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A storm raged outside Miyamasuzaka Girls Academy.
While rain was uncommon this time of year, heavy droplets pelted the rooftop and ricocheted to the ground below. Airi lamented at the thought of walking home in this weather, realizing as soon as the clouds had rolled in that she had forgotten her umbrella.
But as she made her way down the stairs to shoe lockers on the first floor, she saw a familiar figure waiting for her in the entryway, greeting her with a smile.
"Airi-chan! Would you like to walk home together?"
Shizuku stood there, holding an umbrella in one hand while the other waved at her friend. She had clearly been waiting for Airi, who had been asked to deliver papers to the faculty office after class had ended. What a convenient and ironic time for the girl named after water droplets to appear.
"Absolutely," Airi replied, thankful. "Of all days, this is the one I forget my umbrella."
"I had a feeling you'd forgotten." Shizuku teased, grinning.
"Oh, hush," Airi returned her tease, changing her shoes and walking to her friend's side. "Thank you, though."
The two departed, Shizuku holding the umbrella over the both of them. In that moment Airi was grateful the girl was much taller than her, as she held the umbrella in a way that kept them both dry as the rain pelted the plastic cover.
But Airi couldn't help but flinch as a shiver ran through her body. The autumn rainfall carried none of the warmth and humidity of the summer, leaving her feeling hollow as the wind seemed to blow right through her.
"Airi-chan, are you cold?" Shizuku asked.
"No, not at all." Airi lied. She wasn't sure why, though.
After a moment, she felt Shizuku move ever so slightly closer to her, their arms touching beneath the umbrella. Her skin was warm beneath the long sleeves of her cardigan.
"Come closer to me," she said. "So you don't get wet."
Airi definitely wanted to pull away, to bring back the space that had been between them moments before, but something stopped her. Though the chill she had felt before was no longer there, having been replaced with the heat of her racing heart, she didn't pull away.
Shizuku often made her feel this way; her stomach squirmed, her heart beating at such a speed she feared it would explode, her face heating up to feverish temperatures. This was nothing new, and something Airi felt seemingly every time they were together. She knew very well what this feeling was, but dared not to think about it too much. After all, they were best friends and rivals, nothing more. And as nervous as being this close made her feel, she couldn't deny the excitement she felt, either.
They continued down the streets of Shibuya, close together beneath Shizuku's umbrella. Soon enough, they arrived at Scramble Crossing, where they normally parted ways. Part of Airi wished they had taken the long way there.
"Do you want me to walk you home?" Shizuku looked down at her, seemingly unfazed by how little distance was between her face was to Airi's.
Airi lived quite a bit away from here, a long walk in the opposite direction. The rain didn't seem anywhere close to stopping, still hammering the sidewalks with unrelenting fury.
"No, you don't have to do that... I can run." Airi said, even though she dreaded the thought. Sometimes she didn't understand the words that came out of her mouth.
Shizuku shook her head. "Please don't, you're going to catch a cold!" Airi wasn't surprised by the amount of care in her voice, sounding like a concerned mother scolding a child. It was extremely endearing, but made it hard for Airi to flee.
"You will too, if you're out here that long with me." Airi smirked. Checkmate.
"Then..." Shizuku paused, the faintest of pink appearing on her cheeks as she hesitated. Airi wouldn't even have noticed if they weren't so close. "Would you like to come and wait out the storm at my house?"
Airi felt a wave of heat hit her in the face with the force of a moving vehicle. She'd been to Shizuku's house before, along with Minori and Haruka to film livestreams and hang out. But something about this felt... different. Minori and Haruka weren't here.
Airi's fight-or-flight response took control again, but she desperately held back. She reeled in the wild emotions that had taken over, and looked up at Shizuku in the most normal way possible.
"That would be great, thank you."
♡
The two girls arrived at the Hinomori house, if you could even call it that. The building in front of them was much bigger than your standard house, the Hinomoris being decently wealthy due to the father being a minor celebrity. Despite that, it was surprisingly modest and standard on the inside.
They left their shoes at the door as they went inside, Shizuku leading Airi to her bedroom where it was nice, warm and dry. Airi took a seat on one of the cushions on the floor.
"You wait here, I'll go make some tea!" Shizuku seemed excited to have a visitor, even if it was someone who had been there multiple times before. Before Airi had time to object, Shizuku had left.
Shizuku's bedroom was decently large, but felt cozy and quaint. The floor was covered in tatami mats and her walls were sparsely decorated, a single bookshelf that contained most of her items: a picture of her and Shiho, her younger sibling; a Cheerful*Days penlight; a photo of her and the other members of MORE MORE JUMP in a cutely adorned frame.
And a fluffy, purple towel that looked oddly familiar.
Airi got up from her cushion, walking over to the bookshelf. She picked up the towel, holding it gently as she ran her thumb across the rough fabric. This was the towel she had given Shizuku a long time ago, when she had been cheering her up and encouraging her to not give up on being an idol. It sat here now, clean and folded neatly next to all her dearest possessions. Somehow she hadn't noticed it there before.
The door opened as Shizuku returned, holding a tray and two cups of hot tea.
"You still have this?" Airi asked, not looking at her.
Shizuku set the tray down on her low table. "Of course I do. You gave me this when we first met... it holds a precious memory."
When Airi finally met eyes with the girl next to her, that well-known wave of warmth hit her body once again. Shizuku was looking at her, nothing but pure admiration in the smile on her face. Shizuku had always been the sentimental type, but the fact that just a towel she had given her so casually could become a memento made Airi's heart swell with joy.
God, I love her.
Airi had trouble pulling her gaze away from those kind blue eyes, taking another moment to stare into them.
The air felt heavy. What was this feeling? The two of them stared at each other with such a kind intensity that it made Airi's heart ache. And yet, she didn't wish to look away.
Shizuku beat her to it. "Our tea is going to get cold." She let out an awkward chuckle, her face carrying the faintest hint of embarrassment. She went to her little table on the floor, sitting down in front of it, gesturing for Airi to do the same. "Do you like earl grey?"
Airi nodded, sitting down next to her. An uncomfortable silence filled the room after their tender moment had ended, leaving nothing to fill the air aside from the repetitive pattering of the rain outside. Airi took a sip of her tea, savoring the feeling it gave her chilled body. Though it was now being closer to room temperature, having had a minute to sit there when they had been speaking, it was delicious.
But something didn't feel right. Things were hardly ever awkward between the two of them; from the beginning of their friendship and rivalry, things had come so naturally. Today felt different. Today carried the feeling of unspoken words and emotions unsaid.
Airi somehow felt claustrophobic in this large, quiet room, though the only thing close to her was Shizuku herself. No matter how deeply she breathed, her lungs felt full, unable to get more air in.
I can't handle this, she thought.
Airi felt her face flush before the words she wanted to say even left her mouth. "You know, Shizuku... even now..." God, this sounds so corny. "I think you're really amazing. You've always worked so hard, and you've come so far since that day. I'm proud of you."
She heard a breath catch in Shizuku's throat. When Airi turned to face her, she noticed Shizuku's face had become just as red as hers must have been. Shizuku didn't respond for a moment, avoiding her gaze, but Airi noticed her hands tighten around her teacup.
"You've worked just as hard as me, Airi-chan." She finally spoke. "You're the hardest working person I know... I wouldn't have made it this far without you."
Shizuku set her teacup down gently, swiftly bringing her hands to Airi's and holding them tightly.
"MORE MORE JUMP means everything to me," she continued. "Minori, Haruka and... and you... I want to be with you all forever. You all make me feel like we can be something special for someone."
Shizuku's hands were cold, in a sharp contrast to Airi's, which always ran hot. Airi thought the phrase "cold hands, warm heart" rang true in this moment. Shizuku seemed to have an easier time saying the same words she felt deep within her heart.
Airi moved her hands, tenderly intertwining her fingers with Shizuku's. Her heart was racing within her chest, and she feared it might break free of it's cage. She was afraid to say the words that lived inside there.
The strange, intense feeling from earlier lingered in the air around them again. The rain pattered gently on the roof, the storm beginning to subside. But Airi didn't want the rain to stop. She wanted nothing more than to savor this moment forever. This was the perfect moment.
She took a deep breath, deciding to push down any hesitation she felt, knowing deep down Shizuku, of all people, was someone she could be vulnerable around.
"I feel the same way," Airi said, lovingly. "You all mean so much to me. But..." She looked down at their hands, struggling to overcome her nerves. "Shizuku, I want to be with you forever. You're my partner, my rival, my best friend... and..."
Shizuku was looking at her again. Her gaze made Airi feel self-conscious, even though she knew Shizuku wasn't thinking anything negative of her.
Just say it.
"And I... love you."
She lowered her voice to an almost inaudible mutter. But Shizuku had definitely heard her, pulling her hands away and throwing them over Airi's shoulders in a loving embrace.
"Oh, Airi-chan!" Airi couldn't see her face, but she knew Shizuku was smiling by the sound of her voice. "You're so sweet... I feel the same! I have for a really long time."
They reveled in each other's company for a moment, before Shizuku pulled back, just far enough that she could still look at Airi's face, which had become an ironic shade of peachy pink. Her face and Shizuku's were only a few centimeters apart, close enough to feel the other's breath on their cheeks.
"I'm so happy." Shizuku said, smiling in such a way that Airi could feel the affection radiating from it. "I love you, Airi."
Airi ultimately failed her attempt to hold her gaze, quickly turning her face away. Though she felt insanely, immeasurably embarrassed, she couldn't deny that she felt happy, too.
"Y-yeah."
♡
The steady trickling of the rain had slowly began to subside, and the tea pot had finally gone cold. Airi and Shizuku stood in the entrance of the Hinomori house, Airi having decided that she needed to make it home before her parents started to worry.
The overcast skies had been replaced with a clear, dark blue that faded into orange on the horizon. The storm had passed.
Shizuku grabbed something from the side of the doorway: the umbrella they had walked under on the way home from school. She shook of the last few drops of rain that clung to it, and handed it to Airi.
"Here, take this with you just in case it starts raining again." She said. The look in Shizuku's eyes was different than the one Airi had seen when they'd left.
"Thanks." Airi took the umbrella, feeling awkward now that she had to depart. Those past few hours had felt like an eternity. "I guess I'll see you tomorrow, then?"
The thought of seeing Shizuku the following day at school made her nervous that things would be the same as always, and that what happened today would become nothing more than an invasive daydream.
"Yeah, I'll see you tomorrow." Shizuku smiled at her kindly.
As Airi turned and walked away from her house, she couldn't help feeling like something was missing. Was this really how the day would end, after a long-awaited confession of love? She made it to the outer gate, pausing and looking back at Shizuku, who was standing there waving at her.
Airi decided she had already been bold once today, and there was no harm in being bold again.
She dropped her umbrella and bag on the ground, running back to Shizuku's side. Before there was any time for a reaction, she stood on her tip-toes and touched her lips to the side of Shizuku's cheek, placing a kiss there.
"Airi--!" Shizuku exclaimed, embarrassed, putting her hand to her cheek.
But Airi was already running away, having bolted the opposite direction the second Shizuku had realized what was happening. As the quickly slung her bag over her shoulder and grabbed the umbrella, she couldn't help but giggle to herself in her happiness.
"Byeee!" Airi waved back at her, fleeing the scene. "I-I love you!"
By the time Airi had made it down the street, she found herself panting, not because of the jog but because of the adrenaline running through her veins. Her face was bright pink, a smile tugging at the corners of her mouth. She put a hand to her lips, thinking of what she had done just moments before.
Shizuku loves me, too!
She stifled a squeal.
I'm the luckiest girl in the world!
As she made the way back to her own house, Airi had noticed a small rainbow appear in the clouds above her, the sunset having met the rain that lingered in the sky.
How fitting.