霞之丘诗羽 sat at the dining table, chewing the noodles in her mouth fiercely.
It was as if she were biting into Harunobu's flesh, her expression fierce, and her figure... even more ferocious.
"Senpai, please remain quiet while eating. That's the most basic courtesy, you know." As if he hadn't seen 霞之丘诗羽's murderous gaze, Harunobu still had the leisure to make a few teasing remarks.
"Then, not interrupting others when they are working, is that also the most basic courtesy?" 霞之丘诗羽 became even angrier. Did this guy have any self-awareness of his wrongdoing?
"But, reminding someone to eat when it's time to eat, is also the most basic courtesy, you know."
"Are you trying to trap me with this line of logic?" 霞之丘诗羽 was so annoyed, her chest felt like it was going to explode!
The girl was breathing heavily, obviously quite angry.
But it had to be said, at mealtimes, having someone bring steaming hot food was quite heartwarming for 霞之丘诗羽.
Although she had moved out of her parents' home to have a quiet environment for better writing, to be honest, after leaving her parents, having a prepared meal at mealtimes became a luxury.
Over time, she got used to this lifestyle. Once she entered a working state, she would completely ignore everything else, including eating and sleeping, like she had gone crazy.
"What was the longest record I had, I wonder?" The girl slurped down the noodles, lost in thought.
Three days and three nights? That must be close to the limit of human endurance, right?
So, don't look at 霞之丘诗羽's fully developed figure that doesn't look like a high school student, but her physique, compared to Eriri, isn't much better.
Her skin, besides being naturally beautiful, may also be related to her staying indoors most of the time.
Gradually, the girl's movements changed from gnashing her teeth to quietly eating noodles in small bites.
"Thank you."
"You're welcome. After all, we have a monetary transaction relationship, so taking care of senpai is also something I should do, right?" Harunobu accepted the girl's thanks without hesitation, and boasted a bit.
It seemed like Harunobu would soon gain the upper hand in being shameless.
...
There were no overnight stays, no power outages, no thunder and lightning forcing a man and woman to share a room. Harunobu went straight back to his own home.
The rain had been gradually easing since the afternoon. By nightfall, although it wasn't exactly light, it was already manageable to return home.
Declining 霞之丘诗羽's invitation to stay, Harunobu insisted on returning home.
There was no way. First, his textbooks were all at home. If he didn't return today, what if it rained heavily tomorrow? He wouldn't even be able to go to school.
Secondly, he and 霞之丘诗羽 were just a guy and a girl, not a couple, so it wasn't appropriate to stay at someone else's home.
Finally, and most importantly, he had to video chat with his sister tonight.
If his sister saw him staying at another girl's house, who knows what kind of tricky and strange questions the little girl would ask.
He never doubted 穹's curiosity.
To avoid being repeatedly questioned by his sister, and to be able to go to school normally tomorrow, Harunobu reluctantly returned to his own home.
It was indeed reluctant. Even if he didn't plan to date anyone, he wasn't a monk, and this wasn't a monastery, after all.
No way, no way, there can't really be someone who can calmly reject a beautiful girl's invitation to stay, right?
...
The next day, the weather didn't improve in the slightest.
That's how spring rain is, continuous and relentless. That's why there's the saying "plum rain season."
But this kind of drizzling rain actually made Harunobu enjoy himself.
Although his body was wet and uncomfortable, it didn't affect his good mood at all.
As mentioned before, Harunobu actually liked rainy days. Every time it rained, he felt his mood become particularly peaceful.
Maybe it's because if it rains, he can't go out to set up a stall and draw. He can be lazy. Even with the weight of the world on his shoulders, he's not an iron man. He also has the desire to rest and be lazy.
"Harunobu-kun, walking around without an umbrella like that, you might catch a cold." Just as the boy was walking in the rain like a child, without an umbrella, a soft voice rang out.
"Kato-san, good morning." Putting away his childish demeanor, Harunobu tried his best to act like a mature and reliable young man.
But this sudden change of face made Kato smile. She didn't expect him to have such a childish side.
But the smile didn't last long, because Harunobu suddenly realized in embarrassment that he didn't bring an umbrella...
Not bringing an umbrella on a rainy day, huh, what was he pretending to be? Was he trying to make a story about a "night rain with a sword but no umbrella"?
However, he didn't deliberately not bring an umbrella. When he left 霞之丘诗羽's apartment yesterday, he forgot to bring the umbrella down with him.
When he realized it downstairs, he thought, if he pulled 霞之丘诗羽 out of her working state three times in a row, even if she was good-tempered, she would definitely get angry.
Plus, the rain had already eased a lot at that time, so Harunobu simply went home in the rain.
When he went out this morning, because it was exactly the kind of light rain he loved, he was so focused on immersing himself in the rain that he didn't even think about bringing an umbrella.
Kato pursed her lips. Seeing the boy's embarrassed look, she knew what had happened: "If you didn't bring an umbrella, why don't you share mine with me?"
The girl handed her umbrella to Harunobu's hand, then ducked gracefully and squeezed under the umbrella.
Because it was only a single-person umbrella, in order to avoid getting wet, Kato and Harunobu's arms were pressed tightly together.
"Let's go quickly, be careful not to be late." Even without looking at Harunobu's face, the girl knew that the boy next to her must have gone into a daze.
It's always been like this before. As long as the girl takes the initiative, she will definitely get this kind of reaction.
It made Kato wonder if she should take the initiative or not.
If she doesn't take the initiative, what if she misses her chance?
If she takes the initiative, what if she scares him away?
So conflicted...
Harunobu felt the world become quiet for a moment. The umbrella above their heads created a small space.
A space that belonged only to him and Kato.
Actually, similar intimate actions had happened before, but for some reason, since they entered their second year of high school, he felt that there was a subtle change in the relationship between him and Kato.
And now, there's only one thought in his mind.
"Kato-san smells... so good..."