Green plums cannot become lovers.

It was a summer day, and she was trapped by rain. Not the drizzle we see now, but a downpour. She huddled under a slide in the park, soaked to the bone and shivering with cold.

Then a boy appeared and...

He walked up to her, holding a transparent umbrella.

"Are you OK?"

She shook her head, unable to speak.

The boy looked at her, then took off his coat and draped it over her shoulders. The coat was large and wrapped her completely in it.

“This will make it a little warmer,” he said, with a gentle smile on his face.

She was stunned.

Then, just like now, he bent down slightly and helped her button up her coat.

The movements were very light and careful.

The scene before her eyes almost overlapped with the scene before her.

"All right."

The boy's voice pulled her back to reality.

Eriri snapped out of her daze and met An and Asuka's smiling, deep brown eyes.

Very close.

I was so close I could see my reflection in his eyes.

Her face flushed, and she quickly looked away, glancing down at her shoulder.

A white handkerchief was pinned to the clothes, perfectly covering the rain-soaked area. The edges of the handkerchief were slightly curled up, giving it a simple yet strangely fitting appearance.

"Let's go home." An and Asuka put away the remaining pins.

"......it is good."

Eriri responded softly.

-

The two walked outside the store.

The light rain continued to fall, a fine, continuous drizzle, like a thin layer of mist. The streets were washed clean by the rain, and the air was filled with the damp scent of earth.

An and Asuka opened the umbrella—a small, black folding umbrella, just big enough to cover one person.

Eriri stood next to him, hesitating for a moment.

Then, gritting her teeth and suppressing her shyness, she took a step under the umbrella.

Raindrops pattered on the umbrella, making a soft, pattering sound.

“Let’s go,” An and Asuka said.

Eriri followed beside him with her head down.

I've only taken two steps—

"A little closer."

As soon as she finished speaking, she felt her hand being grasped, and then she was pulled down under the umbrella.

Her shoulder brushed against his arm.

Eriri's face instantly turned bright red.

She kept her head down, not daring to look at him at all, and could only stare at her toes as she walked forward step by step.

It's still raining.

The world outside the umbrella is hazy and indistinct, while the space inside is small and warm.

She could hear his breathing and feel the slight sway of his arm as he walked. The handkerchief tucked into his shoulder gently brushed against her skin with each step.

She didn't know how she got back.

By the time she realized what was happening, she was already standing at her own front door.

She didn't know when the rain had stopped, or if it hadn't stopped yet; she had lost track of it.

An and Asuka folded their umbrellas and looked at her.

"arrive."

“…Mmm.” Eriri nodded, her voice barely audible.

She stood there, not going in immediately.

There was a two-second silence.

"You..." she began, then paused, "Would you like to come in and sit down for a while?"

Anhe Feiniao shook his head.

"Next time."

"..."

Eriri didn't know what to say. She felt a little disappointed, but also a little relieved. Disappointed that he had refused, but relieved that she wasn't ready to let him into her room yet.

"Okay." She nodded, then said reluctantly, "Take care on your journey."

"it is good."

An and Asuka turned and left.

Eriri stood there, watching his figure walk further and further away.

She didn't look away until the figure disappeared around the street corner.

Then--

"That must be Asuka-kun. (The rest of the text appears to be unrelated and possibly machine-generated gibberish.)"

A familiar voice suddenly rang in my ears.

"scare!"

Eriri was so startled that she jumped and turned her head sharply.

Sawamura Sayuri stood behind her, carrying a bag, and looked at her with a smile.

"Mom!" Eriri clutched her chest, speechless. "Could you please not show up so quietly next time?!"

"I've been standing here for ages," Sawamura Sayuri blinked innocently. "It's Eriri who's been watching too intently."

"..."

Eriri was speechless.

Sawamura Sayuri leaned closer, her gaze falling on the white handkerchief on her daughter's shoulder, a hint of interest flashing in her eyes.

"You two were walking back together under an umbrella, weren't you?"

"......Um."

"Was it him you went to see today?"

"No."

"Oh?" Sawamura Sayuri raised an eyebrow. "Who's that? Tomoya-kun?"

Eriri's expression changed.

"This has nothing to do with you, right?"

“How could it be unrelated?” Sayuri Sawamura put away her smile and looked at her seriously. “You are my daughter, of course I want you to be happy.”

Eriri paused for a moment.

Then she turned her face away.

"I'm tired, I'm going upstairs now."

She pushed open the door and quickly went inside.

Sawamura Sayuri stood there, watching her daughter's retreating figure, and sighed softly.

The handkerchief, and the daughter's flushed cheeks.

This child is becoming increasingly unable to hide his feelings.

-

Eriri returned to her room and closed the door.

She leaned against the door and took several deep breaths to calm her heartbeat.

Then she went to the bedside and carefully took the handkerchief off her shoulder.

The white handkerchief had no patterns, except for a small flower embroidered in black thread on one corner.

She held it in her hand and looked at it for a long time.

Then, she opened the drawer, folded it neatly, and put it inside.

As she closed the drawer, her gaze fell on a photograph beside it.

It was an old picture frame with a faded photograph inside.

The photo shows a little girl with pigtails and a boy of the same age with a gentle smile.

She is the little girl.

That was a long, long time ago.

She had the same hobbies back then as she does now, but not everyone accepts those hobbies.

Even in a country with a strong anime and manga culture, anime fans are still often discriminated against.

Then one day, she was bullied.

Several older children snatched her sketchbook and scribbled all over it, laughing and mocking her.

"How disgusting that you actually like watching this kind of stuff!"

She squatted on the ground and cried, not daring to resist.

Then the boy appeared.

He stood in front of her and said to the older children, "Stop."

His voice wasn't loud, but it was firm.

Later, the boys slunk away, and the boy was also slightly injured.

The boy turned around, squatted down, and looked at her.

"Are you okay?"

She shook her head, but tears still streamed down her face.

The boy saw the sketchbook on the ground that was covered in scribbles, picked it up and flipped through it.

Then he said, "You drew very well."

She was stunned.

"really?"

"Hmm." He nodded, smiling gently. "Especially this little bird, it's drawn very cutely."

That was her best painting, her favorite.

This was their first meeting, and they met many more times afterward. Eventually, they became friends.

She was always bullied and made to cry, but he always managed to find her. In the park on a rainy day, on unfamiliar streets, in many places.

Although it was a short time, those days were the warmest memories of her childhood.

He would paint with her, praise her for her paintings, and comfort her when she was sad.

Then one day, he said he was leaving.

"Eri," he said with a gentle encouragement, "after I'm gone, you must be strong and bravely stick to your own path."