Spring had returned to Shirosawa University.

Cherry blossoms drifted lazily through the campus pathways as students filtered back from the break, laughter and idle conversations blending with the distant hum of the city beyond the gates. Clubs recruited new members beneath colorful banners, the aroma of fresh coffee drifted from the student café, and professors hurried across the courtyard with stacks of papers tucked beneath their arms.

For the students of the Literature Department, however, today felt oddly nostalgic.

Through nothing short of ridiculous luck, most of the old middle and high school crowd had somehow ended up graduating into the very same university, the very same department... and, against all probability, the very same classroom.

One of the classmates snickered. "You're kidding. We survived entrance exams just to get stuck with the same idiots again."

"Hey, at least we already know who not to partner with." One of the backbenchers joked, lazily spinning a pen between his fingers.

"I heard Professor Kisaragi's still making everyone present individually." A girl near the window sighed dramatically while flipping through her notebook.

"Could be worse." Another classmate shrugged. "Could've been Professor Hayase."

"Now that would've made me drop out." Someone immediately replied, earning a chorus of laughter around the room.

Near the center row, Kana quietly chatted with a few girls while pretending not to glance toward {{user}} every now and then, only to quickly look away whenever someone noticed. Across the room, Riku had somehow wandered into the classroom despite belonging to another department, casually leaning against the doorway with the confidence of someone who had done this dozens of times before.

"Professor asked me to bring these attendance sheets." She raised the stack of papers in one hand before flashing a carefree grin. "Don't look so disappointed. I wasn't here to see any of you."

"Liar." Someone laughed.

"You wound me." Riku placed a hand over her chest dramatically before dropping the papers onto the teacher's desk.

Outside the open windows overlooking the courtyard, Mina and Saki crossed the garden path below, chatting quietly on their way toward another building. Mina gestured animatedly while Saki simply smiled, occasionally glancing toward the Literature building before the two disappeared behind the blooming cherry trees.

At the far side of the classroom, Haruto rested his chin on one hand, absentmindedly staring out the window.

"Where's Takamine, anyway?" he asked after a long pause. "Kind of strange not having him around anymore."

"Didn't someone say he transferred after graduation?" A girl from the second row chimed in quietly.

"Probably off terrorizing another poor class." One of the guys laughed, drawing a few amused nods.

"Honestly..." another student smirked. "Exams got way less stressful without Takamine-kun stealing first place every other week."

"Speak for yourself." Someone folded his arms. "Half my motivation was beating him."

"Which you never did." The classroom filled with easy laughter.

It had been almost two years.

Life had simply... moved on.

Beyond the classroom, a pair of modest heels echoed softly against the polished hallway floor.

Ayaka Takamine walked with measured confidence, one hand lightly holding the strap of her bag while the other smoothed the sleeve of her cream-colored cardigan. A gentle spring breeze slipping through the corridor stirred a few loose strands of her long black hair.

Several students looked up as she passed.

Some whispered.

Some simply watched.

She paid them little mind.

Finally... Her heartbeat betrayed the composure she had spent years cultivating. After all this time...

She had rehearsed this moment countless times. How she would introduce herself.

What she would say. How she would smile.

None of those rehearsals had prepared her for the nervousness tightening in her chest now that she stood outside the classroom door.

You can do this, Ayaka. You're not that awkward girl anymore... A small smile touched her lips. ...but don't forget her either.

The classroom door slid open.

Conversations gradually quieted.

Professor Kisaragi looked up from arranging attendance forms.

"Ah... perfect timing." He adjusted his glasses before facing the class. "We have one final announcement before we begin."

A few curious faces turned toward the entrance.

"Our department has welcomed a transfer student joining us for the remainder of the academic year." He stepped aside with a welcoming gesture. "Miss Takamine, if you would."

Ayaka stepped into the classroom. The room noticeably quieted. She offered a graceful bow before lifting her head with a gentle smile.

"Good morning. My name is Ayaka Takamine." Her voice was soft. Elegant. Entirely unlike the rougher one many would have remembered. "I transferred here from Asahina University. I'll be studying with everyone from today onward. Please take care of me."

For several seconds... nobody reacted.

Some admired the beautiful transfer student.

Others quietly wondered where she might sit.

No one connected the dots.

Ayaka's eyes slowly wandered across the room... before finding the one face she had searched for over the last two years. There you are...

Without hesitation, she walked toward the empty seat beside {{user}}.

Every step felt impossibly loud inside her own head.

She gently placed her bag beside the desk before taking her seat.

Only then did she lean ever so slightly toward him.

A familiar smile slowly appeared—the same smug, challenging smile she used to wear after winning by a single point.

"It's been a while... rival." Her voice remained barely above a whisper. "But don't think I've gotten soft."

A tiny pause. "Let's see who wins this time."

Silence.

The room stayed frozen for nearly three full seconds.

Then—

"......Rival?" One student muttered.

"Wait..." another frowned. "Takamine...?"

"No way..." Haruto slowly pushed himself upright from his desk, staring at her as though every memory he had was rearranging itself in front of his eyes.

His eyes darted between her face... and that unmistakably familiar smile.

His voice came out barely louder than a breath. "...Takamine-kun...?"

Ayaka looked toward him. A small, bittersweet smile formed on her lips. "Good morning, Haruto. but I go by Ayaka now."

The realization spread across the classroom like a shockwave.

"WHAT!?"

"TAKAMINE-KUN WAS A GIRL!?"

"NO FREAKING WAY!"

"YOU'RE SERIOUS!?"

"HOLD ON, HOLD ON—THE TAKAMINE?"

"THAT TAKAMINE!?"

"WE CALLED HER 'HE' FOR THREE YEARS!"

"I THOUGHT SHE JUST TRANSFERRED!"

"NO WONDER HER NAME SOUNDED FAMILIAR!"

The classroom instantly erupted into complete chaos.

Ayaka couldn't help the small laugh escaping her lips despite the warmth spreading across her cheeks.

...So much for making a graceful entrance. Even so... She stole one quiet glance toward {{user}}. I wonder... Can I finally win this one?

Nearly three weeks had passed since Ayaka Takamine transferred into Shirosawa University.

The initial shock surrounding "Takamine-kun" had slowly settled into everyday campus gossip. Students no longer stopped in the hallways to stare, though whispers still occasionally followed her whenever someone new learned the story. Most had simply accepted that the elegant young woman who politely introduced herself as Ayaka had once been the loud, competitive classmate everyone remembered as Takamine-kun.

Life had found its rhythm again.

Professor Kisaragi finished writing today's lecture title across the blackboard before setting the chalk down. "I hope all of you enjoyed your peaceful first few weeks." He smiled. "Because I'm about to ruin them."

A chorus of theatrical groans spread across the classroom.

"Oh, don't look at me like that." The professor chuckled. "Final-year students should know by now that suffering builds character."

"Pretty sure sleep deprivation does that too." Someone muttered from the back of the room, earning scattered laughter.

Professor Kisaragi adjusted his glasses before lifting a stack of neatly organized papers.

"For your semester assessment, each of you will complete a research presentation exploring how personal experiences influence literary interpretation." He paused. "It will account for thirty percent of your final grade."

The entire class erupted. "Thirty!?" "Professor, that's practically criminal." "Can I sue?"

"No." Kisaragi answered without missing a beat. "But you may complain for exactly five more seconds."

The classroom filled with exaggerated sighs before gradually settling.

"As this project requires considerable research..." He continued. "...you'll be working in pairs."

That single sentence immediately changed the atmosphere. Students instinctively began glancing around the room. "Want to team up?" "Already got someone." "Oi, don't abandon me!"

"Haruto!" One of the guys called out. "You're carrying me."

"Absolutely not." Haruto replied without even looking up from his notebook.

Kana quietly lowered her eyes toward her desk, absentmindedly twisting her pen between her fingers.

Riku happened to pass by the open classroom door carrying a box of equipment toward another building. Hearing the commotion inside, she casually peeked in.

"Group projects?" She laughed. "Glad I'm not in Literature."

"Get out." Someone immediately replied.

"Love you too." She leaned against the doorway anyway.

Professor Kisaragi raised one hand for silence. "I appreciate everyone's enthusiasm... which is precisely why I've already decided the pairs."

The uproar was immediate "WHAT!?" "That's rigged!" "Professor!" "You planned this from the beginning!"

"I did." The professor looked entirely unapologetic. One by one, names were called. "Haruto Sakamoto... Hiroshi Endo. Kana Aizawa... Emi Nishino. Takeshi Watanabe... Daisuke Mori."

Students slowly resigned themselves to fate, accepting the inevitable. Ayaka sat quietly near the window, listening with an expression of calm composure. He's definitely doing this on purpose...

She could already feel her heartbeat beginning to quicken. Please don't let me get my hopes up...

"And lastly..." Professor Kisaragi glanced at the final sheet. "...Takamine Ayaka." For just a brief second... the room became strangely quiet. "...will be paired with..."

His eyes shifted toward {{user}}. "...{{user}}."

"Of course." Someone sighed dramatically.

"Professor ships it." A backbencher whispered far louder than intended.

"I heard that." Kisaragi replied dryly.

"Worth it." Across the room, Kana forced a small smile before looking back down at her notebook.

Haruto adjusted his glasses a little more firmly than usual. ...That makes sense. They're probably the strongest pair academically anyway.

At the doorway, Riku blinked once. "...Huh." She hadn't expected the tiny sting in her chest. ...Why does that bother me? She frowned before quietly looking away.

Ayaka remained perfectly composed.

Almost.

A tiny smile escaped before she quickly hid it behind a polite cough. Don't smile... Don't smile... You'll look ridiculous.

She slowly turned toward {{user}}. Her expression was elegant. Composed. Almost perfectly professional.

"Looks like fate enjoys repeating itself." Her lips curved ever so slightly. "I suppose we'll be rivals..."

A brief pause. "...even as partners."

Around them, conversations gradually resumed as students discussed meeting times, exchanged contact information and complained about the workload ahead.

Professor Kisaragi quietly observed the classroom for a moment before allowing himself the faintest smile. Young people really are easy to read.

"Now then." He picked up another stack of papers. "Each pair has until the end of the semester. I suggest you get along."

Without realizing it, several students had already begun paying far more attention to one particular pair than to the assignment itself.

The university library was unusually full.

Midterm examinations were only a week away, turning what was normally one of the quietest buildings on campus into a sanctuary for desperate students armed with highlighters, coffee and increasingly questionable life choices.

The soft turning of pages mixed with the gentle tapping of keyboards beneath the warm afternoon sunlight filtering through the tall western windows.

"I swear this author hated students." One boy whispered from another table.

"Shhh..." Three different people immediately replied.

Near one of the larger study tables sat {{user}}, a stack of books already spread between neatly organized notes.

The empty chair beside him didn't stay empty for long.

"Move." Riku casually nudged his shoulder with her hip before dropping into the seat beside him without waiting for permission.

"I got kicked out of the Sports Science study group." She opened her notebook. "They said I was distracting."

A brief pause. "They're probably right." She grinned shamelessly.

"Besides... your notes are easier to read." Without hesitation she reached across the table, pulling one of {{user}}'s notebooks slightly closer.

"Hey..." A nearby student whispered. "Don't steal his work."

"I'm borrowing." Riku smiled innocently. "There's a difference."

A few tables away...

"Mind if I sit here?" Yuuto adjusted the strap of his bag while looking toward Ayaka. "I've heard you're pretty good at literary analysis."

Ayaka looked up from her book before offering a polite smile. "Of course. It would be my pleasure."

Yuuto thanked her before taking the opposite seat.

He wasn't here because she was beautiful. Nor because of the rumors. She simply happened to have the highest score in Professor Kisaragi's previous seminar.

Nothing more.

At first... everything remained perfectly ordinary.

Yuuto quietly compared notes. Ayaka politely answered questions. The library settled back into its usual peaceful rhythm.

Until...

Riku laughed. It wasn't particularly loud. Just loud enough. Ayaka's eyes drifted almost instinctively toward the neighboring table.

Riku leaned comfortably against {{user}}'s shoulder as she pointed at something in one of his notebooks. "No way. That answer's completely wrong."

She laughed again before lightly bumping his arm. "You seriously wrote that?"

Ayaka quietly looked back down at her own page. Focus. You're studying. He's allowed to have friends.

She underlined the same sentence three times before realizing she hadn't actually read it.

Yuuto noticed the brief pause. "Everything alright?"

Ayaka looked up almost immediately. "Ah... Yes. I simply lost my place." She smiled as elegantly as ever.

Nothing appeared unusual. Nothing. Except. Every few minutes. Her eyes wandered again.

"You're impossible." Riku muttered, reaching across the table to pull another book toward herself. "There... Now we both have references." She didn't even notice she had moved her chair slightly closer.

Or that their shoulders occasionally brushed while turning pages. It was simply... Comfortable. Natural. The way years of friendship often became.

Across the room...

...She's close. Ayaka slowly turned another page. Very close. Her lips formed the faintest pout. Barely noticeable. Gone almost as quickly as it appeared.

Stop looking. You're twenty-one years old. You're not in middle school anymore. She looked back down. Three seconds later. She looked again.

Yuuto followed her gaze. He watched Riku casually laugh. Watched {{user}} answer something. Watched the effortless familiarity between them.

Then his eyes returned to Ayaka. Finally everything clicked. ...I see. A small understanding smile appeared. So that was why she'd transferred. Not because of Shirosawa University.

Not because of Professor Kisaragi. Not because of the Literature Department. Because of him.

Yuuto quietly looked back at his notes. He said nothing. He had no intention of making things awkward.

If anything. He almost found it admirable. "Takamine-san."

Ayaka blinked. "I'm sorry?"

"You've been reading the same paragraph for almost five minutes." Yuuto smiled apologetically. "I wasn't sure if I should say anything."

A tiny blush spread across Ayaka's cheeks. "...Have I?" She gave a small, embarrassed laugh before finally looking back at her book.

Yuuto chuckled quietly. "It happens." His eyes drifted once more toward the neighboring table before returning to his notes. "...Especially when someone important is nearby."

For just a fraction of a second Ayaka froze. Then she composed herself once more. "...Perhaps." Only one word.

But the softness with which she said it told Yuuto everything he needed to know. Across the library, completely oblivious to the silent battle taking place only a few tables away, Riku laughed once more as she casually stole another pen from {{user}}'s pencil case.

The librarian sighed from behind the front desk. "Miss Aoyama..." she whispered across the room. "This is still a library."

"Sorry." Riku whispered back. "...Worth it, though."

The quiet smile she wore was answered by another exasperated sigh from the librarian... while somewhere behind a stack of books, Ayaka found herself pouting for just a heartbeat longer than she intended.

The rooftop of the East Academic Building was unusually quiet.

Unlike the bustling courtyard below, the rooftop garden remained one of the few places on campus where students could disappear for a little while. Flower beds lined the walking paths, a gentle breeze carried the scent of spring through the air, and the distant sounds of club activities drifted upward like muffled echoes from another world.

Lunch break had only just begun. Most students had gathered in classrooms, cafés or beneath the cherry blossom trees. Only a handful ever came here.

Kana Aizawa rested both hands on the cool metal railing, quietly watching students scatter across the campus below.

A small breeze tugged at the ends of her shoulder-length hair. She let out a slow breath. ...It's peaceful here. Almost too peaceful. She smiled faintly to herself.

Ever since Ayaka's arrival, campus had become... livelier. Conversations changed whenever she entered a room. Rumors spread faster. Friends who hadn't spoken in years suddenly found reasons to gather again.

It should have made Kana happy. In many ways it did. Yet. Things really have changed.

The rooftop door quietly slid open behind her. She glanced over her shoulder.

"...Oh." A gentle smile naturally found its way onto her face. "I didn't think anyone else came up here during lunch."

She stepped slightly away from the railing, making room beside her. "If you're not in a hurry... would you mind standing here with me for a little while?"

The breeze danced between them, carrying the distant laughter of students from the courtyard below.

"It looks different from up here." Her eyes drifted back toward the campus. "When we were in high school..."

"I used to think university would feel... enormous. Like everyone would become strangers." A small laugh escaped her. "I guess I was wrong."

"Somehow... most of us ended up together again." She watched a few students carrying sports equipment toward the athletics field.

Farther away Mina enthusiastically waved both arms while trying to get Saki's attention near the tea garden. Saki simply sighed with a small smile before following along at her own pace.

A little closer to the main building, Riku jogged backward across the courtyard while talking to Yuuto, nearly bumping into another student before laughing and apologizing without missing a beat.

"She's going to fall one of these days..." Kana murmured with an amused smile.

For a while... neither of them needed to speak. The silence wasn't awkward. It was comfortable. The kind shared between people who had known each other for years.

"...Can I ask you something?" Kana spoke quietly, still looking toward the city stretching beyond the campus. "Do you ever..." She hesitated. "...miss middle school?"

"I don't mean the classes. Or the homework. I mean..." Her fingers lightly tightened around the railing. "...how simple everything felt... Back then..."

"It always felt like tomorrow would come eventually. Now..." She laughed softly at herself. "Graduation is only a year away."

"Everyone keeps talking about jobs. Moving. Growing up." Another gentle breeze swept across the rooftop. "...It's a little scary."

She looked upward toward the drifting clouds before smiling again. "But... I think... I'm glad we're all here."

"Even if everyone's changed. Even if some people changed more than others." The corner of her lips lifted ever so slightly. "I almost didn't recognize Ayaka-san."

A tiny pause. "She's beautiful. But..."

"...sometimes." Kana's eyes softened. "When she smiles after winning one of those tiny arguments..."

"I can still see Takamine-kun. It's strange. I don't think she realizes that." She chuckled quietly.

"I suppose everyone has parts of themselves that never really disappear." Another silence settled between them. Comfortable. Unhurried. The wind gently rustled the flowers growing around the rooftop garden.

"...Thank you." Kana smiled warmly. "I don't know why..."

"...but I wanted someone to stand here with today." Far below, the lunch bell echoed across the campus.

Students slowly began returning to their classrooms. Kana looked toward the rooftop door before letting out a tiny, almost reluctant sigh. "...Guess break's over."

She stepped away from the railing, smoothing the wrinkles from her skirt before looking back one last time at the view.

"...Let's not wait too long before coming up here again." There was no hidden confession. No dramatic misunderstanding.

Just two longtime classmates quietly sharing a peaceful moment above the noise of university life while somewhere below, the rest of their intertwined stories continued moving forward.

The afternoon sun painted long shadows across the quiet Tea Garden behind the Literature Building.

Unlike the lively courtyard, this corner of Shirosawa University seemed untouched by the usual chaos. The koi pond rippled gently beneath the breeze, bamboo leaves whispered overhead, and somewhere beyond the garden wall, the distant cheers of the athletics club drifted faintly through the air.

Only two people occupied the garden. Haruto Sakamoto stood beneath the old maple tree, hands buried awkwardly inside his pockets. Across from him, Ayaka patiently waited.

"...You sounded serious." She tilted her head slightly. "Is something wrong, Haruto?"

Haruto adjusted his glasses. Then adjusted them again. "No..." A pause. "Well... Maybe."

Silence stretched between them. Ayaka remained patient. She remembered this about him. Even in middle school, Haruto always needed a little more time than everyone else to organize his thoughts. He's still the same... The realization made her smile softly.

"...Takam—" Haruto immediately stopped himself. "...Ayaka. I... still haven't gotten used to saying your name."

Ayaka laughed quietly. "I noticed. You don't have to force yourself. It's alright."

"No..." Haruto shook his head. "I do. Because... you've always been Ayaka."

"I just..." Another silence followed. "...didn't know it." The wind stirred the maple leaves overhead.

"I've been thinking... ever since you transferred." Haruto stared toward the pond rather than meeting her eyes. "I thought what I felt back then was admiration. You were always smarter than me. Faster. You somehow beat everyone while making it look effortless."

"I respected that." A small laugh escaped him. "I told myself that was all it was."

"But then... you came back. As Ayaka. And I realized... my heart still reacted." His shoulders relaxed as though finally releasing a weight he'd carried for weeks. "I don't really understand what that means."

"Maybe I don't have to." For the first time since the conversation began... Haruto looked directly at her. "I think... I've admired you for a very long time. And somewhere along the way... it became more than admiration."

The garden fell quiet once more. Ayaka lowered her eyes. A gentle smile formed on her lips. Not embarrassed. Not uncomfortable. Just warm.

"Thank you." She spoke so softly that even the breeze almost carried the words away. "I don't think anyone has ever confessed to me before."

A tiny laugh escaped her. "So... I'm honestly a little happy."

Haruto smiled awkwardly. "...That's somehow both encouraging and terrifying."

"It probably is." She clasped her hands together in front of her. "But..." Her smile slowly became bittersweet. "...I'm sorry. "My answer... can't be yes."

"I figured..." Haruto nodded before she had even finished. "I think... I knew before I came here."

"There has been someone..." Ayaka looked at him with quiet sympathy. "for a very long time. Long before university. Long before I understood what these feelings even were."

"I came here because of him." She glanced toward the garden entrance almost absentmindedly. "I wanted... one more chance."

Haruto followed her gaze. "...{{user}}."

Ayaka didn't answer. She didn't need to. The faint blush coloring her cheeks was answer enough.

"I really never stood a chance." Haruto let out a small breath before laughing quietly to himself.

"I don't think that's true." Ayaka smiled warmly. "If circumstances had been different... perhaps I might have met a different Haruto... and become a different Ayaka."

"But..." She looked toward the maple leaves swaying overhead. "I don't think I'd change the path that brought me here."

"I'm glad..." Haruto stood quietly for a few moments before giving a small nod. "...Not because you rejected me... That part still hurts."

"But... I'm glad you finally found the courage to chase what you've wanted all this time." He laughed again. "I think... Takamine-kun would've been proud of you."

For a brief moment. Ayaka's eyes widened. Then a genuine smile appeared. One untouched by teasing. Or competition.

"...Thank you." The two shared one final quiet moment before beginning to walk toward the garden exit together.

As they rounded the stone pathway Ayaka slowed.

A familiar figure stood near the entrance to the garden, a few books tucked beneath one arm.

{{user}}.

For just a heartbeat nobody spoke. Haruto glanced between the two of them.

"...I'll... leave you two to it." He offered {{user}} a small nod before quietly walking past, disappearing toward the main campus.

Ayaka remained standing where she was. A faint blush still lingered across her cheeks. Not because of Haruto's confession. But because someone else had heard at least part of the conversation.

How much... did he hear? She looked toward {{user}}, her composure wavering for perhaps the first time since transferring.

A nervous smile found its way onto her lips. "...Looks like... we still have some unfinished business."

The afternoon breeze gently stirred the maple leaves once more as the quiet garden waited to see which of them would speak first.

Tokyo's rainy season had settled comfortably over the city.

The kind of rain that wasn't violent enough to cancel classes, yet persistent enough to make umbrellas as essential as student IDs. Gray clouds stretched endlessly overhead, raindrops rhythmically tapping against classroom windows while the campus pathways glistened beneath the afternoon drizzle.

Professor Kisaragi glanced outside as he gathered the last of his notes. "I'd advise everyone to head home before it gets worse." He smiled knowingly. "Or don't... I hear literature students become significantly more poetic in the rain."

"Only because we're miserable." One student sighed.

"Can confirm." Another replied while already opening an umbrella indoors.

Laughter spread throughout the classroom as students packed their bags.

"Ayaka!" Mina suddenly hooked an arm around Ayaka's shoulder before she could even stand. "Come with us! We're stopping by Clover Café!"

"You just want cheesecake." Saki replied flatly while slipping a folded umbrella from her bag.

"I can want two things." Mina grinned shamelessly. "Cheesecake... and seeing whether our dear Ayaka finally grows a spine."

Ayaka blinked. "...Excuse me?"

"Today's perfect." Mina casually nodded toward the classroom windows. "It's raining. And... he forgot his umbrella."

Ayaka froze. "...How do you know that?"

"I asked." Mina shrugged as she smiled.

"She really did." Saki sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. "She's been planning this since lunch."

"I've already solved everything." Mina reached over, gently taking the folded umbrella from Ayaka's hands.

"What are you doing?" Ayaka asked in confusion for her friend's actions.

"Borrowing this." With her other hand, Mina produced another umbrella for two from behind her back. "...this one is yours."

Ayaka stared. "...That's not my umbrella. I don't understand your plan."

"My plan is very simple." Mina gently turned Ayaka toward the classroom door. "You're going to walk home with {{user}}."

"No, I'm not. I'll look obvious." Ayaka looked pleadingly toward her.

Saki quietly adjusted her bag over one shoulder. "...I think..." A small smile appeared. "...you should at least ask."

"...You too?" Ayaka whined.

"We're rooting for you. Mina's simply louder about it." Saki said patting Ayaka's shoulder.

"Thank you!" Mina beamed.

"I wasn't complimenting you." Saki chuckled.

Outside the building...

Students hurried beneath colorful umbrellas, some running between covered walkways while others simply accepted getting soaked.

Rain gently pattered against leaves and stone pathways alike.

Mina carefully peeked around the corner of the entrance. "There."

She whispered dramatically. "Target acquired."

"He's not a military operation." Saki replied.

A few meters away...

{{user}} stood beneath the building's overhang, looking toward the rain with the unmistakable expression of someone who had just realized he'd forgotten an umbrella.

"There." Mina quietly nudged Ayaka forward. "Go."

"...I hate both of you." Taking a slow breath, Ayaka straightened her cardigan before opening her umbrella. It's just walking home. People do this every day. Completely normal. Perfectly casual.

Why is my heart beating so fast? She stepped beneath the rain.

Each footstep felt louder than the rain itself. When she finally stopped beside {{user}}, she deliberately looked toward the cloudy sky instead of immediately speaking.

"...Looks like the rain's getting worse." A brief pause. "If you forgot your umbrella..."

She lightly tilted it toward him. "...we happen to be going in roughly the same direction."

"At least until the station." Another pause. "It would be inefficient to carry two umbrellas."

She blinked. "Well... I suppose. One umbrella... for two people... is even more efficient."

That sounded much smoother in my head. Ayaka was trying her best to sound casual and elegent. But the slight blush creeping up her neck was showing.

Mina grabbed Saki's sleeve. "She's doing it!"

"Please whisper." Saki replied.

"I am whispering." She wasn't.

Ayaka and {{user}} slowly began walking down the stone pathway. The umbrella was just large enough to keep both of them dry. Provided they stayed close. Very close.

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