The Beautiful Girl I Accidentally Helped Who Has Somehow Become Attached To Me. - Chapter 33: Forced Umbrella Sharing.

Forced Umbrella Sharing.

After an unusual lunch break, the second half of the school day began. The sound of the rain grew louder, forcing the teacher to raise their voice in an attempt to be heard over the noise.

Suddenly, I realized something: I don’t like the rain.

The humidity drags down my mood, and the changes in atmospheric pressure sometimes give me headaches. It’s not uncommon for my physical condition to predict rain before I even see it.

Today is no exception. While I already felt down because Mikami-san wasn’t here this morning, I couldn’t shake the feeling there was more to it, so I checked the weather forecast. Sure enough, rain.

I glanced out the window.

The rain hammered against the ground with increasing intensity. Although this heavy downpour wouldn’t last, even after it eases up, it would still be raining enough to be a nuisance. I could only hope it would calm down by the time we headed home.

(Ugh… my head aches a bit)

Looking at the blackboard, a dull pain throbbed through my head.

Rain, indeed, isn’t my favorite. Surrounded by the dissonant rhythm of raindrops, I kept a sullen expression.

***

With the afternoon classes and homeroom over, students began packing to go home.

At the end of homeroom, our homeroom teacher warned us not to catch a cold in the rain, especially with exams approaching. This sparked a bit of chatter around the room.

“Aw man, I forgot my umbrella.”

“You’re too dumb to catch a cold even if you get wet, right?”

“What?! I’m not that dumb!”

As laughter erupted around me at the boys’ banter, I slipped quietly out of the classroom, wandering without a specific destination in mind.

It felt like the entrance area would be a bit crowded with people waiting out the rain, so I thought I’d find somewhere to pass the time… though, where?

Unlike lunch, I wasn’t looking for somewhere to eat, so I could just wait under a sheltered spot with my umbrella. But the idea of killing time outside in the rain didn’t appeal to me.

Somewhere indoors that’s not crowded… The library might work. Since eating and drinking are prohibited there, students rarely go in even during lunch. Plus, I could read a bit to pass the time.

With that in mind, I headed toward the library.

***

Naturally, the library is open to all students. Students from all years had exams approaching, so a few upperclassmen were scattered around using the library as a place to study or gather materials.

I quietly passed by the study desks and stepped into the shelves lined with books. Just like when I go to a bookstore, I realized I don’t actually mind the unique smell of paper books.

I grabbed a random book, flipped through its pages idly, then put it back on the shelf. It wasn’t reading, just a way to kill time. An empty moment.

Occasionally, I’d find an interesting page, a captivating sentence, or a thought-provoking column, and I’d read it more closely. But I wasn’t here to fully read anything from start to finish; it was just passing the time aimlessly.

As I continued in this way, my phone vibrated in silent mode.

“Where are you right now? You didn’t leave without me, did you?”

“In the library. What about you?”

“I’m by the entrance.”

“Is it crowded?”

“No, it’s calmed down. I’ll wait for you.”

“Got it.”

I’d grown accustomed to these exchanges. The thought that I was about to head home with a girl who’s considered untouchable beauty—a huge event in itself—had become part of my routine. Even I had to admit it was a luxury that I had come to take for granted.

“Sorry to keep you waiting. You could’ve gone on ahead, you know?”

“We’re headed to the same place, aren’t we? Besides, I haven’t received a spare key to your house yet. Going ahead would leave me locked out, which would be a problem, Kirishima-san.”

“…Right.”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

I decided not to comment on how naturally she’d set my place as her destination. And ‘yet’? What does she mean by ‘yet’? She says it like I’ll be giving her a spare key eventually.

Well… I suppose I wouldn’t mind, but with Mikami-san, who knows what she’d do if she had it… To be honest, I hesitate just a little.

With that complex feeling in mind, I changed into my outdoor shoes and looked up at the sky.

“Looks like the rain didn’t let up as much as I’d hoped. I thought it’d be calmer by the time we left.”

“Were you waiting for it to stop? Now that you mention it, Kirishima-san… you didn’t have an umbrella with you this morning. It wouldn’t be good to walk home drenched… Would you like to share mine?”

With that, Mikami-san opened her folding umbrella and looked at me.

Her eyes sparkled, urging me to step in under her umbrella. While she showed no shame in suggesting we share, her sincerity warmed me. Still, I did check the weather forecast this morning, so I’d brought my own folding umbrella.

“Thanks for the offer. But I did bring mine.”

“…I see.”

I opened my umbrella too.

Seeing this, Mikami-san quietly closed her own and slipped it back into her bag.

“It seems I, ah, carelessly left my umbrella behind. I apologize, but may I share yours?”

“No, no, no.”

“…Is something wrong?”

Mikami-san?

You literally just opened your umbrella a second ago.

You put it away right in front of me. Isn’t this a bit of a stretch?

“You did just take out an umbrella.”

“What are you talking about? Maybe you were mistaken, Kirishima-san?”

“Wait, no…”

“Mistaken, weren’t you?”

“…”

“You were mistaken. Alright, all together now.”

“I was mistaken.”

“Good.”

“What is this ridiculous charade?”

Mikami-san’s umbrella somehow ceased to exist. Was I just forced into admitting that?

With Mikami-san fully satisfied at twisting my perception, she nestled under my umbrella. As expected, it was a tight fit for two people under a folding umbrella. By the time we left the school gates, both of our shoulders were damp.

“If you keep getting wet, you’re really going to catch a cold. Use your own umbrella.”

“Oh, don’t worry about it.”

“…Then at least try not to get wet.”

I shifted the umbrella slightly toward Mikami-san to shield her shoulder from the rain.

But just as I moved it, her hand overlapped mine, stopping me from shifting it any further.

“That would just leave you to get wet, Kirishima-san.”

“If you’re that concerned, just use your own umbrella…”

“Don’t worry about it. Instead… let’s try this.”

“Whoa, wait, Mikami-san…?”

“Don’t worry about it.”

“Hey, um… you’re… your chest… it’s touching me.”

“Don’t worry about it.”

She pressed herself close and entwined her arm with mine.

Caught off guard, I let out a strange sound.

I tried to subtly mention the rather soft sensation pressing against my arm, but she simply responded with her usual phrase. Seriously, Mikami-san, you should worry about this. Show a little modesty. There are just some things you shouldn’t do.

Careless. Unfazed. Why is her sense of embarrassment so… inconsistent?

“This way, neither of us will get wet!”

Her dazzling smile at such close range made me forget the rain for a moment.

Damn it. She’s always getting the better of me…

I blame it all on the rain. This is exactly why I hate rainy days.

“Hey, don’t cling so close. It’s hard to walk like this.”

“Oh, don’t worry about it.”

“I’m worried about it!”

“Well, I’m not, so… please, don’t worry about it.”

But… rainy days with Mikami-san feel refreshing, a bit more thrilling, and don’t weigh me down like usual… so, maybe, just maybe, I don’t hate it as much.