It was in the Faculty Office where Sakamori Kuzunao’s mood deteriorated from slight discontentedness to full blown irritation. The instructor sighed as she glanced at the two piles of tests on her desk, one for marked and the other for unmarked. The ratio between them seemed to be about 1:15, and there was still the next class’ work to mark tomorrow. This was going to take a while. Sakamori worked hunched over, gratuitously leaving red slashes and suggested solutions with her pen. It was usually easy to get into a rhythm with these sorts of things, especially if it involved numbers. Even if the recent test scores were sub-par at best and appalling at worst. 

A certain student’s test soon pulled her out of the zone. Ojima Yasuo. Mathematics was quite a weak spot for the boy. Previous tests, including his entrance exam, had been evident of that. His latest one however, was the biggest mess by far. He had clearly just given up halfway through, leaving most of the last half's space blank apart from a few cartoon monkeys. It was greatly disappointing, considering that the questions he did complete showed quite a decent effort. It didn’t help either that Ojima-kun had been distracted as of late, more than he usually was in her classes.

Sakamori frowned. If this continued then his future prospects would get dimmer and dimmer. This sort of issue would usually go to the guidance counsellor but… 

She stood up. There were only a few more tests to mark. They could wait. She exited the office and strode down the hall, her flats making audible clicks on the wooden floors as she made her way to the second year hallway. She’d heard that the troubled youth often hung back in the classrooms, either to nap or have some alone time. However, what she found when she arrived was a hapless Kenji-kun who angrily huffed that Ojima had left, presumably to the roof.

She found him muttering to himself, hand grabbing his chest, too far to hear properly. The poor boy seemed quite distressed as he lay down. It troubled her to see someone so young weighed down like this.

[color=8493ca]“Ojima-kun,”[/color] she called, making sure to keep a composed and gentle tone, [color=8493ca]“you seem troubled. Is there something upsetting you?”[/color]