It was raining. The kind of rain that even if you had an umbrella and wore a raincoat, you would still get so drenched you might as well not wear one. Though, that was not really an excuse to stand in the middle of a bridge with neither of those. 

You folded your arms on the red guardrails, watching the raging waves of the river below. You were completely, utterly drenched. Your suit, your shirt, your bags which contents were strewn around; some work documents that was not really that important. You were not even trusted enough to carry any meaningful documents with you. 

Your cheek still stung a little from the slap from you receive earlier that day. The cold, pouring rain helped to soothe it a little. It was from your girlfriend, well, ex-girlfriend now. She was the last person on earth to put up with you. She had a meltdown from your apparent lack of interest in her this morning and you lashed out at her. You swore you were never the kind of person with anger issues, it seemed that working 7-5 every weekday with no purpose in life has changed you quite considerably. The next thing you knew, she packed all her belongings and left you with a mighty slap to the cheek. You didn’t even try to stop her, probably because deep down you knew you deserved worse, and she deserved better.

You rested your head on the guardrails. You probably should go home right now, reprint all the drenched documents you had scattered about, and sent an apology to your now ex-girlfriend. Ah… that seemed like so much chores to do. The longer you stayed in the rain, the higher your likelihood of getting sick. That sounds pretty nice, being sick means not having to get to work. Knowing you, however, you would still get up and not have the balls to refuse going to work when your boss called. The work culture in this place is pretty screwed.

Rain had always felt peaceful to you, especially the sensation of water drops hitting the top on your head like some kind of weird acupuncture. You were enjoying the sensation until it stopped. Huh?

The shadow of an umbrella loomed over you. You turned backward and saw a woman wearing a striped blouse and black jumpsuit skirt holding an umbrella over you. Her appearance looked like some kind of artist you would find making a sketch in a park. Your eyes met, and she smiled at you. 

“Wah! Nice weather, isn’t it?”

It all felt so bizzare. You stammered for an answer and she laughed at your attempt. It didn’t feel offensive, more like the laugh of a close friend you haven’t met for so long. She stood next to you, putting one of her hands on the guardrails and holding the umbrella for the both of you in the other. You offered to hold the umbrella for her and she happily accepted. You two just stood there, watching the rolling waves below in silence.

“Sooo, Mister. Got a story?”

You could tell she noticed the strewn around documents, your messed up appearance, and the fact that you stood here all alone under the pouring rain without protection. You told her your life was boring and she probably wouldn’t want to hear it. She chuckled.

“Boring people have boring stories. You, Mister, must be a very interesting person for playing in the rain at your age.”

Ah. Well. Not like there’s anything to lose. You recounted all that has happened to you today and then some more. How your girlfriend broke up with you. How you had always wanted to get in sales so you could do one of those “Shamwow, you’re gonna be saying wow everytime”. How you once refused to talk a poor old lady into buying an expensive vacuum cleaner and your boss gave you an earful for that. How you used to paint, write, and make stupid videos to upload to the internet before the black company you’re in sucked the soul out of you. 

She responded in kind by telling you how she used to think she will never fit in an office environment. How she used to draw on leftover printing paper. How she had little to no friends before joining the company she’s in right now. You both laughed, symphatized, and enjoyed the story the other shared. 

You learned that she’s currently a member of a streamer group she refused to give the name to you, stating that if you tried you would easily find her. She’s a wonderful person and talking to her felt like talking to a childhood friend you’ve never had. You two eventually ran out of stories to tell and just enjoyed the company of eachother’s silence. 

“So… what’s the plan for tomorrow?”

She tilted her head at you. Her adorable little eyes were shining with anticipation for another riveting story. But you… had none. Hearing that question sucked you back to the reality where you two would go your separate way after this, never to cross path with each other again. You would still slave away at your job for a meager pay. Ah… how you wish this moment would last forever.

She noticed your downcast eyes and lack of answers. She reached to pat your back and you dropped her umbrella in surprise. The umbrella bounced on nearby rocks before falling into the water. You were about to apologize when she laughed and tossed her hat, watching intently as it slowly fell down, as if to ensure you that it was not a big deal for her.

“Hey, you ever had the urge to jump from a reaaaally high place?”

You didn’t like where this conversation was going and answered with a weak nod. 

“Right? I’ve always wondered how it would feel to just fall down and, since there’s a river below, just float along with the waves.”

She stared right through your eyes and said something you couldn't believe. 

“Anon-san, want to jump together?”

No way. It would be normal for someone with screwed up life like you to jump down a bridge, but for her? You told her to treasure her life more, think of the people who loved her, and all those classic response people had always told you.

“It’s… not always all good, you know. I streamed a lot to get away from the yellings at home. Dad doesn’t allow me to get a boyfriend, and the ‘friends’ from my company are falling apart. Numbers ruins relationships, so it seems.”

But, but…

“You actually came here with the intention to jump down yourself, didn’t you? No sane person would go and stare at the rolling waves under this storm.”

You did. You don’t want to admit it, but you definitely did. You could almost feel a voice in the back of your mind urging you to jump right now. This is your chance. A double suicide with someone as wonderful as her. That would mean your life ends at its peak, rather than suffering for years of slaving away in a black company and dying from the health complications. Now or thirty years later, what’s the difference, anyway?

You felt the gentle nudge on your back. She smiled at you, and the push gets stronger. The guardrails were not very high, the tallest part was probably about your navel. She leaned forward and so did you. Her slender arm was practically wrapped around your shoulder. All you could see was the raging waves that somehow felt calming. She flashed you a melancholic smile before taking her feet off the ground, and you both plunged into the abyss. 

Your life flashed before your eyes. You once heard that it was some kind of defensive mechanism of the brain to try and formulate a plan to survive by recounting all your past experiences, not that any of that would work. If the hundred-meter fall doesn’t kill you, the violent current will. As time felt like it moved in slow motion, you saw her mouthing something.

“I… Am… Sorry…”

You smiled. You braced yourself to die ever since you stepped foot into the bridge, anyway. You closed your eyes, waiting for your final moment. They say a fall from twenty-something meters into water felt like hitting solid concrete, right? Yet all you felt was a squish. You opened your eyes and saw gigantic tentacles looming over you and with a crunch, you ceased to be.

- - -

A giant tentacle carefully placed Ina on nearby rocks. She was estatic, like a kid that just finished a ride in a water park. After laughing for a while, she cleaned herself from sticky octopi liquid with running water. 

“Priestess, we would like if you refrain from doing such …extreme activities.” The spectral voice entered the mind, but not the ear. 

“Ao-chan is so uptight. I’m doing all that to get you some food, you know. Anyway, how was it?”

“It was exquisite to say the least. The mind was dangerously close to slipping to insanity, this would fill us for weeks to come.” 

“Always glad to help! Now you won’t bother me when I’m streaming, right?”

“…we apologize. Hunger changes a being, even us ancient ones. Anyway, is everything alright at home?”

“Everything is fine. It’s just Papanis was getting pretty feisty when watching baseball on tv lately.”

“And the numbers?”

“Aww, you’re worrying about me, Ao-chan? Don’t worry, I’m just playing along with the rumors I found on the internet.”

“We’re just… feel free to tell us if you have anything in mind.”

“Hmmm…”

Ina just sat there, hugging her knees. Her eyes were set on the crashing waves.

“Say, Ao-chan.”

“Hmm?”

“If I were to go for a swim now, would you catch me at the river’s end?”

“...please refrain from such activities...”