When they walked out of the arcade, it was approaching noon.
The rain was already much weaker, but it had not yet stopped.
The sky was shrouded under gloomy clouds, as if veiled in a layer of gray. The foot traffic on the pedestrian street was sparse, with only a few umbrellas weaving through the curtain of rain. The air on the street was damp, mixed with the scent of dust, bringing a slight chill.
The trees by the roadside continuously shed raindrops, and their leaves fluttered in the breeze, rustling as if whispering. The signs of the shops were covered in streaks of rain, the lights rendering the rain curtain hazy and tender.
A tall and a short umbrella proceeded side by side down the street, Emerald Sparrow and Xia Liang walking beneath them, momentarily silent.
Eventually, it was Emerald Sparrow who spoke first, "Is this really okay?"
"How so?" Xia Liang replied with a light laugh.
"You know."
"I don't, actually."
"...Why did you plead for them?"
