When I Told the Most Beautiful Girl in the School That My Confession Had Failed, She Suddenly Started Coming at Me With Unbearably Heavy Feelings - Chapter 23: Dream and Rain

Chapter 23: Dream and Rain

“…Yeah. We don’t usually do things like this much.”

The intensifying sound of the rain cut Renji and Rinne off from the outside world.

While waiting for the red traffic light in front of them to turn green, Renji and Rinne chatted amiably.

Rinne, standing beside him, was a woman who suited blue. The humid atmosphere of the rain and the dimly lit air somehow seemed to fit her.

The smell of wet asphalt and the sound of rain hitting the umbrella. On rainy days, he ended up recalling that day, which somehow put him in a melancholic mood.

The reason Renji still couldn’t escape from that day was partly due to this obsession with the past.

Even so, just having Rinne beside him made the world feel different, and his mood brightened. He felt very happy to be able to stand next to her.

“Hey, Hinate-kun. For the upcoming sports festival…”

Thud.

Suddenly, Rinne’s body lurched forward. At that moment, a car speeding past on the road bore down on her.

Renji desperately reached out his hand, but it fell just short of reaching her.

The screeching brakes echoed.

The truck charging in.

His hand, unable to reach.

Rinne was going to die.

▼▽

“Uh, Rinne!”

Renji’s anguished cry was enough to draw the gazes of his classmates.

Amid the stares that felt painful, he realized it. What had just happened was a dream.

The terror of the dream still lingered, making his hand buzz, and sweat beaded on his palm.

It seemed he had drifted into the world of dreams during homeroom, and the people around him were already preparing to leave the classroom. The homeroom teacher had already disappeared.

Renji, who had stood up, sat back down and spoke to Rinne, who stared at him intently from the adjacent seat.

“Good morning, Hinate-kun. Did you enjoy your rendezvous with me in the dream?”

“It wasn’t that enjoyable. …Why didn’t you wake me up?”

“I thought your sleeping face was a rare sight.”

While thinking that she sounded like some stepsister from somewhere, Renji left the classroom with Rinne.

When they reached the entrance, the outside was covered in dull gray clouds. Rain started falling immediately, and he could see the club members from outdoor activities evacuating.

“It’s raining.”

“It’s rain.”

The dream he had just seen flashed through his mind. …Was he overthinking it a bit?

Today, he had checked the weather forecast in advance and brought an umbrella. He took out an ultramarine one from the umbrella stand and stepped out of the entrance.

“Rinne, do you have an umbrella?”

“I do. But let me in.”

“I figured you’d say that.”

Rinne drew close to slip under his umbrella. The distance where their shoulders nearly touched made his heart race just a little.

Walking together to the station like this had become routine.

At first, people stared at them as if they were rare animals, but lately, others seemed accustomed, and now they got looks more like those given to a dog out for a walk. …He wondered if this was any better.

Renji glanced at Rinne’s profile as she walked beside him. He worried she might get wet since it was a one-person umbrella, but thanks to her firmly clinging to his arm, she appeared dry.

As expected, Rinne suited the rain. Her refined features stood out in the rain, and the fragile aura elevated Rinne Kisaragi’s beauty by one rank.

Rinne usually displayed a strong spirit, but having this side to her was part of her charm.

“…What? Do you want to kiss me?”

“No.”

“Then you don’t want to?”

“If I said I don’t want to… that would be a lie, I guess.”

“Then… shall we?”

Her glossy lips gleamed as Rinne turned her seductive eyes toward him. The slight contrived innocence in her upturned gaze shook his rationality.

“…No.”

“You wavered a little there. …So, what is it?”

“That you suit the rain well.”

“Who’s the gloomy woman?”

“Not that. I meant that because you have such a beautiful face, you look stunning even in this dim atmosphere.”

“…Thanks.”

Rinne’s white cheeks flushed red. She came on strong, yet she was weak when gently prodded, which was her endearing trait.

They headed toward the usual station while exchanging casual conversation.

Lately, because they talked every day, the topics had become more trivial. Even so, Renji found this time precious.

There was surely no one who could talk to her so freely besides him.

The expressions, gestures, and habits of Rinne that only he knew—they were all captivating. Every part was top-class, and he understood why she was so popular.

Within him, the existence of Rinne Kisaragi swelled. It grew to the point where he couldn’t hold it alone, which was a little joyful and a little scary.

He couldn’t predict what would happen if the overflowing parts he couldn’t contain spilled out. So he decided to pretend not to see and seal it deep in his heart.

When they reached the intersection in front of the station, that dream flashed through his mind again. In the dream, he had been at this intersection too. The light was red.

“…This feels kind of fresh. The rainy station entrance too.”

Perhaps a bit flustered, he muttered something meaningless. He told himself it was surely just a coincidence.

“Yeah. We don’t usually do things like this much.”

The dream flashed through his mind again.

Somewhere, a horn blared. It cut through the rain with enough force to be from a truck, probably.

His body stiffened. He knew how this would unfold next.

“Hey, Hinate-kun. For the upcoming sports festival…”

“Rinne!”

On impulse, Renji grabbed Rinne’s hand and pulled her tightly close. What cooled his heated head as he embraced her, refusing to let go, was the veil of rainwater.

Splash—he was drenched from the head down. The light remained red. The dream did not come true.

He let out a relieved breath, but only for a moment before his soaked uniform stole away his body heat.

“…Hinate-kun? This is…”

“Ah, sorry! I just… on impulse… Rinne?”

“…It’s not bad, this hug thing. Let’s get into the station for now. We need to dry off.”

Renji dashed into the station with Rinne and decided to wipe their wet bodies with towels for the time being.

“Hinate-kun, stay still while I wipe you.”

Rinne wiped the moisture from his dress shirt with her handkerchief.

During that time, what caught his eyes was Rinne’s breasts. Her wet shirt had become semi-transparent, revealing her underwear—her bra. …It seemed ultramarine, or was that his imagination?

The station gathered not only students from Tenogawa Academy but many people. For a beauty like Rinne to expose her underwear in such a place was a great feast for the eyes… no, bad for the eyes.

He gently draped his blazer over Rinne. When she gave him a puzzled look, he answered curtly.

“…Your underwear is showing.”

“Oh… hehe, was that a bit indecent?”

“You should show that to someone important…”

“Yeah. That’s why I’m showing it to someone important.”

Renji involuntarily averted his face at Rinne’s calm declaration. He was surely making a sloppy expression.

“Hehe, a fine man dripping with rain…♡”

“Then, Rinne, you’re a fine woman dripping with rain.”

While reining in the rising desire, Renji boarded the train.

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<<Amane side>>

“Haaah, work always tires me out afterward…”