The next day, the students of Class 2-A were surprised to see Mirai, who looked more serious than anyone in the class had been yesterday, slowly making his way into the classroom. It was completely at odds with the image of a diligent, model student.
Speechless, they watched as he sat down, propped his head up with his right hand, and slowly opened and closed his eyes without any effort. Dark circles hung beneath Mirai's eyes. No matter how one looked at him, he appeared drowsy and half-asleep.
"Was that guy yesterday just an illusion?" The entire class braved the black lines hanging over their heads as they could not help wondering.
"Alright! Everyone's here, so let's begin class!" Yoshida Ichiro walked in from outside and briefly checked attendance. His voice was brimming with enthusiasm. Then, without surprise, he spotted one particularly discordant student among the energetic children.
Aside from the only ten-year-old student in Class 2-A, every student sat up straight.
"Mirai, what's going on?" Yoshida Ichiro's first impression of Mirai had been excellent: attentive in class, serious in training, and willing to work twice as hard after school. Every teacher would be tolerant toward such a student. "Are you feeling unwell?"
"No, I'm fine, Sensei." Mirai's head slipped from his hand, and after giving himself a solid shake, he woke up a little. "I can attend class. No problem."
Although it was indeed hard to believe, since Mirai said so, Yoshida Ichiro could not press the issue. After all, there were dozens of other students besides him. They could discuss it after class.
Thus, the entire morning's theory lessons passed with Mirai drifting between sleep and wakefulness. At lunchtime, he lay directly on one of the long tables in the Ninja Academy and took a nap. This left