Chapter 1: “The Beginning of Rain”
The rain continued to cover the city as if it had forgotten how to stop. Droplets falling from the gray sky struck the asphalt‚ ran down the walls of half-sunken buildings‚ and flowed along the streets like rivers. The sound of trains and the calls from the shopping district could no longer be heard. Only the rain ruled the world.
Amid all this‚ a single girl was walking cheerfully. Nagisa—.
“Waa! It’s raining a lot again today! It’s just like a shower!”
Holding a tattered yellow umbrella in one hand‚ she hopped along the wet cobblestones as if bouncing. Whenever she found a puddle‚ she deliberately stepped into it‚ splashing and laughing‚ shouting‚ “Splash splash!”
The city was sinking. Signboards were half submerged in water‚ and on the window of a once lively café‚ a “Closed” notice was melting in the rain. Yet even that looked like a stage for adventure in Nagisa’s eyes.
“Hey‚ hey‚ do you think fish might be swimming around here? If we caught one and grilled it‚ it might be tasty!”
She would make jokes like that whenever she remembered how hungry she was.
In the distance‚ another girl was quietly watching her. Rin—.
She stood under the eaves of an old apartment building‚ pulling her hood low so she wouldn’t get wet. She gazed at the noisy Nagisa in front of her with a look that seemed cool‚ yet somehow warm.
“…You’re lively.”
The short words disappeared into the sound of the rain.
Rin was holding a book. The pages were warped by the humidity‚ and the letters were beginning to blur. Even so‚ she kept reading‚ as if protecting a quiet moment. But Nagisa’s voice broke that stillness and spread small ripples through her heart.
Two girls in a rainy city.
One lights up the world with laughter‚ and the other watches over it in silence.
Their meeting still looked like a coincidence. Yet it was certainly announcing the beginning of a story.
Kicking through a puddle‚ Nagisa suddenly noticed Rin standing under the eaves.
“Hey! You there! Are you taking shelter from the rain?”
Her voice was loud enough to compete with the rain and reached Rin’s ears. Rin lifted her eyes from the book and frowned slightly.
“…I suppose so.”
A short reply. But Nagisa didn’t mind and marched right over.
“Wow‚ you found a great spot! You don’t get wet here‚ and you can read too! Oh‚ what are you reading?”
Rin quietly closed the book without showing the cover.
“A novel… just something to pass the time.”
Nagisa’s eyes sparkled.
“Wow! Reading a book on a rainy day is kind of cool! Me‚ I was walking around looking for food! I got hungry!”
At that moment‚ her foot slipped on the wet cobblestones.
“Wah!”
She nearly fell dramatically‚ and the umbrella slipped from her hand and flew into the air.
Rin instinctively reached out and grabbed Nagisa’s arm.
“…Careful.”
A short word and a calm motion. Nagisa widened her eyes‚ then immediately smiled.
“Thank you! You saved me! Rin-chan‚ you’re so nice!”
“Not really…”
Rin looked away‚ but deep inside‚ something warm had begun to grow.
The umbrella had fallen into a puddle‚ its ribs broken. Nagisa picked it up and looked at it sadly.
“Uuugh… it was my favorite…”
Rin slightly spread her hood and silently offered space to Nagisa.
“Get in.”
“Huh? Really? Yay! Thank you!”
Nagisa happily stood beside Rin‚ and the two sheltered from the rain together.
The sound of the sinking city flowed quietly between them.
Nagisa’s laughter and Rin’s short words.
Their contrast created a strangely comfortable rhythm.
The two stood shoulder to shoulder under the eaves‚ watching the rain for a while.
Brushing aside her wet hair‚ Nagisa stared at Rin’s profile.
“Hey‚ Rin-chan‚ are you always that quiet?”
“…I suppose so.”
“Hehe‚ your answers are short! But somehow it’s reassuring. Like you’re really calm!”
Rin narrowed her eyes slightly. Nagisa’s innocence was like a small light being lit in her heart.
“You’re… noisy.”
“Ehehe! I hear that a lot! But if I stay quiet‚ I feel like I’ll lose to the rain. So I keep my voice up and stay cheerful!”
Nagisa’s words echoed in Rin’s chest. Brightness to keep from losing to the rain—something Rin herself did not possess.
Looking over the sinking city‚ the sign of the old shopping street swayed on the water’s surface.
“This place must have been lively once.”
Rin murmured softly.
“Yeah! I bet there was a delicious bakery and stuff! Ahh‚ I wish I could’ve eaten there!”
Nagisa’s eyes sparkled as she mimed stuffing bread into her mouth in her imagination. Rin couldn’t help but relax her lips.
“…You’re strange.”
“Huh? Is that a compliment or an insult?”
“Neither. It’s just… interesting.”
At Rin’s words‚ Nagisa jumped happily.
“Yay! Rin-chan said I’m interesting!”
At that moment‚ a small bond was born between them.
In a rainy world‚ a laughing girl and a quiet girl.
There was certainly a feeling that their differences might become the strength that supports each other.
In the distance‚ an elderly couple lit a lantern in front of their sinking house.
The light was faint yet warm‚ swaying as if hinting at the girls’ future.
The rain kept falling as always. Yet the two walked lightly.
Nagisa‚ holding the broken umbrella‚ walked half-leaning under Rin’s hood.
“Hey‚ where should we go next? Do you know any place where there might be food?”
“…If we go to the old market site‚ there might still be something left.”
“Oooh! As expected of Rin-chan! You’re reliable!”
The two walked side by side through the sinking city.
The streetlights reflected on the water swayed faintly‚ like memories of the past drifting by.
Nagisa pointed at the lights and laughed.
“Look over there! It looks like stars!”
“…Stars‚ even though it’s raining?”
“Yeah! Rain stars! Isn’t that kind of lovely?”
Rin let out a small breath. She wasn’t sure if she had laughed or sighed.
Along the way‚ the elderly couple were lighting their lantern in front of their half-sunken house.
“Good evening!” Nagisa called out cheerfully‚ and the couple smiled back.
Their smiles were somewhat fleeting‚ yet warm.
Rin etched the scene into her heart. People supporting people—perhaps that was the only hope left in this end-of-the-world world.
The two began walking again. The sound of the rain formed a rhythm‚ and their footsteps overlapped with it.
“Hey Rin-chan‚ let’s keep walking together from now on!”
“…I’ll think about it.”
“Ehh! That’s not an immediate yes?”
“But… it’s not bad.”
At Rin’s words‚ Nagisa broke into a beaming smile.
The two girls walking through the rainy city looked like a small flickering light.
That light was still faint. But it was certainly leading toward the future.
—And far away‚ the whistle of the euthanasia train that runs on weekends faintly echoed.
It was a sound that announced the end of the world‚ and at the same time‚ a signal marking the beginning of the girls’ story.
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