Chapter 24
The fireworks were beautiful, the faint smell of gunpowder mingling with the aroma of street food, creating a vibrant, lively atmosphere.
“So beautiful,” the girls, hands clasped together, gazed at the fireworks with sparkling eyes.
Yusuke, upon seeing the first explosion, had whipped out his phone, snapping pictures incessantly.
Amidst the flashing lights and camera shutters, Yusuke suddenly blinked.
“Ah…” he drawled.
Everyone looked at him. He held out his hand. “I think it’s raining.”
As if summoned by his words, the first raindrops fell, the clear sky quickly turning into a drizzle, then a downpour within seconds. The crowd panicked, scrambling for cover.
“It’s really raining!” Ryuji exclaimed. “Ren, you were right!”
Ren: …
Of course he was right. They had been drenched last time because no one had brought an umbrella. He had even reminded them this time, yet they still hadn’t brought any.
Thinking this, Ren reached for his umbrella, then froze.
A distinct warmth radiated from his clasped hand. He hadn’t let go of Yu’s hand…
He quickly released Yu’s hand, rubbing his fingertips, glancing at Yu, who seemed completely oblivious to the subtle intimacy, smiling gently at Ren when their eyes met.
But Ren was certain Yu had noticed his flustered reaction.
What did he mean by that? Ren wondered silently.
He had noticed Ren’s lapse and hadn’t said anything, hadn’t let go.
“Ah! That’s right! Ren brought an umbrella!”
His friends, seeking shelter from the rain, rushed towards them. Ren pushed his earlier thoughts aside, opening his umbrella. Yu opened his as well, sheltering the four of them.
Unfortunately, two umbrellas for six people was a bit of a squeeze.
“Aaaaah! My right shoulder is getting wet!”
“My phone! Protect my phone! I have valuable data on it!”
“My yukata is getting wet!”
“Everyone, squeeze in tighter!”
“Stop pushing! I’m going to be crushed!”
They stumbled along, six people huddled under two umbrellas, finally finding shelter under a shop awning.
“Phew,” Makoto sighed in relief. “Looks like the leader’s decisions are always sound. If one more person had brought an umbrella, we wouldn’t be in this mess.”
“At least Narukami-senpai also brought one, so we made it here,” Ann said, clutching the damp hem of her yukata. “We’re lucky it’s only a little wet.”
Ryuji looked at the pouring rain. “But what do we do now? Are we going to wait here until it stops?”
“No, my painting is only half-finished,” Yusuke said. “Let’s just run for it.”
“Run?”
“Yes, run.”
Ren handed his umbrella to Yusuke, who took it instinctively, looking at Ren, puzzled.
“What do you mean?”
“You take Ryuji and Morgana and go. Three people is too much. Two is fine.” Ren then turned to Yu. “Narukami-senpai, give your umbrella to Makoto and Ann. Let them go home first.”
Yu nodded, handing his umbrella to the girls.
Makoto and Ann took the umbrella, bewildered.
“For us?”
Yusuke opened the umbrella and stepped out into the rain. “What about you two?”
“I don’t want to go back yet. I’m going to stay here for a while,” Ren said, surprisingly talkative. “Narukami-senpai will stay with me.”
He had suddenly been assigned to stay with Ren.
Yu listened to Ren’s arrangements, slightly surprised by his sudden assertiveness, but didn’t object.
“Alright,” Ann smiled, opening the umbrella and pulling Makoto into the rain. “Have fun standing in the rain, then.”
Makoto looked slightly worried. “Make sure you come home soon. You’ll catch a cold if you stay in wet clothes.”
“Don’t worry about them. They’re our leader and outside consultant. They can take care of themselves,” Ann said.
Ryuji sighed, joining Yusuke under the umbrella, Morgana in his arms. “Fine. Although I really don’t want to share an umbrella with another guy.”
“We should have paired up with the girls!”
“Then why don’t you squeeze under their umbrella?”
“No way!”
The four of them and Mona disappeared into the night, leaving Ren and Yu alone under the awning.
Yu looked up at the falling rain, realizing: If the rain didn’t stop, would they be standing here all night?
“It’ll stop soon,” Ren said, seemingly sensing Yu’s thoughts.
Yes, it would stop soon. They had taken shelter here in his past life as well, complaining about the unpredictable weather.
They had been drenched, and Ann had declared it the worst fireworks festival ever.
Yu turned to Ren, who leaned against the wall. After a few seconds, he said, “You’re not wearing your glasses.”
“Yes,” Ren replied. “My eyesight isn’t that bad.”
So he didn’t need to wear them all the time.
Yu understood, smiling. “You look good.”
Ren was handsome, but he rarely bothered with his appearance. His slightly messy, dark hair usually covered his eyes, and his glasses made him seem gloomy, diminishing his attractiveness.
Combined with the rumors about him being a delinquent with a criminal record, no one paid much attention to his looks.
Now, without his glasses, Yu could see his own reflection in Ren’s dark eyes.
As if all the barriers had been removed, Ren’s true self was finally revealed.
“Isn’t it strange?” Ren asked, casually patting his damp sleeves.
“Not at all,” Yu said softly. “I’ve been curious about what you look like without your glasses. I’m glad I finally got to see.”
He didn’t ask why Ren had asked him to stay or why he didn’t want to go home.
Ren wondered: Was Yu’s behavior simply trust, or was it something more?
Such excessive consideration could easily send the wrong message.
“Speaking of which, I’ve never seen you wear glasses,” Ren said casually. “What do you look like with glasses?”
“Oh? Do you want to see?”
Yu suddenly perked up.
Ren: …
He seemed to have started a dangerous topic.
“What a coincidence! Since I’m going back to Inaba tomorrow, I packed my glasses,” Yu pulled out his gray-framed glasses from his pocket. “I have to wear glasses in the other world. Without them, I can’t see anything. It’s all foggy, and I can’t even find my way back.”
He put on his glasses, smiling at Ren.
“How do I look?”
…He looked incredibly good.
Unlike Ren, Yu without his glasses exuded a gentle, approachable aura. His smile was warm and inviting. But with his glasses on, that gentleness vanished, replaced by a sharp, assertive look.
Looking at Yu like this, Ren couldn’t help but imagine him battling Shadows in the other world.
“You look good,” Ren echoed his earlier words. “So what time is your train tomorrow?”
“8 AM. It’s a bit far, so I have to take the early train to arrive in the morning,” Yu leaned against the wall. “I won’t see you for twenty days.”
Ren nodded. “Don’t come back too early.”
“Huh? I thought you’d want me to come back sooner.”
“Things might get messy in Tokyo. It’s better if you’re not here,” Ren said. “Here, take this.”
Yu watched as Ren pulled something out of his pocket and held out his hand. Ren placed the item in his palm.
It was a Witch Detective Loveling hair clip, still in its packaging.
“This?” Yu looked surprised.
“A gift for Nanako,” Ren explained. “Give it to her for me.”
Yu was a siscon, constantly talking about Nanako, whether with Ren or in the group chat. When Yu described the sweet, strong, and well-behaved little girl, Ren always saw a reflection of Yu in her.
They were siblings, after all. They shared the same admirable qualities.
This strange similarity had clouded Ren’s judgment, leading him to buy this small gift before he could think it through.
It was just a gift for a friend’s younger sister. Perfectly normal.
Yu was silent for a few seconds, looking at the hair clip, then at Ren, then sighing softly, a smile touching his lips as he put the hair clip in his pocket.
He teased, “Nanako will definitely like you.”
“A handsome, kind older brother who brings her gifts.”
“Even when I’m gone, she’ll probably keep asking me about you.”
Three dialogue options appeared before Ren.
[So Nanako will like me more than you?]
[She’s your sister, after all.]
[…]
This time, Ren chose the first option without hesitation.
“So Nanako will like me more than you?”
As expected, Yu immediately protested.
“Impossible! Nanako loves me the most! Even you can’t steal my place!”
“Nanako can’t like any other man besides me! No, not even me! Nanako can’t like men!”
“…Looks like I need to implement the Nanako Perimeter Male Elimination Plan.”
What kind of plan was that? It sounded terrifying!
Ren chuckled softly.
While Yu rambled about Nanako’s adorableness and how she couldn’t be stolen away by any man, Ren thought calmly: It didn’t matter if his friend’s sister liked him or not.
It was enough that her older brother liked him.
