"Hey, the snow scene in Tokyo is very beautiful. I'll take you to step on the snow." The girl's eyes, with their dark and amber-like luster, looked at me seriously.
Stepping on snow is quite a unique birthday present.
"Okay." My eyes curved into a smile.
Snow clad Tokyo in silver, and the streets were wrapped like white tents. The chaotic snowflakes flew, swirled, or fell straight down, landing lightly and as white as jade on the girl's black hair.
She said she was taking me to step on the snow, but in reality, we were just walking slowly around the streets.
Before long, snow stains dampened our shoes and socks. Two sets of footprints, different in size, were pressed into the snow, only to gradually disappear.
The girl seemed to have something on her mind. Her hands were in her pockets, and her gaze would occasionally flicker toward me before quickly darting away.
As long as I was with her, stepping on the snow like this was fine.
"Miss Kusanagi, have you been doing well lately?" I slowly stepped on the accumulated snow, leaving a trail of sunken footprints.
It felt like she and I hadn't had a proper conversation in a long time. Having neglected her for so long, I realized I knew nothing about her current situation.
Had her asthma flared up again? Was she attending classes properly? Was she in contact with Mr. Kuroki and his wife? Had she made up with Inohara?
She had rarely eaten with me during this time; where did she have dinner? She had truly lost her temper twice—was she still resentful toward me?
I had known for a while that she kept secrets. I couldn't understand everything about her, or perhaps she didn't want me to know.
My heart felt a bit sour. Perhaps the things that troubled me day and night were just illusions.
Kusanagi was bundled in my overcoat, only her dark pupils visible. She rubbed her reddened nose and said hoarsely, "You make it sound like we haven't seen each other in a long time."
I couldn't help but turn to look at her. "It feels like I haven't seen the real you in a long time."
The girl was stunned.
I smiled gloomily and helplessly.
She thought I was referring to something specific, her clear voice tinged with urgency: "I've always been my true self in front of you; I've never hidden anything! I know I was wrong about what happened last time. Are you mad at me? I've already apologized to him."
"Apologized?" Now it was my turn to be stunned. Not only was Kusanagi not angry with me, but she was worried that I was angry with her.
"I've already apologized to him! He's your best friend, I shouldn't have said those things about him. I... I know I was wrong." The girl's tone was soft and bitter, with a cautiousness I had never heard before.
"I won't do it again next time."
I was momentarily speechless, a strange feeling in my heart. She had taken the initiative to apologize to Alex for my sake, letting go of her pride and willingly bowing her head to admit her mistake. One should admit their mistakes, but seeing Kusanagi actually do it left me with a complicated feeling.
Could this be considered a somewhat twisted form of protectiveness?
"Miss Kusanagi, you never have to worry about me being angry with you, or about saying the wrong thing. With me, just be yourself." The weight of these words was heavy, and I knew it well.
A spark of surprise flashed in the girl's eyes, twinkling like stars. "Really?"
"Really." I nodded.
"Miss Nozawa said we have to pinky swear."
"I said it, and I'll keep my word." I hooked my pinky with hers, interlacing them. "But apologizing was the right thing to do. You can't talk about others like that next time."
"Okay." Her dark eyelashes curved into crescent moons.
"So young, yet so fierce," I teased her.
"It's all because of you," the girl suddenly blurted out, seemingly out of nowhere.
"Because of—me?" I elongated the last word. So, why was that?
"It's nothing."
She immediately put on an "it's nothing" face and withdrew her pinky. After the pinky swear, Kusanagi's mood brightened significantly. This act seemed to have given her courage, and she could no longer restrain whatever was in her pocket.
Glistening silver snowflakes fell upon her face, unwilling to disturb the girl's beauty and choosing instead to quietly vanish into nothingness.
"Hey, lean your head a bit closer."
"Hmm?"
Before I could react, she stuffed an earbud into my ear—the latest wireless Apple AirPods. The white, small earbud looked very nice against her fair and delicate ear.
"I'll let you listen to a song. Listen carefully."
An audio file appeared on her phone screen named "Wild Candy." Wild Candy. It seemed to be an unreleased original audio, not a song from a platform.
"Why the sudden urge to listen to music?" I turned to look at her frost-reddened nose. Walking in the snow while listening to music was quite romantic; did Kusanagi know that?
"...To improve your Japanese listening skills." Kusanagi paused, a trace of almost imperceptible sulkiness in her voice.
"My listening is much better now, don't look down on me."
"Is that so? Then I won't explain the lyrics." The girl clicked the button, her shoulder brushing against mine as her fingertips inadvertently touched the back of my hand.
I whispered, "The intro is so beautiful."
"Only the intro?"
"The melody that follows is beautiful too." I tucked her hand into my pocket, holding her cold hand tightly in my warm palm, feeling it gradually warm up.
"Your hand is so warm..." She wasn't surprised at all; instead, she gently pressed her skin against mine, as if it were only natural for me to hold and warm her hand.
I could only say, "It's because you're wearing too little."
"You're very warm. Having you is enough for me."
The girl's fingers slid into my palm, interlacing her fingers with mine. Her slender, long hand fit perfectly through the gaps between my fingers.
Before, we had only held hands properly; we had never interlaced our fingers. I suppressed my racing heart, trying to ignore this overly intimate gesture. A clear sense of romantic tension seemed to tightly surround us.
The two of us continued walking, warming each other's hands as the white snowflakes fell incessantly. A light and bittersweet melody played from the earphones—a soft, refreshing sound I had never heard before. It was calm yet filled with joy and beauty, then suddenly shifted in tone, bringing a sense of loss that evoked the bittersweet pangs of love.
[Sigh, I thought it would be fine if I could forget just by counting to three,
Is there a place for me in your heart?
I really want you to tell me.]
Upon hearing the last line of the song, the girl's eyelashes trembled violently.
I was immersed in the melody. My current Japanese level wasn't high enough to understand the lyrics, but I felt the song was full of ardent emotion, a sense of pouring one's heart out, and a deep tenderness.
It was a beautiful and very special song. Subconsciously, I felt it was a love song. I also noticed that the voice was cool yet smooth—it was Kusanagi singing.
When did she start singing this kind of song?
"It's beautiful. I want to hear it again." I smiled at her. The song was a bit too short; the fleeting sense of youthful love vanished in an instant, leaving one dazed and full of pity.
"Did Miss Nozawa understand it?" There was an unbearable anticipation in the girl's tone.
I scratched the back of my head. Uh, I had spoken too confidently. The lyrics of this song were deep, and the vocabulary was ornate and rich. With my limited listening skills, I could only grasp the general meaning of a few lines.
"Sort of... probably... maybe... I understood it."
"..." The girl's beautiful face, which had been bright a moment ago, instantly wilted like a frost-bitten eggplant.
"If I listen a few more times, I'll definitely understand." I hurriedly explained. Kusanagi wouldn't think I didn't understand a single word, would she? Oh no, I've really lost face.
Kusanagi looked down calmly. She stepped on the snow and then gave it a kick.
"Of course you can listen again. This song was originally meant for you."
...Hmm? My eyes suddenly froze.
"Miss Nozawa, happy birthday." The girl took off the earphones and looked me straight in the eye. Her voice was soft and cool, her eyes shimmering with a burning light.
It took me several seconds to react. For me? A song Kusanagi wrote for me?
No wonder she suddenly wanted me to listen to music; so that was the reason! In an instant, my heart felt as sweet as honey. Joy spread across my face like ripples on water, and my eyes curved into crescents. So she remembered today was my birthday and hadn't been avoiding me.
I was so happy I wanted to jump up and spin around a few times!
It was unbelievable. I almost stuttered in my excitement: "You—you're saying that song just now was for me?"
"To be precise, it's a birthday present written for Miss Nozawa."
The girl solemnly placed the earphones in my palm and said meaningfully, "It's yours now."
For some reason, I instinctively felt she wasn't just talking about the song, but something deeper.
"I'll definitely treasure it. By the way, are the lyrics in here?"
The girl's fingertips pinched me inside the pocket. "With Miss Nozawa's level, you wouldn't understand them even if you read them."
"Mocking me again just because you're a native speaker, are you?"
"Can't help it; it's a natural advantage."
"Then I'll use my natural advantage too."
With that, I used my height advantage to firmly pin her hands and reached into the gap of her overcoat to tickle her.
The girl was stunned. She hadn't expected my hand to reach under the hem of her clothes. She was very ticklish and cried out, retreating repeatedly. I laughed and wouldn't let her go, and the two of us were soon tangled together.
"Ah... don't come over here, don't come over!"
"Do you admit you were wrong?"
"You... you're so much taller than me... it's practically cheating..."
"If you're not going to repent, then don't blame me for being ruthless." I held both her hands with one of mine and reached toward her waist with my right palm.
"I... you..." Kusanagi laughed until she was breathless, struggling in my arms. "How hateful..."
AI Model: gemini-3.1-flash-lite
I teased, "A native speaker is so amazing, huh? Daring to mock a foreigner?" I poked her hard through her clothes.
The girl couldn't take it anymore; she turned to the side, seized the opportunity, and ran off in a flash.
The snow was falling harder and harder, quickly accumulating a thin layer of a few centimeters on the asphalt road. Kusanagi's dark, lustrous hair was dusted white by the snowflakes. Her movements as she ran scattered the flakes, and her cold, beautiful face was bathed in a shimmering light.
She looked like a goddess of winter who had slipped down to earth to play in the snow, caught in a fleeting, breathtaking glance.
I stood with my hands in my pockets, watching her with a smile, wearing the posture of a victor.
"Damn it, relying on being tall." Kusanagi was unconvinced. She quickly rolled up a snowball, raised her slender arm, and threw it, hitting me squarely in the face without missing.
"Pfft, hahahaha!" The girl clutched her stomach laughing, but she hadn't been happy for more than a few seconds before a large snowball hit her on the head too.
I curled the corner of my mouth, tossing a snowball in my hand. When it came to snowball fights, I had to mention my own heroic battle record from childhood, where I single-handedly took down all the boys on the opposing side, many of whom cried for their moms and dads to come for revenge, though unfortunately, none succeeded.
"You!" The girl was stunned; this person was actually bullying her!
"What?" I had never felt so wicked before. I triumphantly tossed the snowball in my hand. "I don't bully minors. I'll let you have a one-handed advantage."
"No, you're so much taller than me, you can't use your hands!" Kusanagi was being unreasonable, pointing at the snowball in my hand. "The one in your hand is so big, it's not fair! I haven't even started making a snowball, and you're already prepared!"
"Fine, I won't use my hands, but if you don't hit me, don't blame me for fighting back." I raised an eyebrow, teasing her.
"If you have the guts, stand still."
"I won't move."
The girl clumsily rolled a snowball and immediately threw it at me, but the snowball was too loose and crumbly, falling apart in mid-air. Stubbornly refusing to give up, she threw several more, but none of them even touched the corner of my clothes.
"How can this be?" Kusanagi was dumbfounded.
She was clearly a young lady who had never been in a snowball fight; she didn't even know that snow had to be packed tight to form a ball. She was foolishly cute. I couldn't help but laugh out loud.
She was even more embarrassed. Unconvinced, she rolled another one, her slender shoulders trembling with the effort of packing the snow. Her small, pale hands held a huge snowball that was almost covering her face.
"Miss Kusanagi, you are abusing your power and settling personal vendettas; you're trying to kill me." I coughed lightly. "Isn't this snowball a bit too big?"
"A larger target means a higher hit rate." A few blushes stained her usually cold face. The constant squatting and standing had made her complexion much rosier, and her voice had become lively and light.
"Don't move, I'm going to throw it. Three, two, one!"
She said three-two-one, but actually, as soon as she counted to two, this mischievous creature threw it immediately. Fortunately, I was quick-eyed and nimble, dodging to the side and finding time to block with my hand. Because the target was so huge, I managed to catch the big snowball perfectly.
"!" Seeing her trick failed, the girl blinked innocently, feigning weakness. "...I've been standing outside for so long, I have no energy at all. Miss Nozawa wouldn't bully me, would she?"
My hand holding the snowball paused. These words reminded me that we had been out for a while, and Kusanagi's clothes were thin; it wasn't good for her to be in the snow for too long.
Thinking about how she had just said I was bullying her, I felt both helpless and amused. Young lady, who is bullying whom?
"Then let's go back first. We'll decide the winner next time. This time—"
"Take this!" Kusanagi suddenly hugged my neck tightly from behind, stuffing a lump of icy snow down the back of my neck, instantly making my scalp tingle from the cold.
Her unbridled and joyful laughter spilled across the snow, cunning like a fox that had succeeded. The bone-chilling snow water trickled down my neck.
This little ancestor was lawless and wicked to the core.
"Miss Nozawa was too careless, so naturally you had to suffer a defeat." She didn't forget to gloat, her arms still wrapped around my neck.
"Yes, yes, yes, you win, my young lady."
The girl's joy was hidden in her eyes and brows. "I won, what's my reward?"
I glanced at her; the snow water was icy, and her hands weren't any better.
"Didn't expect that, did you? My move... uh, Nozawa?!" The girl suddenly cried out in shock, clutching me tightly to maintain her balance as I lifted her onto my back.
I carried her on my back; her soft body felt weightless. She was too thin. Sure enough, not only were her hands cold, but her body temperature was also frozen through.
"The reward is carrying you home." I was afraid she would keep playing, so I decided to just carry her all the way home, not allowing her to keep walking, as her body couldn't take it.
The girl lay on my shoulder and soon became silent.
In the past, whenever she accidentally touched me, her body would always stiffen. I don't know when it started, but she had slowly softened, and the distance between us had become closer and closer.
Just as I was feeling gratified, the soft sensation on my back transmitted through our winter clothes. Realizing what it was, my heart suddenly gave a jolt.
Kusanagi's school uniform was too thin. She lay against me without reservation, the softness of her chest pressing against my back. As I walked, it shook and bounced, gently bumping against me and transmitting clearly into my mind.
When the bouncing became intense, she was afraid of falling off my back, so she leaned even closer.
...If I had known, I wouldn't have carried her...
I resisted the urge to put her down, holding my breath and walking quickly toward the apartment.
Snowflakes drifted in with the cold wind, landing on the velvet carpet in the living room, and the cold air dissipated quite a bit.
Back home, both of our noses were frozen red. I finally let out a breath, steadying my heartbeat.
"Am I very heavy?" the girl asked with a hint of muffled tone. "It's only a few steps, and you're panting so hard."
It wasn't because she was heavy; it was because of my guilty conscience that I was panting. How could I tell her that?
"...Because you are too light, making me afraid to use force, which actually made it more strenuous." I made up an excuse, then pinched her thin arm. "From now on, you'll have extra meals in the morning and evening. You aren't allowed to leave the house until you finish them. Look at you, I can feel your bones when I touch you."
"Feel my bones."
The girl muttered to herself, looking down and touching her own wrist, seemingly really considering gaining a little weight. Because of her constitution, she had never been able to gain weight since childhood and had always been pale and thin. Now that she had been told, she was actually starting to care.
"You don't like it when I'm too thin?"
Why did she suddenly ask if I liked it or not?
Just because I don't like her being too thin, she's going to gain weight? I couldn't fathom the girl's thoughts, so I had to answer: "Whether I like it or not isn't important. Being too thin is bad for your health; being a little heavier will boost your immunity."
"Why isn't it important? Or are you saying you like people who are a bit chubby?" The girl inexplicably started to get serious.
I looked at her, rubbing my chin thoughtfully. It seems that all girls care about their figures, and Kusanagi is no exception.
Although her figure was bony and thin, she was still developing after all; her limbs were growing long and slender. With her sloping shoulders and slim waist, the slightly rounded, sexy curves were already beginning to take shape. Her cold, arrogant temperament added a touch of handsomeness, mixed with a girlish heroic spirit.
Such a physique was supple and beautiful, full of astonishing aesthetic appeal. How could anyone not like it?
"Are you starting to care about your figure?" I teased, looking her up and down.
"I was just... ah-choo." Before she could finish her sentence, she let out a small sneeze.
It seems we stayed outside for too long. Winter snow is cold by nature, and I shouldn't have indulged her in a snowball fight.
"I'll go run a hot bath, you hurry up and take a soak." Worried about her health, I quickly prepared a dose of cold medicine and urged her to drink it.
"Okay." Kusanagi obediently held the cup, her nose sounding stuffy, like a cute puppy.
"The heater has been on the whole time, go warm your hands." I pushed her toward the heater. It would take a while for the bath to fill up, so she should warm her hands and feet first.
The heater was turned on, and the warmth gradually filled the thick kotatsu. The girl's icy hands and feet warmed up, and her expression became warm and cozy.
The living room lights weren't on; only a dim, yellow lamp sat on the heater table, making my heart feel soft and burning.
Hot water flowed into the bathroom, gathering in the white bathtub to form a pool of warm spring water. Steam rose and dispersed, and the mist spread throughout the room. I tested the water temperature with my finger; it was a bit scalding, so I tossed in a peach-scented bath bomb. Once it dissolved, the water temperature was just right.
"Miss Nozawa." The girl called out softly from the living room. "Miss Nozawa, is it ready?"
"Almost, just a moment longer." I stood up to wipe my hands and closed the bathroom door tightly to prevent the heat from dissipating.
"Keep warming yourself by the fire for a bit longer, you can soak in a moment."
The girl buried her face in the kotatsu quilt. "I'm a little hungry."
Could it be that this person had been standing at the door earlier and hadn't even eaten dinner?
"Hey, I want to eat..." Her voice was muffled by the fluffy quilt, her shyness appearing faintly.
"Hmm...?"
"...The local specialty."
"The local specialty sent from China, the one you made last time." Kusanagi's voice was still stuffy. She sniffled. "I want to eat that."
The bowl shattered in a fit of temper, the helpless and flustered worry, the extremely soft contact.
My heart surged with waves of emotion in an instant.
I steadied myself. "That's easy enough, just wait."