CH 53

Chapter 53: The Ice Lady’s Absence

“―Severe strong rain and wind is to be expected through the weekend. Also, by the end of the week―”

As he heard on the morning news, the weather that day was terrible.

The rain was pouring down, the wind was blowing, and the thunder was rumbling.

As it was early February, it was cold enough even inside the room, and stepping outside, one might get overwhelmed with the cold. The cityscape peeking through the window was covered with colorful umbrellas, hiding the expressions of the people on the street.

On days like this, going out made people hesitant.

If possible, one should stay indoors all day.

Fortunately, it was Saturday and school was not in session today, so Asahi could lie in bed as he wished.

As he lay his head back on the pillow, only the sound of the rain hitting the ground and the wind tearing through the air was heard.

In the silence that ensued, Asahi naturally thought of Fuyuka.

‘She’s going to see her mother today.’

‘I wonder if she’s talking about me now.’

Whilst thinking such thoughts, he couldn’t help but smile.

Lately, he found himself somewhat associating with Fuyuka.

It was as if his world revolved around her.

Asahi realized that Fuyuka’s presence had become a big part of his life that he could no longer deny it.

“…I should go get some groceries.”

Puzzled and embarrassed by his unusual self, Asahi slowly crawled out of bed.

He really wanted to stay at home and not go out.

However, remembering Fuyuka’s words from last night and the empty refrigerator, Asahi couldn’t exactly just stay still.

―I may be home late, but I’d like to have dinner with you if you don’t mind.

If it was just himself, he could make up for whatever he had left over, but it was a different story with a companion.

If that happened, he would be more hesitant to cut corners than to go out in the downpour.

In addition to preparing hot dishes, he also would like to cook a few egg dishes, Fuyuka’s favorite food.

Thinking of Fuyuka saying the magic word “delicious”, Asahi unconsciously smiled again.

Then, he prepared himself and was about to throw himself into the extremely cold weather.

The phone in his pocket trembled slightly.

It seems that he got a message.

Before he put on his shoes, Asahi launched the app to check and found the name Himuro Fuyuka as the sender.

「I won’t be able to join you for today’s dinner. I’m sorry.」

「Alright.」

Asahi sent a short message in affirmation and let out a huge sigh.

And at the same time, he had a bad feeling, something he hadn’t felt in a long time.

A dazzling light covered the entire room for a moment, followed immediately by a rumbling, disastrous roar.

―――

“Fuyu-chan is on rest today?”

“Apparently. My friends were screaming about how there was no point in going to school.”

Monday, the first day of the week, and there was one empty seat at a table for four in the cafeteria.

Asahi had heard since this morning that Fuyuka was absent from school, so he was not too surprised.

However, it was not until he looked at the empty seat next to him that it began to hit him.

Apparently, no one knew why she was absent, and there were rumors about colds, legal matters, oversleeping, or whatever rumors they had to say.

In general, all the students seemed concerned and worried about Fuyuka.

“Asahi, you haven’t heard anything from Fuyu-chan?”

“I haven’t heard anything. How about you?”

“Nothing at all. I’m worried, we haven’t been in touch since Saturday.”

“Same here. The teacher didn’t really seem to know either.”

As Asahi and Hinami ate their lunches and Chiaki ate kimchi ramen, which he seemed to be completely addicted to, the conversation naturally turned to the topic of Fuyuka.

It was the same for Asahi, who hadn’t been in touch since Saturday, and the reply “Alright.” remained unread.

In other words, Fuyuka hadn’t checked her mail on Sunday.

There was nothing wrong with them not exchanging messages for a day or so. In fact, that was probably a normal thing between friends.

But for Asahi and Fuyuka, it felt like months.

Every day, Fuyuka went to Asahi’s house to learn how to cook.

And so, inevitably, the conversations on the text would pile up.

This exchange, which had become a kind of daily routine, ceased abruptly on Sunday.

It had been a while since he cooked and ate dinner alone, and for two days in a row.　

For the first time, Asahi felt lonely at a sight that should have been the norm.

“Sigh, I wanted to have a snowball fight with Fuyu-chan…”

“Hina-ojou, are two men not enough?”

“That’s not what I mean…”

Asahi understood what Hinami, who was at a loss for words, was trying to say. And surely Chiaki, who was joking, could too.

Originally, the three of them together should have been the usual.

That normality changed when they started to get involved with Fuyuka.

“Hey, hey, how about going to visit Fuyu-chan?”

“You don’t even know if she’s sick yet. Besides, if she is, a large group of people would be a nuisance.”

“Ugh… Asahi’s sound argument punch hurts…”

“Then why don’t you go alone, Asahi? You live close by, right?”

“Ah, that sounds good. You’re worried about Fuyu-chan, aren’t you?”

Chiaki knew that they lived next door to each other rather than close to each other, but he purposely blurred it out and smiled.

As it was the cafeteria, Asahi wondered if he was concerned about the number of other students around.

Or was he simply grinning?

“…I’ll think about it.”

The chime rang, and Asahi muddled his reply and placed his hand over his empty lunch box.

―――

The rain and wind that attacked on Saturday had changed its shape the next day, and powdery snow was about to turn the ground white.

The heavy, wet snow gained momentum on the second day, forcing the rain-soaked asphalt to cover the top.

The ice crystals falling from the heavens seemed like a blessing from God at Christmas, but now they gave a completely different impression.

However, he didn’t have the time to worry about that right now.

Six hours of classes were over and after school, Asahi was standing in front of Fuyuka’s room instead of his own.

Even without Chiaki’s advice, he had decided to press this intercom today.

He was acting out of concern for Fuyuka, who was absent from school.

If she caught a cold, he was gonna nurse her back again.

Just like that time, and this time, trust that she would accept the meddling from the beginning.

While also holding another feeling in his heart.

Asahi took two deep breaths and then rang the intercom.

A cold wind blew through the long corridor, stinging his snow-wet body mercilessly.

A few moments later, he heard the sound of a lock being turned with a clang.

Then, the door slowly opened.

“Are you okay?”

Seeing Fuyuka appear from the other side of the hard and heavy door, Asahi’s mouth was moving on its own.

A bad feeling came over on him again.

This was not a cold or any kind of illness.

It was probably not a physical problem, but a mental one.

Right, it took him a moment to understand.

Her expression was dark and deeply downcast.

Her face seems to be on the verge of crumble if touched.

There, was a transient and fragile girl.

“…I’m not okay.”

In response to Asahi’s question, Fuyuka replied in a weak, small voice.

Still, she responded with words that were filled with a certain fervor.

So, Asahi reached out his hand.

With his large palm, he gently grabbed Fuyuka’s wrist.

They didn’t exchange words with each other anymore.

In the silence, Asahi pulled Fuyuka’s hand.

And so, Fuyuka silently followed him from behind.

Oddly enough, the scene was similar to the one where Asahi and Fuyuka first got involved with each other, yet also distinctly different.