Originally written in August 2015.

It's a late afternoon in January and I'm standing outside the gates of a local high school. In the last year, I visited this place much more times than intended, and the fault of this is currently leaving the main building.

Wearing a scarf, her short hair being blown by the wind, her small coat with a tie looks kinda cute on her.

Riko, my girlfriend.

Isn't it weird? I'm a girl, yet I have a girlfriend. Not as in a friend who's a girl, but as in a lover who's a girl. You see, I'm doing my best to be a nice girlfriend to her too. Riko has gone through two breakups in less than two years and got fed up with boys, so I jokingly offered myself as her new partner.

Jokingly, she accepted.

This happened last summer and we were eating ice cream in her room. It has been almost half a year since then, and we've grown closer, but I still feel stiffness coming from her once in a while.

Also, there are some words I've never heard from her.

At least, we aren't taking this as a joke anymore.

"I told you, you didn't needed to wait for me." She clicked her tongue. "You're going to catch a cold."

"Riko-chan can nurse me back to health!"

A sigh came from her lips. "You realize I'll be doing a lot of exams in the next two months, right? I don't have the time to be playing around."

Yes, I know. I'm at the end of my second year in high school, which means Riko is soon entering college. She wants to become a professional coach and take over her father's gym. I know I'm not on the place to interfere in her future, and I also don't want to, but all the top-notch colleges in this field are so far away. All right, the closer one is in Kanagawa (no wonder there's a lot of Kaijou graduates there), which is actually close, but she will be busy! And what gives me the guarantee that she'll actually go there? She has a lot of places to choose from. Like this, we won't be able to see each other as much as we do, which isn't actually much, but it's at least twice a week...

"Look, I'm wearing the hairclips you gave me for Christmas!"

"Yeah, I noticed. I knew they would fit you."

They're simple, but cute. I like them. Two rectangular green hairclips. By the way, I gave her a new whistle since hers was all worn out.

"Ah, I can't meet up with you next week. Remember that college in Kyoto that Akashi-kun recommended me? I'm going to travel there to check it out."

"I see..."

I can't say I'm happy, but I can't be sad. This is for her own good. Her future. I can't tell her to not go. But Kyoto... is too far... and the train is expensive... I'll be lucky if I can see her every two months... at this rate, it's easier for her to break up with me...

Yeah... Honestly, I don't even know what are her real feelings towards me. This relationship started as a joke. We've never kissed, not even once. She never even said if she loves me.

Maybe I'm the only one who's really invested in this. That's really unfair, Riko-chan.

"Something happened? You're making a weird face."

Another blow of wind went past us. That breeze was accompained by small snowflakes, flocking together around and above us. Riko pulled me by my hand, trying to cover her head with the scarf.

"Damn, now we're going to catch a cold for real. Let's-" Her expression was frozen, just like my whole body. "Are you really okay?"

"Riko-chan..." My voice was weak. I stumbled towards her and embraced that flat-chested girl I've suddently came to love. "I'm going to miss you..."

"I'm not gonna be away forever. I'll try to come visit you every month, okay?" Her words were soft. "In exchange, work hard this year. Wouldn't it be nice if we could go to the same college?"

"Yeah... I'll work hard." Riko smiled upon my answer. "But I still don't want to let go of you!" I held her tighter. "I don't want you to leave me! I want to stay with you!"

Her laugh was sweet as the chocolate ice cream we shared in that distant summer day.

"Thanks, Satsuki. I love you."

Silence followed.

I can't believe she caught me off-guard.

In this freezing temperature, the warm tears that started to run down my face were a bit relieving.

"I love you too, Riko-chan."

I could wrap her scarf around our faces and kiss her right now, but maybe that would be jumping the gun. I should just take her home for now.

"You know, it's already getting late. Do you want to go eat something?"

"Why not?" I nodded.

"My treat." Her cute smile turned into a grin as we started walking side by side.

Holding her hand like this, it did felt she would never go away.