~12_Christmas~

~04: Winter Wonderland; Snow~

~01~

Monday, 4th of December

Two weeks before the end of term

Given the unpredictability of the weather, the students of Seirei Gakuen had been quite overjoyed at the first snow of the year falling on a Sunday. Grey clouds had loomed overhead for most of November, threatening rain or storms or snow... the average pupil didn't pay attention to the weather report and nobody particularly trusted those for word of snow in the first place. If one was to judge by the report then it seemed likely that they'd be setting themselves up for a disappointment... but nonetheless, that didn't stop most of the lessons of mid-to-late-November being conducted in rapt silence, students paying more attention to the unchanging weather outside than their teacher or schoolwork.

The snow had started gently around the beginning of December. Usually noticed by a younger member of the family member, 'it's snowing, it's snowing!'... this would be passed off until proof of the event was witnessed when indeed it would be accepted that yes, it was snowing. Perhaps it would be a slight flurry, or perhaps-- it's sticking? Yes, it's sticking!...

Monday morning, the snow was enough to be impressive but not enough to cause call for a Snow Day. Pupils watched the falling snow from the window of the bullet train, crunched through the small drifts on the path leading to the school gates and, like in summer when hot weather beckoned, wondered why on earth they had to be stuck inside when there were things like snow outside to be enjoyed and treasured. You could go to class anytime, but snow? That was special. You never knew when the falling snow would stop, when the gathered snow would melt... nothing seemed to stir up the youthful appreciation of a transient nature more than snow did. That was something short-lived that was tangible and precious and as the snow fell harder, the teachers found it more and more difficult to attract the attention of their classes.

Some students just didn't bother. Those who felt tethered to the system would sit obediently in their classes, yearning for a freedom they didn't dare take. Older students with free lessons would walk around school or watch in peace from an empty classroom or the library or wherever they could watch without being questioned as to how their study time was being employed... Shin and Akihiro watched from the roof.

The roof itself was one of the grey areas of the school. Never specified as being out of bounds and yet never particularly approved as being in bounds in the first place, most students avoided it just in case. Whether you were allowed up there or not generally depended on who you were and who the teacher was that caught you. Shin would usually find out in advance when Enami-sensei was going to be on break or lunch duty; when it was Enami-sensei, there wasn't very much that Shin didn't get away with.

The two of them stood against the edge of the roof, leant against the metal railings and looking out over the front of the school and the city beyond. The snow had been falling for most of the day and so already gave some promise of a future display, patches of white gathering in nooks and crannies and corners. Shin watched nothing in particular with a kind of intent stare. These were the kinds of moments he lived for, surely? The silence of the school, only occasionally disturbed by competitive screams from the gym, a student yelling, a teacher shouting... those things seemed distant. There was movement in the city, light and sound and human activity... but there on the roof he was simply alone, watching the falling snow. There was a kind of poetry in that moment, a sort of sensation that could be transformed into something lyrical, surely?

At least, he should have been simply alone watching the falling snow. Instead, he was constantly aware of Akihiro's presence beside him; Akihiro wasn't really doing anything, only leant against the metal bar in the same fashion that he himself was, watching nothing in the same kind of way... but that wasn't important. More than anything he could have done or said at that time, just Akihiro's presence seemed irritating. Feeling self-conscious and annoyed, Shin pulled his jacket tighter with gloved hands. He'd thought to bring his gloves and scarf at the advancing weather but hadn't thought to bring a warmer coat... he shivered slightly and moved closer to the railings, as if they would bring any kind of warmth. It really was winter now. And Akihiro was just standing there in his school jacket. How could he bear to do such a thing? It seemed just another stupid thing that was just like him. Shin sighed quietly, the breath leaving his mouth as a cloud of steam.

"Don't you have a lesson to be in right now?"

Akihiro rubbed his hands together before cracking his knuckles, "Yup."

"Well, can't you go to it?"

"Haven't done the homework. Not gonna risk Kana-sensei getting pissed at me for something stupid like that, I'm not in the mood for it."

"... She's going to be just as pissed if she finds you've skipped her lesson."

"Yeah, well."

Akihiro's tone didn't seem to imply any sense of regret for his action. Shin had hoped that his question might spur Akihiro into leaving him alone but it seemed that he had no such luck with that tactic. Indeed, if one was going to skip a lesson then the roof was a good place to do it, it wasn't somewhere that teachers really looked when students were missing... if you left through the school gates then you were easily observed by classrooms on several sides but the roof was the highest point in the school and treasured for that reason.

Shin pulled his ponytail with two hands to tighten the hairband that kept it in place, his gloves making this feel somewhat awkward. His expression fell, "What I mean is, don't you have anywhere else to be at the moment...?"

"Other than my History lesson? Not really, no. Why, don't want me around?" Akihiro turned his head to face Shin at that, a wide grin spread across his features. Shin only scowled, wondering how Akihiro could find such a thing amusing - though, Akihiro had always seemed to gain strange kinds of satisfaction from Shin's discomfort. They'd been living the same scenarios for long enough to be used to them now, to know how things worked and what they expected of each other... and Shin knew that, by now, there was very little (if anything) he could do or say to push Akihiro away. If he wanted to stay around for the duration of his skipped lesson then he would and he wouldn't be discouraged from that.

Shin just didn't quite understand why, other than for the sadistic amusement he often gleaned, Akihiro would want to spend his free time in silent conflict with him; the two of them had known each other for a long time and known each other for quite some time but Shin would likely have jumped from the roof of the school before ever admitting to anybody - or himself - that he considered Akihiro a friend. That wasn't the kind of thing chalked in for their relationship, not from Shin's perspective. In his mind, his view of Akihiro was clear: he was uncouth and annoying, loudmouthed and irritating, irrational and brutish, short-tempered and rough. Their relationship was one of constant antagonizing and Shin felt that half the stress he ever felt could be vaporised in an instant were Akihiro to vanish from his life and he knew that, really, if he didn't want to spend the next hour with Akihiro all he had to do was take the initiative to leave and go somewhere else, provided Akihiro didn't follow him. Part of him said that he'd been on the roof first and so he had more right to be there than Akihiro did and another part of him, which he usually obeyed without listening to, didn't really want to leave.

Again, he would have more likely died than admit this to anybody. It wasn't that he liked Akihiro's company, more that Akihiro's company was better than no company at all, or something. Something like that. Wherever he went Akihiro was likely to try following him so there wasn't really any point in trying to move in the first place. That was the logic Shin's conscious mind clung to. It'd only be a bother to try and move someplace else and it wouldn't hold any kind of victory anyway, so... the roof was good enough. Even if Akihiro was there.

Akihiro leant his head against one hand, looking out enthusiastically towards the snow-covered landscape. "I can't believe it's already December! I mean, woah. Not gonna be long until we get off for the holidays! Jeez, and they've been pushing us so much this year. It's fine when you're in the first or second year and you've got a teacher who doesn't mind skipping lessons and breaking out the paperchains for the last lessons of term, but guh... I've got like three essays due in before the end of term. What happened to taking it easy!?"

Shin kept his voice even, "As much as it makes sense for you to prefer childish pursuits, that's simply the kind of thing you'll have to get used to now that we're in the third year. School is a place for work and study, not parties."

"Jeez, who jabbed the stick up your ass today..."

"I'm only saying."

Akihiro turned around to lean his elbows against the rail, staring at Shin's profile for a few moments. Shin didn't move or acknowledge Akihiro's gaze, so he felt comfortable to keep on staring for a few moments longer.

How could Shin bear to say things like that? With such a cold tone, too... wasn't that taking a rather one-sided view of things? Yes, so school was for studying and exams and tests and learning and that kind of thing, but... if it was only like that it'd be rather empty, wouldn't it? If nothing else, that damned KISS wouldn't exist were it not for the sake of extra-curricular activities and for a moment Akihiro wondered if the sacrifice would be worth it to get rid of that tradition. Still... as much as it annoyed him that so much work was due in for the end of term, there was still the Christmas party that the Student Council was holding, amongst other smaller celebrations. Classroom windows were decorated with fake snow and paper Christmas trees while their real counterparts dotted themselves around the school at appropriate points; paper chains hung from the ceiling and tinsel hung around the doorframes. There was always a competition between the homerooms at Christmas, to see which classroom had the best decorations. The class would work together to make their room the best and both the competition and the simple activity was always appreciated.

"It's that Christmas party soon, isn't it?"

Shin sounded distracted, "Possibly." He thought about it for a few moments longer with actual consideration, "... Probably."

"Looking forward to it?"

"Not really."

"Jesus. I knew it took a lot to get you excited, but... fucking hell. Can't even get excited about a party?"

"I have better things to be doing with my time."

"Like what?"

"I've got to rehearse. I've got a concert after the end of term."

"Which is still at least two weeks away! C'mon, let loose a little. Even if that Kudou's chasing you around with mistletoe it's gonna be fun, right? 'Cause I mean, it's like you said, school's all about learning and stuff... so it's gonna be even better when we get to kick back and relax for that party! I bet Enami-sensei's gonna try and get Megumi-sensei under the mistletoe. Or the other way round, maybe... but I bet both of them are gonna have to fight Gondawara-sensei away, huh..."

Shin closed his eyes, "... You're noisy."

Akihiro had been about to say something else about the upcoming party, but at that found himself struck dumb. He paused for a moment, nursing his slightly injured pride; he didn't really consider himself as a person who really talked a lot - and so the vague insult felt even more barbed. He didn't talk a lot and then when he did talk, he just had Shin knock him down for it. Maybe he had been a bit overenthusiastic.

"... Yeah, well. Someone's gotta try and get you excited for the holiday."

"Hnph."

There wasn't really much to say to that. Akihiro sighed, turning back around to look over towards the main cityscape. Was Shin merely being obstinate because of his presence, or was he genuinely bored at the thought of Christmas? That seemed... almost a little sad, somehow. Akihiro supposed that maybe it was a little childish, but he couldn't help but get excited about Christmas. All the little traditions and things you did with your relatives... not that Akihiro's mother had much contact with any of the other sides of their family, but Akihiro didn't mind that. Even if it was just the four of them - him, his mother, his little sister and their pet dog - then it'd be something that they'd treasure. Yukari-chan was at that perfect age, too... old enough to know what Christmas was but still young enough to appreciate it. Akihiro supposed that half his excitement came from how much he and his mother had been preparing Yukari for Christmas - she was so wide-eyed and amazed at the whole prospect that it was hard not to feel the festivity of the season.

From what Akihiro understood, Shin was the youngest in his family. Likely the Nishimura household was long past preparing Christmas for the sake of their youngest member.

"I guess this is the last time we'll be able to see a view like this, isn't it?"

This suggestion did seem to catch Shin's attention; "What do you mean?"

"Well, this season. Christmas in the third year... we're not gonna be here next Christmas, are we? Doubt they'll be happy 'bout letting us on the roof once we're not students here anymore. Though I'm sure we can find our way up here if you smile at Enami-sensei right."

Akihiro had been sure that the comment on Enami would have provoked Shin somehow, but instead he seemed to pass that comment off; instead, his expression fell - just slightly - to some kind of sadness. He pressed his gloved hands against the rail, peering down at the main walkway below, empty but for the gathering snow. The school flag waved limply in the cold breeze. Past the entrance archway was the path that led to the main train station, visible on the horizon. Past that was houses, buildings, shops, the park... you could make out the complex where the Live House was located, just.

Akihiro didn't understand Shin's expression or his silence. "... Something up?"

"... enough..."

Shin mumbled something under his breath, not quite loud enough for Akihiro to actually understand. Reaching out with one fist Akihiro knocked Shin gently on the shoulder before hugging his arms to himself in some attempt to conserve warmth, "I don't get you when you mumble. Try actually talking. En~unciate."

This comment earnt Akihiro a glare, but Shin did repeat himself. "... I... don't feel that I'm appreciating this enough."

The serious tone of that comment was unexpected. "... What do you mean?"

"... You're right. This is the last Christmas we'll be spending at this school... indeed, all through this year we've been plagued by that kind of shadow... 'this is the last year of school'... 'this is the last summer holiday we'll have together'... the last September, the last October, the last November... so much that we do becomes finalistic because of the place we've reached in our school hierarchy. We're already in our last months of school. Before we know it, it'll be time to graduat--"

"Don't talk about that."

"... Jinguuji?"

Akihiro gripped the cold rail with surprising strength, "... I don't want to think about that."

Unsure quite how to react to Akihiro's emotive ambiguity, Shin merely glanced down at his hands instead. "That can't be comfortable."

"What's that got to do with anything?!" Still somewhat tense, Akihiro quickly retracted his hands.

"Seems rather foolish to come into school in the middle of winter without gloves or a scarf or even a coat... or maybe Jinguuji doesn't feel the cold like the rest of us do...?"

"I just forgot, okay?! Left my coat next to the front door. So I just gotta freeze today, that's my problem."

Shin watched Akihiro carefully, the way he jammed his hands under his armpits and glared across the landscape with irritation. It seemed that just the mention - or the almost-mention - of graduating in the spring was enough to set Akihiro off into a bad mood... Shin looked back over the railings, idly tracing the path of falling snowflakes. Graduation seemed both a long way away and a short way away - the former mentally and the latter physically, he supposed. They were already more than halfway through the year. And then what? Then, they'd leave Seirei Gakuen for good. Well, some would go on to Seirei University, but in Shin's eyes that was merely for the students who had no drive or ambition to look further afield. Provided he made it through the entrance exams, Shin was aiming towards the Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music - music was naturally his passion and to pursue anything else in higher education seemed both boring and pointless. He wasn't sure what Akihiro was aiming for nor where he wanted to take himself after graduation - and given his response to even that suggestion, Shin didn't like to ask. Akihiro didn't really seem the type to aim for much academically anyway - he supposed that Akihiro was likely on the road to some university, by the time of the third year the pressure to choose a university and start studying for it was too much to ignore, but whether he was following a passion or merely going on the insistence of others, Shin wasn't sure. He didn't like to think that he cared, either.

Having mentioned Akihiro's lack of warm attire, Shin couldn't help but feel that, were they different people in another situation, there might have been an opportunity there. Wasn't it a noble thing to do, for a man to offer his jacket to his blushing girlfriend in order for her to not get cold? Shin could picture the scene vividly and couldn't help but feel that that was quite a long way away from he and Akihiro stood on the school roof. They weren't boyfriend and girlfriend - or boyfriend and boyfriend - and Akihiro was just about as far from a blushing girlfriend as you could get. Shin had a feeling that Tatsuya, had he been there, would likely have offered his coat to Shin... but it was a little difficult when it was Tatsuya, given that he had the general body structure of a first-year student. That was an entirely different matter, in any case; Tatsuya was just that kind of person. Shin wasn't. He held his tongue on that line of thought.

"... You should go inside if you're really feeling that cold."

"I could."

"Go on, then."

"Don't wanna."

"Stubborn."

"Like you can talk."

Shin sighed heavily and turned to face Akihiro, "I'm not the one shivering in his shoes standing in the middle of the snow barely wearing anything. If you hide out in some corner of the library I'm sure you'll go unnoticed, if Kana-sensei's got a class then she's not going to suddenly walk through the doors, is she? If you want to watch the snow falling you can sit by a window or something, can't you?"

Akihiro's lips curled in a vague smile but he didn't look at Shin, "Not like you to be so concerned over my wellbeing."

"It's not like that, I'm just amazed that someone could be so stupid."

"I know you love me really, Nishimura."

That really was the kind of comment to stir Shin's ire; he closed his eyes with an expression of deep irritation, one eyebrow twitching; despite this, he did seem to have a faint blush over his cheeks. This could have been through finding some warmth in the cold weather or for some other reason, but it didn't stop his acerbic tone. "The day I love you, Jinguuji, will be the day that I fall into hell to become a professional ice-skater."

"You can't just say 'when hell freezes over', can you? Oh well. If that's the case then I'll be there with you and I'd offer you my jacket."

The way that Akihiro could make such comments in such an easygoing manner needled at Shin's patience, though part of him recognized and relaxed slightly at the fact that he wasn't so upset at the thought of graduating any longer. Shin sighed again, feeling his tortured patience gently slip away from desperate fingers. "If you want my jacket then you should just ask straight out. Besides, I'm not freezing myself for your sake, Jinguuji. If you don't want to be cold then you should go inside."

Akihiro laughed slightly, "Destroys it if I have to ask for it. Doesn't mean anything."

"And your shoulders are too broad. You'd never get into this jacket."

"It's a pretty girly jacket anyway, don't think I'd wanna."

Shin flinched, "Then why are we having this conversation?"

Ignoring the question, Akihiro leant his head on one hand with an expression that seemed both thoughtful and indulgent and stared up at Shin. "I don't gotta be wearing your jacket to get into it, do I?"

"What's that supposed to mean..." Despite his words, Shin's tone held an air of resignation. It was the kind of thing he liked to play ignorant on, but Akihiro only ever made that sort of comment for one reason and one reason alone. The reason was fairly obvious but still, Shin didn't like to lower himself to acknowledge such things, not from Akihiro.

"What do you think it's supposed to mean?"

"Something perverse, I'm sure. It always is when it's you."

"I love how you say that like you don't like it."

"I don't."

It was things like that which confused Akihiro. The way Shin could be so stubborn and obstinate, the way angry and hateful words would easily drop from his tongue... eight times out of ten, any casual observer would think, and with justification, that Shin and Akihiro hated each other.

Those remaining two were the times that Akihiro couldn't bring himself to let go of. When Shin was desperate and needing, when he'd talk so casually of terrible and hurtful things... when he'd act strangely, certainly not hating it and being the one instigating it in the first place... Akihiro didn't really understand. Times like that, it seemed like Shin was a completely different person. Almost literally so. Akihiro felt that he was hopelessly attracted to Shin whether it was the distant Shin who actually seemed to hate him or the Shin who clung to him through the night saying he'd die if Akihiro wasn't around...

He supposed that, really, Shin was precisely what one would define as, if one were to be cruel, psycho. Akihiro often heard tell of guys and their psycho ex-girlfriends, at least. There was probably a different term for guys. Girls never really seemed to brand guys as being psycho unless they were axe-wielding - they were usually creeps or bastards or jerks or idiots; generally, it seemed thought that men lacked the mental capacity to be properly psychotic. Such behaviour was almost premeditated and for the most part, guys couldn't be bothered for that. Jerk a girl around or dump her, mind games were too much bother. On the whole. Akihiro supposed. Shin was the kind of person who took all of Akihiro's preconceptions on the differences between the sexes and turned them around spectacularly. Perhaps that was his own ignorance shining through; if Shin was any evidence for it, men were just as capable of mind games as women were. And there had been Akihiro thinking that women were terrifying; either way, it seemed that he couldn't escape.

Sometimes Akihiro wanted to ask Shin if he was aware of the effect he had. If he realised how strange his behaviour was, how maddening his moodswings were, how basically and essentially frightening he could be when he was in one of those moods... but in the situation it was too late to ask and when it wasn't happening, Akihiro didn't like to mention it. And so they continued on, both seeming to believe that questioning their own behaviour and rationalising things could come later... but when?

This was perhaps the reason that Akihiro didn't like to think of their graduation. By that point it really would be too late.

Shin's forceful words were followed by a long silence; Akihiro didn't really expect Shin to say anything else but Shin was surprised that Akihiro hadn't taken up the bait - usually that line of argument was Akihiro's excuse to launch into something perverse, as he'd said. It wasn't particularly that Shin felt he wanted anything like that to happen, it just seemed strange that it didn't happen. Instead, Akihiro just stared off into the distance, still cupping his cheek in one hand.

Akihiro couldn't shake the feeling of inequality he'd suddenly sensed. Not that this was anything new, but all of a sudden it quite bothered him and he wasn't sure why; it was always the small things that triggered such thoughts... a casual word, a thoughtless action, just anything like that from Shin would cause Akihiro to pause and think and end up preoccupied. In this case, he couldn't help but think about Shin's jacket - or as he'd been saying previously, that something like that had no significance if you had to ask for it. Lending someone a jacket wasn't something you triggered, after all; it was one of those things that just happened and Akihiro knew damn well that if the situation was reversed he'd wordlessly give up his coat without a second thought, and Shin would accept it without argument. It wasn't that Shin was bodily smaller or that his jacket was girly (it wasn't really) - just that Shin wouldn't move an inch on something Akihiro felt he'd do without question.

It was moments like those that made Akihiro feel like there was a lot to be desired in their relationship. Not that this was any recent kind of revelation - from the beginning Akihiro had known this, just not what exactly to do about it. It was easier to carry on with things as they were than to bother thinking about how to change them.

Rather than replying to Shin, Akihiro pushed away from the railings and stood up straight, looking rather tired all of a sudden. Shin just watched as Akihiro stepped away and then walked closer to him, put his arms around him, held him close. Shin immediately wrapped his fingers around Akihiro's wrists in an effort to pull them away, "What are you--"

Akihiro moved one hand up over Shin's mouth, "Shut up for once."

"... Your hands are cold."

"So are you."

The two of them fell into silence once more, broken only by Shin's soft sigh when Akihiro nuzzled against his neck to bury his face in the folds of Shin's scarf. Akihiro's breath gathered amongst the fabric and Shin could feel vague heat there... and behind and around him, since Akihiro seemed quite unashamed to embrace him in such a bold fashion. He could have pushed Akihiro away, could have continued with the questions and rebukes... but that kind of exhaustion Akihiro had seemed to carry was almost catching, and Shin couldn't be bothered to be on the offensive all the time. Even with his school blazer and jacket, he was still quite cold - and yet, even wearing only the shirt and blazer, Akihiro behind him seemed to generate some warmth of his own. Shin closed his eyes, pondering the abstract ramifications of such a concept as he gently leant his head against Akihiro.

It was best when they were both silent, Shin felt. When Akihiro wasn't making annoying comments and when he wasn't saying hasty words before he'd thought them through... language seemed to complicate things so much. They often seemed to stumble and fall over matters like those, ignoring the bigger picture for the sake of stupid details.

Shin opened his eyes halfway, breathing out slowly and deliberately to watch the steam rise and dissipate into the air. The snow still fell and the sky was still heavy with grey neverending clouds; the snow now covered every patch of ground visible from the roof - from where Shin and Akihiro stood this was the case and Shin didn't doubt that it was the same on the other side... likely even the running track would be covered, now.

Below them, younger students were stuck in lessons. The snow didn't stop, falling continually as life and learning happened in other places. Classes would end and those lucky enough to have to walk outside to reach their next lesson would relish the chance to walk in the snow, would maybe grab a handful and throw it before a teacher could see. Maybe some would cherish the opportunity to walk in the snow with a particularly chosen person, even for that brief time. Maybe others would just move from one floor of the main building to another, watching out of the window and hoping against hope that the snow would still be falling when it came for the next lesson's end, when it came. When hometime came. When they were free from school to enjoy the snow as they wished. All of that, Shin thought, and he and Akihiro had all the time in the world to stand around on the roof and watch the snow and be in the snow, and all they could think to do was to complain about the cold. That seemed... short-sighted, somehow.

The thought that the scene was almost a little romantic crossed Shin's mind; he allowed himself a small smile while he knew that Akihiro couldn't see it. He was glad that Akihiro hadn't continued on with those previous lines of thought, that suddenly they were caught in nothing more complicated than a hug. The gentle things made Shin want the harsher things but one didn't necessarily follow the other... it seemed like the latter was what made Shin need Akihiro and the former was what made him want him. Rare as those things were. Why were they rare? Because he was always pushing Akihiro away so quickly. Because he didn't want Akihiro to work out the things Shin was afraid to admit even to himself.

"... Hey, Nishimura."

"Ahn...?"

Akihiro moved his head a little, shifting so that his chin leant against Shin's shoulder. "... Warmer now."

"... Bring a coat, next time."

"Will do."

For once, the silence that followed didn't feel uncomfortable.

"... Nishimura?"

"What is it?"

"... Being out here like this... with the snow and all..."

"Mmm?"

"... I don't know. Maybe it's kind of romantic, don't you think?"

That Akihiro had managed to say precisely what Shin had been thinking seemed to spark his anger somehow; as if acting on reflex, Shin shoved his elbows back to catch Akihiro off-guard, to cause him to move his arms and for Shin to work his way out from their hold. He did so as Akihiro looked up at him with some kind of empty confusion and even as he spoke the words he regretted them, he regretted his previous action and he regretted his intended action but as much as he regretted them, he couldn't quite stop himself either. Escaping the situation was better.

"W-what are you saying, saying something like that... romantic... Jinguuji, when it's you, nothing can be romantic--!"

And with that, Shin turned on his heel and made his way over to the staircase that would lead down to the canteen corridor. Part of him expected Akihiro to stop him, part of him was unsurprised that that failed to happen.

Akihiro just watched, Shin's warmth fading against his body. He sighed deeply, "... Guess I messed up again somewhere..."

He shook his head in his confusion, turning back to lean against the railings. They were cold; now lacking Shin's heat, they seemed too cold. Glancing down at his watch, Akihiro worked out that there was about ten minutes left before the end of the lesson he should have been in. Then was last lesson, but he had a free for that anyway... there wasn't any harm in going home early... the next bullet train going along his route left in ten minutes, then would leave again in another ten... he had no reason to stick around for after school. Sometimes he would to see if Shin was around, but... after that, it didn't seem like he'd want Akihiro's company. Annoyed by the cold, Akihiro stuffed his hands into his trouser pockets, not that that provided much in the way of bodily heat.

He'd reacted so suddenly, but if Shin thought that Akihiro wouldn't have noticed the definite blush over his cheeks then he merely painted them both as idiots. Akihiro liked to think that he knew Shin's reactions by now and supposed that with a comment like that, he'd deserved the reaction. It wasn't like Shin to take such things well.

"... Nothing can be romantic, huh..." Akihiro smiled to himself, looking directly above him to the looming clouds and the falling snow. "... I guess not."

Casting one last look over the landscape, Akihiro made his own way into the school building. It was generally best to get out before the dense crowds of schoolchildren made to move between lessons.

Akihiro wasn't going to take Shin's statement for granted, he knew that much. Besides, wasn't it the Christmas party at the end of the week...? School parties were so stereotypically teenage. It didn't hurt to act alongside the feeling and sentiment of the event, did it? No, no it didn't.

Thoughts and plans already formulating in his mind, Akihiro smiled broadly as he walked out of the school's front gates. Nobody noticed his early departure.

~end of chapter one~