Yeah... So I guess Shindo was possibly the only person to treat Izumi like a normal human before Kyoko first approached him to do a report with him ("You're totally normal!"), as depicted near the end of the earlier flashback chapter (Young Izumi). I suspect it was during their first year at Katagiri? And they wouldn't have their fateful encounter for at least another year, I think?
But, yeah... they kept passing by each other for a couple years, I guess.
Vaguely making me think of an arc near the end of another manga I read recently where one chapter, literally titled 'Coincidence', involved the main couple trying to get away from each other for awhile after a bad argument, but they.. just.. keep.. meeting. And every time they did, sparks flew as they argued and yelled again, until finally they just couldn't help but laugh at the absurdity of the situation, made up, and resolved to have fun together for the rest of the day. It was really cute. It was also while they played at an arcade that night that the male lead finally realized how much he loved the female lead.
When stories let couples actually be messy like that, I think it helps it feel more... real.
Shit... just thinking about it almost makes me want to experience that story again, but that'd also mean the rollercoaster of emotions that went with the full experience. I want to finish HoriMiya first, anyway, before beginning to read anything else. I prefer to consume a single story at a time, until I've experienced it fully.
If anyone's particularly curious, the story I was talking about is Nisekoi: False Love...