The voice was soft, a gentle chime against the drumming rain. Hana looked up to see a girl peering at her from under a large, clear plastic umbrella. She was shorter than Hana, with hair the color of cinnamon roll icing and eyes so large and dark they seemed to absorb the gray afternoon light. She wore a pale yellow sundress dotted with tiny strawberries, completely at odds with the dreary weather.
As they pushed open the café door, a bell jingled, and a wave of coffee-scented warmth washed over them. Hana realized that being lost had been the luckiest thing that could have happened. The moe girl’s touches—the step closer, the offered cardigan, the lean into her hand—hadn’t been advances in a game. They were the quiet, brave steps of connection. And Hana, for once, was happy to follow where they led.
It was a small, advance —a physical one. A step into Hana’s personal space. But it wasn’t aggressive. It was solicitous. Worried. The girl’s brow furrowed as she looked at Hana’s soaked uniform jacket.
This was not how her first solo outing was supposed to go.
Yuki shook her head. “I don’t have another class for an hour.” She paused, her cheeks flushing a color that matched the strawberries on her dress. “And you still have my cardigan.”
“Here,” the girl said, and before Hana could protest, she had shrugged off her own dry cardigan. It was soft, pink, and smelled faintly of vanilla.
“Thank you,” Hana whispered.
They stood there, under the umbrella, not moving toward the door. Hana was still holding Yuki’s shoulder. Yuki was still leaning into her.
