Chapter 13: Unusual Weather

Chapter 13: Chapter 13: Unusual Weather

-------

3:00 PM.

Rain began to fall, sudden and heavy, with no warning.

4:00 PM.

The downpour continued relentlessly. The air turned cold, almost freezing. Inosuki, Aki and Junpai left shortly after. They can’t stay late due to their parents strict rules.

Junpai seemed a bit anxious about his new girlfriend but it shouldn’t be a problem for him to handle.

I walked to the locker room next to the exit door of the school building. Shion stood there waiting, it was as if she was waiting for me the whole time. What a sweet girl. Now I’m glad will talked things over earlier.

Though I’m still curious about the third party, maybe she had made contact with them.

I don’t know if I should pry or just keep watching..i can’t tell what she’s thinking

Shion’s eyes shifted to my direction immediately, she seemed happy to see me in a way.

"Oota-kun" She called out to me from a distance.

"Oh Shion, it’s you.." I said walking closer to close off the distance.

"How was class today?" She asked, her expression remained unreadable to me, honestly she was smiling but something seemed off from her micro expressions underneath. Most wouldn’t notice I guess, the cameras where active constantly watching our masks.

"Not bad I guess, the questions today were too easy. I was practically thinking there were other meaning or twists to it all" I answered sighing from stress.

I will be real here, this school is a modern hell for me since I’m prone to overthinking things.

Shion chuckled softly, her sweater sleeve covering her mouth. She was like a princess with her own gestures.

Weirdly, i felt strangely anxious seeing her like this, i stretched the back of my head walking to the shoe lockers next to us.

"So uh, about the girls you were with.." Shion muttered.

"Girls?" I’m guessing she must be talking about Ruby-san and the other girl that sat with us. I think her name was ’Momoe’ ’Momoe George’.

"What about them?" I asked.

"Well...you guys seemed close at the cafeteria" she added.

"Close?...wait I think you are misunderstanding the situation i was in" I replied immediately trying to clear it up.

"She walked up to me, with the intention of knowing more about Mataguchi"

"I felt bullied though" I added.

"Prez...oh but wait" Shion muttered again.

"How is Prez that popular?" She asked.

Rip bro, I guess the girls actually think less of you these days. If it’s me that was been talked down like this, I will just melt and disappear.

I chuckled a little before adding "Mataguchi’s popularity with the ladies has been one thing even him doesn’t realise"

"This remains me of our Elemetary school days, Mataguchi was always the hot stuff back then too"

"You talk as if you were any different yourself too" Shion interested.

I chuckled again. This time it felt awkward hearing her say that.

"Prez, wouldn’t stop making trouble back then too" Shion added.

"Too? I think his cool now though" I protested playfully.

"Perhaps.." She muttered.

"But his still a dickhead robot as usual too" She protested.

"Dick-"

"Language Shion" I replied, but man I know she was sharp tongued but come on, that’s like a knife cutting down a already wounded spot.

"Just saying.." Shion added eyes rolling.

"Right right."

But speaking about robotic and bluntness, I kinda agree on that note of Mataguchi, his extremely unapologetic in his aspects. I mean this guy can straight up tell a girl she’s ugly if he thinks so or tell a elder to shut up if they are going off point.

Yeah might as well be my version of him but that’s how I see him sometimes.

"Ruby-san, seemed interested in him. I’m guessing romantically" I added.

"R-romance" Shion stuttered.

"Uh?"

"N-no I mean. I wasn’t expecting you to be into those sort of ideas" she added.

Come on what did she picture me as anyway.

"Of course I do, I’m a growing boy" I replied.

"I-i see" she replied. Her voice becoming bit lower than usual.

"Shion?" I called out.

"Uhh?"

"Are you okay?" I asked.

"Y-yeah, I get sort of off with this kinda of topics"

" I see" Honestly I can’t tell what she’s on about but, it’s related to her feeling in her relationships . Must be complicated.

"Do you have a boyfriend now?" I asked, yeah I low-key just asked the dumbest shit one could say in this kinda of situations.

"...."

"..."

It was quiet, my cue to know I was deadass stupid there.

​"A boyfriend?" Shion’s voice dropped, barely carrying over the dull rhythm of the rain hammering against the locker room windows. Her head tilted downward, the hem of her oversized sweater sleeve twitching slightly as her fingers curled into a tight fist underneath the fabric.

​The silence stretched long enough to make the cold air feel almost suffocating. The hallway behind us was completely empty, save for the hum of the overhead security lights and the faint, red flicker of the surveillance camera mounted above the exit door.

​I opened my mouth to pull the question back, to pass it off as a joke or a poor attempt at small talk, but Shion raised her eyes before I could speak. Her expression had completely cleared the subtle tension from a second ago wiped clean, replaced by that familiar, smooth mask she wore so easily.

​"Why would you ask that, Oota-kun?" she asked, her tone entirely neutral, almost playful on the surface. "Are you offering to apply for the position?"

​"What? No....that’s not-" I stumbled over my words, feeling an immediate flush of heat hit my neck.

"I just... you seemed distant when the topic of romance came up. I assumed there was someone."

​"You assume a lot of things," Shion said softly, stepping a few inches closer. The distance between us closed just enough for me to notice the faint scent of rain and sweet vanilla clinging to her uniform.

"Or maybe you’re just trying to gauge where you stand."

​I’m just trying to survive the day without getting dragged into another psychological war like in the cafeteria, I turned away to open my shoe locker. I slid my indoor shoes out and set them on the bottom shelf, trading them for my outdoor loafers.

Between Momoe’s interrogation and Ruby’s sudden obsession with Mataguchi, my brain is already running on low power. Only one day at school though, I feel like crying.

​"Momoe George..." Shion repeated the name slowly, tasting the syllables as if searching for a hidden meaning. "She’s not the type to act without a reason. Neither is Ruby. If they approached you, it wasn’t just to talk about the President."

​I figured as much, I leaned back against the metal lockers. The whole cafeteria scene felt staged. Momoe was probing for reactions. She was watching how I responded to Ruby bringing up Mataguchi. I’m exhausted.

​I played the clueless fool, It’s my best role. If they think I’m just an anxious nobody who overthinks basic class questions, they’ll look right past me to focus on Mataguchi. Sorry bro.

​A safe strategy, though... playing the fool only works if the person watching you doesn’t already know how sharp you actually are. I’m cooked.

"Take a hint" Shion muttered barely audible

​I froze for a split second, my hand lingering on the locker door before I snapped it shut. The metallic clang echoed down the quiet hallway.

​"What’s that supposed to mean?" I asked genuinely confused.

​"Nothing," she replied smoothly, pulling an umbrella from her bag. "Just a thought."

Shion let out a light, melodic laugh, tapping her umbrella against the tiled floor. "You really do overthink everything. It must be exhausting being inside your head."

​"It really is," I admitted, rubbing the back of my neck. "So, no boyfriend, then?"

​Shion sighed, shaking her head with a look of mock disappointment. But stuttered "Y-you really don’t drop things easily, do you?"

​"I’m a growing boy, remember? Curiosity is part of the package."

​"W-well, to satisfy your curious mind... no. I don’t have a boyfriend," Shion said, looking out through the glass doors at the heavy downpour soaking the courtyard outside. Her face completely red and flustered "I-i don’t have room for distractions like that. Not right now."

Yeah keep telling yourself that Shion. No bro with a reacting manhood will believe that load of crap.

"Man, the rain started pouring out of nowhere... even the weather report this morning didn’t say anything about it," I said swaping my shoes at the locker

I took a umbrella from the umbrella rack near the genkan. I rested it against my arm, Shion stood beside me already changed.

"Tell me about it," Shion replied, clearly annoyed. She must have recalled something that might have happened before, after or when the rain started.

"Okay, I’m done... are we still waiting for Mataguchi-san?" I asked, adjusting my bag. Clearly I was ready to head home, but it just didn’t sit right with me seeing her standing alone here.

"Yeah. If I don’t get Prez home before his curfew starts, his parents will begin questioning me," Shion said with irritation. Her eyes rolled to the side clearly showing how annoying the situation is with Mataguchi.

Sis chill, my boy isn’t the troublesome type.

I laughed lightly.

"Alright then. See you tomorrow."

I stepped out into the rain, raising my umbrella with my left hand while waving with my right. Shion waved back.

I walked further away till I couldn’t see Shion from the distance, I was out of school ground.

The rained didn’t seem like it’s going to led up any hour from now. This completely seem unnatural to me, we weren’t even on the raining season or there weren’t any sign of it coming down.

The dynamic between me and Shion still remained friendly, I haven’t talked to Mataguchi once since I resumed. I should have asked Shion about him back then.

On the roadway leading to my residence, i walked beneath the steady rain.

"...."

It’s cold, I wonder if she’s still waiting for me at home again?

-------

"I think therefore I am."

-------