Just a few dozen minutes ago, the blue sky had been blazing with sunlight, but now it was shrouded in clouds, turning overcast, with tiny raindrops falling sporadically.
Somewhere in the distance, the sound of thunder rumbled through the air.
There hadn’t been the slightest hint of rain in the morning forecast, but now, belatedly, the weather app displayed a ninety percent chance of precipitation.
Kiritsuki’s steps, as she walked half a pace ahead of me, seemed a little lighter than usual. Maybe it was the adrenaline from chasing after me.
The citrusy scent wafting from her hair, swaying in the humid, lukewarm summer breeze, tickled my nose.
I’d never dare say something like “you smell nice” to a sweaty girl—that’d be outright harassment—but the citrus fragrance seemed stronger than usual, and it felt oddly comforting.
Maybe the summer heat wasn’t all bad… My restless heart had somehow calmed down without me noticing.
Thanks to Kiritsuki being here, I had this much peace of mind. Maybe it wasn’t so surprising that she’d boldly declared at the park, “You’d be lost without me.”
I thought a light drizzle would be fine, but by the time we reached the station, the sky had unleashed a torrential downpour.
In our rush to escape the rain, the place we ducked into wasn’t our usual café but…
“…I’ve never been to a net café before.”
“Really? Well, I guess I can’t exactly picture you coming to a place like this, Himura-kun. But it’s perfect for taking shelter from the rain, right?”
With that, Kiritsuki and I settled into a pair seat with a long sofa. Apparently, it’s cheaper than getting individual seats. I just followed her lead without thinking much of it.
“…So, what do you even do in a place like this?”
“What? Oh, you can do all sorts of things! There’s karaoke upstairs, and some people come here when they miss the last train. Others use it like a manga café—”
While half-listening to Kiritsuki, I started taking off my soaked dress shirt, drenched from the rain. Suddenly, her chatter stopped.
“Himura-kun, do you have your gym clothes…?”
“Yeah, I was told to bring them home today, so…”
“I figured I’d just bring mine tomorrow since we’ve got club activities anyway… I haven’t worn them this week.”
As she said, we were supposed to have gym class this week, so I had my gym clothes with me. But due to some scheduling changes, I hadn’t ended up wearing them and was just carrying them home now…
“Um, can I borrow them?”
It was only then that I realized I was already wearing my short-sleeved gym shirt.
“…Is long-sleeved okay?”
“Yeah, it’s fine. The air conditioning’s on, so long sleeves won’t be a problem. Though I’m curious why you’ve got a long-sleeved gym shirt in this season.”
“Sun protection.”
Without turning to face Kiritsuki, who was probably changing into her underwear behind me, I handed her the long-sleeved gym shirt and shorts. I changed into my short-sleeved shirt and long pants.
When I turned around, Kiritsuki, who had already kicked off her shoes and climbed onto the sofa, was sniffing the sleeve of the gym shirt, her fingertips peeking out from the cuffs.
“We’re about the same height, but your gym clothes are kinda big, huh, Himura-kun?”
“Oh, yeah… Uh, does it smell like anything?”
“It smells like you.”
I hadn’t worn it since it was last washed, but what even was “my smell” supposed to be?
“Hey, isn’t this basically like wearing your boyfriend’s shirt?”
“…In dramas and stuff, isn’t the ‘boyfriend shirt’ usually a dress shirt? Gym clothes are, like, totally out of the question.”
“Well, yeah, I guess… But in real life, if you’re in that kind of situation, you’d probably just wear a T-shirt or a hoodie, right?”
“…I suppose it’s about the vibe, probably.”
Putting that aside, I made a mental note to wash my bag and let it air-dry in the sun next time as I sank into the cushioned sofa.
The sound of the computer booting up, a noise I rarely heard outside of school, felt oddly refreshing. Meanwhile, Kiritsuki, sitting right next to me, let her hair down.
The citrus scent, stronger now than when we were outside, somehow calmed my heart.
Maybe I’d gotten used to it since sitting next to her had become something of a habit.
Seeing her with her ponytail down was far more striking than the computer’s startup sound. The lively energy she usually exuded was tempered with a calm, refined air, and the sight made my heart race.
I couldn’t help but stare, dumbfounded, until Kiritsuki scratched her reddened ear.
“Um, Himura-kun? Even if it’s you, getting stared at like that is kinda embarrassing…”
Despite her words, Kiritsuki scooted closer and rested her head on my shoulder.
“Hey, Himura-kun.”
“Hm?”
“…If, after Kaori moves away, I confessed to you and said, ‘Please go out with me,’ what would you say?”
That was a pretty direct question. While idly browsing a video site, I gave her question some serious thought.
“Why limit it to after Kaori moves?”
“Because until then, I’m prioritizing Kaori, unless something like today happens. So if I were to confess, it’d probably be after that. Of course, I don’t know what’ll happen in the future… but that’s how I feel right now.”
“…What if I turned you down?”
“If you told me now that you’d reject me, I think our relationship would stay the same, don’t you?”
“Then why ask me something like that now?”
“Because… I want you to think about me more. I know you’re dealing with a lot of worries, Himura-kun… but if you’re going to worry, I want it to be about me.”
“…That’s kind of sneaky, you know.”
“A girl in love has to be a bit cunning.”
With a small shrug, Kiritsuki smiled.
“Oh, what about this one? Looks like a drama.”
Kiritsuki pointed at the edge of the big monitor, so I moved the mouse cursor there.
“Do you usually watch dramas or movies, Kiritsuki?”
“Not really. Oh, but those morning serial dramas—what are they called? I used to watch those all the time when I was little.”
“Oh, yeah… those. I’m not really into that kind of drama vibe.”
I didn’t know why, just a feeling.
But Kiritsuki, in her clear voice, said…
“Because it’s too idealistic, right?”
She stated it plainly.
“…Nah, that’s just a stereotype.”
“Not at all. Nobody wants to watch or hear heavy stories first thing in the morning.”
Come to think of it, she had a point.
Morning dramas probably avoided exhausting plots since they aired so early.
“No matter how far someone falls, they’ll always be saved somehow—because they’re trying hard. You don’t seem like the type to like that kind of thing, Himura-kun.”
“…In stories, at least, I’d hope those idealistic endings hold true.”
I mumbled that under my breath, and for a moment, the only sound in the booth was the clicking of the mouse.
When the video’s audio started playing, Kiritsuki pulled a pair of wired earphones from her bag, plugged them into the computer, and handed one to me.
“You know, I’ve always wanted to do this in a place like this. Sharing earphones with someone you like—it’s kinda romantic, don’t you think?”
“…Yeah, I get what you mean.”
“Right?”
Glancing at the opening scene of a romance movie, I checked the weather forecast on my phone.
“Hm… looks like the rain’s gonna keep going for a while. One movie might not be enough to wait it out.”
“I’m fine with it raining forever. It just means more time with you.”
It’s not like I couldn’t make time to hang out if she asked.
Lately, I’ve been busy—or rather, my schedule’s been packed—but that’s mostly just around the summer festival and the end of the year.
Most of the time, I’m just fretting over unnecessary things about home, Kaori, or Kohaku.
I try not to think too much about myself because I end up dwelling on pointless stuff.
If I could spend that wasted time with Kiritsuki like this, how much calmer would I feel?
“…If you just confessed to me now—?!”
The unexpected words slipped out, and I swallowed hard for no reason.
“Huh? Did you say something?”
“…Nothing.”
Maybe because one of her ears was blocked by the earphone, she didn’t catch my faint mumble—
“—I’m not the type to take advantage of someone’s weak moment.”
“…You heard me, huh?”
My face flushed hot, and I couldn’t bring myself to look at the monitor or Kiritsuki’s face.
This… this makes me wanna crawl into a hole and die…
