Chapter 1—Winter Air

She was writing unusually slower than usual.

He couldn't help but snatch a glimpse of the bead of sweat that rolled down the side of her face, lining her hairline as it neared her jaw. She absentmindedly wiped it away before switching her hard, focused eyes back onto the sheet of paper in front of her. Even if he had been completely turned to face her, the girl probably wouldn't notice any significant change. The only thing she cared about—and most likely will ever care about—was her studies and grades. It was normal, for someone like her: a study bug.

Yamaken quietly sighed and glanced back at the whiteboard at the front of the room. An array of formulas and equations had been written neatly for everyone to copy. His eyes drifted down, his fingers twirling a mechanical pencil while he waited for her to finish copying the notes. Usually, Shizuku would have been the first out of the two to finish copying. Then she would switch to the textbook to mark down points and questions for herself.

Glancing at her sheet, he also realized that her penmanship had subsided into chicken scratch as the class drew closer to an end. He could still make out her writing, but it wasn't nearly as crisp as it usually was. Sliding his paper to her side, he made a few dashes with his pen beneath a formula she had copied down incorrectly.

"Ah, thank you," she mumbled, her eyes switching back and forth between their two papers frantically.

Wordlessly, Yamaken nodded his head and repressed a sigh. He propped up his elbow onto the desk, resting his chin on his palm before glancing away tiredly. He didn't enjoy being in the cram class, and in the end, it wasn't even necessary to be there. At Kamei Academy, he possessed one of the highest averages in his grade. However, he had the money and time and if, by chance, it would give him more time with Study Bug, he would take it. After all, there was no one like Haru or her overly clingy friend to intervene their time spent alone together.

Unfortunately, to every brilliant plan, a fault was born. Although Yamaken had spent so much time with Shizuku during the course, it had been revealed to him that she barely saw him as an actual man. He was just a classmate who she could share academic resources with, or an interest in school. Despite the fact he rarely enjoyed talking about homework and assignments, he did so for her. After all, it seemed like every other conversation the two shared would evolve into a topic about her and Haru, which Yamaken wasn't too particularly fond about.

Eventually, after another grueling lecture, class had finally been dismissed. People steadily rose to their feet and began packing their bags, rushing out to hurry home for some rest and relaxation. Yamaken began to tidy up his own area as well, albeit much less eagerly to be heading out into the chilled evening air. Despite the fact he was reluctant to admit it, he predicted another two hours of wandering around aimlessly in thickets and forests until he found his escort.

As he pondered such trivial things, the sudden sound of various pencils and pens dropping broke Yamaken out of his thoughts. His eyes widened when he had realized that it came from just behind him. His eyes wandered down to Shizuku's frozen arm, her fingers outstretched as though she had still been holding onto her pencil case. All of her belongings were scattered across the floor, beneath their desks, and in the level below them.

"How troublesome," she muttered, lowering herself to the ground as she began to collect the scattered items.

Yamaken arched a brow, his lips pinched with an unsettled feeling. This was not like Shizuku to go dropping her things everywhere—she was much more agile than that. Regardless of her strange behaviour, he swept up a few pens from beneath his seat and placed them on her side of the table before reaching down to the row in front of them to snatch her eraser. Rising to his feet, he watched as the girl swiped the back of her hand across her forehead with a tiresome sigh before she stood straight as well.

"Thank you," she said flatly, tucking everything away back into her side bag.

Yamaken watched her closely as she reached for her tattered jacket, sluggishly tying her scarf with her eyes closed.

It was strange. Her complexion was so sickly pale, and her face glowed from the sheen of sweat. Shizuku's expression only enhanced the dead-like facade that she was beginning to take on.

"I will head out now, Yamaken. Goodnight," she said stiffly, pulling her bag over her shoulder before shuffling away.

The blonde stood silent in the nearly empty room for a moment and then began to tuck his books and papers away into his bag. Rummaging through his satchel, he pulled out his phone and checked for any unread text messages that he may have received. Finding his inbox empty, he sighed and tucked away his cell phone away.

Yamaken heaved the heavy duty coat onto his shoulders, readying himself for the bitter winds outside. He hated the cold as much as he hated going to class. When he stepped outside, he realized that the school grounds were nearly empty with only a few stragglers left behind.

With his hands tucked into his pockets, he lowered his chin into his scarf and hurried on, not desiring to get caught up in the frigid cold that would soon be whisking its way into the city. If only he could find his escort, he would be pleasantly sitting in his home within the next half hour, sipping at his black coffee.

Unfortunately, like at the end of most classes, Yamaken was stuck walking around with not a black car in sight to pick him up. He wandered about tiresomely, his cheeks flushed red with the bitter air nipping at his face. He sought shelter inside of a cafe for a good forty minutes before venturing back out with a paper cup of coffee. This time, he was prepared!

It was the very moment he had stepped outside when he noticed her. She was sitting at a bench across the street beneath the roof of the bus stop, her head hunched over as though she had fallen asleep. Yamaken arched a brow, quite confused at what she had been doing, simply sitting there alone.

Out of the corner of his eye, Yamaken spotted a bus turn around the corner and head down the street between them. The bus paused in front of Shizuku, obstructing the blonde's view of her for a few moments. He figured she was just waiting for her bus to come by.

"Hmph." He was just about ready to turn and walk on, but when the bus drove away, his eyes managed to catch her huddled body sitting in the exact same position as before.

"What is she doing?" He asked into the opening of his coffee.

Taking a quick scan of the road, he waited for an opening before dashing ahead (mindful of his steaming beverage) to the other side.

"Oi, Mizutani!"Yamaken called, slowing down his pace into a casual walk. She didn't budge at her name which triggered a sense of alarm down his spine. Her face was tilted down, her two side ponytails swaying in the wind.

"Mizutani." He repeated, stepping in front of her as he hesitantly reached forward and tapped her shoulder. She didn't move for a moment, but then eventually reclined back onto the bench, her face exposed.

Yamaken's eyes widened with horror at the sight of the ailing girl. Her face was absolutely pale with the exception of her red cheeks. Sweat soaked her hair line, and her cracked lips twitched with every heavy pant that escaped her mouth. A cough managed to erupt from within her, followed by a groan.

"Damn it!" He hissed, placing his cup down beside her before taking grasp of her shoulders with his hands. He shook her ever so slightly, just to stir her from her sleep. "Mizutani—wake up!" He demanded, moving a hand to her forehead. Like he had predicted, her skin burned his fingers even in the midst of such a bitter cold. Suddenly, Yamaken had the fearful idea that she had been sitting there, frozen at the bus stop since class had ended.

But that was nearly an hour ago! As the panicked thought rang through his mind, Shizuku unconsciously fell forward and her face landed square in his chest. Yamaken cursed beneath his breath and quickly unraveled his scarf, wrapping it warmly around her head in some sad attempt as a hat. He dug into his pockets and fished out his phone, frantically flipping it open to punch in numbers.

"...Haru..." she groaned weakly, coughing into Yamaken's coat with a wheeze.

As the dial tone rang in his ears, he tightened an arm around Shizuku and used his fingers to brush aside her hair from her face. Eventually, a voice answered tiredly through the other line. Without giving the other person enough time to ask what he had wanted, he shot his command and his location before hanging up.

It wasn't long before the black sedan pulled up in front of the two, the driver stepping out to peek over the roof of the car.

"Sir, what on earth—"

"Drive us to the hospital now," Yamaken shot, heaving the girl up into his arms. He may not have been a fighter like Haru, but he was still strong nonetheless. The driver paused, but reluctantly rushed over to the blonde's side before opening the door for him. Yamaken laid the girl across the back seats, her breathing growing faster and heavier with each passing second.

Yamaken slipped into the passenger seat, turning to the driver and gave him a hard, deadly stare. "Get going," he ordered. The man responded by nodding obediently before speeding off.

Yamaken let out a sigh of relief, his eyes drifting back to Shizuku as she slept.

It worried him. He didn't understand why he was so frantic, but he was.

At the hospital, the doctors who arrived to greet Yamaken when carried Shizuku in were stunned, but helpful no less. After all, the son of the man who owned the hospital was a priority.

Yamaken reclined back into a cushioned seat in the lobby, waiting patiently for an update. It wasn't long before a nurse arrived, and informed him on Shizuku's condition.

"She's all right, but seems to be coming into consciousness. Would you like to see her, sir?"

"Of course, take me to her," he said a little too quickly.

The nurse nodded and began to lead him a ways down the hallway, taking a few detours before arriving at Shizuku's room.

For once, he had the upper hand against Haru. It wasn't going to be that idiot's face that she would see when she woke up. No. When those maroon eyes finally opened, it was going to be someone else.

It was his turn to be her hero. It was Yamaken's turn.