Regularly Irregular

CHAPTER 16 - Lingering

"Y/n! There's someone here for you!" Your mother shouted to you from downstairs as you finished getting ready for the day.

"Alright! I'll be down in a minute!" You tugged at the waist band of your uniform skirt, flattening it in the back to make sure it was a comfortable length. You scooped your bag up from the ground and made your way downstairs, expecting to see Kakyoin waiting for you.

What you had not been expecting, was to see Jotaro's tall form looming in your entry way. His head was ducked slightly, as he was too tall to walk through the door at his normal height. You looked from him to your mother, who was wearing the same confused look you were.

"Uh... hi, Jotaro?" You approached where he stood slowly, crouching down to put your shoes on. You kept a close eye on him all the while, as if he were going to try and take over your house now that he was here.

"I'm here too!" Kakyoin chirped, poking his head out from behind Jotaro's broad shoulders. That saved you the trouble of asking how Jotaro knew where your house was.

Your anxiety lessened at seeing the red haired boy, and you released a tension in your shoulders you hadn't realized was there.

"Ah! Good morning, Nori." You stood up, tapping the toe of your shoes against the tile ground to make sure they were on properly. "I'll be off then. See you later mom!"

Kakyoin waved goodbye to your mother and Jotaro offered her a curt nod, to which she responded with a smile and small bow. It was obvious neither knew how to interact with the other, and you didn't blame them. For Kakyoin to show up at you house without saying anything was normal, but for Jotaro to tag along as well was unheard of until now. The boy didn't even look like a teenager for christ's sake; your mother probably thought some random man with a school boy complex showed up to her house unannounced.

"Care to explain why you both showed up at my house this morning? Isn't your place out of the way Jotaro?" You raised an eyebrow to the taller, who offered you no explanation.

"I thought it was kinda weird too, but he showed up at my place saying we should all walk to school together. That stalker chick must really be pissing him off," Kakyoin shrugged.

So that's what it was. Jotaro wanted to see if the person you saw following you and the one he saw were the same. He probably also wanted to see if she was following Kakyoin as well. You recalled him mentioning the whole scenario could be explained by that simple fact, though you weren't quite sure how. You didn't bother to question Jotaro's presence anymore, understanding this was probably a one time thing and he was just there to test a theory. 

The walk to school was mostly quiet, everyone too tired to bother coming up with topics to fill the silence. Occasionally one of you would yawn, causing a ripple effect between the other two. You and Kakyoin walked slightly in front of Jotaro, who was barely a step behind. The heat of his body warmed your back as the cool winter air started to settle in. Every now and then you would glance behind you to make sure Jotaro was alright, only to see his eyes set dead ahead. If anything you expected his gaze to be shifting between the trees you passed, so it made you feel uneasy to see him so focused on the space above your head. You tried to shake off the worried feeling, turning your attention to the sound of your footsteps on the sidewalk. 

The three of you finally arrived at school, early enough that neither your nor Jotaro's entourages were around yet. Kakyoin announced he would be going to his class early to ask his teachers a few questions about an assignment.

"See you soon," you smiled.

"Call if anything bad happens," Jotaro mumbled.

As soon as Kakyoin's figure disappeared around the corner, Jotaro grabbed your wrist and started dragging you into the school. He pulled you down a few hallways before pushing you into an empty classroom, looking closely behind to see if anyone had been following him.