Scarlet Bloom

The rain didn't stop for two days straight.

By the third day, it felt like the whole school had given up trying to stay dry. Umbrellas were snapped, shoes soaked, and hallway tiles squeaked with every step. But Riku, Airi, and Kaito had somehow made it a routine—meeting under the old rooftop umbrella every lunch, rain or not.

Today, though, something felt different.

Kaito was late.

"Where is that idiot?" Airi grumbled, twisting a strand of damp hair. "He never skips lunch. He eats like he's in an eating competition every day."

"He probably got caught in a hallway brawl over the last sandwich again," Riku joked.

Airi rolled her eyes but smiled. "Or maybe he's finally confessing to someone."

Riku smirked. "And triggering the apocalypse? Nah."

But despite the banter, there was a small knot in Riku's stomach. Something about the sky felt heavier today. The clouds weren't just dark—they were brooding, like holding back something more than just rain.

Then, out of nowhere—

Boom!

A thunderclap split the sky, and the umbrella trembled in Riku's grip. Airi instinctively grabbed his arm.

He looked down at her.

She blinked. "Don't read into this."

"I didn't say anything."

"You were thinking it."

He smirked. "You don't know what I was thinking."

"I've known you since middle school. You were definitely thinking 'Oh wow, Airi's touching me. Maybe she likes me—'"

"—'Better not move or she'll punch me.'" Riku finished for her.

She laughed. "You do know me."

"Of course I do."

There was a short silence between them. Not awkward. Just... still.

Airi finally asked, "Do you really want to become that... Bloom King?"

Riku nodded. "I don't even know what it fully means yet. Just... it feels right. Like I'm supposed to."

"You're weird."

"You said that already."

"No, seriously. But I guess... I get it. I think people like you scare me."

He looked at her, surprised. "Why?"

"Because people like you never give up, even when they probably should."

Riku tilted his head. "Isn't that what makes someone worth following?"

Before Airi could answer, the door behind them swung open and Kaito burst through—soaked head to toe, hair plastered to his face, holding a plastic bag with three juice boxes.

"I braved the storm for these," he declared, holding them like treasure. "If I die early, remember me as the snack king."

Airi laughed. "You look like a drowned raccoon."

Kaito tossed her a juice box. "Say that again and I'll put wasabi in your tea."

As the three sat down under the umbrella again, sipping juice and laughing, Riku glanced at the sky.

And just for a moment, he saw something strange.

A flicker of light. Not lightning—a pulse, like the heartbeat of the clouds.

It was gone in an instant.

But it left a question in his mind.

And a strange, warm feeling in his chest.

Something had begun.

Something that would change everything.