Three years after that fateful day, Hodaka has returned to Tokyo. Fresh out of high school, he now lives alone in a tiny apartment, and he's finally reunited with Hina—the girl he once risked everything for.
Hina is no longer the "sunshine girl." She's just an ordinary high school student, living peacefully with her younger brother Nagi. They see each other almost every day—shopping for groceries, cooking meals together, laughing over nothing. But something's stuck between them. They still have
After the Clear Skies - The day I returned to the city of rain
The day I arrived in Tokyo, it was raining too.
Three years have passed since that day, yet the sky still looks like it's crying.
Hodaka set down a moving box in his old apartment room and opened the window. Damp air flowed in. Forty-two years old, a two-story wooden building called "Corpo Urata." Rent was forty-five thousand yen a month. No bath, shared toilet. The walls were so thin you could hear the person next door breathing in their sleep. That kind of place.
"[gentle] ...Still, if it means I can be close to her."
The moment he graduated from his rural high school, Hodaka came back to Tokyo. To see Hina again. And to stay by her side, always.
From the window, the cityscape spread out, shrouded in gray rain. From this apartment on the high ground of Tabata in Kita Ward, he could faintly see the submerged lowlands. That great flood that struck Tokyo in the summer three years ago. The Arakawa and Sumida rivers had overflowed, and the area around Sumida Ward was still underwater. The cluster of buildings in the half-submerged zone visible in the distance stood silent, like tombstones half-emerged from the water's surface.
*(It's still the same as back then.)*
Hodaka thought. Three years ago, he hadn't been able to do anything. When Hina, as the Weather Maiden, offered her prayers and was about to vanish into the sky as the price, all he could do was watch. In the end, he brought Hina back and got her down to the ground, but the rain kept falling after that. Even now, this city still couldn't pull itself out of the water.
Just like my own feelings.
He'd wanted to see Hina all this time, but the more he saw her, the more afraid he became. Afraid he'd mess up again, and this time she'd really hate him.
"[serious] ...Stop it. Just stop."
Hodaka ran his hand through his black hair, mixed with unruly curls, and straightened the hem of his worn-out T-shirt. His slender frame had gained a little muscle over these three years, and he'd grown to 172 centimeters, but inside, he was still the same as back then. His strong-willed dark brown eyes were, as always, just staring at the rainy scenery.
His part-time job started today. A night shift at a convenience store, and day labor for a moving company. The hourly wage was low for both, but if he juggled the two, he could make about 150,000 yen a month. To keep living near Hina, he needed money. No, money didn't really matter—truth was, he just wanted to see her every day.
Hodaka put on his old sneakers and threw on a yellow raincoat.
Right. Once he finished unpacking from the move, he'd go there today.
Minato Apartments, where Hina and Nagi lived. About a twelve-minute walk away.
Crossing the elevated walkway, Hodaka peered down at the Takashiba Elevated Shopping Street. A long, narrow shopping arcade built under the elevated tracks running from Tabata to Komagome. After the great flood, shop owners who'd relocated from the lowlands had gathered and it had formed naturally, apparently. Since it had a roof even on rainy days, it bustled with evening shoppers.
In front of "Nakajima Fruits and Vegetables," hydroponically grown tomatoes were lined up at 120 yen. Next door was a coffee shop called "Amayadori," 380 yen a cup. Its selling point was enjoying the sound of rain, and a young couple was whispering secretly by the window.
Hodaka glanced at the couple, then immediately looked away.
*(It's not like I'm jealous or anything.)*
But still, he thought it would be nice if he and Hina could sit side by side like that again.
Walking a little past the shopping street, Minato Apartments came into view. Thirty-eight years old, a four-story reinforced concrete building. On the first floor lived the landlady, a sixty-eight-year-old woman named Tamura-san, who always shared her homemade side dishes. Hina and Nagi were in the corner room on the third floor.
As he climbed the stairs at the entrance, Hodaka glanced at his watch. Seven PM. It was the time when Hina still hadn't returned from her family restaurant job.
"Good evening."
When he opened the door, a fifteen-year-old boy was alone in the room, lounging around watching TV. Hina's younger brother, Nagi. He had slightly long, sleek black hair, with a habit of frequently brushing his bangs aside. His large eyes, resembling his sister's, held a light that was, if anything, full of curiosity and mischief.
"Oh, Hodaka-san."
Nagi put down the remote and said, nonchalantly.
"You came again? Did you have some kind of business today?"
"[awkward] N-No, not really..."
"Oh, okay. Ah, my sister's still at work. She said she'll be back around nine."
Those words made Hodaka feel a prickly, awkward sensation.
"[serious] Nine? Nine at night?"
"[surprised] Huh? Yeah. It's a family restaurant, so it's always kind of like that."
"She comes home alone? The streets are dangerous at night. Shouldn't someone escort her or..."
Nagi sighed and turned off the TV.
"[sarcastic] Hodaka-san, my sister isn't some fragile pet."
Hodaka retorted, annoyed.
"[angry] I want to protect her. I don't want her to be in danger."
"Protect her... in the end, you just want to feel safe yourself, right?"
Nagi's voice was strangely calm. Mature beyond what you'd expect from a fifteen-year-old.
"[sad] That's not... that's not true."
He thought it wasn't true. But he couldn't put into words exactly what was wrong. Hodaka unconsciously scratched the back of his head. An old habit that came out when he was troubled.
*(I'm just... worried about Hina...)*
But maybe Nagi was right. If Hina came home safely, the one who'd feel relieved was him. While saying he wanted to protect her, wasn't he actually acting for his own sake?
"[gentle] ...Well, I get how you feel, though."
Nagi softened his tone just a little.
"A lot happened three years ago, and I know Hodaka-san treasures my sister. But she's already eighteen. She can decide for herself."
"...I know."
*(I know, but I'm still scared.)*
Hodaka murmured that in his heart.
A little past nine, the front door opened and Hina came home.
"I'm home. Oh, Hodaka, you're here."
Hina smiled as she took off her wet coat. Her glossy black hair, a little longer than shoulder-length, was tied in a single ponytail today, and the fatigue from her part-time job was visible. But when her large, gentle brown eyes found Hodaka, she seemed to perk up just a little.
"[gentle] Welcome back. Good work at your job."
"Thanks. I'll make dinner right away. Nagi, you're hungry, right?"
"[relaxed] Kinda hungry."
Standing in the kitchen, Hina quickly began chopping vegetables. She put oil in a frying pan and stir-fried some chicken she found in the fridge. The good smell of soy sauce spread throughout the room.
The three of them sat around the table. Looking at Hina's face across from him, Hodaka couldn't help but ask.
"[serious] How many times a week do you work?"
"Huh? Only three times a week."
"Do you always come home around this time?"
"Well, pretty much."
"Should I come pick you up? The streets are dark at night, and the roads around there are narrow..."
Hina stopped her chopsticks and looked a little troubled.
"[gentle] It's fine, Hodaka. It's close, and I'm used to it."
"But on rainy days, with an umbrella, you can't see ahead and it's dangerous."
"[sad] ...Yeah. But really, it's fine. Nagi's here too."
"No, I'll—"
At that moment, Nagi cut in.
"[sarcastic] Okay, okay, that's enough. Hodaka-san, the food's getting cold, so you should eat."
Hodaka fell silent.
*(I did it again.)*
A faint trace of annoyance had flickered across Hina's face. But she didn't say anything back. That was probably because she was still bothered by how the police had chased him three years ago. She felt she'd caused him trouble, that she never wanted to hurt someone precious to her again—Hina carried that guilt.
Hodaka understood it too. That his meddling was just spinning its wheels.
*(But if I lost her again...)*
That was the one thing he absolutely couldn't bear.
The more he felt he had to protect her, the more he spun his wheels. And even though that spinning was hurting Hina, the reason he couldn't stop was probably to deceive his own fear.
After dinner, Hodaka said, "I'm going to get some fresh air," and went up to the rooftop.
The rooftop of Minato Apartments was free for residents to use. During the day, it was a laundry-drying area with ropes strung everywhere, but now, no one was there.
Rain was falling quietly. In the distance, he could faintly see the silhouette of the submerged Arakawa Ward. The Ukishima Connecting Bridge, a pedestrian-only elevated bridge, had its fluorescent lights on at night, making it look like a bridge floating on the sea. Beyond that bridge stretched the half-submerged zone, still under one and a half meters of water.
*(I'm repeating the same thing again.)*
It was the same three years ago. Desperate to save Hina, he'd ended up forcing his own sense of justice on her, leaving her feelings behind.
"[whispers] ...Will she hate me?"
On the empty rooftop, his voice was swallowed by the sound of rain.
Even if she hated him, that was fine. Rather, if it meant losing Hina, being hated was better.
*(Yeah, right. In the end, that's just my ego too.)*
Hodaka gripped the iron railing. The cold rain wet his palms. This was the same gray Tokyo as that day. A city with two hundred and twenty days of rain. Clear days came only three or four times a month, and on those precious "clear days," people gathered on rooftops to hold flea markets. That kind of thing had already become normal in this city.
He didn't want Hina to use her Sunshine Girl power ever again. After she'd suffered so much, to almost vanish for someone else again—absolutely not.
But.
*(Hina is stronger than I think.)*
Maybe Nagi was right. He said he wanted to protect her, but he was just worrying on his own, spinning his wheels on his own, and just making her fed up.
Hodaka looked up at the sky. Rain fell straight down into his strong-willed dark brown eyes.
"...Can't see the stars today either."
That night, Hodaka was working the register at a late-night convenience store.
The store's name was "Daily Shore Tabata North Exit." The night shift was from 10 PM to 6 AM, at 1,150 yen an hour. The manager, Miyake-san, was quiet but not a bad person.
One in the morning. The rain was still falling.
The automatic door opened, and a woman came in.
She wore a black hood, with just a bit of her short bob hair peeking out. She looked around twenty years old. Her single-lidded eyes, giving an intelligent and sharp impression, scanned the inside of the store.
*(At this hour, that's unusual.)*
Hodaka glanced at her sideways, but quickly returned his gaze to the register screen. The woman didn't reach for any products; instead, she wandered around the store for some reason, staring intently at Hodaka's name tag.
"[surprised] ...Hodaka...san?"
She murmured quietly, then approached the counter.
"Welcome."
When Hodaka spoke, the woman's mouth relaxed slightly.
"[gentle] Good evening. I wanted to ask you something—have you heard any rumors about a Sunshine Girl around here?"
His heart thumped loudly.
"[cold] ...No, I don't know anything."
"I see. Actually, strange weather patterns have been continuing for three years now, and I'm investigating the cause. Especially around here—there are records of days when the clouds suddenly broke. Do you know anything?"
Her eyes shone for a moment, like a boy's. The eyes of someone researching something. Hodaka answered, on guard.
"[cold] I don't know. This is a convenience store."
"[surprised] ...Oh my."
The woman stared hard at Hodaka, then gave a fearless smile.
"[serious] Your name tag says 'Hodaka.' Could it be... you're the person who was in the news three years ago?"
"[cold] You've got the wrong person."
"Hmm."
She placed a single business card on the counter. She didn't bu
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