Two days had passed since the incident, and Rias had remained in the same dazed, withdrawn state.Rumors, of course, didn't stay contained—they'd already spread to other classes.
Still, as the system had noted, Takumi, a completely neutral observer, had started noticing subtle details that didn't quite add up. Given time, the truth would inevitably surface.
During the third and fourth periods that morning, the class had Physical Education. The teacher instructed them to pair up for sit-ups—partners could be chosen freely.
Naturally, the students split along gender lines: girls with girls, boys with boys.But despite the even number of girls, one was still left without a partner. No one wanted to team up with Rias.
She was deliberately isolated.
The PE teacher glanced around. "Has everyone found a partner?"
"Teacher! Rias hasn't!" a boy called out gleefully, raising his hand as smirks and sidelong glances spread through the class.
Rias stood there awkwardly, face pale.
The PE teacher frowned. "Rias? You don't have a partner? Well, wait for the first group to finish, then find someone to help you."
Someone in the back piped up loudly, "No one wants to help her! She's a thief—we're not teaming up with her."
"I'm not!" Rias cried, panic in her voice. "I'm not a thief!"
"Yes, you are!""Dare you say you're not?!""Even the teacher removed you from your position!"
The PE teacher's expression shifted slightly. He clearly remembered hearing about the theft in this class, but he didn't probe. "This isn't the place for that kind of discussion! This is PE, not a courtroom! Focus on sports!"
He looked at Rias again and added, "Even so… don't you have anyone close to you?"
Under his gaze, Rias's eyes reddened. She could tell what he was really thinking.She bit her tongue. There was nothing she could say.
Then, someone suddenly raised his hand from the group. "Teacher, I'll pair with her."
Everyone turned in unison.
It was Takumi.
Even the PE teacher blinked in surprise, then nodded. "Alright then—Takumi and Rias are a team. Everyone else, warm up and get ready to begin!"
The whispers surged instantly:
"I didn't believe the rumors before, but now I kind of do.""Yeah, how can Takumi be into her? She's a thief.""He's the top student! What's he thinking?""Are they… dating?"
Takumi glanced coldly at the murmuring students. "What are you even talking about?"
Silence fell like a hammer. No one wanted to provoke him—Takumi was different. Top grades, impressive strength, respected even without holding a position. He could've been the class monitor if he wanted.
The teacher clapped his hands. "Get into groups!"
Rias made her way over, staring at Takumi as if she'd seen a ghost.
He raised a brow. "What's with that look? You look like you're staring at a monkey."
"I'm not!" she blurted, then added in a low voice, "You… you're really willing to partner with me? Aren't you afraid of what they'll say?"
"You worry too much," Takumi replied coolly. "People have gossiped about us before. Besides, do I look like someone who cares about what others think? I don't even notice half the things they say."
Rias blinked, then chuckled softly. "That's true. You've always been weird… no one can figure you out."
The teacher called out instructions to begin.
Takumi sat down on the grass while Rias knelt to hold his legs.
She watched him quietly, then hesitantly asked, "Do you… believe me?"
Her voice was barely above a whisper. Takumi didn't respond right away, and she thought he hadn't heard. She didn't dare ask again.
But after just two sit-ups, he answered, casually:
"If I didn't believe you, I wouldn't have partnered with you. Honestly, I think anyone in this class could've stolen those things—but not you. You actually liked being the discipline committee member. You wouldn't ruin that over something so stupid."
Rias didn't quite know what to feel. Something shifted inside her.
The boy in front of her looked especially kind at that moment.
Her heartbeat quickened, and the suffocating cloud that had hung over her for days began to lift.Even the air around her seemed lighter.
A faint smile tugged at the corner of Rias's lips, tinged with the slightest blush.She pressed down on his legs a little harder, her heart noticeably lighter.
By noon, the clouds had thickened and released a heavy downpour. Rain lashed the campus, merciless and loud.
Takumi walked to the back of the classroom during lunch, searching for his umbrella.It was nowhere to be found.
A moment later, he remembered: he had taken it home the last time it rained and never brought it back.
Most of the class had already left for the cafeteria.
Rias was about to go as well when she spotted Takumi leaving the classroom, empty-handed. She paused, looked at the umbrella in her hand, hesitated, and then silently followed behind him like a ghost's shadow.
At the first-floor entrance of the teaching building, Takumi stood beneath the awning, staring out at the sheets of rain.
He sensed a presence behind him and turned. "Why are you following me?"
Rias froze, caught red-handed. She stepped from behind the pillar and tried to maintain a straight face. "Who... who's following you? Don't flatter yourself. I'm just going to lunch—I have to pass this way too!"
Takumi glanced back at her. She quickly averted her eyes, her pigtails swaying as if trying to deflect suspicion.
Stammering, she said, "Didn't bring your umbrella, huh? Want to... share mine? I mean, I've never shared an umbrella with a boy before, but I can't just watch you get soaked."
She still didn't look at him directly, but her eyes stole quick glances his way.
Takumi replied flatly, "No need."
"No need?" Rias gawked and stepped closer. "It's pouring out there! How are you planning to get to the cafeteria without getting drenched? I thought you didn't care about rumors! Are you still afraid to walk with me?"
Takumi shrugged. "I just figured you wouldn't want to walk with me."
That shut her up. Rias clenched her tiny fists.
She huffed, "Of course I'm unwilling! You're a boy, I'm a girl—of course we'll be gossiped about! But… some things can't be helped!"
Takumi looked at her, amused. "Rias, do you know what tsundere means?"
"Huh?" she blinked, puzzled. "No. What's that?"
"Never mind. Just take it as a compliment."
She furrowed her brow, muttering, "Doesn't sound like one… I'm looking that word up when I get home tonight. So? Are we doing this or not? People are watching! I'm super shy, okay?"
Indeed, a number of students were gathered in the hall, quietly staring.In elementary school, it was rare for boys and girls to share an umbrella.
Takumi finally nodded. "Thanks."
Rias sighed in relief, then held the umbrella up for him.
But she wasn't quite tall enough, and her arm strained to keep the umbrella high. Takumi took it from her hand. "I'll hold it. You're stretching your arm like a traffic sign."
Rias put her hands behind her back, stepping shyly beside him into the rain. "It's your fault for being so tall."
The space under the umbrella felt like a hidden world of its own.Encouraged by the quiet intimacy, Rias asked softly, "Do you really believe me? That I didn't steal anything? Everyone thinks I'm guilty…"
Takumi sighed. "Didn't I already answer that in PE?"
She looked at him hopefully.
"Yes, I believe you. I wouldn't have paired with you otherwise," he said, then added, "Honestly, I think anyone in class might've done it. But not you. You loved being the discipline committee member—you wouldn't destroy what you care about most."
Her heart fluttered.
"I'm glad," she whispered, voice barely audible over the rain.
"But…" Takumi continued, "Are you really just going to let this go?"
Rias's eyes lit up. She clenched her fists. "Of course not! I'm going to find out who set me up—and make her pay! Especially Yukino. She claimed she saw me take it, but she's lying. I'm going to figure out why."
Takumi raised an eyebrow. "Huh. Didn't expect you to bounce back so fast. You've been like a wilted flower for two days."
"That's not true!" Rias pouted. "I've been just fine… Just… adjusting."
Takumi chuckled, shaking his head.
Rias dropped her fists and walked alongside him in silence, pigtails swaying in the rain. Her heart felt light, and a quiet smile crept onto her face.
"What are you smiling at? And smiling so… weird."
Far behind them, at the other end of the building entrance, Yukino stood holding two pink umbrellas, her eyes locked on the pair disappearing into the rain.
Her gaze narrowed.
"Takumi…"