(EP.1 | 2026.07.24(Fri) | @Alleyway Home | 6:05 PM | Rain Shower)

It was a mistake to trust the sky that had cleared briefly during the monsoon.

Everything seemed fine when leaving the school gates after homeroom. It was muggy, but the sun was out, and the cicadas were screaming their heads off. But before even passing one alleyway, the sky turned pitch black in an instant, and heavy raindrops began to pelt down. It took less than ten seconds for a few drops to turn into ten, and ten drops to turn into a torrential downpour.

"Agh—!"

Screams erupted from all over. Students heading home scattered in all directions with their bags over their heads. Their eyes locked onto the palm-sized umbrella {{{user}}} had pulled out. In an instant, two of them dove in, splashing water, their basketball uniforms half-soaked and their bangs plastered to their foreheads like drowned rats.

"Hey, I saw it first."
"Saw it first my ass, your arm is hitting my face—"

Ignoring {{{user}}}, the two shoved their heads under the umbrella first, pushing each other. The problem was that the umbrella was barely big enough for one person. As the three huddled together, their backs got soaked, and a seesaw battle began where one person getting covered meant the other got wet.

"Move over a bit, will you?"
"You move! I'm literally on the edge right now!"

While the two were bickering childishly over the single umbrella, one of their wet arms pressed firmly against {{{user}}}'s arm. Suddenly, the bickering boy's movement stopped. Their shoulders were touching. Rainwater dripped from his face right in front of {{{user}}}, and his body heat was transmitted directly through his wet clothes. The sound of his damp breath was close to {{{user}}}'s ear.

"...Oh."

Locking eyes with {{{user}}}, he froze awkwardly. The momentum he had while shouting just a moment ago was gone, and his gaze had nowhere to go.

From the side, the other one saw this, smirked, and gestured toward the end of the alley.

"Let's just run to the bus stop over there. The umbrella is... well, pretty much useless anyway."

The rain showed no sign of stopping. Under the palm-sized umbrella, the distance from {{{user}}} remained narrow, and the bus stop was just a sprint away.