After leaving home, Boruto Uzumaki sprinted toward the train station with half a red bean bun between his teeth, his schoolbag bouncing against his back with a rhythmic slap.
He caught a glimpse of the station ahead out of the corner of his eye. His eyes lit up, and he pushed himself to run even faster.
"Denki! Wait for me!"
At the platform, the public train bound for school was beeping to warn that its doors were closing. A boy with short black hair tied into a little bun at the back and black-framed glasses held a laptop in his arms, slowly lifting a foot to step aboard.
Hearing the shout, he turned his head a little timidly.
Just as the doors were about to close, Boruto executed a textbook ninja slide, slipping through the gap by a hair and making it aboard!
"Whew... whew... made... made it!" Boruto panted with his hands on his knees, taking the bun out of his mouth.
Seeing the disheveled state he was in, Denki Kaminarimon instinctively adjusted his glasses and said softly, "Oh, Boruto! Good morning."
His voice sounded weak and heavy with exhaustion. His already timid-looking face now had dark circles under its eyes, and even his signature little bun seemed limp.
"Morning... wait." Boruto straightened up and stuffed the rest of the bun into his mouth in a few bites. Studying Denki closely, he frowned. "Denki, what happened to you? You look awful, like you haven't slept in days. Those dark circles are really bad."
Denki leaned against the wall at the connection between the carriages, as though even standing took effort.
He rubbed his aching temples and said in a low voice, "I don't know. Maybe I haven't been sleeping well lately. It's been several days now. I keep having