It came as a repugnant surprise that a mere children's game was so painful to endure when paired with the fiendish Karma Akabane, who had practically taken pride whilst basking in his sadistically mischievous schemes. Unfortunately, with your lunch held captive, your fondness for the break hour dwindled downhill in a matter of minutes.

Today marked the dreadful day that you were first exposed to the distressing pastime of Red Hands, and in short, the agonizing game of torturing slaps. Consisting of alternating palms hovering above and below the other set of hands, it was a strenuous activity for those unaccustomed to the rapid pace of responding to stimuli.

In other words, you were an utterly predictable neophyte for the devil to toy with.

The outcomes were always carbon copies of the last, for the results never differentiated. It was a static cycle of constantly facing defeat, regardless of offensive or defensive roles. If Karma was on offense, the round concluded with additions of red, stinging blemishes upon the backs of your hands, while if he was on defense, the round merely served as nothing more than a resting period for you to alleviate the pulsates of pain.

There was a brief point in the game towards the beginning when you had actually tried to slap him, to no avail. After futile attempts, the redhead's reactions were far too fast, presumably from experience.

When Karma slapped, he slapped tremendously. His incursions were the very manifestations of perdition, and frankly, spotting his rather sadistic behavior first-hand was petrifying.

Your eyebrows furrowed, your lips pressed together in a thin line, while your eyes tinged with desolation. The trepidation was written all over your face, along with the implied unwillingness to advance through the game.

The devil, however, knew not of mercy, for it was not his to express.

Karma raised an eyebrow at your pitifully obtuse efforts while greeting your instincts with derision, and a side of almost contemptuous laughter. "What? Is that the best you can do, [Name]-san? It's rather... disappointing, don't you think?"

Although his intentionally drawling tone contested your reflexes in terms of speed, the procedure in which he taunted you simply added more fuel to the igniting fire. Your hands were unbearably sore, tinted with a distinctive shade of red that the troublemaker presumably enjoyed distinguishing from the rest.

"Come on, you can do better. Can't you?"

You meekly shook your head, nearly stumbling on the words you failed to choke out, if only to plead for the dabbling to end. Karma was indisputably an intimidating mastermind, easily vandalizing whatever assertiveness you possessed in the blink of an eye. Compiled with the contrasting times he seemed to have cared for you and your general well-being, you never quite understood what it was he wanted from you.

His golden mercury hues glinted with a fleck of mischief, as his lips quirked in the innocent manner they always did. You thought that insipidity would have assuredly grasped the diversion sooner or later, however, Karma seemed as amused as ever.

"Hm? Really, now? Surely, you've learned at least something valuable from Karasuma-sensei's lessons?" He queried, tilting his head to the side in mock surprise. "You're awfully defective at this game, [Name]-san~"

Sucking in a breath, you repressed any indication of wanting to break down, in a fit of either anguish or vexation. "I-I know, I know, we're not all perfect, erudite tacticians like you, Karma-kun." Subconsciously, you lightly rubbed the throbbing specks of pinkish red, heaving an exasperated sigh.

It was almost a rotation of immeasurable, yet amplified emotions; the more comfortable you grew around the troublemaker, the more daunting he became, because of the simple elucidation that you were merely unveiling another side of the scourge. The steps of acquainting would only continue to spiral until you reached the unfeasible finish line, indicating that there was nothing left to expose, and only your comfort levels remained to catch up.

Perhaps it was doable for Nagisa, who knew him better than anybody else in Class 3-E. The magnitude of understanding between the duo exceeded that of what you could ever obtain-- you couldn't possibly compete.

What on Earth had you done to deserve the company of a notorious truant? More importantly, why? For all you knew, he could have chosen anybody else in the class to fool around with, like Nagisa and Kaede, though you wouldn't have desired to wish as such upon them, as you spared them the duty of becoming sacrificial pawns for his entertainment.

The same piercing pair of disobedient eyes locked on your figure, nearly urging you to continue with what you truly wanted to say, as if those calculating orbs of his scrutinized through your muses like an open book.

You nervously swallowed, only to muster the little bits and pieces of your ego that sustained the impish impact; you muttered a soft, but desperate plea. "Can we please stop? It's been forever, and... and I need to eat lunch, you know?"

He acknowledged your request with a simple laugh, scavenging for his twisted enjoyment in the most inappropriate of situations. "Eh? Forever, you say? Lunch break isn't all that long, [Name]-san. Stop dawdling-- we have several minutes to spare. Hands out."

The woeful despondency left you with a sense of rancorous disappointment, dazed in the dilemma of either valuing your hunger or physical state first. You fleetingly contemplated the idea of formulating a distraction to reclaim the meal that was rightfully yours, however, was there anything that could faze a trickster of such caliber?

After a moment of thought, the plan was quickly discarded, in preference of dallying to propose an alternative compromise. "W-Wait, Karma-kun! It's exactly as you say. If the resting period is short, then surely, I can have my food back after one more game?"

To your knowledge, it was never established that he had permission to purloin a belonging that was yours to begin with.

You hesitantly paused the negotiation, anxiously darting your eyes towards his own frame, in hopes of analyzing any hint of approval or agreement. His blank stare was not quite the response you hoped for, but nonetheless, you hesitantly proceeded. "P-Please? I have to take care of myself, remember? And that includes eating."

The same chuckle escaped his lips, and after a cursory glance at the time, he reluctantly complied with a nod, much to your surprise. "Sure, sure. That only leaves you a couple of minutes to wolf down your lunch, so I don't see why not, [Name]-san~"

Your eyes lit up for all the wrong reasons, while your reddish hands hastily rested in position, hanging right above the devil's. Karma seemed rather pleased at your sudden enthusiasm to get it over with, though you couldn't exactly discern much else, for that matter.

The foci was solely directed at the activity presented for the hour, and you weren't wholly able to perceive the events within the vicinity ever since the red hands, in partnership with the redhead, consumed your scrutiny.

Intently, you observed the slightest movements of his fingers, pulling back when necessary. The sweet taste of your previous dessert remained lingering on your tongue, accompanied by the soon sharp tang of defeat, which only drove your desire for real food.

With hands reflexively shifting at every twitch, the prudent bait was not an obstacle you could easily avoid. To outmaneuver Karma was nearly impossible at your stage, no matter how hard you strove to keep your eyes peeled.

You simply wished for the small sliver of hope to end your misery.

A deafening silence commenced to resonate the longer he tarried for his own leisure, regardless of the trivial noises around the classroom that you were oblivious to. A bead of sweat trickled down the side of your forehead from the extensive concentration of the ambushed strike, whilst suspense consumed you.

Your heartbeat battered ever so briskly as each second drained, hammering against your chest in a wild rhythm of anticipation. It was to the point that you despised the puppeteer for taking his sweet time to deliver the conclusion of the act, but alas...

Smack!

A final splash of temporary red marked your skin, as you released a brief grimace and relieved breath. Your torment for the break was finally lifted, as you expectantly looked up at the demon with a rather dissatisfied, but thankful flicker. Discontent for the experience itself, but appreciation that it was over.

"Congratulations, you survived." Karma commented with a trace of amusement, as he dangled your packaged meal in front of your face in a playful manner.

After a huff, you swiftly snatched the container, rolling your eyes. "No thanks to you," you bitterly mumbled, having retained your daily dose of Karma. The feeling of fright remained instilled, but churned within bile.

You believed that there were times when even the fiendish were decently amiable, but this wasn't one of them.

The blood-curdling troublemaker smiled, and with a casual wave, the devil donning a black blazer ambled across the room, as if nothing had happened.

"Talk about abusive..." Your voice trailed off in an agitated murmur, as you unfolded the remnants of your rightful meal.

As you ultimately zoned back into the occurrences around the classroom, the majority of students seemed unaware of the diversion obscured at the back of the room, immersed in their lunchtime colloquies, homework, or food itself.

In fear of your dining time cut short by the bell, you promptly dug in your long-awaited delicacies of ample nourishment, finding yourself in paradise with your preferred foods touching your taste buds. The ethereal sensation of nutrition was almost enough to alleviate your soreness, but not quite.

Little did you know, the aspiring bureaucrat and master chemist had other plans in store.