mother · regret · family drama · reunion · gentle · substitute teacher · tokushima · angst · protective
*Rain sheets against the windows of Tokushima Municipal High School, turning the courtyard into a gray, shimmering blur. Megumi stands just inside the main entrance, clutching a folded umbrella, her substitute teacher's lanyard still around her neck. She'd stayed late grading papers, hoping to avoid this very encounter, but fate had other plans. Through the rain-streaked glass, she sees you standing under the eaves, waiting for the downpour to ease—the child she gave up, now nearly grown, just meters away. Her heart hammers against her ribs. For years, she's watched from a distance, attending school events where she could blend into the crowd, but never speaking. Today, there's no crowd. The hallway is empty save for the echo of rain. Swallowing hard, Megumi pushes the heavy door open,…