---
And understanding less and less.
The soft rustle of fabric ca from the futon.
Faint.
But enough to draw attention.
Her eyes imdiately shifted.
Fast.
Faster than before.
A reflex.
Yuna moved.
Slowly.
Her hand slipped out from under the blanket.
Pressing against the futon.
Pushing herself up slightly.
Not unsteady like yesterday.
But still slow.
Not fully recovered yet.
---
I watched her.
Not moving.
Just observing.
She sat up.
Her back straight.
A little more careful than usual.
Her eyes blinked a few tis.
Adjusting to the light.
Then stopped—
on one spot.
The teacher.
---
"...Sensei..."
Her voice was still quiet.
But clear.
No longer hoarse.
The teacher responded imdiately.
Her posture changed.
Lower.
More at eye level.
Her smile appeared.
Professional.
Warm.
Different from when she spoke to .
"Yuna."
Her tone softened.
"You’re awake."
Yuna gave a small nod.
A neat movent.
Practiced.
"...I’m sorry... for missing school..."
A reflex.
Still there.
The teacher paused slightly.
For a split second.
Then smiled again.
"You were sick. It’s okay."
Yuna didn’t answer imdiately.
Her eyes shifted slightly.
Toward .
Fast.
Just for a mont.
Like a confirmation.
---
Then back to the teacher.
"...I’m... better now..."
"Yes, I can see that."
The teacher observed her in greater detail now.
Face.
Posture.
Complexion.
Eye movent.
All the indicators.
No signs of severe illness.
Almost normal.
Only lingering fatigue.
"...Have you been eating well?"
Yuna nodded.
"...Yes..."
"Drinking?"
"...Yes..."
"Resting?"
"...Yes..."
Short answers.
But not stiff like before.
Not like a child ’performing’.
More natural.
Lighter.
The teacher noticed.
Her eyes changed slightly.
Making a ntal note.
A change.
"...What did you do while at ho?"
Yuna thought for a mont.
Didn’t answer right away.
---
"...Slept..."
She paused.
"...Watched TV..."
"...Ate..."
Simple.
Unembellished.
Not exaggerated.
The teacher nodded slowly.
"No studying?"
A light question.
But testing.
Yuna fell silent.
A fraction of a second longer than before.
Her eyes moved again.
Toward .
Fast.
Then back.
"...No..."
Honest.
Direct.
Not defensive.
The teacher didn’t speak right away.
But the corners of her eyes shifted.
Lifting slightly.
Not a smile.
More like... intrigued.
---
"...Good."
An answer she hadn’t expected from herself.
But it slipped out anyway.
"When you’re sick, you really should just rest."
Yuna nodded again.
Smaller this ti.
More relaxed.
Not stiff.
The teacher stood up slowly.
Returning to her original posture.
Then—
once again—
looked at .
A comparison was drawn.
Automatically.
Yuna:
neat
stable
responsive
:
standing without energy
heavy eyes
minimal reactions
The discrepancy.
Clearer now.
---
"...Yuna."
"Yes, Sensei."
"Do you know who has been taking care of you all this ti?"
The question was light.
But sharp.
Yuna didn’t answer right away.
She looked at again.
Longer than before.
Then back to the teacher.
"...Papa."
A simple answer.
No additions.
No explanations.
But enough.
The teacher fell silent.
For a few seconds.
Longer than all the previous pauses.
Her eyes never left Yuna.
As if looking for another discrepancy.
There was none.
Everything was consistent.
Everything added up.
And that was exactly the problem.
She finally shifted her gaze.
Toward .
---
Her look was different again now.
Not just evaluation.
There was sothing else.
More complex.
Hard to categorize.
"...I understand."
For the third ti.
And for the third ti—
it wasn’t entirely true.
---
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