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Chapter Two — Surviving Another Rainstorm
The bell rang, signaling the end of classes. Nagatoro strolled down the hall to the art club room, her back straight, her gait confident. Nothing happened yesterday. Act normal. Nothing has changed.
She entered the club room, grabbed a manga from the shelf, and sat down on the sofa.
Senpai stood at the easel, pencil in hand, drawing a still life of a mug, spoon, and saucer. Yesterday didn't happen, he told himself. Nothing has changed. He glanced at Nagatoro, reading quietly, but didn't say a word.
For the next fifteen minutes, he drew and she read. Every now and then, he glanced at the couch.
"Why are you looking at me like that with those creeper eyes?" Nagatoro prodded with a wicked smile. She crossed her legs, leaned back, and intertwined her fingers behind her head.
"I am not." Senpai snapped his eyes back to his drawing.
Nagatoro returned to her manga. Senpai's drawing took form while Nagatoro flipped pages.
She glanced up. "You are such a perv. I can't believe you read this stuff."
"I'm not the one that's reading it."
"Pervert. Pervert. Pervert." She turned another page.
Senpai continued drawing. Once or twice he glanced at the couch from the corner of his eye, keeping his head straight.
Nagatoro continued reading the comic. "Don't think I'm not catching that. Pervert."
Senpai checked his drawing for finishing touches. He adjusted the shadow beneath the saucer. Though his eyes unconsciously gravitated toward the couch and its one lone occupant, Senpai struggled to keep his focus straight ahead.
He sighed and fished his smartphone out of his pocket. Pretending to read his texts, he tapped the photo gallery icon and sheepishly smiled when the image appeared.
"No way." Nagatoro set down her manga. "You took pictures of me, didn't you?"
Senpai's eyes bulged and his spine stiffened. "No. No." He shook his head. "I would never do that."
Nagatoro snatched the phone out of Senpai's hand and studied the image. He'd taken a picture of the painting he made. Her face reddened. Her knuckles grew white as she gripped the device.
"I told you I didn't take any pictures of you."
"This is worse." She tapped the trashcan icon, deleted the picture, and checked his gallery for similar shots. Satisfied, she handed the phone back to him.
He took it and looked down at the ground. "I have other copies. It's the desktop background image on my PC at home."
Nagatoro's eyes bugged out. Steam rose from her head. She raised her fists—then relaxed and lowered them while inaudibly sighing, "I see."
A thunderclap startled them.
Nagatoro ran to the window. "We better get going or we'll get caught in a thunderstorm again."
Senpai rose from his chair and retrieved an umbrella from the corner. "If it does rain, at least we'll be prepared."
Nagatoro pulled her backpack over her shoulders. "We should go before it's too late."
They were two blocks from the shelter when it drizzled, and they sprinted for cover when it rained. The pair ducked under the roof an instant before the sky opened its trapdoors, pouring water down on the Earth in buckets and barrels.
They sat at the picnic table they used once before, though now they wore dry clothes. The torrential downpour created a flowing stream along the road.
"How long is this going to last?" Nagatoro asked.
Senpai checked his phone. "The forecast says a storm front is moving through. It won't let up for a couple of hours. Good thing I brought this." He opened the umbrella. "Why don't I walk you home first since your house is really close?"
Nagatoro's eyes widened. "You've got to be kidding. That's a little kid's umbrella. It'll barely cover your shoulders, let alone both of us."
He offered her the handle. "Then you take it. I don't mind getting wet."
She crossed her arms. "No, that's not going to work. You'll get soaked and sick, and you'll catch your death. That's not going to happen."
"Then what are we going to do?"
Nagatoro walked to the edge of the rain wall and stuck out her hand. "It's not so bad. It's actually kind of warm." She unbuttoned her blouse.
"What do you think you're doing?"
"It's the only way we'll both be able to keep our clothes dry. Besides, it's not like you haven't seen me naked before."
"But other people will see you."
She motioned toward the weather. "The only people crazy enough to venture out in this rainstorm are naked schoolgirls and perverts. Besides, it's not that far." She continued undressing. A minute later, she handed him a package of clothes wrapped in her blouse. "Ready to go?"
He clutched the package to his chest, gripped the umbrella, and nodded.
"Let's do this." Nagatoro sprinted into the rain.
Senpai kept up with her the best he could. Totally unencumbered, Nagatoro pulled away, her bare feet splashing myriad puddles, her breasts bouncing in time with her gait. She skidded to a stop in front of her house, drenched and giggling. Ten seconds later, Senpai joined her at the door. She opened it and ushered him inside.
Dripping wet, she extended her arms. Senpai focused on her hands.
His jaw dropped when his eyes refocused elsewhere.
A sly smile formed on Nagatoro's lips. "Can I have my clothes back, please?"
He snapped out of it. "Oh, right. Sure." He handed her the package.
"See you in a minute." She trotted down the hall.
Moments later, she approached him dressed in a green top and blue shorts, toweling her hair.
Senpai's visage fell.
"Ha-ha. Pervert, Senpai. You expected me to be naked."
"No, I didn't." He stuffed his hands in his pockets. "Thank you for keeping us … I mean, for keeping our clothes dry …" He pushed his glasses up his nose. "… the way you did."
Nagatoro's face flushed for an instant, but she quickly recovered. She raised her hands to her chest and wiggled her hips. "Senpai likes seeing me naked, doesn't he?"
His cheeks turned beet red.
"You make the funniest faces."
He adjusted his glasses again.
She nodded toward the stairs. "Want to play some video games?"
"Okay."
Author's Notes: I watched another episode and liked it so much I decided to write another chapter. And I'll probably write more. — SK