I_LOVE_RICE+
patreon
Chapter 57: The Rain Keeps Falling
🕑 Added 2025-02-04 13:59:20 +0000 UTC[Your sudden arrival and intimate actions caught her off guard. Facing you, she lost her usual elegance and composure.]
[And from her own words, you finally learn the real reason why she stopped coming to STARRY.]
[Her stagnant mock exam scores, combined with your unwavering patience and support, had left her feeling anxious.]
[Uncertainty about her future put her in a slump. She didn't want her mood to drag down the band—or you—so she chose to avoid STARRY altogether.]
[She had always thought these thoughts were impossible to share with anyone. Yet, for some reason, when she was with you, she could speak them freely, without hesitation.]
[The worries she had been bottling up seemed to slowly disappear the moment she saw you.]
[And once they were gone, the usual Ryo Yamada—confident, self-absorbed, and slightly arrogant—made her return.]
Minami closed his eyes, letting the images in his mind replay the scene of him sitting in Ryo Yamada's room, talking with her.
"So, in other words, you like me."
Seated on a lounge chair in her room, the blue-haired girl lazily raised a single finger, pointing at her elegant and beautiful face as she analyzed the situation before her.
Minami, who had been casually observing the room's layout, instinctively turned his head to glance at Miss Yamada, who was sitting with her arms crossed.
He honestly had no idea where her confidence was coming from.
"The reason is simple."
Changing her posture, Ryo propped her chin on her palm, adjusting her position slightly so her white sleeve slipped back, revealing a slender, delicate wrist. Then—
She straightened her back slightly, puffing out her chest with an air of absolute self-assurance.
"Because I'm beautiful."
"My personality is impeccable—adorable, even."
"My figure? Impressive."
"So, of course, it's only natural that you'd fall for me."
After stating her objective analysis, she gave a small nod of satisfaction.
"Mm. As expected of me."
Tilting her delicate face slightly, she cast a languid gaze at Minami.
"Am I right, Minami?"
"..."
Minami.
He opened his mouth, about to speak—
But before he could say a word, Ryo raised a hand to stop him.
"I know. Right now, you're probably about to say—"
"'Please go out with me, Miss Yamada.'"
Her amber eyes locked onto him, her tone unwavering.
A few moments ago, she had been caught off guard by his sudden trick, but that had only happened because she was in a bad mental state.
Now, however, she was back to her usual self.
And honestly—
She was eager to see Minami flustered for once.
But—
The scene she imagined never happened.
Instead of turning red-faced and embarrassed, Minami showed zero hesitation.
Instead, under her gaze, he fell silent.
Time passed.
Then—
"Then how about we give it a try?"
His voice was calm, steady, and completely serious.
For the first time, Ryo Yamada's expression didn't change.
Because at that moment—
She realized something.
Minami knew her too well.
He knew she'd try to play this game.
Since that was the case—
"Then say it now."
Lifting a leg wrapped in black stockings, Ryo rested her chin on her palm.
"Say it seriously—'Miss Yamada, please go out with me.' If you do, maybe I'll consider it..."
"Please go out with me, Ryo."
"...?!"
Before she could even finish speaking, Minami had already said it.
His expression was serious.
Not a single hint of a joke.
For the first time—
The confident, ever-composed Ryo Yamada found herself thrown off balance.
But on the surface, she kept her face calm and impassive.
Even as Minami stared at her without wavering, she pretended to be unmoved.
"If you say you were joking right now, I'll be mad, Minami."
Her tone was flat, emotionless—but there was something else behind it.
Minami didn't say anything.
He simply looked at her.
Under his gaze, the cold and elegant mask she wore finally began to crack.
Then—
"I'll think about it."
She pulled her knees up to her chest, wrapping her arms around them as she buried her face.
Her voice, no longer cold, came muffled from behind her knees.
"I'll think about it."
This outcome didn't surprise Minami at all.
As for how long that "thinking" would take…
That was anyone's guess.
A girl's heart was as unpredictable as a summer sky.
One moment clear and bright, the next—a storm.
The Rain Begins to Fall.
Checking the time, Minami figured it was about time to leave.
He stood, said his goodbyes, and—
Ryo, still curled up in thought, didn't move to see him out.
The weather had grown colder with the end of autumn.
As Minami stepped outside, he exhaled, watching his breath turn to white mist in the air.
And then—
The sky, like a girl's emotions, suddenly shifted.
After taking only a few steps, a sudden downpour forced him to seek shelter under a nearby bus stop.
The world became blurred by the endless curtain of rain.
Isolating him from everything.
"Minami—"
A voice, drawn out, called his name.
Minami turned.
And there she was.
Ryo Yamada, standing in the rain, out of breath.
Her short blue hair clung to her damp cheeks, her elegant face glowing in the rain's reflection.
A scene straight from a painting—and she was the living masterpiece.
Holding an umbrella in one hand, she carefully stepped over puddles, looking somewhat clumsy.
Finally, she leaped into the bus stop shelter—
Like a swallow returning to its nest.
"I was going to bring you an umbrella."
Exhaling a puff of white breath, she shook the water off her arms, like a lazy cat.
As she spoke, her amber eyes turned toward the rain-soaked world outside.
Minami understood.
In rain this heavy, bringing an umbrella wouldn't have helped much anyway.
"It's so cold…"
She shivered, then—
Without hesitation, she moved closer, sitting beside Minami.
Holding out her rain-chilled hands.
"Yeah. It is."
Without a second thought, he took her hands, warming them in his own.
For a moment, they simply watched the rain together.
Then—
"I've made my decision."
"Hmm?"
"I'll be your girlfriend."
"Okay."
"Mm."
They held hands, turning their gaze back to the endless downpour.
"The rain is really coming down, huh?"
Leaning her head slightly against Minami's shoulder, she murmured.
"Yeah."
For some reason—
Minami found himself wishing this rain would never stop.
Outside the bus stop shelter—
The rain kept falling.
