— — — — — —
By mid-September, the weather in Chiba had started to cool down.
Especially in the early mornings and evenings.
When Oikawa went out for his usual morning run, wearing just a short-sleeved shirt, he felt a little chilly. He had to throw on a light jacket before heading out.
Still five kilometers.
That distance was roughly a little over four laps around the streets near his house.
Usually, Oikawa made his own breakfast, since there weren't any breakfast shops in Japan.
Most of the time, it was fried eggs with toast. If he was short on time, just bread and milk.
But today, he'd gotten up a bit earlier, so he decided to treat himself to something better.
Pan-fried sardines.
Chiba's fishing industry was thriving, and seafood was incredibly cheap. Oikawa would occasionally buy some fresh catch by the seaside and cook it at home. The flavor really lived up to the word "fresh."
Just as he dropped the sardines into the pan, a LINE message from Utaha Kasumigaoka popped up.
"Senpai, it seems like the temperature dropped these past few days. Stay warm."
"Yeah, and it's gloomy here. The forecast says no rain today, but I don't really trust it," Oikawa replied, texting with one hand while flipping the fish with the other.
"Um.. It looks like it might rain here too."
The shared weather seemed to cheer her up.
"Oikawa-Senpai, I'm a little nervous. Were you nervous too when Your Lie in April was about to be released? Fujikawa's promotion is way weaker than Dengeki's. It feels like nobody online is talking about my Koisuru Metronome at all."
Utaha's Koisuru Metronome was scheduled for release on September 29, the same day autumn break began.
"Yeah, I was nervous too," Oikawa replied with a smile. "Back then I kept lurking in group chats and scrolling Twitter every day. The night before release, I woke up four or five times."
"In the morning, I ran straight to the bookstore near my house. I didn't relax until I heard readers praising Your Lie in April."
He couldn't see Utaha's expression, but he guessed she'd feel a lot better after reading that.
Nervousness came from caring.
It was completely normal. Everyone felt it.
Like before an exam. The only people who didn't get nervous were either top-tier geniuses or those who had completely given up. Who else could honestly say they weren't nervous?
"Senpai, I feel much better now. (smile.jpg)"
"Senpai, how's the school festival performance you prepared? I'm really looking forward to it. It'd be great if I could see it in person."
"The performance, huh?"
Oikawa's smile widened. Progress had been surprisingly fast.
Kawasaki already had a natural talent for keeping a cold face.
Zaimokuza was more gifted than expected. Or rather, he was perfectly suited to being the "target". Clumsy, awkward, and unintentionally hilarious.
Ironically, Oikawa himself had become the one dragging the trio down. He still needed more practice.
But there was more than a week left until the school festival. Plenty of time.
"I'll see if I can record it and send it to you," he replied.
The aroma of sardines filled the air, and Oikawa looked thoroughly pleased. He plated the fish, scooped himself a bowl of rice, picked up his chopsticks, and dug in happily.
"Not as good as Kawasaki's, but still pretty decent."
He took a bite and nodded in satisfaction. Honestly, it was hard to mess up fried fish.
Just then, another message from Utaha came through.
"(Image)"
"This is your reward, Senpai~"
Oikawa nearly spat out his rice when he saw the photo.
Utaha. School uniform plus black tights… Those legs… perfection.
...
..
RUMBLE—
Sure enough. That damn weather forecast really wasn't accurate.
Halfway to school on his bike, thunder rolled across the sky.
Oikawa immediately sped up. And he managed to reach the bicycle parking area just before the rain came down in earnest.
"Good thing I brought an umbrella…"
Listening to the heavy rainfall, he felt a bit shaken. Without it, he'd definitely be drenched.
Then he suddenly remembered something and glanced around the bike area for their class.
Kawasaki's bicycle wasn't there.
He paused, looking into the distance, feeling a bit anxious. Thankfully, before long, he saw Kawasaki pedaling toward him at full speed.
She looked pretty soaked.
"Why didn't you bring an umbrella?"
After she rolled in, Oikawa walked over and helped her park the bike.
"The forecast said it wouldn't rain."
"Looks like the forecast isn't as trustworthy as I am."
Oikawa smiled, pulled his jacket out of his backpack, and handed it to her.
"Let's go. I brought an umbrella. You should have a towel and a spare uniform in your locker, right? If not, I've got extras in mine."
"I do."
Kawasaki was only wearing a thin jacket. It was soaked through by the rain, and her shirt underneath had turned slightly transparent.
Oikawa felt awkward and only dared to glance once.
"Y-you… don't look."
Kawasaki froze for a moment when she noticed his gaze. She lowered her head, then quickly realized what he meant.
Her cheeks flushed bright red.
If this were April, she could've blamed it on the hot air drifting onto her face.
Unfortunately, it was September. She had no excuse.
"Not like it's the first time I've seen it. What's there to be shy about?"
Of course, Oikawa didn't dare let her hear that. He just muttered under his breath.
Then he opened the umbrella and pulled Kawasaki in beside him.
"Let's go. Hurry and change."
"Mm."
Kawasaki zipped up Oikawa's jacket, pulling it all the way to her mouth.
His clothes were a bit big.
Kawasaki tilted her head slightly and looked at him. For the first time, she realized just how tall Oikawa actually was.
At least 180 cm, probably more.
She estimated the height difference. There had to be over ten centimeters between them.
She was 168 cm. Oikawa had to be at least 183.
For some reason, she remembered a tweet she'd seen before, saying the ideal height difference between a man and a woman was twelve centimeters.
She decided right then to start drinking milk every morning.
"What are you doing? Get closer."
Oikawa noticed her shoulder getting wet and, without waiting for a response, pulled her closer under the umbrella.
Kawasaki's heart started pounding.
She lowered her head, not daring to look at him.
...
The bike parking area wasn't far from the second-year building. After walking quickly for a bit, the two entered the school.
"Whew… that was rough."
Oikawa folded his umbrella, shook off the water, and placed it in the stand by the entrance.
"Why haven't you gone to change yet?"
He turned around and found Kawasaki still standing beside him, which made him frown.
"You're not coming down with a fever, are you?"
As he spoke, he placed the back of his hand against her forehead.
"I'm fine."
Kawasaki quickly stepped back, looking slightly flustered. "You go back to class first. I'll go change."
"Want me to help?"
Oikawa grinned. "I can stand guard or something. I can even hold your clothes while you change."
Kawasaki glared at him, her expression returning to its usual cold mode. "If you can walk into the girls' restroom, then go ahead."
"…I'll pass."
"I'm not ready to be hunted down by the entire school's female population."
Oikawa wisely declined. After changing into indoor shoes, he grabbed his bag and headed upstairs.
"Haah… so sleepy."
Walking up the stairs, he yawned. Another day with math as the first period.
Life was completely routine.
.
.
.