Chapter 4

He would find out Minori's true feelings. Did Kushieda Minori

really not want to date Takasu Ryuuji? Would her thoughts change if he

stopped living with Aisaka Taiga?

He would ask her that and get an answer. If he could, he would also

try once again to tell her about his feelings, like he had tried to before being

interrupted on that Christmas Eve night. He could renew the relationship

that had taken on such a delicate feeling.

For Ryuuji, that itself was the goal of this school trip.

"Takasu, you've got 'C,' okay? 'C.'"

"Confidence!"

"What was that?"

"We said we're only doing things that are bitter."

Booed at by all his classmates on the bus, Ryuuji cleared his throat in

a fluster. "Uhhh, ah, 'cancer!' I think it'd taste bitter! Okay, here, 'R!'" He

gave the mic over to Taiga, sitting across the aisle from him.

"'R?!' …Ramen…no, uhhh R…rhubarb! That's bitter, right?! Here,

Minorin, you get 'B.'"

That was a nice answer. Taiga's "rhubarb" earned her applause.

It was the first day of the school trip.

Riding on six separate buses, the second years were heading to their

final destination: the ski resort. However, the highway's incredibly boring

scenery made people start to get carsick, so they had pulled out a mic in

order to try doing karaoke, just to discover the machine only had ballads. In

a fit of desperation, all of class 2-C started playing a game of limited

shiritori to amuse themselves. They each went around saying a word

that started with the last letter of the previous word that was said.

It really wasn't that great, and they could hardly say everyone was in

a great mood, but it was leagues better than just watching the seemingly

endless gray walls and gray roads.

"'B'…something that starts with 'B' and is bitter…"

Receiving the mic, Minori sat at her window seat with her knees

drawn up. Wrinkles appeared on her forehead, and she groaned.

Incidentally, the one who lost would have to sing their best karaoke ballad

by themselves.

"Isn't Kushieda about to run out of time?"

"Okay, let's start the countdown! Ten! Nine! Eight! Seven! Six! Five!

Four! Three! Two! One…"

As students started to clap their hands to the numbers, Minori

suddenly took in a breath and went cross-eyed.

"BAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAM!" she yelled, veins

throbbing on her forehead. The mic made a sound that was even past a

screech, and it echoed unnecessarily in the bus.

"My ears!"

"Shuddup!"

"You think you're Moguro?!"

The students were in agony. Without minding them, Minori took the

mic in her right hand as her left trembled.

"Right then, I felt a shock hit me like a wall of pressure, and for some

reason, I have no idea why, but my eyes opened wide and I couldn't say

anything. But why? But why was it here?"

She was channeling who knows what. Her voice was like the

footsteps of a goblin scrambling past you in a corridor, and she breathed

heavily into the mic as she blurted out words.

"Why…is…it…here? But didn't I just throw it away? I even offered

a memorial service at the temple. I even put my hands together and begged

for forgiveness. But then why is that doll back in my room? I would never

bring that thing back, but there it is, right before my eyes! I put my hands

together in spite of myself and started to pray, 'Please don't come back

anymore. You don't belong here. You don't need to protect me anymore.'

When I did that, the doll's empty eye sockets were too terrifying for me to

look at, and in that moment, I felt like it was definitely looking back at me.

I was in a panic. Stop. Please stop. Please, please. Stop stop stop stop stop

stop stop stop! Don't look at me! No no no no no no no no NO NO NO NO

NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO! DON'T

LOOOOOOOK!"

When she shook the seat in front of her as part of her passionate

performance, the girl sitting there started to scream. Next to her, Taiga's

eyes were full of tears. Even Ryuuji gulped, scooting away with his hand on

his mouth like a little grandmother. He was speechless. Sure, I wanted to

ask you what your true feelings were, but no one asked you—

"'YOU ARE THE ONE WHO DOES NOT BELONG!'"

"AHHHHHHH!" "NOOOOOOOOOOO!"

—for a friggin' ghost story.

In the pandemonium and agonized screams that ensued, Ryuuji

squeezed his eyes tight. Taiga let out a little "Eek…" and covered her ears.

"Your story isn't scary! You're just scary with your voice and how

you act!" Kitamura declared. Ryuuji was on the same page as he looked at

Minori. However, she didn't seem to have a single regret as she stuck out

her tongue and grinned in satisfaction.

"So, your letter is 'G.' Here, Ahmin."

"How was that bitter?!"

"That was a bittersweet, true story about my doll."

She stood on her knees in her seat and handed off the mic to Ami,

directly behind her. It probably wasn't because of the story, but Ami was

currently in a bad mood. She roughly brushed up her long hair as she took

the mic. Her lips twisted spitefully.

Ami had actually tried to skip the school trip, but when she told the

bachelorette (age 30) that she would be taking an absence for work, she was

apparently breezily rejected because, "You're a student, so your school trips

are top priority!" Because she had already used work as an excuse, she

didn't have any other way of ditching and had to come in the end.

"'G,' huh?! How about 'Guess what my mood is right now'! Here,

Maya! You've got 'W'!"

Good letter! Nice answer! You're always the best, Ami-chan! There

was applause, but something as little as that couldn't fix Ami-chan-sama's

mood. Still looking sour, she stuck her face into the curtain that hung on the

window and sulked.

"What?! 'W'…wooly mammoth boiled in absinthe."

"Kihara…what do you mean, 'What?!' Your thing is weirder!"

"Maybe that warrants a countdown?!"

Maya wailed, "You mean you're okay with Kushieda's ghost story

and Ami-chan's mood, but my wooly mammoth doesn't count?!" However,

there was no fair judge around for her. No one, not even Ryuuji, wanted to

give the mic back to Minori, and they were all privately in agreement that

that no one wanted to provoke Ami when she was overflowing with

irritation, plus…

"I wanna hear your solo, Maya-sama! Heh heh heh!"

A lot of guys nodded at Haruta's words, which he practically sang as

he crinkled his nose.

"What?! That's not even funny! Besides, people probably did boil

mammoths in absinthe! They probably did?!"

The bus went into a tunnel. Nuh-uh! Ryuuji tried to retort at Maya's

nonsense, but his ears popped, and he scowled.

The tunnel was short. They immediately caught sight of a point of

light ahead that grew as they approached it.

"What?!" The first person to exclaim was Maya, who still had the

mic.

Ryuuji saw white as the strong rays of light showered him. He tried

checking to see what it could have been but had to swallow his breath at

how blinding it was.

"No way! It's snow! Snow! Look, snow! Why are we playing this

game?! This is amazing!"

At Maya's loud screams, even Ami opened her eyes wide and jumped

up. Ryuuji and the others stood up from their seats, and with one look at the

scene beyond the window, began exclaiming like children, "Whoa, cool!"

So far, they had seen grayish-black snow built up under the dirty

guardrails, but this wasn't anything like that. Ryuuji and Kitamura were

cheek to cheek and pressed up against the window. They were exclaiming

like girls.

"Cool, cool, cool! What's that glittering there?! It's sunny out, so it

can't be snowing—"

"Precisely! That is snow! Whoa! It's suddenly like Snow Country!

Amazing!"

The scene beyond the windows was magnificent.

They bustled around, exclaiming at how amazing it was, and the ones

with window seats opened their windows one after another. The cold but

refreshing air suddenly filled the bus, and they breathed it in. Their eyes

glittered as though they were coming back to life.

Beyond the tunnel, everything everywhere was white, white, white. It

glittered, like a world cast from silver. The light from the snow was

dazzling, a scene outside of their normal lives.

"Whoa!" Taiga yelled. "This is the first time I've seen anything like

this!"

She stuck her face out the window with Minori. This is Taiga we're

talking about, Ryuuji thought. She might just tumble right out. But Minori

had a firm hold of the back of Taiga's jacket. He saw that and felt relieved.

"It's soooooo pretty! Whoa, I feel so excited!"

"Isn't it kinda hot for being a snowy mountain?!"

"This is snow country! It really is!"

"Whoa! Those mountains over there are all white! Cool!"

"Ahhhhhhhh! Gotta get a picture! Let's take one together!"

The mountain range that the boisterous class's bus was heading

towards was white and glittered divinely. It looked gallant with its crown of

snow. The remarkably tall summit, piercing the heavens, was bathed in

golden sunlight.

What? It's better than I thought! This is completely fine! It's super

great! The hearts of everyone in 2-C had become one.

Without hesitation, the bachelorette (age 30) sitting in the very front

turned around in excitement and pointed at the peak as she proclaimed,

"Now everyone, are you finally excited now?! We're heading to that

mountain! Ready?!"

YAHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

Their voices and hearts were one. They cheered and applauded as the

bus driver mumbled incoherently, "We're not going to that mountain…"

***

"This is so unfair… How do you look so good in that?"

"You think I look good? Me? Well, I guess I'm the type of person

who just looks good in anything that looks like a tracksuit."

At the gathering area, Kitamura was checking out his own rental gear

as Noto looked at him with obvious jealousy. Rather than normal purple or

any sensible color, the shade of his ridiculous top and bottom was

something that one could really only describe as "flamboyant purple." On

the chest of his top and the hem of his pants, there were lines in lightning

designs that really couldn't be called gold so much as "flamboyant yellow."

That was the kind of snow gear he had on. On top of that, the material

seemed satin-like… Well, because it was satin.

As if that wasn't bad enough, all of them even had competition bib

numbers on their chests. Were they white, you ask? Ridiculous. They were

turquoise, naturally. It seemed that turquoise was the color of class 2-C. The

other classes that gloomily passed by them were dealing with their own

ordeals and had numbers that were in green, maroon, and crimson.

How does he look like that even in ski gear like this? Ryuuji thought.

Kitamura, who stood in his rented boots on top of the packed down snow

path, looked pretty slick. It might have been because of his physique or

because of the PE blood that raced through him, but he made the uniform

look as though it could actually have belonged to a real competitive ski

team. It was scarily believable. If anything, Ryuuji and Noto were in

agreement—Kitamura was unfair.

The moment they arrived at the hotel, they were each given one of

those cruel outfits and put in rooms that were divided by gender. (Those

rooms were also beyond description, though to put it simply, they were

Japanese-style rooms that would make Minori drool.) They got changed and

were made to gather as a class at the entrance to the ski slopes, which was

near the entrance of the hotel.

"Takasu, you kind of look ridiculous…"

"Don't say it. I know."

At Noto's look, which was apologetic, Ryuuji bit his lip. If he smiled,

he was a devil. If he cried, he was a demon. If he opened his mouth, he was

a wanted criminal. There was no way gear in these insane colors would ever

work with the face he had. It was like he was a doll with an interchangeable

head. The closest anyone could get to describing it was "like a Thai drag

queen hitman whose makeup has completely come off by the end of a

battle."

Incidentally, Noto looked like a worn-out ventriloquist's doll used to

explain traffic safety.

"Hah! I've figured out why Kitamura looks so good in it! It's the knit

cap and the goggles he's got around his neck! Noto, Taka-chan, we've got

to copy him!"

Haruta, who had started a meaningless tirade of serious nonsense,

looked like a fashionable boy who had accidentally been sent to juvie. It

was pretty tragic. But somehow, just as the idiot had said, when they all put

on the hats they had brought with them and put their goggles around their

necks…

"…"

"…"

"…"

Each member of the trio frowned at how the others looked.

Something was wrong. There was something so evidentially different

between them and the girls' favorite, Maruo-kun, but hurting each other

wouldn't help anyone.

It was fine. Even if they looked lame or scary, it wasn't as though

they were trying to pass themselves off as cool in the first place. Ryuuji

turned away and took in a deep breath of the chilly mountain air. The air

was fresh, as expected. The cold and clear chill felt good in his lungs, and

he felt like the carsickness that had faintly followed him cleared up, like

taking a Quickle Wiper to the floor.

There was a pile of snow about as tall as a person by the wall that

held the entrance to the slopes. The other guys in the class were making a

big deal out of trying to eat it, and he saw skiers who seemed to be locals

unable to stop themselves from laughing, "That stuff's as dirty as the rest of

it."

They were embarrassing even though they were high school students

—though if no one were looking, Ryuuji would have tried eating the snow,

too.

Actually, there wasn't any point in pretending this wasn't the first

time Ryuuji had gone skiing. Of course, he hadn't seen such huge masses of

snow before, either. He hadn't known that snow could be so blinding.

The scene, without complaints, was grand. He swore on the mama's

boy star that he wouldn't forget to take a picture later to show Yasuko.

Around that time, the girls also started wandering in, and Ryuuji and

the rest of the boys forgot what they looked like as they pointed and

laughed.

"Bwah!"

"Ha ha ha, what're you wearing?!"

"This is the worst…"

"Bwah ha!"

Taiga appeared in front of Ryuuji's eyes with her long hair in braids.

She looked angry enough she could die, and Ryuuji finally let out a laugh.

It was mind-numbingly pink…no, it was hot pink! Plus emerald

green that made one want to just pinch their eyes shut…no, it was EM-ERALD! GREEN! As though trying to elicit the feeling of speed, each of the

girls' uniforms had a curved line that went from left shoulder to right foot.

Of course, the material was kind of satiny… Well, it was actually just satin.

On top of that, all of class 2-C had their turquoise numbers.

The boys' uniforms were something, but this was just a debacle. It

was a modern jumpsuit design, and the waistline, well, was an abomination.

On top of that, Taiga's already petite frame meant that she was practically

swimming in her gear, and she was about seventeen times larger than

normal. If a strong enough wind came by, she'd probably float right up into

the mountains like Mary Poppins. That would be an unexpectedly mournful

way to part.

The year's school trip gear was in such bad taste that the gods of the

distant mountain ranges might be pointing and laughing at them.

"Hee hee hee hee! That's so…hee hee hee!"

"What're you laughing about?! This isn't a laughing matter!"

Taiga was already on the verge of hysterics. She stamped her feet.

"How do they expect us to snow ski on the ski snowpes—the ski

swopes—the ski soaps—how do they expect us to go out on the snow hills

while retaining our dignity in this?! Is this going to be preserved in a group

picture?! If I'm involved in a crime in the future, is this insane outfit going

to be televised all over the country and published in newspapers and

magazines and conserved for eternity?! Urgh! Just putting it into words is

terrifying! Ahhh!"

"Don't commit that crime, then…"

"Victims end up in the news, too! If the world suddenly sees me like

this…huh?! What are you wearing?! You're…bwah ha!"

Taiga looked at Ryuuji and burst out laughing as she collapsed.

Laugh all you want—Ryuuji was serene. Taiga looked just as ridiculous,

and so her laughter didn't hurt him. Plus, the air was nice. The scenery was

amazing.

The blue sky didn't have a single cloud.

The slope started where the entrance to the stops was, and they could

see a large lodge halfway down. It was connected to a slow-moving lift, and

the descending skiers and boarders left beautifully meandering lines behind

them in the white snow.

The slopes, which were mostly deserted, glittered brightly.

"Hey, you guys! Don't underestimate the mountain! And don't be

charmed by a mountain boy! Whoa?!" Minori, who followed after Taiga,

was speechless at the boys' attire. "Whoa! The boys are in colors that make

my eyes bleed, too…ahhh!"

Ryuuji, and everyone else, were rendered speechless as Minori

slipped and fell right over. She hadn't even fallen because the packed snow

had turned to ice and gone slippery.

"Ouch! Hey! Who was eating the banana?!"

At her feet…or rather, at her butt, was a banana peel.

"Minorin, are you okay?! Can you stand?! Are you hurt?!"

Then Taiga tried to lend her a hand, and it probably wasn't just

Ryuuji who was waiting for the next thing to happen.

"Oh no, Minorin's butt is broken…ahh!"

"Ahhhh…"

Trying to get up at the same time as Minori, Taiga, who was basically

guaranteed to do something klutzy, slipped. They tumbled magnificently to

their butts at the same time and began to slide right down the icy slope

while screaming at the top of their lungs.

"Wait! Wait! Wait! No way! Get away, get away, get away!"

"No, stop! That's dangerous!"

Taiga and Minori careened into the trio of beautiful girls who had

been standing ahead of them, sending them flying into a soft snowdrift, and

then came to a halt.

"T-Tiger and Kushieda! What do you think you're doing?!"

"Ugh! This is embarrassing and cold…"

"S-s-s-s-sorry Maya-sama and Nanako-sama! Please, take my hand!

I'm so sorry, Ahmin! Are you okay?"

Minori bent down to lend a hand to the three. Maya and Nanako,

covered with snow, hoisted themselves up.

"Ahmin? Hey, what's wrong?"

There was one girl who did not get up.

Face smushed directly into the snow and her butt sticking straight up,

Ami didn't so much as twitch.

"Dammit, she's dead, Jim," Taiga muttered, and Haruta beside her

shrieked, "PEEE-KYAAA!" He wasn't letting a lightning bolt loose. It

seemed he just thought it was funny.

"Oh no. Ami might not be able to stand because she's lost the will to

live!" Maya said as she stared at Ami's butt. Nanako also nodded.

"It's 'cause the clothes are so lame. We even had to carry her here."

That's idiotic… Ryuuji thought to himself.

Ami's childhood friend, Kitamura, stepped in. "Okay! Having her in

this position is kind of risky, so no one else get involved!"

He firmly grasped Ami's on-all-fours form and yelled, Upsy daisy!

Then he hoisted her buried body out of the snow. He even batted off the

snow stuck to her head.

"Ami! Keep it together! Are you okay?!"

"Where am I…? What happened…? Am I dying…?"

Dressed in the terrible uniform, Ami looked lifeless. Neither her

goody-two-shoes mask nor her true dark underside were showing. Her eyes

were empty, and her mouth was half-open.

"Oh! She really has lost her will to live, poor thing…"

"Anyone have a marker? If we draw a Chanel mark on her clothes,

Dimhuahua will come back to life." Taiga's eyes were serious as she

searched for a bold-tip marker.

"Okay! We've got everyone here! Please get right into your groups

and form a line! Bwah ha!"

All of their eyes suddenly turned in one direction. Before them was

the bachelorette (age 30), also known as Koigakubo Yuri. She was the only

one in her own clothing, in fashionable snowboarding gear—and on top of

that, it was white! Shameless! She was desperately keeping her gaze on the

ground.

"Everyone…you've got some amazing gear on…I couldn't have

imagined this…"

The students stared back at her, lined up in their intense purple and

hot pink with turquoise on the side, and Koigakubo Yuri couldn't keep her

laughter to herself. The giggles she couldn't stifle began to spill from

behind the attendance sheet she hid behind.

Correctly intuiting the class's will, Kitamura became the champion of

a revolution. Ami stood up with a dark grudge in her eyes. Aim for the

skies, down with the castle. Kitamura raised his right arm.

"Ready your aim!"

All of 2-C took snow from their feet. They packed it together in their

hands.

"Huh? What? No! What are you doing? Huh?"

"Fire!"

At Kitamura's command, they all released their snowballs and hit the

bachelorette (age 30) without mercy. The other classes and general skiers

pointed and laughed.

***

After they had all finished their greetings and warm-ups, the secondyear students scattered in groups, creating pink and purple dots on the

gentle snow slopes. In preparation for taking on the full-scale practice

courses after lunch, they were spending an hour beforehand getting used to

the snow and figuring out what their individual levels were.

The nine-person group that Kitamura led was on the vast, expansive

slopes on the gentle foot of the mountain as they put on their ski gear.

"Oh! I-I'm starting to move! What am I supposed to do?!"

It was the first time Ryuuji had put on skis, and though he had just

barely prepared himself, he started to slip down the slope while still halfbent over.

"You need to be perpendicular to the slope!" Kitamura quickly

advised him.

"Huh?! Perpendicular?! But how…ahhh?!"

"Use your poles! If that doesn't work, you can sit down! Just keep

calm and don't hurt your knees! Put your weight in front of you!"

"Huuuh…whoa?!"

He couldn't use the two poles, which just flailed in the air. The more

his skis slid, the further his legs separated, until he was doing the splits.

Ryuuji started to panic that he'd hurt himself, lost his balance, and flipped

over magnificently.

"This isn't fun!"

He looked at his two skis, which were reaching up to the blue skies,

and groaned.

"It's been too long! This snow's pretty nice! Oh, oh. There, there. Oh,

oh, oh, oh."

Perched on a section of hard snow that had been packed into a

mound, Minori was shuffling her weight forward and back as though testing

the snow. Then she lined up her skis perfectly and thrust, twisting her hips

above the mound, and jumped several times to the left and right.

Ryuuji had no idea what she was trying to do, but eventually, Minori

yielded to the mound and fwooshed forward a short distance. She sent snow

flying as she stopped herself. She had perfectly controlled her skis by only

shifting her weight.

She looked unusually cool when she did that. Ryuuji forgot that he

was still sitting down, unintentionally captivated at how confident Minori

was with her skis. Her beanie rested lightly on her head, and her short hair

was forced into a ponytail so it poked out at the bottom. That was also so

unusually cute that Ryuuji already couldn't take his eyes off her.

From a short distance away, as though acting as a spokesperson for

Ryuuji's feelings, Ami patted her gloved hands together in applause.

"Minori-chan, you've got that handled! You're great at skiing!

Wouldn't expect less from our all-around athlete!"

"Heh heh, you think so? Actually, aren't you pretty good, too?"

"What, me? No way! I'm just average!"

I'm average! Ami kept saying as she smoothly pushed herself

forward on a mostly flat area of snow as though she were skating. She

hummed as she leaned her weight on one leg and curved around, almost

like she was doing an elegant dance, to return to them. If that really was just

"average," then what did that make him when he couldn't even stand up?

Was he just an abnormality? A fluke?

Ryuuji was trying to get up, but when he moved his feet, his skis

knocked together, and the curves at the tips tangled in each other so he got

locked into place. To top it off, the backs of his skis were stuck in the snow,

and he couldn't move no matter what he did. He got tired and tried to turn

over on the snow. His lameness was probably on another level.

As he breathed and lifted his face awkwardly, he saw Maya and

Nanako happily laughing.

"Like a V…like a V…oh, I'm doing it! Aren't I pretty good?!"

"I wonder if I can do it if it's just a bend. I haven't been skiing since I

was a first-year in junior high, but it's like riding a bike."

Even they were sliding around like they knew what they were doing.

Like Minori, Kitamura, and Ami, it seemed Maya and Nanako also had

experience with skiing.

Maybe he was the only one in the group who didn't know how? If

that were the case, he felt pretty left out. He wanted there to be another

beginner like him. The moment he thought that…

"Huh? What are you sitting around for, Takasu? Let's go ski!"

Though he was a little unsteady, Noto also slipped by ahead of him. The

light from the snow reflected off his glasses. Then, after him…

"I'm really a lot better at snowboarding."

His long hair fluttering audaciously, even Haruta looked cool as he

slid by. He seemed to be having fun. Ryuuji was using all his willpower to

keep the evil eye in his forehead from opening when he remembered—now

that he thought of it, hadn't Haruta said his grandfather lived right next to a

ski resort?

He felt incredibly left behind. Traitors, he muttered as he stared at his

friends. He accidentally lost hold of one of his poles and quickly tried to

grab on to its strap, but it slid down the gentle slope much faster than

expected. He couldn't even stand, much less go after it. He quickly

followed the direction it headed with his eyes.

"Oh, lost object spotted!"

The snow scattered as someone made a tight and elegant turn.

Minori grabbed the sliding pole and lifted her goggles up. She was

always this enthusiastic whenever it came to sports.

"Is this yours, Takasu-kun? You've got to put this strap around your

wrist!"

She sounded a bit condescending as she lectured him. Her face

seemed too vivid, and he felt like he might be blinded. Coupled with the

blazingly bright slopes, Minori really seemed to sparkle and glitter while

standing in the middle of the snow.

"Hey there! You listening?! Look, hold your pole properly now!"

"Uhhh… Sorry!"

As though he were being drawn into her smile, Ryuuji unconsciously

stood himself up on the slope using only his remaining pole. Huh, I can

stand. Maybe I'll be able to just start skiing like this right away? But the

moment he thought that…

"Whoa?!"

Schloop! His skis started sliding down the slope toward Minori. He

waved his one hand and pole around as he tried to regain his balance. His

legs were incredibly jerky, and his skis were going in completely different

directions as he went forward.

"Ahh!"

"Okay! Just jump into my open arms!" Minori boldly stretched her

arms out in front of him.

"Ahhhh! S-sorry! I'm ashamed of myself!"

"Oof! It's okay… Don't worry about it!"

Nothing could have been more awkward.

He had pretty much run straight into Minori, which stopped him

firmly in his tracks. They lay down on the hard snow together for a while.

"I'm really sorry…"

"Uh! Really, don't worry about it!"

"Sorry, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, ahh…I'm really so sorry…"

The more he apologized, the more awkward it became. Minori was

still on the ground, and his demonic face was pressed a little too close to her

chest, and Ryuuji couldn't stand up. The more he panicked, the more their

skis clunked into each other. At least it was lucky for him that neither of

them could feel anything beyond their gear (like really, really lucky!).

"Takasu-kun, you really don't need to worry about it, but you also

really don't need to panic either."

"No no no, s-s-s-sorry! I'll get up right now! Just wait a second!"

"Actually…whenever you move your skis, you're really giving my

butt a wedgie…"

"Ahhhhh! Noooooo!"

He couldn't fathom where the brute strength came from, but Ryuuji

pulled himself away immediately. He jumped back from Minori, his face as

red as a devil's as he hid his burning cheeks with his gloves. He sat with his

legs folded to the side on the slopes and wriggled in embarrassment.

"H-how could I have… This is too embarrassing… I'm done for! I

can't live anymore! You can leave me behind here! Please!"

"I'm the one who's more embarrassed! Anyway, it doesn't matter, so

just stand up! Okay?!"

"Huh?!"

Lightly skating, Minori came around to Ryuuji's back and stuck her

hands under his arms. Up you go! The moment she pulled him up, she

balanced Ryuuji so he was upright.

"Wh-whoa, wait… I'm moving! I'm moving!"

"Oh, that was close… Oh, but see, you can slide! Keep it going!"

"No! I'm not skiing, I just can't stop!"

With Minori supporting him from the back, they slid down the slopes

while lined up with each other.

"Now you've got to get used to balancing like this! We're going to

keep going like this for a while!"

"You serious?!"

Still holding on to Ryuuji under his armpits, Minori skillfully threw

her poles onto the ground one at a time. She straddled Ryuuji's skis with her

own, keeping her balance firm. Ryuuji's knees naturally relaxed and bent

forward.

"Whoa…oh oh ohhh…"

For the first time in his life, he cut through the wind on skis.

Surprisingly easily, the four skis seemed to dance as they went down the

rough slopes. I see—because my ankles are supported by the boots, I need

to use my knees to ski smoothly. His body understood the logic behind it,

but not the rest of him.

"Oh oh ahhhh! I-I'm definitely scared!"

"It'll be fine. You can't go fast on slopes like these! Careful not to get

tangled up with me!"

"Ahhhhhh! Whoa!"

"Actually, you're really good! When I started skiing as a third grader,

my dad taught me like this, too!"

"B-but…it's sort of embarrassing for me!"

"Why would it be?!"

"Because I'm not a third-grade girl, and you're not my dad!"

"Ha ha ha! Good one! Another!"

Another what?! Ryuuji's reply was blown away in the wind. They

really were going pretty slow as they kept their skis in a V shape together

while sliding down the slope. Little by little, he did feel like he was getting

used to balancing.

At the same time, though, rather than nerves or invigoration, a lot of

other, much more turbulent things started swirling in his mind.

For example, the feeling of the hands under his arms. And the breath

he could feel immediately behind him.

"…"

He started wondering why she had only been willing to grab the edge

of his sleeve earlier, when she was so willing to accompany him so closely

today. He felt like no one would go to lengths like these if they hated the

person they were with, and then he wondered what kind of look she had on

her face in that moment.

"Hey! Don't you think you can ski by yourself soon?! Should I let

go?! Are you okay?!"

Then he thought, maybe he really could expect a different answer

from the one she had given on the night of Christmas Eve.

"K-Ku-shieda…"

I want to know what your true intentions are, what your real feelings

—

"Ahhh, wait?! Don't turn around!"

"Whoa?!"

They lost their balance and veered. In that moment, their skis

clattered and tangled together. Before they knew it, Minori was on her side

and Ryuuji was on his butt as they tumbled down the slope.

Even though it was snow, they hit the ground pretty hard, and the

breath was knocked out of them for a moment.

"Ouch…are you okay?!" Ryuuji panicked a bit as he looked for

Minori.

"Oww…I'm okay! I'm okay! I'm completely fine!"

She patted the snow off her gear and got up right behind him. She put

her beanie back on as she looked back at Ryuuji.

"If you come out to ski, you have to expect little bumps! This was

easy! Look, now stand up on your own!"

Like a teacher, she suddenly pointed at him. She didn't even wait for

Ryuuji to stand up as she turned to the skies and spread out her arms in a

sweeping gesture. "Ahh!"

"Ah well! It was going great though! Actually, I seem to be missing

my poles…"

She looked quizzically at her own empty hands. Ryuuji felt like he

was going to fall over again.

"You're the one who threw your own poles down!"

"Oh, you're right! Oh no, when I grabbed yours, I left mine behind.

Am I an idiot? I'm going to get them back!"

Minori started to skillfully go back up the gentle slope with her skis

still on and without her poles, as though she were walking. She left a

reverse V behind her in the snow as she went.

Left behind, Ryuuji simply watched her back. Incidentally, he still

hadn't figured out how to stand up.

He did feel like he was doing good, though not in the way Minori had

meant. He felt like things would turn out fine.

Then again, maybe expecting things to keep going well was foolish.

He was just being audacious for a boy who'd been rejected. He looked

around at his current situation, left behind, and decided to make sure he

didn't anticipate too much. He would do his best to pretend he didn't notice

the faint hope that came bubbling up inside him.

He breathed in and scowled. He took off the skis that were useless

when he used them alone. However, his thoughts were already jittering,

floating, and overeager in their turmoil. That was bad. He wouldn't be able

to really listen to what Minori actually wanted if he was in such high hopes.

"Whoa?!"

Ryuuji was sent flying forward by a sudden impact. His face was

thrust right into the snow, and he raised his head to figure out what was

going on.

"Don't just stand there, you useless doll!"

He realized he had been run over.

There was Taiga—smugly straddling a sled. Taiga, who was

apparently recklessly sledding down the slopes, glared at Ryuuji with her

face contorted into a brutal expression. Still on the ground, he was unable to

quickly come up with anything to say back at her.

"You…really…you're…actually…you've…seriously…you…"

"Huh? What're you saying? Ugh, bleh! You're in the way! I was

going down so great, and now you've made me stop!"

Taiga sat back down on her red plastic sled, paddling forward with

her rudely splayed legs. She got a little momentum and the sled started

sliding down.

"Whoa…"

"Hmph!"

She ran over Ryuuji, who was in front of her, again.

"Seriously, what are you actually doing? Why're you under my

sled?"

"You-you-you…why you!"

As he stood up, Ryuuji snapped.

"What's with you?! Why are you like that?! Why're you running me

over?! Don't do that! I don't want to be run over!" he wailed as he

approached Taiga.

"Ew…what're you yelling at me for? Did something bad happen to

you? Okay, fine. I'll hear you out on what happened, just this once."

Taiga shrugged her shoulders, pretending to look wise. "What

happened?" She arrogantly thrust out her chin and even had a magnanimous

smile playing across her face.

It was just the way she said that and the look on her face…

NGAAAAAAAH. Ryuuji squeezed out a scream of a kind that had

never come from him before. If he were an American, he'd say

"Goddamn!" If he were Chinese, "AIAHHHH!" In Ryuuji's case though, it

was "NGAAAAAH." He held his head in his hands and then flung them up

as he yelled as loud as he could.

"Something did happen! I got run over! Plus! You did it twice!"

"It wasn't like I said I wanted to ride a sled." Still perched right on

the sled, Taiga put her chin in her hand and started to tell Ryuuji about

something that had nothing to do with his anger. Ryuuji was about to tell

her that her ears might as well belong in the trash if she wasn't actually

going to listen.

"After I rented my skis, but before I got up here, I dropped them

twice, and they hit the bachelorette (age 30) both times. So I went to grab

the skis the second time, and when I turned around to follow everybody, I

hit her with the skis again."

"Th…that's something…"

What she had to say actually seemed to be something worth listening

to. He would never approach Taiga while she held anything long after this.

"So I was banned from having skis. They told me it was too

dangerous and to use a sled instead. I was like, 'Is that something a teacher

should be saying to her student?' Well, I can't ski anyway, and our gear

looks like this, so I told her I didn't care anymore."

"What?!" Ryuuji unintentionally yelled. He pointed at Taiga, and his

eyes suddenly sparkled. "You can't ski!"

"Why are you so happy all of a sudden? Ew!"

The back of his head still hurt from being run over, but at least

something had come of it. He had found someone else who couldn't ski.

That was right—he had forgotten about the klutziest tiger in the whole

world. Taiga.

"I thought I was the only one who couldn't ski in our group. You're

part of the can't-ski team!"

"Huh?! No way! I thought Minorin and Kitamura would obviously be

able to, but everyone else can, too?! Even that idiot?!"

"Take a look at that agile form."

Blergh! Taiga looked at Haruta, who was skiing lightly before her

eyes, and wailed. She rubbed her eyes as though she were in a manga.

"The world is coming to an end…ahhh. Skiing is boring. Why would

anyone wear those long things on purpose and try sliding around on the

snow in the first place? It's not like we live in a place where it snows. I just

don't get it."

"Same. Well…we can't keep complaining. How about you just ask

Kitamura nicely to show you? He's a devil of a teacher, so he'll probably

really beat it into you."

"How would he teach me anything about sledding?"

When she said it out loud, he had to agree. Taiga had a very strong air

of persuasion as she sat enshrined on that bright red sled.

"How about you lead by example and go ask Minorin to teach you?"

"Unfortunately, she already did. And then when she left me, you

chose that moment to bestow your presence upon me and ran me over. Now

I've even lost the opportunity to go after her."

"What? Don't blame anyone else for your own mistakes, you mood

killer." Taiga turned away and huffed out a white cloud. "Seriously… The

way you're going, me trying to live on my own is going to amount to

nothing."

Come to think of it… Ryuuji remembered something.

He felt like it had been a while since he and Taiga had talked alone

together like this. Not so long ago, they had been like this every morning

and every night. Just having a little argument like this made the abdominal

muscles he normally didn't use feel tight and tired.

"Right… It's been a lot longer than I thought."

Ever since he was hospitalized—in other words, ever since Minori

rejected him on that Christmas Eve, Taiga had cut off her contact with

Ryuuji cold turkey. Of course, they saw each other at school, but they really

hadn't been together face-to-face in a while.

"You're really getting into it, too."

At Ryuuji's words, Taiga puffed out her chest and arrogantly swept

aside one of her braids.

"That's right! And I'm going to keep going like this for my whole

life! So you should work harder in order to show your gratitude for how

considerate I'm being! Well…it's not like I'm trying to live on my own for

your sake. In the end, it's for myself."

It's practice for living by myself and becoming an adult.

She continued, "Okay, so anyway, get back! I'll run you over again if

you don't!"

"So you were doing it on purpose?!"

"Well, it's just a figure of speech."

Taiga had a wicked little grin on her face as she began to paddle the

sled with her legs. She then started to slide down the gentle sloping hills as

she gained momentum.

"Whoa?!"

It might have been divine punishment. Before Ryuuji's eyes, her sled

turned itself head over heels. The snow she had flung up scattered in intense

contrast against the blue sky.

"How?!" Taiga yelled.

"You…fell over on your sled. Just how…"

"Ouch! Eek, that was a surprise! I just went too fast!"

He half dragged his heavy boots as he ran closer and righted the

tipped sled. He also tried to help up Taiga, who was covered in snow.

"I don't need you!"

Her words were simple. Taiga hoisted herself up on her own and

slapped off the snow on her gear. Then, she straddled the sled again.

"You know what…I think there's something super dangerous about

you sledding on your own. Maybe you should give it a rest?" Ryuuji had

automatically stepped on the back of the sled to stop it.

Taiga turned around and clicked her tongue. She contorted her face

and glared at Ryuuji.

"Shut up! I said I'm fine! Let go! Get off!"

"No, but I can see it… I can see you sliding down the hill in the sled,

not being able to stop, and then hitting the wall of the lodge and breaking a

bone and crying… If that happened, that bone would hurt for the rest of

your life when it's raining, cold, or hot… That'll definitely happen…and

it'll be a pity."

"You…"

Taiga opened her eyes eerily wide at Ryuuji. She seemed a little taken

aback. She scowled.

"You've got some nerve pretending to care about me while you're

imagining something as ominous as that…"

"But it really could happen. Especially to a klutz like you."

"I said I'm fine! I don't need you taking care of me anymore! Just get

your stinking foot out of the way already!" Taiga yelled as though she were

about to snap and paddled as hard as she could by flailing her legs.

It's the rental boots and not my feet that smell, Ryuuji thought

pointlessly as he bit his dry lips.

It was true that Taiga might not have needed him to take care of her

anymore. Maybe he was just throwing a tantrum at the person trying to use

all their strength to grow up and leave him behind.

It might have just been something as pathetic as that.

"Let! Me! Go!"

"…"

Just as Taiga leaned forward as far as she could, Ryuuji lifted his

foot.

"AHHHHHHHHHH?! Don't just let goooooooooo!"

"Oh…"

It seemed that she had been kicking the snow harder than she

thought. The sled suddenly took off, and Ryuuji panicked as he reached out

to her but didn't make it. "I CAAAN'T STOOOP!" The tail end of her

scream lengthened as she went straight downhill—at least three meters.

"Aaaah!"

She bounced off a snow mound. Tragically, the sled leapt up and

turned over, hurling Taiga forward. She dove face-first into the slope.

I told her so… Ryuuji groaned.

"I don't need your help! But it's your fault that I just fell!" Taiga,

once again covered in snow, threatened him in a low voice. Ryuuji raised

both his hands in the air. I've got it. I won't make a move.

But in that moment…

"Ngh?!"

Suddenly, Taiga was assaulted from the side by a terrific block of

snow, and, once again, fell over from surprise onto the slope. As Ryuuji

wondered what had happened…

"KYAA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA! AHA HA

HA HA HA FWAH HA HA HA HA HA HA! HEE HA HA HA HA HA

HA!"

The one who stood there, her mouth wide open and roaring with

laughter like an ill-natured machine gun, and who had thrown the snow

hard at Taiga, was Ami.

"Dimhuahua…why, you…"

"You're sooooo lame! Falling over on a sled is, like, miraculous!

You're a miraculous idiot! Even I surrender! That's too pathetic! Actually,

it's kind of impressive. KYA HA HA HA HA HA!"

Ami pointed at Taiga with her pole as she continued to roar with

laughter. The look in Taiga's eyes rapidly changed, and her pupils started to

widen. Her hair puffed up to the point one could see it rising.

"Kawashima, maybe you should run away?"

"I'm not so bad at skiing that this gremlin could follow me with a

sled like that. ♥ Well, how about you try to follow me if you're mad? You'd

probably be faster if you rolled down the slopes into a snowball like in a

cartoon. BWAH HA HA HA!"

She began to calmly ski away.

"HMGH!"

Taiga's aim was accurate. The sled, which she had thrown, scored a

direct hit on the back of Ami's head. Ryuuji shook as it happened right

before his eyes. Without another word, Taiga charged at Ami where she had

fallen.

"YAAAAAH!" She leapt on Ami, who was still fallen over on the

slope.

"EEEEEK!" Ami's skis, which remained turned up, were splayed

wide open.

"UGYAAAAAAAH!" Taiga held them down. She grabbed at Ami's

gear and pulled hard at her limbs.

"Sh-she's being eaten alive…" Ryuuji covered his mouth and

trembled as he watched.

"Ha ha ha ha!" Thoughtless and clearheaded, Kitamura skied right

behind them. His teeth shone in a smile that looked like it could have come

straight out of a commercial as he turned and lifted his goggles.

"What're you doing, Ami and Aisaka? No matter how open a snowy

mountain feels, you can't do anything weird—NGAH!"

Ami had summoned the last of her strength to swing her pole, hitting

Kitamura hard right in the crotch.

***

"Kushieda, Ami, and Haruta are on the top-level course. Noto,

Kihara, Kashii, and I are on the mid-range course. Takasu and Aisaka are on

the beginner's course."

At the words of the group leader Kitamura, who was walking slightly

pigeon-toed, everyone politely answered, Okay!

As always, the weather was clear. In the strong afternoon sun, the

slopes were much whiter, and they glittered blindingly. It was bright enough

that it might have hurt their eyes if they didn't have goggles on.

For the afternoon, they would be divided up by level onto courses

with coaches for the real ski practice. Everyone went up to the lift with each

other but separated after that.

"Why don't you get some guts and follow them to the top course?"

"Why're you telling me that when you can't even do it… I'm fine

with a sled, too."

Ryuuji and Taiga were whispering into each other's ears when they

both sighed. According to what they had heard at noon, the beginner's

course was that in name only. In actuality, only people who didn't have any

skiing experience gathered there to play with sleds and make snowmen.

How's that fun on a school trip? Ryuuji thought, but it was also better

than being forced to ski and getting hurt. If he forced himself to go to the

top course just to be with Minori, everyone would be worried about him,

and he would end up being a nuisance. He didn't want that. He couldn't

even stand up. It wasn't as though Minori would support him from behind

the whole time, either.

"Then we're going to the lifts! Everyone come this way! Make sure

to have the lift ticket you were given around your neck!"

The other classes also started heading to the lifts, holding their skis.

The diagram of primary colors wandered around. They were more or less a

spectacle.

At that moment, Maya burst out in a quick tiptoeing run to follow

Kitamura.

"Hey! Hey! Hey! Let's ride the lift together. I want to ride with you,

Maruo!"

He had heard it… Ryuuji automatically turned to Taiga, who was a

little behind him, but Taiga just gave an exaggerated shrug. They were

going to ride lifts that were heading in a different direction. It wasn't as

though she could do anything about it, he supposed.

"Oh yeah, that's fine, but you don't want to ride with Kashii?"

"I want to take a picture with Nanako while we're on the lifts,

though! If we're on the same one, we couldn't get our whole bodies in,

right? Right, Nanako?"

Her hair, which she had recolored to be slightly closer to black, was

long and silky. Maya poked at her best friend, Nanako. Nanako giggled, her

usual soft smile on her face.

"Yeah, that's true."

She communicated with Ami, next to her, with a look. Ami pouted

her mouth in delight. The beautiful trio of girls had clearly already made a

plan to snag Kitamura. Ryuuji glanced at Taiga's face, sure she was

panicking.

"Taiga…"

"Huh?! Wh-what?! Get your face out of mine!"

What do you mean, what? He knit his eyebrows. There was

something obviously strange about Taiga's behavior. Where in the world

was she looking while her favorite, Kitamura, was being steadily led away

by Maya? The moment their eyes met, she had jumped about five

centimeters.

"Haven't you been acting kind of weird recently?"

"Recently? When? Actually, I feel normal. Normal, normal, normal.

I'm normal."

There was definitely something strange going on. She wasn't acting

normal, at least not when it came to Kitamura. Now that he thought of it, he

had felt there was something off for a while. He felt like Taiga was being

kind of strangely cold when it came to Kitamura.

Normally, Taiga would have made a huge deal about being in the

same school trip group as Kitamura. Her face would have turned red as she

said, "I want to be with Kitamura-kun!" In the end, it had worked out that

way, but when it did, it felt like she was happier to be in Ryuuji and

Minori's group, if anything.

"Like I said, what?! Don't stare at me like that!"

"…"

"I said don't look at me!"

No, he would look.

He thought about it. Maybe it was the opposite? He remembered the

two of them talking at Taiga's condo. That was strange, too. If he had to

describe it, it had felt like they shared a unique kind of solidarity in that

moment, as though if one of them were to say, "About that thing we talked

about earlier," the other would have known immediately what it was.

"Something happened with you and Kitamura, didn't it?"

"Huuh?! O-of course not! No no no! Nothing, nothing happened…

Oh…maybe something did? Nothing happened, but I guess you could say

something…maybe did? Yeah, I wonder if something happened? Uhh?"

Ryuuji was silent as, in front of his eyes, Taiga's face changed

dizzyingly. Her face was practically a traffic light.

"D-did I not tell you? Right, something did happen. Umm, during the

beginning of the year, I was walking around alone and happened to run into

him. We went out to a café for a bit. That was it, that's all. Then we went on

a shrine visit—uhh, what was it called again? Hatsumode? We did

something like that."

"…"

Why didn't you tell me?

He didn't say it out loud. If he did, it would have made things feel

awkward. But he still ended up thinking it.

Why didn't you tell me?

Oh, so that's why you two are all buddy-buddy now.

So, there was some kind of link between why she didn't tell him

about meeting Kitamura and how she seemed somehow composed in her

attitude toward him now. It wasn't so much that she was cool as just

composed.

"Because back then, you were in the hospital! And then there was

that other thing! It wasn't like I could be happy right then! I told you, right?

I felt like I was to blame for it! So, so—huh?! Why am I explaining myself

to you?! What is this?!"

"Why did you suddenly get angry?!"

Taiga's face rapidly blushed and turned rosy. She stomped on the

snow, and her large eyes glittered.

"I don't have a duty to report every single thing that happens to me to

you! I have things I can't tell anyone, too! Spilling my guts all the time

would be weirder! I'm not gonna tell you anything I don't want to talk

about! What's so wrong about that?!"

"It's not wrong or anything. Why're you getting mad for no reason?!

There definitely is something weird going on with you! Either that, or

you've got something really shady going on!"

Taiga made a shrieking noise. "GIIIII! L-L-Like I'd tell you

everything, you idiot! There are a tooooooooon of things you'll never know

in your lifetime! There are sooooooooooo many things I'd never tell you

even if I were to die! Like I'd tell you!"

"Do whatever you want! If that's what you want, you can hide as

many things as you want to! But I was telling you everything! If you don't

want to tell me, then just take it with you to your grave! I don't care

anymore!"

"I was going to do that without you telling me to! I don't care what

you think, either!"

Taiga, now on the verge of tears, came at him with her sled. As their

red and blue sleds clashed, Kitamura's voice echoed loudly behind them.

"Why are you two fighting?!"

Do you know what she did?! Ryuuji automatically turned around and

—BAM!—was hit in the back of the head by Taiga's sled.

"You—you—you—!" He was assailed with a barrage of punches.

"Stop! Noto! Kihara!" Kitamura was yelling.

"Wait, they're not talking to us?!" Ryuuji slipped and fell.

"I don't care!" Taiga missed her last attack because he had fallen and

self-destructed by burying herself in the snow.

Then, finally, they noticed. It seemed that they weren't the only ones

having a fight.

"Why do you always butt in?! Why are you getting in the way?!

You're so annoying, annoying, annoying, annoying! Annoooooooyiiiiiing!"

Maya was trying to hit Noto with her pole. Seeing people who

normally never got angry making such a scene, Ryuuji and Taiga forgot

what they had been doing.

"Eep, this is crazy…"

However, Noto hadn't lost yet. He grabbed his pole and pushed Maya

back.

"Kihara, you're the one who's always acting selfish! You're always

up to something, trying to hang around Kitamura! That's way more

annoying!"

"I'm not up to anything! I'm not! I'm not! I'm not!"

"You were! You definitely were! You make everything convenient for

yourself, that's how you always are, Kihara! Even right now!"

His glasses askew, Noto wailed as Maya attacked him again with her

pole.

"Wh-what is this?!"

"Oh, did you finish? This just started." Casually keeping her distance

from the scuffle, Nanako explained.

Maya had been planning to ride the lift with Kitamura, when Noto

said something nasty, like, "Kihara's scheming something again." Maya got

upset and replied, "It doesn't have anything to do with you, Noto." Then

Noto said, "Show-offs stink." Well, and the rest is what you can see now.

"I wanted to say something a looooooong time ago, but Noto, all you

do is get in my way! What's your problem?!"

"I'm not in your way! We just want our friend to be happy! Right,

Haruta?! Isn't that right?!"

"Yes!" Haruta also joined the fray. He wrapped his arm around

Noto's shoulder and stuck his tongue out at Maya.

"Sorry, but you guys' plan isn't working for us!" said Maya. "It's

super shady, plus it's mind-numbingly boring!"

"What?!" said Noto. "I don't really care what happens to your mind

when you're an idiot!"

"Ahhh, let's stop! I said stop! What's going on?!" Minori got between

the three of them, trying to mediate. "Let's all get along! C'mon, we're on a

school trip! Now, this is the end of your fight! Hand it over to me for

safekeeping!"

Noto stubbornly pushed Minori back.

"What good's it gonna do if you get involved?! All you do is joke

around, Kushieda! Sorry, but I'm gonna say what I want today! It's really,

really gotten to me!"

"That's what I want to say!" said Maya.

Maya and Noto glared at each other with even darker expressions.

Minori wailed, "I'm not messing around!" However, Noto and Maya

weren't listening.

Kitamura, also looking troubled, quickly seized their poles.

"I don't get what's going on!" he said. "How did this happen?!

Anyway, let's cool down! Calm down!"

"Oh dear… We've got another idiot on our hands."

Kitamura turned around to look at his childhood friend, who had

whispered that in a sugary-sweet voice. He couldn't hide his irritation. "You

talking about me?"

"If you didn't know, then isn't it obvious? Ahh, I hate this. Hey,

Yuusaku, are you so thick because you're oblivious? Or do you know what

you're doing?"

"What are you trying to say?! Don't hint at it! Just say it!"

This time, it was Kitamura and Ami's turn. It might have been

because they had known each other so long, but Kitamura's voice was three

times louder and pricklier than usual as it echoed across the slopes.

However, Ami's was more than five times pricklier.

"You want me to tell you exactly what it is?" she said. "You want me

to tell it to you straight, but then you'll be all innocent, like, 'Oh, I had no

clue!' And then you'll just be able to act surprised and not take any of the

blame, because you're in the safe zone. That's such a nice position to be in.

You're always like that, aren't you, Yuusaku? Even when we were kids."

"What?! What are you talking about?! How am I always in a safe

zone?!"

"You're serious? You seriously don't know? You don't know why

they're fighting?"

Exasperated, Ami faced the heavens. Kitamura looked back at her

indignantly. That's the type of guy Kitamura is, Ryuuji thought. Noto and

Haruta also exchanged knowing glances. That was the kind of guy

Kitamura was. Why were the girls bringing it up now?

Nanako, who had stuck to not getting involved, whispered, "Ugh, is

Maruo-kun seriously that oblivious? This is, like, violent…"

"Waaaaaah!" Maya started crying. Nanako and Ami ran to her and

hugged her.

"Are you okay?! Don't cry, Maya!"

"Poor thing… Noto-kun, you're seriously horrible. I think you said

too much. You should apologize to Maya."

"I should?! Why?! You think this was me?! You think it's me in the

end?!"

Faced with Maya's crying, and Ami and Nanako's cold stares, Noto

muttered, "I'm the one who wants to cry…" He didn't look cute at all, but

he looked exactly like an otter. Without thinking, Ryuuji stepped towards

Noto and patted him on the back. Don't worry about it.

"You're terwible, too, Takasu-kun! Waaaaaaah!"

"Am I the villain now?!"

Maya cried even harder, glaring at Ryuuji. "Weren'tweartners?!

Weren'tweoneachothewr'ssides?! Then why? Whywouldn'tyoohewlpmeatahll?! Whyreyoosidingwihhim?! WAAAAAH!"

Weren't we partners?! Weren't we on each other's sides?! Then why?

Why wouldn't you help me at all? Why are you siding with him? Waaaaah.

Perhaps because he had to decode what Yasuko was saying every day,

Ryuuji understood what Maya was trying to say to him.

"L-Like I said! You fundamentally misunderstood!"

Ami, still holding the sobbing Maya's shoulder, glared at Ryuuji.

Nanako glared at him, too. Taiga, being Taiga, turned her head away from

him for a different reason as she snorted, "Hmph!"

The girls grouped up together, Minori and Taiga awkwardly sidling

over to Ami and the rest. At least Minori didn't glare at him.

Ami seemed strangely satisfied as she nodded. "Now everyone!"

Taking point as the girls' leader, she opened up her arms. "Let's get Maya

to the bathroom! You guys are soooo terrible!"

Moving as one, with Maya in the middle, the girls left. Nanako

turned around in the end and only had one thing to say.

"Ganging up on a girl to make her cry… You're the worst."

Watching the affair from a distance, people from other classes were

shoulder to shoulder and passing their own commentary, delighted.

"What happened?!"

"Apparently it's a fight!"

"They made a girl cry!"

"What?!"

The boys, who had been left behind, turned to each other and nodded.

We're not wrong at all.

We won't apologize to the girls.

Because we didn't do anything wrong.

Communicating through telepathy, they stuck their hands out and put

them together. "Okay!"

When something like this happened, who cared about skiing? Staying

together as a group? They cared even less about that. The four of them

grabbed each other's hands, immediately got grossed out and let go, and

then climbed onto the beginner's course lift.

It wasn't that they wanted to play on sleds or make snowmen. They

wanted to talk about how they really felt without the girls being able to

hear.