Evening arrived slowly, like a tired sigh from the sky.
Clouds hung low over the town, turning the world into soft shades of grey. A thin rain had begun to fall—gentle, patient, and endless. Not the kind that storms or shouts, but the kind that simply exists.
Raindrops slid down streetlights, gathered on rooftops, and tapped softly against windows.
Tap.
Tap.
Tap.
The town moved quietly under umbrellas. People hurried along wet sidewalks, warm lights glowing behind the windows of their homes.
From outside, everything looked peaceful.
But peace is sometimes only what people see from far away.
On the second floor of a small house, behind one of those rain-covered windows, sat a boy named Haruki.
Haruki wasn't the kind of person people usually noticed.
In school, he was the quiet one who always chose the seat near the window. The one who answered when teachers asked questions but never spoke unless someone spoke to him first. The kind of boy who walked home alone without anyone realizing he had left.
Not strange.
Not rude.
Just… quiet.
Some people called it being calm.
Some called it shy.
But Haruki had his own word for it.
Invisible.
His room looked like a place that was already saying goodbye.
Half-filled cardboard boxes sat near the wall. A stack of books rested beside them, tied loosely with a string. The closet door was open, clothes missing from the hangers.
Another move.
Another town.
Another school.
Haruki sat on the floor beside his bed, his back leaning against the wall. His knees were pulled close to his chest, arms wrapped around them.
His fingers were locked together so tightly his knuckles had turned pale.
The room was dim, lit only by the fading light of evening slipping through the window.
Outside, rain slowly traced lines down the glass.
Haruki watched them.
One drop slid downward.
Another joined it.
Then another.
Until they became something bigger… before disappearing at the edge of the window.
He didn't know why he kept watching them.
Maybe because it reminded him of something.
Or maybe because it was easier than thinking.
Downstairs, voices echoed faintly through the house.
His parents.
At first it sounded like a conversation.
Then louder.
Then sharper.
Haruki didn't react.
He had heard these sounds too many times.
Instead, he lowered his head slightly, resting his chin on his knees.
Five schools.
He counted them silently in his mind.
Five classrooms.
Five introductions.
Five times standing in front of strangers while the teacher smiled and said,
"Everyone, this is Haruki. He just transferred here."
A few curious looks.
A few polite greetings.
Then… nothing.
Weeks later, people forgot he had ever been new.
Or maybe they forgot him entirely.
Haruki didn't blame them.
After all… he was the one who kept leaving.
Or maybe…
I'm the reason we leave.
The thought slipped quietly into his mind like cold water.
Downstairs, a chair scraped loudly against the floor.
His mother's voice cracked.
His father shouted something he couldn't fully hear.
Haruki's fingers tightened.
"I'm sorry…"
The words escaped him without thinking.
He whispered them into the empty room.
Sorry for the fights.
Sorry for the moving.
Sorry for existing.
The rain outside grew slightly heavier.
Tap.
Tap.
Tap.
After a long moment, Haruki slowly stood up.
His legs felt stiff, like they belonged to someone else.
He walked toward the window.
Step.
Step.
Step.
Each movement felt slow, distant, like walking through a quiet dream.
When he reached the window, he placed his hand against the glass.
It was cold.
He unlocked it and pushed it open.
The evening air slipped into the room immediately, cool and damp, carrying the scent of rain-soaked earth.
Somewhere far away, a train horn echoed faintly through the grey sky.
Haruki stepped onto the window ledge.
Not fully outside.
Just enough that the rain touched his face.
A soft breeze brushed against his hair.
Behind him, the voices downstairs continued rising and falling like waves crashing against a shore.
But out here…
It was quiet.
Haruki looked down.
Two floors below, the street reflected the glow of a lonely streetlight. Rain created ripples in small puddles along the pavement.
His heart beat slowly.
Calm.
Strangely calm.
His fingers rested on the window frame.
For a moment, the world felt distant.
Like everything was happening somewhere far away from him.
Haruki lowered his gaze to the wet pavement below and whispered quietly,
"...Maybe I'm cursed."
The words slipped out so softly that even the rain almost swallowed them.
A thought formed quietly inside his mind.
What if I just…
He shifted his weight slightly forward.
The rain slid down his cheek.
His chest tightened.
Maybe things would be quieter.
Maybe the fighting would stop.
Maybe everything would finally rest.
Then—
A sudden sound broke through the rain.
A faint, desperate noise.
"—mew!"
Haruki blinked.
He leaned slightly forward, looking down toward the street.
Near the base of the streetlight, something small moved.
A tiny kitten.
Its fur was soaked from the rain, clinging to its thin body. It stood beside the curb, struggling to climb onto the sidewalk.
Each time it tried, its paws slipped on the wet concrete.
It fell.
Then tried again.
And again.
And again.
The little creature trembled, but it didn't stop.
"Mew…"
It slipped once more.
For a moment, it stayed there, breathing heavily.
Haruki watched silently.
The rain continued falling around the kitten, soaking it completely.
It could have stopped trying.
It could have curled up somewhere and waited.
But instead…
The kitten pushed its paws against the curb again.
Slipped.
Tried again.
Slipped.
Then finally—
With one small, stubborn effort—
It climbed up.
The kitten stood on the sidewalk, soaked and shivering, but alive.
Haruki stared at it.
Something inside his chest shifted.
His fingers slowly loosened from the window frame.
The kitten shook its tiny body, scattering droplets of water, then began walking under the streetlight.
Small.
Fragile.
But still moving forward.
Haruki slowly stepped back from the ledge.
The rain continued falling.
The voices downstairs were still arguing.
Nothing in the world had changed.
And yet…
For some reason…
Haruki closed the window.
The quiet boy stood there for a moment, listening to the rain.
Somewhere far away from this town, there was a place called Sakuragawa.
A town known for its endless cherry blossom trees.
A place where spring painted the sky pink.
That was where Haruki would be going next.
But for now…
The rain kept falling.
And the quiet boy simply stood there.
Alive.