Ryoshi is unbelievably exhausted. This morning, before everyone else was up—about four o'clock, probably—he had forced himself from his peaceful sleep beside Ryoko. He knew that she couldn't be caught in there with him, sick or not. The fact that she had visited him like a burglar in the night probably meant that she wasn't supposed to be seeing him—a situation Ryoshi desperately wanted to understand, but couldn't bear to disrupt her rest to both her about. Instead, he had picked her up as gently as possible, and carried her back to her bedroom, the only open door in the hall displaying which room hers was, the view of her wolf-toed combat boots the confirmation. She had pressed against his chest as he carried her down the stairs, her body healthy and room-temperature, at last. Her fever had dissipated in the night, as Ryoshi had hoped it would, once she had gotten some rest. It was as though some great stress had been removed from her body.

He laid her on her bed, put the covers over her, and snuck out before the house could wake up. However, once he had returned to his room, his mind was restless with questions. How did she get here? How—and how long-was she being allowed to stay? And the most important question of all: Why had she come? Ryoshi's mind gave him no peace, and sleep abandoned him. He had still been staring into space when his alarm had gone off hours later.

At school, his mind is still on Ryoko, and he's having a very hard time keeping his eyes open. He doesn't really mind though—losing a night of sleep was worth it to be with her.

He knows that if he skipped school today like he desperately wants to, no one would notice—but his mother is home. He'd get busted.

His mother. He has a strange feeling that his mother thinks something is going on. This morning, she had lingered in his room after sending him off. Almost like she was… looking for something?

Or someone?

Ryoshi shakes his head. No. I'm losing it. She probably just thought she left something in there. Ryoshi has no idea what is going on between him and Ryoko, if anything. If there was something going on, he knows about as much about it as his mother does. It's not like Ryoko told him anything. The only thing Ryoshi could gather is that she works there—in his own house. He had seen a maid uniform tossed on the floor of her room in a heap. So I wasn't imagining all that stuff about hearing her around…

Ryoshi turns his sleepy gaze to the view outside his classroom's dirty window. Snow is falling, blanketing the hard, cold ground. The skies are graying. He notices the trees—their bare branches are rustling and bending violently amid the ice and snow. Ryoshi frowns. Is there a storm coming? He wouldn't know. Ryoshi can barely find the willpower to tune into his own life, never mind the weather station.

This is stupid, he decides. I've put her through enough. She deserves an apology from me for leaving her all alone. I don't have any right to question her actions when I can't even justify mine. Tonight I'm going to be a man and visit her myself.

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By dinner, my nerves are a jumbled knot. Why hasn't he tried to contact me? He's at school, I get that, but why not a note, something? Anything? I can barely concentrate on whatever Carol-san is saying, even though she specifically wanted me to listen to her read Shakespeare, for some reason. Some junk about increasing her stage presence, or whatever. Apparently she's in some drama club on the weekends.

"'Come, gentle night; come, loving, black-browed night;

Give me my Romeo; and, when he shall die,

Take him and cut him out in little stars,

And he will make the face of heaven so fine

That all the world will be in love with night

And pay no worship to the garish sun

Oh, I have bought the mansion of a love,

But not possessed it!'"

Carol-san's clarion voice pours out the words from the pages of a red, pocket-sized book that I now recognize as Romeo and Juliet. Juliet's—or Carol's, whatever-words catch my attention.

"'So tedious is this day

As is the night before some festival

To an impatient child that hath new robes

But may not wear them.'"

Poor Juliet. I know just how she feels—except she's talking about sex, but same basic problem... I wish, just like her, that this day would end, just end, so I can finally see … maybe he doesn't want to see me. Maybe he thinks last night was an embarrassing mistake. That would explain why I had woken up alone. Maybe I just dreamed up all that affectionate stuff. Feverish delusions brought on by what dominates my every thought these days. Him.

Damn, I'm pathetic. (Although, as long as nobody knows, how much of a difference does it really make?)

I desperately need to see him, but tonight may not be an option. I can't push it, not so soon after that weird, borderline threatening conversation between Morino-sama and me in the bathroom. What was her problem? Why is everything in this situation against me?!

Screw not being able to possess the mansion of love. I can't even sign the deed.

Carol-san, oblivious to my thoughts, stops reading.

"That's all for today."

"Hm? Oh. Thanks, Carol-san." I scoop some more noodles in my mouth.

"No, thank you. So, have you heard?"

I frown. "Heard what?"

"We're in for a blizzard! It's been all over the radio." Jared answers, making a face at me that says, How did you not know that?! Carol-san must notice that expression, because she laughs and says,

"Aw, take it easy on her, Jar. She's twitterpated."

"I am not a bunny, and I am also not in love with anyone," I growl. Carol-san waves her hand at me dismissively.

"I'm not dumb, Sweetheart, I could tell you didn't hear a word of Juliet's wedding night soliloquy. Probably too busy imagining your own. With Morino Ryoshi, perhaps?" she laughs.

"I am not in love with him, so you can just go drown yourself in your imaginary romance somewhere else."

"Be a good sport, Sweetheart!" she pokes me playfully.

I roll my eyes before saying, "So… is there some kind of evacuation plan thingy?"

"Yeah, but I doubt we'll use it. This storm's supposed to barely skim us." Carol-san sips some tea.

"The temperature is gonna plummet down, though. Do you have something warmer to wear?"

"Um," I say. "No, I actually don't. I'll go into town tomorrow and buy something."

"Goodness, no. Of course you can borrow something of mine. We look to be about the same size." She laughs, until her eyes fall on my chest.

"Although we might have to find something from before I hit puberty."

"Hey, shut up!"

"That's okay, Sweetheart. If you need warming up, just come visit the Jar-Meister. I'll make it nice and toasty." Jared tries to bite his bottom lip flirtatiously but it just looks like he has a really bad overbite.

"I don't know what's sadder, the fact that you're pathetically trying to hit on me or that you seriously just called yourself the 'Jar-Meister'."

Jared collapses on the countertop in tragic defeat. "So cruel…!" He sniffles.

"Anyway… since I guess you haven't heard, it hits full power tomorrow night, so you're going to need to come with me to get the stuff after dinner, okay?" Carol-san smiles.

"Um, great. Thanks!"

"Hey, no problem. If Ryoshi can't be the one warming you up, I might as well be!" I roll my eyes. If only she knew…