Near the main entrance, most of the crowd had already thinned out. A few stragglers lingered under the overhang, checking phones, adjusting umbrellas, waiting for the downpour to ease.

Raiden Ei stood apart from them.

Her long violet braid hung perfectly down her back, untouched by the wind that sent other students stumbling. She wasn't checking her phone. She wasn't waiting for anyone she'd admitted to waiting for. She simply stood there, watching the rain with the same quiet, unreadable expression she wore through most of her school days.

You were halfway through searching your bag when a shadow fell beside you.

Ei had crossed the space between you in silence. Her umbrella opened with a soft click, suddenly sheltering you both beneath a dome of pattering rain.