Inside a small pavilion, I twisted the rainwater from my soaked jacket and sighed as I watched the torrential downpour outside that showed no sign of letting up.
This late-night outing had gone poorly. Not only had I failed to find Azusa's whereabouts but on my way back, I had been caught in a sudden heavy rain. Before I could react, I was drenched, leaving me no choice but to take shelter in the nearest pavilion. What bad luck...
I sent a quick message to Tsurugi to confirm she had safely returned to the dormitory, casually replied that I was back as well, and then found myself fretting over whether I should rush back through the rain now or wait until it eased.
And Azusa... Had she returned to the annex yet? Or was she still wandering outside? Did she find shelter from the rain?
I couldn't help but worry deeply for this student who constantly left others on edge in so many ways.
Suddenly, I squinted and thought I saw a blurry dark figure moving through the rain.
Thanks to [Eagle's Eye], I could make out the figure: a student I had never seen before, struggling along while carrying what looked like a launcher-type weapon on her back.
Perhaps because she wore a hood, she hadn't noticed the pavilion nearby where she could take shelter.
Watching her struggle through the rain, I felt a pang of pity and shouted for her to come over. But the rain was too loud, she didn't seem to hear me.
…Setting aside everything else, this was clearly the perfect moment to earn some goodwill, wasn't it?
Using that as my reasoning, I took a deep breath, draped my jacket over my head, and ran toward her.
As I approached, the short-haired, masked girl finally noticed me. Her hollow-looking red eyes fixed on me, brow slightly furrowed.
"There's no time to explain," I said quickly, grabbing her hand. "There's a place to take shelter over there. Come with me."
Maybe because I looked handsome and trustworthy, the unknown girl surprisingly obeyed without question or resistance, trailing quietly behind me. We quickly returned to the pavilion.
I tossed my soaked jacket aside and rubbed my arms, glancing at the girl I had successfully brought here. She remained silent, motionless, staring blankly at the rain outside, a presence that made one feel oddly uneasy.
"This rain came out of nowhere," I remarked, trying to break the silence. "Haha, even weather forecasts can be wrong sometimes, just our luck."
"…That doesn't matter."
Her voice was low, either from the cold or simply her nature: "Anyway, this world is like this. There's never anything worth looking forward to."
Her words immediately shut down every topic I had been preparing to bring up.
…Is she a bit pessimistic?
I paused, then cautiously asked, "Um, did something happen to you?"
The black-haired, red-eyed girl took a long moment before responding: "Nothing. As usual. Do you need something?"
"Well, I just thought... seeing as the rain might last a while…"
"I see."
She answered flatly, clearly uninterested in talking. Feeling awkward, I scratched the side of my face, handed her a spare towel, and wisely refrained from further conversation.
Thankfully, she didn't reject the small gesture. She used the towel to dry her hair and body, then silently patted my back and returned the towel.
For a long time afterward, there was no further interaction.
The sound of the relentless rain filled the small pavilion, the atmosphere heavy with oppressive silence.
After scrolling through my phone for a while, I glanced at the girl, knees hugged to her chest on the bench, staring out at the rain as if waiting for it to stop. Hesitating several times, I finally spoke again:
"Um… I'm Schale's sensei. Here's my work ID. If you ever run into trouble, you can always consult me."
A young girl wandering alone at this hour, even in Kivotos, naturally stirred a measure of concern in me.
What if there was something I could genuinely help with?
Of course, I was primarily seeking a new power; nothing more.
"…Schale's sensei?"
Hearing my title, she finally turned her head, scanning me carefully.
Though it may sound boastful, I did enjoy a certain degree of recognition in this city.
After a long moment, the girl lowered her mask and revealed a cold expression: "…Misaki."
I paused slightly, realizing she was introducing herself.
Willing to share her name... A good start, hopefully she might open up to me.
I smiled: "Alright, I'll call you Misaki then. Um… may I ask why you haven't returned to your home this late?"
Another long silence followed.
Misaki tilted her head, scratched the bandages around her neck, and said indifferently: "Nothing happened."
…Alright, seems like a difficult lady to deal with.
Even though it was a brief encounter and I didn't fully know her circumstances, I felt a subtle thrill looking at Misaki like this.
"Okay… then," I said, pulling out my phone, "can we exchange contact info? You use Momotalk, right?"
Misaki countered: "Why? We're probably never going to meet again. There's no need."
"Well… what if it's needed someday…?"
She stared at me for a long moment, then produced a somewhat old smartphone and added me as a friend.
I smiled: "Alright. If you ever need my help, you can contact me anytime."
She didn't reply, instead looking out at the pavilion: "The rain's letting up a bit."
"Yes, but without an umbrella, you should probably wait a bit longer before heading back…"
Before I could finish, Misaki pulled out a folding umbrella from her coat and tossed it to me.
Then, ignoring my advice, she strode directly into the rain without looking back.
She brought an umbrella… so was she deliberately walking in the rain?
That question lingered in my mind all the way back to the annex.