Karma's lashes fluttered against his cheeks. His face was lax and his mouth just slightly open as he breathed out gently, deep in sleep.
Gakushuu curled a hand under his head and stared.
Karma was pretty.
He was like a diamond. So pretty, so shiny and harmlessly mischievous looking at first glance that people forgot that it was forged under immense pressure and heat.
Karma's relaxed eyes twitched, already sensing Gakushuu's gaze on him and Gakushuu looked away. He had learnt his lesson before with this.
But Karma seemed tired and Gakushuu had thought he might be in a deeper sleep, but he seemed more twitchy instead.
Thankfully, he didn't wake up and Gakushuu could sense Karma sink back into sleep, probably subconsciously realising he was in his own bed or it was Gakushuu.
Karma had slowly become almost a completely different entity from the person he used to be. Where there used to be casual cruelty, careless disregard and rare times of genuine concern, now Karma's gaze pierced through all sorts of deceptions, he knew what to say, what to do to incite the reaction he wanted instead of lashing out carelessly, ceaselessly.
Gakushuu had always seen potential in Karma. It was what he did.
But Karma caring back for Gakushuu was something he hadn't really been expecting. He hadn't expected the way Karma would look through Gakushuu and see through to him and still care so deeply.
And unlike Gakushuu, Karma really was a teenager. Or maybe Gakushuu was never supposed to consider himself older than one, when he didn't even remember a single day in her life.
He resisted the urge to trace a finger over Karma's features.
Karma kissed Gakushuu desperately, but he also brought Gakushuu to his bed and then let him sleep. He never imposed, never pushed, never tried to manipulate or even bothered.
Karma seemed to be content to let Gakushuu do as he wished. He sank into every touch Gakuahuu offered, gladly, almost greedily, but he never asked for anything more.
Gakuahuu wasn't blind. He knew of Maehara and his multitude of relationships, and Karma was close to him. He knew of people in class A even, who were in relationships who had gone farther than Karma and Gakushuu.
Gakushuu was quite curious sometimes about what Karma thought. He wondered if they could just stay together because he was pretty sure he loved Karma, and he was quite certain Karma felt the same way.
He wouldn't always look for Gakushuu first, wouldn't try to protect him first, wouldn't seek comfort from him, wouldn't relax at the sight of him, wouldn't pull him close like he didn't want to go another moment without.
Gakushuu was blind, deaf and dumb to everything when it involved Karma. He would hand over anything if Karma asked for it. He would give over years of cultivating people, contacts that he had bled for, names and numbers that he would have died a thousand times over without.
Was it him being a child, or was it how first love went?
Because for all of Karma's and Gakushuu's own flaws, they seemed to have never gone wrong with each other.
Gakushuu let his eyes flutter to a close, his breathing deepened and he curled closer to the warm body that lay in front of him.
Gakushuu slipped past his father's study, he went into his room, took his books and went to school like it was normal.
His housekeeper gave him a sad look.
Gakushuu ignored it with years of practice.
Third year wasn't easy, and it was even more annoying when people were staring at Gakushuu's newly released arm like it was about to fall off.
"...with the upcoming school festival, we're going to be even busier," Anaya was saying. "Is your hand healed enough?"
"Yes," Gakushuu replied, pointedly using said arm to grab a new bunch of requests his Vice-President had asked for. "It wasn't too bad," he explained pointlessly.
Anaya gave him a look of disbelief.
To be fair, he had a really heavy pole fall on his arm and then he had gone to the Principal's office and came out looking like his cat died. His classmates were still wondering if the Principal had aggravated his injury further.
He hadn't, and normally he would have found the lack of faith in his father hilarious, just as long as it wasn't pointed towards him.
It was annoying because there were rumours flying around school now and people were looking at the Principal with shifty eyes.
Gakushuu had never pretended to have a very amicable relationship with his father and it probably didn't look very good on record. But Gakushuu really couldn't give less of a shit.
His father would deal with it, or not. Given how busy he was, getting more money out of the government's pockets or fucking with class E, he probably couldn't give less of a shit too.
Gakushuu could take advantage. He could do so many things with this. But he didn't.
He was tired, and healing, and he didn't want to.
"Let's get preparing then," Gakushuu gave Anaya a flat smile and she conceded after a long moment.
School festival was always slightly hectic, even more so due to the variety of problems that normally popped up for the student council to solve.
Not to mention, the festival basically ended on the third day at half day because of Gakushuu's end of the festival dance.
He had even convinced the next student council to keep it going. It would be an official Student Council hosted annual event.
Though it wouldn't be nearly as glamorous without a couple of investors.
He might or might not help out.
Class A, the ever overachiever class, top of the school, was about half a problem away from completely giving up on the school festival.
But they didn't, because Ayaka would probably die without food and Chika would end up killing everyone.
They just went full on restaurant style. They transformed a huge area into a complete classy restaurant with food from Ren's father's personal chef, and a couple sous chefs that a few acquired.
Gakushuu didn't even have to do much. He found the whole thing quite amusing, the way his class tried their best to reduce his burden, only to free him up for other duties.
But Gakushuu spared some time to help set it up. It was a grand, eye-catching, beautiful thing, that was for sure.
And with it being class A's, no one could try to start quarrelling for some reason or the other.
It was time to give students the Royal Treatment.
And who would know better than the people brought in from all over the world, called upon by the future heads of the business world?
He had heard about a spa treatment from Hinata but he didn't know how the girls were planning to include that. Probably for some 'special' guests?
He didn't want to know.
But they were handling all sorts of problems by themselves. Gakushuu could cry from the pride he was feeling.
Gakushuu had always been someone who invested in people . People from all walks of life. Most of the ones who succeeded only worked for Gakushuu due to his contracts with them, many of them failed, but there were always a few who actually remained grateful.
He didn't need gratitude though, just for them to fulfil their contracts.
But some stayed even farther than that.
People were fickle, but the people whose loyalty did not waver, were always rewarded.
Class A wouldn't always stay with Gakushuu, but he was pretty certain that they wouldn't completely leave each other behind either.
You could grow that much and not feel connected to the people around you, and who knew? Maybe they would brave the Principal and stay in Kunugigaoka for high school as well, unlikely as it was.
It was one of the best schools around, and people did surprise him.
He didn't hold any expectation for it though.
Anaya's growth would only be stifled if she stayed in Kunugigaoka, Ren might or might not stay, Koyama probably would, but Mori was definitely leaving. Hinata's decision would depend on Kimiko and Gakushuu would rather not guess.
Amami would leave regardless though. So would Miyuki.
But Seo, the headache, would probably stay. He hoped not. He would personally encourage him to find greener pastures. As long as it was somewhere else, he wouldn't care.
Chika seemed like he was going to go for culinary school, and most of the others seemed inclined to leave.
Kunugigaoka was the foremost competitive school around. And if your focus wasn't in Academics or if you weren't a goddamn genius in time management, it wasn't the one for you.
But people always entered in droves and seats were always in short measure.
Kunugigaoka graduates, whether from middle or high school, were almost always known as rising stars in their fields.
Even now, Itadori, the last Vice President, was someone far more well-known than Kevin, even if they could be given similar tags.
People who succeeded in Kunugigaoka, would succeed in real life too. They would have the skills, the ruthlessness and the decisiveness to pull it off. Their ambition would only be tempered by the knowledge that there was someone stronger above them, and it would make them play in their own field.
People in power liked talented people who knew their places.
It was also why people were also well aware of Gakushuu. He would be safest if he stayed in Kunugigaoka while he was still developing. He couldn't go up against the people who wanted to pull him under their wing just yet.
Maybe after a year or two more.
He was still far too young and inexperienced. His heart was still on his sleeve.
His next step would be to hide himself away under layers and layers until no one could see him through.
The world was both small and far too big. He would keep both himself and the ones he truly cared for, safe.