I watch as the snow falls from the sky, coating the ground in a thick layer of white. Each flake of snow getting blown ever so slightly amongst the wind, in an almost rhythmic pattern. Like, a dance. That was it. The snow is dancing with the wind. Mesmerising, yes. However, cold. Very.. very.. cold.

"..Maikaze, can we go back inside now..?" I ask.

The blonde girl twirls and skips around in this white wonderland around us. Her smile radiating a kind of warmth too grand for this world.

I let out a sigh; my breath letting out a small cloud of steam. "..Maikaze.. Come on. We'll catch a cold if we stay out here much longer.." I try again.

This time, she stops dancing to face me. "It'll be fine. Moving around warms you up, after all." She answers before smiling warmly. I feel my heart skip a beat at the sight.

Maikaze begins twirling around again. "Come on, Nowachi, dance with me~" she says, holding out her hand to me. "...I'm cold. Can we please go inside?" I ask, almost begging at this point. "Awe. But dancing in the snow is so fun~" She retorts. "You can dance inside.." I offer. She stops dancing to think about it for a moment. "..But.. Inside may be cosy and warm.. Out here.. It's really refreshing and pretty. Romantic even~" She beams. I frown a little as I take in her words.

Romantic?!

When does Maikaze ever think about romance?

This is a first for her. But.. maybe it isn't? Does she think about this sort of thing? I always assumed she didn't understand that side of things, nor really cared. Whenever Hagikaze or Arashi brought up romance or liking someone she always seemed so clueless about it. Kind of like a kid, in a way.

"Nowachi~?" I hear her call out.

I snap out of my thoughts and turn my attention back to the said girl. "S-sorry. Uh.." I stutter. Though, I'm not sure what I was even going to say.

"You zoned out? That's unusual for you, Nowachi~"

"Huh. Uh.. Not really. It's fine, Isn't it? and.. stop calling me 'Nowachi'.."

"No way~ It's cute."

"Gah.."

"If you really don't want to be out here then we can go inside.."

"Really?"

"Mmm~!"

"Thanks."

As we start making our way back to the dormitories I feel Maikaze gently slip her hand under mine, holding it. I return the gesture, entwining our fingers for a more comfortable hold. Maikaze lets out a giggle as she moves closer, leaning against me.

"Lets go~! Snow is nice, but a toasty fire sounds really great right about now, huh?" She asks, gripping my arm tighter.

"Yeah, it does." I answer.

We walk back to the dorms, our arms still linked together.

Romantic?! Who knows? Maybe I'm the one who has yet to understand it. One day, we could even come to understand the concept of romance together. For now, however, I'm more than fine with what we have and how we express it.