The last bell rang at 3:30 p.m., its cheerful note resonating from the end of the hall as students wrapped up and hurried out. The voices were louder than usual, mixed with rain pattering against the window panes.
All through the class was Haruto Sakamoto, standing at his desk and staring into the pouring rain. Dark clouds swept across the sky, and the curtain of rain steadily veiled the view of the courtyard beyond. He slipped his sketchbook into his bag and pulled out a neatly folded navy umbrella. An umbrella for unforeseen rainfall was something he always carried.
As he slung his bag over his shoulder, he saw Yui Amane standing at the back of the classroom. She was by the window with her pale blue ribbon somewhat loose, her expression somewhere between worried and resigned.
"No umbrella?" Haruto said before he realized what he was doing.
Yui turned around, surprised. For an instant, her eyes were wide, and then she chuckled and gave a quick scratch of her cheek. "You caught me. I didn't check the weather this morning. Guess I'll have to wait until it slows down."
Haruto hesitated. His natural impulse was to stay silent, but instead, the words escaped his lips: "...We can share mine."
Yui blinked and then smiled, bright as a ray of sunlight piercing through the storm. "Really? You don't mind?"
"…No," Haruto said, averting his gaze, but his ears grew warm.
Together they walked down the hallway, the roar of rain on the roof gradually becoming louder as they approached the school's exit. Haruto opened the umbrella with a canopy big enough to cover two actually if one were to walk closely beside the other.
Yui stepped under the umbrella, and their shoulders brushed. Haruto felt his heartbeat speed up for a moment, but his expression remained calm, eyes fixated on the path ahead. The rain clouded the world outside on the pavement, but under that umbrella, it felt like they had a world of their own.
"It feels kind of nice," Yui whispered, adjusting the strap of her bag. "Walking this way."
Haruto looked at her. She wasn't looking at the rain but at him, her smile so gentle and warm. He swiftly turned toward the street, tightening his grip on the umbrella handle. "...I suppose."
This created some warmth between the two until the silence enveloped them downtown, broken only by the drone of rain and the resounding pitter-patter of their even steps. Haruto found himself paying attention to the faint clink of Yui's charm bracelet as she moved her hand.
"You are always prepared, Haruto-kun," Yui remarked after some time. "The sketchbook, the umbrella... It is as though you notice things before anyone else."
Haruto frowned slightly, unsure of how to respond. "Just a bad habit. I don't like being thrown off guard."
Yui tilted her head, thinking. "I suppose that makes sense. But I do think that's a nice habit. That makes you... dependable."
The word chanted in Haruto's mind, unfamiliar but warm. Nobody had ever called him that before.
Upon reaching the corner where paths went, Yui stopped. Rain pitter-pattered on the umbrella; among streaks of silver, the world around them faded.
"Thank you, Haruto-kun," she said sincerely, her eyes glittering. "For sharing with me. The rain felt less gloomy."
Haruto swallowed, tilting the umbrella to keep off the rain for her. "...It was nothing."
Yui ran out from under the umbrella and bid him a wave as she dashed toward her street. The rain drenched her hair and ribbon, but her smile stayed bright, even when the storm engulfed her.
Haruto watched her until she completely disappeared from sight and ran that word again in his mind. Dependable.
For the first time after a long while, he did not mind the rain.