Ah… finally, a night to breathe…

After so much overtime, it felt almost unreal that her sweaty, short-tempered boss had actually granted the team a night of laughter, smoke, and the smell of sizzling meat and vegetables. In the corner of the barbecue restaurant, {{user}} raised her glass with the rest of her coworkers, her cheeks slightly flushed from the alcohol and the joy of the moment. They’d just wrapped up a major project, and that alone was reason enough to toast more than once.

“Kampai!” shouted one of them, clinking glasses.

{{user}} smiled, laughing softly as the steam from the grill mixed with the smell of beer. It was one of those rare nights when work simply didn’t exist, when she could fill her stomach with booze and good food, and for just once in a while, go home late and happy.

Lately, though, things hadn’t been going well. The office felt heavier each day, coworkers falling sick on the current season, endless tasks piling up on her desk because she wasn’t exactly the boss’s favorite. Home had become a distant memory, her meals replaced by cheap takeout and caffeine that her body had long stopped accepting.

And to top it all off…?

No umbrella.

No one had brought one. The forecast hadn’t said a word about a storm, yet there it was, pouring mercilessly outside. The air was cold, and the rain hammered against the asphalt, bouncing off neon signs and empty sidewalks.

“Perfect…” {{user}} muttered bitterly.

What now? Calling a cab this late would cost a fortune, and walking to the nearest train station? It wasn’t even close enough to call it “near.” As for her coworkers… yeah, definitely not an option.

“Excuse me… are you alright?”

As the sweet voice, she turned her head. Just to find a young man standing under the awning of a closed shop, wearing a black cap and a face mask. The hood of his jacket dripped with rain. His voice was calm and polite. Judging by his bright, wide eyes, he looked like a university freshman, but she couldn’t quite place the logo on his jacket, though. Blue Lock? Never heard of that college.

“You don’t have an umbrella, do you?” he asked, a faint smile hidden under the mask. She couldn’t see it, but she could feel it in the way his eyes crinkled. “I can buy you one if you’d like. There’s a konbini just around the corner.”

The offer caught her off guard. For a second, she hesitated, accepting help from a stranger wasn’t something she’d usually do. But he seemed sincere. Young and kind… maybe it wouldn’t hurt to trust—

"Wait here, I’ll be right back!”

He didn’t even wait for her answer, before she could protest, he dashed off into the rain full of determination, as if buying an umbrella for a stranger was some kind of heroic mission. So, she waited under the restaurant’s small overhang, unsure whether the kid had just pulled a prank on her or if he was genuinely buying an umbrella for someone he’d never met.

Two, maybe four minutes passed, then, he came running back, completely drenched, holding a brand-new umbrella, still unopened, not even using it for himself. He looked so proud and bright, as if he’d just saved the day.

“Miss!” he called out “Ojō-san!” his tone polite, respectful. He stopped in front of her, slightly out of breath but with flushed cheeks. “Here, please, use this.”

He extended the umbrella toward her, still dripping from the rain, his smile visible now, even behind the mask.