"Have you heard the story of the Rain Child?"
The young man stood before the rain curtain. The wind howled, whipping his clothes. Cold raindrops fell on his face.
"..."
The young woman stood in the classroom, watching his figure enveloped by the rain.
Who was he talking to?
Most of the students had left. She hadn't brought an umbrella, so she was waiting in the classroom for the rain to lessen. The legendary trouble maker also seemed not to have an umbrella, currently standing less than a meter from the rain curtain, speaking softly.
His tone was very gentle, not at all like how others described him—reckless and uninhibited.
Was he talking to her?
The sky was gray, and the young woman's mood was equally low. Loneliness clung to her, like her shadow, her breath, her life.
Having been alone since childhood, she developed a habit of avoiding contact with people. Perhaps out of fear of being hurt, or perhaps it was just a subconscious reflex.
But she could still feel the sorrow brought by loneliness, as if she was in the crowd, yet separated from everyone else by an eternally unreachable distance.
In this gloomy rain, she felt even more terrified, as if she were the only person left in the world.
So, when the young man spoke, she felt a sense of inexplicable calm.
"Legend says that, at first, only a single 'drop' of rain fell from the sky. It descended like a meteorite, bringing both water sources and disaster, then returned to the heavens, repeating the cycle."
"It didn't feel that anything it did was wrong; it was its inherent 'self-evident truth.' A drop of rain falls from the sky and then returns, only to fall again."
"But one day, it suddenly felt very lonely. So it wanted to talk to the people on the ground, but every time it fell, it only caused disaster. No one was willing to communicate with it."
"It then divided itself into countless tiny raindrops, so it wouldn't hurt people anymore."
"But after it gently fell, people still weren't willing to communicate with it because... it was just rain, and they were people. Rain and people were born not of the same kind, so there was neither necessity nor possibility for communication."
"However, the rain found that after dividing itself into countless parts, it was no longer lonely, because it actually had many other raindrops similar to itself. Why feel lonely because of humans?"
A short story, like a fairy tale told to a child. The tone was light, and the story was not eventful; it could put the listener to sleep.
But the young woman felt something open up in her heart.
"Heh, I actually made this story up," the young man turned around, a light smile in the rain.
"Lin, have you heard of the Balance Bomb?"
"Is that another thing you just made up?"
Lin opened his front door and casually turned on the light. He was quite satisfied with his neatly kept home, which should earn him some good impression points.
Prometheus, meanwhile, paid no attention to the room's decor. She took off her bag and fumbled for something inside.
"Indoor slippers are on the rack." Lin changed into his indoor slippers and started thinking about whether he should cook a good meal today.
Prometheus closed the door behind her, subtly locking it. She slipped off her shoes, her black stockings pressing against the floor, and followed Lin into the living room.
"Hmm? Why aren't you changing your shoes?"
"Because I won't be needing them later," Prometheus explained calmly. "The Balance Bomb—it will explode if the holder creates an imbalance. The principle is simple, but it has no practical use, so it's easy to make, but no one has."
"...So, has someone made this bomb now?"
"Yes."
Prometheus slowly said to Lin: "Lin, can you close your eyes and hold out your hands? I have a gift I want to give you."
Although Lin was still a bit confused as to why Prometheus was suddenly giving him a gift, he didn't think too much about it. He closed his eyes and held out his hands.
Soon, a heavy sensation was transmitted to his palms, and as Prometheus pressed something on the object, a faint click of activation followed.
"Alright, open your eyes."
Lin opened his eyes and looked with keen interest at the...
Bomb.
Something that, judging from its exterior, was unequivocally a bomb.
"...Um, Miss Prometheus, may I ask, this... wouldn't happen to be..." Lin cold sweat started to break out on the back of his neck. He forced a dry laugh, looking at Prometheus standing in front of him.
Prometheus didn't answer him. Instead, she started to unbutton her outer jacket.
"...Why does this thing look so much like a bomb? And why are you taking off your clothes?"
"Hmm... it's complicated to explain, but essentially, I like you, and I want you to become mine."
Prometheus's blank, pretty face now showed a bit of a smile.
"B-but... this isn't right." Lin swallowed. He finally realized that this girl seemed to have an ulterior motive. "How about we forget about it?"
The gray-haired young woman, who had shed her jacket, tilted her head and smiled: "Only the strong are qualified to refuse."
Lin brain exploded with a loud buzz. Wasn't that the very sentence he and Kevin had talked about?
Where did she learn that?
"Be careful, Lin. If you accidentally tilt the balance mechanism inside the bomb, the entire house will be blown sky-high." Prometheus approached Lin step by step, cornering him against the wall.
And Lin truly didn't dare to move carelessly. He stared in terror at the bomb in his hands and the young woman who had revealed her true nature.
"Don't worry. The bomb will automatically deactivate after three hours. During this time..."
"Shua!"
Lin clothes were torn open.
With tears welling up in his eyes, he caught a glimpse of an open notebook that had fallen out of the young woman's bag.
Some words were written on it.
"September 1st, Lin looks very melancholic today... want to do it."
"September 2nd, Lin is cracking down on school bullies again... want to do it."
"September 3rd, the class is discussing again how terrifying Lin smile is... want to do it."
"September 4th, watched Lin all day through binoculars... want to do it."
"I want to make Lin unable to leave me, both emotionally and... physically."
The notebook was filled with dense writing. At this moment, Lin realized what the young woman meant by "audience."
She had been observing him for a very long time.
"N-no... don't."
"Hehehe... you're so cute, Lin." Prometheus placed both hands over Lin, helping him steady the bomb, while she, slowly... slowly... sat down.
"Do you know how long I've been waiting for this moment? From enduring loneliness to enduring desire, you gave it all to me! So now, it's only fair that I take back the loneliness you took from me... from you."
"I really, can't hold back anymore."
Lin trembled, trying to back away, but there was nowhere to go: "Noooo—"
...
Seven hours later.
Lin front door was gently blown open by the wind. Lin lay in the hallway, eyes unfocused and saliva drooling from the corner of his mouth.
Then a slender hand grabbed his shoulder, slowly... dragging him back into the bedroom.