The Houseguest's Secret Tear
Aigoo... the junior alone at home...
Swooooshhh---!!!
Shalla had stayed silent for a long time.
She simply stood in the doorway and quietly looked up at Rai.
Rainwater trickled down her hair, and her clothes were already drenched.
Just as Rai opened his mouth awkwardly, Shalla slowly raised her hand.
And placed it on his cheek.
Tap.
“......”
Rai’s eyes widened.
“H-hey...?”
Even though Rai called out to her, Shalla said nothing.
She simply stared at Rai’s face and gently squeezed her fingertips.
Her hand was cold.
Yet oddly, the touch was incredibly gentle.
Then a single tear rolled down Shalla’s eye corner.
Drip.
At that sight, Rai’s expression hardened.
“Huh...?”
It didn’t stop at one tear.
Shalla continued to cry without saying a word.
She didn’t sob loudly.
She didn’t twist her face.
She simply cried silently, her expression blank and unmoving.
“Wait, why are you crying?!”
No answer.
Rai, looking confused, glanced around.
“It’s raining outside right now...”
In the end, he sighed and opened the door wide.
“Come inside for now. You can’t stand out here like this forever, right?”
Shalla briefly looked at Rai, then slowly nodded.
Swish. Swish.
That night, Shalla stepped into Rai’s house.
After she wiped her wet hair and body with the towel Rai handed her and changed into dry clothes, she looked a little better.
Rai, unable to hide his awkwardness, offered her a warm cup of tea.
“Here. Your body must be cold.”
Shalla held the teacup with both hands.
And took a small sip.
“It’s warm...”
“Isn’t it?”
Rai smiled and sat across from her.
“So... you feel better now?”
Shalla looked at Rai for a moment, then nodded.
“Yeah.”
“..........”
“Thank you.”
That was all.
Even when Rai cautiously spoke, Shalla only gave short replies.
She didn’t say where she had come from, why she had come to his house, or why she had been standing there in the rain.
Rai found it hard to ask.
He knew who she was.
He actually knew her far too well.
The highest-ranked Awakened registered with the government.
S-Rank Awakened, Shalla.
Why on earth would such a person come to his house with no connection at all?
Countless questions swirled in Rai’s mind, but seeing Shalla sitting right in front of him, he couldn’t bring himself to ask.
In the end, Rai quietly set down his teacup.
“...You can tell me the reason later.”
Shalla looked up.
Rai awkwardly smiled.
“To be honest, I don’t really know what’s going on right now either.”
Rai’s voice, which had hesitated for a moment, softened a little.
“But... I can’t just throw you back out like this.”
“...........”
“So.”
Rai looked at Shalla and said.
“If you want to leave anytime, go ahead.”
Shalla’s pupils trembled slightly.
“I won’t stop you.”
A brief silence followed.
“But... if you want to stay here.”
Rai gave a small smile.
“Stay as long as you like.”
It was then.
A faint change appeared in Shalla’s pupils.
In the dead, sunken red eyes, a spark slowly began to return.
“R-really... y-yes...?”
“Yes.”
“Can I... stay?”
“Of course.”
Rai nodded.
“It’s not like having one more person in the house will make a huge difference.”
Shalla stared at Rai for a long time.
And then smiled faintly.
For the first time that day.
To Rai, Shalla’s words might have been nothing special.
But to her, they were everything.
Being allowed to stay.
The moment she heard those words, a little light returned to Shalla’s eyes.
And...
---
Rai was leaning his chin on the convenience store counter when he suddenly looked up.
He had returned to the present.
Through the convenience store window, the night street stretched quietly.
Rai let out a soft chuckle.
“Now that I think about it... the first time I met you, you really were a weird person.”
Now she was a jobless woman lying on the sofa all day, but back then, Shalla had seemed like someone abandoned by the entire world.
Rai briefly gazed out the window and muttered.
“.......Still.”
He had been right to open the door that day. That thought remained unchanged even now.
---
After his shift ended, Rai turned off the convenience store lights and stepped outside.
The night air was pleasantly cool.
“Hoo...”
Rai stretched lightly, planning to head home, when a familiar voice rang out right in front of him.
“Senior.”
“.....Huh?”
When he turned his head, a woman stood beneath the streetlamp.
Her long blue hair fluttered lightly in the night breeze.
She greeted him with a casual wave, then approached Rai without any change in expression.
“Bella?”
“Yes, senior.”
It was Bella.
The full-time employee at this convenience store and Rai’s junior in the same school.
At school, she was so famous that there was no one who didn’t know her.
Her personality was bright, and she loved being around people, so she always had a crowd surrounding her.
For some reason, she had become quite close to Rai, who was near her.
Rai tilted his head at Bella’s appearance.
“Why are you here? Did you wait for me all this time?”
“I wanted to hang out with you, senior.”
Bella smiled faintly.
“W-what?!”
Rai’s face instantly flushed hot.
But he tried to act normal and looked away.
“I’m not buying anything just because you said that.”
“Huh, I didn’t ask you to buy anything.”
“Just... warning you in advance.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
Bella laughed softly and stood beside Rai.
“But, senior.”
“What is it?”
“Is there something good going on lately?”
“Good thing?”
“Yes.”
Bella watched Rai’s face intently from the side.
“You’ve seemed a bit brighter lately.”
Rai’s steps paused for a moment.
“I have?”
“Yes. Your expression has relaxed more than before.”
“......”
Rai fell into thought.
Now that he thought about it, recently when he came home, someone would take up the sofa, and when he tried to eat, there would be someone complaining that it was annoying while eating. Even small arguments would sometimes end with her quietly falling asleep.
Shalla.
Until half a year ago, the woman standing like a dead person in front of his house.
Rai recalled her, and strangely, a faint smile appeared on his lips.
“Well...”
He shook his head.
“I don’t think anything like that happened.”
“Really?”
“Yeah.”
Rai smiled faintly.
“Just that I’ve gotten used to her being around lately.”
Bella heard those words and glanced at Rai, but didn’t ask further.
Instead, she suddenly brought her hand lightly to her chin and said.
“Then, how about going to the theater together?”
“Theater?”
“Yeah. I happened to want to watch a movie.”
Rai pondered for a moment.
“It’s... fine, but...”
Bella looked around.
“But at this time, there should be a lot of people there.”
“I suppose.”
“Then let’s go to your house.”
“......What?”
Rai’s face froze instantly.
“Why?”
“I mean, wait.”
Rai stared at Bella, clearly surprised.
“Why are you suddenly talking about going to my house?”
“Because there will be a lot of people at the theater.”
“No, why our house specifically?”
“You can watch the movie there.”
“That’s...”
Rai couldn’t continue.
Bella tilted her head.
“You have something you don’t want me to see, don’t you?”
“Like what?!”
Rai shouted, his face flushing red.
“Why are you so flustered?”
“I’m not flustered!”
“You are.”
“No, I’m not!”
Bella stared at Rai’s face for a moment, then smiled faintly.
“Then I’ll decide we’re going.”
“.....You decide?”
“Yeah.”
“You’re such a pushy junior...”
Rai shook his head.
Bella smiled quietly beside him.
“As a junior, I should listen to my senior’s words.”
“You’re not listening at all.”
“Really?”
“Yeah.”
“Then I’ll let you decide just a little today.”
“What does that mean...”
The two walked side by side down the night street.
Rai’s face still carried some awkwardness, but Bella smiled gently at the sight.
In the end, Bella managed to follow Rai all the way to his house.
When the front door opened and they stepped inside, Bella slowly looked around.
The living room was wider than she expected, with neatly arranged furniture.
“It’s surprisingly spacious.”
“Everyone who visits our house says that.”
Rai took off his shoes and shrugged his shoulders unnecessarily.
“I’m living a proper life, you know.”
“Huh, I didn’t expect that.”
“That comment hurts a little.”
Bella smiled lightly and surveyed the inside of the house.
Rai had tidied away Shalla’s scattered things before leaving as much as possible.
Thanks to that, the place looked quite neat from the outside.
But the problem was in the unseen areas.
Bella looked around near the bed and suddenly bent her waist.
“Hm?”
“Why?”
“What’s this?”
Swish.
Bella pulled something out from under the bed.
A pink bra.
“..............”
Rai’s expression froze.
“..............”
Bella stared at the item in her hand for a moment without a word, then looked at Rai.
“Senior.”
“Wait a second.”
Thunk---!!!!
Rai rushed over and snatched the item from Bella’s hand in an instant.
“This is embarrassing!”
“I didn’t say anything yet, though?”
“No, your expression already says it!”
Rai’s face turned bright red as he hid the bra behind his back.
“Please...!!! Really, please...!! I don’t even have a chance to date anyone—!!”
“Huhuh.”
A mischievous smile spread across Bella’s lips.
“I had no idea the senior was like this.”
“I’m not!”
“Then why is it hidden under the bed...”
“I definitely tidied everything away before I left! I didn’t know something like that was hiding there too!”
“Hmm...? You said you tidied it?”
Bella crossed her arms and stared at Rai.
“Then explain.”
“I will explain! I’ll explain everything...!!!”
Rai clasped his hands together and started begging.
“Don’t tell anyone at school.”
“........”
“Seriously...”
“Huhuhuh.”
In the end, Bella burst out laughing softly.
“As expected.”
“What do you mean?”
“That the supposedly pure senior shows such a reaction is pretty funny.”
“I didn’t mean it like that!”
“I know.”
Bella slowly approached Rai.
At that, Rai backed away in surprise.
“W-why, why are you getting closer?”
“Just...”
Bella didn’t stop and moved closer.
Then she leaned her head close to Rai’s face and smiled quietly.
“Then, senior.”
“Hm?”
“Please do one thing for me.”
Rai’s face flushed even more.
“A w-what kind of request...?”
Bella answered with a playful smile.
“Huhuh. Don’t be so scared, senior.”
Bella’s expression remained as relaxed as ever.