The cold never bothered her.
The middle of December was no different, either. The air was cold enough for her to see her breath cloud in a white mist that was instantly whisked away by the breeze that stung anyone else's cheeks. Not so much hers, though—the cold was almost comforting to her.
This morning's chill, however, was slightly different—different from the previous morning, and the morning before that. She hadn't noticed it before until only recently. She used to be perfectly comfortable wearing only her white, long-sleeved blouse, her black uniform skirt and her knee-high boots. In the recent mornings, it somehow didn't seem enough anymore to shield her from the winter frost.
Just like any other morning, she stood on the platform of Iwatodai Station. As usual, she listened for the complaints of students clad in uniforms similar to hers, whining about how cold it had become. They clumped together, talking and laughing while she stood alone. She was grateful for the curtain of dark red bangs that hung over her left eye, serving as a cover from both sight and the cold.
"Are you busy Christmas Eve?"
A new sort of chill stabbed her from behind. The voices of strangers faded away as she directed her attention to the female voice behind her.
"I just thought… you know… I've never spent a real Christmas Eve with anyone before, so I…"
The source of the voice traveled to her right, where her view was completely clear. Another winter breeze came from that direction, lightly ruffling her deep red curls and giving her a glimpse of a pink sweater over a tiny black skirt. She squint her eyes to keep the chilled air from stinging them.
"Don't smile at me like that! I didn't mean—you're totally taking it the wrong way!"
The wind ceased its attack on the station dwellers, giving them a chance to regain some warmth. As the voice continued to her right, she could hear it be accompanied by the sound of a hand clapping against fabric.
"You've been hanging around Stupei too much…"
Another breeze picked up, this time cutting through the fabric of her blouse. She tugged upward at the red bow that encircled her slender throat to guard what little warmth remained there. She turned her head slightly so the wind wouldn't creep into her eyes, only to see the girl's blue-haired companion intertwine his fingers into hers.
"It's colder today," she heard the girl say with chattering teeth. "But, your hand's really warm. How do you stay so warm?"
All at once, her lonely hands were noticeably icy. She looked up and saw that the train was finally nearing the station, giving her and the others some hope of shelter from the cold. Teenagers and adults flocked near the track, waiting for the train to come to a full stop and open its doors. Overhead, a voice came over the intercom, advising passengers to stay behind the painted yellow line until the doors had opened. Everyone still clumped closer to the doors, almost blocking out more numbing slashes from the wind. Everyone but her was safe from its assault. She stood a little ways back from the crowd in her little frosty bubble—it didn't look right for someone with poise and stature like her to force her way into one of the cars, no matter how freezing the weather became. When the train had rumbled to a stop and the platform was still, she took notice of her cell phone buzzing in her pocket.
"Hello?" she said in her low, business-like tone.
"It shouldn't take you three rings to answer my calls, Mitsuru," a slimy, almost nasal voice reprimanded from the other end. "My future wife should be more attentive to my ever beck and call."
Mitsuru could feel her hand being slashed by the wind until it had lost almost all feeling. "I apologize."
"That's all right for now. In due time, you'll be able to answer to me properly. For now, just remember that my chauffeur will be picking you up for dinner tonight. Be sure to wear something suitable."
By now, the cold had penetrated deeper into her, shattering the line of defense that had only just been repaired a few weeks ago. "Yes. I understand," she said, forcing down a shiver that had crept its way up her spine.
"Good. See you tonight."
Her fiancé hung up before she could say anything, and she was just fine with that. She looked back to the blue-haired boy who, with his girlfriend, was standing at the back of the crowd. She watched as he took notice of her shivering and stuffed both of their hands into his jacket pocket while the crowd began to make their way into the train. They were pushing into the cars more vigorously than usual, puzzling Mitsuru. She glanced down at her cell phone and saw some droplets of water dotting the screen—it had begun to rain.
"And it's only going to get colder," she muttered to herself. She tugged at her bow once more, brushed her bangs out of her eyes and held her head high as she followed the boy into the train.