Chapter 48. In the rain, they kissed passionately. ...
Nekono Ikumi stood forlornly under the eaves, gazing wistfully at the raindrops dripping from the corners of the eaves, splashing up fleeting droplets on the ground.
The raindrops didn't dampen his clothes at all, yet Nekono Ikuya felt an overwhelming sense of desolation.
Jingguang, what's wrong with you, Jingguang? If you're being controlled, just blink. Unbelievable, he was actually abandoned in the rain one day.
It was Jingguang, who is usually very considerate, who abandoned him. Moreover, Jingguang took his umbrella first and then ruthlessly abandoned him!
Nekono Ikuya: emm...
Nekono Ikuya almost thought that he had inadvertently angered Morofushi Kagemitsu at some unintentional moment. Was this retaliation?
This must be retaliation, otherwise why would Morofushi Kagemitsu's behavior just now be so abnormal?
More than being angry, Ikumi was genuinely surprised and bewildered. He stared blankly at the water droplets on the ground: "..." His thoughts were reloading.
Nekono Ikuya begins to search her memories, in a rare moment of reflection.
As he was lost in thought, the sky above him darkened slightly, and an umbrella was extended diagonally towards him.
"What are you daydreaming about? Let's go." A soft voice whispered in my ear, its tone carrying an indescribable gentleness. It was such a familiar voice.
Nekono Ikuya looked up in surprise, her gaze quickly sweeping over the wheat-colored arm holding the umbrella, and meeting a pair of smiling purplish-gray eyes—it was Furuya Rei.
...The case is solved! Jingguang is still the same considerate Jingguang. Quickly say thank you, Jingguang!
Nekono Ikuya and Furuya Rei locked eyes.
Rei Furuya's eyes remained smiling. He didn't speak, but simply tilted the umbrella further towards Ikuya Nekono. Silently: Yes.
Then he turned his head slightly toward the rain outside the eaves, but still didn't look away. Instead, he smiled at Nekono Ikuya and said lightly, "Shall we go?"
Nekono Yuuya blinked slowly, her heart skipped a beat, and she let out a drawn-out "Oh" before quickly disappearing under Furuya Rei's umbrella.
Then, as if nothing had happened, he took another small step toward the center of the umbrella. The space under the umbrella suddenly became a little crowded, and Nekono Ikuya and Furuya Rei could clearly smell the cool rain and faint scent of soap on each other.
The umbrella created a small world, and their scents began to intertwine beneath it.
Rei Furuya's hand holding the umbrella trembled slightly as he looked into Ikuya Nekono's eyes. Ikuya Nekono looked back innocently, a smile appearing in his eyes as well.
Nekono Ikuya asked deliberately, "What's wrong?"
Rei Furuya's eyes crinkled into a smile: "It's nothing."
As the rain pattered down, they shared an umbrella and walked side by side into the downpour. Their figures clung tightly together in the small world under the umbrella, their steps in unison, their silhouettes harmonious.
Hiding quietly in a secluded corner of the laboratory building, just in case Furuya Rei and Nekono Ikuya missed each other, Morofushi Kagemitsu watched the two harmonious figures with an umbrella folded in the rain and silently revealed himself.
He saw Nekono Ikuya suddenly stop, gently tug at Furuya Rei's arm, then they smiled at each other and jumped over the puddle in front of them.
How light and agile they were! The two figures unconsciously drew closer, almost becoming one.
Morofushi Kagemitsu paused for a moment, then gazed wistfully at Nekono Ikuya, who clearly seemed to be in a good mood. "Your lie about not liking walks in the rain was a lie; in the end, I was wrong about you."
Sigh! Young couple!
He shook his head; this time, he was truly leaving.
Nekono Ikuya and Furuya Rei strolled side by side through the rain, occasionally avoiding puddles. The puddled ground reflected the not-so-dim sky and the beautiful cherry blossom trees, as well as their figures tightly entwined.
The umbrellas weren't large, and their arms inevitably brushed against each other as they walked. Through their thin clothes, they could feel each other's warm body temperature.
Raindrops pattered against the umbrella, the sound amplified in the small space, yet the atmosphere under the umbrella was quietly ambiguous. Each unintentional touch between them was like a pebble thrown into a lake, rippling outwards.
They all enjoyed the atmosphere. Even Nekono Ikuya, who usually complained about the sticky and cold rainy days, didn't feel the dampness of the rain today.
He just felt a little... hot.
It's so hot; my cheeks are flushed, and my ears are pink. I really hope the rain will come down harder, bringing me more coolness.
It would be best to suppress his burning desire!
Rei Furuya glanced at Ikuya Nekono's flushed ear tips, coughed lightly twice, and then shifted his gaze to the frameless glasses on Nekono's face as a cover.
"Why did you suddenly decide to dress up like this today?" Furuya Rei's voice was filled with pure curiosity and a touch of indulgence.
Today, Ikuya Nekono has chestnut hair and brown eyes, a dark brown that is common among most East Asians. He wears a pair of decorative, frameless, non-prescription glasses, which strangely obscure the brilliance in his eyes.
His skin was also darkened a bit, although it was still very fair, but it was the ordinary white of an ordinary person, not the almost translucent white of Nekono Ikuya.
His outfit was unremarkable: loose-fitting blue jeans paired with a white sweatshirt. It looked neither cheap nor expensive; the fabric was comfortable and concealed his good physique.
In short, it's ordinary, very ordinary, extremely ordinary—the kind of thing you wouldn't notice if you threw it into a crowd.
Nekono Ikuya blinked, the slight shyness he felt earlier quickly replaced by smugness, and he even delivered a straight shot with a grin:
"So I can avoid my enthusiastic classmates and have some alone time with Furuya. How about it? I look pretty ordinary now, right?" I guarantee most people won't recognize me!
Nekono Ikuya was indeed very proud, because attracting attention and becoming the focus of everyone's gaze was an innate talent of his.
His innate charisma was almost bewitching; it could instantly captivate someone who wasn't on guard, just like that leader of the troublesome kids who suddenly lost his mind.
Therefore, it was difficult for Nekono Ikuya to become ordinary and easily blend into the crowd, unlike others. His current demeanor is quite ordinary, which shows that his acting skills have finally broken through.
Nekono Ikuya was secretly pleased with himself and shrugged his tail.
He wasn't shy anymore, but Furuya Rei suddenly felt a little shy when he heard Nekono Ikuya mention a world for two. A world for two...
Did Nekono mean it the way he thought? Today is Valentine's Day!
Unaware of what Rei Furuya was thinking, Nekono was inwardly smug but outwardly maintained a composed demeanor: "...I'm surprised you could still recognize me."
Nekono Ikuya was clearly satisfied. She tried hard to suppress her smile so it wouldn't be too exaggerated, but she still couldn't help but smile happily with her eyes crinkling.
When he laughed, all pretense in his voice and expression vanished, revealing the bright, sly smile that Furuya Rei knew best—the smile of Nekono Ikuya.
Although the person before him was completely unfamiliar, Rei Furuya was struck by the familiar expression and smile on his face. Because Rei Furuya knew that this was Ikuya Nekono; no matter what appearance he took, his soul remained the same.
His dark brown eyes smiled, but Furuya Rei saw a pair of emerald green cat eyes before his eyes. The two pairs of eyes overlapped and then separated, both belonging to his beloved Nekino Ikuya.
Oh, his beloved Nekono Ikuya, what a sweet thought.
Boom, boom, boom.
Rei Furuya felt as if his heart was about to leap out of his chest; he could hear his own heart pounding faster.
Even in the cool rain, he felt hot.
The sound of raindrops hitting the umbrella was so loud, yet the small space beneath it, belonging to just the two of them, was so quiet.
The quietness of Furuya's heartbeat was filled with nothing but his own.
Boom, boom, boom.
Did you hear that, Nekono Ikuya?
You must have heard it, otherwise why would the smile in his eyes be deepening?
Boom, boom, boom.
Their arms touched each other seemingly unintentionally, their eyes met as if in a passionate kiss, and even their heartbeats seemed to gradually synchronize.
Are they really starting to synchronize? Is Nekono Ikuya's heart beating as fast as his right now? Or is he the only one getting excited?
Rei Furuya gazed at Ikuya Nekono's face, which had regained its fair complexion after a moment of shy blush, and at his eyes, which were gradually calming down and filled with a deep smile.
Suddenly, I felt unwilling to accept it.
How can this be? How can I be the only one caught in this daze and panic?
He slowly approached Nekono Ikuya, his free hand touching the edge of his glasses, and gently removed them. As he left, his fingertips lightly brushed against Nekono Ikuya's temple.
There wasn't a single seam visible, not even at the corner of the eye. Furuya Rei exclaimed in amazement, it was unbelievably perfect.
Then he looked deeply into Nekono Ikuya's eyes, which were no longer separated from his by a single lens, and said in a low, earnest voice, "No matter what you look like, I will recognize you."
...What? What?!
That's too much, really too much! How could someone suddenly say such sweet nothings!
Nekono Ikuya's cheeks flushed visibly, even his ears turning pink. He recognized the color as the reply to his earlier comment, "It's amazing you could still recognize me."
However, Nekono Ikuya inwardly groaned. This is just too unfair!
Nekono Ikuya's eyes darted around, not expecting the direct approach to be returned so quickly, and even doubled.
A critical hit! Nekono Ikuya was hit with a critical hit.
He instinctively tried to push up his glasses to cover it up, but he only realized that Rei Furuya had already taken them when he had already raised his hand halfway!
Nekono Ikuya gazed at Furuya Rei's deep, beautiful, and serious purple-gray eyes.
Panic and intoxication.
"Oh dear, how could this happen?" he complained inwardly.
A smile crept into Rei Furuya's eyes. That's how it should be; they should revel in it together.
The temperature under the umbrella was rising rapidly. They were very close, their eyes meeting, their breaths mingling. The crimson glow not only stained the faces of Nekono Ikuya and Furuya Rei, but also seemed to fill the surrounding air.
Feeling their noses almost touching, and their lips that could kiss with a tilt of their head.
For reasons unknown, Nekono Ikuya suddenly blinked and asked softly and sweetly, "Why? Why did Furuya-san recognize me at a glance?"
"Oh~" He knew the answer already, so what could he possibly say on such a special day?
That is of course—
Rei Furuya drawled out the last syllable, replying just as sweetly, "Of course it's because—" I like you.
"Boom!" The remaining sound was swallowed up by a sudden clap of thunder in the sky.
"!!!" Nekono Ikuya gritted his teeth, vaguely hearing a mischievous tone in the thunder.
Did you think this would stump him? Not at all!
Since words can easily be concealed, let actions speak louder than words. He suddenly pulled the stunned Furuya Rei aside and kissed his lips fiercely.
In the rain, they kissed passionately.
After an unknown amount of time, they separated, panting slightly, only to find that sunlight had somehow seeped through the clouds, and a rainbow arched across the sky. The sky had cleared.
"Boy friend?"
"Yes, my boyfriend."
The two hands are interlocked.
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