Chapter 52: Umbrella
The blonde twin-tailed girl completely gave up on comparing their sales, because it was an unfair competition!
But how could a strong-willed person satisfy her intense self-esteem?
If her achievements were utterly crushed, she really wouldn't be able to eat or sleep!
She had already lost terribly once, why did her seemingly useless childhood friend have to torment her again?
She really didn't want that to happen!
At this moment, Izumi Chihiro felt a huge resentment emanating from Eriri.
Ah, no…
Her gaze right now was very resentful.
This was real!
"I'm going home first."
After glancing at him, Eriri quickened her pace and rushed towards Detective Slope.
"Did I offend her somewhere? Really, a girl's mood is so unpredictable and hard to grasp."
He scratched the back of his head, shaking it in confusion.
The weekend ended in a somewhat lazy atmosphere.
Soon, Monday arrived again.
He and Sagiri were changing their shoes at the entrance, preparing to go to school.
"Chihiro, Sagiri, I checked the weather forecast. It might rain today, so take your umbrellas with you."
Mrs. Izumi walked out of the kitchen and reminded them.
"Okay, I understand... Sagiri, your umbrella."
Izumi Chihiro nodded in response, then pulled two umbrellas from the umbrella stand next to the shoe cabinet and handed a folding umbrella to his sister.
Because the elementary school was not far from home, he didn't even need to take the train. So he only walked Sagiri to school when they happened to leave together; normally, he would go straight to the train station.
Today was one such day.
He spent an extra three minutes taking Sagiri to the elementary school gate, and along the way, he also asked about her school life.
"Has Sagiri made any friends recently?"
"No."
"Actually, Sagiri, you could be a bit more proactive. Everyone in your class is a classmate, not a stranger, right?"
"I don't have anything to talk about with them; they're too childish."
Sagiri gave her final answer.
"You, an elementary school student, have the nerve to call them childish?"
Izumi Chihiro looked at his sister's 'haughty' expression and playfully flicked her nose with his finger.
"Ni-san..."
Sagiri's face flushed with shyness.
"Never mind. I can't force you to make friends. As long as you don't feel lonely, it's fine."
Izumi Chihiro chose to let his sister follow her own pace.
"I won't feel lonely with Ni-san around..."
Sagiri mumbled to herself, head bowed.
"Hmm? Sagiri, did you say something? Your voice was too quiet."
He lowered his head, asking with a puzzled look.
"No, nothing."
Sagiri said, her eyes flickering.
Since his sister didn't want to tell him, he didn't plan to press the issue.
After seeing her to the school gate, he chose to leave.
During the afternoon classes, the sky gradually darkened, and a thick layer of dark clouds began to cover the sky.
Then, as school was about to end, a 'drip-drop', 'drip-drop' sound of rain came from outside the window, and it seemed to be getting heavier.
"It's not going to be a downpour, is it? This weather."
He looked at the cloud-covered, rainy scene outside the window and murmured.
"It won't rain heavily today, and it will stop soon..."
Hearing this, the classmate next to him reacted.
"Nishikino seems so confident. Did she perhaps check the weather forecast?"
He picked up the conversation.
...
Nishikino Maki blinked her eyes, glanced at him, then turned her head away.
"No."
"Huh?"
Izumi Chihiro was slightly taken aback.
"So Nishikino wasn't predicting, but 'hoping'... Could it be that you didn't bring an umbrella?"
In that instant, he carefully considered her words and immediately realized what was going on.
Nishikino Maki fell silent.
She didn't have a habit of checking the weather forecast, and no one had told her about it. In reality, she could also have someone pick her up...
However, that wasn't an option in her mind.
"In that case, seeing as we know each other, I can walk you part of the way."
Izumi Chihiro thought for a moment and suggested.
"Izumi-dono, what are you saying? That's ridiculous."
Nishikino Maki immediately said with a stern face, "I don't need your help. The rain will stop soon anyway."
Agreeing to that request would mean they'd be squeezed under one umbrella...?
It would be easily misunderstood for a boy and a girl to do such a thing.
How could her pride allow such a thing?
"Then never mind."
Izumi Chihiro also realized the impropriety and chose to retract his words.
If it were Eriri or Sagiri, it would be fine, but doing it with someone else would indeed create a sense of ambiguous illusion.
His relationship with the classmate next to him wasn't that close yet; lately, they had only managed to exchange a few words.