Chapter 3: My Annoying Fan
It had only been a few days since Joji's fight at the gym, but things at school were starting to change too. Mina Kawahara — his very first fan, apparently — was becoming a regular sight. Joji hadn't thought much about her at first, brushing off their first meeting as some random fluke, but it turned out Mina was a lot harder to shake off than he expected. She wasn't just a student like him — she was a member of the school's volleyball team, which meant they often had the same schedule. Joji would finish his grueling gym sessions, dragging his sore body out into the cooling evening air, just as Mina wrapped up her volleyball practices.
Their paths crossed often, almost too often, to the point it started to feel inevitable. Sometimes they'd end up walking on the same street together, with Mina a few steps ahead or behind, messaging him on her phone even when they were close enough to talk in person. It was ridiculous, Joji thought, considering his house was only a ten-minute walk away. Still, for some reason, neither of them suggested stopping. It was as if pretending they were still apart made it easier to deal with the strange tension that hung in the air between them.
Today, however, was different. Coach Haruto, despite being the type to make them eat dirt if it meant getting stronger, was still human enough to understand rest was important. Joji had been forced to take a rest day. No gym. No brutal training. No drills until his muscles screamed for mercy. Just a full day to breathe.
But instead of heading home and doing something normal like relaxing, Joji found himself stuck at school long after everyone else had left. He sat in the empty classroom, his bag untouched at his feet, overthinking everything. His hands fiddled with his phone, hovering over Mina's contact, hesitating to send a message. He knew Mina always went out of her way to meet him — almost desperately — and now, for the first time, he felt like maybe he should be the one putting in the effort. The idea made him uncomfortable in a way he couldn't explain.
The door creaked open behind him, pulling him from his spiraling thoughts. It was Imaizumi, the class president, balancing a stack of papers under one arm and looking exhausted.
"Joji? You're still here?" Imaizumi's voice broke the heavy silence.
Joji turned his head slightly but didn't answer right away. His eyes drifted to the window, where he could see the faint glow of the gymnasium lights. He could imagine Mina there, leaping and sprinting across the court, full of energy like always.
"You should head home, man," Imaizumi said, walking toward him. "Rest day, right? Even Coach Haruto's giving you a break. Don't waste it."
Joji gave a small nod but didn't move. Imaizumi sighed, slapped a few papers onto the teacher's desk, and muttered something about having too much work before heading back out. The door clicked shut behind him, and Joji was alone again.
His gaze lingered on the window. Without thinking much about it, Joji stood up, slinging his bag over one shoulder. He slipped quietly through the empty halls, moving toward the gymnasium. He knew if he entered through the main doors, he'd probably get called out for interrupting practice, so he circled around the building and found the back entrance, a door most students didn't even realize was unlocked.
Inside, the gym smelled of sweat, rubber, and the distinct sharpness of polished wood. Joji stayed near the back wall, blending into the shadows. From here, he could watch without being noticed. He spotted Mina almost immediately. She was hard to miss, even among the other players. She had a way of throwing her whole heart into the game, chasing the ball down like nothing else in the world mattered.
Joji watched silently, feeling strangely out of place. He wasn't the type to do this — standing on the sidelines, watching someone else's world. Yet, here he was.
Mina jumped up for a serve, tossing the ball high into the air. Her form was good, powerful even, and Joji couldn't help but nod slightly in approval. That was, until the ball came rocketing straight toward him.
He barely had time to react.
The volleyball slammed into his face with a loud thwack, snapping his head back. For a second, the world spun, and then he felt the unmistakable warmth of blood dripping from his nose.
"Ah, crap..." Joji muttered, cupping his hands over his face.
The whistle blew sharply. Practice screeched to a halt. Mina gasped loudly and sprinted toward him, her sneakers squeaking against the polished floor.
"Joji! Oh my god, I'm so sorry!" Mina cried, fumbling through her gym bag for tissues.
Joji waved a hand dismissively, still crouched over. "I'm fine. Just... gimme a second."
Mina knelt down beside him, pulling out a handful of tissues and awkwardly dabbing at his nose. Her hands were shaky, and her face had gone completely pale.
"I didn't even see you there!" she said in a panicked rush. "Why were you hiding like some creepy stalker?!"
"Wasn't stalking," Joji mumbled, wincing as she pressed a tissue a little too hard against his nose. "Just... watching."
The words sounded way weirder out loud than they had in his head.
Mina looked like she wanted to laugh but held it back, focusing on stopping the bleeding. Eventually, Joji managed to sit up straighter, the bleeding slowing to a trickle. Mina sat back on her heels, sighing with relief.
"You need to be more careful," she scolded lightly, her cheeks still pink from the adrenaline.
"You're the one who hit me," Joji pointed out, grinning weakly.
Mina huffed, crossing her arms. "You can't blame me if you're sneaking around like a weirdo!"
Despite the situation, Joji found himself smiling a little. Mina's energy was exhausting sometimes, but there was something refreshing about it too. He stayed for the rest of her practice, sitting against the wall with a fresh wad of tissues stuffed up his nose, watching her dive and leap with an intensity that made him almost forget about the throbbing bruise on his face.
When practice ended, the players trickled out of the gym in groups, laughing and chatting. Mina hung back, waiting for him.
"Come on, let's walk home," she said, grabbing her bag. "You're not bleeding anymore, are you?"
Joji shook his head and followed her out into the cool evening air. They didn't talk much as they walked — just traded a few jokes, teased each other about the incident, and occasionally lapsed into comfortable silence. It wasn't anything special, but it was... nice.
By the time Joji reached his front gate, the stars were already peeking out overhead. Mina waved at him before jogging off down the street toward her own house.
Joji stood there for a moment, watching her go, before heading inside.
That night, as he lay sprawled across his bed, he felt his phone buzz against the mattress. He groaned, half-asleep, and grabbed it.
A message from Coach Haruto lit up the screen:
"Tomorrow: Sparring match. You're up against Rukio Akami. Be ready."
Joji stared at the message for a few seconds, wide awake now. Rukio Akami — the strongest fighter at their gym.
"Great," Joji muttered, tossing the phone onto his nightstand. "Just what I needed."
But even with the looming threat of tomorrow's beatdown, Joji couldn't help but smile a little before drifting off to sleep.
Maybe today hadn't been such a waste after all.
---
[End of Chapter 3]