Tokyo: Idol Girls have absolutely no bad intentions!

The school felt like it was covered with a thin layer of gauze—not thick, but still a burden.

The students in the classroom weren't very energetic, and even when Ms. Toji walked into the classroom, they didn't react much.

Her lesson plan, which contrasted sharply with her petite figure, was placed on the podium. She glanced at the listless students and sighed deliberately.

"Everyone seems to be under the curse of cloudy days."

She flipped open the heavy lesson plan with both hands, examined it carefully for a while, nodded emphatically, and then gave an embarrassed smile, "Um... it seems the teacher brought the wrong lesson plan."

"Hey~!" As soon as she said that, her classmates responded spontaneously, and exclamations of surprise rang out from every corner of the classroom.

"But it's okay!" Ms. Totsugi leaned forward, her petite frame resting on the podium. "We can use this lesson..."

She deliberately dragged out the sound, attracting the attention of all the students in the classroom.

"Listen to the teacher sing." Teacher Toji's eyes were full of anticipation.

"Hey~!" This time, the students' voices were full of disdain, a mixture of exclamations and the sound of chairs rubbing together as everyone leaned back.

Ms. Toji puffed out her cheeks and said, feigning anger, “You all have no appreciation skills at all. This is a killer skill that women entering the workforce hone in the endless karaoke battlefield in order to integrate into society.”

"Teacher, please continue teaching..." one student said, essentially surrendering.

Ms. Toji sighed and slammed the chalk into the blackboard fiercely. "Then you'd better listen carefully."

The chalk made a soft "sizzling" sound as it slid across the blackboard.

"Ms. Totsugi, you really have a knack for this," Anna Takikawa exclaimed from the side.

The atmosphere in the classroom became much more lively, and even the gloom of the overcast day dissipated somewhat.

As Mr. Toji continued his lecture, Ito shifted to a more comfortable position and gradually fell asleep.

He hadn't slept for long when Rie Totsugi woke him up. Under her smiling yet dangerous expression, he was made to stand outside as punishment.

He forgot the reason, and he hadn't quite heard the question clearly, so he just gave a casual answer.

He usually doesn't sleep during Rie Toji's classes, because sitting is always more comfortable than standing.

After class, he returned to his seat. Takikawa didn't move the desk, nor did he bother to remind him or ask why, as long as it didn't bother him.

In a daze, he felt a few drops of coolness on his face and opened his sleepy eyes.

"Is it raining?" He looked up and saw raindrops hitting the glass, making a soft rustling sound, and then flowing down the window frame in winding tear tracks.

The windows were closed.

"get out of class is over." Takikawa's helpless voice came from behind.

He turned around and saw Takikawa and Asada standing together, carrying black handbags. Takikawa's left hand still had wet stains.

"Let's go home together."

Chapter 76 Love Songs and Rainy Days

The rainy day was gloomy, immersing the teaching building in a milky white mist, its outline blurred into a grayish-purple.

The cherry blossom tree branches drooped heavily, and the petals, wet with rain, lost their color, curling into crumpled pale pink balls that stuck to the wet asphalt road.

The air was filled with the damp scent of grass and trees, mixed with the aroma of milk powder wafting from the distant housekeeping department. Occasionally, a girl with a transparent umbrella would pass by, her loafers splashing water as she stepped into a puddle.

"The rain isn't going to stop anytime soon," Ito said, looking at the rain outside.

Asada stretched out his hand to catch the rainwater falling from the eaves. The water droplets gathered in the center of his palm and then flowed out from between his fingers.

Takikawa was invited to visit various clubs, and Ms. Totsugi gave her a deadline to give a reply before school ends tonight.

So now only Ito and Asada are going home. He was originally a member of the homecoming club, while Asada has nothing to do in the club today, so he can go home early.

Whether it was because she hadn't expected it to rain, or because she didn't know where the umbrella was in the room, Asada didn't bring an umbrella today.

"I'll go buy you an umbrella now." Ito noticed the worry in Asada's eyes.

According to the weather forecast, the rain will continue until tomorrow morning.

"No, no need." Asada waved his hand in refusal.

Ito knew her concerns; she simply felt the money was a waste. A raincoat cost 700 yen, an umbrella 600 yen, enough to buy three butter buns.

The sound of rain suddenly intensified, pounding against the metal railing with a crisp sound.

“If you don’t mind,” he suddenly opened the black umbrella in his left hand, the sound of the umbrella ribs striking the rain was particularly clear, “you can share one with me.”

She looked up at the pure black shadow. Ito had already taken half a step forward, his shoulder peeking out from under the umbrella, and raindrops instantly soaked the collar of his school uniform: "What are you daydreaming about?"

His gaze fell on Asada's black handbag. "Guess what Takikawa will do if she finds out she doesn't have an umbrella later."

Asada thought of a certain possibility and felt the purse in her pocket getting slightly hot. She hesitated and shuffled under the umbrella.

Ito's umbrella wasn't very big, not to mention there was some distance between the two people. If the umbrella were placed in the middle, it wouldn't be able to protect one person.

Ito deliberately tilted the umbrella towards her, leaving half of his body soaked in the rain, his eyes glancing at the lunchbox he was carrying in his right hand.

"You'll catch a cold if you do this." Asada grasped Ito's hand and leaned towards him, their shoulders pressed tightly together.

Even through the fabric of the school uniform, you could feel the warmth of the other person's body. Water droplets dripping from Ito's hair hit Asada's forehead, feeling cool.

She looked up and saw that the right shoulder of Ito's school uniform was already soaked with rain, but his pleasant scent, mixed with the damp air, lingered around her nose.

"Did Takikawa tell you about filming the short video?" Ito's profile was blurred by the streetlights.

"I did," Asada said softly, as if it might be blown away by the wind.

A quiet atmosphere returned between the two of them.

The wind blew faster and faster, making the space under the umbrella more and more cramped, and the familiar scent between the two became even stronger.

Asada could clearly feel the other person's strong heartbeat, transmitted through their tightly pressed shoulders.

The streetlights cast warm yellow patches of light in the rain. He watched a couple taking shelter from the rain at the bus stop. The umbrella was being pushed back and forth between the two, and water splashed onto the girl's skirt, eliciting a soft complaint.

“I don’t think they need umbrellas,” Ito suddenly said, his voice filled with confusion. “They’re already completely soaked.”

Asada secretly looked up and saw the water droplets clinging to the ends of his hair, rainwater seeping into her loafers, and her stockings sticking coolly to the insteps of her feet.

"We're not much better off either." The voice was as soft as raindrops falling on an umbrella.

"What?" Ito turned his head, but Asada's voice was drowned out by the sound of a bus horn in the distance.

“I mean… they weren’t trying to get out of the rain.” She watched another couple run past, laughing, the boy sheltering the girl completely under his umbrella. “Umbrellas aren’t just for keeping out the rain.”

"A matching umbrella?" Ito blurted out the word after thinking of a certain possibility, but realized it was wrong as soon as he said it.

The umbrella ribs pressed red marks into his palm, reminding him of the ambiguous meaning of "Xiang He" in the neon-lit context, which sounded the same as the word "love."

Asada's face flushed instantly, and her eyelashes fluttered wildly.

The sound of rain suddenly became deafening. Asada looked down at the rainwater flowing into the sewers on the asphalt road.

"Mmm." She nodded slightly without speaking, making a muffled sound inside her mouth.

The two fell into an awkward silence for a long time.

......

When they returned to the apartment and closed the umbrella, the remaining water droplets on it were splashed outside.

The two of them walked towards the apartment upstairs in perfect unison, leaving wet footprints in their wake.

Inside the stairwell, the sound of rain from the outside world was kept out.

Asada's loafers became heavy, and thin streams of water accumulated in the creases at the top of the shoes, seeping into the shoes along the seams with each step she took.

She could feel the skin on the soles of her feet sliding back and forth between the wet socks, and she had to curl her toes slightly with each step to keep her balance.

The rainwater trapped in her heels sloshed around as she lifted her foot, making a soft "gurgling" sound that was particularly clear in the hallway, causing Asada to blush.

Ito noticed the specks of mud on her shoes, with splattered mud on the toes.

It was time to think of the next song. His gaze slowly rose with each step, and as they reached the corner, he and Asada walked back to their little nest, which belonged only to the two of them.

The motion-activated lights in the apartment corridor flickered on and off on rainy days.

"Love Like After the Rain"? Or perhaps "Water-Colored Rain"?

Standing outside the apartment, Ito was still pondering the choice of his next song, feeling that none of them were what he wanted.

"Ito..."

He placed the umbrella on the shelf by the door and took out his keys from his pocket.

"Ito-kun."

He mechanically inserted the key into the lock of the apartment door.

"Ito!"

Asada raised his voice, momentarily drowning out the sound of rain outside the railing.

"What's wrong."

Ito's hand stopped moving, the key remained in the lock, and he turned to look at Asada Sakura.

Asada Sakura bit her lower lip, opened her black handbag, and took out a pink and white amulet embroidered with cherry blossom patterns.

"This... is for you." She handed the amulet to Ito, her voice barely audible, her eyes glancing to the side. "I added some sleep-inducing and calming spices inside, hoping you won't be so tired in the future."

When the amulet touched his palm, Ito smelled a faint jasmine scent mixed with white peony.

The cherry blossom embroidery on the pink and white satin surface is finely stitched, and the edges are sewn with small characters—"Ito Yujin".

Ito noticed the mole behind her ear, which stood out conspicuously against her bright red ear.

The key slipped off the apartment door, the clanging sound startling Asada, causing the ahoge (cowlick) on her head to twitch.

"Aren't you coming in?" Miki Hayakawa's annoyed voice rang out from inside the room.

She opened the apartment door and glanced between Ito and Asada.

After noticing Ito's soaked body and Asada, who was otherwise unharmed except for her soaked pantyhose, she sighed and stepped aside. "I made some ginger soup. Come in and have some."

"Thank you..." Asada awkwardly jogged inside, leaving Ito standing motionless outside the door.

Seeing Asada take off his shoes with a troubled expression, glancing towards the door every now and then, he knew what song to choose next.

"Love Sound and Rain in the Sky".