"It started raining, huh..." Shido muttered as he exited the convenience store, a newly bought umbrella in hand.
The rain wasn't exactly heavy, but it wasn't sothing he could ignore either. After casting a final glance at the dark, brooding sky, Shido decided to head straight back to his apartnt, hoping his delivery would still make it through.
As he made his way down the street, he passed by a familiar sight: Takasago Bookstore. There, standing outside under the dull gray sky, was soone he recognized instantly. Among the sea of umbrellas and hurried passersby, she stood out clearly, wearing a Fujou High School uniform. She gazed up at the sky, seemingly waiting for the rain to ease up.
"She doesn't have an umbrella?"
Shido looked at her for a while before he walked towards her, worried that she don't have an umbrella and go back ho late.
Without much thought, he walked toward her.
"Shiina-san, what are you doing here?" he called out gently.
Mahiru, who had been staring blankly at the sky, was startled by the sudden voice. Snapping out of her daze, she turned toward the source and found Shido standing in front of her, an umbrella held over his head.
"Itsuka-san... I'm just waiting for the rain to stop." Mahiru replied shyly, her voice soft. "I... forgot to bring my umbrella."
She lowered her gaze, clearly embarrassed. After all, who would forget their umbrella after hearing the weather forecast warning about rain?
Shido couldn't help but chuckle. Seeing Mahiru, who usually seed so composed, caught in such a simple mistake was surprisingly endearing.
"I didn't expect Shiina-san to have such a cute side," he said, smiling warmly.
Still, a thought crossed Shido's mind.
If he hadn't co across her, Mahiru would probably have stayed out here, letting herself get soaked because of what happened with her mother yesterday. Then, maybe Amane would have passed by, offered her his umbrella... and the story between them would have moved forward from there.
But it seed that the plot had already taken a different turn.
"Jeez! Please don't tease , Itsuka-san!" Mahiru huffed, puffing out her cheeks in a pout as she caught Shido laughing.
"Alright, alright, I won't laugh," Shido said, quickly straightening his expression even though a smile still tugged at the corners of his mouth.
"I'll ignore you!" Mahiru looked away from Shido refusing to et his eyes.
Seeing her reaction, Shido quickly put on an apologetic expression and said, "Sorry, sorry. Do you want to share my umbrella? It doesn't look like the rain's going to stop anyti soon."
Mahiru turned back toward him, her pout softening.
When she saw the sincere look on Shido's face, her heart eased a little.She also noticed that the rain showed no sign of letting up, if she stayed here much longer, she'd probably be stuck until evening.
And she definitely didn't want that.
There was always the risk that so troubleso people might start approaching her if they noticed her waiting outside alone.
"Is that... okay?" Mahiru asked, her voice tinged with embarrassnt.
"Of course," Shido replied with a reassuring smile. "The umbrella's pretty big, so we won't have to squeeze too much."
Seeing that he truly didn't mind, Mahiru hesitated for just a second longer before stepping under his umbrella.
Shido couldn't help but smile.
Mahiru stood beside him, fidgeting slightly, a faint blush coloring her cheeks as she tried to act natural.
"Let's go?" he asked gently.
"...Yeah," she whispered, nodding shyly.
The two began walking back toward their apartnt building, the steady sound of rain tapping against the umbrella above them.
Mahiru stayed a little stiff at first, shy about being so close to Shido, it was, after all, her first ti sharing an umbrella with a boy. Her heart pounded in her chest, and she couldn't help but be overly conscious of every small movent he made beside her.
But the awkwardness didn't last long. Shido, noticing her tension, started chatting casually, cracking light jokes here and there. Bit by bit, Mahiru found herself laughing, her guard slowly lowering as warmth filled her chest. She realized how relaxing it was around him.
By the ti they reached their apartnt building and rode the elevator up to their floor, Mahiru was smiling without even thinking about it.
As they stepped into the hallway, they noticed two delivery workers standing just outside Shido's door.
"Oh, they finally arrived," Shido said, letting out a relieved sigh.
"Did you buy sothing, Itsuka-san?" Mahiru asked curiously, tilting her head slightly. She noticed several boxes of various sizes stacked neatly outside his door.
"Yeah," Shido nodded. "I ordered so furniture and appliances. There's not much inside my apartnt right now." Shido nodded then he thought about his almost empty apartnt.
Mahiru stared at Shido for a mont and her gaze deep and thoughtful. Then, her eyes flicked toward the stack of boxes outside his apartnt. A spark of determination lit up her face.
"Itsuka-san, please let help you."
Shido blinked, surprised by the sudden offer. "Help ?"
"Yes." Mahiru's voice was firm, and there was no hint of hesitation. "You've helped before, so I want to at least return the favor." She looked at him resolutely, as if she wouldn't accept a 'no' as an answer.
"Is that okay?" Shido asked, still a little surprised. "Don't you have howork to do or sothing?"
Mahiru nodded, her determination not wavering. "I can do my howork later. It's easy."
Shido chuckled, a smile spreading across his face. "You're confident with your academics."
Mahiru blushed slightly, looking away. "I am ranked first in our grade, so I don't really need to worry about howork." She said it quietly, as if she didn't want to sound boastful, but she felt it was the honest answer.
"Alright, then," Shido said with a smile, nodding in agreent. "Please help with my things, Shiina-san."
Mahiru's eyes sparkled with excitent, her face lighting up at the approval. "Thank you, Itsuka-san!"
"No, I should be the one saying that."
"Please wait for , I'll change my clothes first."
"Alright, take your ti."
With a cheerful nod, Mahiru hurried back to her apartnt, her steps light as she disappeared down the hallway. Shido couldn't help but smile at the sight of her, her eagerness and cuteness making the whole situation feel even more heartwarming.
He turned back to his apartnt and walked over to the stack of packages to receive them
...
Ding Dong.
The doorbell rang just as Shido finished changing. He walked over to the door, opened it, and was t with the sight of Mahiru standing there in her working clothes.
She wore a light yellow shirt paired with pine-colored pants. Her outfit was simple, yet it sohow made her look even more charming than usual.
Shido paused for a mont, caught off guard by the sight. It was the first ti he'd seen Mahiru in casual work attire, and he had to admit, she still looked absolutely cute, even in sothing so simple.
"Shiina-san," he said, a soft smile forming on his face. "You look... nice."
"T-Thank you," Mahiru stamred, her cheeks reddening. She hadn't expected Shido to complint her so suddenly. However, her attention were quickly attracted by his apartnt.
"It's big..." she said, her eyes widening as she glanced around the apartnt. The space was much larger than her own, and she couldn't help but feel a little taken aback. But it didn't last long since she was used to big spaces back at the ho of her parents.
"Well, yeah, it's a 2LDK after all." Shido said with a casual shrug, clearly unbothered by the size. "Anyway, co on in."
He stepped aside, motioning for her to enter, and Mahiru hesitated for just a mont before stepping inside.
"But still, your apartnt has dust almost everywhere." Mahiru remarked, her sharp eyes imdiately spotting the fine layer of dust scattered across the furniture and surfaces.
Shido blinked, a bit caught off guard. "...Sorry, I haven't had the chance to clean it yet. I was too tired from traveling yesterday."
He rubbed the back of his head, clearly embarrassed that Mahiru had noticed the dust.
"No, no! I'm not complaining," Mahiru quickly clarified, waving her hands as if to dismiss any misunderstanding. "And that's exactly why I'm here to help, right?"
She gave him a reassuring smile, her determination returning as she took in the sight of his apartnt.
"Then let's start?"
"Yes!" Mahiru said eagerly.
As Shido began unboxing the packages, Mahiru imdiately set to work, helping him place the new furniture and appliances in their proper spots. Her movents were efficient and precise, a clear sign of her experience in organizing.
At one point, Mahiru turned to him, a serious look on her face. "I'll clean the entire apartnt for you," she said, already grabbing a cleaning cloth.
Shido blinked, montarily lost for words. "H-Hey, that's a bit too much..."
Mahiru smiled, unfazed. "It's no trouble. You've been kind enough to let help."
Shido hesitated for a mont, then shook his head, feeling embarrassed by the offer. He couldn't let her clean everything on her own, especially not when it was his ss. "I'll clean the private areas," he said, quietly pointing toward his bedroom and other more personal spaces.
Mahiru nodded, understanding, and focused on tidying up the more public areas of the apartnt.
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