DISCLAIMER: I claim no rights to K-on!

WARNING: Rated T for safety though I doubt there will be little to no explicit content.

Winter and Warmth

Winter came. The once vibrant color turned asunder in the face of cold like a heavy quilt drowning everything within its weight. No one's in sight as the raging snow exuded dominance, houses and trees battled for survival against the frigid wind brought by the winter.

A girl rubbed her hands for warmth, her eyes on the violent swaying of the white mass. She was hiding half of her body in the kotatsu to keep her extremities from catching the chills. She was waiting for someone in the midst of the blizzard - a certain someone who usually comes to play when the elderly is away.

"M..mm..mio!" yelled the voice outside. There was a hint of shiver in her voice as she took her time to make coherent sounds before she uttered the name of the raven-haired.

The younger girl took the crutches that were laid peacefully on the green tatami. Her fingers quivered upon contact with the metal as she tried to reach it, sending chills all throughout her body. She stood from her wobbling knees brought not only by the drop in room temperature but she was still struggling to keep her balance whenever she walks with the assistance of her staffs.

"Please wait, I'll be there in a minute" she responded to her guest that was waiting outside the doorstep.

Clanking sounds filled the hallway when she walked towards the direction of the doorway. She shivered again as her left hand touched the steel which made her flinched backwards before she turned the knob to greet the girl who was shaking badly while keeping a tough façade.

"Y..y..yyy..oo, M..m..mmio" she grinned while her lips turned bluish, her hands hidden inside her thick layers of clothes wherein she used too much clothing to keep herself warm albeit no sane human will dare to venture out in the middle of a blizzard.

Ritsu appeared armless by her action. What's surprisingly enough was that she was drenched wet; the droplets fell on the spot where she's currently standing, sending the tiny drops of water to blend with the pile of snow as it hits the ground.

"What happened to you on your way here?" asked Mio who was perplexed to the event that transpired before the brunette's arrival.

"The snow has caught full of my eyes" she said shakily, "I did not know that the pond was one step away and when I stretched my leg forward; I fell straight to the freezing water."

Mio gestured Ritsu to come by the entrance. She led her to the area where the kotatsu was. While walking on the hallway, the raven-haired noticed on the corner of her steel eyes the amber-eyed kept glancing on both sides as if she was scrutinizing the interiors.

At one point, the older girl stopped midway. She was looking at the photo that stood atop the drawer. Her tough façade melted like snow. Even the sunniest of all would make that kind of expression; her face wore a glint of sorrow.

"M..m..io, are t-these people y-your parents?"

The steel-orbed turned around to face the girl with neutrality, "Yes, those two are my parents."

"Y-you really look l-like your f-father" she said in a monotone yet in a shaky voice, "b-but I am d-definitely s-surprised to see the infant i-in the middle w-was way c-cuter than the one I-I'm talking r-right now."

"Excuse me, are you trying to pick a fight?" her grey irises wield danger to the figure who was making fun out of her, making unnecessary comparisons to summon Mio's alternate identity - the Dangerous Queen.

"W-who said I was p-picking up a f-fight? I said t-that the y-you as an infant was c-cuter b-but you n-never let me finished my s-sentence f-first."

"W-what?"

"T-the Mio of today is the most b-beautiful being o-on earth" she said bluntly while crooking an awkward smile on her face, earning the recipient of the praise drowning in embarrassment.

Ritsu laughed loudly which made her voice echoed alongside the walls that stood opposite to each other. The reverberation made Mio raised her left crutch and swung it in full force to the brunette's head.

"Iteeeeeee!" a cry occupied the remaining space which extended up to the farthest end of the house. "W-where did I g-go wrong? I-I was j-just praising y-you but i-instead of a reward, I g-got a lump!" she protested while nursing her head.

"That's because I already have the idea that you intended to make me your laughingstock so I was just giving you the warning you needed."

"T-that's no w-w-warning at all! T-that's d-definitely an assault!"

The raven-haired sighed. She knew that their petty argument will remain endless if she responds back to the brunette's tantrum.

"Hey, Ritsu…" the amber-orbed stopped her yapping upon the mention of her name in a low vibrato. "I'll go prepare the bath not unless you want to catch a cold."

"Oh…" she responded back, her hand that was nursing her lump descended lazily to her side before she gave the younger girl a sincere smile, "t-thank you, M-Mio."

Taken aback with the sudden change of personality, she turned away and marched her way towards her room to prepare the bath while the brunette was following closely behind, watching the very of sight of Mio swaying her hips roughly while limping.

She whistled out of instinct which caught the raven-haired girl's attention. Mio gave Ritsu a dangerous look which sent the girl in shivers.

"What does it supposed to mean?"

"N-no! Y-you got it w-wrong, M-mio! I-it's just my b-bad habit w-whenever I feel c-cold! P-please believe me!" her shaking hands frantically waved to convince the girl with her lousiest explanation.

She's really hopeless for an idiot.

Mio swung the door open and welcomed her visitor with the sight of frills, cute illustrations, decorations and other things pertaining to what typical teenagers really liked.

Her room was adorned with a pink wallpaper with brown mini-stars that permeated the lower half bottom. The lights had a mixture of pinkish color that gives luminance to the steel-orbed girl's room. It was like a dream for all girls who wanted this kind of interiors for their resting place but it was never one for the amber-eyed.

In fact, she was covering her vision ever since she set foot on this frilly-filled room like she was allergic to anything that is ladylike-related. The younger girl filled the tub with lukewarm water for Ritsu to dip in and while waiting, the brunette took off the other clothes until what was remaining was a single black tank top that fit snugly to her lean body.

"Ah, my eyes!" she yelled in agony when she couldn't take anymore what's in store of Mio's room, "it hurts!"

"W-what happen? Did your eyes catch a speck of dust?" she faced the girl who was covering her eyes with her arms.

"I..I…" she paused momentarily before she continued, "I think so…"

Mio drew closer to the amber-orbed and leaned closer to the latter's face while trying to pull Ritsu's arms so she could give a good blow to her eyes she believed was infiltrated by a foreign material.

"It's alright, let me blow it for you" the younger girl was about to initiate the action when she saw the brunette wearing a predatory grin and wrapped her by brute strength. The former tried to resist but Ritsu was strong enough to keep her in check. She loosened her grasp to the crutches which fell casually on the floors, creating a loud clanking sound due to the metal.

"R..R..Ritsu?" her mind was on the verge of losing rationality. The proximity made her heart raced wildly. Her respiration drastically went in an increase. She was forced to use her accessory muscles to compensate her body from the inadequate amount of oxygen or more likely, her brain was going short circuit because of another crazy stunt led by the short-haired.

"Mio… j-just for a while" Ritsu pressed their bodies more until their distance was greatly reduced. Mio could feel her body tensed up when Ritsu started stroking her hair gently, running her hands on those ever silky ebony.

To her surprise, she felt a droplet fell on her shoulder, making its way to her nicely-formed clavicle. She looked up and saw Ritsu in tears despite her expression was devoid of any traces of hurt. It felt like her tears escaped from her amber eyes the moment she hugged the baffled girl.

"Ritsu, what's wrong?"

"E-eh?!" the brunette suddenly pulled herself away from the raven-haired while wiping the beads that had flown without her permission. "What the heck?"

"Ritsu?" Mio was really worried. She knew that the older girl will shed no tears for no apparent reason but further inquiry will lead to pointless travesty. Knowing the amber-eyed, she will definitely make things up to keep Mio from delving up the details although her candid eyes will give everything away the short-haired has conjured up to this point.

"D-don't worry" she scratched the back of her head, "s-sorry if I startled you. But Mio, I w-want to tell you s-something…"

Finally, the brunette will reveal something about herself which she tried to avoid at all cost or either way, coated it with lies to make it silly to the listener. But Mio thought the possibility that probably there is truth in Ritsu's words only that she keeps it with ambiguity as if she's presenting two options before her: to believe or to dismiss it as deceit.

Mio gulped. She was waiting for this to happen. It's been a month since she and Ritsu became friends but what created the barrier between the two was the brunette's tendency to keep secrets.

One time, she asked her who she was and her answer will always be "I'm a hero whose goal was to serve everyone who needs my help" then she'll struck a silly pose on an elevated slope to show her supremacy while laughing boisterously.

"Mio, I know you're unaware of this but I think you need to know this…" the amber-eyed said firmly, "you see…"

This is it. The raven-haired was ready to embrace any revelation the brunette has yet to unveil. She was clenching and unclenching her dominant fist repeatedly, uneasy or more like, was eager to find out Ritsu's identity.

"You see… you smell like onions. What did you cook for dinner? Probably that made me sent into tears unwillingly."

Something whispered to Mio's ear, probably a devil on loose who urged her that the recipient of her malice should be disciplined badly. But Ritsu's right, indeed she smelled like onions when she pulled the collar of her shirt and whiffed her scent. There was really that strong scent that got stuck on her body.

But what made her mad was that Ritsu could atleast tell it in a more appropriate way rather than say it bluntly straight to her face. She was also undeniably expecting for the revelation to take place but got nothing, instead the amber-eyed accused her as the reason why she got teary-eyed.

As soon as the steel-orbed gathered what's left of her dignity, she let out a huge sigh and hit the amber-eyed directly on her cranium that sent Ritsu to crouch while fanning the steam that came out from the impact.

"You never learned your lesson, have you?" her now steel orbs turned into maelstrom, wrecking anything that comes into her contact.

"W-wait!" Ritsu now fell on her rear completely, raising her hand while begging before the figure to spare her for any further injuries. "I was just telling the truth. I thought we're friends, aren't we?"

"Friends don't hide things from each other."

Amber eyes went wide when Mio finally managed to voice out the concern regarding the status of their friendship. The former averted her eyes, her hand that was once pleading for mercy dropped at her side. Clenching her trembling fist, she uttered in a deep yet raspy voice, "I'm sorry."

"I'll wait until you have the guts to say it" she was stunned when the raven-haired showed a degree of consideration. No, it was like Mio was acting like what a real friend does. She offered her hand to the girl on the floor while wearing that compassionate smile on her cherubic face.

Ritsu reached out but hesitated for a bit until their palms came into contact which sent another nostalgic sensation to the younger girl's nerves.

This feeling again...

"Mio, I'll stand by my own otherwise we'll both fall" Ritsu said in a considerate tone, "I bet your knees don't have the sufficient strength to support the both of us."

"Ah, yes… thank you for the thought."

The brunette smiled happily so as her eyes which responded in unison, "Are you taking a bath too? Wanna dip together?"

"I… I refuse!" she responded with fury, "Who knows I might lose my womanhood the moment I'll take a bath with you?!" blushed made its way to her cheeks as she dwelt on the thoughts about the events that would transpire the moment she accepts her invitation.

Chuckling, she pranced her way towards the shower room while singing something like a mocking sing-song, "Don't peek while I'm taking a bath, M-i-o…"

"I would not!" the raven-haired threw the clothes she had prepared for Ritsu to wear while the brunette used her quick reflexes to evade the garments that were aimed straight to her face.

"Ah… l-lighten up, M-Mio. I was just j-joking" she gathered the garments on the floor and took it with her inside the shower room. She mumbled something in her lips inaudibly then the only thing Mio could decipher was the mention of her name at the end while the amber-eyed grinned predatorily. The raven-haired was taken aback when the door slid close.

Did she say something?

+Mio's P.O.V+

What sinks into my mind when I think about Ritsu was she's so cautious when I ask her anything in relation to her identity. It's like she was hiding something from me and that I could feel that she was carrying a huge burden in her shoulders which she doesn't want to share.

I took a peek at my crutches that lay nonchalantly on the floor as a result of that idiot's unexpected embrace. Her scent reminds me of something familiar… something I have known before.

Picking up the pair of steel, my knees were trembling badly. It wasn't that good enough to maintain my balance. I slid the staffs underneath my axillae and made my way towards my bed which consisted loads of frills and pink sheets with a cute kitten design which was a total eye-candy to all female spectators.

I rested my back on those comfortable sheets, rubbing its softness that brought a tingling yet addictive sensation to my nerves. I raised my left hand and laid it atop my forehead, 'How long do we have to keep this friendship marked with ambiguity?'

I dwelt on those thoughts for a while as I tried to keep myself distracted from Ritsu's nonsensical singing in the shower room. I don't have a single clue why she does it, perhaps she was just mimicking an old lady who has a bad habit of trying to impress anyone who listens to her lousy singing or was it she intended to aggravate me in the first place?

"La la la… I'm the village's w-o-n-d-e-r-ful knight in shining a-r-m-o-r."

I grabbed the nearest pillow and smothered my ears which were on the verge of going deaf from the lack of tone. I am partly sensitive when it comes to music and I would not forgive anyone who makes blasphemy to the recreation I deemed my other half.

I pressed the foam more to block anything coming from the voice behind that shower room not until I was mesmerized by the sudden shift of song. A soft and enchanting voice sang a melody that played a great part in my childhood years. That very song my grandmother and mother used to sing to lull me to sleep.

My eyes felt heavy as I battled all the somnolence that was about to put me into slumber. I was completely defeated as that lullaby was my only salvation from the harshness of reality and my only means to drift myself to the place only myself knows: my dreamland.

I opened my eyes only to see myself on the same groundless base enshrouded in total darkness. There, I stood on the same spot I once weltered in tears but this time, it was different. The spotlight shone a portion on a Victorian garden set with only two chairs alongside the small round table.

There was a figure occupying the other chair with metalworks embellished with hearts particularly dominant on the part that supports the spine.

I stared at her for a long time, her face obscured by the dim. It seems that the light was powerless before her; the things I could see were her white skin and her hand holding a seemingly expensive teacup.

She looked at my direction then graced a smile, "Why are you standing there? Come, have a seat."

The figure spoke and invited me for tea. Out of my own accord, I found my feet walking towards the garden set. I almost forgot that I'm capable of walking in twos without my crutches after all, this was just a dream.

I hesitantly pulled the vacant chair and carefully settled my sacrum on it. As my rear came into contact with the cold metal, the mysterious girl settled the teacup back to its plate.

"Are you scared?"

"Ahmm.. no." I instinctively replied while my eyes never lost its focus to the pinkish lips that curved menacingly as I gave my immediate answer.

"Perhaps you want tea?" she poured the contents of the white ceramic with a gold handle on my cup. Steam escaped, dispersing as it came into contact with air until what was left was a sweet aroma of the tea that lingered for a moment.

"Thank you" I raised the cup and brought it closer to my lips and took a sip on it. The flavor was different from all the teas I've tasted. There was this bitter taste at first but later on, there was this sweetness as an aftertaste.

"Is the tea to your liking?"

"…yes" I took the moment to relish the flavor before responding back, "this tea's delicious albeit there's a peculiar flavor in it." Then I gathered up my courage to ask the lady in front of me who was dressed in very extravagant clothing. She was wearing something like a red kimono adorned with pink flowers that occupied almost the entire space in her clothing, her black strands hanging freely on the side of her face.

"Pardon me for my rudeness but I can't help but wonder who might you be? Who are you?" I asked.

The girl curved her lips similar to Ritsu's, "S-e-c-r-e-t" she said while wearing that same smile I found irritating. "You don't have to know who I am because I am just someone who loves tea to its finest."

"If you don't mind, why did you call me?" I asked again but in a dangerous tone to force the girl to talk.

"It's because tea tastes better when you have a companion" she flashed another grin on her half-dimmed face, "And I want to talk to you about something."

"About something?"

"About Ritsu."

The mention of that name sent me to halt any further activities. My gaze shifted back to the unknown speaker who was sitting casually across me with just the white table separating the two of us.

How did she know Ritsu?

Bewildered, a question was about to escape my lips when she interrupted much to my surprise, "How do I know Ritsu was your question was it?"

I found this endless charade bothersome. It felt like I was the only one who doesn't know about a single thing and these two, who were undeniably alike, never failed to bombard me with questions that were always left unanswered.

"You see, I have known her for long. And haven't it cross to your mind that you wanted to know more about her especially that she keeps on remaining vague in her words particularly if it's about herself?"

"Of course, I have. It feels unfair that I know little about her except that she's an idiot who enjoys being beaten by my fist."

The figure in front me stifled a laugh until she could no longer restrain herself and laughed loudly which doesn't suit her very image as she exuded grace despite acting a little bit knavish throughout the discussion.

I sat there, waiting for her to settle down; my image of her crumbled instantly upon her unladylike outburst. "I'm sorry for such display of my unbecoming" she wiped the beads that were supposed to hail from her eyes, "I wasn't expecting something like that to come out from your very tongue."

I sighed before I gave her my reply, shrugging as I sip my tea again, "Probably because I unwillingly caught a part of her personality?"

"No" she curved her lips slightly, with brimming confidence enshrouding her entirety, which added confusion to my brain that was trying its best to keep up from this insanity, "it was innate."

Innate? Is she telling me that I was rude from the very beginning?

"Now, where are we?" she sipped her tea then twirled it around her fragile fingertips before carefully setting it down the table, "Oh, about Ritsu. Do you want to know her secrets? The truth behind that façade? I am willing to share information this instant if you agree to my terms."

"What are your terms?" I asked curiously, watching carefully at those lips that emanated deceit.

She crooked a smile and said, "I'll reveal her identity if and only if you promise me you'll never fall in love with her."

"F-f-fall in l-love w-with h-her?!" I stuttered endlessly until I managed to say it loudly, "I-Is this some kind of j-joke?!"

Her tone shifted into a more serious one. Gone was the cheerful voice like a flick of light that struggles to maintain its luminance. I could really sense that the figure before me meant her words well. She uttered in a newly sinister voice, "I really mean it. If you want information then I ask you not to fall in love with her" she continued, "After all, you might regret it in the end."

She extended her arm while stretching her left palm, waiting for an answer. I stretched mine, reaching the other hand. She smiled cunningly when she saw me sealing the deal but I cupped my palm on top of her hand, gently placing in on the table.

"I refuse" I said which made her smile dropped before she picked it up again.

"Are you sure?" she uttered with exasperation, "and may I know the reason behind your refusal?"

"This has nothing to do with falling in love with her or whatsoever but I believe I could learn something about her through constant interaction and maybe she will gradually open up to me. And I have decided beforehand to wait for her answer when she finally came into terms of revealing it herself. I want it to come from her and not from a random stranger like you."

I exerted a little force on her hand to show my unshakable resolve. She immediately retrieved her hand as she pulled something behind her back. I thought it was a knife so I braced myself for the appearance of the crimson liquid yet she threw something like a pink flower of some sort. It has a good contrast between light and dark. The darker one was prominent on the lower bottom of the petals while the lighter one comprised the remaining half.

I caught it just in time as my palms opened up by instinct like it was bound to receive the object without protest. I stared at the flower for a while before I looked back at her in confusion.

"Take it as a token of my appreciation. It's been a while since I last had tea with someone" she wore that familiar knavish smile once again before she disappeared in a blink of an eye; "…hold Ritsu's hand for me."

+END of Mio's P.O.V+

Mio gradually opened up her eyes. Just as she thought, it was really a dream but she had a weird conversation with a mysterious girl whom she failed to identify. When she got hold of her senses, she was surprised to see the brunette in front of her face, still wearing that goofy smile which was undeniably similar to the girl in her dream.

"What do you think you're doing?"

"Nah… just the usual. I am fond of watching your calm face whenever you're asleep."

"How long was I asleep?"

"Three hours maybe?"

The raven-haired couldn't believe what the brunette has said. "T-three hours?" She arched an eyebrow as if she was not totally convinced because it felt like minutes when her consciousness drifted away towards her dreamland.

"Yup" she crossed her arms as she sat like an Indian. The bed was bouncing temporarily due to Ritsu's sudden shift in movement. "You were sleeping soundly and you should be thankful that I'm not in a mood to play pranks with you."

"Thank you" she moved to her left to give Ritsu more space, gliding over the soft sheets with stealth. "Did you eat already?"

Ritsu grinned like a child who had just received a toy from her parents, "Yup, you're cooking's great. I never knew you could cook, I thought you were a pampered kid."

Smiling at Ritsu who was surprised to see she had good culinary skills, she said "I'm not like the others. I prefer to be independent and I used to cook for my parents after a long day work" her smile dropped when she remembered the sole reason why she learned how to cook. It was for her parents especially for her father who praises her no matter what even though her first attempt turned out unsuccessful. Despite the inedibility, he would swallow it in one go and he would brag it to his friends that his daughter was the best daughter in the world much to Mio's chagrin.

"Oh, I'm sorry" Ritsu casts her gaze down the sheets. She was averting her eyes when she sensed Mio's sadness when she mentions something pertaining to her parents.

Mio shook her head repeatedly; trying to convince Ritsu she did nothing wrong and it's just that she was reminded of her parents.

Ritsu gave the raven-haired her usual grin then proceeded to ask the latter for permission if she could sleep beside her and promised that she won't do anything crazy to her.

The younger girl gave her approval without second thoughts which surprised Ritsu all the more. The amber-eyed grabbed the blanket on her foot part and gladly snuggled her head to the fluffy pillow.

Delighted to Ritsu's display of childishness, Mio sat and glided her hand towards the lamp which was situated near the bedside and with just a flick of her fingers, the main lights went off.

"C-cool!" Ritsu blurted out, "Hey, how do you switch it on?"

"You just have to clap-"

Mio was not given a chance to finish her sentence as Ritsu started playing with the lights. She clapped twice then snapped her fingers. She kept playing, sending the lights to flicker everytime it responds to her command.

"Stop playing, you idiot." A whack followed after the snap of the fingers.

After the impact, Ritsu never played again for fear that she might receive yet another fatal blow to her skull.

Mio turned to her side, her back facing Ritsu's. It was really awkward at first but Mio was able to conquer her worries that someone besides her was occupying her own bed which she hadn't had the chance to share with anyone else with the exception of her parents.

They discussed random topics ranging from Mio's school, her friends and a little bit of herself while Ritsu was bragging about her chivalric attempts in rescuing the distressed.

The two glanced at the window which showed the darkest of night and the rambling of the white mass going violently to where the freezing wind will carry them.

"Hey, what do you think of winter?" Ritsu posed a question, her amber orbs were staring at the blizzard outside the window.

"I think it is the saddest season among the all."

"How did you come up with that kind of conclusion?"

"Because everything is coated in white, the once radiance has lost its luster to a stack of cold."

"I see… that's a valid reason for an argument. But I think the otherwise."

"Then how about you? What do you think of winter?"

"I think it is the most underappreciated season among the all. White needs not to assume any color to become beautiful."

Mio twitched her eyebrows, it seems that the amber-eyed was spouting things she couldn't comprehend, "I believe I didn't get a single point with regards to your statement?"

"It's because you're not analyzing enough."

Shocked with the older girl's response, she demanded an explanation for the brunette's blunt remark.

Ritsu chuckled softly before her tone expressed with utter seriousness… and a hint of sorrow that plagued her raspy voice, "Hey, have you considered such possibility?"

"What possibility?"

"That the only season you've known warmth was winter?"

The raven-haired took a moment to synthesize anything her mind could conjure. She was totally astounded by the brunette's disposition to impart things to ponder during the unexpected times. Her playful demeanor might just be her cloak to instill deceit to all. Apparently, there's a possibility of a wise eighteen year old might be in work although nobody will believe of such because her face doesn't exude anything about it but a conjecture of a brash and foolhardy knight-wannabe.

Mio was about to respond to Ritsu's question when she saw the latter already asleep, her handsome face gradually showed her vulnerable side - the innocence which is rarely seen whenever she's awake while wearing that goofy grin of hers.

The steel-orbed carefully extended her right arm, not wanting to disrupt the brunette's peaceful sleep. She reached Ritsu's hand albeit she hesitated for a bit before her fingers made its way to the latter's cold palm. She intertwined her fingers around Ritsu's until she gave it a light squeeze for security.

The only season you've known warmth, you say?

A/N: I would like to thank all the people who read this story in their spare time. I'm really grateful and I know thanking you in this note isn't enough. But before anything else, I would like to extend my gratitude to the following people:

-maye-chan: Thank you very much for the review. Likewise, I still can't promise the outcome of the story because it is still prone to changes as the story progresses. I share the same sentiment as yours about tragedy and so I have decided to make the succeeding chapters lighter. But I won't stop you when you decided to drop this story because you have that basic right as a reader. :) Nevertheless, thank you very much. I have fun talking to you. Sorry if my replies are too lengthy... It's just that... it's a bad habit of mine. :)

-megaspaceout: Ah.. you! :) Thank you very much for the support and encouragement. You always cheer me up. :) Thank you for the review too. :) I still can't promise with the story's outcome because my mind is still trying to figure out how the succeeding chapters would turn out. Although I have the outline, it was disrupted by that arc. xD Thank you very much. I hope we could talk more. I have fun talking to you. :)

-HarU06: Thank you very much for adding this story to your list. I really appreciate it and thank you for replying. :)

-Oneechantsu: Thank you for following this story so I'll wait till you get into this chapter. Hahaha!

-iBlockYourChi: Thank you for following this story. :)

-ScarletDragon522: Thank you for following this story too. :)

-Beyond You: Dear author! Thank you very much for reading this story in your spare time albeit you're busy with your other stories. Thank you very much. I should properly repay you. D':

-White7Fang: Thank you for following this story too. :)

-To you readers out there: Thank you for reading this story. I might not know who you are, but still, thank you very much for reading this during your spare time. Thank you very much. :]

So… I lied when I said that the next chapter will take a month. I got a spare time to kill and I have decided to write the next chapter. But I was telling the truth that I have a case presentation, it's just that I was able to finish half of the requirements earlier than expected. But next time, it will surely take time. xD

Reviews are highly appreciated although it's just an option whether you feel like dropping one or not but it's a good source of motivation for us newbies in the fandom. Rants and complaints are welcome too. Likes and follows are also appreciated. Thank you for reading this story up to this point. -IQzero

Chapter 9 is now available.