The next Monday began like any other — sleepy students, the smell of chalk, and the soft hum of the air conditioner.
By lunch, though, the sky outside the classroom windows had turned dark gray. Thunder rumbled in the distance.
Haruto, halfway through solving a math worksheet, glanced out the window with a quiet sigh.
Figures. I forgot my umbrella.
When the final bell rang, rain came down in sheets. Students crowded near the door, groaning.
Some dashed off with raincoats; others borrowed umbrellas from friends.
Aoi stood at her desk, staring at the downpour, her cheeks puffed.
"Ahhh! I knew I forgot something! My umbrella's still at home."
Haruto blinked. "You forgot yours too?"
"Yeah," she said, laughing sheepishly. "Looks like we're both doomed."
He glanced at the clock, then the rain. "You can wait here until it slows down."
"I don't think it's slowing down anytime soon." She smiled up at him, hopeful. "...Wanna share?"
Haruto hesitated — then sighed, pulling a small, navy umbrella from his bag. "It's a foldable one. Not big, but it'll work if we walk close."
Aoi clapped her hands. "Perfect!"
---
The sound of rain surrounded them as they stepped outside together, the umbrella barely wide enough for two.
Aoi tucked herself just under the edge, her shoulder brushing his every few steps.
Her hair smelled faintly of vanilla shampoo and the cookies she'd baked that morning for Mika.
"Wow," she said, watching puddles ripple beneath their shoes. "It feels like the whole world's asleep."
"Or drowning," Haruto muttered.
She giggled. "You're always so dramatic."
He glanced down at her. "And you're too calm about everything."
"Someone has to balance you out."
He smiled faintly at that — and for a while, they just walked in silence.
Then Aoi spoke, her voice soft beneath the rain.
"You know… this is nice."
"What is?"
"Walking home like this. Together."
He didn't respond right away. He couldn't. His heart felt strangely light — nervous, but happy.
"Yeah," he said quietly. "It is."
---
When they reached the station, Aoi stopped and turned to him, her hair slightly damp at the ends.
"Thanks for walking with me, Haruto-kun."
He nodded, holding the umbrella over her one last moment as she stepped under the covered platform.
"You'll get home safely?"
"Yup! But…" She hesitated, then smiled mischievously. "I think I'll borrow this umbrella for now."
"Huh? Wait, that's my—"
Before he could finish, she waved and hopped onto the train.
The doors slid shut, leaving him standing there, soaked, holding… nothing.
He sighed, water dripping from his bangs.
"I guess I should've seen that coming."
Still, as he walked home through the rain, he couldn't help the small smile tugging at his lips.
Because somehow, sharing that tiny umbrella had made the whole world feel a little warmer.