The morning greeted Hodaka in a warm and friendly light. He sent a simple message to his mother, which read: "Ojii-chan just celebrated his birthday. Wish you were here," and got up from bed to get dressed. After packing all of his clothes and his traditional attire, he went over to the hallway and knocked on Ojiisan's door.

"Enter," came the quiet voice.

Hodaka stepped through the door. His walk to his grandfather's bed was brave and straightly-structured. He sat down on the chair; his mind having already chosen the right words.

"I want to thank you again, Ojii-chan for your hospitality. If you understand how much I need to meet my train…I think it would be best if I left right now before saying."

"But before you go," Ojiisan said. "I have a great deal to say to you. I'm sure your mother would want me to tell you this. I am in good health, considering my age, but it is not likely in simple mathematics that I will live much longer. I am asking you, my grandchild, to stay with me for the time I have left."

Hodaka started to speak, but the old man raised one thin hand to stop him. "I haven't finished," he said. "I do not appeal to your sense of family duty, even though I know that you have acted responsibly toward the needs of your aunt and uncle during your visit here. I am prepared to make you a fair offer, even a generous one. If you will remain in this house as its chatelaine and see to my comforts and conform with my wishes, you will inherit my entire estate when I die. It is not inconsiderable."

Hodaka was dumbfounded. He was offering him a fortune! He thought what his mother would think of it, and wondered just how much his grandfather was worth.

"How much money are we talking?"

"Five million yen at most. With it, you can find a suitable wife, buy gifts to shower her and maybe even a new home to start your own family…just like what your mother did when she ran off with your father."

Hodaka had his doubts.

"After the way I've seen you act towards my aunt and uncle, I'm beginning to see why she wanted to go to Kozushima with Otousan."

"They are younger, but they lack the discipline that made this family the most respected in all of Numazu."

Or the least respected given your attitude.

After a silent six seconds, Hodaka made his answer.

"I'm sorry, Ojii-chan, but I don't think I am ready for your inheritance. You could however, ask Uncle Tombo and Aunt Paka if they would like it…if you were nicer to them."

"That will be for me to decide. As you are much younger than them, it would wiser if my estate was handled by someone much younger and more responsible in my family line."

"Regardless of how responsible I was back on that island, it's my choice to make, Ojii-chan, not yours. Besides, there are far more important things in life than money."

He walked quickly to the door and pulled it open.

Walking back to his room, Hodaka took one more look at himself in the mirror, combing his hair back to look nice and neat for the farewells he intending to give unto his Morishima cousins and uncles. After putting the brush down, Hodaka smoothed his cheeks which had completely healed from the slap he suffered at his father's hand and whatever injuries he might have gotten from the boat ride with Hina on the night of the ball. Then he took a closer glance at his own face, squinting…

His face and his entire body had mentally transformed back into his sixteen year old self, with three bandages festooned if not plastered against the middle of his face, scruffy hair and overall stature that made folks perceive him as a homeless boy without a friend in the world or a family to turn to.

But those people were quite wrong; Hodaka did have a family, a large one in fact and he made plenty of friends during his escape to Tokyo. With this reassurance, he shook his head wildly and his reflection returned to normal. Satisfied, Hodaka picked up his suitcase and disappeared from the room, never once looking back.

"We'll miss you," said Aunt Paka when he was outside.

"Can we take you the train station?" Uncle Tombo offered.

"No thanks," Hodaka said sweetly. "I know the way."

He waved his aunt and uncle goodbye and struck off on foot towards the Morshima family's house. He had plenty of time to get to the station and say goodbye.


Remembering whatever he could of the exact directions, he walked his way up the road to find the Sunto District, which was a pretty long walk by foot. At any rate, he would have to take an Uber ride over there. He did so and the driver came and picked him up in two minutes flat. He give the driver the addressed that he remembered, followed by another forty minutes' drive and he was at the house. Then Hodaka thanked the driver, paid him with his credit card and dashed his way to the front door.

Makuma heard him knocking on the door and she rushed over to open it. Seeing her cousin bought a bright smile to her face.

"Hello again, Hodaka."

"Hello, Makuma. I just said goodbye to Okasan's family and now I've come to say goodbye to you too."

"Perhaps you should come in and say your farewells to everyone. At least you'll be out of the cold this way."

She ushered Hodaka into the living room where almost everyone was gathered. Some of the little ones were eating and playing mobile games in the kitchen. He could hear the music and laughter through the door to Maureen's kitchen. Her two fists beat on it until Jiro opened it.

"It's Hodaka!" he said with pleased surprise. "Come in, Hodaka darling, and meet Sun Chang-min. He's our priest from South Korea. Think of him as a family friend."

"That I am," bowed Chang-min with a smile.

Now that he was close to him, Hodaka could see that Sun Chang-min was years younger than Jiro and not really all that much like his father, except for his round face and short stature among his taller peers. Chang-min's blue eyes were darker, more serious, and his round chin had a firmness that Hodaka had seen on his father's face only a long time ago when he took his family on those boat rides. In short, given his name and appearance, he was, by all accounts, a Korean.

Chang-min smiled when Jiro introduced them, and his eyes were almost lost in a network of creases. Yet the warmth gleaming from them made Hodaka feel that meeting him was the happiest experience of his entire life. "And are you not the luckiest family on the face of the earth, to have such a creature one of us?" he said. "Your relatives have told me all about your escapade to Tokyo, Hodaka. And I must say you have had quite an experience to be involved with an actual weather-maiden. I wish it were the same with us back in South Korea."

Hodaka was bewildered. "Is South Korea suffering a draught?"

Chang-min answered him without humor. "It is. We hardly seem to be getting any rain because of the one that started back nine years ago and in spite of best efforts to keep the crops growing, we could certainly use some rain."

Then Hodaka came up with a suggestion, one which would lead to unexpected results.

"Have you ever tried praying for the rain?"

"Most of us have tried, but, God seems to have forsaken us."

"I think what you need is someone like Hina. But instead of sun you get rain. It's almost as easy as doing something like this."

He closed his eyes, just like Hina. He stood straight, almost exactly like Hina. He clasped his hands together the same way Hina did and his mind focused on the rain, picturing a mental image of grey skies falling over a dry field, spreading it's waters all over the crops and repainting the colors of the mountains from brown to green.

But after seven seconds had passed, the most unexpected thing happened outside: what started as a drizzle turned into a heavy shower. The drops grew in size, the pounding grew louder, the wind was blowing faster and the skies grew foggier.

Everyone's attention was caught by the boom of thunder outside. Makuma and Chang-min looked out the window. Both of them seemed to know all too well that the weather wouldn't change that fast. Then again maybe it did. Chang-min, having a good knowledge of myths and legends, seemed to believe what he saw with his own two eyes.

"Hodaka," he said slowly. "I'm not sure if this would be the right time to tell you this, but…I strongly believe that you may be, what your people call…an ame-otoko."

Hodaka's mouth dried up faster than the crops in his mental image. He knew what an ame-ototko was. It was exactly as he said it was…but, it was his voice who said.

"You mean…I have the power to bring the rain? Could I even be the cause for all this?"

He held his head as he paced frantically back and forth. How did he even get these powers? Was his father to blame for his unhappiness? Was he going to end up like Hina? A lonely individual to be sacrificed to the gods, spending the rest of eternity in the land of clouds?

"Hina is a hare-onna," Chang-min explained. "And it seemed that fate has brought you two together so that the weather can be balanced for good."

"Balance?" Hodaka never really thought about it. "Even if I wanted to marry her, I just don't feel ready yet."

"That's understandable," said the wise mother that was Makuma. "The more you get to know her, the more she'll reciprocate her feelings."

"No, I mean it," Hodaka was stern. "I don't know how she is going to feel if I tell her this, regardless if she believes me."

"What do you plan to do then?" Makuma asked.

Hodaka's thoughts were someplace else, somewhere he had never even dreamed of going to.

"I'll go to South Korea. Maybe I can put my powers to good use and help the farmers with their crops and vegetables, even if they're not friendly with the Japanese. But I'll do it wisely and not abuse my powers like I did with Hina."

"I was about to suggest that myself, Hodaka. I know of a religious cult that may be willing to help you with your new position. They're very friendly with anyone who has the power to bring their world out of a drought. After all, we are all human beings are we not?"

"We are," said Hodaka. "I'll go with you when school's off, Chang-min, and I won't come back until after the summer holidays are over. By then, I'll have made my mark on the Koreans…and when I hear from Hina that her powers have been restored…then I can marry her."

"So…are you going to go?" Chang-min asked.

Hodaka nodded his head and said aloud. "I'm going to go!" Suddenly he felt wonderful, even in his stomach. He stood up to hug Makuma and he barely noticed the pain in his feet.

Why not put it off a little longer? Especially since the train was most likely going to be delayed due to the storm that he caused. He would miss Tokyo and his classmates, but no matter how many times he helped them with their homework and no matter how many conversations or parties he attended with them, he was starting to get bored with them, and Hina herself said that she wanted to have some time to herself before they could resume their relationship. She could even spend most of it with Aito Hamato for all he cared.

Tokyo could wait until he got back. Hina could wait, too. Lord knows he'd waited for her often enough. Why shouldn't he visit South Korea to see Sun Chang-min's kin and help bring the rain back into their lives? July was only about two months and a day away. And he'd be a weather-man and happy for a while yet before he settled down to Tokyo's rules.