U-inku [Maehara Hiroto]

Your dangling feet swing up and down as you settle yourself on Nakamura's table, joining in the clique's conversation. The classmates around you noticed you and greeted you, which you quickly returned the gesture too.

"Then what's your favourite?" Sugino pointed to Nagisa.

"Me? I think Sushi is good." He pondered a little before responding. You blinked and tilted your head as you interrupted,

"What are you guys talking about?"

"Ah, (L/N)-san. We were discussing where to eat later." Nagisa replied.

"You wanna follow along?" Sugino followed up, "You can choose the place too!"

"Really?-"

"No! Wait. I bet (F/N) is busy, right?" Nakamura suddenly cut you off and shot you a wink to your confusion. "You know, with certain someone~?"

Your ears perked up at her words before you slapped your palm over her mouth. Giving an irritated smile, you raised your voice.

"Rio-chan? What was that?"

She quickly shook her head and waved her hand, attempting to brush the situation off. You flashed one more sinister smile before letting her go, completely ignoring the half confused and half scared looks on the two spectators.


"A-anyway," Nakamura coughed, "Where should we go? Sushi then?"

As the three of them continued the conversation, your eyes slowly trailed off to another direction. The front row, beside Hinata, two seats away from Isogai.

Maehara Hiroto.

Well, he was suppose to be there, but the only thing in your sight was the empty chair and desk. He's usually here before you arrive, sometimes he would come by and disturb you, sometimes he would crowd around Isogai and Hinata, or even once in awhile, he would sit by himself and revise. Shocking, right? But those times when you spot his concentrating expression, something just stirs in you. It's always nice to see a playful boy being serious for once. Reminiscing his usual habits, you felt the sourness rise in your heart as you stared at the empty seat. Is he going to be absent today?

Glancing up at the old clock at the wall, you noticed that it was exactly 8.30. Furthermore, you've also noticed something else.

"Guys," You called out, "Isn't Koro-sensei a bit late today? Doesn't he always come 5 minutes before class starts?"

Your classmates quickly stopped their discussion and took a glimpse of the clock, to their surprise, their teacher was late.

"How rare." Karma stood up from his seat and walked over, hands tucked in his pocket nonchalantly. "Maybe he's stuck in another country, or maybe....dirty magazines~?"

The class snickered at the thought of a monstrous octopus creature hiding in one corner with a hideous costume while engrossed in adult magazines. Sure is something you won't ever see in your entire life.

Just then, the classroom door suddenly fling wide opened, revealing a figure. While the rest of the class expected Koro-sensei's appearance, you were praying for something else. Sure enough, your prayer was answered.

"Huff...." The person crouched over and gasped for air, "S-sorry I'm late."

"Maehara!" Isogai called out from his seat, "What happened to you?"

The rest of the classroom observed as the tired male pulled himself to Isogai's seat, still panting hard. They quickly resumed their own activity, patiently waiting for the teacher's arrival, excluding you. You continued to stare as light-haired brunette  who sheepishly grinned at his close friend, rubbing his neck awkwardly. Your fingers twitched as you slowly raised your hand, wanting to approach the boy. Of course, you stopped yourself in time before the two devils, Karma and Nakamura, notices you.

It may or may not be obvious, you are obviously intrigued by the handsome-looking guy. Many people were turned off from his personality, but you felt the opposite. You thought it made him...charming. A playboy who's always out to seek excitement, who knows how precious it would be when he's truly serious. You've seen him differently, you didn't think there was just a 'playful' side to him, you wanted to see the potential he holds.

And that was when you truly fell into the trap.

Sure, it started as your own interest and you didn't want it to be reveal. But no love can be controlled as you started to leak minor signs, and being in a class full of assassins, people are bound to notice your small movements. Leading up to Nakamura eventually learning about your 'interest.' You managed to get her to shut up, but you were afraid someone with such mischievous mindset can't hold a secret for long.

You gazed at him longingly once more before retreating your arm, either way, you were glad he showed up today.

Without your realisation, your clique have actually saw through you like a thin clear glass. The two devils already got their idea planned out nicely, Sugino excitedly ready to join the plan while Nagisa is at a complete lost of what to do. Before Nagisa could speak another word, Karma cut him to it. He tapped your shoulder before you turned around and looked at him.

"Yo (L/N)-chan. Doesn't look like Koro-sensei will be here any sooner, wanna play something?"

"That's random...but sure."

"Sweet." He flashed a grin.

--

After gathering a few more people, Maehara, Isogai, Kayano and Kataoka, the small group was finally ready to start the game. Nakamura quickly took the initiative to explain the game.

"Alright. Here's the game. It's called assassin game, ironic isn't it? In this circle, I, the judge, will choose a killer and a detective. The killer's job, obviously, is to kill someone without being discovered by the detective. The rest of you are victims, but you're not allowed to say anything if you find out the killer. But here's the special thing, the killer can only kill someone by...

winking at them."

Nakamura instantly winked, as if demonstrating the game herself. The rest of the group grew surprised immediately.

"And of course, be honest. If you know you're being 'attacked', make sure you say it out. But if the killer winks at the detective, they automatically lose. The goal is to have the detective find out who's the killer before all the victims are wiped out. If the detective accuse the wrong person for being the killer, they immediately lose. Simple?"

The group shot each other looks of uncertainty, you too, found it weird that they would suddenly want to play this type of game. Something's is up, isn't it? In the end, everyone still agreed to it.

"Awesome! Now everyone in the circle close your eyes. If you feel a tap on your shoulder, you're the killer. If you feel two, you're the detective."

That was the last thing you were instructed before you shut your eyes. You heard her footsteps walking around the circle of people, it passed by you a few times but never stopped at you. Before you knew it, she had called out, "Start!". This signalled that you were a victim.

The circle sat in silence, air filled with tension as everyone busily glanced around. Who's the killer? Am I going to be kill? The same thoughts cycled around everybody's mind. You too, were included as you proceeded to study your friends' body languages. There was Karma-kun, wearing a cunning smile like always. Isogai, Nagisa and Sugino all had the same tense look too. Kayano seemed a little bit more shaky than everyone else, her irises moving left and right rapidly. On the other hand, Kataoka was calm and collected. This could easily mean that she might be detective...Just then, your gaze met Maehara's. He blinked a few times and stared at you, causing the heat to slightly rise in your cheeks. You swore your heart really did stopped for a beat.

Not wanting to be awkward, you immediately broke away your gaze, getting back to studying your other friends. Just then, you caught a glimpse of Karma who was staring at Nagisa. Nagisa was seated one seat away, making him an easy target if Karma was really the killer since it wouldn't be as obvious. After a few seconds, you saw it. Karma shot a wink over at Nagisa, who looked incredibly taken aback. Yet he took it nicely.

"Ah..." Nagisa's voice interrupted the silence that was lingering, "I've been killed."

The rest were bewildered that Nagisa was 'killed', somehow without them seeing anything! This increased the tension between the group as Nagisa slided himself out of the group. You glared at Karma with annoyance, the truth was right in front of you, however, you weren't allowed to speak of it. He detected your stare and gave a sinister grin, it was written all over his face,

'Oh you're not going to get away.'

You bit your lip and you readied yourself as Karma sent you a wink. You let out a huff and was ready to admit your defeat when Kataoka's voice unexpectedly pierced through the silence.

"Caught you, Karma! I'm the detective." She beamed in satisfaction as Karma sighed.

"Aw~ I wanted to 'kill' more. Tough luck, next time I'll get you, (L/N)-chan." He sent you another humiliating wink, before you cringed at him.

"There won't be a next time."

As the little conflict go on, someone else seemed to be more irritated than you.

"Next round!" Nakamura clapped to attract everyone's attention. Shutting your eyes, you heard the same footsteps around you a few times before someone's hand touched your shoulder for a brief second before she retreated. This could only mean one thing, you have been declared as the killer for the round. After a few more seconds, Nakamura once again announced the start of the game.

You wondered how did Karma even put up such a natural act with such pressure. It felt like the rest of the people were ready to take you on, they were trying to sniff you out, ready to capture you. You took slow and steady breaths, trying to compose yourself to not stand out too much. Right now, you need to be fast and swift.

You looked around, trying to decide who should be your first victim. Unfortunately, you landed your eyes on Maehara once more, and you felt yourself flushing immediately. Thoughts flooded through your mind as you registered something. If you wanted to win, you have to....wink at him. Your body wanted to shake so badly but you had to stay strong or else you would expose yourself. You shifted your sight away from the brunette, 'I'll keep him for...later.'

Right now, everyone seemed to be exhausted of waiting, some hung their head down, making this a perfect opportunity for you. Kayano, who was the only left with her head up, saw that you were looking at her. At that moment, you smirked before swooping in for the kill.

You quickly shot a wink at her before she could do anything.

"No!" She yelped as you hurriedly looked away, not wanting the other people to suspect you. "I've been brutally murdered..." She whined softly before Nagisa comforted her. After she sat out of the circle, the game continued on. Once again, the tension have boosted in the atmosphere once more. You constantly timed your attack when no one is aware, in about 5 more minutes, Karma, Nagisa, Isogai and Kataoka was out already.

"Oo~ The killer is on a roll. I wonder what is the detective doing?" Nakamura taunted, hoping to get a reaction but to her disappointed, there was no reaction.

There was only Sugino and Maehara left, it was extremely risky now that they're both on high alert. You started to panic a bit, this is going to be super hard. Furthermore, you only have one chance left. If you shoot the wrong person, it's game over. Either way, Sugino and Maehara does look like they won't make a very good detective. You let out a small huff, keeping the thought to yourself. You scanned the two boys, still unable to differentiate who's the victim and who isn't. Sugino wore an amicable face, while Maehara looked slightly more concerned.

Maehara might be afraid of being 'killed', this would make him the victim. Sugino looks composed, giving off a more 'detective' aura. If so, it means you have no choice but to wipe out Maehara.

Embarrassingly.

'I can do this.' You chanted to yourself again and again. Shakily glancing up, the two of you met eyes with each other as the thumping of your heart increased rapidly, ringing loudly in your ears and blocking out the surrounding noise. The heat started to flare up your cheeks, you were so confident that you were being blatantly obvious right now. You mentally slapped yourself and breathed in. Maehara noticed your behaviour and became puzzled, could it be-

'If I'm going to do it, I better do it good.'

A sweet and alluring smile formed on your face as you faced Maehara. Your left eye fluttered promptly as your face flustered with red patches. You've just 'shot' him. The next few seconds felt like slow-motion, his movement was slow as you waited in anxiousness. How will he react? Will he just smile and brush it off as a game? Yeah...maybe you were just overreacting. Your heart quickly dropped like an anchor as you realised how stupid you were acting and became crestfallen.

But when you heard Nakamura's sudden burst of laughter, consisting of other people following up, you were astonished. Why was she laughing? Hesitantly, you glimpsed up to see what was up.

Maehara's face was dramatically flaring up like a red tomato. He looked completely flabbergasted and stunned, his left palm covering his mouth to hold back the exaggerating blush. Quietly, he shrunk in his spot and stared down, desperately trying to use his light brunette hair to hide his agitated face.

Boy, you've never heard your heart beating so fast in your whole life. On the other hand, Nakamura and Karma were losing themselves hard. Never have anybody seen the flirty, laid-back boy being so shy.

"M-m-maehara-kun?" You nervously called out, "Sorry, did I.." You immediately lost your words, not exactly sure whether you were suppose to apologise or not, or even worse, what on earth to apologise for.

"Handsome and charming, Maehara Hiroto-kun, who once cheated on 5 person at the same time, is currently losing himself due to (L/N) (F/N)-chan's super effective and impeccable wink!!" Nakamura suddenly gave out unnecessary commentary of the situation while the others continued to laugh. "What's wrong, Maehara-kun!? You're the detective aren't you? It's your chance to bust the killer right now!"

You gasped in shock, realising the horrible truth that you've shot the wrong person! This whole game is just horribly embarrassing right now, you bit your lips in shame as you tried to take a peek of the clock, why on earth is Koro-sensei not here yet?! Sugino jumped up in relief and fist pumped the air.

"Heck yea, I survived! I was the last victim, sorry (L/N)-chan!" He shot you a grin before stepping away, leaving you and Maehara awkwardly and shamefully sitting in the circle. You hurriedly took initiative to break the silence.

"Sorry Maehara-kun! Did I make you uncomfortable?" You slapped both your hands together before lowering your head as an apology, hoping that you didn't accidentally creep him out.

"N-no." His words wavered in uncertainty and anxiousness as he played with his falling fringes, "It's just that...."

He peeked through his hair and mumbled so softly that you barely caught on.

"It's just that...you were too fucking adorable."

The words drifted away with the breeze as he lowered his head and tugged his fringe once more. He formed a cute pouty face and nervously glanced away from you, as if embarrassed of what he just said. You felt an arrow stabbing right through your heart in that very instant.

Usually the situation would have been the other way round. The flirty, out-going, playful, carefree, Maehara would have been the one grinning from ear to ear after the girl he teased them. But here you are, a look of complete lost while he was filled with shyness and embarrassment like a schoolgirl. Observing him, you could feel the heat in your own cheeks and you cupped your mouth, trying to stifle the smile and giggles that wanted to escape from your mouth.

Maehara flinched at your voice, pondering if it was possible to get anymore redder than this.

"I-I see." You wiped the stray tear on your eyes, "That was very unexpected....But thank you."

"Why are you laughing?" He whined slightly, his usual personality slowly returning.

"I just thought you were pretty cute too." You beamed at him and scratched your cheeks. He blinked before responding with a smirk.

"How straight-forward~"

Before you could even protest, your friends interrupted.

"YO, LOOK AT THEM FLIRTING ALREADY!" Karma teased. You were snapped out of the conversation and realised your clique was staring at the two of you intensely. You glared at them with displeasure as you clenched your fist. Just then, the wooden door slide opened quickly, revealing your teacher.

"Sorry everyone! There was a long line for Gelato so I couldn't make it time." His signature laughter slipped his mouth as he walked over to his own table. The class let out a sigh before returning to their seats quickly, preparing for their class and most importantly, the assassination. You let out a heave of relief sigh, glad that you can finally escape. Unconsciously, you took a glimpse at Maehara again, a small tint of red hue still tainted your face. He noticed your gaze and tilted his head slightly before giving you soft and genuine smile.

"Oops, that's the cue to end the game~ We should play again next time, right (F/N)?" Nakamura slide beside you and set her arm on your shoulder which you quickly pushed away in irritation. Just as you were ready to turn away, Nagisa stopped you immediately.

"So (L/N)-san. Do you want to follow us for lunch?"

Your mind recalled the offer instantly, yet, Maehara rushed in from nowhere and grinned happily.

"(L/N)-chan is probably busy today. Sorry!"

'Oo~' sounded through the group as you flushed again. You peeked at him before whispering,

"Are you seriously asking me out?"

"Of course. Any rejections?"

You huffed once more,

"No."


--


"See, I told you that game would work."

"Good job, Karma!"

"Nakamura-san....Karma-kun...."