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Gakushuu was walking to a public library. It was for normal reasons being to communicate with the other Virtuosos. Like- they're at the top of the school, why wouldn't they meet together to retain their title?
But that's unimportant. At the corner of his amethyst eyes, Gakushuu sees a teenage boy. Not just any teenage boy, one with red hair, golden mercury eyes, and.. blood all over him. Karma Akabane had looked like he was straight out of a crime scene.
Was there a crime? Probably not because the police would've caught him already. Rather, the one frolicking looks like he was the victim. From a distance, you could see a scar at the top of his forehead slightly covered by his hair that indicates that it was his blood spread across his blazer.
Asano Gakushuu
I'm not coming to the study session.
An urgent matter just came to my way, and I'm unable to set it for later or avoid it. My apologies.
Just pray that there isn't grammatical errors. Oh for fucks sake, he's an Asano! Asanos don't make silly mistakes, or so what he is told.
The second his head flings right up, he sees the redhead talking to a store owner. Within that same staring time, Karma comes out with a book in hand. There was also the widest genuine grin on his face.
"Would talking to him out of nowhere cause him to be upset? Too bad," Gakushuu bickered with himself. Nothing can get Karma out of discussing why a fat ass scar is on his head, bleeding from the lack of care. Even if the lady from the store didn't mind, the strawberry blonde does.
Humming to himself, the redhead had all his guard lowered. Usually, anyone could tell that he always had his guard up, but that head injury may have done some shit to his brain. Unfortunately for him, his older brother is more than willing to use that to his advantage.
Just as Karma was about to pass a bakery, his right arm was yanked into an alley. "What the fuck?!" Became the first words blurted by the redhead in Italian, so it sounded like gibberish to the 'attacker'.
"Akabane," Gakushuu hissed low, "You better explain this shit right now." Seems pretty bad to not have the Kunugigaoka Devil fighting back as of now. To whoever or whatever caused these injuries, they're going to pay.
"Ow.." He groaned, "Asano, what the living fuck! You almost made me drop this brand new book!" Amazing how a book is top priority right now.
Gakushuu mearly rolled his eyes, "I want answers. All I'm asking is for if the people who hurt you are from the school, and if you know their damn names."
"..Huh?"
"..." Taken a step back from how stupid his little brother is, the boy let go and the latter fell on both knees, still clutching the book dearly.
Mercury orbs tried to gaze up in a daze, but he just smiled eerily. "Woe is me! Can't stop adding more fuckeries to my life in a day, eh? Anyway, what does the notorious for being perfect Asano want from me?"
"Answers."
Oddly enough, he tilted his head as the blood started to drip into his eye, "Answers? Is the perfect child finally learning how to cheat?!"
"Dammit Karma, this isn't time for jokes!" Raising his voice got through to him.
That eerie and slit smile faded, and the redhead clutched his book while laughing. "Oh, what did happen? I would say... but must I tell the truth? It was only on a term of trades."
Trades? How abysmal to understandment. Is the truth this important to him that he must lead his older trustable brother out?
"Fine, I'll give you answers.." He grumbled in defeat.
Gakushuu released the boy and let him stand on his own two feet. That was his first mistake. Oh, so many dumb errors he could've made, and he chose letting the target out of its cage.
Before a word was even said between the two, Karma exhaled. Exhaling led to ditching the strawberry blonde. Somehow, even while heavily injured, the redhead outran the latter by an extreme gap.
Though he doesn't act or should be physically capable, Karma has never lost a race with Gakushuu. Maybe that's why he joined the track team; to beat his little brother. Competition always creeps its way into anything involved with the Asano name.
After running for what felt like three decades, Karma lost Mr. Golden Student. Those lungs of his were exploding. Everything hurts, especially when you've already been hurt.
Adrenaline wore off pretty quickly causing the boy to collapse immediately. It'd be pretty hard to deny that he practically lives off adrenaline. By now, he'd already have killed himself or gotten killed without his fight or flight always kicking in.
"Dammit, now is not the time for you stupid legs to fail me! What if he finds me-" The urge to vomit increased as he could feel the bile rising up inside him. No doubt about it, Karma knew he was going to throw up.
Picking himself up pretty quickly, he hurried to steady. Book behind his back, the boy vomitted more blood than anything. Fuck, it hurt.
Would he die right here right now? In some alleyway that nobody would find him in? Oh well, the Akabanes might as well capitalize and force some dramatic story about how their son was brutally slaughtered in an alley, likely by some gangsters.
"All this.. to buy a book.. damn, am I really that desperate? Then again.. death sounds more than pleasant now. Oh.. would that man ever love me? No, so I guess it's okay."
So what did happen? Well..
Before everything that had just gone down, it was two in the fucking morning. Why was it two? Ah, the reason definitely was not that the redhead couldn't sleep and decided to try finding something to do.
Something in his empty stomach made him lurch. Perhaps it was the emptiness. Wouldn't hurt if he bought food, right? Then again, he should probably find some job at an illegal place since they give best salaries.
Honestly, he can't tell if he should just throw away his life and become some bartender at a place that others who lost their soul go off getting high. Why not get a normal job? There's no way in hell that Mrs. Akabane would accept that, but if it is underground.. she may even smile at how Karma shows dedication to this sad life.
Going through his depressing thoughts, a voice stopped his tracks. "Oi! You there! Boy with the bloody hair!"
"..Me?" Crimson hair swished with the direction Karma's face pointed. Then he realized. "Oh, do what do I owe the honor to find a gang of at least half a dozen at this hour?"
"Hey boys," the leader said with a raspy tone, "I think ya know, we need a punching bag. Who votes this boy will be of great placement?" As everyone shouted agreements in unison, the one being targeted slowly dropped the act that he was naive.
What a pleasant way to start off the day! Like, who wouldn't want to get beat up by a shit ton of gangsters? Well.. proud anyone but the redhead.
With a small smile, he calmly made a deal. "Hmm.. how 'bout you pay me, and I'll let you use me as a punching pag for half an hour!"
Quite the deal, yeah? Average street rats don't have jack shit on them, or at least that's to what Karma knows. Simply offering that gave them confused looks, then bickering quietly. Soon, "Alright, name your price."
"Oh, that'd be hard to say, good sir!" Gangsters are soo 'good'. "Does five thousand yen work?"
Hearty roars of hacking laughter bursted like a wave of explosions. "We've got that in too many folds! Sure, that's gotta be desperate!"
Torture time begins.. now. Their leader got the vermillion hair and slammed his head to the wall. He didn't fight back.
Few side members got a dozen full power kicks in each. He didn't fight back.
Some tough guy, likely the oldest, aimed and smashed a beer bottle right into his forehead, causing a massive scar. He didn't fucking fight back.
Others pulled off their belts and started to form red and purple marks on his skin. He didn't fight the fuck back.
So.. yeah.. he let this shit go on for that half hour, knowing he'd easily take all of them on at once. None of the wannabe gangsters were actually a threat. Just a bunch of nobodies trying to look as tough and scary as possible.
Karma counted perfectly until all the way to the half hour mark. When he tried to stand up, the leader grabbed his arm, "We weren't done here, ya twat stain!" This time, he did fight back.
"Ah, ah ah~ but you see, thirty minutes is up!" Although the arm control wasn't his, he twisted it in such an abnormal way and had his left arm gripping the one holding his right to twist it just as irregularly. "I heard mumbling about not giving me the money? Sorry, but I want that."
"Heh, we're a gang, if you didn't realize. I'd go home before we kill-" With crazy flexibility, he shot his leg up. If you didn't realize after learning the fact that straight abuse for half an hour doesn't make someone like him pass out, numbers isn't enough.
A crazed laugh ventured up his beaten face, "I hope you know that if you wanna be spared, go drop all the money you on you and scram!" As if they were talking to am overlord himself, every kid at the scene emptied their pockets and fled.
What is now on the floor was.. a shit ton of yen. More than his mother would ever give him in a year, at the very least. And.. an unconscious body! Yay.. wait.. a whole ass wallet stuck out of a pocket.
"Should I take it? Mother would be elated if I tell her that I don't need her money.. but this guy is defenseless.. Do I need to be that cruel?" Internal fighting is fun, isn't it?
Thankfully, Akabane Karma wears semi-reasonable things outside. Said semi-reasonable clothing had pockets for his phone.. and now money. Stuffing all the money except for the wallet's down his pocket, he frolicking away from the scene.
Don't get Karma wrong, his body was throbbing. Throbbing like he had knives slowly going in and out of him. Throbbing like a hydraulic press was crushing him, but when it goes up, his broken body is fixed meaning he endures the pain every crush.
Then, that throbbing pain made his brain react. He collapsed wherever the fuck he frolicked to. Which is.. a bush. Hey.. free sleep?
So looking back to the now..
Karma had reawakened in the same alley. He doesn't appreciate the fact he'll have to use his mother's makeup to cover, but is this the first time? Nah. Hopefully this time he'll remember to check if it's expired.
Though most of it was purple and red welts, his skin was paler. Hah, he thought it couldn't be any worse. His body had always looked pale.. but now it just looks like death washed over him.
Time to go home.. but try not to pass Gakushuu this time. He'll make it out alive without a hospital. Those won't help the Akabanes, it'll only cause money to be wasted on a waste-of-space son.
Whether he wants to or not, the Kunugigaoka Devil will play his devious role at school tomorrow. Patch up the things nobody needs to know. Play Kunugigaoka Devil down to the book, and you'll be untouchable.
But for now, it's time to get home. Home to no one except the empty part of him. That part of him that doesn't even recognize what the old him was. Is there an old him, or was that imagined?
Getting beaten up far worse and far longer is all Asano Karma remembers. The Akabane Karma remembers being battered broken for discipline and to become strong. What is strong? Not him, that is what he'd tell you with a straight face.