#I'll try to ignore the sizzling/boiling sounds for now.

[nabi-unveiled]

I'm now watching this show for the ??? time. I've lost count. This is NOT normal for me, but I'm finding comfort in the rain. Thanks to @respectthepetty, I've put my hearing aid in and turned my headphones up, listening for every little drop of water or sound I can discern (like the sizzling/cooking sounds during certain conversations). Which has only made my fixation worse...😭.

The series uses rain as a symbol of affection, of passion, and of desire, which means water has a story to tell.

Hagiwara hears the rain from his apartment.

The rain doesn't physically touch him, but he's aware it's there.

Kaori used to hear it too. Their passion was once shared.

However, the rain no longer keeps Kaori up. She now sleeps leaving Hagiwara to endure the rain by himself. Note: Kaori is the one sleeping here, and it's by HER choice.

On the other hand, Sei doesn't hear the rain at all.

To be more precise, Fujisawa has moved them somewhere where Sei CAN'T hear the rain.

And Fujisawa's TELLING Sei to go to sleep.

Fujisawa was out in the rain.

Fujisawa stays awake. He's not asleep and he's out in the rain. But he didn't even realize it was raining until he came inside. It's yet another warning that Fujisawa's not going to realize his actions until after the fact. This is echoed in his own comments.

Hagiwara takes care of his needs while immersed in the shower ALONE. Water is all around him. Sei covertly takes care of his needs in bed ALONE, washing his hands vigorously afterwards. This handwashing definitely plays into the whole "sex is dirty" symbolism.

However, it's also a symbol of how Sei limits himself. Sei isn't allowing himself to be immersed in the water at this point. He actually seems to be spiraling emotionally here before he gets the email from Hagiwara. There's a water sound here too once Sei reads the e-mail. Draining maybe? Like a release of water that had been held back? Feel free to correct me if I misidentified the sound.

Sei decides to stand in the rain after a party that he typically wouldn't attend. He WANTS to experience the rain. More importantly, Sei and Hagiwara experienced this rain TOGETHER. Separated, but side-by-side. Each taking measures to prevent the rain from touching them, but surrounded by the rain nonetheless.

They return the umbrellas TOGETHER giving up the protection they offered. The relationship builds. The rain keeps coming.

They shelter from the rain TOGETHER, because the time wasn't right. They still hadn't reached the point where they were willing to immerse themselves in the rain.

The rain stops as they discover the identity of their "penpal", but Hagiwara invites Sei to listen to the rain. He's not letting the rain stop.

I might argue that the museum was not the starting point for Hagiwara, but Sei IS right. The museum WAS where it started for Sei. It's where he was invited to listen to the rain. It's where the rain was given a way to enter the house that blocks the sound of rain.

Sei knows a storm is coming.

And the storm does come.

Sei and Hagiwara willingly go out into the rain. They get soaked in the rain TOGETHER. Totally immersed in one another and the rain.

But heavy rain can be scary, and not everyone is comfortable with it.

So now, Sei has locked himself up in a dry place ALONE and Hagiwara's back in the shower ALONE. One trying desperately to put himself back to sleep and ignore his feelings, while the other drowns in his.

However, this impasse can't last.

Because when any strong storm passes, destruction is left behind.

Because when it rains, it pours.

Because both Fujisawa and Kaori have found out.