Sandbox Love

Boy/Girl Time

Gakushuu and Karma soon get close after talking in the tree and, within one week, they're both challenging each other at everything and making bets.

If I get a 100 on this math quiz, you have to buy me ice cream.

And if I get that 100, Shuu, you have to let me stay over at your place.

And so on and so forth, Karma seemed to have liked his house when the two had stayed there to study together, at the time his father wasn't home and wasn't returning until late at night.

The maids seemed to have grown fond of the boy, cooing and asking if both of them wanted any snacks every five minutes.

Ever since, he's been coming over and Gakushuu feels happy to see that it's not just him and his father in the big house.

That was why, after a couple of weeks of Karma coming over when his father was busy, that during dinner he nearly snorts water out of his nose when his father asks: "So, when are you going to let me meet that redheaded boy?"

"Father," he splutters.

"What? Am I not allowed to know about the boy who's been coming over and staying at my house for the past 4 weeks?"

"I just-"

"And he seems like a such a smart boy, too," his father continues. "A pity I won't get to meet him, though."

Even with that look of false hurt, Gakushuu can tell he just wants to scope out Karma and see what he doesn't like, he's always doing this.

"Fine," he grits out. "I'll let you meet him, and his names Karma, sir."

"Karma," he says, intrigued, "my, what a character, I can't wait to meet him."

"Huh," Karma says when Gakushuu sits next to him on the benches during recess. "You're dad wants to meet me?"

Shiota was absent that day, not that Gakushuu noticed, Karma had just told him right when he sat down.

Gakushuu, after about two whole weeks of being "friends" with Karma, was told by the redhead that the small girl was actually a boy and laughed in his face for five whole minutes.

Then, when the laughter didn't stop, he grabbed Gakushuu's hand, pulling him so they reached the blunette who was on the other side of the playground.

After going to a secluded spot, Karma looked at Shiota and asked: "You're a boy, right, Nagisa?"

Getting a nod, Karma turned back and asked Gakushuu, "Do you still not believe me?"

His face had that look where you knew he was going to do something bad and Gakushuu, knowing the risks, nodded.

The girl was small, though, no way could she actually be a-

"Karma!"

Gakushuu noticed a few things that had changed the way he viewed Nagisa Shiota that day.

One: when he yelled at Karma, his voice had a pitch to it, but unlike a girls, it didn't squeak or sound like an annoying mouse like every other girl he knew. 

Two: he just realized he's never heard the blunettes voice to decide if he really was a boy or girl.

And three: under his skirt, which flew up due to Karma graciously flashing Gakushuu with, he had on boys underwear.

Yelling at Karma, both Shiota and Gakushuu had covered their eyes and looked away from the other. Both were too embarrassed to look at one another.

H-he really was a boy, Gakushuu thought, head reeling and feeling stupid.

The redhead's cackling had drawn the attention and he merely raised a brow at the two when getting heated glares.

"He didn't believe me, Nagisa," Karma said, shrugging his shoulders.

"Yeah, but did you really have to flip my skirt like that!?" Came the small boys response.

"Eh, he had it coming. Anyway, let's get going, we have a science quiz after recess and Shuu here is buying me a strawberry milk after school when I get a 100."

With that the redhead walked away, leaving the two to wallow in embarrassment and to agree to never talk about the incident again.

"Sorry about Karma," Shiota had mumbled, face still burning.

"It's not your fault I didn't believe you or Karma, but he really didn't have to go that far," Gakushuu replies.

"Eh, well, he's always taking things too far, I fear one day he's going to get ahead of himself and get hurt."

'Ahead of himself,' Gakushuu thought.

Yeah, a boy like Karma was someone who could get way in over his head and get you in all types of trouble just from hanging with him. 

Gakushuu just hopes that when Karma meets his father, he's behaved.

"You know what," Karma said. "Yeah, sure, I'd love to meet you dad, Shuu."

"Just," he says, pleading, to the redhead,"please be good, my dad he's just so-"

"Yeah, yeah. I got it, Shuu. Promise I'll be good." Karma huffs.

Maybe the redhead will actually not be as blunt and as mischievous like always is around someone like his father.

Gakushuu just hopes nothing goes wrong.