Chapter 1: Where The Rain Found Us
Beep. Beep. Beep.
An alarm blared through the silence—not a morning wake-up call, but an evening reminder echoing through a cluttered, dimly lit room.
The sun had long dipped behind the clouds, and the amber rays of dusk had vanished into a sky drenched in rain. Amidst the scattered books, tangled wires, and a half-emptied cup of tea gone cold on the desk, a boy lay sprawled across his bed—one hand hanging loosely off the edge like a forgotten ribbon.
With a sleepy groan, he tilted his head, eyes squinting toward the buzzing clock. A reluctant hand rose to silence it. The alarm stopped—but the heaviness in his eyelids didn't.
Ren Tsukishima, sixteen, groggy and disheveled, sat up slowly, rubbing the remnants of sleep from his eyes. He reached for a plain T-shirt, tugged it over his head, and staggered toward the stairs—still yawning as though he hadn't slept in days.
Downstairs, silence greeted him.
The kind of silence that wraps around a lazy day like a blanket, soft and endless.
He made his way to the kitchen, not for coffee, not for chores... but for lunch. Or what he hoped might still count as lunch.
It's in the evening.
"Ren!"
The sudden voice cracked through the air like thunder, and he nearly dropped the spoon he hadn't yet picked up.
He turned sharply—only to find his younger sister, Rika Tsukishima, standing by the kitchen door with arms folded, smirking like a cat who'd caught her prey.
"You're unbelievable," she said. "Even now you're looking for lunch? It's practically night."
"Don't scare me like that, Rika," Ren muttered, sighing deeply. "And technically... I just woke up."
She rolled her eyes. "Yeah, I noticed. You need a girlfriend. Maybe then you'd stop wasting time sleeping through the world."
"Not this again," Ren groaned, leaning against the fridge. "What do you want?"
Rika handed him a folded piece of paper. "We need everything on that list. Right now. Or we're not eating tonight."
He stared at it, unbothered at first—until he glanced toward the window. The sky was pitch black, rain slashing against the glass in sheets. Thunder cracked far in the distance like ancient drums.
"You want me to go out now?" he asked. "Look outside. It's like the sky's at war."
"Not my concern," Rika chirped, already walking away. "No ingredients, no dinner. And since you just woke up… consider it your punishment."
Ren sighed again, but the pang in his empty stomach convinced him otherwise. Hunger always won the arguments.
Moments later, with an umbrella in one hand and wet pavement under his feet, Ren stepped into the storm.
The streets were deserted, drowned in a curtain of rain. Not a soul under the trees, not a whisper of life in the parks. Just the rhythmic patter of water and the rare growl of thunder above.
He walked quickly, passing park after park, each one soaked and still.
By the time he reached the market—a glowing island in the sea of gray—his shoes were damp, his arms cold, but the store's warmth welcomed him like a sigh.
He didn't waste time. Grabbed what he needed. Paid. Left.
Quick, clean, efficient.
But the walk home would not remain so.
As he passed one of the quiet parks—one he'd walked by just minutes earlier—something changed.
Through the veil of rain, movement.
A figure. Small, delicate, drenched.
A girl. Reaching for a giant fallen leaf, trying to shield herself from the relentless downpour. She looked like she'd been born from the rain itself—hair dark and soaked, posture unsure but still oddly graceful.
Ren blinked.
"There was no one here before…" he murmured to himself. Yet here she was—like the rain had painted her into the scene.
He could've kept walking. Should've.
But something about her stopped him.
His heart said otherwise.
"Hey... Hey!" he called out.
She didn't hear him at first—the rain drowned his voice, thunder swallowing the words.
So he stepped off the sidewalk, across the park barricade, and walked closer.
"Hey—" he tried again.
This time she turned.
And before he could say another word, she ran toward him.
Without a word, without hesitation, she came under the umbrella he held out. Close. Closer than strangers should be.
Water dripped from her bangs. Her lips trembled—not from cold, but from surprise. From how natural it all felt.
Ren blinked again, stunned. Did she just… walk into my umbrella without a second thought?
"What were you doing out here in this weather?" he asked, voice calm but laced with concern. "You know it's dangerous, right?"
She looked up at him—eyes bright, slightly wild, framed by damp lashes and a pink hairband clinging to her wavy, rain-kissed hair.
"I was trying to catch my train," she said, breathless. "Missed it... and then couldn't find a shop to wait in."
Ren gave a short laugh. "You sure? You are telling lies, aren't you? I just came from the market. They were open."
She pouted, cheeks puffing slightly at his words. "Maybe I didn't look hard enough."
He tilted his head, squinting thoughtfully. Then, with the same quiet insight he always carried, he said:
"You love the rain, don't you?"
She blinked.
"What?"
Ren smiled, only half-smiling. "You weren't looking for shelter... because you didn't want to. You stayed in it. Let it soak you. You just didn't expect it to get this heavy."
Her silence answered before her words did.
Eyes wide. Heart caught. Breath paused.
Then finally, she whispered, "You look awful, but… you're sharp."
Ren chuckled—unsure if it was a compliment or an insult. "I just woke up," he muttered. "Maybe that's why."
To ease the awkward beat that followed, he cleared his throat. "I'm Ren, by the way. Ren Tsukishima."
The girl blinked again. This time, her lips curved into the gentlest of smiles.
"It's Himari," she said. "Himari Kurosawa."
She looked up at him—rain still falling around them, thunder rumbling softly like a lullaby in the clouds—and added,
"Nice to meet you, Ren."
And for a fleeting second, as they stood beneath that small umbrella in a world washed gray, it felt like the entire universe had paused… just for them.