Higashi Hazuki Gets Soaked

No matter how firmly I believed that no accident could happen, I still had to remain extremely cautious until the very last moment.

That might be the lesson I had come to understand.

My umbrella was gone.

I noticed it when I returned after lunch.

[Ah, I’m pretty sure there was a red umbrella here too.

How did it disappear in the blink of an eye.

That’s strange—Higashi, did you lose your umbrella?]

I asked a classmate who often ate lunch in the classroom and got that answer.

Along with it, I also received a bit of goodwill.

[How about I lend you mine.

My house is pretty close, so I can just run back later.]

She was actually a very timid girl.

Just like Amayama Kaoru when I first met her, she only dared to stay curled up in her own little space, completely transparent within the class.

At that moment, she was secretly looking at me.

In her eyes, I could see a trace of longing, joy at being noticed, and even a faint desire to take this chance to become friends.

She must have seen Kaoru as an example.

She probably wanted to be like her, to become close friends and enjoy a beautiful high school youth.

Unfortunately—

She completely failed to see the insincerity I hid.

Becoming my friend couldn’t be called a good thing.

It would only be the most unfortunate event of one’s life, and certainly the decision one would regret the most.

Because I was the kind of person who would freely mock so-called friendship and goodwill.

Even that small kindness just now stirred an urge to laugh within me.

[Uh, no.

I was just curious why the red umbrella was gone, so I asked.]

[I see—]

She looked a little disappointed.

[Then, thank you anyway, um—]

[My name is, my name is Hanama Aiko.]

[Thank you, Hanama.]

Then, without much guilt, I completely forgot her name.

As for developing a friendship, that was something I would never do.

After all, having Kaoru alone was enough.

Two would make things too easy to expose, you know.

Besides, she wouldn’t want to be friends with a fake like me anyway.

You dodged a bullet, Hanama.

Just as the weather forecast said, by the afternoon the outside of the classroom had sunk into darkness like night.

Other than the lights, there was nothing bright to be seen.

Along with a thunderous boom, a streak of lightning flashed.

Then came the torrential rain that instantly became the dominant sound.

Even the teacher raised their voice, but it seemed pitifully small, completely drowned out.

[Yue, Yue—]

Taking advantage of the moment, the classroom gradually grew restless, and Kaoru spoke up.

[The rain is so heavy.

Good thing I brought an umbrella, or getting home would be tough.]

Yeah, bringing an umbrella really was great.

Too bad mine had already been taken by someone unknown, so I didn’t feel any relief at all.

Instead, it was troublesome.

An unexpected situation like this even made me feel as if someone was targeting me from the shadows.

Of course, that thought only flashed by for a moment.

More likely, someone I had offended without realizing it took it as an act of petty revenge.

After all, my umbrella had been hidden among several others.

Only mine was missing, so it was hard not to be suspicious.

It was also possible they simply took a liking to my umbrella.

If that were the reason, I might laugh.

Though it wasn’t very funny.

Well, there was no real need to think too much about it.

Even if it was revenge, I couldn’t pinpoint who it was.

As I’d said before, you can never be sure what someone is thinking inside.

It could even have been Kaoru herself, who appeared to be my friend on the surface.

[You know, Yue, I really like the rain.]

Kaoru blinked her big eyes, happily watching the curtain of rain outside.

—She really was a fool.

There was no need to doubt her at all.

[Why is that, Kaoru?]

[It makes me think of a manga I read before.

There was a line of classical poetry in it.]

She narrowed her eyes as if recalling it, keeping an elegant tone.

Faint thunder rumbling, gloomy skies above.

Yet I pray for wind and rain, so you may stay here.

Faint thunder rumbling, gloomy skies above.

Even if no rain falls, I will remain here.

[Splash, splash.]

After leaving the classroom, the sound of the rain grew even louder.

Moist air rushed at my face, carrying a damp chill.

Only after stepping outside could I truly feel how terrifying this rainstorm was.

If someone ran home through the rain, they’d be a genuine idiot.

At the very least, I had no intention of doing that.

At worst, I could just stay overnight at school.

It wouldn’t be a big deal.

[Then I’ll be going first, Yue.]

Kaoru waved goodbye after I sent her off with some other excuse.

She took her umbrella and left, humming.

Before long, there was no one around me.

Everyone hurried home.

There were no club activities either.

The only ones left at school seemed to be people like me who didn’t have umbrellas.

But even they would be picked up by family or friends.

[You can begin now, Higashi.]

After waiting for quite a while, listening through the earphones to all kinds of noisy sounds, those words finally came after a brief silence.

They were words that made it worth perking up.

[Yes.

Please have Ichijou go to the entrance.]

This was the start of Nishimura Noriyuki’s first event.

A girl waiting at the entrance of the school building meets a kind-hearted boy.

That was how the event opened.

[Noriyuki, you’re here because—]

[It’s raining.]

That same flat voice.

But there was a hint of trouble in it, which I could hear through the earphones.

[I see.

If you don’t mind, I can walk you part of the way.]

Such a simple reply didn’t even need my guidance.

My main role was to give hints when he truly couldn’t keep the conversation going.

[Won’t that trouble you, Rikuhiko?]

[There’s no club today.

I’ve got plenty of free time, so don’t worry.

Besides, your place isn’t far, right?]

[It’s not far.

Then I’ll be in your care, Rikuhiko.]

It felt like listening to a game’s progression.

Their voices came through clearly.

After a while, the sound of raindrops tapping against the umbrella mixed in.

It was a sound that put one at ease.

They fell silent.

There was nothing more to say.

It was my turn to step in.

[Noriyuki, didn’t you see today’s weather forecast?]

[No, I didn’t pay attention.]

[Well, that makes sense.

Noriyuki isn’t the type who likes checking his phone often.]

[I use my phone to take photos.]

A slight deviation appeared there.

That was because of the outdoor book club event.

Still, it didn’t affect me much.

[Yeah.

You even shared lots of nice photos.

We all liked them.]

[That’s something Yue taught me.]

[Isn’t that also your own ability, Noriyuki?]

[…Thank you for the compliment.]

[Actually, you can just set reminders on your phone.

It’ll notify you when it rains, so you won’t need to check it every day.]

[If you want, I can help you set it up.]

Although I gave some hints, most of it was Ichijou Rikuhiko acting on his own.

Like this gesture, which helped bring them closer.

[Alright.

Then I’ll leave it to you.]

The rain grew heavier.

Not just over there, but here as well.

Almost everyone had left.

The school building was silent.

If anything, only my own voice echoed.

Even so, it couldn’t stop the result of their conversation from becoming harder to hear.

That was the effect of distance increasing.

I’d noticed it back at Sakuragami Mountain, though there hadn’t been rain noise then.

If this continued, the connection would definitely break.

Tch, what a hassle.

I looked out and saw their figures from afar.

If I didn’t hurry and follow them, this would be a problem.

There was no helping it.

I reached out and touched the curtain of rain before me.

[Hmm—]

The sound became clearer, tinged with surprise, as if he had noticed something.

[What is it, Rikuhiko?]

[Nothing.

It’s done—]

Looks like things were going smoothly.

I held down my earphones, feeling grateful that they were waterproof.

[Noriyuki, you should still listen to the weather forecast.

If you don’t bring an umbrella, that’d be bad.

You know—]

[Getting soaked in rain this heavy is really unpleasant.]

His voice grew louder.

It was both a warning and a concern.

That was true.

It was an extremely heavy rainstorm.

Getting drenched would be awful.

I knew that better than anyone.

You could say I was experiencing it firsthand right now.

Huge raindrops struck my face and body.

My hair and clothes were soaked through in an instant.

To be honest, it was really uncomfortable.

I could barely open my eyes.

Even so, through the blur, I caught sight of their figures and followed from afar.

[If someone runs home in rain this heavy, they’re a complete idiot.

It’d be better to find somewhere to take shelter.

If you get sick and run a fever, that’d be a real problem.]

He continued, sounding a bit urgent.

[If I saw an idiot like that, I’d definitely scold her harshly and tell her to find shelter instead of standing there soaking in the rain!]

The words contradicted what he’d said earlier, yet they were filled with concern.

So he noticed my situation through the earphones after all.

That’s why.

I’d accept this pointless concern for now.

There were more important things to do, after all.

[If you’re getting rained on, don’t keep doing something so stupid.]

That was completely directed at me.

Toward the badge.

[I’m fine, Ichijou.

You really don’t need to worry about me.]

[How could that possibly be fine?!]

[Rikuhiko—what’s wrong?]

His sudden shout made Noriyuki speak up in confusion.

But—

[Is it really necessary to push yourself this far?]

He lowered his voice as much as possible.

Even I could feel that something was off with his emotions.

[Ichijou, you promised me you’d take me home.

If you don’t, I won’t forgive you.]

[I really, really want to go home, Ichijou.]

So please, let me go back.

There was silence on the other end.

Finally—

[It’s nothing.

I just thought of someone very pitiful.]

It’s not very nice to talk badly about someone behind their back, Ichijou.

Though I didn’t really care.

As long as he accomplished what I expected.

[Actually, if I wait a bit longer, someone will come pick me up.]

For once, Nishimura Noriyuki spoke up on his own.

That was a clear sign of rising affection.

It made me a little happy.

[I live with my aunt, so you don’t have to go out of your way to walk me home, Rikuhiko.]

[But then you’d have to wait there for a long time.

I don’t want to disappoint anyone.]

[Disappoint?]

[Anyway, it looks like the rain’s getting heavier.

Let’s walk faster.]

[Mm—]

They didn’t stop because of me.

At the same time, it felt like he’d grasped the rhythm of conversation and no longer needed my guidance.

That let my head, which was already dizzy from the pounding rain, relax a little.

[You can just walk me here, Rikuhiko.]

[Alright.

Then, see you.]

[Yeah.

If you have time, come visit my place sometime, Rikuhiko.]

[Yeah.

I will.]

The event progressed very smoothly.

Although some of the dialogue differed from the game, it finally reached the outcome where he was invited to her home.

You did great, Ichijou.

Compared to how smoothly things went for him, my situation wasn’t so optimistic.

My soaked clothes clung tightly to my body, continuously draining what little strength I had left.

Exhausted, I could only squat by the entrance of a closed shop, barely taking shelter under its narrow eaves.

A voice came through again.

[Wait for me.]

That was all he said.

Like an order.

Though with rain this heavy, I couldn’t go anywhere anyway.

Before long, he appeared in front of me, running over.

He really did look anxious, Ichijou.

[You did great, Ichijou.]

Faced with my praise, he said nothing.

He just looked at me, wearing an indescribable expression.

What, was he feeling sorry for me?

Given his character setting, that was likely.

Honestly, it was hilarious.

To think my dead heart could feel such immense joy at a moment like this.

Dealing with someone like me, who could turn another person’s kindness into amusement, really was too much.

Well, I should at least put on an act.

It wouldn’t do to make him uncomfortable.

[I did listen to you, Ichijou.

I found a place to take shelter from the rain.

And I waited properly for you.]

I drew my body in slightly and smiled that same gentle smile.

Though after getting soaked, it probably didn’t look very nice.

[Higashi—]

That indescribable expression still lingered on his face, as if ignoring my act entirely.

[I’ll take you home.]

His voice was gentle.

[…Okay.]