Chapter 6: How the Snow once Melted Before

Yukinoshita POV

Hayama Hayato.

Second smartest student at Sobu High. Prince Charming, always nice to everybody he talks to. Studious, athletic, kind, talkative, perfect: this is the impression that most people get when they get to know Hayama-kun. However, I doubt that many of them can see past the surface and really know him. The process of seeing who Hayama-kun really is takes many years of interaction to acquire, which I unfortunately endured during my childhood. The fact that Hikigaya-kun, off all people, was able to notice the façade surprises me, or more like used to surprise me…he…enough of Hikigaya-kun anyway, as there are more pressing matters at hand and it is relatively safe to assume that he would rather us move on.

With Hayama-kun, his family and my family have been on relatively good terms, both being influential powers in the area. It was not a coincidence that both he and I were enrolled in the same schools both in Japan and abroad, not only that but in the same class as well. In elementary school, Hayama-kun was one of the only people I knew, so it was also not a coincidence that we were well acquainted and were on friendly terms. The first few years I always thought of him as a genuine prince, that his kindness and charisma were who he really was. However, I remember the one day in elementary school when my image of him was thoroughly shattered. We would usually eat lunch together on the swings while the rest of the kids were running around the equipment. I remember he was watching the other kids play, so I asked him if he wanted to go and join them. He turned around and looked at me with the same smiling face of his and replied.

"It's fine, I don't really want to play with them. To be honest, they're just a bunch of losers anyway".

From then on, I realized that his cheerfulness, his charisma around everyone else, was just a façade. However, I still stayed on good terms with him through elementary school and onto middle school. At times it was more out of habit than actual friendship, but at the time I didn't believe his character was a big deal, and besides friendships were not common. The rumors of Hayama-kun and I being a couple in middle school was not much of a strain on our "friendship", or at least on my end. I believe the point came a few months later, on the school's trip to Chiba summer camp.

Begin Flashback

Chiba, approximately three years ago.

It was almost the end of my 3rd year in middle school, and our school decided to go to an overnight trip to a camp in Chiba. Many of my fellow classmates were excited for the upcoming trip, chatting in the hallways and in the classroom about how much fun they'll have at camp. Although I did not particularly like the strenuous activities, I did have a generally favorable opinion of the trip, as I was looking forward to observing the forest. On the day before the trip, the group assignments were posted on the front blackboard, and I noticed that Hayama-kun and I were placed in separate groups, since the groups were divided by gender. Both he and I didn't mind the separation, though our parents were a different story. They seemed so angry, threatening to call school administration until onee-san and I figured out they were comically over-exaggerating. They gave us phones that would work in low signal areas, like the park, for emergency purposes. Hayama-kun and I agreed to the terms, though onee-san snickered at our parents' protectiveness.

Finally, the day of the trip arrived, and we boarded the buses. The girls in my group I knew did not really like me particularly, but they weren't the ones who blatantly bullied me, so I decided it wasn't bad. I planned that I would walk close to them but ignore their gossiping while quietly watching the nature around us. By the afternoon our groups were pretty far into the park, walking aimlessly along the paths. My eyes wandered around the scenery, catching whatever seemed interesting. I made such little noise that my group members probably didn't realize I was with them, which at the time didn't bother me.

Nyaa.

For a second, I thought I heard the sound of a cat behind me. I looked back at the dirt path behind me, but I didn't see any cat, which made me a little disappointed. For some reason, I've gotten to like cats more than the average person would, so I couldn't resist thinking about the chance of a stray cat out here in the woods. Then, I saw a small movement in the bushes about twenty feet behind us, so I took the opportunity to search for the possible stray cat. I crouched around the bush where I saw the movements before and started inspecting the surrounding areas for any signs of the cat. After a few minutes, I figured that the cat probably was gone, so I started heading back. I noticed that my group was gone, but I thought they must not be very far from here. So, I started jogging along the path, thinking about cats while waiting for any signs of my group up ahead. Before long I was exhausted, sweat starting to form on my head and my breathing reduced to panting. I knew my stamina was not anywhere near great, but I still didn't see my group ahead.

The final nail in the coffin occurred when I reached a crossroads leading in three separate directions. I stopped, letting the dust from my running flow past me. I came to the realization that I was thoroughly lost in a prefectural park. My first thoughts were mixed with hysteria and panic, but I quickly quelled these reactions and regained a sense of composure in order to assess my current situation. I reached for my purse and took out the phone my parents gave me, remembering their words before the trip. My heart dropped a little when I saw there was not much battery left, maybe only enough for one call. Calling Hayama-kun would be the most logical, since he could tell the teachers to help find me out here. So, I called Hayama-kun, who happened to be speed-dial number one. After a few rings, he picked up.

"Yukinoshita-san?"

"Hello, Hayama-kun…I may require your assistance at this time. You see, I'm currently lost in the park, and my group kind of left me behind." I thought about the ridiculousness of the situation, getting lost just because of a hypothetical stray cat…sounds

"What? Well that is definitely concerning…I'll tell the teacher once our group gets back to base and they'll find you, so just stay there until a teacher comes."

"Okay then." The phone suddenly went silent, so I brought my hand in front of me, and just as I had predicted, it was out of battery. I pulled my normal cell out of my purse and saw that although it still had battery, it had no signal. I sighed, placing both items back in my purse and taking out a half-empty water bottle to drink. It looks like I may be here for a while, so it would be logical to rest in the shade and wait for the adults to find me. Subsequently, I walked a little and found a shaded area where I decided to sit down and calm myself. I felt relatively comfortable, considering the predicament I found myself in, since I was relying on the assumption that help was on the way and I would make it back safely. The thought of being left here for longer than a few hours tried to reach my mind, but I thought about other things to avoid that topic for the sake of my sanity. Instead, I observed the forest around me, including the leaves rustling in the cool wind that relieved me of the dense and humid air. The afternoon sun slowly progressed towards the west, creating longer shadows and inciting a growing sense of concern in me. The wind was no longer a welcome sign, but now starting to send small chills down my spine, and the confidence I had in the teachers and people at the camp slowly transformed into doubt and worry. It has been five hours since I called Hayama-kun to send help, but there were no signs of human life within the vicinity of my location. I felt my stomach turn as the thought of being left behind indefinitely penetrated the mental barrier I created, sending more chills down my spine. Suddenly I realized the magnitude of this situation, as fear paralyzed me. My mind thought of hypothetical scenarios, like if the teachers had searched the wrong section of the park, or if my location was much farther than anyone expected. More alarming ideas were formed, but I tried to deny the possibility of Hayama-kun failing to tell the teachers that I was missing. Through all this I tried to regain composure, but I then realized that my vision was getting darker as the day was approaching sunset.

I cried. I couldn't remember the last time I truly cried, as the years of students picking at me have numbed my sense of negativity, avoiding tears if possible. In elementary school, I cried a few times when my shoes were always taken, but I learned to keep it to myself…but now I really felt afraid. I deduced that it wouldn't have taken this long for them to find me if they were alerted five hours ago…so that means Hayama-kun couldn't have told them until much later. The darkness quickly approaching meant it would become much harder to find me, so I started believing that I would be stuck here for the night, or maybe longer. I didn't realize my vision was blurry until I felt tears roll down my cheeks and onto the leather of my purse below me.

I was alone, crying, slowly accepting the notion that I might as well never see anyone else again, that this loneliness would stay with me forever. I had almost no belief in someone saving me at this point…but the thought still existed. Only if…

"Oi, you lost?"

A figure appeared out of the shadows, holding a flashlight in one hand and a map in the other. I jumped out of my muddled thoughts and rubbed my eyes to make sure it wasn't an illusion. The figure appeared to be around the same age as me, a middle school boy. I couldn't really see his face because of the approaching night and his flashlight shining at my eyes. I grabbed my purse and slowly got up, standing next to him now.

"Um…y-yeah…"

"Alright then…let's head back". He started walking down the path, with me a few feet behind him. A couple minutes later, I almost broke down when I blinked and thought he wasn't there anymore. He waited for me to regain my composure, and we continued the trek back to camp. This time, I made sure I didn't lose him…I held onto his sleeve for good measure. He wasn't the talkative type I assumed, and to be honest neither was I, but after a long silence between us we started talking about things to pass the time. He went to a different middle school, and he played tennis and swam in school. I asked him why he was alone, to which he chuckled and replied he ditched his group to walk around by himself. I contemplated how similar and yet how different the two of us were, and I couldn't help but smile a bit at the thought such a pair of individuals like us existing.

Before long the lights of the camp became visible in the distance, signaling a return to civilization and normal life. I told him my school was staying at the cabin up ahead and that I could walk the rest of the way there. He gave an unknown expression, and I realized that I was still holding onto the sleeve of his shirt. I must have exaggerated my reaction, pulling away with such fore, since in a few moments we were both laughing at what had just happened. We said our goodbyes and were about to go our separate ways before I realized I never asked his name.

"Hey, I don't believe I asked for your name yet…"

He stared at me for a few seconds, but no response. I assumed he wasn't well acquainted with sharing his name to complete strangers, and I do not blame him because I admittedly have the same introverted tendencies.

"It's okay, you don't have to say your full name if you don't want to," I added, thinking of a more suitable solution. "How about initials?"

To this, he seemed to have a more intense reaction to, shifting his feet a little and folding his arms. It must have been something I said, so maybe something similar was said to him that caused a negative experience. Of course, I never really knew…

"H."

I jumped a bit at his frank response, and looked at his face. The darkness of the night concealed most of his face, but I could discern a faint smile on his lips. I looked up at the night sky, admiring the stars usually covered by light pollution back in the city. A few seconds later, I remembered I never replied with my name. But before I could reply, he had disappeared. I figured I would probably not see him again, since his middle school usually doesn't feed into my predetermined high school: Sobu High.

H. Same as Hayama-kun, yet the two of them are on two different planets: one creating the perfect image of himself, the other staying true to his reserved character.

He saved me, but he also showed me that I shouldn't solely rely on people saving me anymore. Maybe someday, I could trust someone, like the mystery "H" man, to save me. Someday…

End Flashback.

I do not remember much about the trip other than that, so the story ends around there. Afterwards, I found I was distancing myself from the crowd, while Hayama-kun remained one of the most popular students at school. But that experience had such an impact … it was unfortunate I never really got the chance to thank him for saving me. Honestly, it may sound cliché for me to feel this way about it, but in a life where these events are rare if not non-existent, I cherish remembering this one time. I did make the mistake of recounting this event and handing it in as part of a summer assignment for entering Sobu High, so I hope that document stays unseen until the student body's records are returned, and even then it will be only seen by me.

Back to the present, where Isshiki-san just announced the person who will be "assisting" us for the end-of-year senior celebration. Obviously, this task requires much more planning and execution, encompassing the senior class of two high schools. However, it is not in the Service Club to only accept requests for anything below difficult. It is true we will require as much assistance as necessary, regardless of who the assistance will come from.

This would probably be the last request of the Service Club's first year of existence. The year had its ups and downs, especially over the last couple of weeks…but I just…want to end this year on a better note… with or without Hikigaya-kun.

"Isshiki-san…" I started, forming the first smile, albeit little, this entire week. "We welcome all the help we can get for this request." Isshiki-san's eyes lit up with excitement as the unexpected stillness of the room melted away. She winked, giving a thumbs up.

"Don't worry, we can all work together to make this celebration a success! See ya!" she exclaimed before excusing herself and lightly skipping out of the room, leaving Yuigahama-san and I for…whatever she does in lieu of her Student Council duties.

"Yukinon, you sure about this?" Yuigahama-san asked, seeming a bit worried about the upcoming endeavor.

"It's alright, we can do it just like all the other time…I'll be counting on you too" I replied, seeing Yuigahama-san start tearing up again, but this time with happiness. We resumed the tight embrace we were in before, but before long I couldn't resist speaking a thought I had in mind.

"Though I'll leave the cooking-related duties to someone else"

"Mou! You still don't have faith in me yet Yukinon?!" she pouted. Maybe things were looking up.

A/N: Welcome back to another chapter…4 weeks instead of 4 months is an improvement I suppose. It's a short chapter too (3k) similar to the first two chapters, but lots of description in lieu of dialogue. This flashback chapter is meaningful in a sense… might be a little obvious though. Watch out for Yukinoshita's essay; another puzzle piece in the mystery.

See ya soon.