Chapter 15: A New Connection

"Yukino-san, make sure you're careful at home from now on. Don't open the door for strangers, especially that guy, Takahashi."

"And if you run into him again, be extra cautious. If you see him wearing a ring, stay far away from him."

Hikari Nakamura reminded her with a serious tone.

"Understood!"

Although Yukino didn't know why Hikari was saying this, she trusted him implicitly by now, taking his words to heart.

"Alright, then. If you need anything else, don't hesitate to call me," Hikari said as he reached out to push the door closed.

But before he could, a soft, delicate hand grabbed his.

He looked up to find Yukino holding his hand, gazing at him earnestly.

"Thank you so much for today, Hikari-kun."

"If it weren't for you, I wouldn't have known how to handle everything that happened."

"Hikari-kun... I'm truly grateful!"

With that, Yukino bowed deeply while still holding his hand.

What should have been a simple gesture of thanks quickly turned into something more... overwhelming. Yukino's ample chest pressed firmly against his hand, as if two soft mountains were enveloping it.

"Ah…"

Hikari couldn't help but think, 'This is... a little too much, isn't it, Yukino-san?'

In fact, the moment their hands touched, Yukino herself had felt a jolt of surprise. She had instinctively wanted to pull away but thought it would be rude to break the bow too early. So, in mutual unspoken agreement, they both awkwardly maintained the position a bit longer.

Finally, when Hikari felt like his hand might melt from the warmth, Yukino straightened up, her face flushed with embarrassment. She quickly turned and closed the door without another word.

Hikari looked at his hand, still tinged with the faint scent of her perfume, and chuckled to himself.

On the other side of the door, Yukino leaned against it, her face burning with embarrassment. The blush on her face spread from her cheeks all the way to her neck, turning her pale skin a soft pink hue, making her even more breathtakingly beautiful.

As soon as the door clicked shut, her legs gave out, and she slid down to the floor, weak from the intensity of it all.

Maybe it was due to accidentally triggering her snow spirit abilities earlier, but as she sat down, water began to pool around her, as if the snow had melted.

The volume of water was surprisingly large, leaving a sticky, slightly damp patch on the floor.

"Hikari-kun is... amazing…" she whispered, clutching her chest, reminiscing about the earlier moments.

As her thoughts drifted back to the events that had just unfolded, a soft smile creeping onto her still-flushed face.

Ever since she could remember, no one had ever treated her like that.

As a Yuki-Onna who once lived in the lonely, cold mountains, even after moving to human society, she never truly felt warmth. Her life had always been marked by isolation and a struggle to fit in.

With her quiet nature, human interactions were difficult. She had to constantly hide her identity as a snow spirit while navigating the complexities of human society.

Her beauty only made things harder. Women envied her, and men lusted after her. Their eyes were always filled with greed or jealousy.

But she never had anyone she could rely on—until now.

In the past, a friend had introduced her to a man, saying he was a good match for her. Yukino had met him once at a café, and within days, they were engaged.

But before they could even hold hands, tragedy struck. He was killed in a freak accident involving a cement truck.

Despite friends urging her to move on, saying they had never actually gotten married, Yukino wore the engagement ring as a symbol. She convinced herself that, as a snow spirit, bringing misfortune to humans was her curse.

Perhaps, she had caused her fiancé's death.

She didn't want to hurt anyone else.

From then on, she used the guise of being a widow to fend off the advances of men. But to her surprise, the ring seemed to attract more suitors than it repelled.

She began avoiding people altogether, isolating herself even further. Even though she was strong as a snow spirit, the loneliness was unbearable. She withdrew more and more, her life becoming a cold, isolated existence.

But today, something had changed.

Meeting Hikari-kun had sparked something inside her. He was kind, strong, and thoughtful—everything she had yearned for but never dared hope to find.

Her heart fluttered uncontrollably whenever she thought about him, her mind wandering to what life might be like if they were together.

"If I could live with Hikari-kun… it would be so wonderful…"

"If he were here, I'd never have to worry about someone like Takahashi harassing me again…"

Smack!

Yukino slapped herself across the face, shaking her head violently.

"What am I thinking? How could I have such shameless thoughts?"

"I'm nothing but a disgraceful widow—how could I even dare to think about being with someone as young and full of life as Hikari-kun?"

"I don't deserve someone like him…"

"And what about my fiancé? How could I think like this after everything? How could I betray him…?"

"Besides, I'm a snow spirit. Being with me would only bring him a curse."

Her tears started to fall as she covered her face in despair.

It was a cruel irony.

Despite being a widow, she had never truly experienced love. She had never even kissed her fiancé before the accident.

As a Yuki-Onna, her body had certain... urges. Snow spirits, when they had not yet conceived, grew increasingly lonely. The longer she remained without a partner, the harder it became to bear.

For years, she had fought those feelings, relying on sheer willpower to suppress them. She had avoided men, avoided temptation, avoided even touching herself more than a handful of times.

'But Hikari-kun…'

He was different.

And that terrified her.

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