Chapter 4: Maybe It's Too Early To Go
The rain hadn't let up. It poured over the city like a song that refused to fade, soaking the roads, rooftops, and memories alike. It drummed a quiet rhythm against windowpanes and danced in shimmering sheets beneath streetlamps. It blurred the world into a watercolor of motion and emotion.
Ren Tsukishima walked slowly, the rhythm of his shoes pressing into puddles marking a quiet, thoughtful pace. He held no umbrella now. His body was soaked, but his mind was still wrapped in the warmth of her laughter. A warmth that fought the chill biting through his soaked shirt.
"Goodbye, huh?" he muttered, watching the misty trail of his breath vanish into the air. "Well, we'll see about that."
His lips curled into a soft smile. "Next time when the sky is not crying? How poetic."
The streetlights glistened like quiet stars above him. He passed by the park—that park—and halted, eyes resting on the now-empty garden where the rain had stitched two strangers into a shared moment.
Ren stood there in silence, watching the soft sway of trees under the rainy breeze, his thoughts painting delicate portraits of Himari's chuckles, her gleaming eyes, the softness in her voice when she said goodbye. A whisper of magic still lingered in that place. It made his heart ache in a beautiful way, like a melody unfinished.
He exhaled. "Alright, no more thinking. Let's go back home early..." he said, though he knew early had already slipped past him.
And the road—ah, the road.
It stretched long and infinite beneath his feet, like a quiet dream refusing to end. Each step brought him closer to home, but farther from the warmth he had just left behind. The air smelt of wet stone and whispers, the kind of scent that lingers when something magical has passed.
The lights of the city blinked through the fog, distant and sleepy. Somewhere behind him, the rain whispered secrets to the leaves. And somewhere ahead, the world waited with questions.
Eventually, after what felt like hours wrapped in thought, Ren arrived home.
"I'm home, Rikaaaaaa—!" he called with a grin.
But instead of peace, a storm greeted him.
"YOU LITTLE SON OF A — COME HERE, YOU SLAGGY BASTARD!!" Rika Tsukishima stood at the doorstep, arms crossed, fury radiating from her like lightning.
Ren froze. "W-Wha… what?"
"What time do you think it is?! Look at the damn clock!"
Ren glanced. 11:48 p.m.
He blinked. What the…? How did time slip that far?
"I-I get it, Rika… I'm sorry. Please forgive me. It won't happen again—"
"And what are you saying sorry for?" she asked, her tone dangerously cold.
"Because… I came home late?" he offered with a nervous chuckle.
Rika's eyes narrowed. "That's why you think I'm mad?"
Ren nodded, confused.
She roared. "YOU ASSHOLE! You don't even REMEMBER? What did I send you out for?!"
A mental thunderclap struck him.
The groceries.
His hands flew to his mouth in horror. "Oh… no. No no no. Shit! Where's my bag?!"
Rika stormed toward her room. "You're a disgrace, Ren. Becoming more careless every damn day."
"Rika! I swear! I'll fix it tomorrow!"
She didn't turn. "No breakfast tomorrow. That's your punishment."
Ren collapsed on the hallway floor like a wet noodle. "I'm starving already… this is cruelty…"
The house fell into its usual late-night hush. Rika disappeared into her room, muttering something about incompetence and boiled eggs. Ren just lay there, his body tired, his heart buzzing with something more than hunger.
As Rika changed and prepared for bed, confident that morning held no work now that breakfast had been canceled, her phone rang.
She groaned. The caller ID read: Ren.
"You BASTARD!! Why the hell are you calling me from your room?! Just knock!"
Ren, still on the floor, shouted, "I'M NOT CALLING YOU!! I'M RIGHT HERE!"
Rika blinked. Then slowly, confusion turned to curiosity. She picked up the call.
"Hello?" came a gentle, uncertain girl's voice.
Rika froze. That wasn't Ren.
"Who's this?" she asked.
"Umm… is this Ren's house?"
Rika's mind spun with 1,001 theories, most of them inappropriate. Just what exactly have you done today, brother...? she thought.
"Yes," she said, masking her suspicion. "I'm his sister."
"Oh, thank goodness!" the girl exhaled with relief. "Can I please talk to him?"
Rika peeked into the hallway. "BRO! PHONE FOR YOU!!"
Ren sat up, brows furrowed. Who could be calling me at this hour? He walked in, took the phone.
"Hello? Who is this?"
There was a short pause. Then the voice, like a petal brushing his ear:
"Ummm… H-Hello, Sharp Brain."
And in that moment, every drop of rain outside seemed to hush.
A voice he had only known for hours. But one that felt like it lived in him forever.
He smiled. No rain could drown this warmth.
His whole body kept thinking the thought of it that if it is real or an illusion.