In less than a year, the world could be doomed. When Karasuma brings his daughter Kit to stay with him, he has no idea that this decision will turn not only her world but his own completely upside down. While Kit settles into her new surroundings fa...
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On Monday morning at school, Kit could barely keep her eyes open. It felt like she had spent the entire weekend in a parallel universe, and now, suddenly back in reality, she wanted nothing more than to crawl back into bed - with Karma, preferably. Her mind began to drift. Who wanted to think about math when there were bare bodies and hot winter nights to think about? "Are you sleeping in my math class, Kitsan?" Korosensei's voice snapped her back to the present from the front of the classroom. "What? No," Kit replied, trying to sound calm. Had she dozed off? She shook her head. "No, definitely not. That would never even cross my mind." "Then you can certainly tell us the solution to this problem, right?" "The answer is 29.75," Karma interrupted, unprompted, earning himself a lecture on class rules while Kit tried to orient herself to the board. She had absolutely no idea what the last problem had been about. How embarrassing. She'd actually fallen asleep in class. She straightened up, forbidding herself from even leaning on her hand. It didn't help much, though - her mind still wandered. "Didn't get enough sleep?" Kayano whispered beside her, eyes still fixed on Korosensei. "Was Karasumasensei out the whole weekend?" Kit nodded subtly, catching a mischievous grin from Karma at the back of the room. "How can he look so well-rested and handsome? It's not fair," Kit murmured, and Kayano chuckled.
During the break, Irina slipped into the teachers' lounge to find Karasuma. "Did you have a nice weekend, Karasuma?" "What is this, Irina? As if you didn't know perfectly well." After ensuring they were alone, she wrapped her arms around his waist from behind. "I much prefer your business trips when you take me along." "Well, your opinion is very important to me." As usual, he spoke formally, but Irina knew that formality had quickly disappeared over the weekend. "What worries me, though, is the government's reaction to the idea of possibly saving Korosensei." "They don't want to hear anything about it," Irina confirmed. "Who would want to save a monster?" "My daughter, for one. And probably a few of her classmates, too. It won't be long before the kids start discussing it. It would've been good to have someone on board, but I didn't have much hope for that..." "You'd grant her every wish if you could, wouldn't you?" Irina moved beside him, watching the students get ready for PE outside. "Or maybe... you'd like to save him yourself?" "Nonsense," Karasuma replied, but Irina knew better. She understood him well, as she felt the same way deep down. That was the danger of spending too much time with one's target, but they had to think of themselves in this situation. The Earth had a future - Korosensei did not. "Have you seen Kit? She should already be down there." "I can't spot her anywhere," Irina replied, but held back that she couldn't find someone else in the crowd either. A glance at Karasuma's tense face confirmed he'd noticed too. "As if it wasn't bad enough leaving her alone all weekend, but..." "How about I start the PE class while you go look for her?" Irina suggested to calm him. "It's not like Kit to skip class." "It's that bad influence - that arrogant, know-it-all..." Karasuma muttered, trailing off. "You're right. Go look for her, and I'll carry on as if nothing's wrong. But would you do me a favor, Irina?" He raised a questioning eyebrow. "Could you talk to Kit about...?" "About?" she prodded. "Well, about... you know, the things girls need to know." "Karasuma!" Irina flushed, realizing what he was hinting at. She was a professional assassin who used her charm as her weapon, but having "the talk" with a seventeen-year-old? "What am I supposed to say? I don't think you'd want me to pass on the... lessons I learned in my youth." Karasuma stiffened. "No, of course not. I just thought someone should talk to her about, well, things that could happen." "So you want me to ask about her weekend and make sure she was careful?" she summed up bluntly. He really needed to stop beating around the bush. This wasn't like him at all. Then again, this vulnerable side of him was surprisingly attractive. "If anything happened at all," Karasuma emphasized, slowly moving towards the door. "They're seventeen," Irina reminded him, not wanting to get his hopes up. "I'll see what I can do." With that, she brushed his muscular arm and set off to search for the missing students. It wasn't long before she stepped out onto the school grounds and carefully descended the icy steps toward the sports field. She stood by Karasuma as he led the students in a warm-up run. "Well?" he asked without looking at her, not wanting to draw attention since the others were already whispering. Irina pulled out her phone and showed him a photo. His surprised tone and expression almost made her forget the chill around them. It was rare to catch him off guard, and she savored it. "Aren't they adorable?" Irina showed Karasuma a close-up from the back of the classroom: Kit and Karma, peacefully curled up together and asleep, Kit's nose nestled into Karma's neck with a blissful expression, shielded by her own hero. "Why didn't you wake them?" Karasuma asked irritably. "They're missing class." "Don't be such a spoilsport. I'm going to get them now. Be grateful they're asleep - they can't get into any trouble this way." With a light laugh, Irina returned to the old school building, glad to be back inside. She crept into the classroom, making some noise to wake the sleeping couple. She noticed Korosensei's thick textbook on the desk - if she dropped that... "Isn't she cute when she sleeps?" Karma's voice suddenly cut through, and Irina realized one of them had been awake. "Karmakun, you're missed in PE," she said with a knowing smile. He'd go far if he didn't let his arrogance get the best of him. "That's not the point," she replied. "Your romance is fine, but don't lose sight of your goal. We're running out of time." She watched Karma stretch and get up. "I haven't lost sight of it, trust me. Kit?" "Hm?" Kit murmured sleepily, then realized where she was and quickly got to her feet. "Oh no, I should hurry - PE's already started!" Just as Kit was about to follow Karma out, Irina stopped her. "Best if you wait a few minutes and come out with me from another direction. Come, let's go around the back." Kit stretched and followed Irina, gradually returning to reality. Irina thought about how to start a casual conversation. "Tiring weekend?" Kit's knowing smile immediately showed she'd caught on. "Did Dad send you?" Irina waited in silence for her to continue. "You can tell him not to worry. We live in the internet age - I know the story with the bees and flowers." Irina wasn't sure whether to feel relieved. "I'm not good at this, so forgive me if I'm not very tactful. I probably wouldn't make a good mother." "Don't say that," Kit said, stopping and looking at Irina warmly. "Thank you for caring, and for supporting my dad. You don't have to worry. You can tell him that." Kit walked on, past Irina. "So, you two...?" "Yes." "And you...?" "Yes, double-checked." "Good." Irina relaxed, realizing that parenting wasn't easy. "And did you... enjoy it?" Kit's blush and shining eyes answered that question better than words could. "Yes. Very much." "If you ever need anything...or have questions...it'll stay between us." "Thanks, Irina." Kit headed toward the sports field, leaving Irina with a sense of satisfaction. She'd done her part well enough. More couldn't really be expected, could it?
