After finishing their meal, Natsukawa Kanade and Kasumigaoka Utaha stepped out of the restaurant, only to be greeted by an unexpected drizzle.
The gentle rain coated the city in a thin, misty veil, and the air carried a damp, early summer fragrance. Raindrops drummed lightly against the eaves, their rhythmic ticking blending with the hurried footsteps of pedestrians—together composing a soft, melancholic melody unique to the season.
But Kanade had no time to admire the poetic ambiance.
The timing of the rain was completely off.
It was inconsiderate—almost as if it had failed to notice that neither of them had brought an umbrella. Not even a thin jacket.
"Let's wait it out," Kanade suggested, glancing at Utaha. "This kind of rain should pass soon."
Rather than answering, Kasumigaoka Utaha extended a hand toward the drizzle, letting cool raindrops patter against her palm. Her fingers curled slightly, feeling the weight of the droplets as they slid down her skin.
"…Mm," she murmured absentmindedly, seemingly lost in thought.
Kanade decided not to disturb her and instead pulled out his phone, scrolling through Twitter while they waited.
The idea was sound in theory.
Reality, however, had other plans.
Instead of lightening, the drizzle thickened into a steady shower, each drop striking the pavement with increasing force. The once-busy streets thinned as people hurried indoors, and one by one, surrounding storefronts flipped their signs to "Closed." Even the restaurant behind them had emptied out, leaving them as the last two stubborn holdouts against the elements.
At this rate, Kanade was beginning to wonder if braving the rain would be a better option.
Just as he was about to suggest it, a familiar voice called out from behind.
"Um… customer?"
Turning, Kanade found himself face-to-face with their waiter from earlier, now holding out an umbrella.
"If you don't mind… you can use this," the waiter offered with a polite smile.
Kanade blinked, momentarily taken aback.
"Uh… okay. Thanks." Without hesitation, he accepted the umbrella. Then, almost as an afterthought, he asked, "How much is it? I'd like to buy it."
Kanade had no problem accepting kindness, but he never took it for free.
The waiter quickly waved a hand. "No, no, it's fine! Just take it—"
"If I don't pay, I won't accept it," Kanade insisted, his tone leaving no room for argument.
The waiter hesitated, then eventually nodded in reluctant agreement.
With that settled, Kanade turned to his still-distracted companion.
"Senior, let's go."
Utaha blinked as if returning to reality, then gave a slow nod. "Mm."
The umbrella, while useful, was far from spacious. Even when fully opened, it barely covered both of them. Kanade naturally adjusted his position, moving closer to Utaha so they wouldn't get soaked.
There was nothing romantic about it—it was purely practical.
Had it been anyone else, he wouldn't have hesitated to throw an arm around their shoulder just to keep their pace aligned. But since it was her, he settled for subtly angling the umbrella to shield her better, letting his own shoulder bear the brunt of the rain.
The walk to the train station wasn't long, but thanks to the wind and rain, it felt much longer than usual.
Before they had left the restaurant, Kanade had checked the train schedule, confirming that the last train home was still some time away.
Or so he thought.
Upon reaching the station, his gaze landed on the LED announcement board. A scrolling subtitle glowed ominously in the dimly lit area:
"Due to heavy rain, train services will be suspended early. The last departure was at 9:00 PM."
Kanade's stomach sank.
Pulling out his phone, he checked the time.
9:17 PM.
They had waited too long for the rain to stop.
Suppressing a sigh, Kanade turned to Utaha. "Looks like we'll have to find a place to stay for the night."
It wasn't as if they had no way home. Taxis were an option, but…
Taxis in Japan.
Only those who knew, knew.
Getting ripped off was almost guaranteed.
Utaha, uncharacteristically docile, simply nodded. "Mm… I'll leave it to you."
Kanade raised a brow at her unusually obedient response but chose not to question it. Instead, he quickly searched for nearby hotels with decent reviews and led her in that direction.
The walk wasn't far, and before long, they arrived at a reasonably well-rated hotel. The moment they stepped inside, the warmth of the lobby was a welcome contrast to the chilly dampness outside.
But just as they approached the front desk, an unexpected hurdle emerged.
Behind the counter stood a middle-aged woman with a kind-looking face. Yet, despite her pleasant expression, there was a certain sharpness in her eyes as she scrutinized them.
"What kind of relationship do you two have?" she asked, her tone friendly yet undeniably probing.
Kanade exchanged a brief glance with Utaha before responding.
"…Does that have anything to do with us getting a room?"
The woman's expression didn't waver. "Well, normally, we don't accept minors without parental permission."
Her gaze flicked toward Utaha.
"And this young lady is clearly a high school student, isn't she?"
Kanade followed her line of sight—only then did he realize.
Utaha was still wearing her school uniform.
Naturally, she stood out like a sore thumb.
"Uh, actually, I'm a student too," Kanade hurriedly explained, suddenly aware of how suspicious the situation must have looked. A high school girl and an unknown guy checking into a hotel together? It was the perfect setup for a misunderstanding. "I'm not some shady guy trying to abduct high schoolers or anything."
The landlady remained unconvinced, her sharp gaze scanning him up and down.
"Even if that's true… a high school boy and girl staying in the same room is still a bit… you know?" she said, giving him a look.
Kanade could practically hear the implications dripping from her words.
What do you mean, 'you know'?!
Just as he was about to defend himself further, Kasumigaoka Utaha spoke up.
"It's fine," she said calmly.
Both Kanade and the landlady turned to her.
She met their gazes without a hint of hesitation. "Because we're—siblings."
Kanade: "..."
The landlady blinked, her skeptical expression shifting slightly. "Oh? Is that so?"
Kanade felt her eyes flick between them again, clearly scrutinizing the claim. Before he could react, Utaha turned to him with a radiant, suspiciously pure smile.
"That's right, isn't it? Kanzaki, Onii-chan~!"
Kanade:
Senpai.
What the hell are you doing?!
A shiver ran down his spine at her playful tone, but with the landlady staring at him expectantly, he had no choice but to play along.
"Uh… Yeah. That's right. We're… siblings," he muttered, the words feeling physically painful to say.
The landlady let out a sigh of relief. "Well, that makes things easier. In that case, I'll just give you one room to save some money."
Kanade: …???
Wait.
Hold on.
Pause.
The mental image of a giant, red, flashing ERROR sign filled his brain.
"Is there a problem?" the landlady asked, noticing his frozen expression. "If you're siblings, sharing a room shouldn't be an issue, right? Or… are you not—"
"N-No, no, it's fine," Kanade interrupted hastily, sensing the impending disaster if he hesitated. "I just thought… maybe we could get two rooms instead?"
He wasn't expecting luxury—just personal space.
The landlady shook her head apologetically. "I'd like to, but because of the heavy rain, a lot of people checked in at once. We're running low on rooms, so I hope you can be a little flexible."
"I have no problem with that," Utaha declared before Kanade could even process her words.
Kanade's mouth twitched.
Of course she didn't.
Still, refusing wasn't an option now. He exhaled in defeat.
"Fine… Let's do that."
It wasn't as if they hadn't stayed in the same room before. It would be fine. Probably.
The landlady nodded, satisfied. "Alright, please register your names here."
She slid a registration form toward them. Kanade took the clipboard and quickly scribbled his name in the first column.
Then, he reached the second line.
And his pen stopped.
Kasumigaoka Utaha.
If he wrote that, it would immediately expose their flimsy sibling cover.
"..."
"...What's wrong?" Utaha's voice was casual, but he could feel the amusement behind it.
"...Nothing," Kanade muttered, forcing himself to move.
Slowly, he wrote:
Natsukawa Utaha.
The second he handed the form over, he knew he had made a mistake.
Utaha had been standing right beside him the entire time.
She tilted her head slightly, staring at the name before softly repeating it to herself.
"Natsukawa… Utaha."
Kanade froze.
A moment later, her lips curled into an impish smile.
"Don't you think it sounds nice too?" she teased, looking at him with an expression far too pleased for his liking.
Kanade:
…What was he supposed to say to that?