Title: Cold Weather and Warm Hearts

Series: Boundless Kakera, Chapter 17

Fandom: Higurashi no Naku Koro ni

Summary: The Gaming Club ends up trapped at school during an impromptu snowstorm, and Rika is already starting to miss the summer she detests so much. Luckily, there is a silver lining. Post Matsuribayashi-hen.

Pairing: KeiRika (Keiichi/Rika, M/F)

Posted: April 8, 2025

On a day where Rika should have been watching a variety show alongside Satoko and Hanyuu, she instead watches snow and wind conquer the front of her school through the window.

Neither trees nor terra firma are left unscathed in winter's invasion. The blizzard buffets them, marking them with layers of white that seem to accumulate ceaselessly. Even from indoors, Rika can feel the frigid air and its numbing grip, so tyrannical and insatiate in its desire to claim everything it touches.

January has taken all of Hinamizawa by storm.

"Damn!" she hears Mion curse, "I thought the snowstorm was supposed to come tomorrow. That's what the weather forecast said."

"Evidently, the weather forecast was wrong," remarks Keiichi, sounding troubled.

"Hau…" Rena whimpers, "I hope my dad is doing okay at home."

"In hindsight, maybe it wasn't the best idea to have club games today, Mion-san," Satoko comments.

Frustrated, Mion rubs her temples. "No kidding."

In contrast to the perturbation of the others, Hanyuu doesn't seem all that bothered. Not in the slightest. Rika can see her relative's smile in the reflection of the glass window. Big, bright and warm, much like the absent sun that she can't find in this brumal swirl of chaos. Such a vibrant expression appears so out of place under these circumstances that it makes Rika wonder if Hanyuu has somehow lost her mind.

Naturally, she feels compelled to ask, "What's with that silly grin on your face?"

"Hmm…?" Hanyuu's violet eyes dart back to Rika. "Oh, I'm contemplating how nice it is to see snow."

That answer, of course, mystifies Rika all the more. Turning to Hanyuu with an arched eyebrow, she points out, "We're snowed in, unable to go home, have to wait for who knows how long until this blizzard settles, and that's what you say? Hey, nice weather?"

Hanyuu giggles, her voice dripping with amusement. "Well, when you put it that way, Rika, I suppose my thoughts on the matter are pretty odd. Doesn't make it any less true, though."

"Honestly? Can't say I get what's so good about snow," remarks she.

"It serves as a symbol of purity–a fresh beginning, an opportunity for change. To watch it envelop the village, washing away blemishes of its past while concomitantly turning it into something different and new… Truly a breathtaking sight to behold!" Hanyuu sings the praises of the snow, radiating bliss.

But Rika just shrugs, "Doesn't seem much different from Watanagashi."

"Perhaps not," concedes Hanyuu. "Though I've seen Watanagashi too many times in the Endless June. I cannot recall the last time I saw snow in Hinamizawa."

At this, Rika lapses into a contemplative silence.

"Neither can I, Hanyuu. Neither can I…" she admits after a long pause.

Time has long since clouded Rika's memories of her old past in a thick fog, keeping her from recollecting any fond moments she might have had in previous winters. It's a haze her mind can't dispel so easily, even despite her endeavor. She has the curse of having spent what felt like an eternity repeating the same summer over and over to thank for that.

Nonetheless, what she felt about winter back then is irrelevant to how she feels about it now. The appeal of it is lost on her. Very much so. What she sees outside seems more like a hostile conquest than anything Hanyuu had described it to be.

Not that she would wish to relive the Endless June, but she yearns for the bright, blistering summer once again. Better to face the heat than having terrible storms trap her in school, chilling her to the marrow. At least then she can move outside freely if she so pleases.

"Achoo!"

The loud, abrupt sound of a boy overwhelmed by the cold pulls Rika out of her rumination. It also makes her heart race as well. Startled, she turns around.

"Bless you, Keiichi-kun," Rena acknowledges kindly.

Keiichi rubs his nose with one finger. "Thanks…"

"Talk about a super sneeze!" Mion teases, "I'd say you could wake up a bear like that, but you'd probably give it a heart attack instead."

"He'd probably give me a heart attack first…" mutters Satoko. "I don't suppose he can turn down the volume?"

"Well, excuse me, you impertinent brat! Not like I wanna sneeze. Can I help it if I feel cold?" Keiichi bristles right before shivering, "No, seriously, it's very chilly in here."

Satoko readies a retort, likely affronted by Keiichi's insult, only to stop and shudder. "You make a decent point there," the blonde grants a moment later. "It is cold. But why? We're safe inside the room. I know this place is a building rented from the forestry service, but doesn't it have a heater?"

"It does," Mion frowns, "Hm… now that you mention it, I could've sworn it was working fine not too long ago. I'll have to go check," the club leader leaves the room to go check.

Rika casts a sidelong glance at Hanyuu. "Now it's freezing outside and inside. Still like the snow?"

"Sure do!" her relative answers cheerfully.

She shakes her head. "You are impossible, Hanyuu."

Letting out a small laugh, Hanyuu ruffles Rika's long, blue hair. "Aw, don't be like that. It's not all bad. The view outdoors is pleasant to look at and we're together with our friends. Try to look on the bright side."

"I tried. I can't seem to find the sun."

"Au, au, au! You know I don't mean it like that!" the deity cries out, her face resembling a balloon with those flushed, puffed cheeks.

Rika rolls her eyes. "If you say so. I'm gonna go see what our friends are up to," she turns away from Hanyuu, already on her way to join the others.

Hanyuu sighs in relent and follows suit, though not without muttering, "Obstinate as ever."

She chooses not to dignify that with a response.

Both Furude girls stand adjacent to Satoko as Rena trembles, her teeth chattering as she whines, "H-Hau…! How l-l-long will this sn-snowstorm last? I wonder, I wonder…"

"Until the n-n-next day? Or l-longer? Who even knows?" Keiichi shakily answers.

Satoko sneezes–doing so quietly, thank Kami–into her own arm.

"Bless you," everyone choruses.

"Thanks…" the blessed girl sniffles. "Anyway, I'm bored! Why don't all of us pass the time with a card game? How about President or Cluedo or Old Bachelor–"

"No, no and hell no. Please and thank you," Keiichi dismisses quickly.

Rika smirks in amusement, chuckling under her breath. That guy…

When Satoko turns to the boy, the grin she gives him resembles that of a crescent. Her magenta eyes dance with delight that shines like stars from the ocean. "I detect fear, Keiichi-san. Afraid I'll beat you?"

"Not in a million years!" denies Keiichi.

Satoko nods. "Oh, yes, you're scared of the dress we have prepared for your punishment game."

"I have no idea what you're talking about, Satoko," Keiichi averts his gaze, obviously lying. "In any case, though, I don't feel like playing card games. Not with this cold weather bothering me."

"Maybe let's not," Rena chimes in, siding with Keiichi. "I can't say I feel up to it either."

Folding her arms, Satoko huffs, "Guess it's back to being bored out of my mind then."

Creak! Thud, thud, thud…

Rika perks up from what she hears–the groaning wood, footsteps drawing nearer. She looks straight at the entrance leading to the corridor, as does everyone else.

Mion enters the room, a grimace plastered on that face, and Rika feels a similar expression already contorting her own features. Something is wrong.

'Mii-chan?" asks Rena in concern. "Is everything all right?"

"Heater's broken," the class president grunts.

"No way! And on a day like this?!" Keiichi exclaims, throwing his arms up in frustration.

"Yeah. It's pretty bad. I don't know how to fix it…" says Mion.

Keiichi looks at Satoko. "Well, how about you, Satoko? Are you able to fix the heater?" When he sees the blonde shake her head, his eyes scan everyone in the room. "Rika-chan? Hanyuu? Rena?"

Not a single yes. Not from anyone.

The atmosphere in the room suddenly drops down to an unsettling chill, and not from the actual temperature itself.

"What do we do?" Rika pipes up, her quiet voice betraying worry. "It's not like we can get up and leave."

"There's no other choice but for us to endure the cold," Mion answers.

"Shouldn't the infirmary beds have blankets we could use to get warm?" Rena brings up.

"Yeah, maybe. Lemme go check!"

Mion turns around and leaves once more.

Less than a minute later, the club leader makes a return with only two clean blankets in hand. "Sadly enough, this is all that I could find," explains Mion.

They appear big enough to share. To an extent. She, Satoko, and Hanyuu can certainly use one together, that much is possible. But what of her taller friends? She can't see them having as much luck doing the same.

Rena seems to think on the same wavelength. "From what I see, it seems not everyone will be able to share a blanket. At least one person here will be left out."

"That does seem to be the case," Mion acknowledges, "Well, if somebody has to be without a blanket, then it'll have to be m–"

"–me," Keiichi interjects, catching Rika and the others off guard.

Mion eyes Keiichi with a surprised expression on her face. "There's no need for you to do that, Kei-chan. I can–"

Persistent, he disagrees, "But I want to do this. It just wouldn't sit well with me if I was forced to watch any good friends of mine suffer. Don't worry, I can tough it out. I make a better sacrifice than anyone else."

Rika herself doesn't feel convinced. If anything, his words bother her a lot more than they should, specifically his last statement. Her lips curl into a troubled frown.

KeiKei…

"Yeah, Rika-chan?"

She jumps slightly when Keiichi abruptly calls her name. Upon noticing his attentive stare, it dawns on her that she unintentionally said one of the two nicknames she has for him aloud. Deciding to just roll with it, Rika tells him, "You shouldn't be so harsh on yourself."

"What do you mean?" Keiichi furrows his brow, puzzled.

"A sacrifice. You referred to yourself as a sacrifice," she clarifies.

"Well, in this instance, am I wrong?" he laughs jokingly, "Besides, it wouldn't be the first time I had to take the fall. Every single one of my losses in the club activities made sure of that."

"That is not funny. I don't like hearing you say things about yourself like that," she asserts, none too amused.

Keiichi pauses, taken aback by her response. He's beginning to realize the gravity of her words, she notices that much.

But then he grins again, approaches Rika, and places a comforting hand on her right shoulder. He stares into her gaze. His midnight blue eyes possess a similar effect as water caressing her skin, gradually easing away her troubles the longer she swims in his mesmerizing stare.

"I'm sorry, Rika-chan," Keiichi coaxes, "You're right. I shouldn't peg myself as a sacrifice. I'll try not to do that again. If anything, I'm a full-fledged member of the Gaming Club! Wouldn't you agree?"

"You aren't wrong…" Rika admits.

"And, as club members, we're expected to face every game without going at it half-hearted, no?" When she nods, Keiichi gives her a thumbs up. "Then that settles it. Let's think of this as a special club activity. Solely for me. I'll try my hardest to brave this snowstorm without any help. No way I'll let myself fail. My heart is a blazing phoenix which can never be snuffed out, immortal even in the face of the worst!"

Something about those words, those eyes and his attempt at reassurance makes her want to believe. There really is truth to the other nickname she gave him–Magician of Words.

How else has she fallen under his spell already?

"…Very well. I'll take your word on that, KeiKei," she accepts without much protest.

"Great, that's great!" Keiichi beams, to which she reciprocates with a smile just as radiant.

Mion lets out a boisterous laugh. "Well, you got spirit, Kei-chan!"

"Of course I do. Who do you take me for?" Keiichi puffs out his chest, exerting bravado.

"Good luck, Keiichi," Hanyuu wishes him the best.

Thus, with the matter resolved, Rika and everyone else barring Keiichi proceed to use the spare blankets. Mion and Rena share one cover while she, Hanyuu, and Satoko do the same using the other. Cotton and warmth wraps around them like webs from a spider, only lacking the feeling of restriction, which is substituted for snug comfort.

Keiichi sits alone and cold, hugging his shivering self. Rika observes this depressing sight without so much as looking away.

In spite of her growing worry, part of her believes Keiichi can manage somehow. Maybe by finding another way to get warm. Surely he should be able to.

Right?

Some time passes, and it's apparent to her that things have exacerbated for Keiichi.

That poor thing. Winter proves to be unforgiving toward him. His teeth chatter to no end and he squirms under the piercing chill relentlessly digging into his bones. Lack of cozy warmth blanches his complexion to an unhealthy alabaster, the resemblance of pure white snow too uncanny for her liking.

Rika finds it harder to tolerate the pitiful spectacle. She isn't able to turn away from Keiichi's distress. What she feels is something of a perpetual discomfort inside the recesses of her mind, tantamount to an itch that can't be scratched away.

"Um… Rika?"

Hearing Hanyuu call her name, she glances at the lavender-haired deity sitting beside her. "Hm? What is it?"

"You seem troubled," whispers Hanyuu, not wanting to wake the sleeping Satoko close by. "Would you like to talk about it?"

Rika motions to Keiichi using her head, not saying a word.

Hanyuu puts two and two together. "Ah, I see. You can't help but worry for him, can't you?"

"He is clearly having difficulty enduring this weather, yet he insists on subjecting himself to torture."

"Keiichi simply wishes for everybody here to stay warm. Think about it from his perspective. Between himself and his friends, he'll decide on the more selfless option. He said it himself, Rika; he'd hate to watch us suffer."

"Like I would prefer for him to suffer in our stead?" Rika scowls, "It still bothers me how he treats him as something to be sacrificed," her face softens, "He's much more than that… so much more…"

And she means it. She hasn't forgotten how that guy had given her hope in the previous world. He showed her how to overcome the wall of fate, how to find an exit out of the labyrinth that was the time loop, as he demonstrated back when poor Satoko had been in a seemingly inescapable predicament at the hands of her abusive uncle. Rika has learned plenty from his unwavering valor and conviction. Who knows where she'd be now if not for him?

Maebara Keiichi is invaluable to her, and Rika cannot possibly imagine a world without him.

"The boy must mean a lot to you for you to say that," Hanyuu observes, "You appreciate the help he has given you in the Endless June."

"That is so," she confirms, "This goes beyond anything superficial."

"So why not help him for a change?" suggests the goddess.

The question stuns Rika. "Me? Help Keiichi out? I would not be opposed to doing that at all, but… what could I possibly do? There are no more blankets."

Hanyuu gives her a sweet smile in return. "Rika… there's more than one way to help someone stay warm. If you both can't share a blanket, then share each other's hearts."

Vague as that sounds, Rika understands the advice. A burning sensation flushes her cheeks as shyness overtakes her. Of course the god of love and matchmaking would make such a suggestion.

Then again… it isn't necessarily a bad idea.

In fact, it makes so much sense she wonders why she didn't think about it sooner.

Looking away from Hanyuu, Rika glances back at Keiichi, who is blowing his nose into a tissue. This time she feels the need to intervene.

She rises to her feet, but not before wrapping Hanyuu with the part of the blanket she had been using. Then she makes her way toward Keiichi, her red Mary Janes clicking against the floor with each soft step. Her footfalls are slow and soft, far from similar to the fast and pounding pulsations from within her chest.

It's not until she stops right in front of him and calls his name when he makes eye contact with her.

Naturally, he frets over her. "Ri… Rika-chan…" sniffles Keiichi. "What are you doing? You should be with Satoko and Hanyuu."

For a moment, no more words are exchanged between them. Once again she finds herself swimming in the very oceans of his soul, a vivid pair of compassion and care reserved solely for those her dear friend deems as his loved ones. His emotions wash over her, and Rika feels enough ease from the boy's regard to be able to slow her racing heart at will.

All the easier for her to do exactly what she must. Without any second thought, she spreads out her arms side by side…

…and ensnares Keiichi in a tender embrace.

"Rika-chan?!" he squeaks, flustered at the bold move.

Rika shivers from the sudden rush of cold assaulting her upon contact. If not for the other heart she feels throbbing in tandem with her own, she'd have almost believed she was hugging a huge ice block.

"U-Um… hey, uh…" Keiichi stammers, "Why the unexpected hug?"

"Body heat."

"Huh?"

"Body heat," Rika repeats as nonchalantly as possible, acting like she isn't feeling just as self-conscious. "If we huddle together, then you won't have to suffer from the low temperature in spite of not having a blanket."

Processing her statement, Keiichi bobs his head in understanding, even if still bashful from the physical contact. "Ah… I get it now. I, erm… didn't think about that…"

"You don't mind, don't you?" she looks at Keiichi innocently, "This, I mean…"

There's a pregnant pause after that, and she genuinely worries that he might not feel comfortable with her actions.

Fortunately, her concerns turn out unwarranted. Keiichi wraps his arms around and pulls her closer to him. "Not at all."

Rika presses her ear against his chest, listening to the song from his heart. It's very loud, and very strong, and yet it beats with a steady and neverending rhythm. Perhaps there really is some truth to it being something of a blazing phoenix after all, just as Keiichi described.

She can feel it slowly lull her into a tranquil state, almost like a cradle song in a way. Like it's reassuring her that everything is fine in this world, that she can rest without the weight of apprehension on her shoulders. How befitting of the one to which this heart belongs.

"It's working. I'm not feeling so cold anymore," he lets her know.

"That's good to hear," murmurs Rika.

"On the other hand, I did say that I'd handle the cold weather without any help. So much for that, huh?" Keiichi jokes, "I suppose that means I lose the club activity."

"As per usual. Nothing new there," teases she.

"Very funny," he laughs wryly, thoroughly amused. "Well since you made me lose, it only makes sense for you to decide my penalty. So… what do you have in mind? I can take whatever you dish out, bet on it!"

"Hmm…"

Rika pretends to think. She doesn't have any intention of forcing him to wear cosplay or do something embarrassing. It's just funny to keep him in suspense, especially since she knows he's bluffing. So easy to pull his leg.

Of course, once she feels she has had enough of seeing Keiichi poorly mask his fear behind that face of confidence, she giggles, "Actually, I am feeling merciful today, so you won't need to face any punishment game. Consider yourself lucky."

Sure enough, Keiichi heaves a sigh of relief, "Oh, thank Kami…"

She flashes a knowing smile. This guy really is an open book. "KeiKei, you should be thanking me instead."

He chuckles, "Right, right!" his lips spread to show her a crescent of pearls. "Thank you for your generosity, Rika-chan."

"Anytime, sir!"

"And also," he resumes, "I appreciate you looking after me today. From the bottom of my heart. I have always been an only child, and I didn't have many friends before moving here in Hinamizawa, so seeing you care about me… felt different. A good kind of different."

Rika listens to this revelation, captivated and thoughtful, and by the end of it, she feels compelled to cling to him tighter.

So she does.

"I wouldn't mind doing this. I wouldn't mind sharing my heart with you often," she says sincerely.

He responds in kind–through embrace, through sentiment and through word, "Likewise."

Together, the pair cuddle, basking in each other's comfort. It is then that the winter can no longer maintain its glacial grip on them, for something else has empowered both boy and girl: an unique bond freshly born from the warmth of their joined hearts.

This moment chronicles the start of a union which will keep on growing from here on out, one that won't be without its witnesses.

"Th-That Rika-chan…" Mion stutters, a blush reddening her cheeks. "How bold…"

Rena, yet another observer of the pair, can only coo, "Hau…! Rika-chan and Keiichi-kun look sho kyute! I wanna take them home with mee~!"

But then the orange-haired girl stops.

"Oh, wait, nobody can go home…" Rena turns to Mion before bringing her into a bear hug. "Mii-chan, hold me! Let's be like those two!"

To Mion's credit, the club leader willingly returns the embrace at her friend's behest. Not without choking, though. "Ack! Gah! A-A-Air! Need air!"

Hanyuu watches Keiichi and Rika with a bright expression upon her pale visage, appearing more like a maiden of the sun than ever before. Then the guardian deity looks back to the windows, witnessing the beauty of January dancing through Hinamizawa in whirls of wind and ice. "I love the snow…" she sighs in contentment.