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Yukino slapped her own cheek hard, leaving a bright red handprint on her pale face. The sting and heat helped calm her frayed nerves.
Her expression was grim as she dumped the carefully plated food straight into the trash. Without hesitation, she left the kitchen and returned to the living room.
She turned on the TV and began flipping through channels—one mont watching a wildlife docuntary, the next switching to a grisly murder thriller. She alternated between the two with increasing frustration.
But no matter how loud she turned up the TV, it was no match for the noise coming from next door.
"Enough already! Can't I watch TV in peace?"
For the first ti in her life, Yukino felt a rage that shook her to her core.
Clutching the remote tightly, she squeezed it harder and harder until it shattered into pieces in her hand.
Blood dripped from her palm as her body trembled uncontrollably.
Finally, she couldn't hold it in any longer.
The frost spreading from the carpet to the ceiling did nothing to cool her overheated mind. She was done holding back. She didn't want to hold back anymore.
Her normally pale face turned crimson, her sapphire-blue eyes burned a fiery red, and her bloodshot pupils glead with a dangerous mix of excitent and fury.
Without hesitation, she stord out of her house and marched to the door of Natsuha's apartnt.
Raising her hand, she knocked firmly.
Yukino's knock landed softly, but to her surprise, the door creaked open.
She hesitated briefly before stepping inside.
On the couch, two figures were entwined, their bodies pressed close together.
"Ah! I'm so sorry. I didn't an to interrupt." Yukino stamred, montarily frozen at the sight.
Her sudden entrance startled Natsuha and Hikari. The two untangled themselves, their movents stiff with awkwardness.
But Hikari quickly regained his composure. He extended a hand toward Yukino, stopping her from turning to leave.
"No, Yukino-san. You ca at just the right ti."
"What?"
The words left Yukino and Natsuha utterly dumbfounded. Both won stared blankly at Hikari, unsure of his intentions.
Yukino had been furious when she knocked on the door, her frustration bubbling over.
But the mont the door opened, her anger vanished.
When she saw Hikari's handso face, her thoughts beca clear again.
'He had done so much for —how can I let envy and jealousy drive to hurt him?'
She had planned to return ho and bury herself under the covers to cry alone.
But then Hikari's words struck her like a thunderbolt, leaving her rooted in place.
Seeing Hikari gesture for her to co closer, Yukino hesitated before slowly approaching.
"Hikari-kun, Natsuha-san, I'm sorry for intruding." Yukino looked at them apologetically, her gaze darting away as a blush crept onto her cheeks. "Uh… Hikari-kun, did you need sothing from ?"
Hikari patted the spot on the couch beside him, shuffling Natsuha to one side while motioning for Yukino to sit on the other.
"Yes," Hikari said calmly. "I wanted to discuss sothing with you. It's about the rent—there are so details I didn't explain earlier."
Still flustered, Yukino sat down. She nodded reflexively. "Oh, I think you did ntion sothing about that before..."
Hikari began making small talk, though his attention never wavered from Yukino.
In truth, Hikari was just as surprised by Yukino's sudden arrival. The bla likely lay with Natsuha, who hadn't closed the door properly.
But as soone attuned to the subtleties of emotion, Hikari imdiately sensed sothing off about Yukino.
Her usually clear blue eyes had been tinged red, veins creeping into the whites of her eyes. Her gaze had been sharp—intense, even—as if she was on the verge of snapping.
Hikari didn't know the full story, but his instincts told him one thing: calming her down was a priority.
———
After a few minutes of idle chatter, Yukino seed to relax, though she still looked slightly uneasy.
Hikari turned to Natsuha, who had been unusually quiet since Yukino's arrival. He gave her a playful smack on the backside.
"Natsuha, go take a bath," he said casually. "Now that Yukino-san is here, she can keep company."
Natsuha pouted, placing her hands on her hips. "I don't want to."
Hikari raised an eyebrow. "Oh? So your ankle isn't hurting anymore?"
"I—"
Natsuha flinched, a shiver running down her spine. mories of their earlier role-play ga flooded back.
Although she thought she could match Hikari's energy, she had been completely overwheld. Her ankle was still throbbing, and her legs felt like jelly.
With a reluctant sigh, Natsuha stood up, muttering under her breath. "Fine, fine. You two chat. I'm going to wash up."
She shuffled out of the room, her legs trembling slightly, leaving a faint, sweet scent in the air.
As Natsuha left, Yukino finally allowed herself to relax.
"Hikari-kun," she said hesitantly, "I wanted to ask you sothing after we talk about the rent. How do you know Rikka-sama, the owner of this apartnt complex? She seems like such an important person. I was so surprised when she gave free rent and made you the manager."
Hikari shrugged nonchalantly. "I only t Rikka-'sama' today, actually. We chatted about my part-ti work, and she offered to waive your rent as an employee benefit. It's nothing special."
Yukino's eyes sparkled with admiration. Grabbing Hikari's hand, she said, "You've done so much for , even working extra jobs to help with rent. I don't even know how to thank you."
Tears welled up in her eyes as she spoke.
Hikari patted her back gently. "It's no big deal. Just pay back when you can."
Yukino suddenly grew serious. Looking straight into Hikari's eyes, she said, "Hikari-kun, you've done so much for . I can't keep hiding this from you. There's sothing I need to tell you."
"It's a secret I've never shared with anyone—not even my late fiancé."
Her voice trembled as she raised her hand. Ice crystals ford in her palm, slowly coalescing into snowflakes that shimred in the light.
"I'm not human, Hikari-kun. I'm a yuki-onna."
Though Hikari had already guessed as much, he couldn't let her know. Instead, he put on a dramatic show of surprise.
"Really?"
Yukino bit her lip, her whole body trembling. She braced herself for rejection, fearing the worst.
But then Hikari smiled.
"I had a feeling," he said. "No ordinary human could be as beautiful as you, Yukino-san. Only a snow maiden could possess such radiance." [T/N: 🫡 Legendary Yapper]
Yukino blinked, stunned by his words. Then, despite herself, she laughed—a soft, genuine sound that lted her fears.
For the first ti in a long while, she felt a glimr of hope that thawed her snow.
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