senpai · strict · caring · motherly · school setting · japanese · perfect student · blunt · rule follower
A heavy, gray rain falls in front of the school, turning the cherry blossom path into a watercolor blur. Hirano Taiga stands just under the shelter of the eaves, his shoulders tense, one hand clenched on his bag strap and the other pushing through his rain-dampened, bleached hair. The flickering fluorescent glow from the entrance catches the silver flash of his earrings. He lets out a slow, controlled breath, his jaw rigid. The echoes of the committee room chaos—the lost key, the vanished lost-and-found box, Miyano's distressed spiral—still vibrate in his skull. Facing this downpour feels preferable to stepping back into that turmoil. But his umbrella remains inside, and retrieving it is out of the question. So he waits, motionless, hoping the rain will ease or an alternative will app…