Naegi didn't really believe in his luck, for it seemed to have gotten him into trouble at times. Ending up lost in the halls, losing homework pages, arriving late for class... He knew especially well he would never be lucky enough to be with the girl he had a massive crush on.
Kyouko Kirigiri
Naegi sighed to himself as he thought about that reality. Looking up at the clock in the cafeteria, he thought back as to what class he had next. Oh, right. History. Definitely not one of his favourites. Heaving himself up from his seat, he slowly trudged to the classroom 2-B. Walking up the stairs, he realized it was almost time for class. Quickening his pace, he skirted the corner and nearly ran into Kirigiri.
"K-Kirigiri-san!" Naegi exclaimed, his cheeks beginning to pinken, "I'm so sorry!"
"It's fine," she said, calm as ever, "Just be more careful next time."
Nodding sternly, he rushed into the class and took his seat. Great, he thought to himself, his face red in embarrassment, now she thinks you're a clutz too. Just my luck...
Maizono took her seat next to him and saw his flustered face. She giggled.
"Are you trying to be a tomato, Naegi-kun?" she chirped.
"W-what? No," he muttered, hiding my face in my hands.
"Well, you sure look like it," she continued, "What happened?"
"I was running in the halls and nearly bumped into Kirigiri-san," he mumbled. He had told Maizono about his crush on Kirigiri and she was supporting him whenever he wasn't confident enough to ask her anything or do anything with her.
"Ah," she said, "That explains the blush." She giggled.
He moaned in slight annoyance, hoping that the redness would soon settle.
RIIIIING
The school bell sounded throughout the school. Kirigiri was just walking into the class right as it rang. Oowada made a snorting noise at being startled awake. The slight sunlight behind the clouds shone through the glass windows as snow fell slowly from the sky. The teacher at the front of the room was old and had grey hair tied up into a bun. Her glasses shone against the bright classroom lights.
She began writing the topic of today's lesson when Kuwata let out an irritated shiver.
"Brrrr!" He moaned, "Is it just me or does it feel like it's dropped a few degrees since earlier?"
"Ah, yes, that," the teacher inquired on his outburst, "We are having some trouble with the heating systems right now, but we are sure they will be fixed by tomorrow." A few groans sounded out in the classroom.
"I'm glad I brought my gloves with me in my bag today!" Maizono whispered to Naegi, pulling out sparkly pink gloves.
Naegi just smiled. Now that he thought about it, he had forgotten to bring a lot of winter stuff today. Darn it. At least he had gloves, a scarf, and an thin jacket he kept in case his current one got dirty, but that won't last him all day.
Looking around, he noticed the students in class were already unpacking gloves and scarves from their bags. He wished he hadn't left his stuff in his dorm.
The teacher was already wearing a heavy winter coat and gloves. She began teaching about World War II. Although they were all familiar with the subject, they were learning more about what was happening in North America, a new subject for most.
"Naegi-kun," a soft voice made him jump out of his thoughts about the lesson. He turned to see Kirigiri sitting behind him, staring intently.
"Yea?" I answered.
She handed me a pair of white gloves, clearly an extra pair. "I saw you had nothing to keep you warm, so you can use these," she said, however her face hid any emotion.
"Oh! Are you sure?" he asked, taking the pair into his hands. Ack! That was a stupid question!
"Yes," she replied, keeping her mask on, "I have another pair I'm using."
"Thank you, Kirigiri-san!" he said, a little louder than he meant for it to be.
"Hey!" the old woman called out to them. "Are you two going to flirt all through class?"
The class snickered. Naegi blushed a deep pink and slunk back forward. The teacher soon resumed her lesson and he felt relieved to have the attention removed from him. He slowly placed the soft gloves onto his hands. They were snug and rather comfy. She must have them custom fit, he thought to himself. He held his hands up to his face and felt the soft fabric against his cheeks. They seemed to smell a bit like lilac or lavender. It was comforting. He smiled.
The bell rang, signalling for lunch break. The students rushed out of their classes to the cafeteria, some making a detour to the locker rooms first.
Naegi quickly grabbed the scarf and jacket from his room and put them on. As he headed towards the cafeteria, he could already see most of the students had their winter gear on; The school felt almost as cold inside as it was outside.
He quickly grabbed a granola bar and a hot chocolate from the cafeteria then headed upstairs. He never was a big eater at lunch, having only a snack if anything.
Opening the bar, Naegi continued to head up the stairs. Kirigiri had allowed him to use her gloves for the rest of the day. He smiled as he took another bite of the snack, remembering the memory of the temporary gift and lifted a hand to rub it against his cheek. He never thought Kirigiri would offer him her gloves, let alone anything, especially after nearly knocking her over on the way to class.
He finished walking up the stairs to the third floor when he saw the game room's door. He had remembered about the couch inside of the rec room and decided to relax there for the rest of lunch. He didn't really feel like hanging out in his room for warmth; he hid away in his room too often, anyways.
He shivered as he felt the cool air penetrate through his jacket. It's funny how heat rises, yet it seems to be colder up here than downstairs, he mused in his mind, finishing his granola bar.
As the young brunette opened the door, he was taken off guard to see the familiar lavender haired girl.
"Kirigiri-san," he exclaimed, " What are you doing here?"
"Relaxing here to get warm," she replied smoothly, "It looks like we had the same idea."
He nodded and sat onto the couch next to her. He placed the hot chocolate on the side table.
They sat there for a few minutes, a little bit awkward, until Kirigiri broke the silence.
"How are you finding the gloves?"
"Huh?" He jumped a bit at the question. "O-oh, they're really comfy."
"That's good." He thought he saw the smallest trace of a smile on her face, but couldn't tell for long, for she soon hid it.
"Did you get them custom made?" he asked. He had been wondering all day.
"Yes," she replied, looking at me. "I thought you'd notice."
"They fit pretty well with my hands, but not as perfect as on yours."
Kirigiri's cheeks became a faint shade of pink, and he realized what he had said.
"I-I mean-" he struggled to come up with a cover for his slip up.
"It's fine," she smiled slightly, "Thank you."
Naegi could feel something flutter in his chest when she smiled. He let a wide grin spread on his face at the sight of her beautiful smile.
Suddenly, it seemed as if the heaters had been turned back on, but they began blowing cool air. Kirigiri brought her hands on her knees and shivered. Naegi remembered the hot chocolate he had, and got an idea.
"Here," he said, offering her his drink, "I haven't had any of it yet, and I'm not really all that thirsty."
Kirigiri looked at him with a slightly shocked look on her face, along with rose-dusted cheeks. "T-Thank you..." she whispered, taking hold of the cup.
The cool air continued to blow through the vents for about ten minutes; they must have been trying to see if they could get it to work again, but to no avail. Kirigiri and Naegi had sat together, talking occasionally but mainly just sitting in silence. Naegi instinctually yet subtly scooted a bit closer to Kirigiri, considering it was getting reasonably frigid. She had finished the hot chocolate and had brought her knees up to her chest. She had put on tights earlier and was wearing another jacket on top of her other one, but it was no use to the cool air.
She continued to shiver, although she tried to hide it. Naegi became a bit worried about her.
"You okay?" he asked, concern filling his usually happy nature.
"Y-yea," she stuttered.
The boy reached over and held her hands in his. His face was beginning to feel red, but he wanted to make sure Kirigiri was comfortable.
Kirigiri jumped a bit at the sudden touch, but welcomed it, unlike the redness rising in her cheeks. She leaned against his shoulder, making his heart race.
They sat there, her hands in his, until he felt the slightest trace of a shiver pass over her body. He looked at her, but her eyes were closed.
"Do you want to wear my jacket?" Naegi asked, trying to be as polite as possible to the beautiful girl next to him.
"No, I'm okay," Kirigiri replied, "You've already given me enough, Naegi-kun," she added with a small giggle.
The luckster nodded, and they sat there for a little longer, until he felt her shake again. Without thinking, he took off his scarf and wrapped it around the young detective's slender neck. She was taken off guard, her face becoming more rose every second. She let out a stiffled sigh of happiness, trying to make it inaudible for him to hear, but failed to do so. She mumbled her thanks.
Time kept going by slowly, there being another twenty five minutes before the next class. They continued to relax, content with the other's presence, until suddenly, Kirigiri looked up, smiling.
"Wha-" he began.
"You're shivering, Naegi-kun," she mused.
The teen sat there confused for a moment. He hadn't realized he was shaking. In fact, he didn't even feel very cold.
He froze as he felt her lean her head against his shoulder. His heart was pounding in his chest and the fluttering feeling in his stomach grew more intense. His breath came out shaky as he tried to stay calm and not blush too hard.
"Ah," the silverette spoke again.
"Huh?" he asked. She was hinting at something, but he didn't understand as to what.
"Now I understand why you're shivering," she explained, her face turning redder. She intertwined her fingers between his and held his right hand close to her.
Naegi felt his own cheeks begin to burn more as he realized her analysis. He was shivering in happiness because he was so close to her. The boy smiled. Leaning his head gently onto hers, he wrapped his left arm around her shoulder.
He didn't care if anyone happened to walk into the room and see them there. He didn't care if he ended up being late for class because he didn't leave before the bell. All he cared about was being here with Kirigiri. The cool air faded away around them, unable to penetrate the warmth of their hearts.
Yea yea I know the ending is super cheesy, but quite frankly, I REGRET NOTHING!