his bottom lip.

Chapter 17

About a week has passed since Nagisa's little incident. Karma's arm is healed, and he's been going to classes the way he normally has.

3-E has taken a small turn for the worst.

Everyone was able to admit that Nagisa had the most talent when it came to assassination, and with him gone it puts a large damper on what little hope of killing korosensei that they had.

Kayano had been quieting down more and more, enough for everyone to notice.

Karma noticed this, and even though her tiny crush on Nagisa made his skin crawl, she was his friend.

"Hey Kayano, do you wanna talk, or something?"

Karma asked after class, Kayano's significantly saddened eyes not making eye contact as she nods in agreement.

Kayano led Karma down to the rock where she tried to confess, the place Karma holds so dearly.

"What did you want to talk about?"

Kayano inquired, sure she's bright enough to know the answer, but she didn't want to spill if she didn't have to.

"You seem kind of down lately. I just wondered if you wanted to talk about it."

"Do you want the long or the short version?"

She asked, in a tone Karma dubbed 'Aguri's ghost'.

"Long version, we have all day."

Karma smiled sympathetically, Kayano crookedly smiles back pulling her knees up to her chest.

"It's just, I feel so dumb about Nagisa and all. I tried to confess to him in this very spot and he told me that he had 'a lot on his plate' and then he left! But my petty feelings got in the way and I couldn't stop him. I-I-"

She stumbled, struggling to force out what she was trying to say.

"I couldn't save him."

Karma nodded as if he understood, thinking about what kind of a white lie to tell to dodge the truth while comforting the girl.

"Well, if you want my opinion, I don't think it's your fault. Who knows how he turned into one of those things, and who knows where he is now. Nagisa is a very resilient kid though, so I bet he's doing just fine."

Kayano nodded, crookedly smiling in a way that was partially forced and partially real.

"But then there's Rio."

But then there's...

Rio.

Karma shivered at the thought. He knew what was up now.

"I found a letter near her desk, but that's also near Nagisa's desk so I thought I'd check and, it was like... like..."

She was rambling now, no hopes of Karma ever stopping her.

"Like a love letter! A love letter she wrote to him! And she- she helped me so much! And pushed me to confess! And I don't understand! Why would she do that!? I feel like such a bitch now having let her push me towards him when she wanted him too! She could've told me or something! Like- I don't- I don't understand at all!"

She was crying now, rambling on and on through her choked up sobbing.

Karma gently pulled her in for a hug, rubbing circles on the short girl's back. He knew how Rio felt, but he also knew why Rio did what she did.

"Sometimes, when you love somebody, you'll see someone who feels the same way as you do, and, you think to yourself that that other person is what's best for the one you love."

Karma took in a cold shaky breath after saying that.

"You love them, so you give them up to somebody who's a better match for them."

Kayano flinched.

She sat up, wiped her tears and took a deep breath. Karma was surprised by the way she had picked herself up, or so he thought.

"Karma."

She turned, eyes hurt only to meet ones who hadn't realized their own sorrow.

"Did you..."

She swallowed,

"Did you love Nagisa?"

That one shocked Karma, the dude who had been intently listening the whole time, not noticing the fact that there were tears streaming out of his eyes too.

"I—"

He couldn't say it. He never admitted out loud that he loved Nagisa. Well, yes if you count his crying breakdown from a few weeks before. He'd never say it out loud. It's taboo. It's weird. In a class somehow full of girls who love the weakest guy there, the toughest one feeling the same is just odd.

But he couldn't lie to her.

Kaede Kayano has an air around her that is difficult to dodge. She may not excel at subjects tested in school, but she is still very intelligent when it comes to people. 

Karma nodded slowly, lingering tears dripping off his face.

"Oh my god."

"I guess I've always kind of liked him"

"Oh my god"

"And in the first year I thought he was really cute."

"OH MY GOD."

"Sorry."

"What the hell are you apologizing for?! I'M the one who should be apologizing! I'm the one who was kissed by him once and suddenly decided that the universe should align for us to be together! I'm the idiot who didn't think everything through! I'm so- I'm so!"

Kayano bashed her head against a nearby tree, causing an acorn to fall and hit her head.

"God damnit."

"Look Kayano it's fine, I don't-"

"It's NOT fine! You must've been pining over him for years! Meanwhile I'm not even..."

"I'm not even sure I have feelings for him in the first place!"

"You what?"

Kayano stopped cold in her tracks.

"I think I might've just been confused. And disoriented.. after he kissed me."

"And even if I do have feelings for him, it's like you said. I think that Nagisa deserves better than I can do. He deserves you. And you damn well deserve him."

"I- uhm- uhh-"

"You BETTER credit me at the wedding though."

Karma laughed at that. He hadn't really done that in a while. Just lose control of all his senses and just laugh. Kayano was laughing too, she was having trouble containing anything at this point.

"This stays between us, right?"

"Duh, the fuck kind of blabber mouth do you take me for?"

The two snickered at that, happy to have a bit of this thing resolved.

Karma was happy. Kayano really was his friend.

_____

Look I updated go me

Imma sleep forever now bye bye

Fairy