The girl at the door had expected to be met with Yoru's angry face or harsh scolding.
But instead, he asked if she needed a raincoat?
A trace of hesitation appeared in Nanami's eyes.
Wind swept past, carrying sheets of rain that pelted her back.
She didn't have a raincoat—just an umbrella.
She didn't need to keep delivering today, but she still had to go home.
The umbrella wouldn't cut it.
She couldn't just crouch in some dark hallway to hide from the weather, could she?
"Then... thank you~" Nanami looked up at Yoru.
"Wait here a sec." Yoru carried the two food bags inside.
He dropped them on the living room table, then headed to his room, opened the wardrobe, and pulled out a full-body raincoat and a clean white towel.
At the door, Nanami shifted her position slightly after Yoru left, trying to get even closer to the wall.
She hoped the balcony corridor would shield her from more of the wind and rain.
The door was open just a crack—about the size of a fist.
After hesitating for a moment, Nanami, leaning on the door, quickly peeked inside.
Her heart was a mess.
"Isn't Kitakami the one they say at school harassed Kasumigaoka-senpai and stole her personal stuff..."
"Gross and creepy, with all kinds of disgusting thoughts?"
"But looking at him now... he doesn't seem like that kind of person."
Her teeth chattered as her entire body shook violently from the cold.
She felt like she had judged him by appearance...
And she'd even made that face at him earlier. That wasn't right.
Her mind flashed back to her earlier expression when she saw Yoru—the panic, fear, and faint disgust.
Did she hurt his feelings?
He noticed it all.
And still, he was willing to help her.
She swore it was just a reflex. She couldn't control it.
As the girl continued to overthink, Yoru came out with the items.
Guiltily, Nanami moved her body away and pressed her ear against the door.
The footsteps got closer, and she felt confused and nervous.
Yoru reached the entryway and stopped again.
Listening to the storm outside, he glanced at the raincoat in his hand and recalled how soaked Nanami was.
"One towel isn't enough."
"She's completely drenched—she'll definitely catch a cold or a fever. And with the storm, even a raincoat isn't enough."
"Should I ask if she wants to come in and wait out the rain?"
"Forget it. Bad idea. She'll probably think I have ulterior motives. After all, I'm just a gross, fat nerd..."
Yoru stood at the entrance, muttering to himself.
Outside, in the storm, Nanami had her ear pressed to the door. Though she didn't catch all of Yoru's mutterings, she got the gist.
"What... what have I done~"
"I can't believe..."
A wave of guilt surged in Nanami's heart.
The next moment, Yoru pulled the door open, startling her.
"K...Kitakami-kun..." Nanami's delicate body trembled.
Maybe from the cold. Maybe from something else. Or both.
"Here you go." Yoru didn't say anything unnecessary and handed her the raincoat.
"Th-thank you. I'll return it later." Nanami's voice was shaky.
She wanted to apologize again, but Yoru shut the door.
"..."
Nanami froze, then looked at the raincoat in her hands and noticed a clean white towel inside.
She nodded gratefully and rushed to the apartment stairwell.
The storm was finally blocked out.
Her pale hands trembled as she took off her motorcycle helmet and placed it on the stair step.
Yes, she was soaked through—even her underwear and panties.
"Achoo."
Suddenly, Nanami sneezed.
She quickly grabbed the towel and wiped the water off her face and body.
But her mind kept thinking about Yoru.
"Kitakami-kun is just a bit chubby. He's not as horrible or disgusting as people say. He's not a bad person at all."
"When I return the raincoat, I'll properly apologize and thank him..."
"Those rumors at school—there must be some misunderstanding. Otherwise, he would've been expelled already."
Nanami wrung the towel she'd used on her lower body with both hands.
Splash—
A small stream of water dripped from the towel.
She felt immense guilt and remorse toward Yoru, and began to think of how she might make it up to him—what she could do to feel at peace.
Her complicated emotions seemed to dull her sense of temperature.
It didn't feel as cold anymore.
Then, she folded the towel neatly, put on the thick raincoat, and dashed out into the rain.
"Friday's afternoon shift is over. If it rains tomorrow and the day after, I'll lose two and a half days of income."
"Next week, I'll have to go to the supermarket at night and grab discounted food. And eat less for breakfast..."
While running through the rain, Nanami began planning her budget again.
...
Yoru closed the door and treated the whole thing as a small, forgettable episode.
He didn't dwell on it.
He carried the two bags of food to the kitchen and stuffed them into the fridge.
Then he began cooking his low-fat dinner.
After feeding San-san a little, he rested for a bit and started exercising.
Yoru knew that with his current weight, he wasn't suited for intense cardio, so he focused on planks, mountain climbers, and jumping jacks.
After those, he did a bit of strength training, and an hour quickly passed.
Exhausted, Yoru collapsed onto his bed—it wasn't even 8 p.m. yet.
He remembered adding Megumi on Line today, and excitedly rubbed his hands together, grinning foolishly.
Nervously, he sent a greeting message.
Yoru wasn't good at chatting with girls.
Soon, Megumi replied...
---
The next day—Saturday.
The rain cleared, and the skies were bright.
Yoru woke up early, exercised, had breakfast, and cleaned the house.
Megumi was visiting tomorrow, and Yoru was going home for lunch today.
Since it was still early, Yoru finished his homework and reviewed for another half hour.
Around lunchtime, he left the apartment and took a bus back to Shinagawa.
At noon, the three members of the Kitagawa family sat together at the dining table.
Lunch was plentiful, but Yoru was somewhat distracted.
On the TV, news about skyrocketing stock prices of companies under the Shinomiya Group played, along with coverage of politicians trying to curry favor.
Even the financial venture capital firm where his father worked had shares in Shinomiya Group.
Just thinking about the fact that Kaguya was the heiress to that group made Yoru sigh internally.
Better focus on getting along with Kato-san instead.
That mysterious treasure chest...
After lunch, Yoru went for a stroll, carrying some beef jerky.
It was homemade by his mother, Kitakami Megumi—clean, hygienic, low-fat, and healthy. A perfect snack during his diet.
While waiting for a traffic light at a street corner, a brown dachshund trotted over and sat obediently at his feet, panting and looking up at Yoru with eager, flattery-filled eyes.
"Here you go..." Yoru tore off a small piece of jerky and fed it to the dog.
"Gomen, sorry about that!"
A familiar voice called from a distance.
"Yuigahama-san?" Yoru looked up and recognized her.
"Y-Yeah, it's Kitakami-kun... sorry if Sablé startled you." Yuigahama looked a bit awkward as she sized him up.
A classmate who was both familiar and unfamiliar.
"No, it's fine. See you." Yoru glanced at Sablé, and when the light turned green, he left without another word.