Yet the boy was so upset he was almost...
Suffocating.
The boy suddenly clenched the clothes over his chest.
He gasped for breath.
Tears of physiological reflex seeped from the corners of his eyes.
It was so painful...
A trace of coolness landed on his face.
He suddenly came to himself.
W-What?
He looked up blankly.
A few seconds later, the sudden downpour startled him.
Fortunately, he was beneath a large tree.
Its lush branches blocked some of the rain.
After a moment of panic, he fell silent again.
He let the rain soak him.
The sky was very dark.
The rain was loud.
He...
The boy's fingers dug into the bark.
A faint pain came from beneath his fingernails.
He took several deep breaths.
His chest still felt stifled and uncomfortable, as though something were lodged inside it.
A cry of surprise startled him.
He suddenly looked up.
It turned out that a girl had accidentally stepped into a puddle, splashing water onto the hem of her skirt and dirtying it.
The girl looked annoyed.
She muttered several complaints under her breath.
Apparently noticing his gaze, the girl suddenly turned to look at him.
His heart jolted.
He instinctively shrank behind the large tree.
"What is it?"
"...Nothing."
"It was probably just my imagination."
"Let's go."
"Ugh, how annoying."
"I should've known better than to wear a skirt today."
The two girls' voices gradually faded into the distance.
The boy's heart was beating very fast.
Very loudly.
In a daze, he thought he was suffering from tinnitus.
Once the illusion of tinnitus faded, the boy straightened up.
Because he had been too tense, his body ached faintly.
The boy bit down hard on his lower lip.
A