The echo of the dismissal bell had yet to fade when the students of Class D began to stir.
However, the increasingly heavy rain outside the windows was blocking most people from leaving.
Unlike on ordinary afternoons, when they eagerly discussed where to go for fun or shopping,
most people today had one simple, shared goal: to get back to the dry comfort of their dorms as soon as possible.
Before long, the school lobby was crowded with students who had been caught without rain gear and were forced to wait.
Most of them were boys.
After all, for many careless boys, everyday items like umbrellas weren't essentials they remembered to carry with them every day.
The girls seemed better prepared. Even if they didn't each have an umbrella, most could pair up in twos or threes and share one, then squeeze into the rain and walk toward the dorms, chatting and laughing as they gradually disappeared into the distance.
Kushida Kikyo naturally belonged to that group.
She kept a folding umbrella in her schoolbag all year round.
After packing up, her gaze instinctively searched the lobby for that familiar, tall figure.
Akiyama Shin...
She hesitated.
Should she go over and walk with him?
The thought had barely occurred to her when the rumors circulating around class lately—that Akiyama Shin was two-timing—forced it back down.
If she went over now, wouldn't that confirm the gossip? She didn't care what people said, but she did worry that it might cause trouble for Akiyama Shin...
She pressed her lips together and was just about to give up when her eyes happened to land on Horikita Suzune, standing alone at the entrance to the lobby and gazing out at the rain as if lost in thought.
An idea suddenly crossed her mind.
Come to think of it... Horikita probably didn't bring an umbrella either, right?
As for Horikita Suzune,
Kushida Kikyo's feelings toward her were complicated.
Ultimately, her dislike of Horikita stemmed from their time at the same middle school. What she feared most was that Horikita, who knew about her past, might reveal those painful memories, accidentally or on purpose, and ruin the new image she had worked so hard to build.
The lesser reason was simply that she disliked Horikita's cold, unapproachable personality.
But recently, she had noticed Horikita growing closer and closer to Akiyama Shin. It still made her feel a little unhappy, stirred up her possessiveness, but when she thought of Akiyama Shin's unfathomable abilities and seemingly boundless capacity to accept everything, an absurd thought surfaced—one that she secretly found herself looking forward to.
What if someday she really did have to call Horikita her sister...? Then maybe smoothing things over in advance wasn't a bad idea. At the very least, she couldn't let Horikita become an obstacle...
With that thought, Kushida Kikyo took a deep breath. Her face instantly shifted back to its exceptionally friendly, sweet smile as she walked over to Horikita Suzune.
"Horikita!"
She greeted her in a cheerful voice.
Horikita Suzune turned at the sound of her voice. Seeing that it was Kushida Kikyo, a flicker of surprise crossed her cool eyes before they returned to their usual calm.
"What is it, Kushida?"
Her tone carried its customary distance.
"It looks like you didn't bring an umbrella?"
Kushida Kikyo gave the umbrella in her hand a little shake, her face beaming with her usual radiant smile, like an angel sent from heaven.
"It's raining so hard. Want to walk back together?"
"My umbrella's pretty big!"
Horikita Suzune paused, instinctively about to refuse. She was used to keeping to herself and wasn't accustomed to accepting kindness from others, especially classmates she wasn't close to.
But just as the words reached her lips, she remembered Akiyama Shin's subtle advice from earlier, and her own resolve to change and try to fit in with the group—even if, to her, this still didn't count as truly fitting in.
But this was... a kind offer, wasn't it?
Constantly refusing others didn't seem like the path to growth, either.
After a brief inner struggle, Horikita Suzune finally gave a small nod. Her face remained expressionless, but her tone softened slightly.
"All right. Sorry for the trouble."
"No trouble at all! Let's go!"
Kushida Kikyo's smile grew even brighter. She secretly breathed a sigh of relief, pleased with her strategic show of goodwill.
The two of them shared an umbrella and stepped side by side into the rain.
As the girls gradually left, the Class D boys still waiting in the lobby began to grow restless.
"Damn it!"
"Why does it have to rain so hard today?!"
Yamauchi Haruki scratched his head, looking annoyed.
"Seriously!"
"I was planning to play a few rounds at the arcade!"
Kanji Ike chimed in at once, his eyes darting toward the windows as if hoping the rain would suddenly let up.
Ken Sudō stood against the wall with his arms folded and his brows tightly knit, looking impatient.
He wasn't in a hurry to go play. He simply hated feeling trapped.
"Hey, Hirata, did you bring an umbrella?"
He turned to Hirata Yosuke, who was waiting nearby as well.
Hirata Yosuke smiled helplessly and shook his head.
"Sorry, I didn't bring one either. Looks like we'll have to wait for the rain to ease up before we can leave."
Yukimura Teruhiko pushed up his glasses, his expression serious.
"Now that the rainy season is here, we'll need to keep an umbrella in our bags every day. It's basic planning for daily life."
Kiyotaka Ayanokoji stood quietly in the corner, as unnoticeable as ever.
He simply observed everyone's reactions, analyzing each person's personality.
Yamauchi and Ike lacked foresight and were easily swayed by their emotions; Sudō was impatient; Hirata was good at keeping the peace but hadn't prepared; Yukimura valued rules and planning...
Akiyama Shin stood a little apart from the others, watching the steady rain outside as he furrowed his brow.
He hated waiting.
The feeling of being unable to control anything and having no choice but to waste time made him restless.
Wait for the rain to stop?
Who knew how long that would take?
He looked at the rain, which showed no sign of letting up, and made his decision.
Rather than waste time here, he might as well head back. He could just take a shower when he got there.
Just as he was about to step into the rain, a clear, pleasant voice with a familiar ring to it called his name from behind.
"Akiyama?"
Akiyama Shin stopped and turned around.
Three people stood not far away: the core members of Class B, Honami Ichinose and Ryuji Kanzaki.
And a white-haired girl with a bob, who was hiding behind Ichinose and peeking out with a timid look.
Chihiro Shiranami.
Ichinose Honami's appearance instantly drew the attention of all the remaining boys in the Class D lobby.
Though she had spent the past few days working hard to strengthen her class and encourage them to study, her sunshine-warm, comforting smile, cute face, and figure far more impressive than most girls her age had already made her famous among the first-years. Along with Class D's Kushida Kikyo, she was known as one of the first-year angels.
"Whoa! It's Ichinose!"
"What's she doing over here by Class D?"
"Who's she looking at?"
"That white-haired girl next to her is pretty cute, too..."
Yamauchi Haruki and Kanji Ike immediately began whispering excitedly, their eyes constantly sneaking over to Ichinose.
Even Hirata Yosuke smiled in a friendly way and nodded to them.
Ken Sudō only glanced over, showing little reaction. He wasn't very interested in popular kids.
Kiyotaka Ayanokoji shifted his gaze between Ichinose and Akiyama Shin, as if pondering something.
Under the watchful eyes of everyone there, Honami Ichinose walked straight up to Akiyama Shin, accompanied by Ryuji Kanzaki and the somewhat timid Chihiro Shiranami.
Chihiro Shiranami seemed a little afraid of Akiyama Shin.
Especially when she met his dark red eyes, which showed little emotion, she instinctively shrank farther behind Ichinose.
Honami Ichinose gave Akiyama Shin a warm smile, tinged with a little teasing.
"Were you planning to walk back in the rain, Akiyama?"
"You'll catch a cold like that, you know?"
Ryuji Kanzaki still wore his usual serious expression. He looked at Akiyama Shin, took a spare folding umbrella from the bag he carried with him, and held it out to him.
"You're usually able to think of the best option for most things..."
"But when it comes to taking care of yourself,"
"remember to choose the best option there, too."
Akiyama Shin stared at the umbrella held out in front of him, momentarily taken aback.
He hadn't expected the students from Class B to come over, much less offer him an umbrella.
He looked at Ryuji Kanzaki's earnest expression, then at Honami Ichinose's warm smile. A faint smile—rare for him—appeared on his face.
"Thanks."
He accepted the umbrella without hesitation.
"That helps a lot."
After thanking them, he was about to open the umbrella and leave.
"Ah, wait a second, Akiyama!"
Honami Ichinose hurriedly called after him.
Akiyama Shin stopped again and gave her an inquisitive look.
Ichinose smiled a little awkwardly.
"Um... if the rain stops tonight..."
"Our class is planning to have a small get-together, just to help everyone get closer... I was wondering if you'd be interested in coming...?"
She paused, then added quietly,
"Since we're kind of..."
"partners now~"
Akiyama Shin smiled at that and answered without hesitation.
"Sure."
He was interested in getting a closer look at Class B's atmosphere, too.
"Then it's settled!" Ichinose said happily. Then, as if she'd just remembered something, she patted herself on the forehead.
"Ah! I almost forgot—we haven't exchanged contact information yet! It's too inconvenient to get in touch otherwise!"
Only then did Akiyama Shin realize she was right.
A little awkwardly, he rubbed his nose, then walked back over and took out his Terminal. He exchanged contact information with Honami Ichinose and Ryuji Kanzaki, as well as Chihiro Shiranami, who timidly took out her Terminal only after Ichinose encouraged her.
Only after all that was done did Akiyama Shin say goodbye again and step into the drizzle. His figure quickly disappeared behind the hazy curtain of rain.
The commotion in the lobby gradually settled only after Akiyama Shin had left, but the chatter grew louder.
"Hey, when did Akiyama get so close to Ichinose from Class B?"
"She even lent him an umbrella? Kanzaki from Class B doesn't look like an easygoing guy!"
"And Ichinose invited him to a Class B get-together?! How lucky can he get?!"
"Damn it... just who is that guy?"
Elsewhere,
Yamauchi Haruki clicked his tongue, his gaze glued to Akiyama Shin's retreating figure, his voice full of barely contained envy.
"Tch... That guy's way too lucky. Why does he get invited by Ichinose...?"
Kanji Ike, standing beside him, nodded again and again. His brows were twisted together, and he clenched his fists so tightly his knuckles went white. Jealousy practically blazed in his eyes.
"Exactly! We're not that different from him! Why does he always get to steal the spotlight?"
Hirata Yosuke stood behind the two of them without replying. He watched Akiyama Shin disappear into the distance, a trace of curiosity passing through his usually warm, smiling eyes.
"Akiyama really isn't simple, is he?"
Yukimura Teruhiko pushed up his glasses.
"It's good to build friendly relationships with other classes. We may be able to help each other out in the future."
Kiyotaka Ayanokoji silently committed all of this to memory. Akiyama Shin... His social circle and influence seemed to be expanding at a startling pace.
The rain kept falling.
Before you continue