Waiting for You in the Rainy Garden - Chapter 13

Hiyori returned to practice, and I headed toward the greenhouse.

The evening light streamed through the glass, dyeing the greenhouse a pale orange.

The shadows of the plants swayed, and a quiet atmosphere spread throughout.

This place, which should have been calming, felt unnaturally vast and cold today.

Even when I opened my sketchbook, my lines trembled and wouldn’t come out right.

My fingertips holding the pencil were restless, and every time they slid across the paper, my heart grew unsettled.

I had something I wanted to draw, but it wouldn’t take shape.

It felt like a heavy stone had sunk deep in my chest, making it hard to breathe.

—Hiyori has something she can’t tell me.

That fact slowly spread through the depths of my heart.

The shadow behind Hiyori’s smile.

Her red eyes after talking with the advisor.

And those cold words she directed at me.

Everything connected, tightening around my heart.

It was painful.

Hiyori is carrying something, and I can’t do anything about it.

Even though I said I wanted to be by Hiyori’s side, she won’t rely on me.

That fact stabbed sharply into my chest.

The silence of the greenhouse only tightened the grip on my heart.

The rustling of leaves, the distant chirping of birds—everything sounded unnaturally loud.

In the silence, only my own weakness seemed to stand out.

I closed my sketchbook and let out a deep breath.

I could feel the exhale trembling.

My chest felt hot, painful, and utterly helpless.

Just then, my phone vibrated.

Looking at the screen, I saw a message from Hiyori.

Hiyori: Sorry, I’m going home alone today. You go ahead without me.

A short message.

What was there was distance.

Hiyori’s words were polite and should have been gentle, but I felt somewhat pushed away.

I couldn’t reply, just stared at the screen.

My fingers wouldn’t move.

I was afraid that if I replied, something would break.

—Why does Hiyori try to bear everything alone?

The question swirled deep in my chest.

I know.

Hiyori is a strong girl.

She’d rather solve things herself than rely on someone else.

She’s bad at showing weakness and always covers it up with a smile.

But I—

Even though I said I wanted to be by Hiyori’s side.

Even though I wanted to embrace all of Hiyori’s weaknesses and pain.

Hiyori won’t rely on me.

That fact dug deep into my chest.

“I said I wanted to be by Hiyori’s side…”

As soon as I spoke the words, tears spilled over.

Plip, they fell onto the sketchbook cover.

The tears wouldn’t stop, overflowing one after another.

Inside the greenhouse, I cried alone.

It hurt precisely because I loved Hiyori.

I never knew that not being able to share Hiyori’s pain could be this agonizing.

The sunset faded, and the greenhouse slowly grew dark.

That darkness seemed to overlap with the state of my heart.