149 - Two Umbrellas①

RAW

Tomoya looked up at the sullen sky through his plastic umbrella as the rain steadily fell.

As forecasted, the rain had been pouring since Saturday morning. Yet, many people were still out and about, making the station a bustling place.

Upon entering the station, Tomoya folded his umbrella and moved towards the ticket gate.

"Guess I came a bit too early."

He glanced at the electronic display above the gate, confirming the arrival time of his train before muttering to himself.

Moving to the wall near the exit, he took out his phone and scrolled through social media to pass the time.

A few minutes later...

"Hey, Akagi-kun! Did I keep you waiting?"

"Yo, Aizawa-san."

Tomoya lifted his gaze from his phone, raising one hand in greeting with a casual smile.

"Not at all. I’ve only been here for about ten minutes."

"Ahaha, that’s actually a while! Sorry, sorry. But isn’t this where you’re supposed to say, 'I just got here'?"

"Oh, right. Then let’s pretend I just got here."

"Okay!"

After that brief exchange, they both laughed.

"Alright, let’s head to Ayaka’s place."

"Got it."

Tomoya started walking alongside Saki. As they stepped out of the station, he reopened his plastic umbrella.

Saki took a foldable umbrella from her bag and opened it.

After walking in silence for a while, Tomoya suddenly spoke.

"Rain that just keeps drizzling like this kind of kills the mood, doesn’t it?"

At his words, Saki glanced up at the sky through her umbrella.

"Really? I don’t like rain in general. But is there a kind of rain that actually lifts your spirits?"

"Maybe a sudden, crazy downpour where an umbrella is basically useless? You know, the kind that makes you wanna run outside and yell, 'Whoooa!'"

"Ahaha, what? I don’t relate to that at all!"

Saki laughed, shaking her head at his ridiculous thought.

"I hate getting my shoes wet. It’s such a pain to dry them."

"Yeah, I get that. But the rain I was talking about doesn’t just soak your shoes—it’d leave your whole outfit drenched, even your underwear."

"Haha, true. Wait—Akagi-kun, what kind of conversation is this?!"

"Oops, my bad."

"Seriously! Saying stuff like 'soaking underwear' in front of a lady is totally inappropriate, you know?"

Saki put on a mock angry face, exaggerating her reaction.

Tomoya, playing along, chuckled and bowed theatrically.

"My deepest apologies, milady. I also neglected to bring you a bouquet of roses for our rendezvous."

"Exactly! Meeting me without at least a hundred roses? Unacceptable."

"My sincerest regrets. I beg for your forgiveness."

"You’re hopeless."

Saki snorted playfully at Tomoya’s exaggerated bow. A few seconds later, she couldn’t hold back and let out a chuckle.

"What even is this conversation? Who am I supposed to be?"

"Some kind of rich heiress, maybe?"

"There’s no way real heiresses talk like that."

"Is that so? Speaking of heiresses, technically, Tōjō-san is one, right?"

"Oh yeah, Ayaka is. Hmm… Ayaka as an heiress… That’s kind of funny."

Saki tilted her head in thought before laughing.

If Ayaka were here, she’d probably protest, "Why are you laughing?!" But right now, it was just Tomoya and Saki.

Tomoya nodded in agreement.

"Tōjō-san doesn’t really give off that vibe, does she? She’s more, like… airheaded? A bit spacey?"

Until recently, Tomoya hadn’t known much about Ayaka Tōjō.

She was rumored to be the prettiest girl at school, constantly receiving confessions from boys, yet she never accepted any of them. She seemed completely uninterested in romance.

That was the image he had of the "school idol" Ayaka.

But after she started dating Haruto—his best friend—Tomoya had more chances to talk to her, and his impression of her changed completely.

"You know, Tōjō-san is way cuter than I expected."

Until now, she had seemed like an untouchable flower on a high peak. But in reality, she was just an ordinary, approachable girl.

Hearing that, Saki smirked.

"Oh? Akagi-kun, could it be…? You’re falling for Ayaka? Is a love triangle with Ōtsuki-kun about to unfold?"

"No way. That’s just my objective opinion. Tōjō-san is definitely attractive, but I’m not interested in her that way."

Tomoya declared firmly.

Saki glanced at him with curiosity.

"Hmm? Does that mean you already like someone else?"

"Who knows?"

Tomoya gave a playful smirk, locking eyes with her.

"Oh? Are you curious about my love life?"

"Not at all!"

"That was fast! Come on, show a little interest in me!"

Tomoya exaggerated his reaction, pretending to be shocked.

Saki burst out laughing.

"As Ayaka’s best friend, I just wanted to make sure there weren’t any obstacles in her love life."

"Same here. I’d never want to mess up Haru’s happiness."

Tomoya’s tone turned a little more serious.

"He’s been through a lot, so I’m really glad he found someone important to him. I hope they stay happy together forever."

Saki quietly observed him as he spoke.

"…Akagi-kun, you’re actually a better guy than I thought. You’re more decent than I expected."

"Huh?"

"My impression of you might have changed a little."

"Oh? Oh?"

Tomoya grinned.

"So, is it a good impression now?"

"Yeah, I’d say so."

"Nice! So, what was your impression of me before?"

"Hmm… A shallow, trashy guy?"

"Wait, what?!"

Tomoya’s eyes widened in shock.

Saki laughed, clutching her stomach.

"Ahaha! Just kidding!"

"Hey, that’s a rough joke!"

"Sorry, sorry. But I did think you were more of a 'Wheee!' kind of guy."

Saki smiled brightly at him.

"But turns out, you actually pay attention to people."

At that moment, Tomoya suddenly stopped walking.

A strong gust of wind whooshed past them.

The wind flipped Tomoya’s plastic umbrella inside out, snapping its frame.

"Ah! My dear friend has perished!"

Tomoya mourned his now-useless cheap umbrella.

Saki couldn’t help but comment.

"Why are you calling a plastic umbrella your dear friend? If you’re going to be that sentimental, at least invest in a sturdier one."

"Aizawa-san, you can’t put a price on friendship."

"Uh-huh, sure. Anyway, get under my umbrella before you get drenched."

Saki sighed and invited him in.

"Thanks. My appreciation for Aizawa-san just increased by five points."

"Only five?! Make it a thousand!"

"That’s way too much! I’d have to propose to you on the spot!"

"Please don’t. That would be creepy."

Saki feigned a horrified expression, stepping away.

Tomoya acted as if he were devastated.

They both laughed.

As they continued walking, exchanging lighthearted banter, Saki smiled.

"I’m looking forward to baking today."

Tomoya glanced at her and smirked.

"Aizawa-san, are you more excited about baking… or eating?"

"Hey, now! I can actually cook, you know?"

"Really? So, the lunches you eat at school are homemade?"

"Of course! My mom makes them."

"That’s not homemade!"

Their playful exchange continued as they walked through the rain under a single umbrella.