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Summer’s heat threatened to boil Shoka like a pot of miso soup. Despite having a fan angled directly on her, it did nothing to help. She sat in her tepid streaming room, currently wrapping up an evening of gaming. Her followers were eager to know what she’d be playing next, but she wouldn’t let them in on the secret just yet.
“Alright, losers! It’s time for me to kick off for the night, but I’ll catch you all next time with a fun little surprise!” A flurry of emoji’s and stickers filled her chat as she ended the stream. Phew. She’d never been so glad to sign off. Now she could go indulge in a cold and tasty treat from the freezer.
Padding out into the living room, she found Rindo looking just as wilted and miserable as she felt. “You good over there? You’re not melting, are you?” she teased, giving his foot a prod.
“Can’t they do anything about the AC?” he complained for the millionth time today.
“Apparently not until Monday afternoon at three,” she quoted their landlord.
“Yeah—well… Monday needs to come faster.”
“At least it’s only one more full day of suffering. Better than the week we’ve had dealing with this. Want a berry burst pop?” Shoka asked, already fishing in their tiny kitchen freezer.
“Do we still have any of those pineapple FanGO pops?”
“Nope. You ate the last one. Remember that whole argument?”
“Er… Right.”
Instead of waiting to find out whether he wanted one, she tossed the berry pop onto his chest, then sat directly on his legs, making herself comfortable.
“Shoka!” he whined. “It’s too hot for that.”
“You’re the one taking up the whole couch,” she pointed out. “Deal with it.”
After a disgruntled grumble, Rindo instead focused on the fruit pop she’d dropped on him.
Taking relief in her own cool treat, she sighed. “I dunno why the AC had to go out during a heatwave, of all things. It seriously sucks.”
“You’re telling me.”
“Maybe we should go haunt 104 tomorrow; leech off its AC instead of being at home…” Shoka considered.
“Yeah, maybe… Hey, you don’t think Fret would let us crash his place, do you?” Rindo wondered aloud.
“I’m not sure Kage and Toffee would exactly have the best time being trapped somewhere together,” she said, referring to her cat and Fret’s terrier. “And I’m not leaving Kage to deal with this heat alone.”
“Would you care if—”
“Don’t even think about bailing and leaving me to deal with it, either.”
“I wasn’t going to ask that. I was going to say that maybe we could go to the park or something. Like Yoyogi? It’s got plenty of shade and grass.”
“Oh… That’s not a bad idea,” Shoka conceded. “We could even bring Kage in the cat pack.”
“Didn’t you try him in that before and all he did was yowl his head off?” Rindo questioned.
“He’ll just have to deal.”
“Because telling a cat to ‘deal’ always works. Good luck with that one.”
Shoka turned a glare on her boyfriend. “Careful or I might put you in charge of him.”
“Thanks, but I’ll pass.”
“Wow. Some cat daddy you are.”
Out of nowhere, something cold pressed against her leg, issuing a startled yelp from her. What was left of Rindo’s icy pop had brushed against it. “Rindo! You are in serious trouble right now!” Shoka batted his hand away while he just cackled like he was oh-so-pleased with himself.
“You asked for it.”
“Oh, yeah? Guess who’s not getting kisses anytime soon.”
All he did was shrug, to her great annoyance. “You probably wouldn’t right now anyhow, not with all this heat.”
Now he was really pushing it. “Or after the AC gets fixed.”
This time he quirked an eyebrow. “Come on, you couldn’t last that long.”
“Watch me,” she huffed.
“Seriously, Shoka.” Ah, there was the uncertainty she’d wanted. “It’s not my fault it’s hot in here.”
“No, but you’re the one who landed yourself in a world of trouble.”
Rindo shifted his legs, causing her to tip forwards. But rather than let herself get tossed off, she crossed her legs in firm defiance, adding to her weight.
“Hey—Shoka!”
“Don’t ‘Hey Shoka!’ me,” she mocked. “You tried to push me off.”
“Only because I’m hot and you’re whiny.”
This earned him an extra tart glare. “Boy you’re just batting zero right now, aren’t you?”
“You know what I mean. We’re both fed-up with the heat, which is why I suggested going to the park.”
“It’s too bad we can’t camp out there overnight.”
“I’m pretty sure that’d be frowned upon.”
“Not when you’re a Reaper, it’s not.”
“Okay, but you’re not one.”
“I know. Such a pity, given I’d be spared from this stifling air right now.”
Rindo only shook his head. “Do you wanna try sleeping out here tonight with all the fans on?”
“This couch really isn’t exactly built for two. We’d probably wind up even hotter than we are now.”
“I guess,” Rindo sighed. “I don’t even feel up to turning on a game.”
“Let’s just go to bed and hope tomorrow’s better and the park’s cooler.”
“Yeah, okay.”
They found their bedroom even less desirable than the living room. The smaller area had trapped more of the day’s heat, making their own personal sauna. Shoka quickly slipped out of her outfit and into something light and cool to sleep in, while Rindo stuck with only his boxers. Normally, he would’ve opted for PJ’s, but dire circumstances called for it.
“What are you doing?” Shoka eyed Rindo sharply, as he started to pull up their comforter. “Do you want to get parboiled while you sleep?”
“I can’t sleep if I don’t have some kind of weight on me.”
“You’re just going to have to make do.” Shoka swiftly shoved the comforter off the bed and pulled only their sheet up instead.
Rindo muttered something under his breath that she couldn’t pick up, but she’d already won, so she didn’t care. Instead, she snuggled down under the sheet, hoping that sleep would steal her away from dwelling on another hot day to come. At least… until she felt Rindo scooch closer to her, too close.
Rolling over, she planted a hand on his chest. “Nope. That’s far enough. Stick to your own side of the bed tonight.”
“But then I’m over here with nothing but the flimsy sheet.”
“So sad isn’t it? Blame nature.”
“You’re seriously the most loving girlfriend in the world,” Rindo said sarcastically.
“You got it.” Lifting a hand, she fluttered her fingers at him and got an eyeroll in return.
“This heatwave better go away soon.” And with that, Rindo too, settled down to sleep.
After a miserable night’s rest, Shoka woke far too early and covered in sweat. She’d hoped a quick shower would alleviate some of her misery, especially a nice cold one. While having damp hair strung down her back did ease it somewhat, their apartment had only grown even more stifling from her shower.
Once in the kitchen, she found Rindo fumbling around in the fridge, focused on tugging out anything he thought might work for their picnic. Well, partly focused. Shoka watched as he fanned himself with the fridge door, tired and hot with dark circles around his eyes that would make a tanuki envious.
After he finally finished, Shoka was tasked with the miserable job of stuffing her very unhappy cat into his kitty backpack, which involved much hissing, growling, and stiff legs refusing to go into the opening of the carrier. Her efforts eventually paid off, and they were on their way.
While the trip to Yoyogi Park was only marginally better than being stuck at their apartment, Shoka found herself extra dismayed after they’d arrived. It seemed half of Shibuya had had the same idea as them.
“Damn, it’s really packed.” Rindo’s gaze swung across the landscape and the crowds of couples, groups of friends, and families that’d inhabited it. “Why did everyone have to park over by the water?”
“Are you really surprised?”
“No, but it’s annoying. I thought maybe we could at least stick our hands in the water.”
Sweeping her gaze across the grassy, tree-filled landscape, Shoka spotted a less people infested area further along one of the paths trailing through the park. “Let’s try over there.” She pointed.
Rindo glanced where she’d directed, then nodded. “Yeah. That looks better. Let’s see if we can’t get ourselves a spot.”
Together, they meandered down to where a grove of towering pines created a sheltered shady area. There were dirt patches among the grass, but at least they’d brought a thick blanket with them for sitting on so Shoka didn’t have to worry about dirtying her outfit.
Kneeling, Rindo spread out their blanket while Shoka dumped their bag of picnic food on the ground, then much more carefully, set Kage down.
“Sorry little guy, you’ll have to go on a leash if you want to be out here. I know I originally found you in a park, but I still don’t wanna risk you running off.” She carefully pulled Kage free from his kitty prison and affixed him to a cat-specific harness and leash. “There you go.”
Rindo settled himself beside her and checked his phone. “At least there’s more of a breeze out here than by our apartments.”
“No kidding. It already feels way cooler.” Shoka watched carefully as Kage explored what he could of his surroundings, curiously sniffing and inspecting every little pineneedle.
“Oh—Shoka! There are some pretty good monsters out right now, if you wanna try catching them?” Rindo looked up from his phone.
While Shoka had more than recovered what she’d lost after being barred from her FanGO account back when she’d been returned to the RG, her love of the game never wavered.
“Sure. I could use a little FanGO R&R right now.”
She and Rindo wandered the park, sure to not stray too far from the picnic spot they’d claimed. Kage was more than happy to follow right along beside them, batting at any tiny object he found interesting. Through much effort, Shoka managed to find and catch a Platinum Giant with Rindo’s help.
“Nice work!” Shoka exclaimed, raising her hand up for a high-five.
“Thanks.” He grinned, hand lightly smacking against hers.
Focus now returning to her surroundings, Shoka noted a distinct difference in the light around her. Had it gotten later out? She knew they hadn’t spent too long on FanGO, or she’d thought so anyways. A quick glance up at the sky gave her the answer she needed. It had grown overcast with dense gray clouds that now blotted out the sun, offering an added reprieve from the hot day.
“When did it get so cloudy?” Rindo questioned. “Don’t think I saw that in the forecast for today.”
“Are you sure? It looks like it’s going to rain.”
“There wasn’t anything about it on my weather app. Just another hot, sunny day.” Rindo shrugged. “Anyway, should we take a break and eat something? I’m starving.”
“Yeah, that sounds good,” Shoka agreed, stomach rumbling.
The couple settled back down on their blanket, then rifled through the padded ice chest they’d brought, pulling out multiple containers consisting of leftover rice, strips of grilled beef mixed with veggies from the previous night’s dinner, and spicy noodles. It wasn’t exactly the typical picnic most people would bring to a park, but neither of them cared as long as they were eating someplace cool.
A breeze soon picked up, tugging at the corners of the blanket. Kage flinched as some dirt swirled up beside him.
“Pff. It’s okay, it’s not gonna get you,” Rindo teased before reaching over and pulling the furball into his lap.
Shoka watched as Kage burrowed in between his legs for safety, eyeing the spot where the swirling dirt had been with great suspicion. “Cats are so dumb sometimes,” she snickered.
“I dunno, maybe he senses things we don’t—like a Noise if there’s one around here.”
“I wouldn’t be shocked if his senses snagged on something. They picked up on me enough.” She smiled, thinking back to when she’d first come across her feline friend during her Reaper days.
Suddenly, and very unceremoniously, something cool and wet splatted onto Shoka’s head. “What was that?”
Rindo blinked, peering up through the dense foliage. “I don’t see anything?”
“Yeah—well it was wet. It better not’ve been bird droppings, or that bird’s toast.”
“It’s not bird crap. Your hair’s fine.”
“If you say so,” she grumbled, smoothing it out.
More cold plops hit Shoka just as she’d been about to settle back into eating her food.
“Are you sure about the whole ‘no rain’ thing?” This time Shoka scooted beside Rindo, hoping for some coverage.
“I already told you—” He flinched as if he too had been hit by the same thing.
“See?!”
No sooner than she’d uttered the word did a deluge begin pelting down around their weak shelter.
“It’s… raining?”
“No, it’s snowing. Of course that’s rain!” Shoka lightly flicked Rindo on the head.
“I get that,” he said, lightly swooshing her hand away. “Maybe it’s just a light drizzle?”
An abrupt rumble of thunder pealed across the park, echoing loudly. Shoka jumped, uttering a startled ‘eep.’ “A-Are you kidding me?” Her heart began thudding.
“Sorry. There really wasn’t any mention of a storm today,” Rindo said gently, putting an arm around her to hold her close.
“I-it’s fine.” She took a steadying breath. Her fears of thunderstorms had gotten better over the years, but the initial crack of thunder still frayed her nerves.
“You sure?”
She looked up at him, watching as a few drops of water rolled down his bangs. His eyes were filled with obvious concern, likely remembering how much storms like these used to bother her.
“I’m sure. Don’t worry.” She pressed against him by way of thanks. “We should probably hurry up and get out of here before the storm gets any worse.”
While the coolness of the sudden storm felt refreshing, Shoka had no desire to take a second shower today, nor to have her make-up ruined by nature’s fury.
“Yeah, okay.” Rindo gave her back a comforting rub before removing Kage from his lap and offering Shoka a hand up.
It didn’t take long for them to make quick work of packing up their picnic set-up, kitty included, but by the time they’d finished, the storm had swung into full throttle. Wind now whipped Shoka’s hair into a frenzy of black tendrils while threatening to bowl her over if she didn’t stand her ground.
“What gives?” Shoka snapped, glaring up at the ominous sky as though challenging it.
Rindo held an arm above his head as the wind swept more rain under the shelter of the trees. “You didn’t bring your hoodie, did you?”
“Of course not. I haven’t touched it since nature decided to roast the city. You don’t have yours either,” she pointed out.
“I know. I just hoped you might’ve brought yours since you bring it everywhere.”
“Okay. First off, I’m not five. I can live without it for… a while. And secondly, I’d never treat it like a makeshift umbrella,” she finished with a huff.
“We have the blanket,” Rindo tried.
“I already used it to cover Kage.”
“Guess we’re gonna just have to run for it, then,” Rindo mumbled bitterly.
Except neither did as they stared out from under the trees.
“So… you wanna go first?” Shoka asked.
“Not really.”
“Aren’t you supposed to be the gentleman?”
“Why am I only the gentleman when it comes to lousy situations like this?” Rindo quipped back. “Also, you still have to go out in it too, whether or not I go first.”
He wasn’t wrong. She’d already begun to get soaked as the tree branches above bent under the onslaught of water.
“There’s no way we’re going to make it back home without getting miserably drenched—” Shoka started to say as a splintering ‘snap’ cracked from behind them. Her head whipped around, wide-eyed as one of the branches thunked down to the ground with a splash.
“Okay, I think that’s our cue to get moving. Come on!” Rindo grabbed Shoka’s hand and, without any warning, tugged her out into the fray. A gale thrashed against them, threatening to shove them back. However, Rindo pressed on, keeping a firm grip on her hand.
She was grateful for his grounding support as she practically clung to him for dear life. She feared if she let go, the wind might rip her off the ground.
What had been a park filled with happy-go-lucky picnickers only an hour ago was now a desolate ghost town. Leaves and other debris were flung across the pathway before them, causing Rindo to pivot quickly and almost lose her hand in the process. “Dammit! How’d the weather people not forecast this storm?” he called over the din.
“It is technically typhoon season!” Shoka yelled back.
Grunting in frustration, Rindo suddenly yanked her off the path and under a small gazebo near the park’s river. “S-sorry, need a breather.”
“It’s fine, same here.” A shiver ran down Shoka’s spine. She was drenched, hair dripping, clothes sticking to her—the whole nine yards. At least the gazebo offered more shelter than the trees they’d been under earlier.
Shifting her shoulder, she set Kage down to check on him. He’d curled up into the tiniest ball he could manage and burrowed into the bottom of the bag for safety, only peering up at her when Shoka leaned in close.
“How’s Kage doing?” Rindo asked.
“I think he’s a little freaked out, but not bad otherwise. The blanket probably helped.”
“Hey little guy.” Rindo crouched beside Shoka. “Sorry we brought you out here.”
Kage simply blinked back up at them with wide eyes.
“It would’ve been okay if this stupid storm hadn’t happened.” Shoka sighed, slumping on the wooden floor of the gazebo.
“Maybe it’ll let up soon?” Rindo wondered. Which might’ve helped, if his voice hadn’t been so devoid of hope.
“Who knows? We would’ve been better off at home. We’d be out of the rain, and it would have been cooler. I bet we could’ve even played games.”
“I didn’t realize it would turn out this way. I thought we’d have a nice picnic in the park. And…” he grumbled, swiping his damp bangs off his forehead. “I wanted to have a nice time together.”
Shoka blinked, slowly realizing how bad her words had come off. “Hey—it wasn’t the worst idea,” she said, taking his hand. “I didn’t mean it like that.”
He glanced at her, then down at their hands. “I know. It just sucks. Tomorrow it’ll probably be hot and humid, plus we both have work.”
“So… let’s have fun now. We’re out of the rain, so we can just sit and… I dunno—be together. Even if we can’t play a video game.”
Rindo peered at her and teased, “Who are you, and what’ve you done with Shoka?”
Her cheeks flushed. “If you’d rather go splashing in puddles than spend time with me, be my guest.”
“N-no. I’m good.”
“You’d better be,” Shoka huffed, body shaking in an involuntary shudder.
“You okay?”
Shoka nodded. “Just a little cold. Ironically.”
“Here…” Rindo sat beside her and drew her close against him.
A flurry of mixed feelings assaulted Shoka. Two soaked people being pressed against each other didn’t exactly set the tone for sparks, but on the other hand, being drawn against him like that? It still made her heart flutter erratically.
Thankfully no one was around to see their public display. Not that there was a lot to see when they were just huddled together for warmth. Which in some ways was worse. She’d rather be dry, all dolled up, and romantic with Rindo than like a miserable, wet, bedraggled cat having to be comforted.
“The rain sounds sort of nice, when you’re not stuck out in it,” Rindo murmured.
Closing her eyes, Shoka focused on listening too. Somehow, it didn’t seem as intense when she let her senses pick up on the continual sound of rain splatting on the cement pathways, hitting the leaves of the nearby trees, or splashing into the river nearby. It was almost relaxing, a perfect harmony through the otherwise chaotic city.
If only the wind hadn’t ruined it. It kept beating against the gazebo, making the roof creak.
“Yeah… It’s not too bad. I just hope the roof’s not going anywhere.”
“I think it’ll be fine. It sounds bad, but I doubt the wind’s strong enough to pull it off.” His grip around her tightened all the same, though.
From somewhere within his carrier, Kage mewed quietly. “Oh—right, cat.” Shoka gently shifted away from Rindo in order to grab Kage’s bag and gently pluck him from it, depositing him on both Rindo and her laps. “There, the whole family’s together.”
“Pff,” Rindo snorted. “Are you sure it’s a good idea to have him out of that?” He tapped Kage on the ear.
Shoka shrugged. “As long as I keep hold of him, I think it’ll be fine. Plus he’s warmer than you right now.”
“Gee, thanks.”
“What? It’s true. You’re all damp and cold. It’s like cuddling up to a fish.”
“Really, Shoka? You’re comparing me to a fish?”
She hesitated. Okay yeah, that’d sounded really bad. “Y-You know, a fish I like being close to?”
“You’re not selling yourself right now.”
Pursing her lips, she elbowed him.
“It’s not my fault it decided to rain today,” Rindo responded.
“I know that. I didn’t mean it that way. I like being close to you, even when you’re all soggy.”
“Heh.” He smiled gently, then lifted a hand to tuck a damp strand of hair behind her ear. The contact was warm, and she found herself leaning into the side of his wrist before he could lower his hand again.
Rindo blinked in surprise, but kept his arm steady, letting her press against it. He then let his fingers trail to the back of her neck and rest there, adding to the coziness keeping her chill at bay.
Shoka let her eyes close again, taking solace in Rindo’s touch, the sound of the rain, and Kage’s faint purring. It all lulled her into a deep sense of comfort. Soon, Rindo’s head came to rest against her shoulder, face pressing against the crook of her neck. They stayed like that for some time, simply being together in the midst of a storm.
Eventually though, the heavy splatters from the rain turned into a soft patter, and the wind became just a whisper among the trees as the storm finally let up.
“I think the storm’s moving on,” Rindo mumbled against her.
She opened her eyes, peering out from under her semi-dry bangs. Though it still rained, it wasn’t anything like it had been earlier. “Think we should make a break for it? Or wait a little longer?”
Rindo hesitated. “We probably should get home and open up the windows before it starts broiling again.”
“Yeah…” Shoka whispered. Part of her wasn’t ready to move on yet, despite wanting to get out of her damp clothes.
Rindo’s gaze dipped to meet hers. “Unless you don’t want to…”
“N-no. I’m fine. We can go.” She started to rise, but Rindo held her back for a moment, still staring. “W-what?”
Rather than answering her, he pulled her in close and firmly pressed his lips against hers.
If she hadn’t warmed up enough yet, she certainly did now. A blush spread across her cheeks, and she pushed back into his kiss, savoring the moment.
Their moment, however, was interrupted by a persistent meow. Kage stared up at his parents, tail twitching.
Rindo chuckled around their kiss, then pulled away. “Apparently someone doesn’t approve.”
“Pff, please. He’s probably seen plenty already. I think it’s more the fact it’s getting late. His internal kitty clock must be telling him it’s dinner time.”
“Heh. Alright, then let’s get home.” Rindo gave Shoka’s hair one final sweep over her shoulders before rising, pulling Kage with him. “Better get you back in your bag.”
Shoka helped him settle Kage back in the cat bag before he slipped it onto his back. Once situated, he offered Shoka his hand.
She took it, ready to head home after what had been the most chaotic picnic she’d ever been on. Not that she had many to compare it to.
The pair made their way through the drizzly park. Shoka stepped a little too hard in a puddle and splashed Rindo’s leg.
He, of course, got her right back at the next pool of water, and the two wound up almost as wet as before by the time they’d returned home.
After freeing Kage of his transportable prison and stripping off their damp clothes in trade for dry ones, they flopped onto their couch in order to chill after everything they’d been through.
Shoka nestled against Rindo while he turned on an RPG they’d been playing before the heatwave started. An edgy hero loaded into a verdant overworld and began charging off along a path as Rindo prompted him to. Watching him run, she savored in the warmth her nerd of a boyfriend gave off. A little ironic, she thought, given how their day had started. For now, though, it brought her comfort and a deeply relaxed sensation. It was just the right way to end a day.