Project: Karma

32 | A Mirror's Reflection

<Nagisa>
"L-look, it's late. I should go back inside." I tipped my head and looked up and saw Sugino making such a suffering expression. My heart wanted to scream. Not at him. But at myself for carrying him along like this.

"Nagisa..."

I broke away.
"I'm sorry-"

Sugino suddenly hooked his arm around my waist. My heart jerked and my hands felt numb. Sugino's lips were on mine. He kissed me.

"Stop!" I shoved him back and took the back of my hand to wipe away the shame. I felt ugly, disgusting for the wrong feeling. Not because of Sugino but because I'm such a cruel person.

"Nagisa, my heart." He placed his hands on his chest. "No one can replace you. I yearn for your love. Why can't you return my feelings?" Sugino spoke with displeasure. "It's aching every morning, you're always on my mind. Every night, I find myself thinking of you. Whether you're safe or not, whether you're happy or sad." He paused. "I love you, Nagisa. I want to cherish you."

Don't say it anymore. I want you to forget about your love for me and I know I'm an awful person for thinking this. However, that makes me the bad guy. How could I force you to not love me.

"Sugino. Please stop this." I rejected his confession once again. "I love someone else." I made sure to look him in the eye carefully.

"This heart of mine which I possess, belongs to someone else." I repeated and revealed as if I had no limits. I had to tell him straight, or he'll just keep thinking he has a chance. I feel the suspension bridge of our relationship losing its fixed position. All the screws falling out and becoming unstable. Just until it collapses altogether.

I opened my door wider. As I was about to walk in, I halted. Didn't turn around for him and said,

"I would like it if you didn't pick me up from the train station anymore. Thank you for taking care of me up until now Sugino. For everything and have a good night."

I closed door.

<Sugino>
When she shut the door on me, I completely lost myself. That brutally killed.
I picked myself up from my pitiful state and sighed. At least, she told me flat out that she couldn't love me. I can understand that, however I can't accept that. Do I just move on? After all these years that I've been chasing her.

I found myself wiping the simple tears from my eyes. I need to change don't I?
She isn't the same Nagisa back in high school. I should of known when she had cut her sky blue beautiful hair. I should of known that time changes people. But people like me, time just stops.

I'm sorry Nagisa. That I hurt you but is it wrong for me to hold these feelings? Like how you possess them for him? I picked the short end of the stick didn't I?
••••••••
<Koro-sensei>
When I arrived back home from picking up and dropping off Karma. I didn't go to sleep just yet. During the duration of the ride here and there, my phone had vibrated numerous times from Irina. She had been camping out with Project Death with her colleagues on an important adjustment to Death.

Overall, she had said that many things were changed in order for the alteration to work well. I didn't mind it but she had texted saying that I must make another visit to the facility, to him directly. Of course, the answer was obvious. Though, Irina took a video of his warning if I didn't.

I downloaded the video and saw him in his white attire, deviously grinning at me. He's testing me. I know it.

"Sorry for disturbing you all of a sudden. But with everything that is happening. I think it's best that we talk one on one for once." He folded his arms. "Well, it's up to you really. And I'm not a forceful type. I just want you to know that I have a little connection to that kitten of yours. You might think, "oh which one is he talking about?"

He chuckled to himself as he threatened me.
"You must know who I'm talking about. The one that runs Project Karma. The little one who scurried into the archive collection of data."

I paused the video.
What? Is Death referring to Nagisa? Is he implying that Nagisa snuck into the archives? First of all how does he know that?
I kept watching.

"Now it's you're turn. Master." He wore such a familiar ear to ear smile. That I knew all too well. He's not joking around this time. I have to get to the bottom of this. He must of tapped into the facility's security unit. If things keep going out of hand as it is. He'll destroy everything. And everyone. I've seen it all before.
••••••
<Nagisa>
Normally I would have the fighting spirit to tackle all these documents however, I couldn't focus all the way. It's because of that isn't it?
Most of these documents were just of the alterations themselves. All dated and printed whether they were failures or success.

After finishing the book I just had. Climbed on the latter to return the book to its rightful place.

"It was here." I slipped the book back and then I felt a terrorizing sense of danger for a second. Someone was watching me.

"Whoa!" I happened to lose my balance and my arms started flapping like broken wings. Eventually I was falling back.

THUD

"Ouch." I rubbed my side and I looked up, dropping towards me was another book.

BONK

"Oww?! Ugh!" I irritably got up and was about to throw the book at the wall. That was until I noticed that this wasn't simply just another book. It had a red stamp on the cover, Void. And the spine of the book was scribbled out with black ink.

"What's this?" I looked back up to see where it could have fallen from. That's odd this doesn't look like it belongs to a collection?

I re-climbed the ladder and noticeably found that it was hidden behind a series of books! It was hidden away. But why? I examined the rest of them. I found out that all of them was stamped with void. Maybe someone secretly stashed them away like this. So that people like me couldn't find them.
Well. That didn't work out too well.

When I glided down from the white ladder. I sat amongst the books covering the floor and opened to the first page. The patients name was blackened out. Like really. They really took the time to made sure the name was unreadable.

Though, the project name was visible. Project: Grim Reaper. The photo that was paper clipped on the top right corner was a young man with long black hair, scars on his lower eye and thin eyebrows. He looked just like him but younger. This can't be right!?

A chilling sensation ran down my back.

"K-Koro-sensei?"