"Ah, it's [Name]-san~"

The redhead's devious, singsong voice pleasantly chimed through the air in resonance. It appeared that he was just as negligent as you last saw him, distinctively as lax as always with his naturally blasé ambience, all whilst adorned by his typically distinctive white button-up and black blazer.

It went without saying that the octopus certainly wasn't too pleased with his late attendance, though the very fact that he bothered to appear was a sudden improvement.

You were at least relieved that he presumably came for the sake of receiving an education, acknowledging his presence with an awkward smile and a subtle nod. Admittedly, you were bemused by him approaching you first, of all the people in the class, when there were so many others to pay heed to-- including Koro-sensei, Nagisa, and Kaede.

Concurrently, the tethers of deadlines and responsibilities weighed you down, especially when Sumire was patiently waiting for the rest of your cooperation. Involving yourself with the matters of Karma Akabane ceased to show within the bounds of your jotted agenda for the period, principally when you assumed that he'd pull off another no-show at the lack of manifestation earlier that morning.

The options altered, and a new whirl of red found itself loitering in your itinerary to be dealt with. Candidly, it was both inspiriting and intimidating, but regardless, you found yourself eventually mustering the valor for a greeting, albeit hesitantly.

"Right, um... Good morning, Karma-kun." Your shoulders immediately stiffened at the sight of his hues flecked with mercury and gold. Facing his presence alone was just part of the ineffably intricate helix of friendship laced with fear; the vortex sometimes spiked with solace, and others quite the opposite.

Nagisa and Kaede, among the other students, deserved admiration-- recognition, even-- for their abilities to handle the redheaded truant. When given the opportunity, it was preferable that they proceeded with the speaking instead, and even now, you almost hoped for Sumire to magically intervene.

You were almost certain that this applied to nobody, except for him.

It was a tacit ambition for your comfort levels to reach theirs someday. You were fully aware that the muses prior to that, concerning the safety of Karma, were hypocritical if you failed to take action when he was already conveniently situated before you.

He hummed, slathering the same beam with his lips, "Likewise, [Name]-san." It seemed like he held no regard for consequences, and at this point, it may as well been expected.

Rigidly standing in place, your floury fingers idly curled against the hem of the stitched apron hanging from your neck, unintentionally leaving white puffs of powder etched on the otherwise unblemished surface as a means of easing your thoughts.

It was then when you finally recalled the two cylinders in both of his hands, otherwise known as the unaccounted fast food cups. Your gaze averted to the contemporary paper chalices, before a quizzical look warped your features.

If he ventured to a fast food joint antecedent to arriving to Kunugigaoka, it would've been understandable. The real inquiry was, why two?

Before you acquired the opportunity to further probe, however, the brunette behind you audibly voiced her own salutations to the troublemaker, a firm grin and resolute tone presented for support.

"Morning, Karma-kun. Uh, sorry, but [Name]-chan here is kinda busy right now. We have a Jelly Roll to tend to and chow down later! Right, [Name]-chan? Gals before pals!"

Although startled from the fresh speech, you sheepishly nodded in agreement. Sumire's perfected Jelly Roll was a blessing in itself, and you were undeniably yearning to devour your portion later on. After all, it was food.

"Mm, yeah? How baleful." Karma softly chuckled with a nod, his voice seething with sarcasm as he shortly feigned a maimed look. "Sure, sure; go ahead. Oh, and [Name]-san? Here, this one's for you-- for what happened over the weekend, I mean."

He'd taken a sip out of one of the two paper cups, before handing the other one to you. With lips tilting into yet another simper, he was just as relaxed as he'd always been.

Embellished with red stripes over a white covering, a bendy straw was neatly resting above the beverage, waiting to be sipped. You paused for a moment, eyes fixated on the pattern as you drifted in your muses. Over the weekend, the only occurrence that transpired was the eventful Sonic Ninja movie. He hadn't done anything to owe an apology except...

Realization struck, and cogs commenced to twirl in a frenzy, transferring the vivid motion of thought. The magazine hauling at the convenience store. It was soon quite prominent what he was referring to, but upon further inspection, the boy didn't seem like much of the type to straightforwardly apologize in such a way.

Then again, it was simply a drink. One that you were thankful for, at least, because of the solicitous gesture. Perhaps you were wrong, maybe even paranoid, for doubting him? You hadn't truly known him for long enough to conjure that judgement.

Your gaze lingered around his towering figure for a while longer, before ultimately grasping the drink from his hands. You flashed an appreciative smile, murmuring your gratitude and thanks.

Setting the soft drink aside for later, you discerned Karma heading off out of the corner of your eye, as you shifted your glance to trail after. Witnessing some sort of interaction between him and the bipedal octopus across the classroom, the redhead soon flew off your radar as you proceeded to work with Sumire, following the inadvertent delay.

The workload had already decimated into simple steps, as your only duty left was to slice the sweet cake in circular pieces. On the bright side, the Jelly Roll cooled down during the disruptive colloquy with Karma.

You helplessly grinned at the sight, exchanging high-fives with your brunette partner in satisfaction. She appeared just as overjoyed and exhilarated as you were, eagerly anticipating the subsequent chance to guzzle.

"We did it!"

Reckoning that you deserved a sip of cola, you cupped the beverage in one hand, adjusting the flexible straw with the other to curve over for a taste. As your lips contacted the smooth, plastic surface, you proceeded to sup.

Rather than a refreshing slurp of soda, however, a more viscous substance met your taste buds, the a blend of naturally sweet tomato, savory spice, and other inexpressible contents strongly lingering on your tongue. A burning sensation enveloped your mouth, as you fought the suppressed urge to splutter and spit the fusion of intense matter.

Your countenance contorted uncomfortably, hesitant to swallow. You lifted the plastic lid, only to see an expanded, paper souffle container for condiments, filled with splashes of red, yellow, and peachy orange-- presumably ketchup, mustard, and spicy mayonnaise.

Sumire paid heed to your discomfort, as you tilted the supposed 'drink' ever so slightly for the brunette to catch a glimpse. She blinked widely, before escorting you over to the sink with hastened footsteps, where the notorious redhead stood patiently. He passed over several napkins, conveying an apologetic smile.

After you washed up from the incident, your tone was stained with irk as you eyed him. You became a victim of a harmless prank of his, and you were unsure of how to feel about it. Simultaneously, you mentally reprimanded yourself, as it was partly your fault for your gullibility, as well as lack of vigilance.

What had he gotten out of doing such things, anyway?

"K-Karma-kun, you--!"

The bell for break sounded, reverberating in the air. The Jelly Roll was prepared for ingesting, and you were definite about a certain redhead's absence of merit to gain a share.