It's raining...
And...
AND I'M STILL HERE AT SCHOOL!
There's barely anyone else here! Everyone had long escaped the clutches of this cruel environment, with only a few people staying for halloween event preparation.
But I'm not part of them.
So why am I still here?!?!
Wait, no....I remember.
I recall back to dismissal...
" Gotou-san, I suggest you stay in school until Akihiko-kun is finished with his business." Kita-chan suddenly stops me out of nowhere.
" Huh? But why?" I asked.
She looks as me if I'd grown a third head.
" Because Mayafumi-san might steal him right when you're not looking!" She exclaims.
"....I'm going ho--"
" No, you're staying here."
But I refused to cooperate with that, to which she then eventually chained and locked me to my seat and that's why I'm still at school.
Where did Kita-chan even get those chains from.....no....why did she even HAVE those in her possession...?
I'm learning more about my bandmate every day. And today I learned that I should start being afraid of the extrovert social butterfly that is Kita Ikuyo. If she could chain me without a second thought, then I should choose my actions much more carefully from here on out. Who knows what she might do next if a lowly prey such as myself were to defy her any more than this....
But...
If I'm going to be stuck here...
I might as well....tune into their conversation like she suggested right?
Wait, no, Hitori are you some sort of stalker? That sounded so creepy! And disrespectful of their privacy. God, I'm losing my mind the longer I stay here. The rain is still too heavy for me to take out my umbrella and escape once and fot all, so I have be patient for the time being and wait it out till it starts becoming....kinder.
Maybe write down lyrics to pass the time...
" Thanks for helping out, Akihiko-kun." I suddenly hear Mayafumi-san's voice from outside the classroom.
" Oh, it's no problem. If you need help with anything else, I'm a call away."
" Really? Then do you mind giving me your contact?"
She's handling it so well....like a smooth train operator. I could never be as good as that. That feeling returned to me again, that strange empty feeling in my stomach whenever she talks to him and makes moves like that.
No. I'm not jealous. Absolutely not. That's crazy to even assume that I, Gotou Hitori, professional loner introvert, were to get JEALOUS of someone that's not even mine. Blasphemous even!
" Sure." He answers. I can already hear the exchanging of numbers.
" Are you going home now?" I hear her ask him.
" Yeah, I'm going home with Gotou-san."
" O-Oh, I see..."
Eh? Did I hear that right?
The classroom door slides open and in comes Akihiko-kun. His emerald eyes land on me, and a smile quickly adorns his face as he approaches me with a small key in hand.
" Sorry to keep you waiting." He apologizes before using the key to unlock my chains...
The key was with him the entire time?!
" W...Where did you get that key...?" I asked.
" Kita-san gave it to me before she left. She said I should unlock your chains once I'm finished with my business..." then his face scrunches to one of terror. " When I asked her ' why', she gave me a scary smile that had the potential to give me nightmares. Is that normal?"
" No...I discovered the same thing as you just today....hence, why I was chained." We both nodded to each other in understanding, both of us having a shared fear of Kita Ikuyo.
" Well, shall we?" He gestures to the exit.
I nodded grabbed my guitar case.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
" Ah...right.....it's raining...." He says, his shoulders suddenly slumping.
" It's not heavy though....I think you can bike home--"
" Ah...about that, I sorta crashed into a bush yesterday while riding it. The chain broke and some other parts were damaged too, so I handed it over to the repair shop." He says, scratching his head.
"...." That reminded me. I turned to him.
" My sister told me that you nearly killed her." I suddenly said and I see him flinch before laughing nervously.
" Kids sure have a way of going about things...." he looks at me with a terrified expression. " Did...she also tell your parents that?"
" I don't think so..." I said unsure, after all she's your typical blunt 5 year old that will say anything that comes to mind. I think she's the literal hell spawn of Satan though.
" So....what now? Do you have an umbrella?" I asked.
He releases a sigh, shaking his head in disappointment for himself.
" No....I usually go home by bike regardless of rain or sunny days. So I don't often have an umbrella on me, since I typically rely on the protective helmet on my bike as coverage from the rain...." his shoulder went slumping after the explanation.
....
Kita-chan....how were you so right...
" Kita-chan please--"
" No." She says with finality after locking my chains, no matter how much I struggled. I couldn't move.
" You're c-cruel..." I cried.
She ignores my remark with a flick of her hand before smiling to me excitedly.
" I saw on the news that it would rain today. Did you know?"
" That's why I want to go home as soon as possible..." I whined.
" Nu-uh girl! Look, this is just a feeling but..." she leans closer to my ear and begins to whisper.
" I have a feeling Akihiko-kun didn't bring his umbrella....I also don't see his bike around either. This is your chance to make a move~"
" I told you we're not like that!" But no matter how much I told her otherwise, she refuses to accept it.
Anyways....
I did actually bring an umbrella. I'm very cautious about the weather, and after recent trauma from when it rained during our second concert, I decided to pay attention to the morning news.
Okay, just offer your umbrella.
It's not romantic if you don't think it is. It's not a ' move', it's just being kind. That's all!
Okay...
I slowly unzipped my bag and took out my umbrella. I released a short exhale before speaking.
" Do you....want to share?" I asked.
" Huh?" I didn't meet his eyes this time when he turned to me. This wouldn't habe been awkward if Kita didn't shove those romantic fantasies of hers in my head!
Aaahhhhhh---
" Are you sure? I don't live nearby--"
"Okayimnsosorryforaskingi'lljustgohome--" I said, panicking and fumbling with my umbrella.
" On second thought, " he hums. " I'll take you on your offer. It's better than sticking around in school much longer than this."
" O-Okay!"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The rain was definitely a lot slower compared to before. But it's still not a good idea to go without an umbrella, else you'll catch a cold.
It was silent between us-- the comfortable kind. I liked it. Just as much as I love talking to him and just...hearing out his day. And he does the same too, he encourages me to speak my mind and it took a while before I got more relaxed and shared some things about myself too.
It's strange how....easy I feel when I'm with him compared to my bandmates-- n-not like one is better than the other! But there's just a different atmosphere there that I'll only fail to explain if I tried.
The two of us walked side by side, closer than usual in order to fit under the safety of my purple umbrella.
Zoom! A car drives by, and its tires splashed through the puddle near the sidewalk.
" Ah-!" A bit of got splashed onto my track pants. I shuffled closer to Akihiko-kun instinctively, not wishing to get more dirty than this.
Akihiko-kun glances at me and then to the passing cars.
" Hold on." I hear him mutter before he suddenly shifted me towards his other side-- switching our places. I looked at him in suprised, but he only gave a smile in turn.
" So you wouldn't get any dirty rainwater on you." He explained.
The air was cold, but again, my face was turning warm. I give a smile of my own before nodding in thanks and we continued walking.
He's so kind and considerate. That's why so many girls like him and want to be with him, and yet he chooses to stick by my side instead-- without fail. It gives me thoughts I don't want to have, it makes me wonder if...just maybe...
Does Akihiko-kun like me?
I shook that thought away like all the other times it's popped up. Akihiko-kun has the personality and the looks to have any girl in the world, so for me to think that by the smallest chance that he does like me in that way is just.....a faraway dream.
......
A faraway dream...huh.
.......
I bit my lip. Maybe I do like him after all.
" You know," he suddenly speaks, breaking the silence and tearing me away from my thoughts.
" When I was a kid, I'd often go out in the rain and play just because I thought it was fun." He says. I looked up to him and gave him all my attention-- or rather, he's always had it.
" Granted, I also got sick often because I went out in the rain."
The both of us chuckled to that.
" I can imagine..." I said, amused.
" Do you have any stories about the rain?" He asked me.
" No, unfortunately, I just....tend to stay home in the rain and do nothing." I answered, " It just makes me more gloomy than usual." I added.
" Why do you say that as if you are gloomy?"
" But I am..."
" Not to me at least. You're shy and you stammer-- but you're full of life. And a very fun person to be with." I felt warm by his words.
" I guess.....that's why I'm a bit happy it rained today.....just so I could walk with you like always."
" S-Same! " I answered, a little too eager that he seemed to be caught suprised.
" I....I really want to keep up with this tradition....going home together-- I've been thinking of it for a while....and....it feels nice to have someone by your side as you go home together." The words came spilling out of my mouth.
" Riding with you on your bike is fun but--"
" But you prefer this." He finishes for me. I nodded shyly.
" I like this too." He shares my feelings. " I like walking with you, Gotou-san."
He hums. " I suppose I'll schedule the days I bring my bike and days I won't, so that we can balance these types of moments."
"....That sounds good." I replied, feeling giddy inside as I smiled a bit bigger than I usually do.
And I was closer, much closer than before. Than I usually am. So close, that I could link my arm with his....
We continued the rest of the way home, telling jokes, and talking about nothing and everything like we usually do.
I like you, Akihiko-kun.
~~~ End ~~~
Romantic development here! I always love rain scenes like this in romance anime or manga.
I think it's just such a sweet gesture to share an umbrella with someone, especially with romantic context.
Fun fact: I have had the privilege to experience this type of phenomenon!
( Thats probably why I kept being reminded of it and feeling awfully cringe as I wrote this )
Anyways,
The next few chapters are going to be pretty fun for me to write! So see you then!