The rain was pouring down.
Fearing that the trains would stop running, Suzuki Yuu had messaged Hasegawa Aoi and told him to practice after he got home.
Even when he returned to his apartment, the heavy downpour outside hadn’t let up.
He turned on the TV to check the weather forecast, only to learn that the bad weather would continue for the next few days.
“At least tomorrow’s the weekend, but I should talk to Manager Shiraishi and ask for a day off first.”
Thinking that he wouldn’t be able to see the adorable Ayaha Shiraishi, he let out a sigh.
Then, he took off his rain-soaked shirt and prepared to shower.
But just then, the front door to his apartment swung open, and Ayaha Shiraishi walked in, just as drenched.
The moment she saw Suzuki Yuu, she froze, then hurried out and closed the door behind her.
Suzuki Yuu stiffened as well, but quickly recalled that when he had helped her with her studies before, she had left her materials here, and for convenience, he had given her his apartment’s spare key while at work.
“Seriously…” Suzuki Yuu let out a helpless sigh, grabbed a dry T-shirt from the sofa, and quickly put it on. He walked over to the door and knocked gently on the panel.
“Shiraishi? Are you okay? It’s raining so hard out there, come in or you’ll catch a cold.”
There were two seconds of silence from outside, then the door was cautiously pushed open a crack. Ayaha Shiraishi poked out half her head, wet hair plastered to her cheeks, her face still flushed, eyes darting away, not daring to look at him.
“I… I didn’t mean to… I didn’t know you were back.” She stammered, her voice as soft as a mosquito’s buzz.
“I know. Come in first, we’ll talk inside.” Suzuki Yuu stepped aside, opening up the way.
Only then did Ayaha Shiraishi lower her head and slip inside like a startled little rabbit.
Rainwater dripped from her hair and skirt, spreading into a small puddle on the floor.
Suzuki Yuu handed her a clean towel and said:
“Here, dry yourself off. Are the trains stopped?”
Ayaha Shiraishi took the towel and rubbed her hair a few times, then replied:
“Mm… I just finished class, and since it’s a bit far to go home, I came here first. I didn’t know you were in… Sorry.”
She apologized again, making Suzuki Yuu a bit at a loss whether to laugh or cry.
He didn’t say much more, just told her to shower first:
“You can’t stay like this. Take a hot shower, or you’ll get sick. I’ll find you some clean clothes… Well, but I only have mine, they might be a little big.”
“Eh, is that okay?”
“Why not?” He fished out a white T-shirt and a pair of sports shorts from the closet and handed them to her. “The bathroom’s over there. Just leave your wet clothes outside, I’ll put them in a bag later.”
With Suzuki Yuu half coaxing, Ayaha Shiraishi finally took the oversized clothes, her cheeks red, and went into the bathroom.
Soon, the sound of running water came from inside. Suzuki Yuu sat back down on the sofa and got ready to watch TV for a bit.
But then, a serious thought struck him.
Wait a minute—when Ayaha comes out, will she be… not wearing anything underneath?
His mind started to wander, but he quickly forced himself to stop.
Suzuki Yuu grabbed his phone and called Manager Shiraishi:
“Hello, is this Suzuki-kun? What’s up?”
“Manager, because of the heavy rain, Ayaha is staying here, but it might be inconvenient. Can you come pick her up tonight?”
As soon as he finished, there was a long silence on the other end before Manager Shiraishi replied:
“Ah, Suzuki, sorry. My car has a flat tire, so I probably can’t make it over. I’ll have to ask you to look after Ayaha for me.”
“Huh?”
Before he could react, the uncle hung up the phone.
“Could it really be this much of a coincidence?” Suzuki Yuu looked at his phone, his face suspicious.
But there was something more important he had to face right now.
Tonight, Ayaha Shiraishi would be staying at his place.
Suzuki Yuu glanced around the apartment and realized there was only one bedroom, which gave him a headache.
Thinking of Ayaha Shiraishi’s state made his headache even worse.
His heart was in chaos. No matter how you looked at it, he was a healthy young man full of energy.
How could the manager make a decision like this?
He started pacing his apartment, thinking of countermeasures.
But just as he was lost in thought, the sound of running water stopped, and Ayaha Shiraishi stepped out of the bathroom.
She was wearing Suzuki Yuu’s oversized white T-shirt.
The hem of the shirt hung to her mid-thigh, just barely covering the sports shorts he’d given her, making it look like she was only wearing the shirt.
The too-wide collar slipped down her rounded shoulder, exposing her delicate collarbone and a small patch of skin still pink from the hot water.
Her damp black hair draped casually over her shoulders, water dripping from the ends, making her face seem even more pure and helpless.
Suzuki Yuu stopped pacing at once. The scene before him made his mind go blank. This was far more striking than anything he had imagined.
“Um… what’s wrong?” Ayaha Shiraishi, seeing Suzuki Yuu staring at her, clutched the shirt tightly, asking in a small, cautious voice.
Seeing her like this, Suzuki Yuu desperately forced down his improper thoughts.
Ayaha Shiraishi’s gaze fell on her own bare feet, not daring to meet the boy’s eyes.
After a moment of silence, Suzuki Yuu spoke up:
“Sit on the sofa and dry your hair for a bit.”
He turned to get the hair dryer from the cabinet and handed it to her, intentionally keeping his eyes on her face.
“Thank you.” She took the hair dryer, her fingertips brushing over the back of his hand, making his heart tremble slightly.
With the buzzing of the dryer in the background, Suzuki Yuu took a deep breath, trying his best to calm himself down. He had to solve the most pressing problem.
When she turned off the dryer and the apartment was quiet again, he said, “Um, Shiraishi… the manager said he can’t come tonight.”
Ayaha Shiraishi’s eyes widened a little in confusion. “Eh? Then… then I…”
“Just stay here for the night.” Suzuki Yuu tried to keep his voice steady. “It’s still raining hard outside, it’s not safe for you to go home alone. You take the bedroom, I’ll sleep on the floor.”
“That won’t do!” Ayaha Shiraishi said anxiously. “I’ll sleep on the floor—”
“It’s fine. I can sleep anywhere. Oh, right, you must be thirsty. I’ll make you some tea.”
Before she could reply, Suzuki Yuu quickly escaped into the kitchen.
Ayaha Shiraishi stood frozen, not knowing what to do.
In the end, she took her little white phone from her backpack, curled up on the sofa, opened the search engine, and typed in:
[How should I act if I’m spending the night alone with someone I like?]