The moment Yuki pulled out the umbrella, rain began to fall from the sky. He quickly opened it up, shielding both himself and Ryo from the drizzle.
"Good thing you had that umbrella, or we'd definitely be soaked." Ryo glanced at the steady rain and muttered under her breath. "But the weather forecast didn't call for rain today… weird."
She looked up at the sky and noticed the dark clouds weren't very large—they only covered the immediate area. That meant the rain was only falling within a radius of about ten kilometers. It was such a strange phenomenon that not only Ryo but even the passersby looked puzzled.
Yuki, however, had already seen who was behind the rain. This wasn't a natural weather event—it was man-made. His gaze shifted toward a small park not far ahead. The one causing the rain was clearly in there.
"Let's go."
Yuki led Ryo about a hundred meters forward, and soon they arrived at the edge of the park. Inside, standing by a flower bed in the center of the park, was a small girl wearing a green cloak with bunny ears. She had green shoes on her feet and held a white rabbit hand puppet in her left hand.
"Huh? Why is there a little kid over there? Did she get separated from her family?" Ryo noticed the girl and sounded puzzled.
Yuki suggested, "Let's go take a look."
With that, the two walked over to the little girl. Sensing someone nearby, she turned around in surprise. What greeted them was a face as cute and beautiful as a porcelain doll. Her dreamlike appearance, paired with long blue hair and a petite frame, made her look like a fairy from a fantasy tale.
"Cute." Ryo's eyes sparkled as she looked at the little girl, though her face remained expressionless as she spoke.
The girl, seeing two strangers approaching, shrank back slightly, looking timid. Watching the little one act so shy and fearful of strangers made Ryo's eyes practically glitter with excitement.
"This kid is just too cute!" Ryo's voice carried a rare hint of excitement.
But her enthusiasm seemed to startle the girl, who backed away even more. Standing so close to the flower bed, she soon ran out of space. Without realizing it, she tripped on the edge of the bed. Her body tilted backward, losing her balance.
"Watch out!" Ryo cried out.
It all happened so fast—Ryo's warning didn't do much good. But Yuki reacted quickly. He reached out and caught the little girl just in time, saving her from a painful fall.
She had braced herself for the impact, but instead found herself being saved by this kind, handsome stranger. A flicker of gratitude rose in her heart.
"Th-Thank you… big brother." Her soft, timid voice stirred a protective instinct in anyone who heard it.
Yuki smiled and nodded. He helped her stand up straight, then let her go.
The girl looked up and studied Yuki carefully. For some reason, she felt an odd sense of closeness to him—as if he were family. She couldn't help wanting to be near him.
"You're welcome, little one." Yuki's voice was warm, his gaze gentle.
Ryo had no idea who this girl was, but Yuki knew her all too well.
Her name was Himekawa Yoshino. She was one of the Spirits transformed by Mizuho. She wielded the power of ice—a freezing puppet capable of freezing everything around her. She had a timid, gentle nature and was afraid of strangers, barely able to bring herself to speak to people directly. The white rabbit hand puppet she held was named Yoshinon.
And the strange rain falling around them? Unmistakably her doing.
"Mm…" Yoshino's cheeks turned pink when she saw Yuki's warm gaze.
Then, the rabbit puppet in her hand spoke.
"Oh my, oh my~ Yoshino's blushing! It looks like this handsome big brother has made quite an impression on her!" The rabbit teased.
"The rabbit talked?!" Ryo's eyes went wide. But then she shook her head, dismissing the thought. It was clearly just a puppet. The one doing the talking was the girl holding it. The only explanation was ventriloquism.
"Haha! Sorry about that—did we startle you? My name is Yoshinon, and this sweet, beautiful little girl is Yoshino." The rabbit puppet spread its little arms and wiggled cheerfully as it introduced them.
"Nice to meet you. I'm Yuki, and this is Yamada Ryo." Yuki gave a quick introduction.
"I see~" Yoshinon's puppet face curled into a mischievous grin. "So, are you two a couple? Walking home together after school—how romantic! Don't you think so, Yoshino?"
"Huh?! Y-Yes…" Caught off guard, Yoshino quickly answered, though she snuck a glance at Yuki.
Ryo looked a little taken aback by the comment, then shyly glanced at Yuki beside her.
"Anyway, enough about us. Why are you two standing alone in the park in the rain instead of finding shelter?" Yuki smiled and turned his attention back to Yoshino.
"Did you get separated from your parents?" Ryo followed up.
Yoshino shook her head. "Yo-Yoshino went out to buy something… and then she saw…"
Her soft, timid voice trailed off as she stepped aside to reveal the flower bed behind her. Some of the flowers had withered.
"She saw how sad the flowers looked, so…"
"I see. They really have wilted." Yuki gave a gentle smile as he looked at the faded blooms. It was clear the park hadn't been cared for in a while—the flowers weren't lacking water, but nutrients.
"Mm. Yoshino wanted to see if the rain could help them come back."
"What a kind-hearted kid." Ryo gave Yoshino a thumbs-up.
Yoshino blushed shyly.
"It won't work, though. These flowers didn't wilt because of a lack of water. They just don't have enough nutrients." Yuki explained the real issue.
Both Yoshino and Yoshinon looked surprised.
"Huh?! Th-That's how it is?!" Yoshino realized she had used her powers to create the rain for nothing.