You got up early the next morning, since the Kendo club meets on Saturdays in the afternoon

You figure that, if you get there early, Shinjuro will let you sit it on the class before joining

You rushed downstairs, wearing a tank top and some jeans you threw on while getting ready

"Mom, dad, I'm going to join the Kendo club."

Your father looked up from something he was reading at the table to raise an eyebrow at you.

You're standing at the front door grinning from ear to ear, hoping they'll let you go

"Don't hurt yourself." Dad says flatly, returning to what he was doing

"Thank you so much, bye!!!" You called, slipping your shoes on and running out of the door

You can walk to the place, so you have no problem leaving your skateboard at home

The sky is cloudy and grey, but it's something you're used to around this time of year

When you get to the bottom of the hill, you admire all of the buildings that you pass by

I should stop by one of these places some time

"Yeah, yeah I KNOW. Can you listen already?"

The voice of a disgruntled adult man came from around the corner. You stopped just a few feet away, listening

"JUST—we don't have the funds for that, you know that. No, no I'm not being disrespectful. Come onnnn"

You peeked around the corner at the speaker

Shinjuro Rengoku stood in full instructor uniform in front of the building, holding his phone up to his ear.

If you squint, you can kind of see how he looks like Kyojuro, but very angry with dark eyebrows to match his short temper

"Damn it, if I lose my cool in front of the kids again I'm blaming YOU. Goodbye."

He sighs, his hand falling to his side. He looks...tired

You pressed closer to the wall, your eyes wide—you can't go up to him now! He'll know...

"Kid. Come out. I know you're there."

You step out from behind the wall, visibly startled

At this, Shinjuro is exasperated

"You shouldn't meddle in adult's business. What're you doing here? I doubt you've come just to gawk at a 40 year old man."

"Ah!" You dipped your head toward him "no sir. I'm here because I want to sign up for your classes. You go by Rengoku-sama as well, yes?"

He grunts "yeah."

"I see. Forgive me if I get you confused with someone else" you add, unsure if you want to bring up his son

"Ohhh I get it" Shinjuro grumbles, crossing his arms "you're one of those academy girls. I guess he's quite the looker—many of em come to me asking about him"

THEY DO?!

You blush "It's not like that...it's just that word gets around fast in this town. People talk. I listen. That's how I know you're related."

"I see" Shinjuro yawns, placing his hands behind his head "alright. Let's go in."

You gave him a look of confusion when he started towards the door

He looked back at you "well, you wanna join the class right? Get a move on."

"R-right," you nod, following him inside

Since you were early, Shinjuro made you sit on the floor while you wait for others to show up

He didn't really talk to or look at you, but the tension in the room was so thick you could cut it with a knife

Needless to say, the wait was painfully awkward.

After some time, a very small handful of people line up outside. From where you're sitting, you can only count up to about three or four students

Such a small class...no wonder he's okay with letting me join just like that.

Shinjuro nods toward them through the window, and the students file inside

"Where's Sabito?! If that kid shows up late one more time I'm letting him have it." Shinjuro says in a demanding tone

The other students pretend not to notice him and sit around on the floor. They're already in uniform, and they're taking out some extra equipment

You open your mouth to ask Shinjuro for a uniform, until a student with short black hair steps in your way and silences you

"I'll get you a uniform. DONT ask him for one, just trust me on this" he says

"...right" you smile nervously

This class is weird. Maybe I should turn back

When the kid walks off, you sigh and fidget with your hands in your lap

"There he is! Man of the hour." Shinjuro comments, rolling his eyes

Your head shot up

"Sabito...?" You say under your breath

Sabito steps into the room glowing with confidence. His whole disposition has changed—unlike his usual sluggish gait during school days, he looks a little brighter today

He closes the door behind him, scanning the room

"Yo Rengoku-number-two, have you seen my belt? I haven't been able to find it lately..." his voice trails off when his gaze falls upon you

When your eyes met, you could feel a shiver going down your spine

"I TOLD YOU TO STOP CALLING ME THAT!!" Shinjuro shouts in Sabito's face "TECHNICALLY, IM RENGOKU NUMBER ONE!!"

Sabito looks at him, unfazed "well, I call you that for a reason. You act like a number two."

"WHAT. WHAT IS THAT SUPPOSED TO MEAN?!" Shinjuro pulls at his hair, and laughter ripples through the class

You chuckle under your breath

"Oh well," Sabito shrugs, walking further into the room "don't worry about it old man"

As he strode past you, you were still looking dumbfounded. You thought that you'd have the right words to say when you saw him, but you were stuck

"Go easy on him Rengoku-San! He lost his sense after that fall" the short haired boy laughed, returning with your uniform folded in his arms

"Oh please," another student chimed in from the sidelines "Sabito's the one that needs to go easy. Guy like him'll chew people out without a second thought."

Sabito may be unpopular at school, but he seems really well liked here you observed

"You guys give me too much credit" Sabito says, rummaging through a closet "I just don't want people walking all over me."

"Alright alright, enough. You kids are lucky I like teaching. Sometimes..." Shinjuro grumbles, subdued

You mumble a soft 'thank you' when the boy from before hands you the uniform

You then turn your attention back to the class, scooting into a far corner of the room

"Alright everybody, let's get in places and get your equipment ready. We've got a new kid so you'd better act natural."

After class ended an hour later, you were waiting to turn the uniform back in. You felt bad about it, but you came to the conclusion that you might not want to be a part of this class

You're waiting by the door for all of the students to leave, staring at your feet.

"Throwing in the towel already? That's not like you"

You look up to meet Sabito's gaze, blushing out of embarrassment "I guess so"

He stands over you with his hands in his pockets, looking puzzled

"So...what're you doing here anyway?" He asked, looking off to the side

"It's actually a really interesting story..." you tense up, remembering the last time you tried to tell him a story "uhm, it doesn't matter though."

"...Right..." Sabito scratched the back of his head

"Well, you should stay. In the club, I mean. I'm gonna go now—"

You watch as he hurries off toward the door, hiding his face

Well, you look down at the uniform in your arms I can't overlook that. He always says what he means

A moment later, you swung the door open and flinched when you were met with a spray of rainfall and a gust of wind

"What the hell?! I guess I should have expected that" you murmur

You start to turn back, but Shinjuro closes the door behind you "WE'RE CLOSED."

"What the fuck.." you groaned

"Over here."

You turn, meeting sabito's gaze from a few feet away

You jog through the rain toward him "Sabito—it's raining REALLY HARD" you yell, having to raise your voice to be heard over the heavy shower

"I KNOW" he says "WE'RE STANDING IN IT."

"IIII KNOW!" You yell back, smiling slightly

"WANNA GET OUT OF HERE?" Sabito shouts, pointing behind him with his thumb

"YES"

You rush to take his hand and he flashes you a look of surprise

What's with the look?! We always hold hands...

His expression then softened to a relaxed smile. He's kind of funny looking with his hair wet, so you laugh

"Okay, hold on tight." He said, lurching forward and lifting you off the ground

"EEEK—WHAT ARE YOU DOIIING" you squeal, wrapping your arms around his neck while he runs

"SHHH" he responded

"I CAN RUN YOU KNOW! IM JUST AS FAST"

"OH COME ON, IM A LOT FASTER THAN YOU"

"AAAAA"

You can feel your clothes getting soaked, but it doesn't matter. You want to hold on to this moment—you need to.

Is he feeling alright? I wonder if I should ask...