The first rain of the monsoon had already begun. Dark clouds had completely covered the sky. The rain was so heavy that nothing in the distance could be seen clearly — only the endless streaks of falling water and the gusts of cold wind rushing past.

  Most of the students and teachers had already gone home, and only a few people remained at school.

  Amid that downpour, Haarun and Mayya were standing under the school gate, waiting for the rain to ease.

  After a while, when the rain slowed down a little, Haarun took out an umbrella from his bag. It was completely transparent. As he opened it, he noticed Mayya standing quietly beside him without taking out any umbrella.

  Her cheeks were slightly red, and there was a faint hesitation in her eyes. In a straightforward tone, Haarun asked:— “So, what’s the matter? Aren’t you going to take out your umbrella? Or do you not plan on going home today?”

  Startled by his words, Mayya quickly replied in a shy, low voice:— “No… actually… I lost my umbrella.”

  Hearing that, Haarun stayed silent for a moment, then said calmly:— “Alright then, you can walk with me under this one.”

  Mayya’s cheeks turned even redder at his words. Seeing her flustered face, Haarun smiled lightly and said teasingly:— “What are you thinking so much about? I’m only going to walk you to your apartment.”

  Hearing Haarun’s words, Mayya stayed silent and quietly began walking beside him under the same umbrella.

  Being so close to him made her face turn completely red, and her breathing grew slightly unsteady.

  After a while, Haarun noticed raindrops sliding down from the edge of the umbrella and trailing along Mayya’s neck.

  So he gently took her hand and pulled her a little closer to him. For a moment, Mayya looked up at him in surprise, but before she could say anything, Haarun smiled softly and said in a calm voice:— “Take care of yourself, or you’ll catch a cold.”

  Mayya couldn’t find any words to reply. Only then did she realize that her neck really had gotten wet. Though she said nothing, a faint mix of embarrassment and regret flickered in her eyes.

  A few moments later, the scene changed — The school was now completely silent. Rayn was sitting alone on his seat; there was no one else around.

  After some time, he slowly slung his bag over his shoulder and started walking home. Looking up at the sky, he could tell — it was going to rain again.

  Just as he thought, the clouds thickened once more, and the wind began to tremble through the air.

  After walking a short distance, Rayn stopped near a small bridge. There, standing by the railing in the glow and shadow of passing car lights — was a gir — Yuqeen Aev Hanabirah.

  A little earlier — Haarun and Mayya were still walking together. No words, no sound — only the soft patter of falling rain.

  The regret in Mayya’s heart had slowly turned into a quiet melancholy. Something was swirling inside her — something she could no longer hold back. Finally, she stopped suddenly and said in a trembling voice:— “Haarun… there’s something I want to tell you.”

  With a faint smile, Haarun asked gently:— “What is it?”

  Mayya hesitated for a moment, then hurriedly confessed:— “Actually… I didn’t lose my umbrella. I left it back at school on purpose.”

  Haarun looked at her, slightly surprised, confusion flickering across his face. But on Mayya’s face, there was clear regret — and a hint of tears glimmering at the corner of her eyes. In a broken, fragile voice, she said:— “I… I just wanted to spend a little time alone with you in the rain. That’s why…”

  Before she could finish, Haarun suddenly saw a car speeding toward them — its headlights flashing through the rain, horn blaring loud.

  Without a second’s hesitation, Haarun pulled Mayya toward him. They lost their balance and fell — Haarun beneath, and Mayya on top of him.

  The umbrella was still open, lying above their heads — as if trying to protect that fragile, fleeting moment from getting washed away by the rain.

  It felt as if, for a brief moment, time itself had slowed down, and silence had fallen once again.

  The only sound left was the gentle patter of the rain, and above Haarun and Mayya’s heads, a thick tree swayed softly with the cool breeze drifting through the drizzle.

  In that quiet moment, Haarun and Mayya had come very close to each other — their cheeks flushed red, and their eyes slowly half-closed, as though they were caught in a dreamlike trance.

  Their faces drew nearer and nearer, the small distance between them fading away little by little.

  Their breaths grew warmer, mingling with the cold air, while the rain had completely soaked their clothes.

  Because her dress was drenched, Mayya’s body began to tremble slightly, and a few strands of her hair clung to Haarun’s forehead.

  The mix of cold wind, soft rain, and warm breaths created a strange, intoxicating pull between them — something neither of them could quite understand.

  Just then, the sudden sound of a car horn snapped them back to reality. Mayya froze — realizing she was lying on top of Haarun.

  Startled, she quickly got up. Her whole body was soaked through. Panic washed over her — her face turned crimson, and she began to shiver uncontrollably.

  Tears welled up in her eyes as she covered her face with her hands and ran off, crying. No matter how hard she tried to stop, to wipe away her tears — she simply couldn’t.

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  Mayya ran straight into her apartment and quickly shut the door behind her. Then, collapsing onto the floor, she began to cry again. Between sobs, she whispered:— “What have I done…? Haarun is a Royal, and I’m just an ordinary noble…”

  She tried to stop crying but couldn’t. Holding her head in her hands, she spoke again in a trembling voice:— “Why did this happen…? I lied to him, and then… all of that happened… What if Haarun stops talking to me…? What will I do then…?”

  With those words, she broke down once more, crying harder than before. Tears streamed down her cheeks, dripping onto her trembling hands.

  Meanwhile, at that very moment, Haarun was still standing there. Covering his face with one hand, he muttered quietly to himself:— “What… what was I even doing…?”

  The next morning. Haarun and Rayn walked side by side as they entered the school gate.

  As they made their way through the corridor and stepped into the classroom, their eyes fell on Mayya — she was already sitting in the front seat. Seeing her there, Rayn thought to himself:— “What’s this…? Why is Shizqar sitting in the front instead of her usual seat?”

  The moment Haarun walked in, Mayya quickly lowered her head. Her cheeks had turned slightly red with embarrassment.

  Haarun, too, avoided looking at her, pretending to be focused elsewhere. Because of what happened yesterday, neither of them could bring themselves to meet each other’s eyes. Seeing this, Rayn asked in a calm tone:— “So… did something happen between you two yesterday?”

  Haarun replied in a cold, straightforward voice:— “No, nothing like that happened.”

  Rayn shook his head with a faint smile:— “Brother, I don’t know what really went down. But I’ll just say this — talk to her. Talking solves everything.”

  After a pause, he added:— “See, when you talk, decisions come. But when you stay silent, all you get is distance.”

  Hearing Rayn’s words, Haarun remained still for a moment, then a small smile tugged at his lips. He understood exactly what Rayn was trying to say.

  During lunch break, while all the other students were heading toward the cafeteria, Haarun slowly walked up to Mayya’s desk and stopped in front of her.

  Seeing Haarun suddenly standing there, Mayya got a bit flustered. She slowly looked up at him — but even then, Haarun couldn’t bring himself to meet her eyes.

  As she looked at his face, Mayya quickly lowered her head again. At that moment, Haarun glanced to the side and said in a straightforward tone:— “Mayya, I want to talk to you about something.”

  Then, after a short pause, he looked at her and spoke softly:— “I’ll be waiting for you on the school rooftop… please come.”

  Saying that, Haarun turned and walked away. Mayya sat there quietly for a few moments, her head still lowered.

  After a while, she slowly started climbing the stairs to the rooftop. Her face clearly showed how nervous she was.

  When she reached the rooftop, she saw that the sky was covered with dark clouds, a cold breeze was blowing through the air — and Haarun was standing silently near the parapet wall.

  Mayya slowly walked up behind Haarun. She was so nervous that no words would come out of her mouth.

  Both of them stayed silent. Haarun stood with his back turned, and Mayya quietly stood behind him. The strong wind made their hair and clothes flutter, yet neither of them said a word. After a while, Haarun finally broke the silence and spoke in a calm tone:— “Mayya, I called you here because I need to tell you something.”

  Hearing that, Mayya slowly lifted her head. Haarun then turned around to face her and said softly:— “I… I want to apologize for what happened yesterday.”

  Mayya looked surprised to hear him apologize. After a short silence, she spoke quietly:— “Why are you apologizing? It’s me who should say sorry. Everything that happened yesterday… was because of me.”

  In a gentle voice, Haarun asked:— “Why do you think what happened yesterday was your fault?”

  Mayya stayed silent for a moment, then said in a trembling voice:— “I… I didn’t actually lose my umbrella. I left it at school on purpose… because I wanted to spend a little time with you in the rain.”

  Haarun listened quietly to her words. Mayya’s voice grew softer, deeper:— “If I hadn’t left it behind, then maybe none of that would’ve happened.”

  Haarun replied calmly:— “If you had just told me, I would’ve stayed with you anyway. But why did you go through all that trouble?”

  Lowering her head, Mayya said quietly:— “Even though you’re my friend… you’re a Mid Royal, and I’m just a Mid Noble…”

  As she spoke, tears began to fall. Between sobs, she said in a broken voice:— “Yesterday, for a moment, I forgot that you’re a Royal… and I’m just a Noble.”

  Her tears wouldn’t stop. Keeping her head low, she said shakily:— “Please… forgive me for what happened yesterday. I don’t want you to stay away from me… please…”

  Hearing her words, Haarun looked surprised for a moment — but then, without hesitation, he gently pulled Mayya into his arms. His voice carried a soft laugh and warmth:— “You know… I didn’t even understand half of what you just said or meant.”

  Mayya was stunned by his sudden embrace. Her tears slowly stopped. Then Haarun spoke again, his tone calm and gentle:— “I may not understand everything you said… but I do understand that you’ve got a lot on your mind.”

  Mayya slowly lifted her head and looked into Haarun’s face. There was a tender smile on his lips, and kindness in his eyes.

  Haarun continued:— “The fact that you went through so much just to spend time with me… honestly, that makes me happy.

  But it hurts me that you keep thinking about our status—about how I’m a Royal and you’re a Noble.”

  Hearing that, Mayya’s eyes filled with tears again. Without saying another word, she hugged Haarun tightly. Haarun smiled softly and pulled her close, whispering:— “And one last thing… I’ll never leave you.”

  There was no one else on the rooftop. The sky was filled with dark clouds, the cold wind whistled through the air — and in that quiet, tender moment, it felt as if a new bond had begun between them.

  A whole month passed just like that. During this month, Mayya and Haarun’s friendship had grown even deeper — into a bond so special that even they couldn’t quite define it.

  Whenever Haarun had some free time, he would spend it with Mayya. Sometimes they went out together; other times, Haarun would visit Mayya’s apartment to hang out.

  Often, Haarun would deliberately make time just to be with her. Anyone who saw them together would never believe they were “just friends.”

  There was something between them — something far more intimate than friendship. Looking at them, one could easily mistake them for a couple.

  Meanwhile, Haarun had also started spending more time with Rayn. Their friendship, too, was growing stronger — like that of two brothers.

  In that one month, Haarun and Mayya had spent more time together than they probably ever had before. That day, the sky was clear — sunlight scattered softly through the air. It didn’t look like it would rain.

  Rayn and Haarun were walking side by side through the corridor when Yuqeen passed by them. Without even looking at them, Yuqeen walked straight past.

  But Haarun noticed something — a tiny detail that didn’t escape his eyes. Neither of them turned around, but at the very end of the corridor, Yuqeen suddenly glanced back — right at Rayn.

  Haarun noticed that it looked perfectly good. After walking a bit further, Haarun said teasingly:— “Hey, bro Rayn… I think you and Hanabirah are totally the same! I swear, you should give it a try.”

  Rayn frowned slightly and replied in a serious tone:— “What exactly are you trying to say?”

  Haarun laughed, putting his arm around Rayn’s shoulder:— “Come on, my dear brother Rayn! Don’t act so innocent. I know you’re as slick as I am.”

  Then, leaning closer, he said softly:— “I think Hanabirah likes you. I’m telling you, try proposing to her — she might just say yes.”

  Rayn removed Haarun’s arm from his shoulder and said in a slightly annoyed voice:— “Haarun… do you want that punch now, or should I send it to you by mail?”

  Haarun pretended to panic immediately:— “Okay, okay, brother! I surrender — forgive me!”

  With that, they both started walking silently again. After a few steps, Haarun spoke up in his usual straightforward tone:— “I’m serious though — make her your girlfriend. It hurts my heart to see you single, man.”

  Hearing that, Rayn sighed deeply and muttered under his breath:— “This guy will never be normal.”

  A little later, they entered the classroom and sat in their seats. As soon as Haarun sat down, he said seriously to Rayn:— “Hey Rayn, don’t forget what I told you, okay?”

  Rayn replied with a slight smile:— “That’s fine, but Haarun — what exactly was it that you told me?”

  Haarun, annoyed, said:— “I know you don’t respect me. But does that mean you have to insult me too?”