The forecast said there was a chance of rain in the evening...

but I didn't think it would rain so hard.

We decided to wait at an abandoned bus stop for the rain clouds to clear.

"...I'm sorry, Takano-san."

"Oh, don't be, Jirou-san.

I knew it would pour, so don't worry about it.

Hee hee hee."

Takano-san giggled.

Although she said the weather might change suddenly, I dragged her out here.

...I feel stupid for making her come along and ending up ruining her precious day off.

I have to go back to Tokyo tonight, so it'll be a while before I can return to Hinamizawa.

I didn't want to spend my last day at a cheap hotel in Okinomiya, so I asked her to go for a stroll.

"It's just... hahaha...

I'm really sorry."

"Hee hee hee hee."

She teased me for a while, but only a little.

She wasn't actually enjoying driving me into a corner.

That's just her way of communicating, and I find it very charming.

...I think... I've become captivated by her.

But on her part, I'm just an auditor from Tokyo.

...That's why she's being nice to me, and it's definitely not because she likes me personally.

......So I feel like I might have used my position to drag her out here, and that makes me a little depressed.

I probably should think this slight fever I have is due to nothing more than a cold.

But she was the type of person who made it clear when she disliked something.

...She wouldn't say so directly, but she would use all kinds of indirect expressions that meant the same thing.

...So I want to believe she's out here because she might be even a little bit attracted to me.

"...Haahh."

I shook my head as I frowned upon my selfish thoughts.

She chuckled as though she knew what I was thinking.

I felt myself starting to go red after that.

"You're a mysterious person, Jirou-san.

I bet women don't leave you alone, huh? So why are you hanging out with a weirdo like me?"

"A weirdo? No way!

You're fascinating, Takano-san!

Actually, I feel bad making you spend a day with someone like me!"

"Of course, I've decided to devote my life to my work, but...

Life is too dry with only that.

I need to switch gears once in awhile.

Besides, communicating with the opposite sex is good for the brain.

Hee hee."

"Ahahahahaha...

It's all good if I managed to help you clear your head..."

"Don't you feel refreshed just being with me...?"

She gives me an impish smile that makes my heart skip a beat.

I tried hiding my embarrassment so she wouldn't notice even my ears going red.

"Of course...!

When I'm with you, ah... you know, I do feel refreshed, yeah!

Besides, if you learn about avian photography, I'll gain a buddy to share my hobby with.

S-So, next time, I'll bring my old camera.

It's really expensive to buy a new one, you know? Ha ha ha."

"Thank you.

I would love to learn about the avian photography that you're so intrigued by.

I'm looking forward to joining you on a stroll next time you go.

So I don't need to buy a camera, do I?"

"N-N-No!

Try with my old camera first, and if you enjoy it, then you can buy one for yourself.

I'll send it to you when I get back to Tokyo!"

"Thank you.

Then I'll have you critique my photos when you come next time."

"S-Sure!

Hahaha, I can hardly wait to see them!"

"Hee hee.

They'd be nothing compared to yours.

It'd be my very first time doing it, you know."

While she keeps her cool and smiles, all I can do is blush and scratch my head.

...Am I being conceited?

I can't help but think that Takano-san likes being with me.

...If it's mere flattery, I don't think she'd come along this far.

......Oh, no, no, no.

Taking women's flattery seriously is the mistake I always make.

I shouldn't assume that she's attracted to me.

"......By the way, isn't this the first time we've been alone like this?"

"Ah, yeah, you're right.

Usually, the director or some other research staff is around."

"I don't know anything about you.

I don't know exactly what you do in Tokyo, or what you've done in the past.

I wonder what you do in the Self Defense Force?"

"Aha, ahahahaha...

I was an instructor for a while.

But I was injured, and hurt my eye.

I can live life normally, but they made a big deal out of it, and ever since, all I do is desk work.

Ahahaha..."

Takano-san giggles, saying I must have done something silly to cause the injury.

"And when I helped PR with their magazine, I became fascinated by photography!

Cameras have the power to make people happy.

Ahahahaha, I bet you don't know what I'm talking about, but it's true!

Since I started to take pictures, my life has been a lot happier."

"......How can a camera make someone happy?"

"Well,

a camera takes a snapshot of a moment of life.

Of course, you want to capture a moment that's filled with happiness, right?

So you look for happiness through the viewfinder.

And as you search, you realize your everyday life is actually filled with happiness.

For example, a dandelion sprouting from the crack of the asphalt is just a weed in a busy life,

but when you look at it through the viewfinder, it's a gift to let you know that spring is approaching.

You capture it and put it in an album

and every time you open the album you remember the happy feeling you had when you took the picture."

"So you always feel that way when you take your pictures?"

"Sure.

I don't have ambitions of taking artistic photos or capturing a dramatic, prize-winning moment. That's not important to me.

I want those moments we don't notice,

and helping us recognize those little moments of happiness is the greatest thing about cameras to me.

So I'm really glad to be able to see Hinamizawa through my viewfinder."

"............Hmm..."

I have a tendency to go overboard when I talk, but most of the time, Takano-san playfully twists my words right back at me.

So it's very unusual for her to listen to me like this.

Takano-san sat down next to me and tried to fiddle with my camera.

I don't know how much of an impression I made, but I think she is indeed interested in cameras.

I was expecting her to tease me like usual, so I'm happy to see that this is her reaction.

"Do you want to try?"

"...Do you think I can?"

"It's easy!!

First, you just need to learn how to focus and press the shutter.

Why don't you hold it?

Oh, don't ever touch the lens though."

"Whew,

this isn't easy.

...Hee hee."

Since she seemed to show an interest in cameras, I wanted to take a walk around Hinamizawa and take some pictures of the scenery.

But unfortunately, the rain doesn't seem to want to stop.

But she was still having fun, and kept taking pictures inside the bus stop.

So the first set of pictures she ever took were of odd things in that dark little building.

Since then,

every time we'd meet, we ended up walking around the village with our cameras in our hands.