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V5 Chapter 8: I Saw an Angel in Shimokitazawa
🕑 Added 2025-06-11 11:06:48 +0000 UTCShimokitazawa at noon—
A fine misty rain rustled softly as it fell on the dry ground. Despite the intense heat and blazing sun just this morning and at noon, the sky on this Sunday afternoon had turned into a hazy grey under the weight of thick humidity.
Who would have guessed the weather would shift so dramatically in just half a day? The sudden downpour came so abruptly that most people didn't even have time to prepare.
But, of course, Kazami Haru wasn't most people as he had learned his lesson.
After catching a cold from getting drenched in the rain while carrying a kitten home last time, he now made a point to always check the weather forecast before heading out. Bringing one umbrella wasn't even enough to ease his mind anymore.
These days, he also carried a spare umbrella worth at least 1,600 yen, ready at a moment's notice to unleash his cool Starburst Stream Slash.
"This rain doesn't look like it's letting up anytime soon…"
Normally, in this kind of muggy, rainy weather, he'd head home right after training.
But today was different. He'd planned to swing by Shimokitazawa to pick up some art supplies. Every now and then he felt like drawing, and the only thing he had on hand was a pen with an Ultraman design, hardly the ideal tool. Having the right gear meant a lot to him.
Even if he had Level 5 drawing skills from the simulation, artistic inspiration would eventually fade if he didn't keep at it.
"Seriously? Is food the only thing sold in all of Shimokitazawa?"
He had been wandering around the local shopping district for quite a while now and still hadn't found a single art supply store. What he had found, though, were four different ramen shops. He almost gave in and walked into one to eat.
The sound of rain, rhythmic and poetic, fell steadily onto the umbrella in his hand.
A warm, gentle breeze carried fine droplets into the umbrella, peppering the back of his neck with cold pinpricks. He instinctively shrank into himself.
Forget it, he'd call it a day and go home.
"Huh?"
Just then, a familiar flash of gold caught Haru's eye in the distance.
He raised his dark eyes and looked closer, a blonde girl with a side ponytail stood at the corner of the street, clutching a bunch of things in her arms. There was an umbrella next to her, clearly usable, but she only stared blankly at the falling rain.
She wore a short-sleeved white dress, a brown collar around her neck fastened with a bright red tie patterned with circles. Her slender arms struggled to hold a large, wide fabric bag.
The little triangular dorito cowlick in her golden hair seemed to have drooped slightly under the rain.
Without a second thought, Kazami Haru began walking toward her.
Once they were close, he called out—
"Nijika!"
"Eh?"
Called by name, Ijichi Nijika turned her head in surprise.
She blinked when she saw it was Kazami Haru approaching with an umbrella. The bag she was holding nearly covered half her face, but she leaned forward slightly to peek out and said, "Haru-san?"
"Haru-san, why are you still in Shimokitazawa? Practice is already over today, isn't it?"
"I just forgot to buy a few things, that's all. What about you, Nijika? Why are you carrying so much… are you out shopping?"
Now that he was closer, Haru realized Nijika was carrying quite a load. The oversized bag was stuffed with vegetables and frozen foods, so full that she could barely hold it all.
No wonder she couldn't use her umbrella.
"They had a discount and everything was super cheap, so I kinda… went overboard. And then it started pouring just as I left the supermarket…"
"Trying to carry all this and hold an umbrella didn't seem like a great idea, so I figured I'd just wait here for the rain to stop."
Nijika looked slightly embarrassed, her pale cheeks flushed with pink.
"This rain could go on for who knows how long, why don't I walk you back to STARRY?"
Seeing how troubled she looked, Haru didn't hesitate. He simply took the bag of groceries from her arms and handed her his umbrella.
Nijika blinked at the umbrella now in her hands, then looked at the bag Haru had taken from her.
"But that stuff's heavy! You're gonna trouble yourself, Haru-san…"
Hey now, no guy wants to be told he can't handle it!
Especially not in front of Ijichi Nijika. Even if he wasn't confident, he had to act like he was! Not to mention, this was nothing compared to what he carried with Uika-san yesterday.
"Then I'll count on you to hold the umbrella."
"Ah… okay."
Seeing how firm he was, Nijika finally relented, won over by his decisive actions.
She raised her small, pale hands and held the umbrella high over Haru's head. And so the two walked side by side through the rainy streets of Shimokitazawa. But because she held the umbrella too high, Nijika occasionally got wet on one side.
Still, she seemed to prefer getting a little wet herself rather than tilting the umbrella and letting Haru get rained on.
Noticing this, Haru bent down a little to lower his height, making it easier for Nijika to lower the umbrella and cover them both. Nijika picked up on his subtle gesture.
She slowly raised her gem-like crimson eyes and occasionally snuck glances at his profile.
Wow… Haru-san's actually pretty tall…
He must be at least fifteen centimeters taller than her? At that height, if she just stood on tiptoe, she might even be able to—
Pfft!
That thought made Nijika's face go beet red. She quickly lowered her head to hide the flush burning across her cheeks.
Why was she thinking something so embarrassing all of a sudden? She'd sworn to stop letting her thoughts wander like this. She had to calm down!
But they were sharing an umbrella now, standing close enough that their shoulders occasionally brushed…
There was no way she couldn't think about it!
"R-right…"
"Haru-san, what were you trying to buy again?"
Feeling her mind spiral, Nijika tried to shift the conversation, pretending to be her usual upbeat self. Maybe if they just kept chatting, she could pull her thoughts away from the edge.
Otherwise, her head might just explode from all this.
"Just some art supplies. I spent forever searching nearby but couldn't find a single decent store. I was about to give up and head home."
Haru spoke casually, still holding the bundle in his arms.
Huh?
The small hands holding the umbrella gave a tiny tremble.
Cold droplets hit Nijika's bare shoulder, but she didn't seem to notice at all. Her wide crimson eyes were locked on Haru's face in disbelief.
Art supplies?
Her mind, already in disarray, scrambled to stay calm. She forced a smile onto her face, but her fingers had gone white from gripping the umbrella handle too hard. The trembling of her little golden cowlick showed just how rattled she was.
Kazami Haru… he can draw?
That dream she had that night… wasn't just a dream?
In her dream, Haru was left-handed. He could draw. Only the Haru she imagined in her dream could do that. So why was the real Haru so similar to her dream, almost like he'd stepped right out of it?
What did this mean?
Could it be that the "dream" she had… wasn't just a dream?
Images from that night flooded her mind, and even Nijika 'mature beyond her years', was thrown into confusion. The shock was overwhelming.
But she knew one thing for sure: she couldn't afford to lose her composure now.
"…So Haru-san knows how to draw?"
Nijika's voice came light and casual, as if nothing were amiss.
Haru couldn't help but glance at the cheerful, golden-haired girl beside him. After all, the drawing skills he had came entirely from Nijika's simulation and his feelings for her… were beyond anything words could express.
"Just a little. I'm not really that good at it."
"How about I draw a portrait of you sometime, Nijika?"
Of course, he didn't want to draw just one portrait.
If possible, Kazami Haru wanted to capture every expression Nijika made from her smiles, her frowns and press them all into paper. He'd frame them, one by one, and line the walls of his living room so he could come home every day to Nijika-mama's gentle smile.
"Huh? You'd draw me~?"
The blonde girl's lips curled into a soft, beautiful arc as those words reached her ears. A strange warmth swelled in her chest. The complicated tangle of emotions she'd been struggling with seemed to melt away, and she lit up again. Even the little dorito on her head twirled with joy.
"—Ah, right!"
"I just remembered there's an art supply shop here in Shimokitazawa! Want me to take you there, Haru-san?"
Her radiant smile caught Haru off guard.
In that moment, he could almost see delicate white wings unfurl behind the golden-haired girl. Feathers light and glowing drifted in the air, and a halo of pure light hovered above her head.
Today in Shimokitazawa, he saw an angel.
"I'd be grateful," he said with a slight bow of his head.
If his arms weren't full of groceries, Kazami Haru probably would've clasped his hands and offered Nijika a formal, heartfelt bow of thanks.
"Geez~ Why so formal all of a sudden, Haru-san?!"
Seeing his complete 180 in demeanor, Nijika let out a laugh, somewhere between amused and exasperated.
As they bantered, she could feel her heartbeat speeding up again. The more she thought about how much this Haru resembled the one from her dream, the harder it was to stay calm…
Her ears were burning. What was she supposed to do now?
…
Before long, the two arrived at a shop called "Beast Art Supplies."
True to its wild name, the interior decor matched perfectly. Art was displayed everywhere, particularly a suspiciously large number of muscular sketch drawings. It was pretty obvious what kind of "taste" the store owner had.
Paints and brushes of every shape and color lined the walls, dazzling the eyes. Ijichi Nijika wandered the shop, pretending to browse, but in truth, she couldn't stop watching Kazami Haru.
For some reason, she just couldn't look away.
"Haru-san, what kind of brushes are you getting?"
"A bit of everything, just in case. I might end up using them all."
He casually picked up a wooden oil painting brush and dropped it into his basket.
Of course, Nijika saw this small gesture perfectly. She pursed her soft cherry lips, her gentle eyes glinting slightly, a subtle realization washing over her face.
An oil brush…
Why? Why was the real him so much like the one from her dreams?
Ijichi Nijika wasn't exactly a skeptic. In fact, having lost her mother young, she believed in the supernatural. So when something "otherworldly" happened, she didn't panic—she just needed a moment to steady herself.
Maybe this really was a "parallel world."
Maybe the dreams she had were glimpses into another version of herself. If everything she saw in those dreams connected to reality, then in that parallel world…
Did she really… marry Kazami Haru?
Just the possibility made her ears burn.
All the emotions she tried to suppress came roaring back like a spring uncoiled. Her flawless white cheeks flushed a delicate cherry red, and imaginary steam seemed to drift from her head.
"Nijika, are you feeling okay?"
Kazami Haru noticed her sudden change and quickly set his basket down, stepping toward her with concern.
But his approach only sent Nijika into further disarray. Her body, already overheating, took a trembling step back like it had been touched by fire.
"N-no!"
"It's just… the shop's a little stuffy. I'll step outside for some air!"
Not wanting Haru to notice anything was off, Nijika put on her usual warm, sunny smile.
She struck her trademark energetic pose, making a tiny fist and laughing awkwardly as she slowly backed away. The second she got the chance, she turned and hurried out the door.
Haru frowned slightly, a hint of concern in his eyes.
She probably noticed he was getting wet earlier, and even though she'd been soaked herself, she didn't say a word. Sure, as a drummer, Nijika had better stamina than most girls, but if she got too wet, she could catch a cold.
He'd definitely need to keep a closer eye on her.
…
Huff… ha…
Even though she'd managed to escape under the pretense of getting fresh air, Nijika knew full well, she couldn't hide from Kazami Haru forever. Sooner or later, she'd have to face him.
Maybe the moment she realized she had "married" him in that other world, her entire perspective on him had shifted.
"Ugh! What do I do?! What should I do…"
The cool wind brushed against her, but her face and ears still burned.
Feeling lost, Nijika crouched down and buried her face in her hands. Her crimson eyes, clear as gemstones, peeked through her fingers at her toes. The warmth she felt for him, and the shy tension from the thought of "marriage," were crashing together inside her chest.
Her mind might be spinning in a thousand directions, but one thing was painfully clear.
"I really do… like him, don't I?"
The moment she muttered those words to herself, a soft mist welled up in her eyes.
To be honest, Nijika had known for some time that her feelings were changing. Just like her super, super, super tsundere sister had said, she'd been unable to take her eyes off Kazami Haru for quite a while now.
But she had buried those feelings deep down.
Whether it was her close friend Ryo or the ever-cheerful Kita-chan, their affections for Haru were clear as day. Even Bocchi, who struggled most with expressing herself, acted noticeably different around him.
Everyone in the band… probably liked him too.
Not wanting to fight over him, Nijika had hidden her own feelings.
But ever since that strange "dream" appeared, Nijika found she couldn't hide them anymore.
"I'm such an idiot!"
The dorito on top of her head spun wildly, she was caught in a whirlwind of emotional chaos.
It was already impossible to try and "forget" Kazami Haru. But if she dared to dream about marrying him like in that vision… it would mean hurting the other members of the band.
She couldn't bring herself to be selfish but she also couldn't give up the chance to be with him.
"Give up? No way I'm giving up…"
"Give up what?"
Haru had stepped out of the store carrying a bag of art supplies. He had only just left the shop when he heard Nijika muttering something strange.
Nijika hadn't expected him to suddenly appear, much less to hear her. Her brain kicked into high gear in a panic.
She forced herself to stay calm, wearing a slightly apologetic smile as she furrowed her brows lightly.
"It's nothing~ I was just thinking about the upcoming live show."
Technically not a lie, she had been thinking about that lately!
Haru's eyes softened at her response.
He knew Nijika had a habit of carrying the pressure alone, especially when it came to live performances. But as far as he was concerned, even if Kessoku Band didn't shine at the Fireworks Festival, it wouldn't stop them from moving forward together.
And honestly, he didn't believe they'd fail. Everyone had the talent, the drive as they were second to none.
"Believe in me and everyone else and believe in yourself."
He grinned and pulled out a can of juice from his bag, gently tossing it to the golden-haired girl in front of him.
Nijika caught it with a flustered little gasp. The cold aluminum against her palm only made her cheeks grow even redder. But her nerves began to settle.
He was right—after all, Haru was here with her.
"I-I know~!"
"I'm not even that worried. Just wait and see me rock it at the live, Haru-san!"
She flashed a cute grin, baring her tiny white teeth and swinging her arms in a show of strength.
But to Haru, it wasn't intimidating at all. In fact, it was too adorable. His hand trembled slightly around the bag of supplies.
"Really? You sure you're not gonna be too nervous to sleep tonight?"
"I won't!"
Nijika puffed out her cheeks in mock irritation, though her eyes were nothing but gentle. Her already soft face was lit up with a sunshine smile that warmed like spring. Her racing heart began to slow at last.
Looks like her cheerful deflection worked, thank goodness!
"Oh right, Nijika, come here for a sec."
"Hmm?"
"Sorry, pardon me for a moment."
Though puzzled, she stepped closer without hesitation.
Before she could react, Haru reached out and gently placed a hand on her forehead. His slightly rough, yet incredibly warm touch made her body shiver, and her wide red eyes blinked in surprise.
He felt the temperature carefully with the back of his hand. Not hot.
"No fever."
"E-Eh!?"
"You got soaked while covering me from the rain, didn't you? I just wanted to check if you weren't feeling unwell."
"It's nothing… just my shoulder got a little wet, that's all…"
The once-bubbly Nijika suddenly quieted. She didn't shy away in embarrassment, just stood beside him, red-faced, whispering softly.
Haru had never seen her like this before, and he sucked in a breath.
Damn it, Nijika-mama is too cute.
He could handle any other girl just fine. But this sweet, gentle mama-type Nijika? He had zero resistance and that blush on her face? Could it be… she secretly had a crush on him?
Just then, something clicked in Haru's mind. He looked at her, a glimmer in his dark eyes.
"Oh right. There's one more place I want to go."
"Eh? Where?"
Relax, definitely not a Love Hotel.
Haru gave her a teasing smile, then led her to a music shop in Shimokitazawa. Less than five minutes after he entered, he returned holding a small box.
When Nijika tilted her head in confusion, he handed it to her.
"What's this?"
She instinctively took the bag, peeking inside with a curious expression.
"The Winged Dragon of Ra - the Sphere Mode."
"Eh?"
Still baffled, she peeked through the bag again. The realization hit instantly.
"Drumsticks?!"
"I noticed something was off during practice today. One of the tips on your sticks seemed a little messed up, right?"
Thanks to his Music Prodigy Lv.2 trait, Haru's enhanced ear had picked up on it, even amid a full band's performance, he could hear the slight issue in the drumming. If not for that, he might not have noticed.
The surprise gift made her heart pound like crazy, as if someone were tapping at it with drumsticks.
"I'll treasure them!"
Nijika hugged the drumsticks to her chest like they were a priceless treasure.
Sometime during all this, the rain had stopped. Sunshine pierced the pale clouds and reflected off the puddles in the asphalt. The air felt clean and pure, like it had been freshly washed.
The golden-haired girl held her hands behind her back, her dewy eyes gleaming like clear autumn water as she gazed ahead.
Whether it was drumsticks or anything else, she'd treasure it all.
