Chapter 6
Kicking his legs up on the coffee table in front of the hearth, Gakushuu Asano sighs. He along with five other members of Class A sit in the common room of their high class hotel.
"Thinking about that End Class girl again?" one of the three girls, Shiki Hanekoma, asks.
"Quite an interesting way to address her," Asano says, "seeing as she was your classmate last year."
"I honestly don't see what's so interesting about her," Shiki says. "She flunked – big woop."
Asano rolls his eyes. There's no reasoning with these people. Class A might be considered the smart ones out of the school, but they often turn out to be the most ignorant. Asano pulls out his phone and scrolls through his contacts. His eyes stop on one name – Karma Akabane.
It was really a miracle that Asano had obtained Karma's phone number – but, when your father is the principal of the school, acquiring student records was child's play.
Gakushuu, 11:37 PM - Hello, Karma. How are you?
Karma, 11:38 PM - Gakushuu, it's 11:40 PM. Why are you texting me so late?
Gakushuu, 11:38 PM - Actually, it's 11:38 PM. I want to speak with you. Meet me at the Nijo Castle.
Karma, 11:39 PM - Why should I?
Gakushuu, 11:39 PM - It's about (Y/n).
Karma, 11:42 PM - I'll be there.
Well, that was easy. He knew mentioning you would convince Karma. Slipping his phone into his pocket, Asano stands up. "I'm heading out," he says.
"It's nearly midnight," Shiki protests, stading up. "Where are you going? I'll come with you."
With a shake of the head, Asano replies, "No, I'll be going alone." Shiki sits down with a huff. Poor girl doesn't have a chance.
Asano waits at Nijo Castle, constantly checking his phone for the time. Don't tell me he got lost, Asano thinks. Nijo Castle is a huge tourist attraction in Kyoto.
He lets out a long sigh, closing his eyes.. "...Gakushuu." Asano's eyes snap open as he spins around.
"Karma, when did you appear there?" he asks, trying to cover his surprise.
Karma ignores his question. "You wanted to talk?"
"I want you to tell me," Asano says, "what exactly happened the day Miyo died." He glances at his phone as it vibrates, smiling at the name on the phone.
(Y/n), 12:09 AM - Sorry if I woke you up – will tomorrow, or, technically, today, work?
Karma gives Asano a cold look. "If that's all you wanted, I'll be leaving. I see no reason to tell you any of that." He turns to leave, but Asano grabs his arm.
"Would you rather I asked (Y/n) directly? She seems to want to join me tomorrow to go around Kyoto." He holds up his phone mockingly.
Karma slowly turns his head to look at Asano. "Fine. I'll tell you. But only because if you asked her, she'd have to recall it. And, for you, she might actually try to tell the story. Though I don't know what she sees in you."
With a sly smile, Asano taunts, "Envious?" He types a response to your text, sending it.
Ignoring the comment, Karma finds himself a place to sit. "Where do I start? It started off as a pretty normal Tuesday...."
"Let's talk about boys." Nakamura, pushing her blonde hair back, smiles and puts her hands on her hips.
You raise your hand. "Me first! They have a Y chromosome –"
"That's not what I meant," Nakamura says, facepalming. You suddenly realize what she was getting at, then smile sheepishly and let out an embarrassed and awkward laugh.
The other girls begin talking about which of the boys they had a crush on, while you sit back and listen, somewhat amused. When Okuda says she takes an interest in Karma, you feel some anger well up. At first, you aren't sure why, but then you figure it's probably because that bastard doesn't deserve having someone like her.
"Hey (Y/n)," Kaede says, realizing you haven't said anything yet, "don't you like that Asano from Class A?"
"What, the principal's son?" Nakamura asks, surprised.
"That's right, Asano asked her if she wanted to join his group sometime this week," Kanzaki recalls.
There are screams of "WHAT?" throughout the room as you feel everyone's attention turn to you.
"I can't believe your luck!" Nakamura exclaims. "He's considered among the cutest in Kunugigaoka! Please tell me you said yes!" She takes your hands and looks you dead in the eye, causing you to lean back, startled.
"Well, I mean, we've been friends for over a year, so... yeah." The sudden attention on you makes you nervous.
"Don't go assuming things, guys," Kaede interrupts. "I know you think Asano asked her on a date, but even if he did, (Y/n) is too dense to realize it."
Getting fed up, you stand. "I'm not going on a date with Asano, nor do I have a crush on him." You walk out the door, almost running into Bitch-sensei. "'Scuse me, I need some air."
"What's her problem?" Bitch-sensei asks once you leave.
"We were trying to figure out who she likes," Kanzaki responds.
Raising a brow, B-Sensei says, "Haven't you guys figured it out? She obviously likes Karma."
Kanzaki and Kaede look at each other. Then, in perfect unison, they sing, "I ship it!"
Going out to the hotel's terrace, you take in the city air. You decide you want an extended break from your fellow End Class students, and take out your phone.
(Y/n), 12:09 AM - Sorry if I woke you up – will tomorrow, or, technically, today, work?
Asano, 12:11 AM - Not to worry, I'm still awake. That'll be fine ^-^
Slipping your phone back into your pocket, you put your back against the railing and sit down. It begins to rain softly, but the hotel's roof stretches over the terrace, keeping you dry. You feel your eye lids grow heavy, and let out a sigh. You go through the pictures on your phone, before finally putting your phone down.
Listening to the steady rhythm of the rain, you close your eyes, smiling, the picture on your phone showing the one picture you kept of Karma in an apron.
A/N: So, as you know, I asked if you guys wanted a Karma x Reader x Gakushuu. I got a lot of mixed responses, so here's what I've decided to do. I'll continue to write the story as I was originally planning, but with an ending for Gakushuu. I had already planned a rivalry between he and Karma, I just hadn't initially meant for him to end up with Reader-chan. So, most of the fluff will happen with Karma and the story shall continue as planned. I'll just make sure Gakushuu fans get a Gakushuu ending.
Alright, I wrote a lot of this late last night, so forgive any typos (and feel free to point them out.)
YOU ARE READING
My Rival - Karma x Reader
FanfictionNote: This is also on Quotev under the same name - I own it there too. Karma Akabane - the only rival you've ever had and ever will have. Despite both of your brilliant grades, you both end up in Class E, now teammates with the same goal. Those who...
