Absent Teacher

This was the second time the teacher
had been absent from class, and the students were beginning to
suspect something.

Maybe he was just out with a cold, they
thought. Except that he appeared fine before, and Kiyoteru had a
reputation for being the picture of health. It was unlike him to come
down so suddenly.

Maybe there was something in the
family, but then the students all realized, after some discussion,
that they had no idea about sensei's family, or if he even had any.
They didn't rule it out, but weren't sure what to make of it.

Indeed, it wasn't until a certain Kaai
Yuki pointed out the presence of a strange man in a blue scarf, that
the class became suspicious. After all, they didn't even know what he
was doing here, or even his name. He just sort of appeared, and after
he talked to sensei before class, they both disappeared. At first the
students were happy to amuse themselves, never being the kind to look
a gift horse in the mouth, but now they were concerned.

Yuki, finally overcome by worry, was
about to rise from her seat when a familiar face peeked through the
door. Kiyoteru returned quietly, looking a bit disheveled, and
smiling apologetically, wordlessly imploring the students to forgive
him for his absence.

As if nothing had happened, he
continued to write on the board. And indeed, all did seem normal,
save for one small detail, a light blue muffler that had managed to
wrap itself around sensei's ankle.