-AURORA ACADEMY OF EXCELLENCE, SAPPORO, HOKKAIDO, JAPAN-
-8:07 AM, DECEMBER 2, 2016-
Morning arrived at Aurora Academy in clean lines and quiet order.
Snow had been cleared from the walkways before sunrise, leaving the stone paths damp and dark against the white hedges. Students passed through the gates in neat uniforms, voices low, breath pale in the cold.
Ichika Komori stepped onto campus with her usual composure.
She greeted classmates politely, returned bows, and moved through the halls as if nothing within her had changed.
But something had.
It revealed itself in small, treacherous ways.
The way her eyes searched the corridor without meaning to.
The way her steps slowed near the staircase that led toward the theatre wing.
The way her chest tightened—not with anxiety, but anticipation.
She sat through homeroom, hands folded neatly atop her desk.
Focus, she told herself.
Lessons followed, one after another, her notes clean and precise. Teachers praised her attentiveness. Classmates whispered that Komori Ichika was as flawless as ever.
None of them noticed how often her gaze drifted to the window.
Or how she wondered, quietly, if Rikuu Arakawa had slept at all.
-CLASSROOM 1-A HALLWAY, AURORA ACADEMY OF EXCELLENCE-
-10:41 AM, DECEMBER 2, 2016-
Rikuu walked out of his classroom as the bell rang, shoulders loose, expression indifferent.
Class 1-A was louder than 1-B. More competitive. More restless.
He ignored the chatter easily.
"Arakawa."
He stopped.
A classmate leaned against the wall, arms crossed. "You going to club again later?"
"Yeah."
"You're really serious about that acting thing, huh?"
Rikuu shrugged. "Something like that."
The boy smirked. "Didn't think you'd fit in there."
Rikuu didn't respond. He didn't need to.
As he walked away, his thoughts drifted—not to rehearsals, not to lines—but to a quiet voice and careful eyes.
Komori.
He frowned slightly.
This is stupid.
He didn't belong in her thoughts any more than she belonged in his world.
And yet—
He found himself checking the clock.
-SCHOOL COURTYARD, AURORA ACADEMY OF EXCELLENCE-
-12:14 PM, DECEMBER 2, 2016-
Lunch passed beneath a pale winter sun.
Ichika sat with Misuzu and Kiyomi as usual, her lunch arranged carefully.
"You've been spacing out a lot lately," Kiyomi said bluntly, biting into her bread. "Like… a lot a lot."
"I have?" Ichika asked, genuinely surprised.
Misuzu smiled gently. "A little."
Ichika lowered her gaze. "I didn't mean to."
Kiyomi leaned closer, lowering her voice dramatically. "Is it the theatre club?"
Ichika's fingers stilled.
Misuzu watched her closely—but said nothing.
"…I enjoy it," Ichika replied after a moment. "That's all."
Kiyomi hummed suspiciously. "Uh-huh."
Across the courtyard, a familiar figure crossed the open space.
Rikuu.
He walked alone, hands in his pockets, steps unhurried. Snow crunched softly beneath his shoes.
Ichika didn't look away fast enough.
Their eyes met.
Just for a second.
Rikuu looked away first.
Ichika felt the heat rise to her cheeks.
Misuzu followed her gaze and understood immediately.
"You don't realize it yet," Misuzu said quietly, "but you're already standing closer to the edge."
Ichika swallowed.
"…Am I?"
"Yes," Misuzu replied gently. "And you're not afraid."
Ichika didn't answer.
But her heart did.
-THEATRE ARTS CLUBROOM, AURORA ACADEMY OF EXCELLENCE-
-4:26 PM, DECEMBER 2, 2016-
Rehearsal that afternoon was quieter than usual.
Scenes were practiced. Notes were given. Corrections made.
Ichika performed with a calm intensity—each line deliberate, each pause measured. She wasn't trying to impress.
She was trying to understand.
Rikuu watched from the side, arms crossed, eyes sharp.
She's changed, he thought.
Not dramatically. Not suddenly.
But enough.
When rehearsal ended, students filtered out one by one.
Ichika lingered, gathering her things slowly.
"Komori."
She looked up.
Rikuu stood near the door.
"Yes?"
"You staying late again?"
"Just a bit," she replied. "I like to review."
He nodded once. "Don't push yourself."
It slipped out before he could stop it.
Ichika smiled—soft, warm. "I won't."
Their eyes held for a moment longer than necessary.
Then Rikuu turned and left.
Ichika stood there, heart beating faster than it should.
-DOWNTOWN SAPPORO STREET, HOKKAIDO, JAPAN-
-6:03 PM, DECEMBER 2, 2016-
Rikuu walked through the city as dusk settled, snow beginning to fall again.
He told himself he was tired. That the cold was getting to him. That he needed to focus.
But the truth was simpler—and more dangerous.
Komori Ichika was no longer just someone from school.
She was crossing lines he had drawn carefully. Melting distances he depended on.
Somewhere across the city, Ichika stood by a window once more, watching snow gather on the glass, her heart warm in a way she didn't yet have words for.
Winter tightened its hold on Sapporo.
And for the first time—
fire did not retreat.