Episode 5 – Cloudy Forecasts

Act I: The First Rain

The sky looked undecided.

Half-covered in clouds, half-soaked in light. Like it didn't know whether to rain or shine.

Yuki sat under the courtyard tree during lunch, her sketchbook resting on her knees. She wasn't drawing today. Just watching the sky.

Waiting.

"Found you again," said a familiar voice.

She looked up to see Ren, holding a convenience store sandwich and two cans of peach tea.

"You always eat outside?" he asked, plopping down next to her without asking—again.

Yuki blinked. "Sometimes. It's quiet here."

Ren handed her one of the cans.

"Peach," he said. "I guessed."

She hesitated, then took it. "Thanks."

For a while, they ate in silence. A breeze rustled the leaves above them. Yuki liked this kind of silence—one that didn't expect anything.

"So…" Ren said, glancing sideways at her. "Takeshi seems intense."

Yuki stiffened slightly. "He's just protective."

Ren raised an eyebrow. "Is that his natural setting? Brooding guardian?"

She stifled a laugh and sipped her tea.

"He's been my friend since middle school," she said softly. "He was… there when I didn't talk to anyone."

Ren nodded slowly. "Must've been hard. After everything."

Yuki froze.

Ren looked at her with careful eyes. "Mina told me… a little."

Yuki looked down at her can, thumb brushing over the condensation. "It was a storm. Like the ones we've had lately. My parents were driving home from a trip. The bridge—"

Her throat closed. The memory coiled tight inside her chest.

"I was waiting for them. I made hot cocoa and sat by the window," she continued, voice barely audible. "The rain just kept falling. Then there was a call."

Ren said nothing.

"I hate thunder," she whispered. "It feels like that night never left me."

He didn't interrupt. He just sat beside her, quiet as the breeze.

"I didn't go to school for months after," Yuki added. "Takeshi used to visit. He wouldn't say much. Just… sat there. I think he was the only reason I went back."

She finally looked at Ren.

"And then… you showed up with your broken umbrella and chaos."

Ren grinned. "Happy to be your chaos."

Yuki shook her head, but a small smile slipped out. "You talk a lot."

"I think for both of us," he replied, winking. "But hey, you're talking more now. So I must be doing something right."

She didn't reply, but the warmth in her chest lingered even after the breeze passed.

Later that afternoon, the homeroom teacher made an announcement that sent a collective groan through the classroom.

"You'll be doing a two-week presentation project in pairs," she said. "Your topic will be related to natural disasters and their effect on modern society."

Yuki glanced at Mina, who gave her a hopeful thumbs-up.

"Pairs will be chosen randomly."

Mina's smile dropped.

Yuki braced herself.

The teacher began calling out names.

"Yuki Hoshino… with Takeshi Murakami."

Mina gasped softly, and Ren—who sat just one row over—tilted his head in a "huh" kind of way.

Takeshi, from the back row, simply stood up and walked over to Yuki's desk without a word.

"We can work on it after class," he said. "My place or yours?"

Ren raised an eyebrow but said nothing.

Yuki gave a small nod. "Mine, I guess."

Takeshi nodded once, then returned to his seat.

Ren leaned in. "That guy really has no concept of personal space."

Yuki glanced sideways. "You're one to talk."

"Hey, I'm charming. He's… stormy."

Yuki didn't answer, but she felt her lips twitch.

That evening, Yuki and Takeshi sat in her living room, surrounded by open books and notes. The TV was on in the background, muted. Outside, the wind had picked up—gusts whispering through the trees.

Takeshi flipped through a weather history article. "You okay? You seem… distracted."

Yuki hesitated. "I told Ren. About the storm. About my parents."

Takeshi's hand paused on the page.

"Oh," he said softly.

"I wanted him to know," she added. "I think… I needed someone to know."

Takeshi didn't look up. "You never told me much. I always wondered why."

She fiddled with the edge of a paper. "Because you were always… there. I didn't need to say it. You just knew."

There was a long pause.

"I didn't want to push you," Takeshi said. "But it was hard. Watching you carry it alone."

She looked at him. He wasn't stormy tonight. Just quiet.

"I didn't mean to shut you out," she said.

"I know."

Their eyes met.

Then he looked away. "So, you like him? Ren."

Yuki didn't answer right away.

"I don't know," she said. "He makes me feel… like I'm not stuck in the storm anymore."

Takeshi's jaw tensed slightly, but he nodded.

"I just want you to be okay," he murmured.

Yuki looked out the window. The sky was darker now, but not raining.

She felt something shift inside her—like the clouds were beginning to part.