STORM

The storm that the weather man promised was already over the city. It wasn't a simple rain, it was a storm with lightning, cold wind and a darkness that was capable of drowsing the entire city.

Nagisa didn't like rain like that, it drained her energy, left her with nothing to do for the rest of the day and all she could think about was getting into her bed to sleep until the sky cleared up and the sun shone once more. The storm caught Nagisa at school, she took a moment to call her mother and let her know that she was coming home until the storm subsided a bit. She didn't carry an umbrella. Nagisa didn't feel like getting soaked and catching cold.

"I can't believe this," Nagisa muttered as she watched the storm from the window next to her. The classroom was empty, only she was there. Some of her classmates risked going home in that weather, others decided to find another place to wait, like the library or some club room. Nagisa was alone.

"Oh, Misumi-san, you're here" A soft voice said suddenly, snapping Nagisa out of her distracted state.

Nagisa looked at the classroom door. After a month, she found it strange that someone would call her by her last name. Of course, the only person who called her by her last name was the class president: Yukishiro Honoka.

"Oh, it's you, Yukishiro-san." Nagisa also called the girl by her last name. For some reason, she never had the confidence to call that beautiful girl by her first name. "Are you also waiting for the rain to stop?" Nagisa asked right away. "It's dangerous to go out in this storm, isn't it?"

"Yes it is. The traffic is increasing, the streets are slippery, and the trains are slowing down," Honoka replied as she too went to the window to watch the storm. She put one of her hands on the glass and smiled warmly. "But the storm is beautiful, don't you think?" Honoka said right away as she watched the storm with her eyes filled with a childlike emotion.

"Do you seriously think the storm is beautiful?" Asked a surprised Nagisa and she also put her hands on the glass as she made a face of funny annoyance and watched the wind move the treetops violently. "Look at this mess! We can't go home because the rain is very strong, the wind is cold and I don't want to catch a cold if I get wet... And I didn't even bring an umbrella." Nagisa complained as she pressed her forehead against the cold glass and grumbled.

"A storm is a demonstration of how powerful nature is," Honoka said vehemently, her eyes seemed to sparkle as she looked at the same thing as Nagisa but from a different perspective. "Look at those clouds, each one of them weighs tons, has enough energy to create static and electricity, plus carries an immeasurable amount of water. And something so big and heavy is at the mercy of the wind," Honoka said as her voice gained strength and enthusiasm. "And the big clouds move at the whim of something that we cannot see, but we can feel. It's beautiful... And it's cold and it can make us sick, but knowing that we're part of something bigger and we resist it with our own strength, with our houses and with something like an umbrella, makes everything more interesting."

Nagisa stared at Honoka with confusion and then frustration. Yukishiro Honoka was seriously the queen of knowledge. As Nagisa watched the thick raindrops pummel the ground and trees, her classmate saw something much bigger and far above. Now she understood why it was hard for her to talk to Yukishiro Honoka, they didn't see the same thing.

"That sounds great... I think," was the only thing Nagisa could answer to avoid looking like a fool.

"Still, I also think that catching a cold is not a very pleasant idea," Honoka said with a soft smile.

Nagisa smiled too.

Both girls stared at the rain in silence for a couple more minutes and soon noticed that the intensity of the rain dropped a bit. Even the wind was not blowing so strongly. Seems like the perfect chance to escape, Honoka said as she took something out of her backpack and offered it to her classmate. It was her umbrella.

"Here, use it and go home."

"Huh? But... What about you?"

"You have a game soon and you shouldn't catch a cold, I'll stay in the library for a while," Honoka said and left the umbrella in her hand. "Go home, see you tomorrow!" And she left.

"Thanks again… I think…" Nagisa mumbled.