I, who advocate giving up, feel like a disqualified person

Is it psychological? I feel my heart beating faster.

Am I afraid?...But why should I be afraid?

Are you worried about the one in a hundred thousand chance of being struck by lightning, or are you just worried about catching a cold after getting wet?

"Ah, who knows..."

The more people experience, the more they worry about, and they are no longer as carefree as they were when they were children.

Compared to when I was a kid and wanted to rush into the rain in a raincoat and slippers, now I even feel reluctant to go out with an umbrella in the drizzle.

From liking to hating, it’s just because of the passage of time.

Looking back, I always felt that the rain falling from the sky had an indescribable charm, for some unknown reason.

Well, it's because of the unknown reason that we can remain in awe... So craning our necks and opening our mouths wide to try to taste the rain isn't childish at all.

Why is that...After I knew the reasons for the formation of rain, I didn't want to let myself come into contact with it again.

Well, maybe it's because I realized that they are actually as ordinary as me.

“Pfft…hahaha…”

Thinking of this, I couldn't help but laugh.

Suddenly I remembered the day when it snowed during the cultural exhibition.

After leaving the rooftop, I looked at the snowflakes falling from the sky. I don’t know what I was thinking about, but suddenly I stuck out my tongue and successfully caught the falling snowflakes.

When I found that there was nothing special about it, I felt a little disappointed.

Sometimes I really am... inexplicably...

Now that I know that snowflakes are as ordinary as rain, will I still do this in the future?

Maybe we will have the answer then.

"...Well..."

I restrained my smile a little.

Although there were not many pedestrians around, it was a wonderful experience to walk on the street and laugh by myself. It would be embarrassing if someone saw me. Although others may not know me, I don’t want to add another embarrassing memory when I am daydreaming in the future.

The wind picked up again.

But unlike the wind just now, this time the wind was faster and... mixed with something different from just now.

"Clap."

With a hint of coolness, I realized that rain was falling on my forehead.

It's raining...

Before I even considered opening my umbrella, the sound of raindrops began to fall more rapidly. Ah... Speaking of which, the rain in this season is like this, it falls without delay, as if it is in a hurry.

I hesitated for a moment before opening the umbrella, and my hair and shoulders were wet by the heavy raindrops.

Just as I worried, with the help of the wind, the lower part of my body, which was not covered by the umbrella, was hit by rain madly, and even the part that the umbrella could cover was blown into by the wind.

The wind is constantly tearing at the umbrella in my hand...If I'm not careful and don't adjust the angle correctly, it might be blown to pieces by the wind.

It seems that in this situation, the umbrella is of no use...

"Yeah, umbrellas are totally useless."

"...!"

I turned my eyes away because I heard her voice clearly and imagined that her face would suddenly appear beside me.

"Hey, let's run together?"

She was right next to me now, smiling and extending her hand to me.

I couldn't believe it, so I hurriedly closed my eyes and shook my head, then looked around again to where she appeared.

However, what caught the eye were only the raindrops that became clearer under the illumination of street lights and car lights.

Well, that's right, how could such a thing happen?

In the end, I have to walk this journey alone.

"Hey, what are you daydreaming about?"

"..."

You're right, now is not the time to be in a daze.

"So, as a man, why should you worry about catching a cold after getting wet in the rain?"

It's like going back to that day...it was raining just as heavily as this.

No, to be precise, this happened several times. I also ran home in the rain... But only this time, I really remembered who taught me how to run in the rain.

It seems that even if I forget you, I can never change the habits I developed because of you... Although this behavior is really stupid in the eyes of others.

But this is probably why I can remember you.

"Yes, that's it!"

She praised my courage in standing in the rain and then joined me in the rain.

I didn't bring an umbrella at the time and was waiting for my parents to pick me up at school when she convinced me.

"Don't huddle. Run as fast as you can and you won't feel the cold."

Although I caught a cold after getting home in the heavy rain...I am still very happy when I think about it now.

"Am I stupid... or are you..." I muttered to myself.

This kind of thing doesn't matter anymore.

I put away my umbrella.

Without the protection of the umbrella, the rain pushed by the wind hit my face hard, and I could hardly open my eyes.

Such a familiar feeling...that's how I felt then.

Because of the stimulation of rain and wind, I felt my body trembling uncontrollably, and my vertical pores contracted as I tried to retain heat.

"Are you ready?!"

Of course.

" run!"

A voice rang in my head, I didn't know if it was hers or mine.

And so, facing the heavy rain, I started my final sprint.

"Won't your whole body be soaked now? So there's nothing to worry about."

Needless to say, it would be strange if I wasn't soaked in such heavy rain. Fortunately, I didn't bring my cell phone with me, otherwise it would have been broken.

"If you take a closer look, don't you think being hit by the rain is actually quite pleasant?"

Well, to be honest, I didn't feel anything special except that I was cold...well, it did feel pretty good though.

"Haha, your hair looks weird when it's wet and hanging down~"

Actually...you too.

"There's a puddle ahead, watch me!"

Look at my...

Facing the puddle in front of me, I jumped up on the spot and stepped hard on it. With a "splash" sound, my feet felt the reaction force from the accumulated water and the ground, and the water splashed everywhere because of this action, and a lot of it splashed directly on my pants.

Fortunately, there was no one around, otherwise there would be complaints.

"How's it going? Are you happy?"

Yeah...I'm very happy now.

Especially when stepping in puddles.

"Don't worry about heavy rain or anything like that. These things may seem difficult, but they will pass if you endure them."

When she said this to me, I had no idea what she was going through.

Looking back now, was what she said at that time also spoken to herself?

probably.

"Didn't you say you once tasted rain?"

Of course I remember, that was tricked into me.

"I've already told you that rainwater leaks down from the sea in the sky. The reason it's not salty is... Think about it, how can things in the sky be the same as things on earth?"

"......"

I understand. You are indeed dumber than me.

A familiar billboard appeared in my peripheral vision, and I realized that I had run to an intersection not far from home.

"Take a good bath when you get home. Or maybe drink some ginger soup. Don't catch a cold."

I remembered that this was also the place where we parted... It seemed some distance away from her home, which meant that she was exposed to the rain for a longer time than me.

However, even if he took a shower in time, he still caught a cold the next day, but I didn't hear that she also caught a cold.

Is it because I don't like ginger so I didn't drink the ginger soup, or is it because of the "idiots don't catch colds" theorem...

“…”

Speaking of which... myself now.

Now I can drink ginger soup, although I still resist in my heart. But at that time I would think of the saying "be patient and it will pass".

Then, even if I got wet in such weather, I never caught a cold again.

what about you?

Have you become smarter now, smart enough to take care of yourself?

"........."

There was no answer because she had never told me that I could take care of myself.

All I could hear was the monotonous and still rapid sound of rain.

I gradually slowed down my pace, because I was almost home, so it didn't matter whether I walked fast or slow.

"call..."

Seeing the lights on in the house, I felt relaxed.

However, accidents happen when people relax.

My eyes suddenly felt sore...

Oh, trouble, it seems like rain has gotten into my eyes.

Chapter 9: Memories, Rain, and Meaning

"You kid, how many times have I told you..."

My mother's complaints kept coming from outside the door.

However, after I turned on the shower in the bathroom, her complaints about having to do laundry and about me not using the umbrella were drowned out by the sound of running water.

Well...anyway, maybe I'll do it again later.

It seems that there will be no big difference if you listen to these violent complaints again next time.

Should I laugh at my wandering mind?

"When I first stepped through the gates of high school, I felt like I had unlimited hope as I had been admitted to the number one high school."

"Whenever I think about this, my heart surges with excitement. I feel that I can accomplish many things. I can learn high school knowledge well, have good interpersonal relationships in high school, and even develop a romantic relationship with girls I don't know very well."

"However, once infected by the spirit of 'youth,' one might actually devote a great deal of time to interacting with classmates, forgetting to accumulate knowledge."