Tsushima Kagami looked at the umbrella in Yukinoshita Shizuku's hand, then looked at the raindrops falling harder and harder outside.
He took the umbrella directly from Yukinoshita Shizuku's hand, snapped it open, and then abruptly pulled her under its cover.
"Let's move, quickly."
having said that, Tsushima Kagami led Yukinoshita Shizuku toward the distant platform.
His palm is very warm.
This thought intruded into Yukinoshita Shizuku's mind without warning. She lowered her eyelids, not struggling against his grip, and allowed him to lead her away from the station exit.
Water had already begun to accumulate on the road surface; every step splashed water upwards.
Tsushima Kagami carefully avoided the deeper puddles, yet he could still feel the rainwater seeping into his shoes and socks.
He turned his head slightly and glimpsed from the corner of his eye that the hem of Yukinoshita Shizuku's skirt was already wet, the white fabric clinging to her slender calves.
Suddenly, the wind picked up.
The rain, which had been falling vertically, began to tilt, lunging at them from all directions.
Tsushima Kagami felt the umbrella in his hand jerk violently, nearly slipping from his grasp.
He hurriedly tightened his grip on the handle while simultaneously pulling Yukinoshita Shizuku closer to his side.
Her shoulder bumped against his chest. Through their soaked clothes, he could feel her body temperature and a slight trembling.
The rain drummed against the umbrella surface like countless tiny drumbeats. Then, the raindrops grew larger, and the wind grew stronger.
Tsushima Kagami pulled Yukinoshita Shizuku even tighter, afraid she would get drenched.
"So why didn't we wait for the typhoon to pass and the rain to lighten before coming out?"
Just then, another gust of wind swept past carrying torrential rain, and Tsushima Kagami didn't catch what Yukinoshita Shizuku was saying.
So, he asked loudly.
"What? Say that again."
Yukinoshita Shizuku leaned in close to Tsushima Kagami's ear and repeated herself.
"So why didn't we wait for the typhoon to pass and the rain to lighten before coming out?"
This time Tsushima Kagami heard it clearly. At the time, he had seen that the wind and rain weren't that bad and thought they should hurry to the platform to catch a vehicle home. How was he to know that halfway there, everything would suddenly intensify?
Holding the umbrella and embracing Yukinoshita Shizuku's shoulders, he looked around. Most people were hiding inside the station. Aside from himself battling the storm on this road, no one else could be seen.
He looked at Yukinoshita Shizuku, revealing that usual reassuring, gentle smile of his.
Then he lowered his head and shouted loudly into Yukinoshita Shizuku's ear.
"I'm a moron!"
Yukinoshita Shizuku paused for a moment, then covered her mouth with her hand. Her shoulders shook lightly; it was the look of someone trying to hold back laughter but failing.
She then stood on her tiptoes and replied into Tsushima Kagami's ear.
"I knew that ages ago!"
Tsushima Kagami turned around again, facing Chiba Station from where they had just emerged.
"Let's run back and wait for the rain to stop before leaving."
Yukinoshita Shizuku nodded after hearing this and took hold of Tsushima Kagami's hand once more.
Just as the two were about to run back together...
A strong gale carrying heavy rain slashed diagonally precisely from the other side.
Tsushima Kagami hurriedly shifted his body again to block it for Yukinoshita Shizuku.
The typhoon blew against his umbrella, slowly dragging the two of them further into the distance.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa!"
The force of the typhoon was so great that Tsushima Kagami could barely hold the umbrella down with one hand.
"Hold me tight!"
Tsushima Kagami shouted to Yukinoshita Shizuku.
Yukinoshita Shizuku's arms wrapped around his waist. The two huddled under the umbrella in a posture bordering on an embrace, tottering precariously in the wild wind.
Tsushima Kagami could feel her heartbeat, transmitted through their soaked clothes, gradually syncing with his own.
It's like drifting at sea, Yukinoshita Shizuku thought with her eyes closed.
Tsushima Kagami's body was her only anchor. Every impact of the wind made him sway, and she rose and fell with him.
She could clearly feel the strength in his arms, the warmth of his chest, the rhythm of his breathing, and the faint scent of laundry detergent on his clothes—the same brand as hers.
Yukinoshita Shizuku looked up at Tsushima Kagami.
"What do we do?"
Tsushima Kagami thought for a moment, then finally shrugged and said.
"Since it's come to this, we might as well get to the bus stop, catch the bus early, and go home to shower."
Yukinoshita Shizuku nodded and said nothing more.
And so, Tsushima Kagami seemed to enter a contest with this storm; even though he was soaked through, he stubbornly resisted the invasion of the wind and rain.
With every step Tsushima Kagami took, he had to fight the wind's resistance. The umbrella became half a sail, and the typhoon kept trying to blow them in unexpected directions.
This forced Tsushima Kagami to constantly adjust his angle, turning his body sideways and moving horizontally like a crab.
Yukinoshita Shizuku matched his rhythm, and their steps gradually found a strange coordination.
The two looked as if they were dancing a somewhat comical duet in the storm.
There was no music, only the roar of the wind and rain; there was no audience, only each other as partners.
Hugging Yukinoshita Shizuku like this, they finally, through tacit cooperation, inched their way to the bus stop.
Just as the two smiled at this achievement...
A gust of wild wind from an unexpected angle flipped the umbrella directly.
The canopy inverted instantly, the frame twisting and deforming. Immediately after, the torrential rain, like an enemy lying in wait, poured down from above where the shelter had been lost, thoroughly drenching the two of them.
Tsushima Kagami looked at the ruined umbrella in his hand, then at Yukinoshita Shizuku.
Her hair was completely plastered to her face, water droplets dripping from her chin. Her white dress, having been soaked through, became almost transparent, clinging tightly to her body and outlining her slender curves.
Yukinoshita Shizuku realized it too. Subconsciously, she wanted to cross her arms to cover herself, but here and now, the gesture seemed superfluous and awkward.
Just then, she felt Tsushima Kagami's arm around her waist loosen.
A wave of inexplicable loss surged up within her. She prepared to let go completely as well, retreating to a safe social distance.
Tsushima Kagami quickly spoke.
"Don't let go."
Yukinoshita Shizuku was stunned for a moment, and then the hands she had just loosened slowly wrapped back around him.
She looked up at Tsushima Kagami.
Tsushima Kagami released his grip, letting the umbrella fall to the ground.
Then he took off the backpack that had long been soaked on his back. He unzipped it, fumbled around, and finally pulled out a dark blue jinbei. He unfolded it and draped it over her.
This was the outfit Yukinoshita Shizuku had packed for him to wear to the festival when he left the house. However, when they went out to play with Sayuri and the others last night, Tsushima Kagami had found it too troublesome and hadn't changed into it.
"There."
Only then did Yukinoshita Shizuku fully understand his intention.
After releasing her hands, she wrapped the jinbei completely around herself, then looked at Tsushima Kagami.
"Thank you."
"You're welcome."
At this moment, the bus slowly pulled into the stop.
...
Yukinoshita House.
The two stood at the entrance, two small puddles quickly forming beneath their feet.
"I'll go make some ginger soup first."
"You hurry and go shower first. I'll bring you your clothes in a bit."
Yukinoshita Shizuku nodded, then walked into the bathroom draped in his jinbei.
Tsushima Kagami went to the kitchen counter, took ginger and other ingredients out of the refrigerator, and began preparing the ginger soup.
Just then, a towel was handed over.
Wearing the jinbei, Yukinoshita Shizuku said with a smile.
"I'm filling the bath water. You should wipe yourself off too."
____
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