Chapter 83 What Happened on a Rainy Day
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
With two weeks left of summer vacation, I was at Watanabe-sensei’s office as usual. The sound of thunder rumbled outside. The sky darkened visibly, and a sudden rainstorm broke out. It had been sunny in the morning, so I hadn’t brought an umbrella. Thinking ‘this is bad,’ I hoped it was just a passing shower that would stop soon.
”Hirokazu-kun, go home immediately. It looks like a Linear Precipitation Zone¹ has formed, so the trains might stop. I’m closing the office for the day, so I’ll drive you to the station,” Watanabe-sensei said.
When I checked the train status on my smartphone, they were still running, but there was a possibility of a Planned Outage².
When we arrived at the station, it was overflowing with people, but the trains were still moving. However, it seemed the subway had partially stopped, and there was a long line at the taxi stand.
Suddenly, a short distance away from the taxi stand, I spotted Fujita-san standing there with a troubled expression. I was worried about the train, but I couldn’t just leave Fujita-san there.
”Fujita-san, what’s wrong?” I asked.
”Ah! Inamori-kun. I was visiting my parents’ home, but the subway stopped and I can’t get back now,” Fujita-san replied.
”What are you going to do?” I asked.
”The taxi line is huge, and I don’t know what to do. What about you, Inamori-kun?” she asked.
”The trains are still running, so I’m going home,” I said.
”In that case, you should hurry before they stop. I’ll figure something out, so go quickly,” Fujita-san said.
”Well, be careful then,” I replied.
I rushed toward the station, but the area in front of the ticket gates was packed with people who couldn’t get onto the platform. The trains seemed to be delayed as well. After a while, a station staff member said something. I heard voices from the front saying, ‘It’s stopped.’
I immediately contacted Manami.
”The trains stopped and I might not be able to get home, so go over to your mother’s place,” I told her.
”Are you okay?” Manami asked.
”I don’t know the situation yet, so I’m not sure what will happen,” I said.
”I’m scared of the rain, so I’ll go to Mom’s, but let me know if you find out anything,” Manami said.
”Got it,” I replied.
Checking my phone, it seemed the rivers were exceeding dangerous water levels in various places, and there was no estimate for when service would resume.
If I contacted Watanabe-sensei, he might come to pick me up, but the roads would be congested and some areas might be flooded, so it would only cause him trouble.
While wondering what to do, I remembered Fujita-san. I contacted her and found out she was still in the same spot, so I went back to her.
The line for taxis had grown even longer than before.
”What do you plan to do, Inamori-kun?” Fujita-san asked.
”The internet cafes are probably full of people who can’t go home, so I’m thinking of looking for a nearby hotel,” I said.
”Even if I can’t go home, I’m anxious with this rain… can I come with you?” she asked.
”I don’t mind, but the rooms will be separate, okay?” I said.
”Of course,” Fujita-san replied.
I searched for nearby hotels on my smartphone. As expected, many people had decided to stay at the last minute, so it was hard to find a vacancy. When I did find something, it was either expensive or far from the station.
”There are rooms available if we pay more, but what do you want to do?” I asked.
”What do you plan to do, Inamori-kun?” she asked.
”I guess I have no choice even if it’s expensive,” I said.
”In that case, is it okay if we’re together?” Fujita-san asked.
”Are you sure about that, Fujita-san?” I asked.
”Inamori-kun, you have a wonderful wife and I trust you, so I don’t mind sharing a room,” Fujita-san said.
It wasn’t just expensive; it was the kind of luxury hotel directly connected to the station. Considering Fujita-san’s burden, I thought it couldn’t be helped. I immediately called the hotel and made a reservation. I told Manami that the trains were stopped and I couldn’t get home, so I would stay at this hotel. Of course, I couldn’t tell her I was with Fujita-san.
When we arrived at the hotel…
”Is it really here?” Fujita-san asked, feeling intimidated by the atmosphere.
To be honest, since it was a luxury hotel, my heart was racing inside, but I couldn’t let Fujita-san see my anxiety.
”Yeah, it is,” I said, acting nonchalant.
I received the key card at the front desk and went to the room; it was even more luxurious than I had expected.
”It might be wider than the rental apartment I live in. Is this really okay?” she asked.
”It seems like this was the only place left, so it can’t be helped,” I replied.
There were two rooms and large windows. If the weather had been good, we might have seen the night view, but the heavy rain was pounding against the glass.
It made sense that it was available; even if people were seeking refuge from the downpour, most would avoid a place this extravagant.
”It’s somehow restless, isn’t it? You seem used to this, Inamori-kun, which is unfair,” Fujita-san said.
I stayed in the top-tier room at Yoshimi-san’s inn and have stayed at luxury hotels before, so I’m used to it to some extent, but since I’m with Fujita-san today, I feel restless—or rather, my heart is pounding.
For now, I turned on the TV to check the rain situation. Damage from the rain was being reported in various places. Fortunately, while my city was experiencing heavy rain, it hadn’t reached a critical state. The area around Fujita-san’s home also seemed to be fine.
Once I felt relieved, I started to feel hungry. Since I had an image of luxury hotel restaurants having dress codes, I checked with the front desk and heard there was a place with a relatively relaxed dress code, so we were able to eat there.
When we returned to the room, there was nothing to do. My range of topics isn’t vast, so I didn’t know what to talk about, and Fujita-san, who usually talks quite a bit, was uncharacteristically silent.
”Umm… Inamori-kun, will you listen to my story?” Fujita-san suddenly spoke up.
”If you’re okay with me,” I replied.
”I had a boyfriend back home who was a year older than me,” she said.
The fact that she used the past tense means they broke up? But I should probably stay quiet.
”Since I came here, it became a long-distance relationship, but even then, I never thought about breaking up. We went back and forth to see each other every other month. But being apart, recently, I started to feel he was lacking… unreliable, I guess you’d call it,” she said.
”And then?” I asked.
”My mom contacted me saying my grandpa was hospitalized, so I went back to my parents’ house yesterday,” she said.
”Was your grandpa okay?” I asked.
”She said there were no major problems,” Fujita-san replied.
”Well, that’s good,” I said.
”Yeah. So, I went to his apartment as a surprise. Since I have the key, I opened the room and… there were a woman’s shoes I didn’t recognize at the entrance. When I went further in, there was a woman in the bed,” she said.
A real mess.
”I threw the key at him and ran out of the room. He chased after me and… what do you think he said?” she asked.
”I don’t know,” I said.
”He told me he loves me. After bringing a woman into his room! Unbelievable. So, I told him we’re over and came back,” Fujita-san said.
Supportive tears overflowed from Fujita-san’s eyes.
”Do you regret it?” I asked.
”No. I don’t regret it. Because, you see… after coming here, someone kind and reliable appeared, and I kept comparing him. I felt my boyfriend was lacking, and I was wondering when to tell him I’d fallen for someone else and break up. Then yesterday happened, and when I thought I could break up by blaming it on him, I felt relieved. I’m a coward,” she said.
”I don’t think that’s true. I think it’s the worst to have sex with another girl when you have Fujita-san,” I said.
”Then take responsibility. Appearing suddenly when my heart is a mess… Inamori-kun, that’s foul play,” she said.
”Responsibility?” I asked.
”I’ve… Inamori-kun, I’ve fallen in love with you, Hirokazu-kun. It was a shock when I found out you have a wife. Just for tonight is fine… be my boyfriend. And then, I want you to make a mess of the bad version of me,” she said.
”Make a mess?” I asked.
”Make me forget everything,” Fujita-san replied.
I realized what Fujita-san was trying to say.
”If that happens, I’ll become the worst kind of man,” I said.
”Hirokazu-kun, you won’t become a bad man,” she said.
”Even if you say that, it’s troubling…” I muttered.
”Think of it as doing it for me, please. If you don’t, I can’t move forward. I’m going to take a bath, so think about it,” Fujita-san said.
Somehow, I was reminded of Aizawa-sensei from a year ago.
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Summary:
A sudden, severe rainstorm halts train services, stranding Hirokazu and Fujita-san at the station. To avoid the chaos and the storm, they decide to share a room at a luxury hotel connected to the station. During their stay, Fujita-san reveals she caught her long-distance boyfriend cheating and has ended the relationship. Emotionally distressed, she confesses her feelings for Hirokazu and asks him to ‘make a mess’ of her for one night to help her move on.
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Character Insight:
Fujita-san’s vulnerability reveals a complex internal conflict; she feels like a ‘coward’ for feeling relieved that her boyfriend’s cheating gave her a convenient excuse to end a relationship she already felt was lacking. Her request to Hirokazu is a desperate attempt to overwrite her trauma with the affection of the man she actually admires. Hirokazu, meanwhile, is forced into a moral dilemma, balancing his loyalty to his wife Manami against his desire to help a suffering friend, all while battling his own physical reactions to the intimate situation.
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Behind the Scene:
The mention of ‘Aizawa-sensei’ at the end refers to a previous plot point where Hirokazu faced a similar sexual temptation/situation with a teacher, highlighting a recurring theme of his ‘unintentional’ charm leading to compromising situations.
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T/L:
Notes:
• Watanabe – The protagonist’s guardian. He is a lawyer who is skilled at dealing with difficult people and has a history with Yabuta’s father.
• Fujita – A female university student who was part of the same bus hike group as Hirokazu. A beautiful girl who recently broke up with her boyfriend. She claims to have the largest breasts Hirokazu has ever seen. She seeks emotional release and ‘punishment’ from Hirokazu to cope with her guilt.
• Yoshimi – Inn proprietress, wearing a kimono, demure woman. Hiro’s childhood friend’s mother.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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