Waiting for You in the Rainy Garden - Chapter 14

The next day, Hiyori didn’t come to school.

The moment I entered the classroom that morning, seeing Hiyori’s empty seat made my chest feel unsettled.

Hiyori, who would normally greet me with a “Good morning” and a wave, wasn’t there.

Just that alone made the classroom air feel somehow colder.

During class, during breaks—I kept thinking about Hiyori.

The writing on the blackboard wouldn’t register in my head, and the teacher’s voice sounded distant.

Even when I opened my notebook, my hand holding the pen felt restless.

Hiyori’s smiling face, yesterday’s clouded expression, her trembling voice—everything kept swirling around in my head.

—Hiyori, are you okay?

During lunch break, when I asked someone from the track team, they just said, “All I heard was that she’s absent today.”

That nobody knew the details only fueled my anxiety more.

Because Hiyori almost never missed school.

After school, I headed to Hiyori’s house.

Even though the summer breeze was blowing, the depths of my chest remained cold.

Standing in front of Hiyori’s house, my heart started beating fast, thump-thump.

When I pressed the intercom, Hiyori’s mother answered.

“Oh, Mashiro-chan. Hiyori’s in her room.”

Feeling slightly relieved by those words, I got permission and went up the stairs.

I took a deep breath in front of Hiyori’s door and knocked with trembling fingers.

“Hiyori, it’s Mashiro. Can I come in?”

There was no answer.

But the door was slightly ajar.

It felt like I was being told “Come in,” so I gently pushed the door open.

When I entered the room, Hiyori was sitting on her bed, hugging her knees.

The curtains were closed, and in the dim room, only Hiyori’s figure stood out faintly.

Her eyes were red and swollen, clearly showing she had been crying.

“Hiyori…”

When I called her name, Hiyori looked up and forced a smile.

That smile was so painful it made my chest tighten.

“Mashiro… you came.”

“Of course, I came. I was worried…”

Hiyori bit her lip and looked down.

Her shoulders were trembling slightly.

“…I might not be able to run.”

“Eh…?”

The sound escaped my lips before I could stop it.

Still hugging her knees, Hiyori continued in a trembling voice.

“My injury… it’s worse than we thought… They said I might not be able to compete in the tournament…”

Her voice sounded like it might disappear at any moment.

I could see Hiyori’s strength crumbling.

“I’ve been doing track all this time… Everything might be over…”

Hiyori’s tears traced down her cheeks and fell with a plop.

The weight of those tears seemed to fall into my chest too.

I rushed over and hugged Hiyori.

Her body was trembling slightly, and in my arms she felt like she might break.

“Hiyori… don’t carry this alone…”

Hiyori buried her face in my chest and cried silently.

Her crying was so weak and painful it tightened something deep in my chest.

“Mashiro, I’m scared…”

“It’s okay. You’re not alone, Hiyori.”

I gently stroked Hiyori’s back.

Her tears soaked into my clothes.

But their warmth seemed to convey Hiyori’s pain, and I didn’t want to let go.

That night, Hiyori held my hand until she cried herself to sleep.

That hand was weak, yet desperately seeking me out—

I vowed in my heart that I would never let go of that hand.