During their final period for the day, Kyouka started to hear raindrops on the roof of UA. She doubted the others heard it—aside maybe Shouji—but her sensitive ears certainly did.

Internally, she cursed. She didn't bother checking the weather that morning, and didn't have an umbrella. 'Hopefully,' she thought, 'if I'm lucky, the rain will pass quickly.'

Jirou Kyouka wasn't known for being lucky.

That rainy, gloomy Thursday afternoon was no different. By the time she was about to leave, it had turned into a full-on downpour.

She could ask a classmate to share, or see if anyone had a spare. But an anxious and uncomfortable feeling swirled around in her gut at the thought of doing so. It was the first week of school, she barely knew any of them. What if they thought she was being too familiar with them? She fidgeted with her audio jacks as she watched the rainfall.

'Nooneisgoingtohatemeforforgettingan umbrella.' She mentally reassured herself. It did nothing to get rid of the feeling.

"Wow, it's really coming down…" A voice to her left startled her out of her thoughts.

She turned to see Yaoyorozu staring out into the rain as well. A folded umbrella lay in her hands, as she was a smart person who probably checked the weather every day.

She really was so smart. And beautiful, and competent, and tall. Not that that was all it took for her to get a crush. She did not have a crush. Probably. She barely knew the girl. They hadn't properly talked outside of a brief introduction. Who knew if she even remembered Kyouka's name.

Yaoyorozu cocked her head to the side, her pretty black hair swaying along with it. It looked so glossy, yet never greasy. "Did you not bring an umbrella, Jirou?"

"Ah, well." Kyouka faltered, feeling embarrassed. That answered one question. "I forgot to check the weather this morning, heh." She laughed.

Yaoyorozu's brows knit together, "You're a highschooler now, you really should be remembering things like this!" She chided, sounding more like a teacher than a student.

Kyouka's eyes fell to the floor. Of course it was one of her most responsible—and gorgeous—classmates that found her like this. She felt her face heat up.

A beat of silence, then, "Sorry, I didn't mean to, um, what I meant was-" Yaoyorozu sighed, clearly flustered. "You… walk to the nearest station, don't you, Jirou?"

Kyouka nodded dumbly.

"I could walk you there; if you wanted, that is."

Kyouka nodded again, more enthusiastically. Then, she finally remembered to speak, "If you don't mind."

She smiled, "Not at all." Then she opened up the umbrella and they stepped into the downpour together.

She was so close to her. She even smelled nice—like fresh cotton. Kyouka inhaled sharply when their shoulders brushed. God, this was so stupid. Was this really all it took for her to get a crush?

Yaoyorozu closed her eyes and inhaled, "I do love the smell of rain, though. Don't you?" She suddenly asked with a smile.

Kyouka fumbled for a moment, but only a moment. "Uh, yeah! Yeah, though, I think it's even better in the fall 'cause it, like, the leaves-"

"It mixes with the smell of fallen leaves! I feel exactly the same." She cut in excitedly. She was so cute that Kyouka couldn't even be upset at being cut off.

Kyouka giggled. Giggled. In what world did she ever giggle? "Yeah."

Okay, it was definitely a crush.

They walked slowly, and Kyouka was glad for it. In part because her legs were much shorter than Yaoyorozu's, but also because it gave them more time together. Students around them were walking home, too. Some slowly, others running without umbrellas with the hope that if they were fast enough, they wouldn't get too wet. Kyouka was almost one of them, a few minutes prior.

Green leaves poked through the pink cherry blossom trees, it would be summer before they knew it. She much preferred spring. As she looked around, she noticed the rain getting lighter.

She looked up at Yaoyorozu only to find her already looking back. They both quickly looked away.

Was Yaoyorozu just as curious about her? She bit the inside of her cheek at the thought—no, she shouldn't get her hopes up like that. 'Seriously Kyouka, you just realized you even have a crush on her…' She chastised herself.

The rain, much gentler than before, filled the silence between them.

Yaoyorozu spoke up first. She cleared her throat daintily, "I apologize for earlier, I didn't mean to start scolding you like that. I'm not your mother, or even your upperclassman! Sorry about that." She said, sounding formal even when she looked embarrassed.

She was still worried about that? God, she was cute. "Hey, it's fine, dude. I mean, I should know better by now—this used to happen all the time in middle school!" Kyouka laughed and tried for a reassuring smile, but Yaoyorozu just looked even more troubled. Her pace slowed then stopped.

"Goodness, would you just run in the rain? Didn't you get sick?" She asked with a hand clutched on her chest.

Kyouka's laugh turned more awkward, "Yes and yes."

Even Yaoyorozu's appalled face was cute. Her brows scrunched together and her hand shot up to cover her mouth—like a worried little granny, except she was a pretty, teenage girl. "Well, I'm glad I ran into you, then." She huffed, then began to walk again.

Kyouka hummed as she followed suit, "Me too."

"If you ever forget in the future, I can walk you to the station again. We can't have you getting sick—every day of training is important!" She scolded, sounding older than she was yet again.

Kyouka laughed, "You sound like a teacher."

The taller girl blushed at her teasing, "I don't mean to…"

Kyouka continued to giggle, and the tension between them rain was slowing down to a drizzle, but Kyouka silently, selfishly hoped they stayed under the umbrella anyway.

Yaoyorozu changed the subject to schoolwork, and Kyouka found that talking to her was actually pretty easy. Especially when none of her other classmates were there to make fun of how obviously infatuated she was with the girl.

The train station came into view, and Kyouka repressed a sigh. Had they really gotten there so soon? On any other day, she'd be thankful for the short trip. But she worried—what if this easy closeness was confined under their umbrella? What if Kyouka came to school the next day and suddenly she didn't know how to talk to her anymore? She didn't want it to end.

But eventually, they made it to the train station doors. The two of them ducked under the covered entrance, but Kyouka noticed Yaoyorozu lag behind her. She turned to give her a questioning look, "Aren't you coming inside?"

"Oh, no." She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, "No, I get picked up by car, actually, so this is where we part ways."

For a moment, she just stared. Then it set in.

"You didn't have to walk me the whole way!" She blurted out, waving her hands in a flustered motion. Why didn't she think of that? Everyone knew Yaoyorozu was a rich girl, of course she got picked up by car.

Kyouka was so busy in her own head that she didn't notice the other girl step forward, and jolted in surprise when she grabbed her hand. Her hands were so soft, her nails perfectly manicured. Her fingertips were cold.

"I wanted to." She said, oddly serious. Her expression melted into a smile that had Kyouka's chest swirling. "I never get to walk home with friends, it was nice. So don't worry about it, okay? I already texted my chauffeur to pick me up here instead."

A sleek black car pulled up, perfectly on time. Yaoyorozu gestured to the vehicle as if to say, "See?"

A mustached man in a suit emerged from the driver's side to open the backseat door for her with a bow. She was rich rich, huh? Yaoyorozu thanked the man politely, then turned back to Kyouka one last time. "It was nice talking to you, Jirou. I hope we can get to know each other better."

Kyouka stammered out a, "Me too." And then she was driving away.

She decided right then: she was never going to bring an umbrella to school again.