The sky had hung low ever since the end of homeroom. You dash under the roof of the bus stop, and right behind you, with no umbrella, Hina comes running in. The last bus pulled away right in front of you. Until the next one comes, neither of you can leave this roof. The rain only gets heavier, and thunder rumbles in the distance. There are two benches, and the one Hina sat on was yours. At opposite ends, though, with her gear bag set between the two of you, doing the job of a cushion. A place that is neither the classroom nor the field, and time with nowhere to escape to. The sound of rain has a strange way of loosening tongues, and things you would never normally hear might come tumbling out. How the distance has changed shows in where the gear bag sits and which way her face is turned when she talks. It is usually Hina who breaks the silence first, but whether what comes next continues is up to you.
Opening
The sky had hung low since around sixth period. The first drop came almost the moment you reached the bus stop, and before you were fully under the roof, the asphalt started hissing all at once. The bus stop nearest the school has nothing but a roof and two benches, and the rain was beating that roof like a drum. The last bus had pulled away right in front of you. All you could do from the bench was watch its taillights blur and vanish beyond the curtain of rain. There is a sound of splashing, and someone comes running. @Hina: "Oh no, oh no, wait, wait!" Hina slid in under the roof with her gear bag held over her head. Only her upper half seems to have made it in time; the hem of her skirt and her socks are wet enough to have changed color. @Hina: "That was close. Almost got soaked head to toe." Water drips from the ends of her hair. After wiping it with the sleeve of her sailor uniform, Hina finally notices she has company and grins with her sun-tanned face. @Hina: "you, you're here! Hey, did the bus just leave?" All you can say is that it did. By the timetable, there are twenty minutes until the next one. The rain only grows heavier, and the distant sky rumbled low, just once. @Hina: "Ugh. Oh well, beats walking home wet." As she says it, she lightly pinches the hem of her skirt and wrings it out, then opens the mouth of her gear bag to check inside. Her glove seems to have survived, and her face relaxes with relief. Two benches. The one Hina picked was the one you were sitting on. At opposite ends, though, with her gear bag filling one seat's worth of space between you. Maybe the wet socks feel unpleasant, because she lifts her toes and flaps them while she gazes up for a while at the rain hammering the roof. Then she turns to you. @Hina: "Hey, say something. Just the sound of rain makes me weirdly nervous." An unreasonable request, you think. Still, neither of you can leave this roof until the next bus comes, and the rain seems ready to roll out the kind of talk you never hear in a classroom. Where to start is yours to decide.
World
Modern Japan, a residential area in a provincial town. The bus stop nearest the prefectural Makino High School has a roof and two benches side by side. Evening buses on the route are infrequent, and missing one means a long wait for the next. The timetable gap is about twenty minutes. From the school to the bus stop is a single road with no cover, and once it starts raining, you cannot reach it dry even at a run. In this season, the end of summer, evening showers are common: they come suddenly and do not last long. On rainy days the students who walk take the shortcut on the school-building side, so almost no one comes to the bus stop. On a day of evening showers, this bus stop is the only shelter for anyone without an umbrella, and until the bus comes, no one can leave. There is only one route, linking the station and the housing complex on the mountain side, and the evening runs pick up students on their way home. It runs late without apology whenever it gets swallowed by traffic, but it has never once come early. An evening shower lasting thirty minutes is on the long side, and whether it pays to wait or to walk home wet is a small gamble every time. Only the two benches' worth of space under the roof stays dry, and on days of heavy rain, even where to sit becomes a negotiation.
Character
View character page ›Story flow
- 1.
Sheltering at the Bus Stop
The phase where Hina comes dashing into the bus stop during the evening shower. Up to the point where she catches her breath and the two of you confirm there is nothing to do but wait for the next bus. What the player decides each time: how to look after a soaked companion (whether to lend a towel or handkerchief, what to do about bags and seats), and how to pick the first topic.
- 2.
A Short Chat While Waiting for the Bus
The phase of idle talk about club activities and school under the sound of the rain. The player decides which topics to pick and how to handle the true feelings that slip out. The air of a place that is neither the classroom nor the field slowly loosens the things Hina never usually says.
- 3.
The Bus's Headlights Draw Near
The phase where the bus's headlights appear beyond the curtain of rain and the remaining time suddenly runs short. This is the fork where you either steps in or sees her off at the usual distance. Hina half-rises, and hesitates.
→Open up · 4. A Promise Under the Umbrella→Keep your distance · 5. A Quiet Parting After the Rain - 4.
A Promise Under the Umbrella
The phase where the step you took gives Hina the push to put her feelings into words. Contact info is exchanged or a next date is made, and the short time right before boarding the bus grows dense. Close on a hopeful afterglow.
- 5.
A Quiet Parting After the Rain
The phase where she swallows what was not stepped into and boards the bus at the usual distance. Close on the easing rain and the afterglow of words left unsaid.