Chapter 9: How Can Three People Share One Umbrella?

“After lunch today, shall we go look for Kuro?”

Kenma Kotsume: “Why?”

“Kuro is a new transfer student, right?”

Yoriko Arisu gestured, “I’m just a little worried.”

Kenma Kotsume had a different opinion: “If we go looking for Kuro right at the start, it’ll just make it harder for him to fit into his new environment, don’t you think?”

Yoriko Arisu thought Kenma Kotsume made sense, so she pondered seriously for a moment.

“Then, how about we just secretly check on him?”

Kenma Kotsume grumbled, “Are you his mom or something?”

In the end, he still followed along, sneaking around to Second Year.

And then, they discovered a serious problem.

They had no idea which class Tetsurou Kuroo was in!

The two of them stared at each other in confusion at the stairwell, a little dumbfounded.

Kenma Kotsume was already thinking of giving up.

“Maybe we should just forget it…”

“No way!”

Yoriko Arisu refused righteously, “We’re already here, so let’s just take turns asking around!”

Kenma Kotsume felt the sky was falling.

He bristled, “I’m not going!”

This was too scary!

There were a whole six classes!

“Then I’ll go, Kenma, you just wait for me.”

Yoriko Arisu didn’t mind at all, and grabbed a passing upperclassman to ask.

The way to inquire was simple, just ask if a transfer student had arrived today.

“I found out, Kuro’s in Class Three.”

Yoriko Arisu was quite lucky—she got the answer after asking at the second class. She waved at Kenma Kotsume, who was ten steps away, and the wary little black cat slowly shuffled over.

So, two little heads popped up at the window of Second Year, Class Three.

“Strange, Kuro’s hairstyle should be easy to spot,” Yoriko Arisu muttered, scanning the classroom with her eyes.

Kenma Kotsume tugged on her sleeve and whispered, “Second from the window, in the back row.”

Yoriko Arisu finally spotted the tiny figure.

The two of them, heads pressed together, stared into the classroom for a while.

Yoriko Arisu said uncertainly, “Looks like he’s getting along okay?”

Tetsurou Kuroo seemed to be chatting with the person in front of him.

Whatever they were talking about, he broke into a big white-toothed grin.

Kenma Kotsume: “I told you, you’re too nervous.”

Maybe their stares were too intense, but Tetsurou Kuroo suddenly looked over sharply.

Yoriko Arisu jerked her head back in fright, pulling Kenma Kotsume down to hide as well.

Kenma Kotsume, now sitting on the ground: …Why are we hiding?

A shadow fell across the two of them.

“What are you two doing?”

Tetsurou Kuroo stood with his hands on his hips, his black shadow looming over them like some kind of Big Demon King.

Yoriko Arisu looked up at him, blinking blankly.

“Kuro, your smile just now looked just like a Big Demon King.”

Tetsurou Kuroo instantly wiped the smile off his face.

He touched his cheek in confusion, “Was it really that exaggerated?”

He’d just been happy to see them coming to look for him.

“So, did you two come to see me for something?”

Yoriko Arisu: “Just a little worried about you.”

She gestured a tiny gap with her fingers.

Seeing that Tetsurou Kuroo was handling things just fine on his own, Yoriko Arisu felt relieved.

After saying hi, she and Kenma Kotsume headed back to class.

***

At one o’clock, the sky turned gloomy, and a fine, drizzling rain fell to the earth.

Elementary school let out pretty early. Normally, as dismissal time approached, everyone would be excitedly chatting about after-school plans, but today the mood was all gray and gloomy.

Because the rain just wouldn’t stop.

Raindrops soaked the ground, even washing the dust off the grass and trees. If she were at Home, Yoriko Arisu would have praised the rain and taken a lovely nap.

But this was School.

Thinking about how the splashing rain would soak her socks and the dampness would seep into her freshly washed hair, Yoriko Arisu just wanted to sigh.

Her Desk Neighbor was sighing too.

Namazawa Misaki stared out the window, frowning and muttering, “I wonder when the rain will stop.”

Maybe she was just too restless; Namazawa Misaki wasn’t very focused in class today, often glancing out the window. Sitting next to her, Yoriko Arisu could always sense her gaze.

After school, the rain still hadn’t stopped.

Seeing her looking so listless, Yoriko Arisu took the initiative to speak.

“If you don’t mind, you can use my umbrella?”

Namazawa Misaki’s eyes lit up, but she hesitated, “But then, how will you get Home?”

“It’s fine, really. I’ll just use Kenma’s umbrella.”

Yoriko Arisu poked Kenma Kotsume in the back, “Kenma, did you bring an umbrella?”

The black-haired cat, who had been spacing out, suddenly sat up straight.

“…What?”

“Umbrella, umbrella, I’m asking if you brought an umbrella.”

“Oh.” Kenma Kotsume nodded and pulled a folding umbrella from his desk.

“I brought one.”

Yoriko Arisu smiled at Namazawa Misaki.

“See? It’s fine, I can share with Kenma.”

Namazawa Misaki finally relaxed and smiled.

“Thank you, then.”

After school, they packed up their bags and headed to the shoe lockers, planning to meet up with Tetsurou Kuroo from Second Year and go Home together.

But Tetsurou Kuroo hadn’t brought an umbrella either.

The three of them stared at each other.

Yoriko Arisu fell into thought.

“Three people sharing one umbrella, huh…”

Maybe picturing themselves getting soaked, Kenma Kotsume’s face puffed up.

“…Let’s just wait for the rain to stop.”

But even after most of the students had left, the rain not only didn’t stop—it got even heavier.

Tetsurou Kuroo made up his mind.

“I’ll just run Home, it’s not that far anyway.”

Kenma Kotsume: “You’ll catch a cold that way.”

“Yeah, yeah, three people squeezing together is fine.”

Yoriko Arisu got up from the floor, dusted off her skirt, and picked up Kenma Kotsume’s umbrella, opening it.

“Come on, I’ll hold the umbrella.”

Kenma Kotsume’s umbrella was a Pikachu Umbrella, with two pointy ears sticking up and a big, grinning smile.

Its bright color stood out on the rainy day, and the three of them squeezed under Pikachu’s belly, slowly heading toward Home.

To avoid getting distracted, Yoriko Arisu, usually chattering away, focused intently on the ground, always keeping an eye on her two friends out of the corner of her eye.

“Kenma, your pace is too slow.”

“…You two are just walking too fast.”

Tetsurou Kuroo: “I have an idea!”

The three of them stopped, waiting for Tetsurou Kuroo to share his idea.

Tetsurou Kuroo’s face was bright with excitement.

“If the three of us walk side by side, we’ll get pushed out by the umbrella. But if one person stands in front, that’ll work, right?”

He gestured with his hands.

“There’s an empty spot in front, so none of us will get wet!”

Yoriko Arisu’s eyes widened in admiration.

“Genius, Kuro!”

So Kenma Kotsume ended up standing in front.

And, to avoid getting wet, he put his backpack in front of himself.

Kenma Kotsume looked utterly unwilling.

“…Why do I have to stand in front?”

Yoriko Arisu replied matter-of-factly, “Because you walk the slowest! We have to match your pace.”

After walking in silence for a bit, Kenma Kotsume couldn’t stand the two silent breaths behind him anymore. He felt like all his fur was standing on end! Even his neck felt prickly!

“I’m done… I’d rather get wet.”

Kenma Kotsume made to step out from under the umbrella, but the other two hurriedly pulled him back.

“Then Kenma, you stand in the middle! You hold the umbrella and set the pace.”

Yoriko Arisu shoved the umbrella into his arms.

Ten seconds later.

Yoriko Arisu: “Wait, my hair is caught, it hurts!”

Tetsurou Kuroo: “Let me help you untangle it… Wait, why is my hair stuck too???”

Kenma Kotsume, hands trembling slightly as he held the umbrella: So tired, when can we go Home?

That attempt failed too.

“I swear, this is the last try.”

This time, Tetsurou Kuroo stood in the very center, his expression serious as he held the umbrella, the handle perfectly vertical, steady and unwavering between the three of them.

“I’ll hold the umbrella, you two hold onto my arms, then we can move together!”

Yoriko Arisu cheered as always.

“That’s right, Kuro, you’re so smart!”

“Hehehe, it’s nothing.”

But before the two of them could celebrate for even two seconds, Kenma Kotsume reached a hand out from under the umbrella and said calmly, “Looks like the rain stopped.”

Yoriko Arisu and Tetsurou Kuroo’s faces instantly fell.

“Ehh…”