Dong... dong... dong...

Takeuchi Sensei closed his textbook, announced, "Class dismissed," and quickly left the classroom.

All day, Ishida Shoya had been chasing leads on who vandalized his desk and chair—asking around constantly, but coming up empty-handed.

Some students wouldn't even look at him, brushing him off coldly. Swallowing his frustration, he kept asking others, determined not to give up.

"Let's go, let's go!" Matsuoka Miu waved excitedly as she spotted them exiting the classroom. She was beaming, afraid they'd miss her enthusiasm.

The group gathered—Miu, Akira, Shouko, Sahara, and Ito Chika—and headed out to find Yuzuru.

Akira had gotten used to Matsuoka Miu's overly cheerful attitude lately. Ever since she beat him on the last test and claimed first place, she'd had that smug, glowing look—like her smile was practically spelling out "I beat you."

Still, he figured she'd simmer down in a week, so he didn't bother correcting her.

"Aki—" Miu started casually as they walked. The others glanced toward her.

"What?" Akira replied, his tone flat. His gut told him this wouldn't be anything good.

Miu turned to look at him with a mischievous smile. "Could you go stand on National Highway 109? And when a truck comes barreling down, jump out and scare it!"

There was a brief pause.

Shouko didn't fully understand what "National Highway" meant, but she definitely understood that the rest of the sentence wasn't funny. Her smile vanished.

"Mui, that joke isn't funny at all," she said firmly. "If a big truck came… Akira could get really hurt."

Akira's fists clenched at her words. This wasn't just "getting hurt." That sort of reckless joke—about risking life—hit a little too close to home. He looked at Miu sharply.

"Miu Matsuoka, do you even know what a national highway is?"

He was certain she didn't. She had probably just copied the line from someone else, thinking it was edgy or funny.

His question left everyone momentarily baffled. None of them actually knew what a national highway was—not even Miu, who had just said it.

Shouko tilted her head. "Then what is a national highway?"

Miu ducked behind Ito Chika for cover, as if that could protect her from Shouko's scolding. Even though Shouko wasn't the type to hit hard, it was a decent defensive move.

With a sigh, Akira finally explained what the phrase meant. Their lighthearted walk quieted down for a while after that.

Drip...

A single raindrop splashed into a puddle.

And then, without warning, heavy rain poured down from the sky.

The three students—Akira, Shouko, and Yuzuru—realized they were too far from shelter. With no time to find cover, they slung their schoolbags over their heads and sprinted toward home.

"Where's Onee-chan?" Yuzuru called as she unlocked the front door and rushed inside. When she turned back, she didn't see her sister.

"Shouko? Why are you following me?" Akira asked, half confused, half exasperated as he stepped into his own home. "Shouldn't you go home and get dry with Yuzuru?"

She stood just behind him, completely drenched, blinking at his words.

He glanced at her—and immediately looked away. Even in the dim hallway light, his face flushed red.

Shouko's white shirt, now soaked from the rain, clung to her. He hadn't meant to look, but once he did, he couldn't ignore what he saw—and it caught him off guard. He wasn't used to noticing these kinds of things, but now… it was impossible to unsee.

Shouko, unaware at first, followed his gaze and then looked down.

Her face instantly turned red, the tips of her ears burning.

"A-Akira! What were you looking at!" she whispered harshly, covering her chest with both hands. Her voice was barely above a whisper, but the panic in her tone was unmistakable.

She didn't dare yell louder—if Miyamura Shizuka overheard, it would turn into endless teasing.

Her words jolted Akira back to his senses.

"No! It's not what you think!" he stammered, frantically waving his hands. "I wasn't trying to look at anything—I was just thinking about something else!"

"What's going on? The bath water isn't ready yet, so you'll have to wait a bit," called Miyamura Shizuka from the bathroom, her voice echoing through the hallway.

"It's nothing, Mom! I'm not in a rush!" Akira called back quickly, hoping she wouldn't come out and see Shouko like this.

Shouko turned to him, still bright red, and muttered under her breath, "Only a ghost would believe that excuse. You were totally staring…"

Her words trailed off as she caught a glimpse of his equally flushed cheeks.

Suddenly overwhelmed with embarrassment, Shouko turned and bolted out of the entrance—barefoot, without even taking an umbrella.

Akira stood there frozen for a moment, watching her run off through the downpour. Then he slowly closed the door.

"That… was a disaster," he muttered to himself. "She definitely misunderstood."

But… did she? He had looked. And now, the realization hit him again—he really needed to apologize.

"Ugh… I'm not a pervert. I didn't mean to look!" he whispered to himself, frustrated.

Just then, Miyamura Shizuka stepped out of the bathroom and spotted him, standing blankly in the hallway, soaked to the bone and still wearing his shoes.

"What are you doing just standing there? You weren't out in the rain that long," she said, puzzled.

"No, no—it's nothing. Shouko went home with Yuzuru to shower," Akira said quickly, throwing together a casual excuse.

Shizuka didn't pry. "Well, go take your bath before you catch a cold," she said simply, heading toward the living room.

Left alone again, Akira finally noticed the chill of his damp clothes. But even as he peeled them off, his thoughts were stuck on one thing: how he'd explain all of this to Shouko later.

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POWER STONE!!!

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