26 – You Seeping into the Edge of the Blanket (2)
Shhhhh…
“Hmm…”
“…”
If the world were to end due to rain, it might feel something like this. The rain still swept through the world as if it could wipe away everything, to the point where such thoughts crossed my mind. And all we had to rely on standing in front of it was a meager piece of cloth that could barely cover one body. Yuna, gazing at the pouring rain, asked softly.
“If I go alone and come back with an umbrella, will you believe me?”
“…”
No matter how much we denied it, there was only one scenario we could choose. Still, as I spread the cloth as wide as possible, I thought we might be able to cover our heads somehow. I gestured to Yuna after unfolding the cloth.
“Come in.”
“Is this really the best option?”
“Do you have any other good ideas?”
“…”
This time, Yuna couldn’t continue speaking. Instead, she moved closer to me. But still, we were only a step away, with our outstretched arms not quite touching, so my head was not obscured by the sky.
“Hey, Yuna. I think we should get closer.”
“How much closer?”
“Just one step closer.”
“Okay.”
“Just a little more.”
“A little more?”
“Just a little bit.”
“A little… more.”
“More. Just a little more.”
“Right here?”
“…Wouldn’t it be better if we just hugged?”
I thought she would be embarrassed and speak softly, but Yuna surprisingly approached me gently. And she opened her arms and tightly embraced my waist.
“Like this?”
“Ah… Yes. And what about your head…”
“Like this…?”
Without saying a word, Yuna leaned her head against my chest. Her ear rested directly above where my heart was. In that moment, I lost my words and fell silent. The warmth of another person melted into my heart, which had been alone for so long. I worried that my heart might start pounding and reveal my true feelings. With an anxious heart, I deliberately spoke in a loud voice.
“Shall we go then?”
“Yeah.”
Once again, Yuna replied calmly. Soon, as we opened the door and stepped outside, a massive downpour began to pour down on us.
Thud, thud, thud…
The cold raindrops made a suffocating sound as they fell onto the thick fabric. Contrary to worries, the fabric did a decent job of shielding us from the falling raindrops. Of course, they still landed on my hands and arms, but it wasn’t bothersome enough to pay much attention to.
What was more concerning was our footsteps.
“Hey…! You’re walking too fast.”
“Really? But I felt like we should hurry.”
“Even so, it’s okay. Walk slowly. It’s hard to keep up with this pace. Oh, and turn right up ahead.”
“Yeah. By the way, am I allowed to know the dorm’s location?”
“…Don’t memorize it. Got it?”
Even if I wanted to.
I don’t have the mental capacity to memorize.
Walking in sync with someone amid the pouring rain turned out to be more challenging than I thought. Perhaps we hadn’t walked side by side much compared to the time we spent together. For some reason, I had to focus entirely on each step, and there were already more than a few things to be mindful of. Like the soaked fabric clinging to me, or occasionally, the raindrops streaming down in front of my eyes.
Or maybe your bright red cheek pressed against my racing heart.
Breathing sounds layered over the pounding heart above my chest. Even with the intense sound of rain in my ears, I could distinctly feel your breath between the folds of my clothes. One, two. One, two. For a while, your breath and my heartbeat synchronized as we walked together.
“Sigh…”
“…”
But as time passed, my heart began to race ahead, starting to run. Why was that? It’s not like this was the first time I faced your skin. Amidst such thoughts, the pounding accelerated, and the arms wrapped around my waist pulled me even closer.
It was only then that I realized one thing. Come to think of it, this is the first time you’ve willingly embraced my body. Until now, it was always masked under the guise of support, but when you approached first, it shattered like thin glass. All the hypocrisy done for money or any other reason seemed to crumble away as you held me, leaving behind the raw clash of emotions. As if it were all a joke. As if all the pretenses made for the sake of money shattered into pieces when you approached me first.
Perhaps, like Yuna.
I might be someone vulnerable to others approaching first.
The moment that thought crossed my mind, my steps faltered. And, unintentionally, I stepped into a deep puddle I had been trying to avoid.
“Ah.”
Splash.
“Ah, cold!”
The chilly raindrops pooled on the ground splashed up, clinging to Yuna’s wet clothes. Yuna let out a feeble scream and clung to me even tighter.
“Be careful!”
“Oh, sorry. I was lost in thought.”
“You’re daydreaming in this situation? Ugh… you ruined your clothes.”
“Sorry. I’m sorry.”
Yuna squeezed the wet fabric, giving me a reproachful look. Watching that expression, a mischievous idea suddenly crept up on me. Come to think of it, no matter what I do now, I’m in a situation where I can’t rebel. As that thought occurred to me, I deliberately stomped on a water puddle with force.
Splash.
“Ah… hey!”
“Sorry. Accident.”
“You did that on purpose!”
“Oh, come on! As if I would do that on purpose… yeah, right!”
“Eek! Nooo!”
This time, it seemed water droplets had entered Yuna’s skirt as she let out a renewed scream. Then, she fiercely grabbed my side as if she were going to tear it apart.
“Stop it!”
“You keep making a fuss like that. Just stay still for a moment.”
“I was staying still… Oh nooo!”
“Ahahahaha, sorry. Was that really a mistake?”
“You’re really…”
Yuna glared at me, then, as if unable to endure any longer, she approached the puddle of water. With all her strength, she kicked towards me.
Splash!
“Oops, that’s chilly!”
As the cold droplets spread through my clothes, my whole body involuntarily shivered. Now, I openly laughed, looking bright, and shouted to Yuna.
“Anyone can see this was intentional, right?”
“Who started it first, though?”
“So you’re coming at me like this?”
“Kyaa!”
Now that it had come to this, there was no need to hide anymore. I swiftly lifted Yuna into the air, headed towards another puddle, and forcefully spun one foot.
Whoosh!
Yuna completely escaped from my embrace and headed towards a different puddle. With all her strength, she began splashing water at me.
“Splash!”
“Wait, wait!”
A massive wave of rainwater rushed at us. I stumbled as if caught in the waves, and Yuna, with her hand in the puddle, sprayed water at me.
“How’s that? Starting to regret it?”
“Ah, stop! Stop!”
“Now is not the time to stop! Ahahahaha!”
Suddenly, a radiant smile bloomed on Yuna’s face like a rainbow. Now, free from the fatigue of last night, she laughed so refreshingly. I quickly caught onto that laughter, and even as the water streams hit us, we both burst into laughter.
“Ah, enough! I feel like I’m going to catch a cold like this!”
“If you stop first, I’ll stop too!”
“Fine. Is that how it’s going to be?”
“What? Hey, wait! That’s cheating!”
As I approached with a thousand as a shield, Yuna stopped and yelled. Meanwhile, I went towards a tree by the roadside and shook a branch continuously. Leaves and the raindrops piled on them cascaded down like a storm, pouring over us.
“Ah! Stop it!”
“Ugh!”
Yuna rushed towards me with a smile on her lips. She grabbed my waist, pushed me away with all her strength, and laughed heartily. Amidst all this, I continued to shake the tree branch.
Beyond the cold fabric, the soft touch of Yuna’s skin spread vividly. Shivering in the cold, we held onto each other and laughed heartily. Petty worries were swept away by the sound of rain and laughter, and our minds were painted entirely white. In some remote corner of the academy where the refreshing spring rain fell, we held onto each other and laughed for a long time.
“It’s cold…”
“…Sniff.”
The price we paid for playing in the rain for over half an hour was brutal. By the time we reached the dormitory, Yuna was already sniffing, and I shivered as if I had a chill. Perhaps because of that, Yuna let me into the dorm without any restrictions, and I, without even looking around, leaped inside.
From Noble mtl dot com
“Ah… ugh…”
“Ugh… hey, Yuna. Can I just go in like this? The floor must be soaking wet.”
“It’s okay. It’ll dry quickly, right?”
But it might leave stains because of the muddy water. I was worried, but at the moment, I didn’t have the luxury to care about such things. As I took off my shoes, raindrops flowed down from the pants instead of socks.
“I’ll clean it up later… sorry.”
“No, it’s okay. Ugh… more importantly, let’s go wash up. It’s a complete mess.”
“Even though you seem worse off?”
We looked at each other, laughed again, and then it ended with a violent sneeze.
“Etchwi!”
“Etchu! Ugh… Let’s go in quickly for now. The servants must have heated water while they’re out, so we can just go in. The bathroom is over there.”
“No, it’s okay. The landlord should go in first.”
“Huh? What are you talking about? I’m going into the bathroom in my room.”
“Oh.”
There might be two bathrooms in one house. While I was tasting the common sense of this new world, Yuna approached trembling toward her room. Suddenly, she turned her head and said.
“I’ll lock the door.”
“Huh? Oh… hahahaha. Don’t worry. There won’t be such a thing.”
“Just use the towel hanging there. Well, I’m going in.”
“Yeah, got it. I’ll use it gratefully too.”
“Okay… Etchu!”
Yuna made another cute sneezing sound and disappeared into the room. I thought about playing a prank before washing up, but I just didn’t have the energy for it. In the end, I headed to the bathroom, shivering.
“Phew…”
After taking off the dirty clothes in the basket outside and entering, a hot steam greeted me. Without checking the water temperature, I submerged myself in the water in the bathtub. As the hot liquid washed away the impurities and flowed down, I unconsciously let out a deep sigh.
“Huaaa…”
Ah, this feels so good.
It felt like the misty steam was filling up my head. I leaned against the bathroom wall, barely holding back the relaxation spreading in my legs. Soon, my sighs subsided, and the quiet air began to flow inside. As it did, forgotten sensations slowly surfaced.
“Huuu…”
Come to think of it, I’m now… taking a bath in Yuna’s dormitory.
It was just a listing of simple facts, but the sentence hung strangely in my mind. It’s not an entirely ordinary situation, or is it? If I think about bathing in Gwero’s room… No, Yuna is different from Gwero. Gwero is just a friend, but Yuna is more than that.
…
Rather than that… What should I say…
As my thoughts kept wandering to strange places, I deliberately splashed water on myself. Let’s not think strange thoughts. After all, I came to dry my clothes. So, there’s no need for unnecessary imaginations…
Suddenly, once again, a simple fact stuck in my mind like a jaw-dropping revelation. This time, it wasn’t some strange and bizarre imagination but a very reasonable and realistic observation. I slowly got up and cast my gaze towards the door.
…Wait a moment.
Come to think of it, do I not have any clothes to wear after bathing?