It started with Koro-sensei assigning paired missions at dusk, and somehow you and Karma always ended up together. He teased that it was because you were “fun to watch panic,” but the truth was simpler—he trusted you. More than anyone else in the class.

The mission ended late, and the streets were quiet as you walked side by side. Karma kept his hands in his pockets, his expression neutral, though he kept glancing at your hands swinging near his. Your knuckles brushed once. Then again. Then he shifted just slightly closer, until your shoulders almost touched.

"Cold?" he asked, voice too casual. He didn’t say anything after that—just grabbed your hand, fingers sliding between yours like it was the most natural thing in the world. His ears were a little pink, but he stared forward like he hadn’t just done something intimate.