The rain refused to stop…
Heavy drops crashed against the roof of the lonely bus stop, drowning the city beneath endless sheets of gray.
Cold wind swept through the empty street, carrying the scent of wet asphalt and fresh earth.
I sat motionless on the ground.
My breathing was finally beginning to steady, but every part of my body still trembled from the panic attack.
The leather jacket resting over my shoulders felt strangely warm.
It carried a faint scent of rain…
leather…
and sandalwood.
For some reason…
That warmth made the storm feel farther away.
Beside me, Takoru remained silent.
He didn’t ask questions.
He didn’t tell me to calm down.
He simply stood there beneath the rain, allowing the silence to heal what words couldn’t.
Neither of us spoke.
Only the rain did.
Minutes passed.
Finally, Takoru quietly broke the silence.
“…Can you stand?”
His voice was calm.
Almost gentle.
I looked at him.
Rainwater slowly rolled down his face, soaking the strands of dark hair resting against his forehead.
For the first time…
He didn’t look like the famous biker everyone admired.
He looked…
Lonely.
My heart tightened.
That face…
Those eyes…
For one terrifying second…
Kiyon’s smile overlapped with his.
“One day…”
“I’ll take you on the safest bike ride in the world.”
The memory crashed into me without warning.
I quickly lowered my head.
“I…”
“I’m okay.”
It was an obvious lie.
Takoru looked at me for another second before quietly extending his hand.
No pressure.
No insistence.
Just…
Waiting.
The rain continued falling between us.
I stared at his hand.
A biker’s hand.
Exactly the kind of hand I had feared for years.
Yet…
Somehow…
It didn’t feel frightening.
Slowly…
Very slowly…
Before our fingers could touch—
“RUBI!”
A desperate voice shattered the moment.
I immediately pulled my hand back.
A black car stopped beside the bus stop.
The passenger door flew open.
Yuri ran toward me without caring about the rain.
Emmi followed closely behind him.
“Rubi!”
Yuri dropped to one knee beside me.
His hands immediately checked my forehead, my shoulders and my arms.
“Were you hurt?”
“Can you breathe?”
“Did you fall?”
“I’m okay…”
I whispered.
“I’m really okay.”
Only then did Yuri notice the leather jacket around my shoulders.
His eyes slowly lifted toward Takoru.
The two boys silently looked at each other.
Neither spoke.
The rain filled the silence between them.
Yuri wasn’t angry.
He was cautious.
Protective.
The way any older brother…
Or in his case…
A twin brother would be.
He quietly helped me stand before speaking.
“…Did you stay with her?”
Takoru gave a small nod.
“She had a panic attack.”
That was all he said.
No explanation.
No attempt to make himself look good.
Yuri looked at me.
Then back at Takoru.
For several seconds, nobody moved.
Finally…
Yuri lowered his head slightly.
“…Thank you.”
Takoru seemed almost surprised.
His eyes softened for the briefest moment.
“It wasn’t a big deal.”
“It was.”
Yuri answered honestly.
“If you hadn’t stopped…”
He looked toward me.
“…she would’ve been alone.”
Takoru didn’t respond.
He simply bent down, picked up his helmet from the wet pavement and brushed the rainwater off its visor.
Emmi finally reached us.
“Oh my God, Rubi…”
She wrapped her arms around me carefully.
“You scared us.”
“I’m sorry…”
“It’s okay.”
She smiled through worried eyes. You are reading on g.com, the official source.
“We’re here now.”
Takoru quietly slipped his helmet on.
The familiar click echoed softly beneath the rain.
He climbed onto his motorcycle.
Before starting it…
He looked toward me one last time.
Our eyes met.
Neither of us smiled.
Neither of us knew what to say.
Then…
His calm voice reached me once more.
“…Return the jacket tomorrow.”
I instinctively looked down.
I had completely forgotten I was still wearing it.
“O-Okay…”
My voice was barely audible.
Takoru nodded once.
Then started the engine.
Vrrrrmm…
The sound still made my body tense.
But…
Something was different.
This time…
The roar wasn’t followed by screams.
Or broken glass.
Or blood.
Instead…
I remembered a quiet boy standing beside me in the rain without asking anything in return.
The motorcycle slowly disappeared into the gray curtain covering the city.
None of us spoke until its sound completely faded away.
Yuri gently removed the jacket from my shoulders before opening the car door.
“Let’s go home.”
I nodded.
As I climbed into the back seat, my fingers unconsciously brushed across the leather one last time.
It had already grown cold.
Yet somehow…
Its warmth still remained.
I looked through the rain-covered window toward the empty road where Takoru had disappeared.
Who are you…?
The question echoed quietly inside my heart.
Because today…
For the first time in years…
A biker hadn’t become the reason for my fear.
He had become the reason I survived it.
To be continued….
Thank you for reading Chapter 9.
Sometimes the kindest people are the ones who speak the least.
Not every hand that reaches toward us wants to hurt us.
Sometimes, healing begins with a stranger who simply chooses to stay.
What did you think about Takoru today?
Did Yuri do the right thing by protecting Rubi, or do you think he misunderstood the situation?
I’d love to hear your thoughts and theories in the comments.
Thank you for supporting this journey.
See you in the next chapter.