My Cat Girl Neighbor Is Impossible to Understand

Chapter 25: Chapter 25 - Under Umbrella

Dark clouds had already begun to gather throughout the whole afternoon without anyone noticing.

With the ringing of the final bell, the students rushed out of the school building with chatter of going home before the weather would worsen.

Yuiko put her notebook in her school bag.

Ren flashed her a smile.

"It seems to be raining soon."

Yuiko looked out of the classroom window.

"...Indeed."

"I am planning to head for the library first. See you tomorrow."

She bowed politely.

"Thank you."

After saying farewell to him, Yuiko went to the hallway.

At several steps away, Sui was putting on his outdoor shoes.

For a moment, their gazes locked.

"...Sui."

"...Yuiko."

Silence followed after that.

Under normal circumstances, one of them would inevitably come up with a question like, "Ready to go?"

Not today.

They went to the school gate silently in the silence with a gap between them.

Neither of them knew how to fill this gap.

The sky rumbling was audible.

Cool wind blew along the road.

Yuiko looked above.

"I suppose..."

Before she could say more—

Boom.

Thunder resounded all over the neighborhood.

Then, the rain started.

Heavy drops of rain fell down suddenly from the sky.

Students screamed as they rushed to the shelter under the entrance of the school.

"So much for the forecast!"

"I have forgotten my umbrella!"

In no time, the road became covered with sparkling puddles.

Sui quickly opened his school bag.

"...I have brought one."

He unfolded a huge black umbrella.

Yuiko looked at the rain and then at the umbrella.

"I..."

She hesitated.

"I have forgotten mine."

For a moment, none of them moved.

But then Sui inclined the umbrella a little towards her.

"...We can share it."

Yuiko opened her golden eyes.

"...Are you sure?"

He nodded.

"It is going to be cramped, but we won’t get wet."

A slight blush appeared on Yuiko’s cheeks.

"...Thank you."

She went under the umbrella.

The space under it was much smaller than both of them could expect.

Their shoulders were only a few centimeters away from each other.

Yuiko unconsciously took a step to the edge of the umbrella.

"I’ll stand here."

Instantly, some cold raindrops hit her sleeve.

Sui noticed that.

Without a word, he moved the umbrella towards her a bit.

Now, his own shoulder got wet.

Yuiko looked at him.

"...Sui."

"It is alright."

"But you will get soaked with rain."

"Same with you if I don’t."

She lowered her eyes.

"...You always act that way."

"Huh?"

"You always care about me first."

Sui smiled gently.

"I don’t mind."

Yuiko’s ears quivered.

Her tail waved slightly behind her, brushed against his leg but immediately she pulled it back closer.

"S-Sorry..."

"It is alright."

They kept moving in the rain under the umbrella.

Raindrops hitting the umbrella steadily made a noise.

Neither of them knew what to say.

But unlike the silence of the last days, it was somehow...gentle.

After some time, Sui spoke.

"...How is the presentation coming along?"

Yuiko raised her gaze.

"All right."

"...Ren has been helping a lot."

Sui nodded.

"I see."

His voice was quite calm.

But for a fraction of a second, Yuiko thought that she had heard some disappointment hidden in it.

She wanted to ask why it was happening.

But instead, she only gripped her school bag tighter.

Suddenly, a gust of wind blew raindrops under the umbrella.

Yuiko unconsciously grabbed Sui’s arm to steady herself.

Realizing what she had done, she stood still.

"I-I..."

She instantly released him.

"I’m sorry."

Sui looked at her blushing face and smiled reassuringly.

"You don’t need to apologize."

Their eyes met.

For the first time in several days, they smiled at each other.

Only for a moment.

But it was enough to make the gap between them seem somewhat smaller.

Above them, rain kept falling, creating a soothing rhythm of the silent road as they moved on under the same umbrella.

The rain continued without end.

With every step under the umbrella, the two of them moved forward in the rain. Streets which would usually be filled with students had become deserted, as everyone had sought refuge from the pouring rain.

The only ones left were the two of them.

The umbrella was big enough to fit the two of them, making them walk side by side. At times, their shoulders bumped against each other.

Neither of them talked about it.

Yuiko looked at Sui.

His face was just as composed as ever.

But after spending so much time with him, she knew there was something different about him.

He smiled.

He talked to her.

But the smile never reached his eyes.

She held on tightly to her school bag.

"...Sui."

"Hm?"

"...Could I ask you something?"

"Of course."

She looked down at the rain-soaked street.

"...Is there anything I’ve done that made you upset with me?"

Sui blinked.

"What?"

"You’ve seemed..."

She searched for the words.

"...Different."

He averted his gaze for a second.

"I’m sorry if it’s been that way."

"...So I wasn’t imagining it."

Yuiko’s ears dropped slightly.

"I thought maybe..."

She paused.

"...I said something wrong."

Sui shook his head quickly.

"No."

"You didn’t."

"Then..."

She looked at him with worried eyes.

"...Why have you been avoiding me?"

The question stopped him dead on his tracks.

Yuiko hurriedly stopped next to him.

Splashes of water from the rain fell into the puddles around their feet.

"I haven’t been avoiding you."

"It felt like you were."

She smiled weakly.

"You’ve been so silent lately."

"I kept thinking that maybe..."

He sighed.

"...I might have made you angry."

Sui’s heart sank.

He had been hiding his true feelings from Yuiko.

But instead of doing that...

He had made Yuiko feel bad.

"I’m sorry."

"I never meant to do that."

Yuiko shook her head.

"I don’t need an apology."

"I just..."

She sounded weaker.

"...I missed talking to you."

The words had slipped from her mouth.

She widened her eyes.

Immediately, she averted her gaze.

"I-I mean..."

She shielded her eyes partially with her hair.

"...Our conversations."

Sui couldn’t help but smile.

"...I missed our talks too."

They locked eyes once more.

The silence between them was not cold anymore.

It was uncertain.

Like two people before a door they did not have the courage to open.

They started moving again.

The rain eased to a soft drizzle.

After several minutes, Sui whispered.

"Yuiko..."

"Hm?"

"When you stayed after school with Ren..."

His voice faltered.

She waited patiently.

"I..."

Those words were stuck in his throat.

I didn’t like seeing you with someone else.

He almost said those words.

Instead...

"...I was worried that you’d come home late."

Yuiko looked at him.

She understood.

That was not what he wanted to say.

Still...

She smiled softly.

"...Thank you."

A few moments later, she found her courage.

"Sui..."

"Hm?"

"Ren is..."

She cut herself off.

What she wanted to say was—

"Ren is just a classmate."

"The person I want to spend my time with the most is you."

Instead, she averted her eyes.

"...A good partner for our presentation."

Sui nodded.

"I’m glad."

The conversation died down once more.

Both of them had spoken.

But neither of them said the important words.

A sudden clap of thunder rang through the sky.

Yuiko instinctively shivered.

Out of reflex, Sui reached out and gently held her wrist.

"It’s okay."

She looked at his hand.

Then she looked at his face.

He immediately noticed what he had done.

"I-I..."

He started to pull his hand back.

But Yuiko gently shook her head.

"...It’s fine."

Silence reigned between them for a few seconds.

His hand felt strangely more comforting than the umbrella protecting them from the rain.

Eventually, Sui slowly let go of her.

"Sorry."

"You apologize too much."

He laughed quietly.

"...Perhaps I do."

Yuiko smiled.

"...Perhaps."

It was the first smile from either of them since the beginning of the week.

As they turned onto their street, the rain finally stopped.

The familiar houses appeared in sight.

The neighborhood had become peaceful despite the rainstorm.

They stopped in between their gates.

"...We’re home."

"...Yes."

Neither of them moved away.

They seemed to be waiting for something.

Sui took a deep breath.

"Yuiko..."

She immediately looked up.

"...There’s something that I’ve been wanting to tell you."

Her heart skipped.

"My feelings..."

He paused.

Those words wouldn’t come out.

I am jealous.

I don’t want anyone taking your place beside me.

You are the happiest part of my day.

All of those words stayed stuck within him.

He smiled awkwardly.

"...Never mind."

Yuiko’s expression softened.

"...I understand."

Truthfully...

She didn’t.

But she knew that he had tried.

She averted her eyes towards her shoes.

"...There’s something I wanted to tell you too."

Sui waited.

She collected all of her courage.

"You are the person I always want to walk home with."

"When you smiled less this week... it hurt me."

"I don’t want us to drift apart."

The confession was ready to leave her lips.

Instead, she said quietly,

"...Good work today."

Sui chuckled softly.

"...Yes."

"Good work today."

They both smiled.

Not because they were happy with how the conversation had ended.

But because they did not want to make each other uncomfortable.

Yuiko bowed slightly and walked to her front door.

Sui watched her go.

Before entering her house, she turned around.

"So..."

"...Can we walk to school together tomorrow?"

Sui’s expression became the soft smile Haru teased him about.

"I’d like that."

Yuiko’s ears perked up.

"...Me too."

She entered the house.

Sui stood under the umbrella, watching the last drops of water fall from it.

They had gotten close to saying everything to each other.

But fear had stolen their words.

Nevertheless, there was still a small promise left.

Tomorrow, they will walk that same road once again. But even if neither knew it yet, each ordinary step was slowly bringing them closer to the day where they will finally be able to reveal their hidden feelings to each other.