"Let me try." Chika volunteered immediately, rising from her seat and coming to stand before Natsuki. "Amamiya-kun, stand up, stand up."
Natsuki sighed helplessly and got to his feet.
"Heee-shoo~"
The pink-haired girl swiftly extended both arms and wrapped them around Natsuki's arm without a shred of hesitation or embarrassment.
Watching this, Kaguya couldn't help but bite her lower lip.
Hold back.
It's fine.
It's just a hug. Speaking up would only be admitting that she cared, wouldn't it?
Heh heh heh heh... You, as a girl, can make physical contact with a boy this freely without the slightest concern—and smile so happily while doing it. Do you even know what the word "dignity" means?
A walking fat polymer, a cancer upon this earth! Let go already!
"Eh, it really does work. Amamiya-kun is so warm." Chika's eyes shimmered as she turned her head and called out: "Kaguya-chan, come warm up too!"
Kaguya's gaze wavered with indecision.
If she just went because someone told her to, wouldn't that be terribly embarrassing? Besides, hugging a boy in front of this many people to warm up—that was far too humiliating!
"Um, can I... try?"
A stranger girl wrapped her arms around herself, shivering uncontrollably. She couldn't help but murmur: "I'm so cold. I feel like I'm going to freeze to death."
"Of course, everyone line up. Come warm up one at a time." Chika was incredibly generous, her voice bright and cheerful. "Hiyori-chan, you go first. One minute each."
"Thank you, Fujiwara."
The girl's face was full of gratitude as she hurried over to stand before Natsuki.
"Shouldn't you at least ask for my opinion before arranging something like this?" Natsuki couldn't help but complain. "I haven't even agreed yet."
"Being hugged by girls to stay warm—isn't that one of every boy's top three dreams?" Chika looked up at him. "Amamiya-kun must be so happy."
Natsuki's expression was deadpan: "I'm sorry. Not happy at all."
Being squeezed between soft, sweet-smelling girls would indeed be enjoyable—the problem was that every single one of these girls was ice cold, like being held by blocks of ice. There was absolutely no pleasure to be had.
"Me me me." Kotoriyū Rokka fell into line as well. "I want to warm up too. Yukino-senpai, come on!"
Yukino Yukinoshita sat on the sofa, both arms wrapped tightly around herself. She didn't move.
The others, however, paid her no mind. One by one they began queuing up, using Natsuki as a warming tool.
Watching the line of girls forming in front of Natsuki, Kaguya quietly bit her lower lip.
You're all the same as Fujiwara—not a single one of you cares in the slightest about making physical contact with a boy!
"Mmm, it really is so warm."
"Natsuki-kun's body is so cozy."
"A human-shaped hand warmer."
"..."
The female players who'd wrapped themselves around Natsuki's arms for warmth all gave glowing reviews.
Natsuki tilted his head back and stared at the ceiling. So this was what it felt like to be used as a plaything by a parade of girls—and for free, no less. Every touch, every contact, brought nothing but cold. Just when he'd finally managed to thaw the ice, the next person would take their place... No matter how much heat he had, they were going to drain every last bit of it.
"Eh, my countdown changed." One of the female players suddenly shouted. "The time increased by a whole hour!"
"Mine got longer too." Another player spoke up. "Though not by a full hour—just forty-five minutes."
"That's strange. Why would the countdown suddenly get longer?"
"..."
Hearing the commotion, Natsuki raised an eyebrow and opened his game panel.
The main quest was unchanged—still "survive." But the countdown had been extended by a full three hours.
"The countdown wouldn't extend for no reason. Something must have happened..." Chika pressed her fingers to the bridge of her nose, murmuring as she analyzed. "But what could it be?"
The pink-haired girl's gaze quickly landed on Natsuki. She blinked a couple of times: "Could it be because of Amamiya-kun?"
Natsuki turned to look at the ice queen, still seated on the sofa: "Has your countdown gotten any longer?"
"No." Kaguya cupped both hands around her mouth, breathing into them for warmth as she shook her head. "The countdown hasn't changed. There are still two and a half hours left."
Natsuki then looked at the black-haired girl beside her: "And you, Yukinoshita-san?"
"No change."
Yukino Yukinoshita shook her head lightly.
...Wait. Something wasn't right.
Natsuki's gaze shifted, settling once more on the ice queen's face.
She was clearly exhaling to warm her hands—but something was missing.
"Hm?"
Kaguya tilted her head slightly, her expression questioning.
A prompt appeared before Natsuki's eyes.
[Taking a closer look, you notice your future wife is very much not right... Why isn't her breath coming out as white mist?]
The most off thing here is definitely the "future wife" part!
But... it was true. There was no white mist.
As everyone knew, in cold weather, exhaled air would encounter the lower temperature and condense, forming a visible white vapor in the air.
The temperature inside the castle had dropped significantly by now. Frost had formed in many places. Breathing without producing white mist was deeply strange.
Natsuki silently glanced at the others and discovered that it wasn't just Kaguya—every single person was the same.
He exhaled softly himself. The familiar white mist did not appear. Evidently, he was no exception.
Since both arms were available for warming, the female players cycled through quickly enough, and the immediate danger of freezing stiff was temporarily averted.
"Amamiya-kun." Chika pointed at him. "Hurry and sit on the sofa. Warm up Kaguya-chan for me. She's already so cold she can't even move."
"I have not!" Kaguya protested immediately.
Yes, it was cold—but she hadn't frozen to the point of being unable to move. She simply didn't want to stand in line with everyone else!
Natsuki glanced at the shivering ice queen, walked over, and sat down beside her. He extended his right arm:
"How about you reluctantly give it a try?"
"I refuse."
Kaguya declined in an instant. Hugging a boy's arm for warmth—no matter how she thought about it, it was too embarrassing!
More importantly, so many other girls had already done it. If she went now, he was already "tainted." That simply wouldn't do!
Natsuki pondered for two seconds. "How about we try a different position?"
"Eh?"
"It doesn't have to be hugging an arm." Natsuki said. "You could also turn slightly, and we could sit back to back. Want to try?"
"...That's acceptable."
Kaguya shifted her body slightly, tense with anticipation. Before long, she felt the backs of the two of them come into gentle contact.
Touch—contact made!
A faint warmth seeped quietly from Natsuki's back, easing the stiffness that had been settling into her body.
Kaguya let out a quiet breath. Her mind suddenly drifted back to yesterday afternoon during the haunted house adventure—when Natsuki had pulled her up, the warmth that had transferred through his hand had felt incredibly comforting...
Thump thump thump.
Her heartbeat began to quicken on its own.
Kaguya instinctively pressed a hand to her chest. Stop it! It was nothing more than a simple touch of their backs—why was her heart racing? This was far too strange!
"Yukino-chan, you should warm up too, you know?"
Chika looked toward the last remaining black-haired girl.
Yukino Yukinoshita sat with her arms folded tightly across her chest. She glanced at Natsuki, then shook her head lightly—about to decline—when her gaze suddenly froze:
"The fireplace... I think there's a flame?"