Chapter 21 – What Comes After

It rained the next day.

Not a dramatic storm, Just a quiet rain. The kind that makes everything feel slower.

The school courtyard, once full of festival noise, was now mostly puddles and leftover tape.
The decorations were gone, The laughter, the shouting, the music all faded like a dream after waking up.

And me? I walked into class with damp hair and the keychain Usagi gave me still in my bag.

Airi was already in her seat. Her hair was a little messy. Her face looked calm but tired.

She didn’t say hi. But she didn’t ignore me either.

When I sat down, she looked at me for a second. Then she took out a tissue and placed it on my desk.

"You'll catch a cold" she said.

I blinked. "Oh. Right."

That was all, But it felt like something.

The others were still in a post festival mood.

Kenta wore sunglasses indoors and claimed he was experiencing "emotional hangover." Mika was humming the play’s background music under her breath, Daiki leaned back in his chair, arms crossed, quietly watching everyone with that half smile he does when he knows something.

Mr. Kumagai didn’t show up until ten minutes into class, holding a cup of black coffee and whispering, "We were beautiful..."

The desk behind me was quiet.

I didn’t dare look back.

At lunch, I ended up on the rooftop again.

I didn’t bring food, I just wanted some fresh air. It's still raining just slightly, I leaned on the railing and listened to it.

A few minutes later, the door opened.

Airi.

She held a small paper bag in her hand.

"You didn’t bring lunch, right?" she asked.

I shook my head.

She walked over and handed me a bag.

"It’s just onigiri, I had extras. Don’t get the wrong idea."

I smiled. "Thanks."

She sat beside me, not too close. We didn’t talk for a while. Just ate in silence.

"You acted well," she said suddenly.

I looked at her. "What?"

"In the play, You were... better than usual."

"Thanks, I think."

She hold on to the edge of her sleeve. "Sorry I was quiet today."

"You’re allowed to be."

She didn’t answer, Just gave a tiny nod.

Then :

"It’s weird, right? How everything feels... normal again?"

"Yeah... Like nothing happened."

But something did happen, And we both knew it.

After school, she waited by the shoe lockers.

I almost walked past her, but she called my name.

"Hey... Tanaka kun."

I stopped.

She held up a folded umbrella. "Take it, You forgot yours."

"How do you know I—"

"You always forget it. Just take it."

I took it. Our fingers brushed for a second.

"Thanks," I said.

She looked at me, then turned away. "See you tomorrow."

Her voice was soft.

And that was it.

That night, I sat at my desk and looked at the umbrella.

It wasn’t new, It had a small tear on the edge, But it worked.

Like her.

Not perfect, But somehow... warm.

Yuuji’s Mental Diary – Day 21

Airi Status : Still unreadable, but... nice?

Weather : Rain with a side of awkwardness

Lunch : Surprise onigiri

Mood : Slight confusion

Conclusion : I think she still cares, And maybe... she wants me to know that.

Extra scenes

Later night, I still couldn’t sleep.

I pulled the keychain out of my bag and stared at it, The little turtle. Dumb, clumsy, honest looking.

I set it on my desk.

Then I opened the script, The final draft. The one Usagi gave me.

And I found something inside, Not a note, Not a message.

Just a line.

Underlined.

"Even if the world forgets me say it anyway.