Chapter 1: The Angel is a Fine, water soaked girl (2/2)

Even though she was drenched by the rain, her glow was unhindered, and the rain emphasized her beauty like an ornament. A fine girl soaked in the rain, it seemed.

Her undine-like eyes looked towards him.

At the very least, it seemed Mahiru knew Amane was her neighbor. They would meet occasionally in the morning, after all.

But as she was approached by a complete stranger, spoken to, and her caramel-colored eyes were a little wary.

“Fujimiya-san. Is there anything you want from me?”

Ah, so she remembered my name, he thought. At the same time, he could tell this wariness was impossible to relax.

They did meet before, but they were still strangers after all. It was expected that she would be on guard after being addressed.

She probably did not wish to interact much with someone of the opposite gender. Typically, there were boys of various years confessing to her or approaching her, and she probably thought they had impure motives.

“Nothing much. Just that I’m concerned seeing you alone in the rain like this.”

“I see. Thank you for your concern, but I do wish to remain here. Please leave me be.”

The voice was neither shrill nor wary, and while gentle, her faint voice warned him not to probe further.

Well, guess that’s that.

Clearly, she was hiding something, but Amane had no intention to probe further, given how standoffish she was.

Amane merely asked in the spur of the moment. It was natural that he ended up asking her, not that he was that concerned.

If she simply wanted to remain there, he was fine with that.

Mahiru, in turn, might have been wondering why he would be talking to her or feeling something like that.

She stared at Amane skeptically with her fleeting, pretty face. “I see,” Amane answered.

He felt he would be detested if they continued talking, so perhaps it was time for him to retreat.

Luckily for him, whether she had a good impression of him or not, they did not have any relationship. Amane readily decided to return home and leave her be.

However, he did not feel good about leaving a girl alone, soaked in the rain.

“You’ll catch a cold. Take the umbrella. You don’t have to return it.”

Ultimately, Amane decided to be a little busybody.

If she caught a cold, Amane would not be able to sleep well. That was his thought when he handed the umbrella covering his head to her.

She received the umbrella, or rather, he shoved it to her. Before she could speak, he turned away.

He hastily left, and behind him, Mahiru called out.

But the voice was so soft, it was overwhelmed by the rain. He paid no mind and quickly darted through the park.

He merely hoped that she would not catch a cold when he shoved the umbrella to her. Perhaps it was for that reason that his initial guilt of wanting to ignore her subsided a little.

Since she refused to talk, Amane did not intend to get involved with her.

Since there was nothing going on between them, that would be the end.

That was what Amane thought, back then, as he returned home.