A summer evening. Just as the faint rumblings of thunder resounded from afar, dark black rainclouds abruptly appeared in the sky, releasing drops of rain.
The slightly unsavory smell of the rain made Miyo pause in the middle of preparing dinner.
An evening shower. It looks like it’s picking up.
Before long, the sound of thunder grew closer and the rain stronger, as if a waterfall were gushing down from the rooftop.
Though the inside of their house was bright from the electric lamps, the outside was now pitch-dark since it was already close to sunset.
“Oh no, silly me.”
While Miyo had been distracted by the evening shower, the pot had gotten close to boiling over, so she frantically took it off the fire.
She peered into the pot to check and was relieved that the bottom of it didn’t seem to have been burnt. Just then—
—a flash of light covered the dark, charcoal sky.
She had barely registered it before a tremendous boom pierced her ears, loud enough to numb them completely.
“Eek!”
Overcome by the sound, Miyo dropped the pot lid and covered her ears. Just as she let out a small shriek, the area around her was instantly enveloped in darkness.
Her eyes went wide, but it was so dark she couldn’t see a thing.
“No, a b-blackout…?!”
Though she mentally understood what was going on, Miyo was frightened by the unfamiliar situation and was frozen in place.
Wh-what should I do?
First, she needed to turn the electric lamps back on… But wait, if the electricity had stopped completely, then she couldn’t turn them back on.
In which case, she just needed to light some candles. However, she wasn’t sure if there were any in the kitchen or not, and searching for something that may or may not be there in the dark was virtually impossible.
Anxiety atop confusion. In addition, her heartbeat had quickened from fear, and as Miyo stood there, immobile, she heard Kiyoka’s voice come to her from the kitchen doorway.
“Miyo, are you all right?”
“K-Kiyoka…”
She gently reached out for him, groping through the dark. Then a big, strong hand gently took her own.
It was Kiyoka.
Her icy cold fingertips were enveloped in warmth, and she heaved a sigh of relief.
“I heard you scream. Are you hurt at all?”
While she couldn’t really see his expression, after hearing him voice concern for her safety and sensing his familiar presence very close to her, her pounding heart grew calm.
“No, I’m fine… I was just a bit startled.”
“As long as you’re all right.”
After he confirmed they were both safe, a silence fell over them.
A short while passed, but it didn’t seem like the electricity would come back on anytime soon. The sound of the rain resounded, like stormy sea waves beating on the roof, accompanied by the occasional boom of thunder.
She didn’t know if it was because of her nerves or the darkness, but a feeling of helplessness came over Miyo, and she unconsciously drew one step closer to where she felt Kiyoka’s presence.
Letting out a sigh, not saying a word, Kiyoka slowly strengthened his grip on Miyo’s hand and gently pulled her closer.
Before they knew it, the two of them had gotten close enough together to hear each other’s breathing.
Miyo’s heartbeat grew louder for an entirely different reason.
They were far closer than usual. Their hands, clasped together, were hot. What was going to happen next?
“Miyo…”
She was sure that a trick of her mind had made Kiyoka’s breathy voice sound much more sultry than normal. As she began to imagine something indecent, Miyo’s cheeks flamed with heat.
Then all of a sudden, the two of them were illuminated in artificial light. The electricity had come back on.
Her fiancé’s face was far closer than she had thought.
Now that the lights were on and Miyo could get a look at things, she finally realized the outrageous act she had been barreling toward.
“Eeep! K-K-K-Kiyoka! I’m sorry!”
“Oh, no, um…”
Stunned, Kiyoka stared at his own hand after Miyo instinctively jumped backward.
Wh-what in the world was I thinking?
Her chest drummed with fierce thumps.
She couldn’t believe how dangerous darkness could be. She had also learned that a blackout was a shameless phenomenon that forced one’s earthly desires to the surface.
Miyo hid her bright red cheeks with her palms, her thoughts racing incoherently.
At her side, Kiyoka stared vacantly at the hand that had been clutching hers…
If that was how it was going to be, then it should be a bit more… Though that’d probably not go over well… But she didn’t seem completely against it… No, there’s no way, right?
…and racked his brain in confusion.