Karmanami Series

Cardigan

"...uda-san."

The sound of someone calling her name stirring the bespectacled girl in her sleep and thus, she slowly opens her eyes with drowsiness still engulfing her state. She was staring back at a small pair of eyes which belong to yellow octopus who was wearing his usual cheerful smile.

Her homeroom teacher.

"Why are you sleeping here, Okuda-san?" asked Koro-sensei with worried tone.

Okuda was perplexed.

Was it due to her drowsiness state or something else but his question wasn't completely registered in her mind. After a few second or so, she looked around her to see where she was.

She saw a rack of test tubes and sort of varied chemicals lining in the room. She noticed she was still at the chemistry laboratory to test new chemical she stumbled upon while browsing the Internet a few days ago.

Plus, she also was about to create new batch of chloroform due to someone's request but she couldn't put her hand on who asked her so.

Then she realized she forgot to answer her teacher's prior question. She throws him a bashful smile who was still looking at her with his wide grin. "I'm sorry. I must fell asleep while waiting for the reaction to happen." Okuda replied – unaware of a black knitted cardigan that wrapped around her shoulder when she arched her back to relieve muscle strain as the cloth fell onto the floor.

Koro sensei hastily took the sweater that fell on the floor and gave it to her with grimaced. "Ah, you must not do that, Okuda-san especially at a deserted school building like this all by yourself. Thank goodness I keep my eye on the surrounding in case any unwanted intruder breaks in."

Okuda accepted the sweater with puzzled look – wondering whose it belong to. She looked up with guilty expression. "I'm sorry Koro sensei. It won't happen again next time."

Koro sensei dismissed her with his usual 'fufufu' laugh. "Are you working here by yourself?" He inquired. Usually, the red-haired boy accompanied her to create some nasty pranks or weapons to kill him which bring chill to all their classmates. However, there was no sign of him anywhere.

She shook her head. "I'm supposed to be with Karma-kun but he had to leave in midway because of an important matter." She answered with cheery voices.

Koro sensei nodded, accepting her answer. "Oh, well! You should be go home now or your parents would be worried but I bet they are now unless you informed them first hand. Be careful on your way home then."

Okuda beamed at him. "Hait!" After clearing up the table and placing back the test tube on the rack, she grabbed her bag underneath the table and bid him goodbye. The door closed behind her with soft thud. Koro sensei merely watching her figure disappeared from his sight as he continued reading the reference book he bought from nearby store.

x

On the way home, Okuda was trying so hard to remember whose the black sweater belong to when the familiar scent catch her nose.

"Ah, Karma-kun!" She exclaimed. "Silly me! He was the only person breaks the school rule by wearing this cardigan. He must be stopping by when I was dozing off. I'll make sure to give the chloroform he requested next Monday. Moreover, the result of using smoke bomb containing BB pellets must be intriguing him." She grinned, imagining Karma's mischievous smile.

Holding the sweater close to her body as his scent infiltrated her nose, her cheek smeared with a hint of blush. "He is such a nice person." She mumbled softly.