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Rain.
I like water. I like the sea. The sand. The waves. The ocean… And I believe it’s a pretty well-known fact in my friend group. I don’t think there’s a single person that doesn’t know that my favourite musical is The Little Mermaid. So yeah… I like water.
What I do not like is being stuck in the rain without an umbrella. It’s really my fault for not having checked the weather report this morning before going out. But I really wish I had taken it in case I ever need it. Rather than using my blazer. Now my hair is dripping wet, my clothes are damp… I’m basically soaked to the bone. And I’m cold. Because not only is it raining, but it’s also windy. My three layers of clothes are not nearly enough to keep me warm, yet it’s nothing compared to how much my legs are freezing. I’m practically trembling.
The rain is not stopping. Should I try to find somewhere to stay until the sun comes out? Dry off, maybe. I’m not far from Kamiyama though… I could definitely make it if I started walking a little faster.
As I’m about to discover how permeable the school uniform really is, I hear a loud voice in the distance.
“NENE!!”
An annoying yet familiar loud voice. A voice that I recognize immediately. I whip my head around and catch this flashy smile, that stupidly bright blonde and peach hair, those idiotic orange eyes. Tsukasa is running towards me, splashing water on his pants, although it doesn’t seem like he cares much. He’s running towards me with the sole intention of sharing his umbrella with me… I think. I wouldn’t normally think much of it, because it is like him to take care of his troupe members. I mean, “what would happen to the future of Wonderlands x Showtime if one of our incredible actors fell ill?!” His words, not mine. But as I was saying, Tsukasa is about to save me from the pouring rain.
That’s what it looked like until a car sped past him and splashed him with muddy rainwater. I can’t suppress the small giggle that escapes my lips. It’s not mocking this time. Not completely. I feel almost sorry.
It’s a kind of twisted humour to laugh at my troupe leader’s misadventures, but that’s just how we do it. Tsukasa is our laughing stock. The court jester. And I’m the princess, as he likes to say so much. I don’t think there’s much happening in his head for him to say that. But he makes me laugh. I like that about him. Intentionally or not, he makes me smile. At his expense most of the time, but I’m sure he knows already.
Tsukasa is still approaching me, although his dumb toothy grin is replaced by an embarrassed little smile. And despite how hard I try, I end up mimicking his expression, mostly in sympathy.
“H-here. You can have my umbrella…” Tsukasa mumbled. Which is a surprise, since I had prepared to cover my ears. One develops the instinct to protect one’s hearing.
“You’re already soaked anyway, huh…” I retort with no real bite to it.
But I’m somehow still reluctant to grab hold of the umbrella. I can’t pinpoint the exact reason, but I’m hoping Tsukasa will still hold the umbrella, walk me all the way to school, maybe even to my class. And Tsukasa picks up on it. I can tell because he’s now holding the umbrella in his left hand, right between us. And he keeps glancing up to make sure that the umbrella is covering me. And he keeps smiling at me in a much tamer smile than usual.
Standing side by side really makes the sidewalk feel so much narrower. It can barely fit three people, two when one of them is gesticulating all over the place to punctuate every word he says. Not pointing any fingers. But right now, it’s different. When Tsukasa sees people walking towards us, what does Tsukasa do? Tsukasa wraps his arm around my shoulder and pulls me closer.
I wonder if they announced a sudden heat wave in this morning’s weather report…