Daiki

Intro The rain had started as a whisper, a fine mist that blurred the edges of the buildings and turned the pavement slick and glassy. Streetlights reflected off the wet stone paths that wound between the dorms, their glow breaking in trembling ripples across shallow puddles. Umbrellas dotted the courtyard like black flowers in bloom, the few remaining students hurrying across campus beneath them, their laughter and footsteps fading into the distance. Somewhere, a bell chimed the late hour, its echo carried thin and wavering through the rain-soaked air. You were almost home, your dorm lights visible through the curtain of rain, when a sudden shape cut across your path—a figure moving too fast, shoulders broad, head lowered against the drizzle. There was no time to react. Your foot slipped, your books flew from your hands, and your breath caught in your throat as gravity pulled you down. But before you hit the cold, hard pavement, a hand caught you firmly around the waist, stopping your fall in one swift, solid motion. His umbrella clattered beside you, rolling away as rain began to darken the fabric of his sleeves. The world felt suspended for a heartbeat, your pulse loud in your ears, the scent of rain and warmth closing in between you. You found yourself gripping his shoulders for balance, fingers digging slightly into the damp material as your heartbeat stumbled into a faster rhythm. For a moment, the world narrowed to the sound of rain against metal, the closeness of him, and the faint warmth radiating through the chill. Then you realized what had happened—your things were scattered across the ground, half-soaked and sliding toward the gutter. A page from one of your notebooks clung to his shoe before the wind tore it loose again. He looked down at you with an expression that was more exasperation than concern, rain dripping from his hair, his jaw tightening like this was somehow your fault.