A gentle breeze carried the drizzle against his face, its refreshing chill slowly seeping into his skin.
Xiao Xiao looked up.
He saw that the sun was only half-hidden beyond the horizon.
"Sunshower!"
A child's delighted cry came from beside him.
Xiao Xiao's eyes curved with a smile.
That was right.
A sunshower.
"Stop following me!"
A boy's shout rang out over the road, cutting through the misty rain.
Quite a few passersby turned to look.
"Ah!"
A girl screamed.
"Skreee!"
The shrill squeal of brakes sounded as though it had crushed someone's heart.
A tense, anxious feeling spread through the air.
"Ahao!"
The girl's anguished cry pierced the curtain of rain.
It also shattered the momentary stillness.
"Ahao, Ahao, Ahao..."
The girl staggered forward.
In front of the car...
The panic on her pale face froze.
"Are you all right?"
Xiao Xiao tried to let go of the boy's arm, but when he saw the boy's body start to go limp, he grabbed his arm again, holding him up.
"...Not really."
The boy clutched Xiao Xiao's clothes tightly.
There wasn't a trace of color in his face.
His voice was weak and slightly trembling.
"My legs have gone weak..."
If Xiao Xiao hadn't been holding him up, he would already have slumped to the ground.
"Ahao!"
The girl rushed to the boy's side, her face full of delight. "You're okay?!"
"Thank goodness!"
"You scared me half to death just now."
The girl's hands hovered uncertainly, unsure what to do.
She tentatively reached out, wanting to steady the boy.
"Don't touch me!"
The boy growled.
The girl's hand froze in midair.
Her face turned even paler than the boy's had been moments ago, when he'd nearly been hit by the car.
"A-Ahao?"