So, They Went Home Together

"Wait, wait, Kamikawa-san, what did you just say?" Fumino was stunned and asked in a panic.

She wondered if she misheard.

Was that a confession?

In situations like this, speaking ambiguous words could easily be misunderstood.

"I said, come home with me."

Ren thought Fumino didn't hear clearly; this time he spoke very quietly and loudly.

"..."

After making sure she heard it correctly, Fumino was actually slightly moved by his proposal.

After all, both of them couldn't stay at the dessert shop forever. The dessert shop wasn't a 24-hour convenience store where people could stay forever.

Therefore, they had to find a place to go before the dessert shop closed.

During heavy rain, not many stores were open, and places like hotels were probably crowded.

Moreover, both of them were still high school students, so it couldn't be guaranteed whether they could get a room at a hotel.

It seemed like the only option left was to go to Ren's house.

"I remember Kamikawa-san seems to live alone, right?" After thinking for a moment, Fumino asked him.

"That's correct."

Although Ren often stayed at Gabriel's house, he basically lived alone.

"Um."

In this case, there was no need to worry about being misunderstood by Ren's parents.

Fumino suddenly remembered something and asked, "By the way, does Gabriel-san live next to you?"

"Yes."

"In that case, it's not impossible to go to your house."

Since Gabriel's house was right next to Ren's, Fumino didn't need to worry about the embarrassing situation of being forced to stay at his house when it was very late and heavy rain continued, and she couldn't go home.

She could stay at Gabriel's house for one night. Both of them were girls, so it was okay even if they stayed in the same room.

"Then let's go."

Seeing her agree, Ren stood up and bought an umbrella directly at the store.

Maybe the dessert shop knew it would rain heavily, so they bought umbrellas in advance and sold them at the counter. During rainy weather, umbrella sales were quite good.

This also saved Ren from going out in the middle of the rain to buy an umbrella at a convenience store, and also paying the bill.

Fumino came and looked quite surprised when she found out that Ren had paid.

"Kamikawa-san, didn't you agree that I would treat you?" Fumino seemed a bit dissatisfied.

"It's convenient."

After looking at the pouring rain outside that showed no signs of stopping at all, Ren explained casually.

"No, I already agreed to treat you, so I will treat you," Fumino said, taking out her wallet, "I will give it to you directly."

"No, I don't lack money."

Ren refused without hesitation and had no intention of accepting it.

For him, money was just a series of numbers, no matter how he used it, but for a student like Fumino, money seemed to be a relatively difficult thing to get.

Therefore, he didn't ask for money.

"Then I will treat you next time, and you can't refuse."

Seeing him not accepting the money, Fumino had no choice but to gather the money again and emphasize it to him.

"Okay."

Regarding this, Ren had no intention of refusing.

"This matter has been settled."

Fumino put away her wallet.

"Um."

Ren opened umbrella and stepped into the rain.

Standing in front of the cafe door, he turned to her and said, "Come here."

"Um."

After adjusting her skirt, Fumino stepped under the umbrella.

"The rain is very heavy."

Listening to the continuous sound of raindrops falling on the umbrella, she sighed softly.

"Yes."

The rain was indeed very heavy, so Ren had to slightly increase his superpower to withstand the rain blown by the wind.

"Let's walk slowly, Kamikawa-san, please be careful when stepping, don't accidentally slip."

Because of the strong wind, Fumino had to use one hand to hold her skirt to prevent it from being blown by the wind, while her other hand held the edge of Ren's clothes and tried to stay as close to him as possible.

The umbrella wasn't large, so if they wanted to avoid getting wet, they had to stay close and keep both of them under the umbrella.

"Be careful too."

Ren wasn't worried about himself, but he cared about Fumino.

"I'm holding the edge of your clothes, don't worry."

Fumino said with a chuckle, relieving the tension in her heart.

Ren raised his free left hand and said slowly, "Actually, we can hold hands to prevent falling."

He remembered when Gabriel chose to hold hands with him because there were too many people and to prevent separation.

Since holding hands could prevent separation, it should also prevent falling, shouldn't it?

He didn't know if it would have that effect, but he could try.

"This..."

Seeing his left hand lifted in front of her, Fumino suddenly felt her face getting a bit hot, so hot that she couldn't say a complete sentence.

"I'm just holding the edge of your clothes, there's no need to hold hands..." Fumino raised her head and explained in a low voice, but before she finished speaking, her right hand unconsciously grabbed Ren's left hand.

"Um?"

Listening to her inconsistent speech, Ren looked a bit confused.

"Ahem... Just consider it a mistake."

Realizing that her body had unconsciously made a decision for her, Fumino explained in a panic and turned to the side, not daring to look directly at him anymore.

Even so, she didn't let go of his hand.

(We're just holding hands to prevent falling, no need to let go)

"Okay."

Ren cooperatively agreed and didn't say anything else, just walked forward slowly.

(It's really warm...)

Even though the weather was bad, like a stormy rain, Ren's hand was always warm, making people reluctant to let go.

When Ren wasn't paying attention, Fumino secretly glanced at both of their hands.

After a brief glance, she immediately averted her gaze and looked to the side again.

But for some reason, her heartbeat slightly increased.