A Firefly's Glow

Chapter Seven: Part Four

“Fuyume-kun,”

The boy heard his name ring dimly in his head and his eyes twitched.

“Fuyume-kun,” the voice slowly repeated.

The boy slowly lifted his head and gazed at his surroundings. Sunlight dimly gleamed into the room, reflecting red light off the pale walls of the classroom.

He glanced up at the figure standing before him. His teacher’s scarlet gaze glanced at the boy in concern.

“You slept through class today, Fuyume-kun,” the recognizable teacher’s voice informed.

The boy named Fuyume wiped his eyes with the back of his hand. They squinted against the sunlight.
It looked pretty obvious that class had already ended.

“Well, in case you didn’t hear the homework assignment,” the teacher began, stepping away from the drowsy boy and towards the blackboard sitting in the front of the room. “Page one-hundred twenty four, problems one through thirteen, odds only. Although, since you did sleep through my class, I think it’s fair that you do all of the problems.”

“It’s not fair,” the boy mildly protested, lifting himself onto his feet.

The teacher let out a cheerful laugh. “Yes, yes. But the problems are easy, so it is fair.”

The boy lugged his briefcase off of its hook and clutched it in his hands. “Thanks for the extra homework.”

“Oh, you’re very welcome.” The teacher smiled, waving his hands in the air as the boy waddled out of the room.

As the boy slid out of the door, he sauntered down the hallway. His blood red hair glistened in the orange glow of the sunlight. He ruffled his hair out of his face.

Before he could reach the stairway, he heard faint laughter and he paused as he spotted a couple cheerfully climbing up the stairs.

He eyed the girl with a mustered poker face.

Her gray eyes gleamed in the approaching sunlight. She was clutching to the figure that walked beside her. She smiled widely, letting out a charming laugh that sounded like tingling bells.

Her laughing paused when her gray eyes met the scarlet eyes of the boy named Fuyume.

“Hinata-kun,” the girl whispered, pausing her steps and standing before the boy.

The boy meekly bowed his head. “Are you doing well?”

“Yeah,” the girl pursed her lips together and firmly nodded. She turned towards the eyes of the figure she clutched and her bright smile returned.

She turned back towards the boy. “I’ll see you later.”

“Sure,” the boy answered blankly as her gray eyes timidly glanced away. The girl walked on with her partner and continued further down the hall.

The boy turned his gaze enough to eye the couple through the corner of his eye. His eyebrows narrowed his eyes, and his frown tightened. He slowly turned back towards his path and continued down the stairway.

 

“Hinata!” a cheerful voice greeted as the door swung open. A girl with the eyes identical to the boy’s hopped towards the door in glee. “Thank goodness you’re home! The sink is full of dishes. I need help with—“

“Sensei gave me extra homework.” The boy blurted as he made his way up the narrow staircase.

“That’s not an excuse! I have lots of homework, too, but I still have to do the dishes!”