---
The rain hadn’t stopped.
Water continued to fall from the sky, turning the street in front of the shop into a collection of small puddles.
Yuna stood in one of those puddles.
Her uniform was already half-wet.
Her hair clung to her cheek.
But she didn’t seem to care.
She stared at the water beneath her feet.
---
Then she looked at .
"...can I do it again?"
"The puddle is not forbidding you."
That was enough for her.
She jumped again.
Splash.
The water splashed higher this ti.
A few drops hit the hem of my pants.
Yuna stared at the splash.
Her eyes widened.
"...wow."
She stepped in the puddle again.
Not jumping this ti.
Just pressing down with her foot.
Water pushed outward from her shoe.
Plop.
She let out a small laugh.
A sound I had never heard before.
Light.
Not like the polite laugh she usually used when talking to adults.
---
She tried again.
Jumping into another puddle.
Splash.
Water splashed in all directions.
"Papa, look!"
"I am looking."
She jumped again.
Splash.
Her shoes were completely soaked now.
The hem of her uniform skirt was also starting to get wet.
But she didn’t stop.
She walked quickly to the next puddle.
A bigger one.
She stopped at the edge.
Inspecting its depth.
---
Then she turned to .
"...is this one okay?"
I looked at the puddle.
About five centiters.
"The splash risk is higher."
She nodded seriously.
"...okay."
Then she jumped.
Splaash.
The splash was much higher.
A few drops even hit her face.
Yuna imdiately squeezed her eyes shut.
Then opened them again.
Water dripped from her hair.
She wiped her face with her sleeve.
"...it’s cold."
"Rainwater is usually like that."
She stared at her wet hands.
Then she looked up.
The rain fell directly onto her face.
She closed her eyes for a few seconds.
As if feeling every drop.
Then she opened her eyes again.
And laughed.
Louder this ti.
"Papa!"
"Hm."
"The water is falling from the sky!"
"Correct."
She raised her hands into the air.
Trying to catch the raindrops.
A few fell into her palms.
She stared at them in awe.
"...so many."
---
I stood on the sidewalk.
The rain had already soaked my shoulders.
Yuna went back to jumping in the puddles.
Splash.
Then again.
Splash.
Now she had no more hesitation.
She took two quick little steps and jumped.
Splaash.
The water splashed up to her knees.
She stopped.
Her breaths ca a little faster.
But her face was bright.
Vastly different from the cautious expression she usually wore.
---
She walked back toward .
Her shoes went squish, squish with every step.
"...Papa."
"Hm."
She looked at with a serious face.
"...this experint is a success."
"Preliminary conclusion?"
She thought for a mont.
Then said with absolute certainty,
"...rain is fun."
I gave a small nod.
"That is valid data."
She laughed again.
Then she looked at the street, still full of puddles.
"...can I do one more?"
I looked up at the sky.
The rain showed no signs of stopping.
I looked at the puddles in front of us.
"Go ahead."
Yuna imdiately turned around.
And jogged toward the largest puddle on the sidewalk.
Without hesitation.
Without fear of being scolded.
She jumped.
Splaash.
Rainwater scattered everywhere.
And for the first ti since I had known her—
Yuna looked like a normal child.
---
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