Waiting for You in the Rainy Garden - Chapter 18

After school, Hiyori went to tell our advisor that she was withdrawing from the tournament.

Waiting outside the clubroom, I felt my chest tighten at the voices coming from behind the door.

Though Hiyori’s voice remained calm, I could sense the tension and resolve beneath the surface.

After a long discussion, the door finally opened, and Hiyori appeared.

“It’s over…”

Hiyori let out a small sigh and relaxed her shoulders.

Though exhaustion showed on her face, there was also a certain brightness there.

I rushed to her side immediately.

“Are you okay?”

“Yeah. I didn’t cry.”

“Good job!”

When I said that, Hiyori smiled sheepishly.

Her smile was somewhat fragile, but the clouds that had been hanging over her until yesterday had definitely begun to clear.

“Mashiro, let’s go to the greenhouse.”

“Okay.”

Hiyori reached out her hand, and I naturally took it.

When we stepped outside, raindrops began to fall sporadically.

What started as small droplets gradually intensified as we walked, until the school grounds were covered in a thin film of water.

The raindrops bouncing off the asphalt looked like tiny particles of light.

By the time we reached the greenhouse, we were both slightly wet.

Drops fell from Hiyori’s hair tips, and her uniform shoulders were damp.

Yet even that sight felt precious to me.

“The rain’s really coming down, huh?”

“Yeah. But… I don’t mind it.”

Hiyori gazed at the rain through the glass.

Raindrops slid down the panes, making the outside scenery waver and distort.

In that shimmering view, Hiyori’s profile looked somehow ephemeral yet strong.

The greenhouse was filled with the scent of damp earth, and the silence mingled with the sound of rain, as if the world was breathing slowly.

“Mashiro. You know… even if I quit track, no matter what happens in my life from now on… I want to be with you.”

Her words, though blending with the sound of rain, reached my heart clearly.

Hiyori’s voice didn’t tremble.

The hesitation from yesterday was gone, and her words were directed straight at me.

My chest grew warm.

That Hiyori would talk about the future so seriously with me.

That she would include me in that future.

“I… want to be with you too, Hiyori.”

The moment I spoke the words, Hiyori’s expression softened and relaxed.

Hiyori gently squeezed my hand.

Her hand was slightly cold, but the strength with which she held mine made me feel the warmth of her heart.

“I love you, Mashiro.”

“…I love you too, Hiyori.”

The sound of rain pattered against the greenhouse roof, enveloping our voices.

It seemed to wash away all the noise of the outside world, the rumors, the anxieties.

In that moment, it felt like only Hiyori and I existed in the world.

The words we exchanged in the rainy garden quietly, surely engraved themselves deep in my heart.

The rain showed no sign of stopping, yet its sound felt somehow gentle, as if softly blessing our future together.