Volume 1 - Prologue

It was early June.

On a rainy day, when the hydrangeas were at their full bloom,

“… Sotome-san?”

When I was on my way home from school after buying some stuff for dinner at the supermarket, I spotted a classmate sitting on a bench in a park near my house without an umbrella.

Her name was Aoi Sotome, and she was a famous gal at school.

Though she skips school and rarely comes to class, her flashy long blonde hair was the cause of always being ill rumours about her. She gives off an unapproachable air, like a solitary gal.

Because of this, she is kept at a distance from her classmates and always spends her time alone.

Although she and I were from the same junior high school, we didn’t have any contact because we were in different classes, and I didn’t even realize it until we got into the same class in high school.

“…”

For a moment, I wondered if I should talk to her.

Usually, I wouldn’t call out to someone at school or even on the street since, for me, an ordinary high school boy, a gyaru is from a completely different world—not to say that I live in an actual different world—. But I guess I couldn’t help but hesitate in front of someone who gives off an unapproachable aura.

Yet, I still called out to her when I saw her looking somewhat lonely in this rain.

“Are you Sotome-san?”

I mustered up my courage and called out to her, holding the umbrella above of her.

When she noticed me, she looked up and let out a faint voice,

“… Akamori-kun?”

Her voice was so weak that it was almost overshadowed by the sound of the rain.

Her eyes looked wet, perhaps because of the rain.

“What are you doing here?”

“Nothing, I’m not doing anything…”

There was no emotion on her face as she answered.

“You’ll catch a cold if you stay here for long.”

“I’m fine. Just leave me alone.”

The harsh tone of her voice revealed a clear intention of rejection.

I was about to take a step back due to her attitude. Yet with this situation, I couldn’t just say, “Yes, I see,” and leave?

“The rain is getting worse, so why don’t you go home?”

As I stared through the darkness, I saw that her uniform was not only wet from the rain but also stained in some places. The wrinkles were apparent as if she had been wearing the same shirt for several days.

Sotome-san was silent for a while and then muttered to herself.

“… I don’t have a home anymore.”

I couldn’t believe my ears at the unexpected words.

“What do you mean you don’t have a home?”

“…”

Sotome-san did not answer and kept her mouth shut.

There has to be a reason.

No, I knew from the start that there was a reason.

When a blonde-haired girl who seems to be regularly absent from school and has been the subject of ill rumours is in the park without an umbrella at this time of a rainy day, I could only imagine that she was in a situation that she couldn’t just tell someone.

However, what she answered was something unexpected.

What should I say to her?

Before I could even think about it, I said,

“Would you like to come to my house?”

“Eh…?”

In retrospect, I don’t know how I could have said those words to her.

If I were to get involved, I would obviously get into trouble.

There was no need for me to get involved with someone who wasn’t even close with me.

I knew that, but I couldn’t leave such a girl, who I usually never talk to, alone. 

It was probably because she reminded me of a certain girl…

—The figure of a girl standing alone from the memories of when I was in kindergarten. When I first fell in love.

“We can’t stay here forever, I don’t know what’s going on, but it’s not bad to take some time to think about it in a place that’s sheltered from the wind and rain.”

Sotome-san’s face was expressionless, but her eyes were filled with surprise.

After a while of having lost in thought,

“… Are you sure about this?”

She gave me a look that was a mixture of sadness and confusion.

Seeing that expression, a memory I had long forgotten came back to me. 

—Yes, that girl always had the same look on her face.

“Of course, if it’s okay with you, Sotome-san.”

“… I’d appreciate it if you could.”

“Yeah. Shall we go then?”

The two of us got under the umbrella and started walking shoulder to shoulder.

And that’s how I ended up taking home a lonely gal from my class.