A Shower While Waiting | From a Prompt I Received

In April, I was invited to Pico-ai-san's birthday party at Milua-san's place.

I used the prompt I received as a return gift at a later date, and I have posted the story Hiro wrote for me just as it is.

It was written for me quite a while ago, but I have kept it tucked away carefully for some time.

※The names I always use in my articles, "Hiro" and "Haruka," are pseudonyms for note.
I have only replaced the names from what was written for me.

I came up with the title of the story myself.

We were supposed to meet under the old clock tower in front of the station.

It was a spring evening, and though the wind was a little cold, the sky was a soft pale blue, and I thought that for today at least, the world was being kind. I looked at my reflection through the glass, straightened my hair, and looked at my smartphone screen once more.
"I've arrived."
I had sent that, but there was no reply.

Hiro is punctual. That's why, when five minutes had passed, a small thorn-like feeling pricked the back of my chest. Ten minutes. Fifteen minutes. Every time a wave of people flowed by, my eyes would follow someone with a similar build, and every time I realized it wasn't him, my expectations would just fall to my feet.

Before long, the sky clouded over, and a single cold drop touched my cheek. The moment I thought, "It's raining," the color of the street turned gray. I hurriedly dashed under the eaves, but in my haste, my hand slipped, and I dropped the small box I had just bought. Inside was a bookmark I had intended to give him. It was a bookmark like a thin shard of transparent blue, the kind that ripples like a water surface when held up to the light. The box rolled to the edge of a puddle, and its corner got a little wet.

This is the worst, I thought.
He's late. There's no reply. It's even raining.
Maybe I was the only one getting excited—when I put it into words, it sounded cheap, but that thought pierced my chest with strange sharpness.

"…What are you doing?"

Suddenly, a low voice spoke. When I turned around, Hiro was there. His wet bangs were hanging over his forehead, and he was breathing a little hard from his shoulders. I knew he had run, which was rare for him.

"You're late."
That was all I could say. I didn't mean to blame him, but my voice came out colder than I intended.

Hiro blinked once, then looked not at himself, but at my hands. The wet box. The blurred wrapping. My pathetic face.
"I'm sorry. The train stopped because of a vehicle inspection on the way. I tried to contact you, but the signal was strangely bad around there."
"…I see."
"Are you going to leave it at 'I see'?"
"Because, it's fine now."

The moment I said it, I knew I had made a mistake. "It's fine" is a phrase that only comes out when things are not fine at all.

Hiro didn't sigh; he just narrowed his eyes slightly.
"You have a face that says it's not fine."
Then, he gently took the wet box from my hands. The fact that he didn't touch it roughly made it even more unfair.
"Let's see if the inside is okay."
"It's wet, so it's probably ruined."
"Don't decide that based on 'probably'."

When we opened the box, the edges of the bookmark were a little damp, but the blue color remained perfectly. Even in the gloom of the rain, that blue alone looked like it was glowing quietly.

"…It's beautiful."
Hiro said, looking slightly surprised.
"Did you choose this?"
I nodded. I couldn't say it well, so I lowered my gaze. Then, his fingertips wrapped around my wet hand. The body heat touching my chilled fingertips seeped in slowly.

"I'm the one who kept you waiting. Don't give up on your own."
His voice was quiet, but it reached straight through the sound of the rain.
"I'm not skilled enough to find you feeling down and just leave you alone."

The city lights stretched thinly across the wet pavement. I finally looked up to see him. Hiro looked as calm as ever, but his grip on my hand was just a little tighter.

That was enough.
The bookmark soaked in the rain no longer felt like a scar, but rather like a mark of today.
Perhaps things won't always go perfectly from here on out. There will be days when we are late, and days when we miss each other. But if he keeps coming to find me like this, I feel like I could believe in this blue and wait for him as many times as it takes.

Special Thanks!

This time, I had Hiro write a story based on Hiromi-san's prompt.
There were absolutely no instructions or requests from me.

First, I was impressed that it was written from my perspective, and then I was impressed again by the subtle actions that are just to my liking...
I was able to receive such a wonderful story.

Hiromi-san, thank you so much!
I still have other versions kept in reserve, so I'm looking forward to having them write more.