At that moment, Karma glanced back at your gang, blinking his golden-mercury eyes as he simpered, waving you over, as there was nobody else in line behind him. His blithe aura spelled out a carefree nature, him relaxing at the sight of sweet delights.

You followed Nagisa and Kaede as they joined him, remaining at the very back to avoid contact. The other two seemed quite calm around Karma, as you later discovered that Nagisa was a former friend/classmate of his prior to his suspension, and Kaede was a new transfer, so she had no reason to fear him yet.

"What a surprise! Looks like we had the same ideal in mind." Karma remained insouciant as he friskily chuckled, tapping his chin in thought as he pondered over what to order as his turn rolled by. "Ah, I'll take a strawberry, thanks."

"Mint for me!" Kaede piped in with a smile, pointing at her option.

Nagisa hesitated for several more seconds, before nodding in confirmation of his final decision. "Blue cotton candy, I guess."

You were in a daze, as you blankly stared at the variety of flavors available. The others eventually noticed that you were generally out of it from your taciturnity, and it was Karma who chose to speak up.

"Say, [Name]-san? You're going to order, aren't you? If not, I'll gladly take your serving." he joked, brightly smiling at you.

You quickly snapped out of it as your [color] eyes darted over to the redhead, hastily shaking your head, even if it was a jest. Your ice cream was at stake, after all. "S-Sorry about that. I will order, thank you very much! [Flavor], please."

The employee behind the counter took note of the orders, and left to scoop the delicacies into cones after the payment was received.

Promptly, the treats were served, as you held your respective cone in your hands. You averted your gaze to the other three, realizing that their desired flavors conveniently suited their hair colors. At that, you softly smiled, still sticking close to Nagisa and Kaede rather than idling beside Karma.

The group decided to sit at one of the parlor's rounded tables and stools; Karma was your opposite while the other duo was on the side. You spent your time laughing, chatting away, and simply licking ice cream. You were slowly relaxing at the presence of Karma, lowering your guard as he ceased to cause harm, though you weren't entirely sure, keeping the doubtful thoughts at the back of your mind.

"Koro-sensei... Do you think we'll manage to assassinate him by next March?" Nagisa pitched in a new conversation topic, his tone sounding a tad more serious compared to the previous, playful subjects.

"We have Karasuma-sensei to train us, so I'm sure we'll be fine, Nagisa-kun! Once I put my mind on something, I keep on rolling. I'm ready to become an assassin." Kaede optimistically gave the rest of the crew a thumbs up, as you nodded in agreement.

"Hmm~ That's a pretty good mindset, Kayano-san. I have plenty of tricks under my sleeve, all planned for Koro-sensei~" With that, Karma deviously laughed, his face lighting up at the thought of his formulated stratagems. Perhaps this was the side of him that you had to be cautious of.

"What about you, [Name]-san? Don't you agree that we'll be successful~?"

At that moment, Karma's voice was merged with an undertone of concealed sadism, a chill sent down your spine as you looked up at him, afraid to completely meet his gaze. As you were still pressing your tongue against the creamy surface of the luxury, you awkwardly withdrew for the time being to utter your reply.

"Y-Yeah! We'll definitely... be successful, Karma-kun." You nervously cheered, plastering a smile on your face, hoping that it was the answer he desired.

"Karma-kun, you're kinda scary like this." Kaede bluntly commented with a deadpan.

Karma released an airy chortle, waving his free hand as if to dismiss any concerns. "My bad, my bad~ I'm just passionate about murdering Koro-sensei, is all~"

---

Sooner or later, you were nearly finishing your sweet delights, as did the rest of the team. Everything was gone, devoured to the cone, and nothing remained except for occasional wafer crumbs around the table.

You stood up, pushed in your chair, and was about to head out with the others when the mischievous male approached you, seeming rather amused with his features.

"Hey, [Name]-san, are you really that oblivious?"

You merely blinked at him, slightly tilting your head from bewilderment. You had no clue what he was referring to.

Karma took a step closer to you, a bit too close for comfort, as he took his index finger and wiped off a bit of ice cream from your lower cheek. He receded back, only to lick the flavor off the tip of his finger, smirking.

Your cheeks temporarily tinted pinkish from his audacious actions, your eyes immediately widening. "W-Wh..."

He interrupted your surprise with a low chuckle. "Mm, [flavor] is pretty scrumptious, too~ You have admirable taste, [Name]-san!"

"K-Karma-kun?!" Nagisa and Kaede called in unison after witnessing the movement, both of them appearing just as stunned.

"Hm? Don't fret, it's not like I personally licked it off her or anything." he cackled, shoulders shaking from his entertainment. "Besides, [Name]-san seems a bit too tense. Relax, there's nothing to be afraid of."

You forced a slight nod, wondering if Karma was aware that he was the very reason for your terrified state.