Third person point of view

"Good evening, neighbor! It seems that you're already home! I came by to—" Ginka stopped mid-sentence, nearly dropping the stacked Tupperware in her hands.

Standing in the doorway, rubbing sleep out of his eyes, was Akabane Karma.

"...Akabane-kun?"

The redhead squinted at her, still half-asleep. The hell? He barely processed the fact that someone was at his doorstep—let alone her.

"...What are you doing here?" He yawned.

"I live next door?" She pointed to the house beside his.

Karma blinked. "Bullshit." He turned to look at the house in question. Neoclassical architecture, a vibe too traditionally different for Kunugigaoka students. "An old married couple owns that place. They've had it for years."

"Zelinski, was it?" Despite the polite smile, there was something tight in her voice. "They're my grandparents. Father arranged for me to temporarily reside there."

Karma raised a brow. Oh, so she really did get kicked out. Now that answers all the gossip in Class E.

Somehow, that made perfect sense. Board Chairman Asano doesn't tolerate rebellion—family or not.

 He gave her a lazy smirk, "It's quite the neighborhood. I can see why your family owns a house here."

A private village that only resides those of the upper class, commonly those zaibatsu and famed artists. It is a gated community with security cameras in every corner, high-end facilities, and a four-step verification system before you could enter. 

Ginka, however, continued like nothing was wrong. "Likewise. Your family must be in business then?"

She tilted her head. "I haven't heard of the Akabane name in entertainment, so I assume our parents crossed paths elsewhere?"

Karma held back a chuckle. Oh, if only she knew. His father—Nishimura Keitaro—was once Japan's golden boy before he vanished from the industry. 

But since he never used the Akabane name, Ginka probably wouldn't recognize him.

"Something like that," he said, dodging the question. "But what brings you here?"

"Oh, was it not a tradition to greet neighbors with homemade food?" Ginka's smile brightened. "I wanted to properly greet my new neighbors!" She pushed the Tupperware into his arms. "These should last until tomorrow. I rang the doorbell earlier, but no one was home."

Karma stared at the containers. "This is a lot. You trying to feed an army?"

"You could just share it with your family." She laughed lightly. "It's quite fulfilling, don't you agree?"

No, actually, he thought, but he kept that to himself. "You give some to the others?"

"Of course! I paid visits to houses close by. Everyone's been very welcoming."

Figures. She had that kind of personality—effortlessly social, effortlessly likable.

He closed the lid of one Tupperware. "You know, you don't have to work so hard to make people like you."

She blinked, tilting her head. Failing to see the problem here. "Oh, but I enjoy it."

...Right.

Karma opened his mouth to say something else when—

SLAM.

In the blink of an eye, Ginka pushed past him and shut the door behind her.

Karma just blinked, confused with the sudden turn of events. "Did you just—"

"Shh." She pressed a finger to her lips, eyes wide in alarm. "Teppei-kun is outside."

Karma raised a brow, "And?"

"And if he sees me here, word will spread," she muttered. "I'd rather not deal with my brother's inquisition or the broadcasting club's meddling."

Karma let out a low chuckle. "So you're hiding from the student council?"

Her shoulders stiffened. "...I wouldn't put it like that."

"Sure." He leaned against the doorframe, smirking. "Just to be clear, though—you broke into my house over a minor inconvenience."

She straightened, looking suddenly mortified. "Oh my... I did, didn't I?"

"Yup."

"How rude of me..." She turned to bow, "I sincerely apologize for intruding."

Here Karma thought he'd get more of an exaggerated response out of her. Oh, well. "You're already inside. Might as well sit down." He nodded toward the couch.

Ginka hesitated but complied, smoothing down her skirt as she took a seat.

Karma disappeared into the kitchen, stashing the food in the fridge. A few minutes later, he came back down the stairs with a scarf and a strawberry juice box.

Without a word, he tossed the scarf over her head.

Ginka grips the edges of the fabric, "Huh?"

"Hide your hair with that," he said, handing her the juice box. "Should help you sneak out without anyone recognizing you."

She smiled, tucking her hair into the scarf. "This is rather nostalgic, isn't it?"

He raised a brow.

"The hospital," she reminded him. "You assisted me then as well."

Karma hummed. "And I still don't know why."

Ginka took a sip from the juice box. "Because you're kind."

Karma chuckled, resting his chin on his hand. "Kind, huh?"

It was funny. She said it so earnestly—as if it were an obvious fact.

"You really think so?" He leaned forward slightly, voice dropping just enough to make her pause. "What makes you so sure?"

Ginka blinked. "Because you didn't have to help me, but you did."

"Maybe I just wanted to see how you'd react~"

She tilted her head, considering that.

"You're interesting," Karma admitted, watching her carefully. "You're always so perfect. So easy to like. Makes me wonder..."

Ginka felt an odd shift in the air. "...Wonder what?"

Karma smirked, "How much of you is real?"

Her grip tightened slightly around the juice box, but her expression remained the same. "I don't understand what you mean."

"Don't you?" He leaned back, stretching his arms. "You're too good at this."

She blinked. "At what?"

"At making people trust you."

There was no accusation in his tone—just curiosity. Like he was trying to figure out a puzzle.

Ginka smiled, but there was a slight shift in her posture. "Is it so wrong to be friendly?"

"Not at all," Karma said easily. "But I wonder... does it ever get tiring?" He is one to mask his own emotions as well, but it is interesting how she is able to do it so consistently. He can't even exert that amount of effort. 

 Ginka's smile faltered just a little, "If I weren't an Asano, you wouldn't be this careful, would you?"

"Relax," he said, grinning. "I'm not calling you a liar or anything."

"It certainly sounds like you are." She let out a small chuckle.

Karma just watched her, "Do people usually call you that?"

She met his gaze, "What do you think?"

His grin widened. Oh, she's good. Most people would've panicked, gotten defensive.

But not her. She matched him, step for step.

"Mm. If I had to guess..." He tapped his chin. "You're the kind of person who makes everyone feel like they're the only one who matters, aren't you?"

"That's quite a theory." 

"Just a hunch."

The room fell into a brief silence.

Then Karma stood up, stretching. "Well, it's late. You should go before your brother tracks your phone or something."

Ginka nodded, standing as well. "Thank you for your hospitality, Akabane-kun."

He smirked, opening the door for her.

"Try not to get caught sneaking back in," he teased.

She smiled, adjusting the scarf. "I never get caught."

Karma scoffed, tilting his head. "Is that so? Then what do you call the little spectacle you put on at the assembly?" He leaned against the doorframe, arms crossed, voice laced with amusement. "Cause from where I was standing, you weren't exactly subtle."

Ginka didn't miss a beat. "Ah, but words are wonderful tools, don't you think?" Her smirk was effortless, her tone smooth. "Even the worst mistakes can be rewritten... if you know how to tell the story."

A low chuckle rumbled from Karma's throat. "Oh? So that whole scene was part of some master plan?" He arched a brow, intrigued. "Gotta say, Asano-san, if that was damage control, you might want to rethink your strategy. It looked to me like you set fire to the whole stage." A pause. His smirk widened. "Or was that the goal all along? Playing the tragic revolutionary?"

Ginka glanced at him over her shoulder as she reached for the door. "It's all about knowing how to play the game, Akabane-kun."

And with that, she stepped out, leaving him watching after her, curiosity flickering in his eyes.

His grin widened. Interesting.

For the first time in a while... Karma felt intrigued.