It began with a storm.
Not the emotional kind—not yet.
A literal, pounding, curtain-of-water storm that swept through the city like a tantrum, canceling sports events, club activities, and even the school-wide joint outdoor field trip that had been planned for weeks.
Instead of the sprawling green park and community cultural fair, the students were stuck indoors.
The announcement came at noon, delivered through the intercom by a very tired-sounding teacher: all outdoor activities suspended, lunch services limited, and shelter protocol enacted due to unexpected infrastructure flooding in parts of the school basement.
Which meant: no cafeteria. No gym. No clubrooms. Everyone: report to the central auditorium and stay put.
Leo sat on the floor near the back wall of the massive room, staring at the rain battering the high windows like it wanted in.
A few feet away, Yuki was joking with some classmates, but her eyes flicked toward him more than once.
Hana, ever restless, paced.
Sora leaned quietly against a pillar, reading. Calm. As always.
---
But calm never lasts.
A loud shout echoed from the hallway. Then a scream.
People turned. Teachers rushed out.
Leo stood up, tense.
Then came the news: the floodwaters had pushed into the electrical control room—an old panel near the utility basement. One of the staff trying to secure equipment slipped and injured their leg.
Panic rippled.
Most students stayed put. But not everyone could.
---
A few minutes later, Leo was pulling on rain boots someone had tossed into the emergency supply closet.
He didn't ask.
He just moved.
"Of course you'd volunteer," Hana said, appearing beside him. Her voice was somewhere between approval and exasperation.
"You're not going alone."
Then Yuki arrived, wrapping her coat tightly. "No way I'm letting you be a hero without a media crew."
Sora said nothing. She simply took a flashlight from a teacher's hand and stepped up to Leo's side.
"…Right," Leo said. "Let's go."
---
The flooded basement was worse than expected.
Cold ankle-deep water. Flickering backup lights. The smell of mold and rust and something worse.
They found the injured staff member leaning against a pipe, pale and shivering but conscious.
Leo helped hoist them onto his back while the others created a path, moving debris and using boards to cross over collapsed spots.
Hana used her athleticism to balance across dangerous beams.
Yuki kept talking, cracking bad jokes to distract the staffer.
Sora directed light and pointed out hazards quietly but efficiently.
It wasn't dramatic.
No one almost died.
But they worked as a team.
And for the first time since the mess of feelings had started...
They weren't rivals.
They were a unit.
---
Back in the auditorium, applause broke out when they returned.
Teachers thanked them.
Other students clapped.
But Leo didn't hear most of it.
He looked at the three girls.
All soaked. All tired.
And all smiling.
At each other.
Something had changed.
Not everything. But enough.
---
Later, while drying off backstage, Yuki sat beside Leo, passing him a towel.
"You're really good at running into trouble."
"You keep following me."
She smiled. "Someone has to carry the camera."
He laughed.
Then, silence.
"…Today felt different," Yuki said. "I think they saw it too."
Leo looked at her. "What do you mean?"
She didn't answer.
Just leaned her shoulder gently against his.
And stayed there.