Dark clouds, like cotton soaked through with ink, hung heavy over Tokyo.
The rain fell in dense, needle-fine strands.
The entire city was steeped in an endless curtain of water.
The streets had already turned into winding rivers.
Neon signs warped in the watery glare into splashes of garish color.
Damp, humid air wormed its way through every window, into every corner—
and seeped into the unease in a young girl's heart.
Amano Hina: Everyone… may I ask—does your world also have rain that never ends?
The message carried an invisible, clammy weight.
In an instant, ripples spread through the group chat.
Shiba Miyuki: I've never seen anything like this. An abnormal phenomenon must have an abnormal cause.
Her fingertip tapped the tabletop lightly, her gaze freezing like crystallized ice.
Shiba Miyuki: Hina, be careful. This isn't normal weather.
A rational, calm warning—yet threaded with concern.
Hiiragi Shinoa: Oh my, oh my.
The girl swung her legs, the corner of her mouth lifting into a playful curve.
Hiiragi Shinoa: This is getting more and more interesting.
But her eyes tightened slightly.
Hiiragi Shinoa: Still… Hina-chan's situation doesn't look too good.
Her tone was light; the meaning, heavy.
Kirishima Touka: What a pain.
Two short words—her usual style.
She glanced out at the gloomy sky of her own world and frowned.
Miyamizu Mitsuha: Um…
Mitsuha gripped her phone, memories of Itomori flashing through her mind.
Miyamizu Mitsuha: Over here… strange things do happen sometimes, too.
Her voice was gentle, carrying a shared, empathetic worry.
Messages kept rolling in as everyone talked at once.
Some guessed it was just a natural disaster.
But more sharp instincts began pointing toward the shadows.
A seed of suspicion fell into supernatural soil.
Just then.
A calm line of text appeared before everyone's eyes—
like a drop of ice water falling into a bubbling pan of oil.
In an instant, it silenced the noise.
Rei Ao: @Amano Hina That rain is indeed not a natural phenomenon.
The chat abruptly went quiet.
Rei Ao: Your world is closely tied to certain "natural consciousnesses."
He leaned back in his chair, eyes deep as night.
Rei Ao: The essence of a "sunshine girl" is a shrine maiden who communicates with and harmonizes that consciousness.
Rei Ao: Taking too much clear sky breaks a fragile balance.
Rei Ao: Nature's anger is this endless downpour.
After a brief pause, he typed the last line.
Rei Ao: It may even have awakened certain… things that should have remained asleep.
Few words.
To the point.
Yet it hit like thunder.
Misaka Mikoto: I knew it!
The short-haired girl's fingertips crackled with electricity.
Misaka Mikoto: It's a supernatural incident!
Frieren: Natural consciousness… ancient gods? Something like elemental spirits?
Yukinoshita Yukino: The balance was broken… and Hina using her power was the trigger?
Arms crossed, she analyzed coolly, a hint of realization in her eyes.
Busujima Saeko: So it could wake something even more troublesome?
Yotsuya Miko: Ugh…
Yotsuya Miko: I told you… it felt like there was something huge and really sad.
Her voice trembled faintly.
Hayasaka Ai: Backlash from the power of a proxy of nature's gods?
The all-purpose maid assessed rapidly.
Hayasaka Ai: This just got nasty.
Marcille: Records! I need records on this!
The elven mage grew restless, like she wanted to dive straight into a mountain of books.
Stella: Then doesn't that mean— the harder Hina tries, the heavier the rain might get?!
Dead on.
Everyone fell silent at once.
A cold, horrifying conclusion tightened around their breathing.
This wasn't merely a climate anomaly.
It was a lethal crisis touching the world's underlying rules—and mysterious beings beyond it.
On the screen,
Amano Hina's avatar seemed to tremble.
Like a butterfly shivering in the rain.
Amano Hina: Is it because… of me?
The words came broken, soaked through with dampness.
Amano Hina: The city's rain… is the balance I broke?
She looked toward the gray, blurred sky outside.
The rain was washing the city clean—washing over her heart, too.
Guilt coiled around her like vines, nearly choking her.
Amano Hina: I…
Rei Ao watched the girl's almost-shattered words.
His expression didn't change, calm as a deep pool.
He had no intention of comforting her.
Sometimes the sharp edges of truth carry more force than gentleness.
Rei Ao: Now isn't the time to apologize.
Rei Ao: The rain won't stop because you're sorry.
Rei Ao: What you need to do—
His fingers typed the key two words.
Rei Ao: is "correct" the imbalance.
Rei Ao: Or "deal with" the source that caused it.
Correct? Deal with?
The group held their breath, waiting for what came next.
Hina stopped crying, lifted her eyes, and stared at the screen.
Rei Ao: With your current understanding and power—
He stated it objectively, almost cruelly.
Rei Ao: The odds you solve this alone are below 10%.
That brutal number crushed any lingering hope.
Rei Ao: @Amano Hina Asking me for help is the smartest choice you can make right now.
Straightforward. Open.
No one argued.
Those who'd seen what Rei Ao could do understood how unfathomable he was beneath that calm surface.
Amano Hina fell silent.
The second hand ticked through a long few seconds.
Outside, the rain sounded like the city's suppressed sobbing.
Countless people struggled in the water, their lives stalled.
And she—she was one of the triggers.
The girl wiped her tears hard.
As the watery sheen faded, a small blaze of resolve lit in her eyes.
Amano Hina: Rei Ao-san.
She typed it carefully, one character at a time.
Amano Hina: Please… help me.
She took a deep breath,
as if mustering all the courage she had.
Amano Hina: No matter what price I have to pay, it's fine!
A vow-heavy line.
Rei Ao: Good.
The reply was concise and forceful.
Rei Ao: Then, as usual, initiate the trade, Amano Hina.
Rei Ao: Explain your request in detail. I'll set the terms, and you decide whether to accept.
An invisible transaction interface quietly unfolded between them,
glimmering faintly.
The group chat fell into a temporary hush.
Everyone waited with complicated feelings—
worry, curiosity, tension.
The air seemed to solidify.
[Ding!]
A crisp system chime cut through the silence.
Amano Hina has initiated a trade request with you!
[Ding!]
[Trade Started!]
A semi-transparent light screen appeared, text flowing across it.
[Trade Target]: Amano Hina
[Trade Content]: Deal with Tokyo's unending rain; correct the natural imbalance.
[Trade Condition]: "Body usage rights · one time"
~~~
You're Welcome!