On the way home from school.
Satoru’s gaze swept through the crowd and noticed the black-haired classmate — Fujimiya Amane.
At this moment, he was still just an inconspicuous background character.
But who would have thought that he was supposed to be the angel’s destined one?
As time passed.
The sky grew darker, and the air was filled with the earthy smell before rain.
According to the original plot, Mahiru, after being called ‘unwanted by her mother,’ gave up on herself and went to the park alone, swinging on a swing in solitude.
While waiting for the plot to begin.
Satoru wasn’t idle either; he bought an umbrella, a shoulder bag, some snacks, and splurged on a Shinkansen bullet train ticket to Sendai, adopting the mindset of a tourist.
Combining his research on the system throughout an entire class.
Satoru had some theories about why the system’s avatar was gray.
In the system panel, Itadori Yuji / Yuji Itadori’s avatar was gray.
But Shiina Mahiru’s avatar was brightly colored.
This might mean that the jujutsu kaisen storyline hasn’t officially begun yet.
Various anime might develop based on their initial time nodes.
If the speculation is correct, then there is at least one day until Itadori swallows Sukuna’s finger.
For Satoru, this was undoubtedly the perfect time to intervene!
As long as he could successfully prevent Itadori from swallowing the finger, he might immediately gain some self-preservation abilities…
After making all preparations.
Satoru went to the park to wait.
In the gloomy sky, rain finally began to fall slowly.
[Node Trigger Critical!
Target Approaching!]
The system prompt appeared.
Satoru immediately looked up.
He saw a cute figure, looking a little dejected, walk into the park.
She was wearing the Seijou High School uniform, her flaxen hair reaching her waist, her eyes vacant, and her face unable to hide her disappointment.
It was none other than the perfect girl, Shiina Mahiru, known as the ‘Angel’ in the original work.
But Satoru knew that this perfection was merely a strong facade.
Mahiru walked slowly, her head bowed.
Finally, she reached the swing, sat down gently, and swayed idly.
Fine raindrops wet Shiina Mahiru’s hair tips and clothes.
Yet she seemed utterly oblivious.
That silent sense of loss and vulnerability was evident.
Suddenly.
A tear fell.
It slid down her cheek, silently blending into the cold rainwater.
“It must be because of what her mother said…”
Recalling the plot from the original work, Satoru, holding an umbrella, understood.
But seeing this scene in person.
A feeling of pity still welled up in his heart.
“How can she be so cute…”
Satoru, holding his umbrella, couldn’t help but exclaim in his heart.
This sense of vulnerability was a hundred times more endearing than what Satoru had seen in the anime.
Just then.
Satoru caught sight of someone out of the corner of his eye.
A somewhat gloomy and ordinary-looking boy, wearing the same school uniform, appeared at the street corner.
It was Fujimiya Amane.
He saw Mahiru on the swing and paused slightly.
Holding an umbrella, a hesitant expression appeared on his face.
He seemed to be contemplating whether he should come over.
During Fujimiya Amane’s brief hesitation.
[Key Character Appears!
High-Value Intervention Node About to Occur!]
The system prompt flashed continuously.
As if reminding Satoru not to miss the opportunity to intervene.
Satoru no longer hesitated and walked towards the lonely figure, holding his umbrella.
“Whoosh!”
In Shiina Mahiru’s ears, the sound of rain in the air suddenly diminished by more than half.
A large black umbrella appeared above her, shielding her from all the cold raindrops.
“Mahiru-san, what are you doing?”
Satoru asked, his voice calm and with just the right amount of concern.
But as soon as he spoke, Satoru realized something was wrong.
His attempt at humor had just blurted out!
His first words carried a strong Hokkaido accent.
It sounded like he was looking for trouble!
Shiina Mahiru raised her small face in confusion.
Tiny raindrops still clung to her wet eyelashes.
A slender, strong hand with distinct knuckles was the first thing that caught her eye.
“The hand holding the umbrella…
is very beautiful.”
This was Mahiru’s first thought.
Looking up, she saw an even more handsome and gentle face, with a warm smile.
His eyes were bright, as if they could dispel the gloom of the rainy day.
“Satoru-kun?
Is there something you need?”
A hint of surprise flashed in Shiina Mahiru’s amber eyes.
The next second, this surprise was covered by a faint sense of distance and wariness.
Satoru was also a little surprised that Shiina Mahiru still remembered his name.
But he still had to find a way to deal with her wariness.
“Nothing.”
Satoru paused slightly, his gaze sincere.
“I just saw it was raining and someone was alone in the park, so I was a little concerned, that’s all.”
Satoru remembered most of the original lines, so reproducing them wasn’t a problem.
Mahiru was slightly stunned, seemingly not expecting such a response.
She pursed her lips, her gaze shifting slightly, her tone carrying a habitual sense of distance, polite and proper: “…Thank you for your concern, but I’ll be fine by myself.”
“Mm.”
Satoru responded, but his gaze did not move, still looking at her sincerely.
“This rain won’t stop anytime soon.
If you keep getting drenched, you’ll definitely catch a cold.”
He paused.
He gently offered her the umbrella handle and took half a step back.
“Here, you take this.”
Mahiru looked at the offered umbrella in surprise, then at Satoru’s rain-soaked shoulder.
“No need to return it.”
Satoru added, as if speaking of a trivial matter.
Mahiru was silent for a moment.
She looked at Satoru’s soaked shoulder, broad and strong, and a strange sense of security was born in her heart.
“I…”
Her lips moved slightly, the refusal still hesitating on her tongue.
Raindrops fell from Mahiru’s slightly damp hair.
A very faint blush, however, quietly crept onto her fair earlobes.
Not just because of the rain, but also because of Satoru.
Although Satoru was only there to complete the intervention mission.
At such a close distance.
Satoru’s gaze inevitably fell on Mahiru.
But it had to be said.
Mahiru at this moment looked like a kitten drenched by the rain, yet pretending to be strong.
“She’s really so cute…”
Satoru looked at Mahiru’s delicate little face up close, unable to help but feel emotional.
However, beauty was only one aspect.
Shiina Mahiru wasn’t a V Gundam; a V Gundam was more than just beautiful!
In this brief silence.
Satoru’s heart stirred.
A more comprehensive idea flashed through his mind.
Maintaining the posture of offering the umbrella, Satoru took a step forward very naturally.
He carefully controlled the distance, ensuring he wouldn’t bring any pressure or discomfort to Mahiru.
“Perhaps…”
Satoru’s voice softened, suggesting in a reassuring tone.
“If you don’t mind…
and if I’m going in the same direction, I could walk you part of the way?”
Satoru’s eyes were clear, and he believed his reason was perfectly chosen.
As if it were just a spur-of-the-moment idea, rather than intentional.
After all, before transmigration, Satoru had never been in a relationship.
Although girls often approached him, compared to dating, Satoru preferred to watch anime at home, cook delicious food, and play games, which was relaxing and carefree.
“Recent news reports say there have been Ghouls appearing nearby, with several vicious incidents already occurring.”
“It’s truly unsettling to let a girl go home alone in such circumstances.”
Satoru added, his tone filled with pure concern.
The two words ‘Ghoul’ were like cold needles, instantly piercing through Shiina Mahiru’s wary exterior.
Her face paled slightly, and a hint of imperceptible fear flashed in her eyes.
No ordinary person in this world wouldn’t be afraid of such terrifying creatures that feed on humans.
“Mm…”
Shiina Mahiru said nothing, observing Satoru in front of her.
Satoru’s worry and concern were too genuine, and his reasons were so compelling that she found it difficult to refuse.
Was he approaching her because of her title as ‘Angel-sama’?
Or was it…
that he truly just saw her in the rain, and given the danger nearby, came to hold an umbrella for her?
Mahiru’s slender fingers curled slightly.
After a brief internal struggle, she finally nodded gently again.
“Then…
I’ll trouble you, Satoru-kun.”
Her voice was so soft it almost melted into the sound of the rain.
“No trouble at all.”
Satoru smiled, stepping back to give Mahiru ample space to stand up.
Then he cleverly formed a semi-protective stance.
And walked into the drizzling rain with Mahiru.
Beneath the umbrella.
The two maintained a perfectly appropriate distance.
Satoru didn’t want his closeness to place too much burden on Mahiru.
Up close, Mahiru’s profile was even more flawlessly perfect.
A faint, sweet scent, perhaps from her hair, or her unique aura.
Made Satoru sigh with emotion, truly worthy of being an anime heroine.
Mahiru occasionally glanced at the boy holding the umbrella beside her from the corner of her eye.
He was tall and handsome, with strong shoulders that gave her a strange sense of security.
For some reason, a warm, unusual feeling spread through her heart.
Ding!
A crisp system notification sound rang in Satoru’s mind.
[Ding!
Detected that the Host has successfully intervened and replaced the core destined plotline of the key character Fujimiya Amane — the first encounter of giving an umbrella in the rain!]
[Intervention program activated!]