Rain and Silence

Episode 3 – “Rain and Silence”

[Scene: Afternoon – Classroom]

(The final bell rings, echoing faintly through the empty halls. Outside, clouds have gathered and a soft drizzle begins, quickly growing into a steady rain. Students rush out, their laughter and footsteps fading with every step. The classroom empties, leaving only the sound of water pattering against the windows.)

(Narration – Ren)

“The rain began the moment class ended.

Everyone ran off, umbrellas opening like fragile flowers in a storm.

I stayed behind — because I had nowhere else to be. And somehow, this silence… felt like home.”

(Ren sits in his usual corner, chin resting on his folded arms, eyes following raindrops racing down the glass. Each drop seems to carry a story, a memory he’s too shy to voice.)

(A soft sound — footsteps. Someone hasn’t left.)

Aoi (softly, almost hesitant):

“You didn’t go home yet?”

(Ren shifts slightly, looking up. Aoi stands near the door, her bag slung over one shoulder, hair damp with tiny raindrops clinging to the strands.)

Ren:

“No umbrella.”

Aoi (smiling faintly, a quiet warmth in her tone):

“Me neither.”

(She walks slowly toward the window, pausing beside him. They both watch the rain together. The classroom hums with quiet, broken only by the tapping of raindrops.)

Aoi:

“You always sit here alone.”

Ren:

“I like quiet places.”

Aoi:

“You don’t talk much, do you?”

Ren (shrugs lightly):

“People don’t like listening.”

(Aoi chuckles softly, pulling a nearby chair to sit beside him. It’s a small gesture, but it shifts the air.)

Aoi:

“Then maybe I’ll listen.”

(Ren glances at her, surprised, but says nothing. The rain continues, steady and gentle, as if it understands the unspoken words between them. Lightning flashes softly, illuminating her face for a brief moment.)

Aoi:

“Rain makes everything… softer, somehow. Like the sky is crying for those who can’t.”

(Ren blinks, quietly moved, a lump in his throat he can’t put into words.)

Ren (dryly, trying not to show it):

“You talk… weird.”

Aoi (smiling, teasing lightly):

“And you listen… weird.”

(They share a small laugh, the first sound between them that isn’t the rain. A quiet connection forms, fragile but real.)

Ren:

“Guess we wait till it stops.”

Aoi:

“Then let’s wait together.”

(Time passes. The rain softens to a gentle drizzle. The classroom glows with the faint orange light of the evening sun, filtering through clouds and raindrops.)

(Aoi stands first, lifting her bag, and looks at Ren with a small, soft smile.)

Aoi:

“Looks like it stopped.”

(Ren nods. Together, they step out of the empty classroom, their footsteps echoing in the hall, blending with the distant sound of dripping water.)

[Scene: Outside the School Gate]

(Puddles shimmer, reflecting the warm hues of the sunset. They walk side by side in silence, the world quiet around them. Water splashes softly beneath their shoes, but no words pass between them. Only glances, subtle and fleeting, speak volumes.)

(Ren glances at her once. She notices, smiles faintly, and continues walking.)

(Narration – Ren)

“We didn’t talk while walking home.

But somehow, that silence said everything.

That day… she became the first light in my quiet, empty world.”

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