Before you know it, it's Friday.

The sky was overcast, and the rolling clouds were getting lower and lower, and it could rain at any moment.

This year's Typhoon No. 12 did not go as planned, not only did it not dissipate, but after landfall, it went all the way north, heading northeast.

The starfish's mood also becomes more depressed due to the weather.

The first week of the new semester is coming to an end, and she is still sinking deeper and deeper in the quagmire of make-up exams.

"Ah...... I'm annoyed—"

Back in the empty classroom, she couldn't help but scratch her head when she looked at the make-up exam papers that were still failing in her hand.

When stopped, there were a few more blonde hairs on the table.

“……”

The sigh escalates to exhalation, blowing the hair away.

"What should I do?"

She had to consider the possibility that this situation would continue for a long time - she was very "confident" in the part of herself that she was not confident in.

On your own, probably...... No, I can't climb out of this quagmire, Starfish thought to herself.

It's better that someone can help......

She couldn't help but look at some window seat on the other side of the classroom, which was empty.

"Kazuha has already gone back."

Perhaps because of the bad weather, Kazuha Morimi, who has been in the classroom until late every day since the beginning of the school year, disappeared early today.

There was a commotion in the hallway.

Happiness is someone else's, starfish lying on the table, only feeling bored.

“…… Let's just go to a farther place, anyway, there will be no classes tomorrow and the day after tomorrow. ”

"Eh~ A typhoon is coming."

"What are you afraid of?"

Starfish's ears moved, and he quickly got up and walked out of the classroom.

"Wow, that scared me. It's a starfish, I can't even recognize you. ”

The people who were making noise in the hallway were really her hot girl friends.

"Where are you going?" Starfish asked.

One of the hot girls replied, "Nanako said that there is a new tanning shop in Aomori City, and this week, two or more people can get a discount." Is the starfish coming? ”

Like blonde hair and thick eyeshadow, sun-kissed or even darker skin is also one of the standard outfits for hot girls.

The starfish also had some expectations for this, but after a while, he thought that he was in the quagmire of the make-up exam and had no time to travel far, "Are you going to go so far?" ”

"It's the weekend anyway."

The babes are a little impatient, "Then again, starfish have been a bit out of the way lately." When I go out with you, I always say that I don't have time, so I'm shameless. ”

"I'm going to take a make-up exam." Starfish hurriedly explained, feeling strange again, "Nanazi, why did you pass so quickly this time?" ”

The babes didn't explain, they just looked at each other and smiled, which made the starfish feel like they were being isolated from their friends.

"So this time, will the starfish come or not?"

“……”

Starfish wanted to go, but the mountain of make-up exams overhead made her speechless.

Seeing that her face kept changing, she just didn't speak, and the hot girls rolled their eyes and didn't bother to care about her anymore.

"Forget it, it's boring. Let's go. ”

Seeing them go downstairs, Starfish became more and more bored, and returned to the classroom and lay on the table for a while.

Seeing that the sky was getting more and more gloomy outside, she didn't plan to stay long, stuffed the test paper back into her bag, and prepared to go home.

"Don't let it rain at this time."

Starfish didn't bring an umbrella and only hoped that she would be able to make it to the bus stop before the rain.

However, she was afraid of something, she had just walked out of the school not far away, and suddenly felt a cold on her face.

"Isn't it......"

She raised her hand to touch her face and looked up at the sky, only to see a drop of rain fall directly into her eyes.

"Nasty." She hurriedly closed her eyes, trying to rub her eyes, but she stopped stiffly.

She still wears contact lenses.

When I opened my eyes again, the raindrops fell more frequently, and little by little damp marks appeared on the ground.

It's not raining yet!

It's ugly to get wet outside, and the starfish grabs their schoolbag and runs away.

But before she could get far, her determination to get to the bus stop before the rain fell was shaken.

On the way from Tsugarka to the nearest bus stop, you pass a Shinteramachi Bridge, and on the banks of the river near Tsudaka, there is a Hakaino Cafe.

Perhaps, she could wait at the café until the rain stopped.

As soon as the thought came to him, he quickly became impossible to ignore, and he changed his mind so much that Starfish even felt like he could smell the mellow aroma of coffee.

She no longer hesitated and plunged headlong into the café.

"Welcome."

At the end of school on Friday, despite the approaching heavy rain, there were a lot of people who were leisurely, and most of them were Tsugarkao students, and the café was almost full.

Starfish quickly looked around and found that there were no more vacancies on the first floor, so he asked, "Is there still a place on the second floor?" ”

The clerk nodded and walked in front, "Please come with me." ”

Following the clerk to the second floor, among the remaining vacant seats, Starfish picked a window seat.

After asking for a cup of coffee and ordering a strawberry cream cake, the clerk went downstairs and cast her eyes out the window.

Whoop –

Sure enough, the rain began to fall quickly and violently.

A layer of visible white water vapor spread out all around, covering the road, and she couldn't help but rejoice in her choice.

After looking out the window for a while, Starfish withdrew his gaze and suddenly noticed that a certain back a few meters away looked familiar.

The space on the second floor is not large, there is no partition between the coffee tables, starfish squinted, staring at the back for a while, feeling both resistant and inexplicably a trace of anticipation.

There are many people with similar backs......

As she was thinking this, the other party suddenly tilted his head and glanced out the window, revealing half of his side face.

“……”

Now it's confirmed, it's really him.

Harumi Naruse, her former stepbrother.

Starfish lowered her head suddenly, not wanting to be seen by him.

It's really unlucky to be able to run into this person no matter how much rain you dodge......

She buried her head, and the feeling of displeasure and chagrin lasted only a short moment, and then it was taken over by curiosity.

Starfish slowly raised her head, and Naruse had already turned around, and it didn't seem to notice her.

She was more concerned about the person sitting across from him at this time.

It was a girl.

Short hair, the same red tie as her, and a face that she had never seen or remembered, was smiling happily at this time.

Strange first grader girl.

Who is she, Class C?

It was an ordinary face, and the starfish thought for a while, still not having the slightest impression.

Coffee with girls from the same grade here...... Is it dating?

Naoko's face appeared in her heart for no reason.

Naoko, who always follows him, is not here today, is this really a date?

For a moment, Starfish didn't know how to describe her feelings.

She pricked up her ears, ready to listen carefully to the conversation on the other side.

"—guest, your coffee."

Starfish was startled and almost screamed, and the clerk who brought the coffee was also startled by her reaction.

"It's okay, it's okay!" She hurriedly whispered, for fear that the movement on her side would attract Naruse's attention.

The clerk put down the coffee and looked at her a few more times before going down.

"Please take your time."

Starfish took a sip of coffee, let his emotions return to a normal state in the mellow bitterness, and prepared to continue "eavesdropping".

However, the rain was pouring outside the window, and the voices of the two people talking over there were not high, and she was so engrossed that she could only hear the occasional coquettish smile of the girl.

Half a cup of coffee went down, and the starfish didn't hear any useful information.

The clerk went up to the second floor again and brought her dessert, and the girl over there got up at this time, her voice raised slightly.

"Then I'll go back first. Bye-bye, Naruse-san. ”

"Well, goodbye."

The starfish immediately buried its head.

When the clerk and the girl had gone downstairs, she cautiously glanced up.

Naruse still had her back to this side, still not looking at her.

Is the date over?

Why is he still here, and he hasn't gone back?

Starfish leaned to the side and noticed that his shoulders were shaking slightly, as if he was writing something in a notebook.

He could turn around at any moment and spot her, starfish watched his movements nervously, and at one moment it suddenly thought:

Even if he found out, it wouldn't be good, and she wasn't following him.

Even if they don't deal with each other, does she have to go out in such a heavy rain?

Thinking about it like this, the starfish relaxed a lot.

She continued to stare at him, took a sip of coffee, and began to savor the cake that had just been delivered.

Hmm, it tastes so good...... It's just a little expensive.

Within a few minutes, another first-year girl came to the second floor and looked left and right.

"Naruse-san—"

Spotting Naruse in the corner, she walked over quickly, not looking at the blonde girl who turned her head out the window.

"Sorry...... Suddenly it rained so hard that I was late. ”

"It's fine. I've just arrived. ”

"Really, that's great—"

"Please be seated, Yamatori-san. Want something to drink? ”

The new Yamatori classmate is much more beautiful than the girl just now.

The coffee was finished, and Starfish stared at the cake on the table, only to feel greasy sweet.