262 Chapter five, 2017, years end: 10 (2/2)
”Have you seen Urufu?” she said without as much as giving her name.
He hadn't, and he told her so.
”If you see him, tell him I need to talk with him!”
'What? Why don't you just call him?' ”I'll do that, Sato-sensei.” Ryu pocketed his phone and looked behind him.
Yukio ran past Kyoko and beelined for him.
'Now what?'
”Ryu, have you seen Urufu?”
'OK, this isn't funny any longer.' ”No, and his guardian just called me with exactly that question.”
”She called me as well.” Yukio panted from sprinting across the school yard. ”Hi Noriko.”
”Hi,” she answered, but Ryu noted how she was more interested in what Yukio had to say than in exchanging greetings.
”Sato-sensei told me his outdoors gear is gone.”
”A burglary?”
”Idiot bro!” Noriko said. ”So he's gone.”
'Gone? What's going on?' ”Yukio, again and slower, please!”
”No need,” Noriko said before Yukio caught his breath for a repetition of his message. ”Urufu's gone. I think he stashed his gear somewhere before coming to school. Yukio, you can't reach him on his phone I guess.”
”No, yes.” Yukio gave them both a frantic look. ”I can't reach him. His phone is out of service.”
”Damn! I was too busy making sure Kuri didn't do anything stupid.” Noriko grimaced after her words, and Ryu wondered if she knew something he didn't.
”Guys,” he said. ”What's happening.”
”Urufu gone is what's happening,” Noriko said. ”Yukio, did he say anything?”
Yukio looked at her. ”Nothing important. Just that he needed to think things over.”
'He's gone al-right.' Yukio's words confirmed a nagging suspicion that had started to grow in Ryu. 'What a shitty way to reach year's end.'