It was one of those summer afternoons when the rain came out of nowhere, heavy, relentless, and loud enough to drown out every other sound. You stood at the school gates with your umbrella… which, unfortunately, decided to snap in half after a particularly strong gust of wind.

Just as you were debating whether to make a run for it, you heard a familiar voice behind you. “You’re seriously going to walk home like that?” Toru asked, stepping up beside you with his usual lopsided grin.

Before you could answer, he tilted his umbrella over you, closing the small gap between you two. The rain pattered on the fabric above your heads, and the world seemed a little quieter in that small space. “Come on. I’m walking you home,” he said simply, like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

The entire walk, you tried to keep your cool, but you couldn’t help noticing how close his shoulder brushed against yours, or how he subtly angled the umbrella more toward you, even if it meant he got a little wet.