I (30), Who Works for a Black Company and Died While Regretting My Gloomy Life, Started Over From High School! - 66. Haruka and Kanako

66. Haruka and Kanako

I’m Haruka Shijouin.

Right now I’m sitting on a park bench in the city, facing a very troubling problem.

(…still haven’t been able to contact Nihama-kun…)

Thanks to them, my mind was very light during yesterday’s tea party, but the matter of Nihama-kun and the strange girl walking together still weighs heavily on my heart.

(The two of you told me that I’m afraid that my best friend, Nihama-kun, will be taken away. …It’s really true.)

But still, is it possible for the heart to tremble so much?

It’s so scary …… that it even feels like the soft parts of my heart are being torn to shreds.

I’ve been staring at the cell phone in my right hand for a while now.

It’s amazing what civilization can do. One push of this phone and I’m connected to Nihama-kun.

And then all I’d have to do is ask, “Who was the girl you were walking with yesterday?” That’s the only way to make progress with this problem.

I know that, but…

(…it seems like a pointless question if you think about it calmly. Whoever Nihama-kun is with, he should be free to do as he pleases and I have nothing to do with it. If you’re asking why I want to know about it…)

“…Possessiveness…?”

That’s the only way I can describe my feelings.

When I realized this, I suddenly felt ashamed.

What a childish feeling I have…

From yesterday until now, I’ve been thinking about Nihama-kun all the time like this.

TIt’s probably because I haven’t been able to see him during the summer vacation. Before I knew it, talking to him every day at school had become the norm.

“I want to see him.”

I found myself muttering unconsciously.

For the first time, I could recognize my desire to see his face.

And then…

A cold drop of water hit my cheek.

“Eh? …Wha!”

The weather had been fine just a few minutes ago, but suddenly there was heavy rain.

It was getting heavier and heavier.

(Yup, I let my guard down! It was sunny in the morning, so I didn’t look at the weather forecast at all…!) [ED: big mood]

The rain was getting stronger and stronger, and the people on the street, also caught off guard, rushed to find a place to take shelter from the rain.

This is… What should I do?

I was going to take a short walk today, so I didn’t have a car to take me home.

It would be better to buy a plastic umbrella at a convenience store.

“Oh my God, what is this? I didn’t see the weather forecast at all!”

When I looked toward the voice, I saw a middle school-aged girl with straight hair screaming in the sudden rain. Apparently, she also forgot her umbrella like I did.

(…Huh? Do I know her…?)

“Oh my God! Rain showers are the worst!”

The strangely familiar girl raises her bag above her head and starts running, using it as protection from the rain. But then-

“Oh!”

The zipper of the bag that the girl lifted over her head seemed to be slightly unzipped, and her purse fell out of it, rolling onto the water-soaked asphalt.

But the girl ran off at a glance without noticing it, her back becoming smaller and smaller.

”…Alright!”

I don’t hesitate for even a second. As the streets filled with the sound of rain, I quickly picked up her purse and followed the girl.

“Oh my God, I’m soaked… It’s raining down a lot…!”

I, Kanako Niihama, was dashing through a residential area, drenched by the rain.

I ate too many parfaits yesterday and gained a lot of calories.（Because of this, my brother and I were not able to eat dinner, and my mom got angry with us.）I thought I’d go for a short walk while window shopping today, but here I am.

Thank God our house is located in a very convenient place near the city center. Otherwise, the unnecessary expense of buying an umbrella at a convenience store would have been mandatory.

“……! Come on…!”

“Come on…? Eh?”

I thought I heard something over the sound of the rain, so I turned around and saw a woman of high school age running behind me without an umbrella.

She is shouting something at me, and is obviously chasing me.

“Wait! Wait, please!”

What? What’s going on?

As I stiffened, unable to grasp the situation, the person came up to me, breathing heavily. She looked like she was running as fast as possible to catch up to me.

“Hah… hah… I’ve finally caught up with… it’s a lost and found…!”

What…?

…My wallet! How did this get out of my bag?”

Then I finally understood the situation.

I had accidentally dropped my wallet out of my bag, and this person had chased me, its owner, through this rain. ……!

“Oh, thank you, ma’am! …Wait, you’re soaking wet! Didn’t you have an umbrella?”

“Yes, yes, you’re welcome …About that, I accidentally missed the weather forecast… Oh, but I’m glad I caught up…”

The woman, who looked sincerely relieved, was, upon closer inspection, an incredibly beautiful woman. Her long hair is shiny, her eyes and nose are beautiful, and even though she is slender, she has very ample breasts and buttocks.

(Yes… what? She’s beautiful and also has such a beautiful heart that she’s willing to run in the rain to deliver a wallet to a complete stranger…? What is she, a goddess or something?)

…Hmmm…? Where have I seen this woman’s face before?

I think if you meet a beautiful woman like this, you usually don’t forget her.

“Well then, I’ll take this and try not to catch a cold. …Kya!”

The rain was getting stronger and stronger, and the woman screamed.

It’s raining really badly, with lightning crashing in the distance.

“Wait, wait, wait! You’re going to run into town without an umbrella again?”　

“Yes… This is a residential area, so sheltering from the rain seems a bit impossible, and there are no convenience stores to buy umbrellas until you go back a bit further.”

“You’re the one who’s going to catch a cold if you do that! We’re almost at my house, come with me! I can at least lend you a towel!”

“Please, you don’t have to…”

“I don’t care! I owe you for delivering my wallet. Don’t be shy! Come on, let’s go!”

It would be heartbreaking if the person who ran in the rain for me caught a cold because of me.

I forcefully pull her hesitant hand and run to my house.