Chapter 5: Drizzle
"It seems the rain shows no signs of stopping." Konata suddenly realized that fact. "I won't be able to level up my character if it goes like this."
Konata and Miyuki were a train ride apart from their respective homes. Going through this rainy hell just to get home was suicide enough. It wasn't the rain that was making the hell but its lethal set of friends: thunder and lightning. Of course, the chances of being hit were high as long as a person stayed on top of a structure like what Kagami did. But even at ground zero, the person can be at risk especially when that person is soaking wet. This was what the monsoon season meant: preparation for the inevitable—such as a storm surge. Even with the crème of the crop helping her, Tsukasa still felt very uneasy not because of the homework (with Miyuki helping her, almost nothing can go wrong) but it was more of the welfare of Kagami amidst the bad weather.
Back at school, the castaways were sitting ducks; not to mention hungry sitting ducks. They were starving; especially Misao who recently mistaken Kagami's right pigtail for yakisoba and even attempted to slurp the noodles into her hungry tummy. Several more hours like this and they may be having one another for dinner. The canteen was devoid of people and the storage for food was locked away for the night. They desperately wanted to go home where they would really find sanctuary. Unfortunately with weather like a storm surge, fate is just unfair. Water may suppress their hunger for the meantime. The faucet in the infirmary supplied them with clean water. It seems that they won't need to eat themselves.
A one-man rescue team was deployed from the Hiiragi household after a terrible argument with his wife. The gushing rain provided him nearly zero visibility. He depended on street lights that lit up the path on his way. No canal that he passed by was devoid of streaming water. Everywhere was a victim for flash floods. Lightning storms wreaked havoc. He passed by a narrow alley where a cat was found lifeless and drenched in the rain—perhaps a victim of a lightning strike except that the cat was very unfortunate. The man was determined to get in touch with his daughter at school. Since Kagami wouldn't even dare going out in a bad weather such as this, he suspected that she might be still at school waiting for the rain to die down. He had to hurry because men were more susceptible to lightning than women.
A flash of bright light from the night sky blew the school's fuse, causing a blackout. It was then followed by an earsplitting sound of rolling thunder. The girls back at school shrieked but eventually regained their cool.
"Kuroi-sensei, where are you?" Misao cried. "I can't see!"
"We all can't see. Now stay where you are or you may crash into something." Kuroi-sensei strictly instructed her.
"I so hate Thursdays."
"Hiiragi, how are you doing there?"
"She's a little bit shaken but fine."
"Let's hope that this rain won't last for long (I wonder how Izumi and Takara are doing.)."
Back at the Hiiragi household, the weatherman finally had said it.
"A typhoon has just been spotted 310 kilometers southeast of the country; with wind speeds of up to 120 k/h and gustiness of 140 k/h. It hasn't landed yet in the mainland but it has brought heavy rains with thunderstorms throughout the mainland and the southern regions of the country. It has also been reported, according to an unknown source, that a student of Ryouou High School has been struck by lightning on her way home. She was brought to the hospital for treatment and currently in critical condition. The weather stations advises the public to stay into their homes and refrain from going out unless of the utmost importance."
Hearing this news made them gasp in terror. A student of the school they go into, the unusual delay in Kagami's arrival, and her failure to answer her cell phone numerous times…they thought of one thing for sure: their friend was struck by lightning.
"Onee-san…" Tsukasa was the mostly-affected character. "No…"
"She should've come home with us in the first place." Konata said.
"It can't be…why…?"
It became clear to them now. That's what they thought because the factors matched the recent report of the weatherman on the TV. It could've been anyone from their school—any girl from their school. This supported Miyuki's opinion.
"Maybe it was another girl. We're not sure if it's really Kagami-san."
"But what if it is her?" Tsukasa cried.
"Please calm down. Let's not hope that it's really her."
"I can't take this anymore. I simply can't!"
Tsukasa ran crying into her room upstairs. The report of the unidentified victim of a lightning strike was too much for her to endure. Worse, the report said that the victim was in critical condition. That reason, alone, made her cry a river.
0
It began with a simple confession: "I admire you, Kagami-san". It then developed into a huge problem for Kagami. The only way to settle the problem with a childhood friend (in which she couldn't vastly remember anymore) was to go to Tokyo Tower on a Sunday. Moreover, she decided to keep a low profile concerning these things as so she wouldn't affect anybody in the process. It did no good however. Matsuri overheard her about the issue. Konata also suspected the existence of a flag in Kagami's life. Tsukasa was worried over her sister's weird actions back then. In fact, keeping something that should be shared among friends and family only did nothing but trouble, trouble, trouble. The scope of the problem has already affected too many people. Her quick change of mind led her to disaster. Ayano, Misao, and even Kuroi-sensei were forced to stay with her in the infirmary as heavy rains poured down from the clouds accompanied by lightning storms and the roaring of thunder. Her situation also forced her father to go out looking for her in the bad weather at which her mother lost at the argument. Also for the second time, Tsukasa was gravely affected through the mass media—the report of the victim of a lightning strike. It bore a hole into her heart that was so painful; it would remain a scar of the past for eternity. Was it still wise to keep such an issue a secret to everybody she cared for? She wasn't still in a position to answer that question. But one thing was certain: more and more people would be hurt by her actions physically, mentally, or emotionally; and to think it all started with a few words from an old friend of hers…how mortifying.
Eventually, Tsukasa's agony turned into sleep. The eldest of the sisters, Inori, watched over her since she needed some relief in the pain. Matsuri felt like explaining the cause of everything but she gave her word to Kagami; a promise is a promise. Konata and Miyuki also did their homework for tomorrow. It was already nine in the evening and Miyuki was feeling drowsy. She fought the drowsiness by pinching herself on the cheek. Konata didn't feel sleepy at all since she's used to late night runs such as late night online gaming and manga-reading. Both didn't feel like talking to each other; not after Tsukasa's trauma. Before they too would be badly distressed, they turned off the TV. The sound of the rain got louder because the TV was turned off.
A quiet place was too boring for Konata.
"Um, Miyuki-san…"
"What's the matter?"
"Do you really think that…it's not Kagami in the news?"
"Well, there was no name given…but it could be anyone…even Kagami-san."
"I see…I feel sorry for Tsukasa."
"Me too…"
"I wish there was something we could do to cheer her up."
"There is…but let's give her some elbow room for now."
"Elbow room; interesting choice of words…"
Back at the school's infirmary at which the entire campus was powerless, Ayano found some candles and a box of matches on the desk drawer. She lit the candles up and placed them in small, empty glass jars to hold them down. They didn't illuminate as much as the fluorescent lamps did but it made up for the entire infirmary being visible. Misao fell asleep after shifting with Ayano for watchdog duty. It was already nine in the evening. The heavy rains somehow weakened to a regular downpour after hours of terror in the rain. However they weren't taking any chances as the regular downpour might revert back into a strong rain one more time. They hoped for a drizzle and hoped for a contact with the outside world. The lightning incursion not only knocked out the power grid of the entire campus but also made all telephones dead. This was worse than being stranded in a deserted island in the middle of nowhere.
Kagami forced herself to stand up. She slowly rose from bed to give it a shot. Too bad she never made it to standing on two feet yet.
"You shouldn't stand up yet!" Ayano gently pushed her back to bed.
"Hey Hiiragi, don't force yourself to stand up. We're stuck here for the night." Kuroi-sensei said.
"The night…?"
"I mean for the time being."
"Sensei, don't you have a cell phone?"
"I uh, forgot to bring it with me."
It seemed that their only chance of survival depended on Mother Nature's decision to turn down the intensity of the storm. With no means of contact and the one-man rescue team still miles away, they don't have any idea what will happen next. It was wise of Kuroi-sensei to send the other students home because of the possibility of a stronger rain by nightfall; otherwise things would be more complicated. Misao and Ayano understood the risks of watching over Kagami until she recovers from a fatal blow.
They waited and waited for any sign of a miracle. When Ayano switched places with Kuroi-sensei for the late night shift, their patience have paid off. The loud sound of the rain shower quickly muted itself. The lightning and thunder were gone.
"Sensei, the rain…!" Ayano cried.
"How very fortunate of us…" Kuroi-sensei replied. "Hiiragi, can you stand up?"
"Barely, sensei…" Kagami answered honestly.
"Sensei, we'll help her."
"You and Kusakabe carry her to the building entrance. I'll accompany you."
The subsiding of the strong torrential precipitation also signaled the possibility of coming home for Konata and Miyuki.
"The rain has subsided. Now's our chance…!" Miyuki said.
"My thoughts exactly…!" Konata replied. "Let's find Kagamin!"
"But we'll get trapped in the rain if it regains strength again."
"You're right…but who will look for Kagamin, then?"
Then from out of the blue, someone behind them did the honor of answering that question.
"I will!"
Konata and Miyuki turned around; and for the first time in their lives they've seen one of their friends downright serious.
"Tsukasa?!"
TO BE CONTINUED