The Girl Who Loved A Beautiful Devil ~Karma AkabaneXReader~

Chapter 9

The bookstore downtown was a reader's paradise; hundreds or maybe even thousands of books of all genres were stacked neatly and alphabetically on countless large shelves and I would've been tempted to stay there for the rest of the day if my mind wasn't so crowded with thoughts of Karma and my earlier awkward encounter with his teacher and classmates.

I was standing at the shelves where the new released books were placed and my eyes swiftly scanned the titles on their colorful spines until I found the one which I'd came to buy. I immediately snatched a copy of it and I probably had the most ridiculous grin on my face as I held the book proudly in my hands.

I was about to look for another book that might interest me but just as I was about to reach for one, my eyes caught sight of Karma reading a manga at the manga and comic section a few shelves in front and I was immediately reminded that I had a question for him that had been in my mind since the encounter. So instead of getting another book, I headed to the counter and bought the book that I came for.

After making my purchase, I made my way over to Karma who seemed to be entirely engrossed in the manga in his hands. Another observation I'd made: Karma's eyebrows furrowed together and he absentmindedly chewed on his bottom lip whenever he was very invested in something, and in this case, it was the manga. I felt my lips twitch slightly, threatening to break into a grin at the quirky yet adorable sight.

"(L/ N)-san," he lifted his head from the manga to meet my gaze when he'd finally sensed my close presence. "You're done already? I thought with how excited you got earlier when we came in that you'd decide to camp here for the night." He joked.

I smiled warmly but it faded as I said, "Can I talk with you in private?"

Karma cocked an eyebrow at me and I bit down on my bottom lip out of a nervous habit that I could never get rid of. It felt like hours though it was probably only a few seconds until he nodded. "Alright then, follow me." He said and put the manga back on the shelves.

He started moving and I obediently followed after him. He led me to the back of the bookstore where a few cushioned chairs and reading tables occupied most of the area and gestured for me to take a seat down on one of the chairs; I obliged and chose a seat at the table which was placed in the corner and was the farthest from the others.

"So," he began as he took a seat across from me; the table was actually quite small but that was good since I wouldn't have to raise my voice for Karma to hear me, and it was a private conversation after all. "What's on your mind?"

"What is your teacher?" I asked, getting straight to the point; what could I say? Curiosity makes one eager.

Karma blinked his beautiful mercury eyes but his countenance was impassive. "What?"

"Karma-kun, I'm not dense," I said, locking my eyes solely on him. "What is Koro-sensei? He's obviously not human, that much I can tell."

There was a pause which neither of us spoke and I waited for him to respond, until finally, a smirk made its way onto his attractive face. "To be honest, I didn't think you'd figure it out so fast, (L/ N)-san, I'm impressed."

"So I'm right," I said with wide eyes. "He's not human."

"Nope." Karma replied, popping the 'p'.

"So what is he then?"

He crossed his arms behind his head and leaned back into his chair. "Truthfully speaking, I'm not supposed to tell you about this, not supposed to tell anyone outside of the E Class about this."

"Please, tell me." I pleaded, absentmindedly biting down on my bottom lip out of anxiousness and desperation caused by my cursed curiosity.

He gave me a long, hard look before saying, "Alright, but you can tell no one about this or else both of us are going to be in serious trouble."

I nodded vigorously. "I swear I won't tell a soul."

Karma's impassive face cracked as his lips curled up into a smirk and he let out a light chuckle which despite the serious atmosphere, made my heart flutter. "Have I ever told you how cute you look when you're so serious?"

I simply rolled my eyes at him. "Just get on with it already!"

"Okay, okay," he said between chuckles. Once the laughter died down, he cleared his throat and began to tell me; he told me about how Koro-sensei was a laboratory experiment gone wrong, he told me about how he and the other students of Class 3-E had to assassinate him before graduation or else the Earth would end with the same fate as the partly-destroyed-moon, but most importantly, he told me about how good of a teacher Koro-sensei was and how he hated the idea of assassinating him. When he began, his voice was firm, serious, but by the end of his explanation, his tone had wavered slightly, filled with a sense of guilt and melancholy that made my heart crack. Even with the slight quiver in his voice, he was still able to maintain an unreadable expression throughout the whole story and I hated that; I hated how easily he hid his emotions behind the stone-cold façade of his.

He breathed out a sigh once he finished, exhausted. "So there you have it, you now know the secret that the End Class has been hiding for almost a year."

I furrowed my eyebrows and reached out to touch Karma's hand which had been placed on the table during the middle of his explanation. He looked down at our hands, mine on top of his, before glancing up to meet my gaze. "(L/ N)-san..."

"I'm sorry, Karma-kun," I started. "I'm sorry that you and the rest of the E Class have to go through that, no one should ever go through something like that."

"We don't need your pity," he said plainly. "But your concern is appreciated."

I gave him a nod in acknowledgement of his words and he sighed again. "Let's just put that all aside for now, I'd rather not spend the rest of our day together talking about assassination."

"Alright then," I replied. "So what do you want to talk about now?"

He paused to think for a moment then broke into a malicious grin as he said, "How about what that sly octopus and my beloved friends were talking with you about?"

I instantly flushed bright red at the memory of the conversation I had with them. I was hesitant to tell him but did so since he'd already given me more information that I was allowed to know. "T-they thought we w-were dating..." I stammered vaguely. "A-and they were asking how far we've gone..."

Karma's grin grew into a devilish smirk as he leaned forward and whispered. "And did you tell them that I've practically seen you naked?"

My face was probably as red as his hair by that point but I tried my best not to let my composure slip; I cleared my throat and leaned forward too, leaving only mere inches between our faces. "I thought you've already apologized for that."

"I apologized for scaring you and unintentionally stealing your first kiss," he murmured, his voice low and his mercury orbs burned with an undying brightness. "But I never regretted kissing you, touching you, and wanting you all to myself for that mere instant."

I felt my breath caught within my throat and it was a wonder how I managed to utter the words that came out of my mouth next. "Karma-kun, was that supposed to be a love confession?"

Karma flashed me a lazy, lopsided grin. "In a way, yes. I like you, (L/ N)-san, but you already knew that."

"I did," I answered, looking up at him through my lashes. "I just wanted to hear you say it."

"Well, I just did, so I hope you're happy." He murmured. "But you don't have to give me an answer though."

"I am." I replied and tried my best not to crack into a mouth-splitting grin. "But I'll answer, on one condition," I said with a completely serious tone. "Why do you like me?"

Karma's gaze never left mine as he said, "Because you're the first person who can see through me like freaking glass, and it scares the crap out of me."

"So you like me because I scare you?" I couldn't hide my grin any longer.

He grinned back at me and my heart nearly melted at the sight alone. "Well, yea, but there's also the fact that you're the first person who ever tried to help me, people usually don't favor helping a psychopath, you know?"

"You're not a psychopath... or at least I don't think you are." I mumbled meekly.

"Well, psychopath or not, I'll take your word for it for now." He said. "So, what's your answer to my confession?"

"I think I might stop worrying about keeping up professionalism for a while." I smiled.

"So I'm guessing that's a 'yes'?" he cocked an eyebrow at me, his grin never faltering even once.

"In a way, yes." I said, copying his earlier words.

"Then I suppose it's alright for me to do this." He said making my brows knitted in confusion. "Do what-" I started to ask but the question died on my lips as he closed the gap between our faces and kissed me.

I blinked my wide eyes, surprised but recovered soon enough and for the first time since making our agreement, I forgot about mental illnesses and figuring out Karma's and just simply allowed myself to indulge in the sweet sensation of Karma's warm lips against mine.