Bread and Butter (Akabane Karma x Manami Okuda)

comfort zone

Lost with words, she fails to greet her former classmate as she mentally scolds herself for not greeting a close friend of hers. Not seeing the red head for seven years has been a huge impact. It feels weird to see his physique change after all those years. She didn't get the chance to see him grow, instead she sees him all grown up already.

The red head grown taller and his body is more built than when he was a third year. His red hair is swept to the back and is fixed properly. His eyes appear to be calmer than it was full of bloodlust back then. She admits to herself that the red head is a man now, no longer a boy with a crazy thirst for blood. Maybe he does, but he doesn't appear to be right now.

Although growing old, his third year charm never fades. He still holds the attraction, in which a lot of girls back then admired. It won't be a surprise if he has his own fanclub or even a girlfriend. She frowns at the thought of her friend having a girlfriend.

"Okuda-san, your feet looks horrible," Okuda gets snapped out of her thoughts with his voice lingering in her ears. His voice doesn't change. It makes her feel nostalgic, somehow. She remembers him asking her to make chloroforms and some cyanide poison. It is that voice that always asked her, not any other voice.

While she's left in a daze with her nostalgia, little does she know she's been swept by the red head from the ground. He carries her bridal-style and Okuda is flustered. She snaps back to reality, finding herself in the red head's grasp.

"W-What—?" She yelps, staring at the tall man. "Karma kun!"

"Your feet is swollen, it must have been painful with all that walking in heels," he says, starting to walk. He tightens his grip, making sure Okuda is comfortable and making sure she won't fall.

"It's fine," she assures, averting her gaze elsewhere. She brings her feet close together, trying to hide her red feet from his sight. "I can walk."

He ignores her and Okuda pouts at this. He continues to walk and finally both of them reaches the class 3-E's building. Okuda frowns, seeing the place empty and already neat. Obviously, the others left already and finished the classroom chores. It isn't the first time Okuda experiences this. She usually comes to the reunion late, leaving her alone in the mountains or she does not get the chance to go to. She sighs in frustration, she misses the class badly and she hasn't seen most of them for years. She wants to be together with them again, but then again, she is with someone right now. Her former classmate heaves a sigh as he stare at the building.

"Heeeh, I missed the reunion again," her companion mutters with a calm smile. He closes his eyes as if reminiscing, Okuda does the same. Somehow, the breeze feels different this time. She did not miss everything, thanks to Akabane Karma coming late as well. It feels nice to not actually miss everything.

How she misses the red head badly. She misses going home late as she and Karma do some experiments in their chemistry lab.

※※※

"Karma-kun, this is getting overboard," the petite ravenette says as she watch the red head pour pink liquid unto the beaker filled with blue liquid. The pink and blue emerges, bubbles rose from the beaker and Okuda intently watches the liquid turning purple as it stops rising bubbles from its surface.

"Okuda-san, you shouldn't worry," the red head replies, taking notes of the chemicals he has used for the development of his and Okuda's skyrocketing hormones- or some sort. He wants to use it to tease their classmate, Kayano Kaede, who has been having eyes on Nagisa Shiota.