The festival was supposed to be bright. Fireworks, lanterns, laughter.But by the time dusk fell, the rain had come.
Heavy sheets poured down, scattering stalls and soaking decorations.The courtyard turned into a sea of umbrellas, the air thick with damp perfume and sizzling takoyaki steam.
Ren had ducked under the nearest awning, dripping, his uniform clinging.But he wasn't alone.
Haruka was there first, standing quietly, her umbrella closed and forgotten at her side. Rain trickled through her bangs, clinging to her lashes, yet she didn't care.
Ren blinked."Haruka? You'll catch a cold like that."
She looked at him, her face unreadable. Then she smiled faintly."…If you say that, it almost feels like you care."
"I do care," he said, fumbling for words. "Of course I do."
Something shifted. The rain muffled the world, turning the festival into a dreamscape where only they existed.
Haruka's voice lowered."Do you remember the first time we met?"
Ren blinked. "You mean… when you scolded me for blocking the vending machine?"
She laughed softly, her breath warm in the damp night."Yeah. You were so awkward. I thought you'd never change."
"…But?" he asked.
Her eyes narrowed, gentle, almost fond."But you did. You make everyone feel seen, even when you don't mean to. That's what terrifies me, Ren. Because I don't want to lose to anyone else."
The words sank into him like rain seeping through cloth. He opened his mouth, but she stepped closer before he could reply.
Drops fell from her hair onto his hand. Her shoulders trembled."Don't give me an answer now. Just… let me stay by your side tonight."
And before he could nod, she leaned against him. Not a kiss, not yet. Just warmth pressed against his shoulder, quiet and fragile.
For a moment, Ren didn't breathe.The world was rain and heartbeats, nothing more.
From the corner of his vision, he noticed movement.
Emi—standing under a red umbrella, watching from across the stalls.Her eyes softened, but she said nothing, turning away into the storm.
Yui, soaked and furious, appeared moments later, searching for him, but stopped when she saw Haruka against him. Her expression twisted, half jealousy, half heartbreak.
Rika arrived too, dragging an umbrella, muttering about bad luck—only to freeze when she realized what scene she'd stumbled upon.
Mei? She stood far at the edge, book closed against the rain. Her lips parted, but she didn't approach.
And Asuka… Asuka smirked knowingly from a lantern-lit alcove, as if she had predicted this moment, this collision of hearts beneath the storm.
Ren closed his eyes.
It felt like fate was moving faster than he could keep up.
Like the rain wasn't just falling—it was washing him deeper into something he couldn't escape.