The Lazy Student
The autumn sun of Tokyo filtered through the large windows of the lecture hall. It was a perfect afternoon for sleeping.
Izana Takashi rested his head on his folded arms, his breathing steady. The professor's voice faded into a distant hum.
A sharp smack on his desk jolted him awake.
"Izana!" Ayami hissed, her brow furrowed in frustration. "Are you seriously sleeping through the most important lecture of the semester?"
Izana didn't lift his head. He opened one eye, looking at her through the gap in his arms. "I'm not sleeping. I'm meditating. It's good for the soul."
"You're impossible," Ayami sighed, dropping a thick notebook in front of him. "Here. My notes. Read them later so you don't fail."
He looked at the notebook, then at her. For a second, his usually empty eyes showed a flicker of something soft. "Thanks."
But as he closed his eyes again, the memory of blood and a cold night flashed behind his eyelids. The lecture hall was just a mask. A very fragile one.
