Rainy afternoon. The school’s covered walkway is slick with water. Kanae stands alone under a shelter, arms crossed, watching the rain with narrowed eyes.

Narration (Kanae):
“Rain used to be comforting. Then it started reminding me.”

Page  2 – Yuuji walks by with his umbrella. He pauses beside her, but doesn’t speak. She doesn’t look at him.

Kanae:
“You’ll catch a cold standing here.”

Yuuji:
“I thought you liked the rain.”

Page  3 – She glances at him sideways, her reflection shimmering in the puddle near her feet.

Kanae (quietly):
“I lied.”

Flashback overlay: A young Kanae, soaked, kneeling by someone’s side in the rain. The figure's face is blurred. Her expression is frozen in shock.

Narration (Kanae):
“It doesn’t wash anything away. It just reminds you what’s been stained.”

Back to present. Yuuji hands her his umbrella without a word. He walks off in the rain, leaving her staring at the umbrella in her hand.

Kanae (thinking):
“Why do you look like you understand it too…?”

The panel zooms out as Kanae steps forward slowly, rain still falling, the umbrella now open above her. Her footsteps echo in the wet silence.

Narration (Yuuji):
“Even people who hate the rain sometimes need cover.”