Living in Tokyo, starting with a lifestyle-related job

However, Shiro Kaede, who had just come in to take shelter from the rain, looked at the rain and thought to himself, "It's raining again, just as I expected."

Although I didn't check the weather forecast much today.

But he knew that the weather in April was unpredictable.

It's either a sunny day or a rainy day.

So he habitually keeps an umbrella in his schoolbag every day.

Without saying a word, he immediately pulled a folding umbrella from his bag, opened it, and said to Mizuno Maki beside him:

"come in."

Mizuno Maki was taken aback, not expecting that Kamishiro Shiro had brought an umbrella. After thinking for a moment, she did not refuse.

"Ah."

Because now it's only a few minutes' walk from home.

It's just a short walk home.

There's no need to wait here.

Mizuno Maki slipped under Kamishiro Shiro's umbrella, glancing at him furtively.

She noticed that Shiro Kaede seemed to have grown considerably taller since the last time she came in.

Are boys developing this fast these days?

Back in junior high, Kamishiro-kun was only slightly taller than me.

The rain gradually intensified; at first it was just a light drizzle, like fine threads gently falling.

But in an instant, the raindrops turned into large raindrops, like a raging army, relentlessly attacking the fragile little folding umbrella.

Each raindrop felt as heavy as a stone, striking the umbrella with a dull thud, as if trying to pierce through it.

The streetlights swayed in the rain, casting dappled shadows that added a touch of mystery and allure to the rainy night.

Tap tap tap~

Tap tap tap~

The sound of footsteps echoed in the raging rain, carrying an indescribable rhythm.

The two walked side by side in the rain, but both tacitly chose to remain silent.

The size of the folding umbrella was clearly insufficient to keep two people completely dry from the rain.

Shiro Kaede and Maki Mizuno had to stand very close together.

However, Shiro Kaede carefully maintained a certain distance.

Because their situations are rather complicated, they can only carefully maintain this delicate balance to avoid unnecessary trouble.

Rainwater slid down the edge of the umbrella, wetting the hems of their clothes and trouser legs.

Even the black pantyhose worn by Maki Mizuno were not spared, with cold rainwater seeping in from time to time.

The moist sensation suddenly reminded her of something, and she quickly turned her head to look at Shiro Kaede's left shoulder.

When she saw that Shiro Shiro's left shoulder was completely soaked by the rain, she felt a surge of warmth in her heart, but more than that, she felt heartache and unhappiness.

She hesitated for a moment, then looked up at Shiro Kaede and stammered, "Your left shoulder is wet, come closer..."

Shiro Shiro shook his head slightly and replied calmly, "No need, it's already wet anyway."

A flicker of emotion crossed Mizuno Maki's eyes, but then her nose wrinkled slightly, clearly displeased with Kamishiro Shiro's show of bravado.

She subconsciously raised her hand, wanting to pull Shiro Kaede closer to her, so that he would at least get less rained on.

However, the moment she raised her hand, she seemed to be worried about something, and this feeling of fear made her slowly lower her hand.

Tick ​​tick tick~

As the two walked slowly forward, Maki Mizuno remained relatively unharmed under the umbrella, her clothes mostly dry.

However, Shiro Shiro's left shoulder was soaked from being exposed to the rain. Rainwater dripped slowly down his shoulder, gradually wetting his clothes and pants on the left side.

Mizuno Maki watched this scene, her heart filled with mixed emotions.

She bit her red lips slightly, reflecting on her hesitation and passivity.

Finally, at this moment, she made up her mind.

She decisively leaned towards Shiro Kaede, and at the same time extended her slender fingers to gently grasp his right hand, pulling him towards her.

This action brought their bodies close together, achieving an unprecedented level of intimacy.

Shirakaze was somewhat taken aback by Mizuno Maki's sudden action.

"Mizuno-san?"

A slight blush rose to Mizuno Maki's face. She turned her head away, not daring to look directly into Kamishiro Shiro's eyes, her voice trembling slightly.

"You should move closer, or you'll catch a cold."

Looking at her trembling little hand gripping his, Shiro looked at her in silence for a moment, then nodded gently and replied:

"Ah."

soon.

The two then arrived at the fork in the road, just like always.

Shiro Shiro glanced at the trash can and noticed that the stray dog ​​Bruce was not there. He figured Bruce had probably gone off to find food elsewhere today.

Although this place is where he and Mizuno-san parted ways in the past.

But it's raining today, so he can't just leave Mizuno Maki here.

Anyway, it's not far away.

It would be better to just send Mizuno Maki home.

Without saying a word, Shiro Shiro walked into the alley.

Mizuno Maki only paused slightly, but her silence indicated that she had tacitly agreed to let Kamishiro Shiro escort her home.

Because Shirakaze had previously sent Mizuno Maki home once because of rain.

Today, he arrived at the entrance of that apartment building with ease.

Shiro Kaede noticed that the streetlights in front of the apartment were completely dark.

It looks broken no matter how you look at it.

He vaguely remembered that it seemed to have been broken the last time he came here.

But he didn't think much of it at the time.

Since there was still no shelter from the rain at the main entrance, he escorted Mizuno Maki to the stairs.

Shiro Shiro stopped and said to Mizuno Maki:

"Go back and get some rest. I'm leaving."

After saying that, he wanted to leave.

However, when Mizuno Maki saw his soaked left side clothing, she couldn't help but reach out and grab him.

She looked into his eyes, her gaze flickering, and stammered:

"No matter what, it's because of me that your clothes got wet."

"Come in and wipe your clothes down before you leave."

Kamishiro Shirokaze shook his head again and said:

"No."

"My home is just a few minutes away from here."

"I'll just walk around for a bit and then go back, there's no need."

Moreover, if Mizuno Maki's parents saw him entering her house at this time, there would inevitably be some trouble.

So forget it.

He reached out to push Mizuno Maki's hand away, but found that her hand was tightly gripping his sleeve and wouldn't let go.

When Mizuno Maki thought of what happened to Tachikawa Sanae today, an indescribable bitterness and jealousy welled up in her heart. She refused to let go and instead reached out her left hand to grab Kamishiro Shiro's hand, pulling her up the stairs.

She kept her head slightly lowered throughout.

Because her long, straight black hair covered part of her face and was positioned in front of her, it was difficult for Shiro Kaede to see her expression clearly.

Shiro Kaede is definitely stronger than Mizuno Maki, but looking at her small arms, he didn't dare to use too much force.

If I use too much force and something happens, I can't afford to pay for it myself.

Moreover, this girl is the top employee in her own shop; if she twists her hand, she really doesn't need to go to work.

He couldn't dissuade her, so he followed her for a few steps and asked:

"It's so late, wouldn't it be inappropriate for me to go over and disturb your parents?"

However, Maki Mizuno still wouldn't let go, but her originally shy and aloof face slowly turned indifferent:

My parents abandoned me a long time ago.

After a moment of silence, Shirofumi asked:

When did they leave?

Maki Mizuno continued walking with Shiro Kaede Kamishiro without any emotion, saying without turning her head, "She's been gone since the first year of junior high."

"So you live alone now?"

"Um"

Shiro Shiro fell into a long silence.

Does that mean that Maki Mizuno has been living alone since junior high school?

No wonder she never dates, always studies hard, and consistently ranks in the top three of her class.

As long as your grades consistently rank in the top three, you will receive a full tuition waiver.