Weeks past and Tenma still hasn't come back. Even worse, he pretended like he didn't know them, like he never met one of the team members. Also, it seemed like Tenma was getting weaker. He hardly talked and when he did, it seemed like he founded it difficult to concentrate. Everyone of the Raimon soccer club found it hard to see him wasting away. They all were very concerned about Tenma, but the new girl, Yuuki Akemi, wouldn't let them close to him. Every time she saw one of them coming she took Tenma away with some excuse. Because of that, nobody has talked to Tenma in weeks. Because of his concerns, Shindou had planned a meeting with everyone to discuss this.
'Thanks for coming everyone, you all know why we are here. It's not going well with Tenma.' Shindou started, right at the point. Everyone nodded, they had all seen Tenma and knew something was wrong with them.
'The question is now, how can we help him?' Tsurugi said, looking at everyone.
'If that girl wasn't in our way, we could just talk to him.' Shinsuke said. 'But she is always around him'
'What if we surround them, that way she can't take him away to somewhere else.' Shinsuke suggested.
'That wouldn't work. Plus people might think we're ambushing them.' Shindou said.
'What's going on with him anyway? First he quitted soccer, and now he's walking around like a zombie.' Kariya opened his mouth now too.
'you're right. Tenma loved soccer more than any of us. Fifth sector and El Dorado couldn't stop him from playing soccer, and I can't believe he quitted soccer voluntarily.' Shindou said, looking everyone in the eye. 'Something is off.'
'You think someone forced him to quit soccer?' Midori asked, already knowing the answer.
'Why else would he quit soccer? It's the only reason I can think of.' Shindou explained.
'But what can make Tenma quit soccer? We're talking about Tenma guys. Tenma! Nobody can make him stop playing soccer.' Aoi said.
'No one that we know of.' Shindou said. 'It's possible that someone found a way.'
'Okay everyone, just think. What has changed since he quitted the soccer team?' Tsurugi said. He took a pen and walked to the whiteboard and wrote down: Tenma's differences.
'Anyone?' He asked.
'He's tired all the time.' Aoi said. Tsurugi wrote down: tired.
'Okay, when are people tired?' Tsurugi asked.
'When they don't sleep enough.' Shinsuke said.
'Exactly,' Tsurugi said. 'and why don't some people sleep enough?'
It became quiet for a while. Why would Tenma be quiet.
'Because of nightmares?' Aoi said, it sounded more like a question.
'nightmares?' Shindou asked, raising one eyebrow.
'My nephew was sick, a few years ago, and he always had nightmares then. It made him very tired.' Aoi explained.
'Okay,' Tsurugi wrote down: Nightmares. 'Something else?'
'The girl is always around him.' Sengoku said. Tsurugi wrote down: Girl
' What do we know about her.' Tsurugi asked.
'Tenma knows her.'
'She knows the scary man.'
'She lives with Tenma and Aki-san.'
Everyone was saying things. Tsurugi wrote it all down.
'Wait,' Shindou said at a moment. 'It all started with the man taking Tenma out of class, didn't it?'
Aoi and Shinsuke nodded.
'Can't we figure out why he did that? Or where they went?' he asked.
'Maybe,' Hayami said, this was the first time he said something. 'if they stayed in the school….no never mind. That probably wouldn't work.'
'What is it, Hayami?' Shindou asked.
'Well, if Tenma and the scary guy stayed in the school,' Hayami said. 'I might be able to hack the security cameras and we can see what happenend.'
It was quiet for a moment.
'You can do that?' Shindou asked.
'Well, maybe.' Hayami said. 'I don't really know.'
'But we have to try.' Aoi said. 'We just have to!'
'And we will' Tsurugi said. 'Hayami, what do you need?'
'Just my laptop will do.' Hayami said.
'Okay, then we will see each other tomorrow.' Shindou said.
sorry, this was so short, but I felt like I just had to end the chapter here. the next chapter will be here soon :-)