Chapter 1: The Convenience Store and the Girl with the Red Umbrella

The rain poured relentlessly that evening, casting a veil of silver over the silent streets of Tokyo. The pale neon lights of vending machines flickered like distant stars, and puddles reflected a blurred canvas of the world above. Inside a small convenience store nestled on the corner of a quiet alley, Ryu Tachibana stood behind the counter, wearing a thin, slightly wrinkled uniform and a faint look of boredom.

The soft chime of the door echoed through the store. Ryu looked up—and froze.

There she was. Standing just beyond the threshold, with water dripping from her red umbrella and a strand of hair clinging to her cheek, was Rose.

Not just any girl. His childhood friend. His secret heartbeat.

She shook the umbrella gently and smiled, her eyes lighting up when she spotted him.

“Ryu? I didn’t know you worked here.”

He coughed awkwardly, fumbling to fix his name tag. “I, uh, just started last week. Gotta save up for college, you know?”

She walked toward the counter, her steps slow and graceful. Time seemed to slow with each one. The bell above the door had stopped ringing, but its echo remained in Ryu’s ears like a warning—something was about to change.

“Still drawing?” she asked casually, scanning a row of snacks. Her tone was light, but there was warmth beneath it—a warmth only years of friendship could forge.

“Yeah,” he said softly, glancing at her over the edge of the register. “Still sketching the world I can’t reach.”

She laughed, a delicate sound that cut through the rain. “You always say that.”

Their eyes met. And in that moment, the years of laughter, late-night walks, school festivals, and shared secrets flooded back. They had grown up on the same street, sat next to each other in class, and once promised—half-jokingly under the fireworks of a summer festival—that if they weren’t in love by twenty, they’d marry each other.

Neither had ever mentioned it again. But neither had forgotten.

“I’m going on a trip soon,” she said suddenly, placing a drink and some bread on the counter. “Just a few of us from school visiting some temples out in Kyoto. I wanted to pray for something important… and maybe just get away for a while.”

“So… when will you be back?” he asked, trying to sound casual while pretending to scan the items.

“About five or six days,” she replied with a gentle smile, placing her drink and bread on the counter.

The scanner beeped.

He stopped. Looked up.

Their eyes locked again.

The rain outside intensified, beating against the windows like a second heartbeat.

“I…” he hesitated. “I wish I could join you. It sounds like a beautiful trip. But I’ve been trying to save money. Things are a bit tight right now.”

She smiled again—this time, not playful, but vulnerable. “Maybe we should stop thinking about each other from a distance, Ryu.”

His heart thundered. He took her hand, just briefly, as he handed her the receipt.

“Maybe it’s time we stop being just childhood friends.”

She held his gaze, her fingers lingering on his. “Yeah. Maybe it’s time.”

The door opened again, letting in a gust of wind and the scent of wet pavement. She stepped outside into the downpour, but then turned back, holding out her umbrella.

“Walk me home?”

He nodded, grabbing his jacket. As they stepped out together under the red umbrella, their shoulders brushing, Ryu knew—this was the moment everything changed.

It was the end of something old. And the beginning of something new.

A love story, born from years of silent waiting. And a rain-soaked promise under the crimson canopy of a shared umbrella.

To be continued…