Love Is Hard - Karma X Reader

Chapter 10

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*I’ll let you know if anything weird happens again.*

**Signed, Y/N.**

"Done!" I stretched my arms above my head, feeling the satisfying pop of my stiff joints before standing up from my desk.

I’ve started keeping a record of everything in a diary. If things go south—like memory loss or worse—I’ll at least have something to remind me of who I am and what’s going on. A little precaution can’t hurt, right?

I grabbed my bag, hesitating at the door. I took a deep breath before stepping into the living room. The apartment was still lit up like a Christmas tree, every light on… but something felt off. The quiet seemed heavier than usual.

At least emotionally, I felt kind of refreshed… but physically? Not so much. My head still felt heavy, and my legs had that annoying tingling sensation, though it wasn’t as bad as earlier.

I tossed my bag onto the couch and sank beside it, flipping through the channels. Nothing worth watching. Figures… it’s a familiar but unfamiliar world after all.

It was around 6:00 a.m. Nagisa would be here any minute. The thought barely crossed my mind when my phone buzzed in my pocket.

I smiled and answered quickly. "I’ll be out in a sec," I told him before grabbing my bag again and heading to the door. Still cautious, I glanced through the peephole. Only when I saw his familiar face did I unlock the door.

But the sight that greeted me knocked the greeting right out of my throat.

“Hi Nagisa, good morni—" I froze.

Leaning casually against the doorway beside Nagisa, arms crossed and smirking like he owned the place, was none other than Karma. My heart skipped a beat.

What was *he* doing here? Did Nagisa invite him? Gosh, how am I supposed to relax with *him* around?

"Hey there, Y/N, happy to see me?" Karma’s voice dripped with amusement, his lips curling into that signature smirk.

Happy? Not exactly. Speechless? Maybe.

I tried to respond, but my mouth opened and closed like a fish out of water before I cleared my throat, forcing myself to focus.

"I’m sure you can tell if I’m happy or not, so drop it," I snapped, feeling the heat rise to my face. "Why are you here, anyway?" I couldn’t help it—he flustered me so much that my voice naturally took on an aggressive tone.

Karma’s eyes widened slightly, his smirk deepening. "Whoa, what’s with that tone? Tense much?"

Ugh, of course I’m tense. Why does he always manage to fluster me like this? I’ve never met anyone who could wind me up so quickly, except... well, maybe my old crush.

But judging by the look on Karma’s face, he was enjoying every second of it. I could never read that guy. He’s always wearing that smug expression, keeping whatever he’s thinking locked behind those sharp eyes.

And that hair…damn… how did I never notice how soft it looks up close? The fiery red strands looked way smoother than they ever did in the anime.

My gaze lingered a little too long on those fiery red strands, my mind wandering before Nagisa’s throat clearing snapped me back to reality. I felt my face burn hotter as I caught Karma’s eyes—great, he saw me staring.

Clearing my throat again, I shifted awkwardly. “Uh, right. Good morning, Nagisa. Karma. Shall we go now?”

I tried to sound neutral, desperately willing the heat in my face to disappear.