There was a saying Haruka once read online about how unlucky people attract weird energy. At that time, she laughed and scrolled on.
Now, soaking wet in the middle of a sudden downpour, chasing a dog who thought this was the perfect time for cardio, she wasn't laughing.
"MOMO, DON'T YOU DARE!" she shrieked, sprinting down the sidewalk as the Samoyed bounded ahead with unholy enthusiasm. Her boots squeaked with every slap against the wet pavement, her hoodie flapping behind her like a soggy cape of doom.
Somewhere between her yelling, slipping on a leaf, and nearly taking out a passing cyclist, she saw the silhouette of a guy standing under a shop's awning.
Oh no.
No, no, no.
Of all the people the universe could shove into her path, it had to be him.
"Seriously?" Ryo muttered as Haruka careened into the covered space beside him like a disaster in progress—panting, drenched, and leaking chaos.
"I—hi," she wheezed. "Nice weather we're having, huh?"
Ryo looked her up and down—the dripping hair, the mascara-murdered eyes, the Momo-shaped leash dangling uselessly from her wrist.
"You look like a drowned potato."
"I feel like a drowned potato," she snapped, wringing her sleeve with the energy of someone who'd already given up on dignity.
Ryo sighed, adjusting his hoodie like her presence physically pained him. "You seriously didn't check the forecast?"
"I DID!" she flailed. "It said 'light drizzle,' not Niagara Falls!"
"You should sue the app for emotional damage."
She glared at him through the strands of hair plastered to her forehead. "Don't act like you go outside more than I do."
"Yeah, but I bring an umbrella."
Haruka paused. Then she saw it—the plain black umbrella in his hand. Unopened. Dry. Holy. A literal beacon of hope in her soaking misery.
She reached for it without shame. "Give it to me—"
"Hell no." Ryo pulled it back like she'd just asked for his bank PIN. "Go get your own umbrella."
Her jaw dropped. "You—you evil hoodie-wearing toad!"
"I'm the toad?" he scoffed. "You're the one trying to rob me mid-flood."
"It's not robbing if it's a humanitarian act!"
"Umbrella theft isn't a recognized charity."
"You're seriously going to stand there and let me die of pneumonia?!"
"Yes. Peacefully. In silence."
She puffed her cheeks, looking like a soggy squirrel ready to commit a felony. "Unbelievable. You're heartless. No—worse—you're umbrellaless in empathy!"
He blinked. "That didn't even make sense."
"Neither does your existence!"
Before he could throw back another dry insult, a sudden blur of white fur bolted between them.
"MOMO!"
Haruka's shriek cracked through the downpour as her dog, leash half-loose in her soaked grip, dashed into the rain like it was his personal playground.
"Oh my god—no, Momo, come back! That's not a bath, that's weather!"
She took off without thinking, slipping and flailing as she sprinted after him. "Don't eat trash! Don't chase birds! Don't—oh my god, is that a rat?!"
Ryo stood frozen under the awning, watching the chaos unfold like it was a Netflix special titled How Not to Walk Your Dog.
He sighed. Long and suffering.
"This is not worth my two hours of gaming peace," he muttered, flipping open the umbrella at last. "Stupid dog. Stupider girl."
And yet, he ran—after them, after the noise, after that ridiculous fluffball who somehow dragged both of them into every kind of storm, rain or otherwise.
By the time he caught up, Haruka had managed to grab Momo's leash—but not her balance. She skidded dramatically on a patch of wet stone, arms flailing like a windmill on espresso.
Ryo reached out, caught her by the arm, and yanked both her and Momo under the umbrella in one swift motion.
"I hate this," he said flatly, water already dripping from his hood.
"You're the one who followed me!" she shouted back, breathless.
"You were going to trip over your own personality."
"I WAS SAVING MY DOG!"
"I was saving your dog. You were just flailing."
Their faces were inches apart under the small umbrella, both soaked, Momo panting happily between them.
Haruka's heart hiccupped. Just a little. Not because he was close. Not because he looked good with raindrops on his lashes.
Nope. Definitely not.
Why is my heart beating like this?
Am I dying? I'm definitely dying.
It's not because of him.
I'm just cold. Or scared. Or allergic to his face.
She looked away, cheeks puffed. "Ew. I'd never fall for someone like you."
"Yes, please don't." Ryo deadpanned.
But his hand was still holding her arm.
And neither of them moved away.
Haruka blinked up at him, very aware of the warmth of his hand on her arm despite the cold rain. She tugged her sleeve down and stepped back—too fast.
Splash.
Her heel landed in a puddle the size of a small lake. She yelped, nearly tipping over again, and only survived because Ryo grabbed the back of her hoodie like she was a misbehaving cat.
"Are you made of banana peels?" he muttered, pulling her upright.
"I'm graceful," she said with the defensive pride of someone who clearly was not. "I just wasn't prepared for unexpected moisture."
"You're literally drenched."
"And yet somehow still more graceful than you," she huffed.
Ryo gave her a blank look. "You just tried to insult me with water logic."
"I'm under emotional duress!"
"Clearly."
Momo, unbothered by their entire argument, circled them with his leash, effectively tying them together. Haruka squawked as the loop tightened around her ankles.
"Momo!" she cried. "You fluffy traitor! Why are you like this?!"
Ryo glanced down at the tangled mess of leash. "Great. Now we're a three-legged race team."
"Do you ever help?"
"I brought the umbrella," he said dryly.
"You refused to give it to me!"
"And now look where we are. Bonding in the rain. Like a terrible romcom."
She stared at him. "This isn't a romcom."
He looked back at her, deadpan. "Then why are you blushing?"
"I'm cold!" she snapped, cheeks now fully pink. "My blood is just retreating to my face for warmth!"
"Sure."
"Stop looking smug!"
"I'm not. This is my face."
Haruka groaned dramatically, arms flopping. "Ugh, why couldn't I have been rescued by someone nice? Or at least someone with emotional intelligence above room temperature?"
"Because you attract weird energy," he said, matter-of-fact.
She paused. Squinted at him.
"…Did you just quote my trauma back at me?"
Ryo just shrugged, pulling out his phone with one hand while still keeping the umbrella over both their heads. "I should record this. Title it How Not to Survive a Walk."
Momo barked once—loudly—then tried to jump on Ryo with soggy paws.
"NO—" Ryo immediately raised the umbrella like a shield. "Keep your demon cloud-dog away from me!"
Haruka burst out laughing. For a second, the rain, the cold, and even her soaked clothes didn't seem to matter.
She clutched Momo's leash, trying to untangle it while still grinning. "You act like he's the end of the world."
"He is. A fluffy, white, smiling apocalypse."
"Don't be dramatic."
"I'm not. He's got chaos in his soul."
Momo wagged his tail like he agreed.
They stood there for a moment—just the sound of rain and Momo's panting between them.
Then Haruka shivered.
Ryo clicked his tongue. "Come on, idiot. You'll drown your only brain cell."
Without waiting, he turned and started walking—umbrella tilted to still cover her. She blinked, then scrambled after him, holding tight to Momo's leash.
"Wait! Where are we going?"
"Home. Yours. You look like a half-drowned goblin, and I'm not babysitting a sneezy mess later."
Haruka gasped. "Excuse you—this goblin is majestic!"
Ryo didn't even look at her. "Keep telling yourself that."
She puffed her cheeks again, resisting the urge to kick his shin. "Wait, how do you know where I live?"
He raised an eyebrow at her. "I don't. You're going to tell me. Unless you'd rather wander the streets like a rain-soaked cryptid?"
"I'm not a cryptid!"
"Okay. Whatever helps you sleep."
Momo let out a happy sneeze and tried to shake off the water again, splattering both of them in the process. Ryo recoiled, muttering something that sounded suspiciously like a prayer for inner strength.
Haruka giggled. "He likes you, you know."
"He's got bad taste. Just like his owner."
Her laugh came louder this time, and she bumped his shoulder with hers. "You're mean."
"Yet here you are. Walking with me under my umbrella like it's a Studio Ghibli moment."
She looked away quickly, ears pink. "Don't flatter yourself. You're more like… low-budget weather insurance."
He gave her a sidelong glance, unimpressed. "That's the weirdest compliment I've ever received."
"Wasn't a compliment."
"Still counts."
They walked in sync, but not in peace.
"Well, don't get used to it," Haruka muttered.
"To what?"
"This. Me. Being under your umbrella. Your… weird charity."
Ryo let out a sharp breath through his nose. "Trust me, I'll be burning this umbrella after this."
"Good. You should. It's been tainted by my goblin germs, apparently."
"Finally, some self-awareness."
Haruka gasped, nearly slipping again as she turned to glare at him. "You're so rude!"
"And you're loud."
"I'm adorable!"
"In your own head."
She opened her mouth, ready to fire back, but Momo suddenly tugged forward, nearly yanking her off the sidewalk again. Ryo caught the back of her hoodie without looking, like he'd done this rescue mission before.
"Do you just wake up and choose chaos?"
"I don't choose chaos. Chaos chooses me."
"Tell it to unsubscribe."
Haruka huffed and stomped along beside him. "Why are you even doing this? You didn't have to walk me home."
"I didn't want you slipping into a sewer and blaming me."
"That only happened once!"
He gave her a look. "ONCE?" So it happened before?
She rolled her eyes. "Fine. Twice."
There was a pause.
"Okay, maybe three times, but one of them was just a shallow ditch."
"Please don't go out ever again."
"You're not my guardian, Hoodie Gremlin!"
"Could've fooled me."
They reached the front of her apartment building, the rain still thundering above them like the sky was having a breakdown. Momo shook violently, spraying droplets everywhere, and Ryo stepped back in a very clear nope motion.
"Your dog is a wet mop."
"He's perfect," Haruka said proudly, crouching to ruffle Momo's fur. "Unlike someone here."
"Yeah, yeah. Just go inside before I push you in myself."
Haruka straightened, meeting his eyes with a defiant tilt of her chin. "You'd miss me."
"I'd finally get some peace and quiet."
"Oh, admit it. You'd cry."
"I'd throw a party."
"You'd name the storm after me."
"I'd name it 'The end of the world'."
"Hey!"
Ryo smirked, just the faintest twitch at the corner of his mouth. Haruka, still dripping and pink-eared, narrowed her eyes.
"I hope you step in a puddle with socks on."
"I hope your Wi-Fi goes out mid-movie."
They stood there for a beat, locked in petty mutual hatred, until Momo barked once—either from boredom or secondhand embarrassment.
"Hey…Thanks," she said, finally, arms crossed.
Ryo gave her a curt nod. "Don't make it a habit."
Haruka turned toward her door, then peeked back over her shoulder. "Next time, I'm stealing that umbrella."
He didn't answer, just turned and walked off without looking back, the black umbrella bobbing above his head.
As she leaned on her door, drenched and grumpy, Haruka muttered to herself, "Stupid hoodie-wearing weather gremlin. Thinks he's so cool. Right Momo?"
"Momo?"
She looked around, her eyes darting from the couch to the kitchen. Nothing. No sign of her fluffy little troublemaker.