Perhaps the stuffy weather of the past few days made nature feel monotonous, because the air today was cooler, and the sun wasn't as strong. However, was this a prelude to rain?
Alistair walked behind Rimono Momoki, looking up at the sky. It seemed the clouds had been gathering while they were chatting in the dessert shop. Now, most of the sky was covered by dark clouds, with only a small portion left revealing a faint blue.
"Let's hurry up. It looks like it's going to rain soon," Rimono Momoki said with some worry, quickening her pace.
"Mhm, but I estimate it will already be raining by the time we get off the train. How about we buy an umbrella first?" Alistair suggested to Rimono Momoki, who was now walking so fast she was almost running. He calculated the possibility of reaching their destination safely, felt the time was short, and looked up at the clouds rapidly covering the rest of the sky.
"Uh, but if we hurry, we might... make it?" Rimono Momoki hesitated, sounding unsure herself.
"Come on, let's go buy a large umbrella, or maybe you should buy one too, and we can each carry one?" Alistair pointed to a convenience store just ahead and made his suggestion.
"Then, let's just buy one large umbrella."
Rimono Momoki thought about it. Embarrassingly, she realized she only had enough money left for the train fare; after that, she had next to nothing. She agreed with Alistair's suggestion to buy a single large umbrella.
With a clear objective, the two quickly selected the umbrella they needed and headed to the register to pay.
"Ano, should we buy some of, well, that?"
At the checkout counter, just as Alistair was about to pay, Rimono Momoki tugged on his sleeve.
"Buy what... Ah, we don't need those." Alistair subconsciously asked, then followed Rimono Momoki's gaze. It was fixed on the specialized equipment used to "slaughter billions of descendants"—a common euphemism for condoms.
However, based on the size of the "raincoats" here, it would be difficult for them to accommodate Alistair's lava dragon. Forget fitting; it was questionable whether the diameter could even be accommodated. Even if it could barely wrap around the lava dragon, it would be very uncomfortable for Alistair. Furthermore, Alistair didn't need that item. Among the powers he had acquired was the ability to transform his "billions of descendants" into special energy that nourished his body. Therefore, even if he completely filled Rimono Momoki without any protection, there was zero chance of an "unexpected surprise."
"If we don't have one, what if something happens while Alistair-senpai is giving guidance?" Rimono Momoki pulled hard on Alistair's clothes, making him lean down. She then whispered close to his ear.
"Have you finished your period?" Alistair didn't answer her question but asked one first.
"Period? Ah, it ended a few days ago. Is there a problem?" Rimono Momoki was still thinking about the guidance she was about to receive from Alistair and didn't immediately catch on. She then realized what Alistair was asking and, blushing, informed him.
"Then there's no problem. Didn't you know? The time immediately after a girl's period is very safe." Alistair explained to Rimono Momoki. While, in reality, there's a risk at any time, albeit varying in degree, Alistair could guarantee her absolute safety, so he just went with this explanation.
As for why he didn't use the same excuse he used with Chiaki, first, it wasn't convenient. Why would he go around advertising that he had healing superpowers? That's just asking for trouble. They were currently outside, and the cashier was only a few steps away. Why would he show off his superpower like a monkey for people to see?
Second, the "safe period" theory is accepted by most people. Although it is not absolutely safe because a woman's cycle and the time for egg release can vary due to her emotions, health, and other complex factors, as long as ninety-nine percent of people agree, it is the "safe period." Most people won't encounter that rare 0.1% chance, so the "safe period" theory was more suitable for fooling Rimono Momoki here.
"Ah, oh~ Is that so? I understand. Alistair-senpai knows so much! It seems I chose the right person to ask." Rimono Momoki nodded with a look of realization, grateful that she had found the right person in Alistair.
"This is something that's mentioned in health classes in middle school, or even elementary school, right? Did you not pay attention at all?" Alistair raised an eyebrow. He suddenly recalled seeing this when he was bored flipping through a textbook during his break. He couldn't remember exactly when, but it should have been covered long ago. Does this mean she often skipped class since elementary or middle school? What a "three goods" student developed since childhood, huh?
"Ah, ahahaha, well, about that, I'm kind of slow when it comes to academics. So, so..." Rimono Momoki was so embarrassed she wanted to bury her head in the floor. She hadn't expected that simply asking a question and praising Alistair's answer would expose her true academic situation.
"I thought you needed good grades to get into Sakura Public Academy..." Alistair hadn't meant for a simple act of fooling someone to uncover her dark history, but he thought about it—you had to have at least some grades to get into this school, right?
"Well... My father sponsored the school with some donations..." Rimono Momoki turned her head, showing her profile to Alistair, lightly fiddling with a few strands of hair near her ear, saying it with some shyness.
"Got it. So it was the power of cash." Alistair nodded without expression. He held no prejudice against this kind of thing because he was also one of those with "considerable family wealth." There was no need to criticize people of his own kind. If he were still the ordinary person he was before transmigrating, he would certainly be highly critical, but times change. So, he just gave a quiet "Heh."
Besides, the fact that she could review various desserts indicated she was a small-scale fùpó (wealthy woman). After all, who but the wealthy could afford to splurge so much money at dessert shops? Furthermore, Rimono Momoki's clothes, accessories, makeup, and other items also cost money. A family with an average income wouldn't have that much disposable cash for her to waste everywhere.
"Alistair-senpai, don't you think this is wrong?" Rimono Momoki asked curiously, seeing Alistair's neutral expression.
"No. I'm similar to you, in terms of family background, I mean. I think having such a family background is also a kind of ability. Luck is also a form of ability, right? Moreover, if you're already behind others in terms of natural academic ability, having a better family than most people can be seen as a kind of balance." Alistair said dismissively.
"Oh, so Alistair-senpai thinks that? That's really insightful." Rimono Momoki stared at Alistair, a hint of admiration creeping into her eyes.
"Uh, alright, alright. Let's go. We shouldn't hold up their work here." Alistair placed the umbrella on the counter for the cashier to ring up and patted Rimono Momoki's shoulder.
Although Alistair and Rimono Momoki seemed to have been chatting for a long time, it had actually only been a few minutes. While this delay had caused some impatience among those waiting in line, it wasn't enough for them to interrupt the conversation and rush the two to pay. Now that the people behind them saw Alistair finally checking out, they felt much better.
On the train, it wasn't entirely empty because some students chose to go home for lunch. Since Sakura Public Academy only required students to meet the attendance rate, many students would attend morning classes, go home during lunch, skip afternoon classes, and then return to school later, after the afternoon classes had ended, to participate in club activities.
"It might start raining before we get off the train. Going to the convenience store to buy a large umbrella beforehand was a smart decision." Rimono Momoki looked through the window at the sky, which was now completely shrouded in dark clouds, and said with great relief.
"...Momoki, by the way, where exactly is your house?" Alistair rolled his eyes at Rimono Momoki's comment, remembering that he had been the one to suggest buying the umbrella, but that wasn't important. What was important was that Alistair wanted to know where Rimono Momoki's house was. She was leading the way, but hadn't told him the exact location.
"Hmm? My house is in Kūza Town." Rimono Momoki turned to look at Alistair.
"Kūza Town, huh... Wait, Kūza Town? My place is there too." Alistair muttered, then realized it was the same town as his apartment. However, a town's area was quite large, encompassing several stations, so it was common for Alistair not to have run into Rimono Momoki if they lived in different areas. After all, a "town" classification included several "village"-level districts, and Alistair's apartment was only in a tiny part of it.
"Oh? Alistair-senpai lives in Kūza Town too? What a coincidence." Rimono Momoki said with a smile.
"Mhm. Wait, we seem to be in Kūza Town now. See which station we need to get off at." Alistair nodded, then suddenly realized they were already in the Kūza Town area, and reminded Rimono Momoki.
"Hai (Yes), I know. We need to wait two more stops before getting off." Rimono Momoki counted the stops.
"Is this your house?" Alistair asked Rimono Momoki, holding the umbrella over them both.
"Mhm, this is it." Rimono Momoki said, holding Alistair's arm. She pressed tightly against Alistair, trying to avoid getting wet from the rain. Her two soft melons pressed against Alistair's arm, making him feel quite good.