Chapter 9
A Warning
I sighed in relief as the last bell of the day resonated throughout the college. I quickly packed my back and made to leave the class just as quickly, but Dr Rail, our math's professor, called me back. "Mr Kurosaki, could I please have a quick word or two with you?" He asked as he sorted through the papers that needed his desperate attention to grade. I looked back at Eren, who was leaning against the frame of the door, and told him to meet me at the back gates where we usually left through.
He nodded his head and hesitantly left the class before I approached Dr Rail's desk. I waited until everyone had left the class before I spoke up. "You wanted to see me sir?" I said and shifted impatiently from one foot to the other as Dr Rail shifted through the papers that were clattered on his desk. About two minutes later, when he was finally satisfied with the papers, did he acknowledge my presence.
I fidgeted slightly as he looked me up and down. "Are you feeling okay, Mr Kurosaki?" He asked out of the blue. I stared at him as if I was a confused little owl that just could not get the concept that one plus one is equal to two. Dr Rail sighed heavily and massaged his forehead as if he was already frustrated with me. "What I mean, Kurosaki, is that, are you perhaps going through problems? Family problems? Or perhaps, personal problems?" A vague smile touched his lips as he spoke to me.
I looked at him with suppressed anger and annoyance. Whatever I'm going through, which is nothing, has nothing to do with him. He does not need to know anything and everything that I go through. "No sir, nothing is wrong with me, I am not going through any sort of problems. Nothing at all sir." I said, almost too defensively. Dr Rail just gave me an exasperated look and raised his eyebrow questioningly. "Are you sure Mr Kurosaki? Your marks say otherwise." He said a little skeptically.
He lifted a random booklet from his now neat desk and held it up for me to see. It was my booklet from the last maths test we wrote in class. In the top right corner, there was a big, fat 'F' written in red and circled. I sighed and looked away, not really bothered about what me maths marks were anyway. "Mr Kurosaki, if I remember correctly, you were doing so well when you first started your tertiary studies here. Could you please explain to me what had happened to change your marks so drastically?"
Maybe you were just not marking my script fairly? I thought to myself. "If you keep this up, then it will lead to you failing and staying back another year. And I have a good feeling that your parents would not like that." He continued. At the mention of my parents, my mind went blank for a second as a cold, bitter feeling rushed through me. And just as quickly as it came, it disappeared.
I shrugged my shoulders and shook my head. "Well sir, I am not going through anything, well, anything that I know off. I probably just didn't study hard enough for the test. But don't worry. I will work harder for the upcoming tests." I said and put on the fakest smile that I could conjure up. I really needed to get out of the classroom now.
Dr. Rail nodded and gestured that I could now leave. I gladly nodded and walked over to the door. But just before I could leave, Dr. Rail stopped me. "Before you go, Ichigo, I just want to tell you that you have to be careful of the company that you keep." He whispered. His voice was so soft that I could barely hear it. I looked at him with questioning eyes. "Sir?" I asked, completely dumbfounded. He looked up at me with a startled expression.
"Oh nevermind me. Please, do go out and enjoy your weekend. The weather promised brilliant rays of sunlight. It would be healthy for you to bask in the sun light. Now off you go." He said with an easy smile. I nodded my head and silently walked out without another word, still thinking about what he said.