The rain arrived on Thursday.
It wasn't dramatic. Just a slow drizzle that began around sunrise and didn't stop. By noon, Qingchen High was wrapped in mist, the windows fogged with condensation, and footsteps in the hallway grew softer under the rhythm of falling water.
Leo sat in the library, staring at the same sentence in his textbook for twenty minutes.
He wasn't reading.
He was thinking.
About Rin.
He hadn't spoken to her since the fireworks night.
Not out of avoidance.
Out of fear.
Because Rin didn't shout like Yuki. She didn't jab like Hana. She simply pulled away. Quiet. Like a tide receding.
And Leo didn't know how to follow.
---
He found her after school.
She was alone in the music room, sitting at the piano.
She didn't play.
Just sat there, her fingers hovering above the keys, as though the notes might arrive on their own if she waited long enough.
Leo stood at the door for a while.
Then he stepped inside.
She didn't turn. But she didn't leave.
That was enough.
"I didn't know you played," he said quietly.
"I don't. Not really."
Silence.
Leo sat on the bench beside her, leaving space between them.
The piano keys were dusted with condensation.
"I wanted to talk to you," Leo said.
"I know."
"I'm sorry."
Rin finally looked at him. Her eyes weren't angry. Just tired.
"You keep saying that," she said. "Do you even know what for?"
Leo exhaled. "I'm sorry I hurt you. Without realizing it. I'm sorry I let everything build up without giving you an answer. Without giving anyone an answer."
She looked back at the keys.
"I don't want you to pick me just because I was there first," she said. "Or because I'm quieter than the others. I don't want to be the 'easy choice.'"
"You're not."
"I don't want to be pitied, either."
Leo reached into his bag and pulled out a folded piece of paper.
"I wrote this before the festival," he said. "It was meant for you. I didn't send it."
She took the paper, hesitated, then unfolded it.
The letter read:
> Rin,
You're the first person I felt safe around in this school. The way you listen without judging. The way you say things without needing to raise your voice. You made this place feel less foreign. I'm still figuring out what everything means. But I wanted you to know… I notice. I appreciate. I care.
Rin's hands trembled slightly.
"I was going to give it to you," Leo said. "But things got loud. Complicated. And I panicked."
A pause.
Then Rin folded the letter again and placed it on her lap.
"I still don't know what's going to happen," she said. "But I needed to hear that. Thank you."
She stood.
"So, what now?" she asked.
Leo stood beside her. "I don't know. But I'm done running."
Outside, the rain fell harder.
Inside the music room, the silence didn't hurt anymore.