Stop It Shinnosuke!

Chapter 32

People looked at a boy who jogged across the street while the sun was on it's way to set down, huffing as he ran in the opposite direction, swiftly avoiding bumping into the timely crowd of the people who were on their way home.

Shinnosuke escaped his house the second he got the chance, precisely when Misae was too busy to talk to someone on the phone to notice him sneakily move outside the house. After checking the time, he realised that if he would walk to school, there was no way that he would ever make it in time. The school had already neared it's end for the day as club activities members and extra class attendees were usually freed to leave by the time Shinnosuke left the house. He was worried he wouldn't be able to meet up with Kazama so he started to jog to school. And maybe it was because he was dressed up that people didn't mistake him as a regular evening jogger as they should've according to him. But he wasn't ever the one to mind other's stares.

Finally, after much cursing under his breath and endless pants, he reached the school entrance gate only to see that he had made it in time, despite his worries. He slowly took a seat near a pavement to catch a breath and took his phone out.

Previously in the morning after breakfast, Shinnosuke somehow managed to charge his phone to bare minimum, only enough for it to turn on and be used. And he still felt like he had to wait an eternity for the same to happen. He sent Kazama a couple of texts that differed much in tone to what he had been feeling while typing them. But Kazama, probably being himself, hadn't seen the texts. But during this time of anxiousness, Shinnosuke couldn't help but feel worried yet again.

"Whatever, I'll meet up with him here anyways.", Shinnosuke mumbled to assure himself and turned his phone off to not the overthink any further.

"Ah, Senpai!", a guy exiting the gate with others in a small group spotted Shinnosuke and called him out. They were the members of the Kendo club of the school, a dying club to be specific, and looked up to Shinnosuke very much. After having won several competitions, Shinnosuke became pretty popular and garnered quite a lot of attention among the group of athletic students. He also had a pretty nice build for his age, great stamina, a high spirit and most importantly, he wasn't in any of the clubs yet. So he was attracting more attention than usual for the past month or so, from admirers and hungry club recruiters alike.

"What are you doing here sitting out like that?", the guy who had called earlier asked Shinnosuke, smiling as he approached the now standing boy.

"I kinda bunked school today so I came to see my friends because I missed them~", he answered in a carefree tone, having changed into his cool persona as soon as they approached

"Senpai, do you really miss your friends that much?", another student teased softly as others chuckled, "Wait, isn't your one friend, like, really really smart or something? The one you always used to be with?"

Shinnosuke nodded at his observation, "Kazama-kun?"

"Oh yeah, that senpai. I saw him today with another senapi, but realised it wasn't you. That senpai was totally acting like you so I got really confused for a second. I also wondered where you were since you are always attached to hip with him.", the student recalled the odd piece of information and then smiled, "Anyways, for real though, you should join our club already senpai~! I remember watching you in a kendo fight last year and that was the only reason I joined the club myself."

"What? Is that true?", the club leader looked at the boy, betrayed, "I thought it was because of me~!"

"Oh of course! But Nohara Senpai here was the driving factor.", the student teased further, "I just want to see him fight again in-"

"Wait, what did you say about Kazama-kun?", Shinnosuke cut the guy off and asked, as though realising a crucial information.

"Kazama-senpai? I said that I saw him at school today, but he was with someone else.", the guy repeated, confused when Shinnosuke was deep in thought, "Is something up, senpai?"