"Fresno High School, we've arrived. Passengers preparing to alight, please press the button if needed and check for any valuable belongings..."
The 'knowledgeable and well-seasoned' fan instinctively nodded in response, but Logan's 'amiable' smile threw him off, leaving a slight chill in the air.
"Alright, we're here! Time to get off!" The other student quickly pulled his friend's arm, feeling that something was amiss.
Though he wasn't entirely sure what there was to be afraid of, as guys don't back down from a little verbal sparring, something about Logan's look suggested trouble might await.
"What's the rush? I wasn't finished yet… hey, stop grabbing my hand!"
The fan reluctantly looked back a few times, perhaps wanting to respond to Logan's earlier question. However, his friend quickly dragged him off the bus, and in the end, he left the bus unwillingly.
With the two of them out of sight, Logan's smile gradually faded, his expression darkening as he followed the crowd off the bus, lost in thought.
As the bus disappeared down the street in a cloud of dust, Logan headed toward the school gate with a scattering of other students, internally dismissing the rude bystanders from earlier.
"If it bothers you so much, just don't read it! Nobody's forcing you." Logan muttered to himself, still annoyed, 'Criticizing the storyline was one thing, but implying I was trying to appeal to a BL audience? Ha, what a joke. Those ignorant humans probably don't know that I have already made an agreement with a girl in the capital… a promise single people like you would never understand.'
Those two boys didn't even go to Fresno High School, and from their uniforms, they were from a neighboring, less prestigious school. So at least Logan was spared the possibility of running into them on campus.
As he walked in the brisk morning air, students passed by in pairs or small groups, chatting amongst themselves. Honestly, even if the bus hadn't arrived at that perfect moment to save him, Logan couldn't have done anything to the two guys. At most, it would've been an exchange of sarcastic remarks, and he wouldn't actually throw a punch to settle the score.
This was one reason he rarely checked people's comments about him online. His defection storyline in Naruto was a top discussion topic, sparking endless debate.
Even without the cringe factor, the lack of restraint in online speech meant running into insults was inevitable, and there wasn't much he could do about it. Arguing with people behind a keyboard was a waste of time, and ignoring it entirely was better.
Logan could feel how he differed from others at every turn… walking among the students, he lowered his gaze. Be it the stark difference in physical strength between himself and ordinary people, or the unpredictable responses from readers, there was a distinct layer separating him from everyone else.
This recent, unexpected cross-over incident was definitely not going to allow him any peace of mind about staying in this world.
'Judging by the latest chapter, the timeline in the manga seems to be progressing as usual, which means my position over there...' Logan's mood darkened. After finishing the new release, he was left uneasy.
His cross over had left him stranded here, while just before his return, he had been at the border between the Land of Iron and the Land of Waterfalls.
'If time was flowing normally over there, Itachi and Kisame would have surely noticed my disappearance.'
'Right next to two Akatsuki's members, a person who was sleeping peacefully in a tent suddenly mysteriously and silently disappeared?'
'Even with Space-Time Ninjutsu, there should've been some Chakra fluctuation as a signal. It was a hassle even to imagine what kind of chaos that might have caused. How on earth would I explain that...'
'Forget it, let's just focus on the matter at hand." Shaking off the pointless thoughts, Logan reminded himself that all issues from the Ninja World were irrelevant as long as he was stranded here.
He needed to confirm if being stuck here was a one-time fluke or if he'd still be around when the next chapter's release came.
'Even if it was just a careless accident…' Following the flow of students around the corner, Logan squinted at the large school gate looming ahead, 'Even if it was an accident, I may still need to check the origin of it all...'
In the Ninja World, an unexplained disappearance could lead to chaos or even pose a threat. If Logan vanished in plain sight or during a critical battle, the consequences would be unacceptable to him.
"So, the trip to Japan has to be put on the agenda." Logan muttered as he stepped onto the campus grounds.
…
A week later.
Logan squinted up at the glaringly bright sun, which was clearly autumn but still shining like summer, and sighed.
"It seems something's truly gone wrong."
At the gate of Fresno High School, the crowd on a Monday after a weekend break was larger than usual. The noise from inside blended with the traffic sounds outside. Among the bustling groups of chattering students and their parents, Logan stood conspicuously, drawing puzzled looks.
"Mom, what's with that guy?"
"Isn't he a bit odd?"
"Could it be that he's tired of studying? I also don't want to study on Monday."
Speculations floated around him, but Logan didn't care. He was too lazy to pay attention to it now. After all, the problem of his inability to return to the Ninja World was far more pressing.
A pattern he had come to rely on had been broken, and now, Logan was on high alert as if preparing for a showdown with a powerful opponent.
Ignoring the curious glances, he made his way up the familiar path to his classroom, where he settled in and placed his bag on his desk, ready to think in peace.
However, before he could start, David scooted his chair closer.
"Don't disturb me." Logan said without even looking up.
"Wow, what's up with the 'I want some alone time' vibe? Did you get dumped?" David said in surprise.
Logan indeed wanted to be left alone, but not in the way David assumed, 'Just let me have my quiet, you machine-gun mouth.'
Seeing Logan didn't say anything. David ignored him and laughed as usual, "It's no big deal, just a breakup. Lost one 'wife'? You can find another one. Want me to recommend some good shows?"
"..."
'Why are you so fixated on this? And there seems to be a big gap between your lovelorn relationship and lovelorn love in the normal sense!'
"I mean, you want something recent or something classic? For October's lineup, the most popular hard-working characters (T/N: It can be regarded as the female character with the most official or fan-made works in a period of time)..."
"You're still not satisfied? Fine, I could even share something from my prized folder titled 'Global International Relations - Asia Overview - Japan-China Relations - Multidimensional Paths to Friendship - A Feasibility Study'…with all 100 files …"
"Enough already!"