ODL – Chapter  51 – The Shared Umbrella

“Whoa… seriously?” (Souma)

The other day, I received a message from Maya-san saying, “I want to have a meeting,” so I came to the [Virtual Real] office after classes. The meeting itself was pretty light and ended without any issues. But as I left the meeting room, I looked out the window.

“Even though, it wasn’t supposed to rain according to the forecast…” (Souma)

This morning’s cloudy forecast seemed to have vanished, replaced by a heavy downpour as if someone had overturned buckets of water. Thick, gray clouds, much like my current mood, blanketed the sky. And, to make matters worse, I had checked my bag and found no foldable umbrella inside. To put it bluntly… I was in a pinch.

Although [Virtual Real]’s office was located in a high-end office district, it was inconveniently far from the train station, with no convenience stores in sight. I didn’t really want to resort to the option of dashing through with sheer determination at this moment.

“Should I ask someone to come pick me up…?” (Souma)

When I checked the weather on my smartphone, it showed “100% chance of rain for the next 3 hours,” and I couldn’t imagine the situation improving by waiting it out. Since the person who would come to pick me up was guaranteed to be a female, if I were to take action, it was better to do it sooner rather than later.

I opened my contacts and, after a bit of hesitation, tapped on a particular name.

◆

[Shizuka PoV]

Speaking of the rainy season… that’s right, a shared umbrella!

In the midst of the rainy season these days, it’s a once-in-a-lifetime chance for a shared umbrella. I was determined to share an umbrella with Souma-kun on this occasion!

…But then, as I got all fired up…

“Come to think of it, I… haven’t been going out at all…” (Shizuka)

As a typical indoor person, I didn’t care about the rain. Whether the sun is beaming or it is hailing, it didn’t matter to me. I could even keep my curtains closed all day, oblivious to the weather outside.

With that attitude, it was no wonder that I would rarely ever get to experience the shared umbrella.

“…Although, it must be nice to be Mafuyu. She gets to go out with Souma-kun every day.” (Shizuka)

I wish I had gone to university too. Then, Souma-kun and I could have enjoyed a dream campus life, filled with laughter and thrilling adventures.

“Ugh… at this rate, the rainy season will be over…” (Shizuka)

With a slight pull of the closed curtains, I could see that the pouring rain outside was perfect for a shared umbrella.

“I wonder if Souma-kun forgot his umbrella… I’d rush over right away if he did.” (Shizuka)

On another note… I check the time and realize something. Souma-kun seems to be late today. He should have been back by now. Could it be… that he really forget his umbrella?

…What should I do? Should I try contacting him?

But if he’s in trouble, wouldn’t he reach out to me?

Oh, but… maybe he’ll contact Mafuyu instead of me… I don’t really like the sound of that.

No, I’ll just go ahead and send a message.

“…Oh!?” (Shizuka)

As I was getting ready to send the message, my phone made a sound, and a chat message popped up.

“(Hey, Shizuka, I’m really sorry, but could you come to the [Virtual Real] office now? I forgot my umbrella, and I’m in a bit of a bind.)” (Souma)

…………

……

It’s here.

It’s here, It’s here, It’s here!!!!!!!!

“(I’ll be right there!!!!!!)” (Shizuka)

I quickly changed into a suitable attire and dashed out of the house.

Of course, I only had one umbrella with me.

◆

[Souma PoV]

“Yahoo~ Souma-kun! Sorry to keep you waiting!” (Shizuka)

“Wow, that was fast.” (Souma)

The door to the meeting room swung open with a bang, and Shizuka, who was in in a black hoodie, appeared.

It had only been about 30 minutes since I sent the message. I thought that the quick reply to the message from Shizuka was impressive, but this was beyond impressive.

“Were you at home? Isn’t that too fast?” (Souma)

“I thought Souma-kun might be feeling lonely, so I dashed over! Come on, let’s hurry home.” (Shizuka)

Shizuka confidently entered the meeting room and, wrapping her arms around my back, pushed me tightly toward the exit. I noticed that the edges of her hoodie were damp from the rain. She really did rush to get here…

“Thanks, Shizuka. I really appreciate it. I owe you one.” (Souma)

“No problem. Souma-kun is always helping me with stuff so don’t worry too much about it.” (Shizuka)

“Well, that’s true. Then I don’t owe you anything.” (Souma)

“No, that’s a separate issue. You’ll pay me back properly… Are you prepared for that?” (Shizuka)

“No strange requests, though.” (Souma)

“Yeah yeah~ Anyways… shall we head home?” (Shizuka)

Being pushed along by Shizuka, we reached the entrance of the building.

“Hey, Shizuka, can you lend me an umbrella?” (Souma)

“….?” (Shizuka)

Shizuka furrowed her brow at my words, looking puzzled. But I’m the one who should be making that face.

“You know, the umbrella…?” (Souma)

“I don’t have one?” (Shizuka)

“…Why?” (Souma)

“I only brought one with me. So…” (Shizuka)

Saying that, Shizuka dashed outside.

“…Come on, get in?” (Souma)

She opened a plastic umbrella and beckoned me to come in.

……

I wondered what it was.

Maybe it was the suspension bridge effect or some other mysterious phenomenon.

But In the rain, with Shizuka smiling at me, she looked strangely cute, and for a moment, I was captivated.

“? Souma-kun, come on, hurry up! Otherwise, I’ll leave!” (Shizuka)

“…Ah, yeah. I’m coming.” (Souma)

Shizuka laughed innocently, probably completely unaware of such things.

…And so, I found myself sharing an umbrella for the first time in my life.

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TL notes:

Thanks for reading!

Lmao MC chose the holed-up Shizuka to pick him up. Well, I guess Hiyorin might be busy with work so it’s either her or Mafuyu. 

But still, damn Shizuka really getting more aggressive over time.

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Footnote:

1. None