It was Friday afternoon, and school had just been let out for the day. This was often the time that students tended to get together to chat, but on this particular day, they appeared to be more excitable than usual.
The subjects of their conversations were nothing out of the ordinary—they chatted idly about how tedious cramming for tests had been, upcoming plans they had for the weekend, and so on. Others, however, were more fixated on a certain girl who had left school early because of a fever. Asahi was one such student.
After passing the time conversing with some friends of his, he decided to go home early. He took the direct train home. As the ride normally took around 20 minutes, he contemplated what he would be having for that night’s dinner. When the train arrived at his station, he made a brief detour at the nearby supermarket before heading for his apartment complex.
Upon opening the door to his complex, he was accompanied by a strong gust of wind. A solitary figure in the long hallway leading to the apartment caught his eye—a figure that, judging by the uniform she was donning, attended the same school he did. Asahi wasn’t acquainted with her by any means, but he was well aware of who she was. She was Fuyuka Himuro—also known as “The Ice Queen”—and the focal point of several rumors at school.
She, along with her family, happened to move into this apartment complex when Asahi had just become a freshman in high school. Although they were next-door neighbors, and had several chance encounters before, they had never so much as spoken to each other.
Asahi had been planning to pass by her and enter his room without exchanging a single word, as was par for the course, but...
“You okay?” he found himself asking her. Asahi didn’t expect an answer, but he’d blurted it out nevertheless. As soon as he did, he was reminded of their first meeting after she had just moved in.
He’d pushed the button on the intercom, hoping she would open the door so he could greet her. Instead, he was met with a cold, monotonous voice from the other side of the door.
“Please go away. I’d prefer to avoid any interaction with my neighbors. Thank you for understanding.”
Ever since then, Asahi knew that she wouldn’t be the easiest person to interact with. He smiled unconsciously and thought to himself, Someone’s a little distant, huh?
Once he’d caught wind of the rumors circulating at school, he quickly understood that he hadn’t done anything wrong—she treated everyone like this. Apparently, she consistently kept everyone at arm’s length and had no friends to speak of. When he’d finally understood how she acted toward everyone in general, he’d made up his mind that it would be best to leave her be.
Even though they were neighbors, they’d never gotten the chance to talk to each other or form any sort of relationship. They were essentially strangers.
That day, however, the situation was quite different than usual. Her skin, which was usually a dainty snow-white, was flushed red. Her breathing was ragged, and her gait was uneven. Something wasn’t right, and it was clear as day that she wasn’t feeling her best.
He was aware he was sticking his nose where it didn’t belong, but something had compelled him to ask. Even after she’d ignored his first question, he decided to double down and speak up again.
“Hey, are you okay?”
“I am. Don’t mind me,” she answered with her usual tandem of terseness and trademark ice-cold expression. Her stare—or glare, really—pierced him like icicles against bare skin. It was not the friendliest of looks.
Jeez. No wonder everyone calls her “The Ice Queen,” he thought to himself. He had to remind himself that this was just how she was. Attempting to close the distance with her would only make her push him away harder. She’d created a barrier between herself and the rest of the world.
Asahi supposed that there must be a specific reason Fuyuka Himuro acted this way. Something must’ve happened in her past that caused her to grow as frigid as she was now.
On the other hand, he acknowledged that he was selfishly butting in without her approval, so he decided the best course of action would be to listen to her request. She was obviously under the weather, but if she didn’t want any help, there was no need for him to push the matter.
Actually, she left school early today because of a fever, didn’t she? he thought to himself as he headed toward his apartment.
She was heading out in her uniform as he’d crossed paths with her. Perhaps she was on the way to pick up some medicine? Regardless, he thought it a bit weird for her to go out with those clothes on. Maybe she hadn’t had the will or the strength to change into a different outfit. It would probably be for the best if she’d stayed at home, but what could he do about it?
As his thoughts darted between concern for her well-being and anticipation for his dinner, Asahi opened the door to his apartment. When he went to close the door behind him, though, he saw Fuyuka leaning against the wall, evidently on the brink of collapsing.
“Hey! Are you okay?! Keep it together!” he shouted as he rushed over to help.
She didn’t respond. It wasn’t out of the ordinary for him to receive the silent treatment from her, but this wasn’t exactly an ordinary situation. Perhaps she wasn’t able to respond as a result of her ailment. Even standing seemed to be a struggle for her. Her eyes were shut tight, and she was radiating enough heat off her body that he could feel it just by being in her vicinity.
As Asahi extended his hand to try and support her weak frame, the words she’d said on her first day in class reverberated in his mind once more:
“Stay away from me, if you don’t mind.”
It was as if she had cloistered herself from the rest of the world. She hid within the depths of an impenetrable blizzard, casting aside any and all human interaction.
“Can you hear me? Answer me if you can!”
“I can hear you. Too loudly, in fact,” she replied to Asahi’s shouting. She was still conscious, but it was clear she was having difficulty breathing. Her brief reply alone seemed like a gargantuan task for her in Asahi’s eyes. Despite her illness, she wasn’t showing any signs of vulnerability, nor did she allow him to come any closer.
“I’ll be fine on my own...” she continued. This time, her voice had regained some composure, and her brusque dismissal was a clear hint that she didn’t wish to continue talking to him.
She waved his hand away, refusing his help, and managed to stand up on her own after some unsteadiness. Her gaze was now vacant, and Asahi saw how she was stumbling, barely able to walk on her own.
I get it, she doesn’t want to have anything to do with anyone. Message received, loud and clear. But does she really need to take it this far? Asahi pondered to himself.
He wasn’t alone with his thoughts for long, though, before Himuro collapsed for the second time. Right as she was about to hit the floor, he managed to swoop in and catch her.
Okay. Maybe I’m going against her wishes, and maybe she sees me as a nuisance right now, but I can’t possibly leave her alone like this, he determined.
“Look at you. Nothing about you is ‘fine,’” he chided. He could tell that all her strength had been sapped, and she was at her limit. Fuyuka opened her eyes and looked off in the distance with an empty stare. After a few seconds, she closed her eyes once again. She offered up no resistance this time.
“Himuro...? Wait a second, did she fall asleep?” he asked no one in particular. His only reply was her ragged breathing—she was so exhausted that she’d collapsed right on the spot. The girl in front of him was no longer “The Ice Queen,” but a frail girl who’d been bested by her fever.
Her parents must still be out, he concluded. He gently laid her body down on the floor, using his backpack as a makeshift pillow. There was no chance her parents—or, hell, even her grandparents—would’ve allowed her to go out alone like that. Asahi tried ringing the doorbell to her residence a few times, but didn’t receive an answer.
What should he do in this situation? There were no adults around to help him. Maybe he could wake her up and bring her to his apartment to get some rest? No, that wouldn’t be a wise idea—rousing her from her sleep in itself would be bad news, but she’d most likely refuse his proposition on the spot. What if he searched for her key and took her back to her place? No, that wasn’t any better. The very thought of rummaging through her belongings to try and find her house key was already off-putting enough. Accompanied by the fact that, despite the weight of the situation, barging into another person’s house without their permission was off-limits, the idea was a bust. Those were two plans that were immediately scrapped.
“Guess there’s no other choice,” he muttered in a reluctant tone. He grabbed his key, unlocked the door to his place, and propped it open.
“Please don’t think I’m a creep because of this,” he said as he lifted her up. Of course, he wasn’t expecting a response, but he wanted to say it just in case.
Being in such close proximity to her caused him to notice the soft, warm sensation of her body for the first time. This was paired with a sweet waft of perfume. But this wasn’t the time for that—she was ill and in desperate need of help. He awkwardly hoisted her up in a clumsy attempt at the bridal carry he’d seen in movies and entered his apartment.