Chapter 21

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  Because the roof was a no man's zone comparable to the Korean DMZ, Kazu had to relocate for his afternoon naps. After a few days of searching, Kazu managed to find an empty music room in a lonely corner of the building, so from that point on, he left his classroom in a lonely corner of the building, so from that point on, he left his classroom at lunch and disappeared into the recesses of the school until the final bell rang, when he woke up and left a few minutes behind all the other students.
Since his final meeting with Ryuu, he'd become even quieter when interacting with his classmates, which is to say that he'd adopted a policy of ignoring as much of the population as he was able to.
Since Kazumi's single appearance at the school, more boys had started talking to Kazu, their motivation written on their sleeves. Then, of course, there was the ever-present wave of female attention.
Both of these were fine reasons to put his new-found policy into action.
Despite the slight change in his demeanor, nothing seemed noticeably wrong.
And then one day, Kazu didn't come to school. And he didn't come the next day, either. Or the day after that.
Kazu stopped coming to school entirely.
Had Ryuu maintained communication with Kazu, he would have known immediately. As it was, however, Ryuu wasn't aware of Kazu's disappearance for an entire week.
His initial reaction was to go to Kazu's house and see if he was okay.
But then he felt that familiar pain in his gut, and he hesitated.
He knew that he shouldn't overstep the boundaries that he himself had created, but he couldn't let the matter rest, either.
Finally, he made up his mind to stop by Kazu's classroom and see if the teacher knew anything.
***
After the final bell rang, Ryuu waited until the general rush of students had already emptied out of the school before heading to Kazu's classroom. When he got there, only the teacher and one or two students were left in the room.
"Sensei," Ryuu greeted, and the teacher looked up, adjusting his glasses.
"Is there...something I can help you with,...?" He paused, clearly waiting for an introduction, and Ryuu cleared his throat.
"I'm Tsukishima Ryuu, a friend of Kazu's. We met once..."
He nodded. "Sorry, I have a lot of students..."
Ryuu gave him a nervous smile. "Yeah. It's no problem. Anyhow, um...Kazu has been absent a lot lately."
He hesitated. "Yes."
"And, um, well, I was wondering if you knew anything about it."
The teacher blinked. "He didn't tell you?"
Ryuu reluctantly shook his head. "We haven't spoken in...a while. I was just worried because he's already used up too many absent days. He won't be...kicked out, will he?"
The teacher frowned, taking off his glasses and cleaning the lenses slowly.
HURRY UP, Ryuu wanted to yell as the teacher gently wiped one lens...then started on the other one...I COULD CLEAN AN ENTIRE WINDOW IN THE TIME IT'S TAKING YOU TO CLEAN FIVE CENTIMETERS SQUARED OF GLASS!
Finally, the teacher was satisfied, and as he slid the glasses back onto his face, he looked up at Ryuu. "About that. Normally, yes, Kazu would be 'kicked out.' However, Kazu is a...special case."
"What do you mean?" Ryuu asked, confused.
"Well, I've spoken with the school bored, and I managed to work out an exception."
"And Kazu agreed?"
The teacher nodded. "He did, or he'd be here right now."
"What were conditions?" Ryuu asked, leaning forward slightly.
The teacher swallowed, a bit intimidated by Ryuu's intensity. "Nothing much. Kazuhiko-san asked if he could stop attending school, and at first, he was refused, obviously. We don't run an institution just to have students ditch. However, he argued that if he could supply grades worthy of an academic scholarship, he shouldn't have to attend. From this point on, a classmate drops off the assigned homework at Kazuhiko-san's house and picks up the completed assignment the next morning. The assignment is sealed inside an envelope with Kazuhiko's own handwriting on it to verify that it has not been tampered with, of course. Not that any of my students would do such a thing, but..." He shrugged, frowning slightly. "As he is a special case, precautions should be taken."
"An academic scholarship?" Ryuu repeated, shocked. "But doesn't Kazu just sleep through all of the lessons? What happens when he doesn't meet the requirements?"
The teacher looked uncomfortable. "Normally, I would agree with your line of thinking, but since we started this unique program for Kazuhiko, he's turned in all of the assignments...with perfect work."
What? Is it possible that Kazu's only lazy at school because it's all too easy for him? Ryuu could only stare at the teacher in surprise.
The teacher looked equally astonished. "I didn't expect it, either, but the work is all in his handwriting..."
"What were his grades before?" Ryuu asked suddenly, and the teacher winced.
"Well...technically, all 0's."
"Eh?!"
The teacher frowned. "Kazuhiko wasn't particularly...motivated...to complete, well, anything. He turned in every assignment, quiz, and test completely blank. Our school may not be an elite private school, but it's a fairly well-known school, and-"
"Let me guess," Ryuu interrupted. "Kazu's scores were dragging down the school statistics. That's why the school board agreed, right? Because they don't want him ruining the reputation of the school?"
The teacher looked down in shame. "I suppose that is at least partially true, although I'm not at liberty to say."
Ryuu had to stop himself from lashing out at the teacher and quickly left, mumbling some form of goodbye.
Out in the hallway, he stopped abruptly.
Kazu's okay. He's absent by choice, but they can't kick him out.
He's fine.
He doesn't need me.
I don't have to worry about him.

Ryuu struggled to grasp the logic in his head, but he still wasn't leaving.
After a moment, a voice from behind him said, "Hey, you're Kazu's friend, right? Wait up."
And out from the classroom stepped one of the students who had stayed behind, apparently to eavesdrop.
Ryuu turned around and stared in disbelief.  

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