I think Kenta is having one of those "pride" thing going on.
"I won't meet them before I make it!" kind of thing.
Which is known as "otoko no roman" or "a man's romance". All the shounen mangas are based on this concept, and it's a very boring predictable plot.
On the other hand, the author is doing well with the slow burn. I hope she already has an ending planned, because slow burns can backfire if she didn't plan ahead.