As the air of summer weather was starting to fade, winter was approaching.
Kaoru was still in bed, seemingly unbothered by the sound of the alarm echoing through the room.
After getting up, he washed his face,ate his breakfast and took a shower.
'ahh... I'm so sleepy. Why is summer break over?'
Approaching his school, he saw a particular student wave at him.
"Good morning, Fujimoto."
"Ah. Good morning, Katagiri."
"Oh, you look sleepy, did you stay all night studying?"
"Yeah. I wanna go home." Replied back Kaoru.
"I'm getting a lot more tired these past few months. Maybe I'm sick?"
"You shouldn't really say that but whatever." Said Katagiri.
Indeed, Kaoru was getting a lot more tired and hungry these past few months without knowing why.
He ate proportions for three people and slept 12 hours a day but that still was not enough.
He is in need of rest. For whatever reason.
For summer break, he was locked in his room,without a care about the environment he was living in, and slept more than seventeen hours a day!
He was either sick or something is wrong with him.
"I feel exhausted." Said Kaoru as he yawned.
"How many hours did you sleep?"
"Fourteen hours."
"F-fourteen hours? How are you still sleepy? You might actually be sick."
"You should visit a doctor as soon as possible." Suggested Katagiri.
"Nah, I'm probably fine. I just need to get some rest." Replied back Kaoru.
"Yeah I really doubt that. If fourteen hours of sleep ain't enough for you, you should consider visiting a doctor." Claimed Katagiri.
"Yeah, yeah whatever." Said Kaoru, brushing Katagiri's suggestion away.
The students gathered in the classrooms, the usual chatter and greetings like a normal school.
The teacher opened the door and headed inside.
"Take your seats, we will start the first period."
Most students sighed while others complained about how fast they were back in school.
***
After morning classes came lunch break.
Kaoru sat in the cafeteria,not caring about his peers in the slightest and chose a table in a far-off corner.
'i wanna sleep so bad. What is this constant sleepiness?'
Just as he was about to eat his lunch, he hesitated for a bit and looked at his plate a little weirdly, then proceeded to eat it like normally.
' Why does it taste so... Bland? It barely holds any flavor.'
He was kinda in a bad mood so he gulped down his lunch and headed somewhere to doze off.
After arriving on the roof, he sat on top of the building to sleep.
'Here, this should be a fine place.'
It indeed, was a fine place with the winter sun having just the right temperature, this was truly the perfect opportunity to doze off.
For anyone other than Kaoru that is.
"Ahh damn, the sun is pissing me off, why is it so damn irritating?"
With that, he jumped down from his previous spot on top of the building and headed downstairs to sleep in the classroom.
***
Kaoru came in just in time before lunch break ended and didn't get any sleep. Great, just great.
'I have to focus in class or else I'll get down in academic ability.'
He was really obsessed with studying because he wanted to repay back his parents.
Back when Kaoru was still a baby, he was abandoned by his family and left outside an orphanage. Two weeks after he was abandoned, a couple visited the orphanage and chose one baby. That's right, it was Kaoru. Later, his foster parents helped him and supported him as his real parents.
Kaoru felt truly grateful to them. So much to the point where he would rather die than fail to repay them. That's why he was obsessed with studying .
'no, I can't do this, I can't keep my eyes open. Maybe just a little, I'll close them for just a minute.'
"Fu... Ka..."
"Ka.... Fu..."
"Kaoru Fujimoto! Wake up!"
"Oh, what happened?"
"Why are you sleeping in my class!?"
"Didn't I say to not sleep in class!?"
"I-im sorry, sensei. "
"This is unusual for you, the best student in class. Did something happen?"
"No, I'm just really tired." Said Kaoru while yawning.
"In that case, Katagiri, take Fujimoto to the school nurse. He may not feel well."
"Okay,Nakamura sensei."
"Thanks ,Nakamura Sensei." Said Kaoru.
"Get going. I better not catch you the next time."
A small laughter erupted through the class.
"Okay I'll keep that in mind." Replied Kaoru as he headed towards the nurses office.
When they arrived, Katagiri placed Kaoru in one of the beds and left.
'Finally. I can rest.'
With that he feel asleep. Again.
***
Practically being forced awake by the cacophony of a screeching sound, Kaoru jumped out of the white bed. Only to find that there was only silence and no one in the proximity. There was no sound either.
'what the hell was that? Ahh, my ears are ringing like crazy!'
For some unknown reason Kaoru's ears were ringing very loudly and were in so much, unbearable pain. What was causing this? Did the excruciating pain followed after he was awoken without his will? That, he did not know.
"Ahh,but hurts so... Much. Why can't this shit stop!"
He was in great pain and the reason for that was that his ears were bleeding an irregular amount of blood. It was as if his whole body was being drained of the crimson liquid flowing in his veins, and was flowing out of his ears in a very painful process. But the pain was starting to ease and felt strangely... fake.
Then something unexpected happened. Startled, his eyes immediately wide, he shot upright and desperately gasped for air. His breath sounded rough, and shaky, like he had been running for hours.
He just woke up.
T-that... that was a dream?'
Calming his panicked heart, there was a look of understanding on his face. He was starting to understand. And then he muttered under his breath in a slow,but shaken voice.
"That was a dream! Oh, I thought I would die. Oh right my ears, ah. They are all right.
What a weird dream that was."
That was true, he has never experienced anything like this before. The shock of his ears bleeding in his dream and the excruciating, unbearable, torturous pain was still lingering in his mind.
Putting that though aside he headed towards the class. Currently,it was lunch break so he had enough time to wash his face and return to the classroom.
***