Chapter Thirty-Five
I was a bit groggy on my way to my classes. With studying, working a job that had me on my feet, and teaching Yuuko's younger sister, I was wasted so far. Her sister, Ayako… I could have sworn she would have been able to do all of her work properly and without any help. But she just insisted on the tutoring.
I supposed that was up to her, however, so I kept up the tutoring consistently, every other night for the last week.
The walk to the university kept me as awake as I could be in the recent light of me not getting enough sleep. A canned coffee brought me to life through my tired stupor as I sat in on my first class of the day.
Yuuko followed me to the door at the end of class and began her usual conversations.
"So, you're coming over to help Ayako study again tonight, right?" She said. That had been the plan all along, hadn't it?
"Right." I said. She flashed her teeth at me.
"Great. Was there anything you wanted to go over with her that I could inform her about?"
"Not really."
She tailed me all the way to our next class, as I so very coincidentally, had most of my classes with her. Meanwhile, I gathered those around me and searched for one person in particular. One I hadn't seen for about four days at this point. She'd bugged me at Teppan once or twice and that was the last I'd seen of her.
In a spot of luck, I saw her pacing down the walkway to her next class quite a ways away. But even from where I stood, she didn't look too well, possibly ill. From the sluggish way she was walking and how pale she was, it made me wonder.
"Are you two close?" Yuuko asked out of nowhere. I looked to her with a question. Her eyes swam over to Kotoko, "You and Aihara?"
I shook my head in denial, "Not even a little." Yuuko didn't seem very convinced.
"I'll meet you in class. First I have to go do something." I forked off the walkway.
She said, "See you in a bit."
I waited until Yuuko was completely out of sight to get on over onto the trail leading to the art department. There, I scaled the stairs to find Kotoko again and maybe find out what was going on with her.
Finally, I found her silently climbing back down the stairs against the flow of students. I'd figured she would stop and try to talk when she saw me, but she was acting very odd. She looked right through me and walked past like I didn't exist. Bags prominent under her eyes and skin paler up close, she was like the walking dead. If I'd thought I was tired earlier, she must've been ten times worse. It didn't appear she'd slept the entire night.
I watched her almost trip on the bottom step and continue on like a zombie. And I really had no idea what was going on. Honestly, it worried me a little. Did it have anything to do with me being out of the house, or was she just overworking herself to get work done? I would have stopped tutoring Ayako if she needed my help, but she hadn't been around and hadn't even spoken to me. I couldn't help wondering if she just wasn't talking to me.
So, at the end of the day and the beginning of tennis practice, I changed in the locker rooms and came out to the courts.
I searched for Kotoko amongst the people picking up balls. Not there. For the chance that she'd moved her way up in the many practices I'd missed, I searched the players. Not there.
Sudo found me in the entrance of the chain link.
"Oh, Irie! It's been a long time since I last saw you here." He crowed.
"I just wanted some exercise." Still, I searched for the chance I'd missed her. Then again, with Kotoko being Kotoko, she would have stuck out like a sore thumb if she was practicing with the others.
"Aihara isn't here today," Sudo said, "Hasn't been for a couple of days now, actually. She said she hasn't been feeling well." But 'not feeling well' could've meant a whole range of things.
"Really?"
"Her tennis skills haven't improved, but she was so tough until now. It's the first time she's been missing practice since she joined."
For Kotoko to be missing practice, something she was so determined to get better at, she must've been quite sick. But if she was so sick, she should have been at home.
"Irie-kun!" I heard Yuuko call, "Come practice with me."
For an hour, I practiced with Yuuko, but my mind was in a totally different place.
After practice, I got ahold of Yuuki on the home phone and called him out to the park a couple blocks from the house. Maybe I could get some answers from him. He lived with her, after all. I sat on a bench reading until he came along.
He came running, pretty excited to see me, and plopped down next to me on the bench.
"Hey, how've you been?"
"Good!" Yuuki said with a sharp nod and broad smile, "What did you want to see me for?"
"No reason. Just wanted to see you and see how things are at home." I slid the book into my bag.
"Everything is normal. Mom is still trying to find out where you live, but Kotoko has been acting weird."
"How so?" I asked.
"I can't explain it. She's just really pale and always seems tired. She barely eats, too. And there's no reaction when I pick on her. It's no fun at all anymore."
Tired.
Not eating, but she loved food.
Not reacting to Yuuki's harsh way of playing when she'd used to be so sensitive to it.
It was off. I didn't like hearing it, and I hoped she would snap out of it. And whatever it was, I hoped it wasn't about anything more than the simple case of studying too rigorously.
Before the sun could go down, Yuuki played in the park while I kept watch on the bench and thought about what I could do to help. The problem was, I didn't think I could do anything.
