order by now and unlike many students from the main building, Ren doesn't like to actively harass people.
"You just want to flirt with the girl behind the counter, don't you?" he concludes.
"But she's hot!"
Even if Karma didn't text him to come over (something about good food he snatched), Gakushuu was already headed to his house anyway. Call it a spur-of-moment decision, call it Gakushuu's first steps toward being reborn into a new, better version of himself, but after the conversation with Ren, he decided to see his brother and make some things between them right.
The front door is unlocked so he walks into the house, waiting for Karma to come out right away. However, instead of that happening, he hears the boy talk on the phone in the kitchen, sounding agitated.
Taking off his shoes, Gakushuu silently walks in towards the voice. He tries to listen in, but the treacherous floor creaks and Karma notices him, eyes widening in surprise before he hastily puts the phone down with an empty promise of calling later.
"You came faster than expected," his brother notes, all traces of annoyance gone and tone back to playful. "Did you run here because you missed me so much?"
Gakushus sneers: "As if." Then, he beckons at the phone: "Who was that?"
"No one important." Karma disregards it, putting the phone down and then taking out two mystery bowls. They're covered in a plastic cover, but a quick glance is enough to tell that it's some kind of noodle dish.
"Anyway, here! I went through all the trouble to let you try out my class' festival's speciality!" Karma explains while heating up a pot of broth on the stove. "Had to trick my teachers and even sneak in earlier in the morning - and you know how I hate waking up early - to get us two portions for free without getting asked nosy questions!"
Gakushuu raises an eyebrow at that.
"This is the food from E-class restaurant?"
"Yes, my class' restaurant. And if you refuse to eat it because of that, so help me-"
"I won't," Gakushuu interrupts him right away. He walks to the counter to grab them both a pair of chopsticks. At the same time, he sneakily swipes the phone his brother had just put down.
Karma doesn't notice though, partly because Gakushuu does it behind his back and partly (mostly) because the sudden compliance absolutely puzzles him. No snarky remark, no 'everything from E class reeks of failure'.
"Good," is the only thing he squeezes out of himself, standing there baffled for a few minutes. He only moves when the pot almost overflows and he remembers to turn the stove off.
"We might not have won, but I still wanted to show you that despite being the E class, we can do pretty well," Karma adds hesitantly, testing the waters.
"I know," his brother looks him in the eyes, hoping to convey the sincerity of his words this way.
And it works. Karma recognizes the shift, the genuineness of it and gasps for air.
"You do?"
"Yes," Gakushuu confirms again, a strained smile on his lips. He supposes anyone could tell that he feels rather uneasy about this topic, flustered too, but he's putting effort into opening up to things and people he used to write off. On one hand, a part of him still fights it and wants to revert to his old ways. But on the other, he finds it poetic: That only when he defies everything he had been taught by his father does he stand a chance at truly bringing happiness and peace into his and Karma's life.
And he's made the choice long ago that the two of them always come first. So he damn sure will bite through the discomfort.
"If you want... you can tell me more about it? Class E and your friends, I mean," he offers, handing Karma the chopsticks.
Karma accepts them, stunned beyond words. He feels tears welling up because his brother is finally accepting him, not only tolerating but truly caring and welcoming Karma for who he is, class E or not - but he rubs them away before they fall, shaking his head to recover from the shock.
"Yeah," he chuckles, happier than he's felt in a long time. "Yeah, we could."
hehe Gakushuu is GROWING AS A PERSON AND I'M LIVING FOR THAT
It seemed right to me that Ren would be part of that arc because he is, even in the actual series, one of the closest persons to him. Also, his whole life doesn't revolve around his brother and father only so it's only fair to have an external person (friend) knock some sense into him
also... mysterious phone call who? 👀 Send in your guesses
