Love Is Hard - Karma X Reader

Chapter 12

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“Hey, Okuda…”  

She looked up from her work on the slide, brow slightly furrowed in concentration. After a moment, she followed my line of sight to where the professor was buried in his paperwork.  

“The professor? What about him?”  

I took a deep breath, trying to calm my nerves. “Could be my imagination, but it felt like he was staring at me just now.”  

“What?”  

“Yeah…”  

Okuda’s voice softened, and a shadow of concern crossed her face as she watched him, but she didn’t seem surprised. She shot a quick look over her shoulder and then leaned in, her voice barely above a whisper. “Maybe he’s just… I mean, he does get a little weird sometimes.”

The chill ran up my spine again as she quickly dropped her gaze back to the slide, her fingers fidgeting with the microscope knobs in a way that almost felt… off. Forced.

My pulse kicked up, a strange sense of discomfort settled in the back of my head, fucking with it hard. If it’s nothing, why does she look so… guarded

I wanted to believe her. It wasn’t unusual for people to stare off into space, not focusing on anything. But the way his gaze felt glued to me sent a wave of discomfort through my stomach. Why was it always me? If he was just daydreaming, why did he make eye contact?  

I tried to shake off the uncomfortable feeling, trying to repeat the mantra in my head: 

It’s normal.

Minutes dragged on, and I caught him looking at me a couple more times, which only heightened my anxiety. My heart raced each time our eyes met, a tiny spec of panic stirring in my chest.  

As soon as the bell rang, signaling the end of the class, I nearly leapt from my seat, grabbing my things in a hurry. I almost ran out of the classroom, desperate to avoid the professor’s gaze.  

“Wait up!” Okuda called, trailing behind me.  

In my frantic escape, I nearly collided with someone at the door. My momentum saved me from falling, but the other person wasn’t so lucky.  

“Ugh!” A grunt escaped Nagisa as he hit the floor.  

“Oh god, I’m so, so sorry, Nagisa!” I blurted, extending a hand to help him up. He took it gratefully, confusion mingling with concern on his face.  

“What’s with the rush?” he asked, brushing himself off, though his blue eyes were tinged with worry. But before I could answer, a sharp whistle sliced through the air.

We both turned to see Karma, Rio, and Kayano standing nearby. Rio’s lips curled into a smirk that didn’t quite reach her eyes, while Kayano’s gaze darted anxiously between me and Nagisa, her face paling ever so slightly.

Karma leaned against the wall, arms crossed over his chest. His gaze was hard, unreadable, a slight smirk playing at his lips that only added to the chill in his expression. “Well, well, Nagisa,” he drawled, his tone light but with an edge that made my stomach drop. “Didn’t expect you to make a move so soon.”

My heart thudded as I realised I was still holding Nagisa’s hand. Heat rushed to my face, and I quickly pulled away, the pang of guilt sharp as I caught Kayano’s gaze. She looked away, her mouth pressed into a thin line, her shoulders slumping as if something had deflated inside her.

“Oh… no, wait!” I stammered, trying to find words. “It’s really not what it looks like—”

“Right. Sure, hun.” Rio’s voice cut in, her tone dripping with sarcasm, and there was something tight in her expression that stung, like she was trying to mask a quiet anger. She crossed her arms, casting me a look that was far from friendly.