Despite what his father may think, Karma had listened to the lessons he'd been taught over the years, it was just most of them were bullshit.

Still, though, watching your enemies and biding your time was one he'd learned to appreciate. Even if his impatience meant it was hard to stick to sometimes. He wouldn't really class Kayano/Yukimura as an enemy yet either, she was still kind of his friend, or at least someone he enjoyed the company of.

Since the missing pieces to the mystery seemed temporarily lost, and willingly sharing information with his brother was a bad idea, he'd have to be patient and keep an eye on her. Even if there was still an impulse to ask her outright.

If he kept quiet, then maybe he could learn more in meantime, besides, if Nagisa sensed something had changed in their dynamic then that could spiral down into the class structure which could cause more trouble.

And, Gakushuu was being annoying enough trying to mess with the class structure again like with the whole Takebayashi incident, so finding out about the Pole Topping rubbed him the wrong way.

"Since when did you hate Isogai?" Karma asked coldly, finding his brother staying late in the council room doing some kind of paperwork.

Gakushuu glanced up, eyes tired. "I don't." He sighed, leaning back in his chair. "Though, he is mildly irritating with his constant optimism and that Ikeman personality."

Well, yeah, that had annoyed him at first too, but Isogai was a good guy and his classmate.

"Doesn't mean you can kick him out of the school," Karma said, walking over to the desk. "I mean, a part-time job, really?" He rolled his eyes. "I beat up a teacher and get a suspension, but Isogai tries to help his family and it's game over."

His brother gave him a condescending look. "Welcome to a taste of the real world, where life's unfair." He arched an eyebrow. "I did try to warn you that your friends would suffer," he said, standing up. "Besides, you can't expect us not to retaliate after finals and Takebayashi's stunt."

Karma stared at him coldly. "Don't blame us when your side placed the bets and tried to manipulate one of own."

"Takebayashi wanted to leave." Gakushuu grimaced. "That bookworm should have been grateful for the opportunity."

He scoffed. "At what? Being dad's lapdog?" He took a step closer when his brother's gaze narrowed. "Why? Worried he'd take your spot?"

Gakushuu stiffened and clenched his hands into fists. "If you're just here to cause trouble, then you can leave."

Karma smiled thinly. "What's even the point? You guys seriously think you'll get stronger by taking Isogai out?" He felt a rise of frustration. "You think dad will be proud."

His brother took a deep breath and turned away from him, closing the laptop. "This conversation is a waste of time." He tucked the laptop under his arm, keeping his back to him. "Just like you."

That stung a little, but he tried to ignore it, smiling tauntingly. "Aw, let me guess, was dad pissed at you after the trophy incident?" His brother's shoulders stiffened, which made Karma's grin falter as he realised his brother had been punished for it. His irritation, anger, and resentment subsided a little when he grew concerned. "...He didn't put you in timeout did he?" His voice fell quiet. "Gakushuu?"

It would be typical of their dad to blame Takebayashi's defiance on Gakushuu...

The cupboard used for the timeout sessions was barely big enough to fit a suitcase in now, and it had been unbearable when they were little. He remembered when they'd both been shoved in the small space when he was eight and Gakushuu had been nine. It had been four hours of absolute hell of being crushed against each other and unable to move until their dad had finally let them out.

"...A leader takes responsibility for their failure," his brother replied curtly, grip on the laptop noticeably tight. "Not that you'd ever understood that." There was a hint of resentment in his brother's gaze when he looked over his shoulder. "You wouldn't know the first thing about responsibility."

Karma's concern faded a little as he grew more guarded. "At least I actually know how to think for myself."

Gakushuu's eyes were cold, looking so much like their father it made him tense. "And, look how well that turned out." He turned around and made to leave, shooting him a warning look. "Remember our agreement, and mind your place, little brother."

Karma's eyes flashed, gritting his teeth tight, but he restrained himself for his classmates' sake. "I remember fine," he said as his brother walked past. "Which means it's gonna be fun watching my friends put you in your place."

His brother paused by the doorway, posture tense as the comment clearly got to him. Knuckles turning white. "...I doubt that." His brother tone was clipped, leaving the room.

***

"I see your brother is fired up then." Koro-sensei chuckled, the two sharing tea in the staff room after Karma had accepted the tutoring session. Mr Karasuma typing in the background on his laptop.

Karma shrugged, drinking his tea. "He's just got a stick up his ass as usual." He stared down into the cup. "He's just doing all this to get back at us and prove something to our dad, like an idiot."

Koro-sensei hummed. "Yes, the Principal's influence does seem obvious." He sipped his tea. "And, I suppose you did get yourself in a bind making that deal with him."

He scowled a little. "Yeah, well that won't be forever." He started to smirk. "Midterms are coming up, and if I can rile him up enough I can get him to make another deal, then I'll be controlling him!"

Karasuma paused from typing to lookup and arch an eyebrow.

Koro-sensei sighed. "Karma..." He lowered his cup. "Have you ever heard of fighting fire with fire?"

His smirk faded a little, shrugging. "Well, yeah, but one fire has to be bigger than the other right?"

His teacher sighed again. "That's mutual destruction!"

Karma frowned. "Well, maybe, but I can't just admit defeat, that'd be just handing over control."

"Not necessarily," Koro-sensei replied. "Retreating is a perfectly good battle tactic when needed, and the same applies for showing weakness," he lectured lightly. "Sometimes you have to be weak to be strong." He sipped his tea. "In my opinion, strength doesn't come from trying to control or dominate other people, it comes from accepting our own strengths and weaknesses so we can see the strength in others."

Karma's frown deepened, trying to understand. He supposed he could see the octopus' point, his classmates had lots of different strengths even though a lot of people just saw them as weak at first. They didn't get stronger from gaining more control, they got stronger by learning from their failures.

"I guess," he replied, unsure still.

His teacher hummed. "Why do you want to get first place and beat your brother, Karma?"

"Huh?" Karma raised an eyebrow. "I mean, it's kind of obvious. I wanna beat him so I'm the best, then he won't look down on me anymore, and it'll prove my dad wrong."

Koro-sensei sipped his tea. "And, did your father always want your brother to win?"

"Well, it's not really a want, it's more of an expectation," Karma replied, shrugging as he drank his tea. "He sees Gakushuu as perfect so he always expects him to win, and Gakushuu always wants to win because it's expected of him."

"I see." His teacher hummed. "Then it seems he's the one who's trapped."

"What?" Karma was caught off guard.

"Your brother pushes himself to meet each one of your father's expectations, even if it's detrimental to his own health," Koro-sensei summarised. "Unlike you, who is trying to remove yourself from your father's influence, he's stuck in a cycle of it."

Karma shifted uncomfortably. "Yeah, well, I'm always telling him to wise up, but it's not like he listens." He tried not to think about how exhausted his brother had been looking lately. "If I beat him then he'll have to acknowledge me as the leader and listen to me."

"And, how well are you listening to your brother since he won?" Koro-sensei asked evenly.

Karma scowled a little, realising the flaw in his idea. "Well..."

"Fire with fire." Koro-sensei shook his head.

His scowl deepened. "Okay, fine, I know I should try to play nice, but you don't get it," he replied, defensive. "He's so annoying, and he's a control freak, so even if I act nicer he won't change or break away from our dad's line of thinking."

"It would take time, that's true," Koro-sensei said. "At the end of the day, it's up to your brother to try to change." The teacher finished his tea. "It's not something that can be forced." The octopus chuckled. "Perhaps a healthy dose of defeat will send him back on a friendlier path."

The corner of Karma's lips edged upwards a little. "And, it'd be funny to watch."

Maybe if Gakushuu lost, then he'd be less of a smug asshole all the time. A chink in Mr Perfect's armour.

***

The preparations for the pole topping tournament were intense as usual, but also fun. It was nice planning with everyone, and he liked trading strategies with Isogai.

"I really hope this works..." Isogai said as they arrived at the playing field early.

Karma glanced at him. "Well, worst case you'll have to find a full-time job as a barista."

The Ikeman groaned. "Thanks..."

He smirked and patted him on the shoulder. "Relax, it'll be fine." His grin grew. "Just have fun kicking their asses."

Nakamura grinned, holding up her phone. "We'll be recording it."

Karma stared at Class A which were gathering around the other side of the field. The inhumanly bilk foreign exchange students already in position. "Huh, they look bigger in person."

He recognised Kevin instantly, the blond hair and brash voice a dead giveaway. Gakushuu had mentioned the American boy once or twice when they'd been studying for the Kunugigaoka Entrance exam, even showing a picture of the two of them at a soccer game.

"No shit!" Okajima gulped. "How are they even students!"

He shrugged. "Steroids."

His brother did tend to collect eccentric minions. Gakushuu had even once claimed he'd made contact with an alien when attending a science competition in Texas last year, which was total bullshit.

Isoagi sighed. "It's like he's superhuman..."

Karma raised an eyebrow. "Pfft." He stared at his brother. "Nah, he's lame and a nerd." He smirked, remembering how much his brother secretly loved Transformers, even though he tried to hide it, and how his brother would drool over everything when sleeping. "He just knows how to make good speeches." He leaned on the Ikeman's shoulder. "Trust me, you're way cooler."

Isogai looked at him curiously. "Oh..." He looked surprised since Karma rarely did praise anyone. "Well, thanks, Karma." He smiled warmly. "That means a lot."

Karma grinned and tugged the boy's hair antenna strands. "Plus, just think of seeing their faces when we win!"

"Ah!" Isogai smiled nervously as his antennas were tugged. "Uh, Karma—"

Kataoka slapped Karma's hand. "Okay, knock it out."

"Thanks, Kataoka."Isogai said, smiling sheepishly.

Karma smirked. "Just providing motivation."

"Of course."Nagisa smiled in amusement and shook his head. "If we can beat them, then maybe they'll start taking us more seriously."

Karma hummed, watching his brother's team prepare. "Yeah, maybe." He stretched. "Or they'll just get more annoying." He nudged Nagisa. "Come on, let's go kick their ass."

***

And, kick their ass they did.

The look on Gakushuu's face when the pole came down was hilarious.

Karma stayed behind with the others to tidy up, some of the main campus kids congratulating them along the way.

It was... a nice feeling.

The sun was starting to set when they finished up.

"Hey, look, it's Asano." Nakamura grinned, gesturing to his brother who was directing some ambulance workers towards the school while the rest of the Big Five watched nervously.

Karma frowned, watching the ambulance workers enter the school while his friends were busy talking to his brother.

Where were Kevin and the others?

He looked over at his brother's friends, they seemed nervous, or were at least trying to hide it...

Why was there an ambulance?

Karma shifted, and looked at his brother, noting the boy's tense posture and guarded expression.

"Hey, Karma." Nagisa touched his arm. "Everything okay?"

"Huh?" Karma nearly jumped, growing guarded. "Oh, yeah." He smiled. "Just enjoying the look on their faces."

Nagisa looked amused. "They did seem annoyed."

"Wow!" Isogai was suddenly yelling in excitement, as a trolly of bread was brought over. "Leftovers from the bread eating contest!" He looked so happy it was kind of adorable. "I could make us all goldfish buns!"

"He looks happy." Karma smiled faintly.

Nagisa beamed. "Yeah! I mean, it is free food."

"Come on, we'll help you carry the bread home!" Maehara swung an arm around Isogai.

"Goldfish bun party!" Nakamura cheered.

"Uh, is that hygienic?" Takebayashi questioned.

"Who cares!?" Terasaka put the boy in a headlock. "Come on, let's celebrate!"

Karma smiled in amusement as he watched them, but he felt his attention shift when he saw Gakushuu enter the school building again, leaving the other four boys behind.

Just what had happened?

"Karma! Nagisa!" Nakamura yelled, most of E Class starting to move away with the trolly of bread. "You coming? We're heading to Muramatsu's to start the party!"

"Coming!" Nagisa hurried after, but then paused when Karma didn't move. "Aren't you coming?"

Karma smiled disarmingly. "Yeah, I'll catch-up, I left some stuff back at the mountain."

The blue-haired boy looked curious but didn't push it. "Oh, okay." He smiled and waved over his shoulder. "See you in a bit!"

Karma smiled and waved as they all started to leave. His smile fading when they were further away. The grounds of the school empty and quiet as the last of the students stepped out of view.

He looked over his shoulder at the school and felt his stomach twist when he saw the paramedics carry out four bulky frames on stretchers to the ambulance.

"What the hell?" He walked closer to the school, watching as the ambulance was loaded up and drove away before he got close.

Karma frowned and glanced back at the entranceway, and then walked into the school, trying to find his brother so he could get answers.

Kevin, Jose, Sang, and Camille were big guys for fifteen, they weren't easily bruised let alone hospitalized.

He started to feel a pit of dread grow in his stomach as he walked down the halls, his instincts pushing him to the principal's office since that seemed to be the beating heart of the school, which right now felt like a haunted fortress than a school.

He wasn't sure what he'd expected to find, but when he opened the door to the Principal's office, he didn't expect to see his brother kneeling on the floor desperately trying to scrub the blood out of the carpet, movements frantic. The blood was splattered on the desk and walls like some kind of horror show.

"The fuck?" Karma felt cold, the smell overpowering.

Gakushuu jerked his head up, jumpy. "What are you doing here?" He stood up, knees stained a rusted red colour. A box of cleaning supplies and a bucket of water by his side.  "Leave!"

Karma stared at him, a shiver running down his spine as he put the pieces together. Like each stain of blood replayed the story in all its gritty horror.

Their father had done this, the 'why' stuck in his throat for a moment before it fast became obvious why. Failure was punished, no further explanation was needed when trying to understand the principal's thought process.

"Where is he?" Karma asked numbly, the door slipping closed behind him.

Gakushuu stayed silent for a while, stained hands clenched tight into fists. "...He's gone to a meeting. He told me to clean up." His brother glared at him, but there was something cracked in his gaze. "Now just go."

Karma stared at him, feeling nauseous. "That's not how you get blood out of the carpet." He took off his PE jacket and placed it on the side. "You're just making it worse."

"I don't need your—"

"Shut up." His voice sharpened, fixing him with a cold look. "I helped the others beat you, so this is my mess, right? We won, you lost, and now this is what's happened."

If his class hadn't won, then those four exchange students wouldn't be in the hospital.

His brother's shoulders shook a little. "...The only person's fault it is, is mine," he said numbly. "I'm the one who failed and dragged them into this." He lowered his gaze and stared at the bloodstain on the carpet. "If I'd been a better leader, none of this would have happened."

Karma's stomach twisted. "This isn't your fault, you idiot." He walked over to him and shook his shoulder. "Dad did this because he's fucking crazy." He gripped his shoulder tight. "Gakushuu, come on..." His worry grew, feeling like they were little kids again. "You can't seriously think this is your fault?"

His brother's gaze was dull and tired when he looked up, walls fractured, showing weakness. "I... I should have been able to stop him," he said quietly, hands shaking. "... He just kept hitting them." The look in his brother's gaze was raw. "They were begging him to stop and... I didn't do anything. I didn't do anything, Karma."

Shit. His brother looked like he was about to crack. Hell, Karma felt like he was going to have a mental break at this rate.

Karma grimaced, gripping his brother's shoulders tight. "Hey, snap out of it, okay?"  What was he even supposed to say? "Dad wants the mess cleaned up. So, we'll just clean this up and then everything will be fine. Alright?"

That was a lie, but he honestly didn't know what he was supposed to do. Gakushuu looked like he was teetering on a meltdown, which was a whole other mess Karma was not trained to deal with.

"Yes." Gakushuu nodded, his mind dragging itself back to reality. "That's fine. Yes, I can do that." Then his shoulders tensed up, gaze refocusing. "I don't need your help."

"Yeah, well, too bad." Karma grabbed a fresh cloth from the box, taking a deep breath. "We need baking soda and salt if we're gonna get rid of most of this."

He'd gotten plenty of stains out of his clothes over the years, this was just... just a different type and bigger stain to get out.

Karma paused when his phone buzzed in his pocket. He looked at the message.

Nakamura: HEY! Karma, you coming? We're at Isogai's house.

Kayano: We got pudding!

Karma smiled a little but then felt his chest tighten when he looked back at his brother who was staring at a bloodstain on the wall. His brother's gaze worryingly spaced out, like he was reliving the memory.

Karma: Sorry can't, something came up last minute. Family stuff.

He sent the message to the group and then turned his phone off.

***

They cleaned in silence for the most part, like completing a task. It was easier to just think of it that way.

Karma felt like he was working on autopilot, cleaning meticulously. The carpet had been tackled first, not a stain in sight. Now his brother was cleaning the walls while he tackled the blood on the desk, trying not to bleach the wood.

Their dad's words kept repeating in his head, 'if you make a mess, you have to clean it up.'

His hand froze briefly, remembering being four years old and trying to hide the wet sheets from his dad. He'd only slipped up once when he hadn't woken up and his dad had chewed him out in the morning in front of his brother, lecturing that, 'even pigs don't sleep in their own filth, Karma!'.

Karma shivered and kept cleaning, scrubbing the desk harder as he tried to block out the memories.

Once the desk was clean, he looked over at his brother, and then frowned when he saw Gakushuu staring at something in his hands.

"What's wrong?" he asked warily, walking over to his brother.

Gakushuu clenched his hand tight, shoulders stiff. "Teeth." He shakily showed him three, pinkish from the blood, teeth in his palm. "They must have... fallen out."

Karma's stomach lurched, swallowing back some vomit. "Oh..." He hesitantly knelt next to his brother.  "Um... who's are they? I'm sure the hospital can put them back in."

His brother just kept staring at the teeth. "I'm not sure who they belong to... they might be Jose's, the Principal broke his jaw..."

Karma was silent, staring at him for a long moment, and then at the office they were still cleaning. "Right..." His skin crawled as the wrongness of everything became impossible to ignore.

He'd beaten people up before, lots of times, and there was always blood but... nothing like this. Or at least he didn't think so.

He curled his hands tightly, touching his knuckle with his thumb, skin callous from years of use.

For a long time, violence was a bond he and his father had shared. He remembered how proud his dad would look when he'd watch him win martial arts match after match. Every punch and crack of the bone earned another praising smile from his dad.

Karma could remember smiling and feeling warm after the praise, ignoring his opponent who'd be moaning or crying on the floor beneath his feet. He'd felt so strong and loved in those moments. His dad gently ruffling his hair and pulling him close to his side, praising his talent and skill. Another gold trophy added to the shelf.

Karma stared at the blood still on the wall and realised that maybe he was more like his father than he liked to admit. His father was just better at hiding the violence.

He swallowed a lump in his throat and stood up. "Come on, we're nearly done." He held his hand out for his brother to take. "It's getting late."

The sun had set an hour ago, the sky outside pitch black.

Gakushuu looked at Karma's hand and grimaced, pocketing the teeth in his pocket as he stood up without assistance. "Fine."

They finished cleaning over the next hour, the office completely spotless, without a speck of blood in sight. The smell lingered though, a faint whiff of metallic and old meat, mixed in with the flowery scent of cleaning products and baking soda.

Karma looked at his t-shirt which was damp and ruined with soaked up bloodstains. The palms of his hands tinted pink from the cloth.

For a while, the two of them stared at the office in silence.

Karma glanced at his brother, frowning when he saw how exhausted the boy looked. "...You wanna get changed at mom's? She's on a trip so no one else is home."

Gakushuu stayed quiet. "He'll want me back home."

He narrowed his eyes. "And, you really wanna go home after this?"

Being under the same roof as their dad was awful on a good day, let alone after this trauma.

His brother looked away. "It's not about what I want."

"Bullshit." Karma felt a rise of frustration. "Don't be an idiot." He poked his brother hard in the head, earning a glare. "Just come stay at mine. Fuck, why ever even go back? Just come live with me and mom from now on."

Even if his brother was an asshole but, he was still his brother, and it was clear he was a lot more vulnerable than he cared to let on.

"No." Gakushuu's voice was firm, shooting Karma a stern look. "I'm not a coward."

That stung more than it should, but Karma tried to ignore it. "...Fine, then just stay overnight. We don't have to talk, you can just sleep on the couch and the next day we can forget this ever happened," he proposed, frowning when his brother didn't respond. "Do you really want to go home now anyway? Because we both know dad's still gonna be pissed off." He shifted on the spot. "It'll be like the times we'd hide from him when he was in a bad mood."

He remembered they'd hid for a good two hours once.

Gakushuu's shoulders stiffened, back tense like a wire. "...I need to drop the teeth off at the hospital," he replied dully. "They should be able to still re-attach them."

"Yeah, okay." Karma stared at him. "I'll come too. I could use the walk."

Something flashed in his brother's gaze. "I don't need you to come."

"I know, but you also look like shit, so they might not let you leave." He shrugged, staying calm. "If I go in they'll ask fewer questions.

His brother scowled, looking down at his appearance which was messier than Karma's since his knees were stained, which would be harder to cover up with a jacket. "...Fine."

***

The trip to the hospital was quick. Karma smiled at the reception lady as he handed the teeth in an envelope and explained who they were for. She looked a little disturbed and tried to ask more questions, but he just left.

He'd managed to convince Gakushuu to stay over at mom's house, even though it had been like trying to drag him there.

"Here." Karma threw him a plastic bag, the two of them in the guest room. "You can put your clothes in here."

Gakushuu was sat on the futon, his school uniform carefully folded by his side. He'd reluctantly changed into the spare set of shorts and t-shirt Karma had given him, which fit fine since they were the same size.

"Why do you still wear this stuff?" Gakushuu frowned when he looked at the Astroboy t-shirt he'd been given.

Karma raised an eyebrow. "Why are you still a Transformers nerd?"

"I don't even like it anymore!" His brother snapped, a faint blush on his cheeks, throwing the bag of dirty clothes at him.

"Yeah, sure." Karma rolled his eyes and took the bag with him to the laundry room.

He stuffed his brother's clothes in the machine, along with his own, and then set it to wash.

As he was walking back to the guest room he heard his brother talking to someone.

"Yes, I know." Gakushuu's voice was strained. "I'm not a coward I just... needed some time to reflect on what happened." There was a brief quietness, a voice mumbling from the other side of the phone. "Yes, I know." His brother's voice became duller. "...It won't happen again."

Karma grimaced as he listened, realising who was on the other line. "Hm..."

"...Of course, she isn't here, you'd think I'd stay if she was?" Gakushuu's tone grew irritated. "...No, it's just Karma... well, what did you want me to do? He was freaking out." Well, that was total bullshit. "...I'll be home tomorrow.... Yes, I know. Goodbye." There was a distinct beep of the line being cut. "...You know eavesdropping is rude, Karma."

Karma scoffed, coming around the corner. "It's my house."

Gakushuu grimaced, laying on the futon. "What do you want?"

He shifted in the doorway, shrugging. "Nothing. Just being a good host, checking on my guest."

His brother fixed him with a dry look. "I'll make sure to leave you a review online then." He fluffed up his pillow. "Now, go away. I'm tired."

Karma scowled a little. "Wow, nice to see my hospitality is appreciated."

Gakushuu narrowed his eyes. "I'm only here because you practically dragged me." He turned away from him. "I don't actually need your pity."

Karma felt a spark of anger. "Oh, get over yourself." He groaned. "It's called being a human being, you asshole." His chest hurt a little. "Just because I don't like you, doesn't mean dad can treat you like that."

"And, since when has that been issue for you?" His brother challenged, standing up. "You've been perfectly happy having our lives be completely separate."

Karma grew on edge. "What? Just because I don't want to be dad's lapdog and live in that hellhole and let him treat me like shit?" he challenged. "Or are you just gonna lie and say he does all this because he loves us?"

He remembered the years he'd hung onto that lie, believing every false reassurance his brother had told him.

Gakushuu bristled. "I already told you, that I'm trying—"

"What? Blackmail him so you get control?" Karma interrupted, his tone taunting. "Because that's working great isn't it? You think once you control everything, that what? We'll be a family again? That everything will be fine—?"

"That' not it!" his brother snapped. "What do you want me to say, that—?"

Karma wanted to bash his head against the wall. "I want you to say it's not going to be okay, that you don't know what you're doing, because you can't fix this!" he shouted, losing his temper. "I want you to stop being such a controlling asshole, and stop listening to dad and just leave. Just get out." His brother fell silent, staring at him. "You're gonna end up killing yourself, or dad will..." His voice quietened. "...I don't want you dead."

No amount of winning was worth it if the point was just to avoid punishment.

Gakushuu stayed silent for a while. "...I'm not going to end up dead," he replied quietly, his anger fading.

"You say that, but..." Karma's thoughts lingered on the bridge, then to jumping from the cliff. "It can feel good sometimes, wanting everything to be over." He looked at him pointedly. "You're honestly going to tell me you haven't at least thought about it?"

His brother was silent, gaze averted, which was all the confirmation he needed. It was kind of comforting since it meant he wasn't crazy for thinking it. Or maybe his brother was really just as crazy as him and was just better at masking it.

"...Yeah, that's what I thought," Karma said dully, staring at him searchingly. "You need to leave?"

Gakushuu gaze was dead. "What makes you think I haven't tried?" his voice was quiet but sharp, making him tense. "You think everything's so simple, and you think just because he's ignoring you, that he won't track you down if you tried to runaway? Or not go to the school he wants you to go to?"

Karma swallowed a lump in his throat, the weight of his brother's words feeling like they were trapping him because of how true they felt. Koro-sensei talked about getting out ad breaking some kind of cycle, but how were they supposed to do that? Wait until they were eighteen? Or twenty? Some landlords didn't even rent to eighteen-year-old without parental permission. How many years would it take and what if their friends suffered because of it?

Maybe things would be better if the world ended by March, at least if they were all dead they'd be free... or at least if their dad was dead...

Karma shook that thought away because that train of thought was leading to dangerous territory, but he couldn't help but start to think about it, especially with his whole class motive being about killing.

The terrifying thing was, that it could be so easy to do. He'd learned enough about weapons, and poisons. He could make cyanide easily, and even ask Bitch-sensei, and she wouldn't ask too many questions. It just took the right amount of resolution to do it.

"...Well, maybe things would be easier if he wasn't around," Karma said quietly, trying to imagine it.

The thought of actually killing their dad though... it made him feel sick, and he didn't think he could do it in cold blood since he still did love him regardless of everything that had happened, but maybe if he was angry enough... or if he was protecting someone.

"Karma..." His brother touched his shoulder, grip steadying. "He's still our father."

Karma frowned, staring at him for a long moment. The dark thoughts shifted when he started to imagine his father's corpse, blood everywhere like in the office. Smell putrid. "Yeah... he is."

Koro-sensei wouldn't have wanted him to hurt his father, even if the man deserved it.

Gakushuu's gaze grew worried, like Karma was the one who'd witnessed something traumatic today and not the other way around. "... I'm tired." He turned away from him. "You should get some sleep."

"Yeah..." Karma's chest still felt hollow, but he nodded nevertheless. "Sure, whatever..." He left the guest room and closed the door, the disturbing thoughts lingering.

***

Karma was a bit confused when he woke up and could smell eggs. He groaned, rubbing his face in his pillow as he stirred awake.

He rubbed his eyes and got out of bed. "Well, at least he made breakfast."

He yawned and walked downstairs, scratching his back. The smell of egg grew stronger as he walked to the kitchen and found his brother sitting by the counter, eating an omelette, already dressed in his school uniform. "Oh, you're finally awake."

It was 6 AM!

Karma frowned, looking around the kitchen. "Hey, where's my omelette?"

Gakushuu raised an eyebrow. "I'm not your servant, make it yourself."

Karma scowled briefly. "Whatever." He walked over to the fridge and took out some strawberry milk, and then picked up a box of cereal from the counter.

His brother arched an eyebrow. "What are you doing?"

"Making cereal, genius." Karma shrugged, pouring the strawberry milk into the bowl.

"Do you know how much sugar is in that crap!?" Gakushuu looked appalled.

He shrugged again,  adding the cereal. "Yeah, that's why it tastes good."

His brother's eye twitched. "For God's sake." He stood up and took off his blazer. "Fine, move over."

Karma looked at him questionably. "What?"

"Give me that." Gakushuu snatched the bowl of cereal and poured it into the trash.

"Hey!" Karma objected, glaring at him. "I was eating that!"

His brother ignored him and grabbed the frying pan from the cupboard. "No wonder you're malnourished." He placed the pan on the stove and turned it on. "You'll have diabetes before you're thirty, at this rate."

Karma scowled, crossing his arms. "What happened to not being a servant?"

"That was before I was reminded of how little  you regard your general health." Gakushuu sighed, adding a little bit of oil to the pan, before cracking three eggs into a mixing bowl. "Now be quiet and pass me some mushrooms, and peppers, you need to eat some vegetables."

Karma didn't move and glared at him, to which his brother responded by pocking him in the head with a whisk. "Hey!"

"Go, get the ingredients, idiot."

"Well, screw you too," Karma said, and then went to get the ingredients.

***

It was a nice omelette, he'd give his brother that.

It was weird eating breakfast with him in mom's kitchen though. Eating breakfast with his brother without their father around felt strange as well, the atmosphere lighter.

"You need to get dressed or you're going to be late," Gakushuu said, sipping his coffee. "I'm not walking with you. You're too slow."

Karma rolled his eyes, finishing his omelette. "Like I'd want to be seen with you anyway." He scoffed. "Besides, I'll get to class on time, not everyone wants to be super early like you."

"It's called diligence." Gakushuu scrolled through his phone.

Karma arched an eyebrow, wondering if his brother would ever not be a complete nerd. He watched him for a moment, the parts of yesterday feeling like a nightmare since his brother didn't look bothered in the slightest. Gakushuu looked fine, not a hair out of place or any indication he'd witnessed their father beat four boys to a bloody pulp.

"Surprised you even want to go in after what happened..." he ventured, chewing on the egg.

Gakushuu didn't look up from his phone. "Why wouldn't I go in?"

"... Well, we did practically clean up a crime scene," Karma replied dryly.

His brother glanced up, expression passive. "Avoiding him will just escalate the situation, and bring unwanted questions." He shrugged, drinking his coffee. "I'd rather not have to deal with both of those things."

Karma hummed, leaning on the counter. Thoughts swirling in his head. "Be better if no one had to deal with him..."

Gakushuu's eyes narrowed a fraction, pausing from taking another sip of coffee. "Whatever you're thinking, stop it. You're being impulsive."

He scowled, hunching his shoulders. "I was just joking."

"No, you weren't." His brother responded, looking at him pointedly. "You think I haven't thought about it too?" His voice was cold, making Karma shift and look away. "I imagine it a lot, and it normally always ends with picturing a knife in his neck. I even thought about how to get away with it." He sipped his drink before then staring into the mug. "But I'd never do it, because he's our father, and it's wrong."

"There's nothing wrong with just thinking about it," Karma muttered, remembering the grey areas he'd learned from Bitch-sensei.

Gakushuu stared at him intently, like he was trying to figure him out. "...As much as I may hate him. I don't want him dead, he's still the man who raised us." He grimaced. "And in his own twisted way, he does care about us."

Karma's gaze was bitter.  "Yeah, except his kind of caring will probably get us sent to a psych ward." He looked at his brother sharply. "You looked halfway there yesterday."

His brother looked affronted, growing guarded again. "Don't be ridiculous, I'm not fragile. Yesterday was just... a shock."

He hummed, not convinced. "Right, sure."

"I'm fine." Gakushuu looked annoyed, drinking his coffee. "I don't need your concern, besides I'm the oldest, I can handle myself fine."

"Don't start with that again." Karma grew irritated, rolling his eyes. "He's getting worse and you just don't want to admit it."

His brother was quiet for a moment. "Well, maybe if you actually told the big secret—"

"Oh, great, we're starting that again—"

"If you were actually serious about helping, you'd tell me," Gakushuu replied firmly. "So unless you feel like sharing, save your half-baked sympathy for someone who cares."

Karma narrowed his gaze. "You know what your problem is? You're like those bitchy girls who thinks the whole world revolves around them, and everyone else's secrets and lives are just orbiting you," he told him bluntly. "I'm not hiding stuff because I like making your life miserable—I mean, that's enjoyable, yeah sure— but it's also because it's something that's bigger and more important than what you want, and you're not entitled to know."

Gakushuu's eyes widened briefly, before his eyes narrowed. "...Fine." He scowled, finishing his coffee. "Don't tell me then." His expression was cold. "Like I even need the information to get ahead."

Karma smirked, resting his chin in his hand. "Good to know."

His brother grimaced a little. "I'm going to school." He stood up, grabbing his blazer and bag. "Is my PE gear washed?"

Karma's smirk wavered, growing annoyed. "Nah, I tossed it in the trash."

Gakushuu scowled. "Just get it!"

***

"Oh, hello, Karma?" Koro-sensei looked curious to see him come to the teachers' lounge after school.

"Hey." Karma shifted in the doorway, glancing at Karasuma who was writing up a report and Bitch-sensei who was grading homework while also manicuring her nails. "Uh... can I have some advice?"

"Advice!?" Koro-sensei lit up like a Christmas tree. "You're asking me for advice!?"

"Uh, yeah." Karma raised an eyebrow.

"YES!" Koro-sense was giddy, to Bitch-sensei and Karasuma's growing annoyance. "A student is asking me for the advice! I have reached the goal of teaching!"

"On, second thoughts, never mind." Karma turned around to leave.

"Ah! Wait!" Koro-sensei yelled, clinging onto his leg. "No, please, don't take this away from me!"

Karma sighed deeply.

***

"Ah, perfect." Koro-sensei and he sat on the steps overlooking the school and city. "I picked this spot especially because of its peak student seeking teacher's advice aesthetic!"

Karma shook his head, leaning back on the steps. "Whatever."

Koro-sensei chuckled. "Now, what's on our mind?"

"...This whole class is about killing." He hesitated, staring at the Main Campus building down below. "So, I've been thinking, what if...?" He frowned, zoning out a little as he stared ahead. "What if my dad just died?"

Then everyone's problems would be solved. Sure, Gakushuu would be upset at first, but he'd get over it.

Koro-sensei didn't say anything for a while. "...So, you want your father dead?"

"I think so." Karma's gaze focussed on an ant crawling by. "Everything seems like it'd be better if he wasn't around."

Koro-sensei hummed. "Perhaps, though I am a strong believer people can change."

Karma scoffed. "Yeah, that's not gonna happen."

"How so sure?"

He frowned, looking up. "Because... it's my dad. He's stubborn." He shrugged, trying to imagine it. "I mean... he used to be different, I guess." His stomach twisted when he thought about the past. "But that was a long time ago."

"Well, change isn't easy, especially as we get older," his teacher replied. "Things weigh us down and we get into bad habits, so really it's up to the person to make the effort to change. They need to want it and acknowledge why they need to change, and sometimes that push comes from other people making them realise they were wrong."

Karma's frown deepened. "Well, even if he changes, I don't think I'll forgive him." He grimaced. "I don't trust him, but I think some part of Gakushuu still does." He sighed. "I guess I'm the same with my mom... I chose her and he chose dad," he said, remembering yesterday. "It's like Gakushuu thinks he can fix everything if he's in control again."

"Well, nearly everyone wants some kind of family," Koro-sensei said gently. "Even if not related by blood, a lot of people cling to others because they need at least one person they trust completely."

Karma thought about it, looking up at the sky. "It used to be that the only people we trusted were each other." His stomach twisted a bit at the memories. "Like we argued a lot and he still pissed me off, but... we were a family, and I knew I could tell him anything." He swallowed a lump in his throat. "Now he's a manipulative prick who thinks I'm an idiot."

Koro-sensei hummed. "Well, it sounds as if you won't closure, rather than your father dead," he said. "Think of it this way, if your father suddenly disappeared, is there anything you'd still want to say to him, to make him understand what he put you through."

"Yeah," Karma replied apprehensively. "There's a lot I'd want to say..." He frowned. "But, it's not just that. If he was dead, then me and Gakushuu would be free."

"Well, considering my position in the grand scheme of things and the task I've set you, I can't tell you that's it's wrong to want him dead," Koro-sensei said. "What I can say, is that in assassination, there can come a point where after so many lives are taken, you can forget the value of a life and the consequences of taking it."

Karma looked up curiously, listening. "The value..."

"Every life has a value of some kind, their actions being one piece of a puzzle," his teacher said, picking up a beetle that was scurrying by. "There are moral debates that come along with it, but fundamentally when killing someone, it all comes to a choice. He let the beetle crawl down his tentacle and back onto the steps. "Assassination isn't just about taking a life, it's about choosing not to as well."

Karma fell silent, dwelling on that thought. "Huh..." He hummed. "I guess I don't want him to die until I prove him wrong."

Koro-sensei patted his head. "And prove him wrong you shall, my boy!" He chuckled. "I did notice some textbooks under your desk during the summer..."

Karma blushed a little and whacked his tentacle away. "I was just checking it out, it's not like I was cramming." Which was a lie, but the octopus didn't need to know that.

His teacher chuckled. "Of course."

***

Karma tried not to think about the aftermath of the sports festival that much, but luckily, his classmates moved on preparing for midterms, which seemed to have his brother's full attention as well since Mr Perfect was barely returning his texts.

He sighed, leaning back on his desk while Koro-sensei was prepping them on social studies.

Honestly, not having to talk about the whole massacre in the principal's office scenario, felt oddly relieving. Like he wasn't having to relive all the other trauma that came with it, which seemed selfish but... well, if Gakushuu didn't want to talk about it then he wasn't going to ask.

He tried to focus on studying, since for once it was a nice distraction from everything else going on, and even with the whole disaster which was the accident with the parkour runs. He was still confident he'd studied enough to get ahead of the exams, even though he still tried to sneak in some studying while babysitting the little kids who were around three to six years old.

"Hey! Play with us, Karma-senpai!" A chubby boy in overalls tugged his arm while he was trying to study geometry.

"Yeah! We wanna face paint!" A girl with pigtails complained, pulling his other arm.

Karma sighed, his hiding spot behind the bookcases exposed. "Come on, give me a break."

Little kids were exhausting!

How the hell had Gakushuu put up with him when he was that age? He supposed the one year difference helped but his brother always acted older than he was. He remembered their dad had always ordered Gakushuu to look after him or watch him, which had been annoying. He'd wanted to run around and play games but all his brother had seemed to want was for him to sit still and be quiet.

"Come on, senpai, play with is." The boy gave him a puppy dog look.

Ugh.

What did Gakushuu use to do in these kinds of situations? Pinch him? He remembered his brother sometimes gave him stuff to play with to keep him occupied, or if their dad wasn't around, he told him to draw things.

Karma hummed, closing his textbook. "You wanna draw?"

The two kids perked up. "Okay!"

Karma hid his book and let them drag him out of his hiding spot, heading over to a table where some other kids were drawing.

They started drawing, he started with kid stuff and drew an outline of Astroboy.

"Wow!" The girl looked excited, smiling. "That's so cool!"

Karma smirked. "You can colour it in if you wanna colour it in?"

Her eyes sparkled. "Yes!"

"I want one too, please!" The boy tugged his arm.

Karma looked amused and started drawing Sonic Ninja, as more little kids gathered around, asking him to draw different characters.

"Nice job, Karma." Sugaya came over, hands and face covered in blotches of paint. "I didn't know you could draw. It looks good."

Karma shrugged, his cheeks heating up a little since Sugaya was clearly a better artist. "It's a hobby."

"Um... can you draw a princess next, please?" Another boy asked shyly, leaning on his arm.

"That's for girls." One girl complained.

"Nah, no it's not," Karma said, causing them to look at him with wide eyes. "I used to draw princesses all the time." He smiled slightly when he saw the dark-haired baby doll in the boy's hands. "Cute doll. What's her name?"

The boy smiled and hugged the doll close. "Imai..."

"Cool." Karma felt a warm feeling stir in his chest when the boy beamed at him, and then frowned when he saw Sugaya smiling at him. "What?"

Sugaya chuckled. "Nothing. You wanna be on paint monitor duty later." He smiled sheepishly, rubbing his back. "My backs kind of killing me now."

"Yeah, sure." Karma shrugged, while a couple of kids climbed on his back like monkeys climbing a tree.

Sugaya nodded and headed off, leaving him surrounded by a group of little kids.

"You're really good at this, senpai," a girl said, chewing her braid as she watched him draw.

Karma smiled a little, drawing another picture. "Thanks." He felt a small rush of pride when he looked at his drawing. "Drawing's fun I guess..." Then he started to smirk. "But, you know what's more fun?"

"Huh?" The kids all looked at him curiously.

His smirk grew. "Spice bombs." He pulled some wasabi and chilli out of his pocket.

Their little faces sparkled with wonder.

"Spices!"

***

Karma nearly did a double-take when he saw his midterm results. Everyone else hadn't done so great, only a few coming close to the top fifty.

He'd got second place.

Karma froze and stared at his score. He got second place, his ranking was printed on that slip of paper just below Gakushuu's.

"Well, done." Koro-sensei patted his shoulder, the other students had cleared out to go home.

"I..." Karma stared at his score and then started to smile. "Sweet!" He looked around for Nagisa and the others, wanting to show them.

Koro-sensei chuckled. "They left a few minutes ago, you should be able to catch them up."

Karma grinned and grabbed his bag. "Right." He rushed to the door but paused for a second. "Not a bad job, teach." He praised, and then nearly roll his eyes when Koro-sensei looked close to tears. "See you tomorrow."

He hurried out of the classroom before his teacher started crying.

As he wandered down the mountain he paused near the edge after he saw his brother and friends talking to Nagisa, Sugino, and Okajima.

"We didn't even need to smash you at pole-toppling," Seo taunted loudly.

Okajima and Sugino gritted their teeth, whilst Nagisa looked at a loss of what to say.

"Cat got your tongue? That's not surprising," Koyama sneered.

Ren flicked his hair. "At this school, grades are everything. Those on the bottom have no right speaking to those at the top."

"Really?" Karma spoke up, smiling smugly when they all looked over. "Then you can't say anything to me, now, can you?" He walked over, looking smug when his brother frowned  "I mean," Karma sighed." I mean, the principal will probably be like, 'It doesn't count if you didn't come in first.'"

"Karma..." Nagisa murmured.

Gakushuu narrowed his eyes at Karma. "...You came second."

Karma grinned, walking closer. "Yep." He flashed the test scores in his face.  "Hasn't it dawned on you?" he taunted.  "I'm the only one who gave it my all this time around. Everyone else was pulling their punches for you." His brother's friends looked pissed, while Gakushuu just seemed to grow annoyed. "Said you'd have no standing if you kept on losing."

The four of his brother's friends grew angrier.

"What did you say?!" Araki grunted.

"But, we won't go easy on you next time." Karma smiled at his friends who looked back in surprise. "When the third semester comes around, our lessons will change, since we have to take high school entrance exams, and you guys are in the escalator system." His smile grew. "The next exams will be the last time we're under the same conditions." He spread his arms out. "The second-semester finals in two months, let's settle everything there!"

A curious look flickered in his brother's gaze. "Hm." His brow furrowed slightly, staring at Karma like he was actually seeing him for once. "Interesting."  He stepped away from him. "Let's see if you can keep that up."

Karma's smile was crooked. "Oh, don't worry, I'm just getting started." He bared his teeth, annoying his brother more. "Come on, guys! We can go grab some gelato!" He walked ahead, amused by the glares the other four 3-A students were giving him.

"Sounds good," Nagisa said brightly, as Sugino and Okajima followed.

***

There was a memory he sometimes thought about, something his dad had taught them when he was seven and Gakushuu was eight.

"Boys, how would you solve this cube?" Their dad was sitting in an armchair in the living room, fiddling with a Rubix cube.

Karma fidgeted a little, trying to think of what the right answer would be. "Um, practice a formula?"

Their dad raised an eyebrow, like that was a stupid answer. "You need to be more specific, son."

Karma ducked his head. "Um..."

"Practicing using the cross then layer method?" Gakushuu answered.

"That's one option," their dad replied. "But not the fastest method." Their dad pulled a screwdriver from his pocket. "The quickest and most efficient method is to break it apart." The two of them flinched when the cube was stabbed with the tool and broken apart. "And then simply reconstruct it."

Karma frowned. "But, isn't that..." He trailed off when their father's gaze landed on him. "Uh..."

"Speak up, Karma." Their dad smiled thinly. "Nervousness is a trait belonging to the weak." He lifted his chin up. "Voice your thoughts clearly in a way that demands attention from those around you."

Karma gulped but forced himself to speak. "Isn't it cheating?" He slumped his shoulders when their dad's smile wavered. "I mean, breaking it up instead of solving it... it seems... wrong."

"Wrong?" Their dad repeated lightly.

Karma grew afraid, realising his mistake, because their dad was never supposed to be wrong. Their dad was always right, and to imply anything else was disrespectful. "I..."

"Oh, son." Their dad suddenly looked amused, placing a hand on his head. "That's a naïve line of thinking."

"Huh?" He stared at their dad warily.

Their dad didn't seem angry though. "The lesson is to win through any means necessary." He regarded them for a moment. "If you're going to be strong men in society, you need to do whatever it takes to get ahead." There was a smile on his face. "Everyone else is just another step to your goal."

"Oh..." Karma's brow furrowed, trying to understand, as he stared at the small cube pieces scattered on the floor.

"...Isn't the cube going to get ruined, though?" Gakushuu asked quietly, frowning. "If you keep breaking it?"

Their dad stared at them for a moment, his expression hard to read. "I suppose." He picked up a small red piece of the cube that had fallen on his lap. "But, you just have to make sure you're careful how many times you break it."

Karma's stomach twisted for some reason, the whole method feeling wrong for reasons he couldn't quite piece together.

Karma snapped out of his memories, staring back at the test paper.  The final problem of the math question staring right back at him.

It felt like he was in a box.

He read through the question again, trying to properly understand it like Koro-sensei always advised. It was a hard question, mainly by how it seemed worded, and judging from the exhausted expressions from his friends, it looked like they'd called it quits, so it looked like it was down to him.

His mind drifted a bit when he thought about that.

Nagisa had always called him talented which was ironic seeing how the blue-haired boy was the one with the real hidden talents. What even defined a real genius anyway? Einstein hadn't been good at grammar and punctuation but was still great at math and science.

He supposed Gakushuu was a genius, but he was pretty stupid when it came to seeing people as friends and not being emotionally constipated.

Karma frowned, contemplating this. Talent was usually an invisible trait, and more often than not it's the result of work other people didn't see.

He thought about each of his friends' individual talents, how there was something special about them. Each talent was like a piece of the cube, coming together to form a whole mass.

His dad had always said the goal was to win at any cost, but why? What if failing was just a part of the process. That was the lesson Koro-sensei had taught them about assassination. Each failure was important, and other people weren't just steppingstones to be tread on. They had their own wants and dreams as well.

Everyone had a weakness, none of them were perfect, and that was what made them strong in the first place.

Karma's gaze shifted back to the test, trying to stay focussed. He still had a final problem to solve. It referenced breaking down a domain...

A sentence in the question description read, 'Multiple cubes having sides 1 arranged periodically.'

"Periodically..." Karma mouthed, frowning more as the gears in his head started to click.

That was it!

His eye widened, hurriedly writing down the formula.

The whole thing's divided out into this one itty bitty little cube. And if it's supposedly an atomic Crystal. Yeah. Everything on the outside is just more of the same. Which means...

From where I'm standing. Everyone has their own talent, their own specific domain. We are all in the same boat. I just couldn't see it before.... all I could see from inside this box. Fragments of a bigger picture.

Karma felt excited, writing it all down as he solved the problem.

He felt a rush of relief when he put his pencil down and closed his test paper.