Hourglass [Quintessential Quintuplets]

Chapter 12 - Ignite

Third Person POV:

Try looking at the roof.

Ichika was on the way to the rooftop with an weird sense of confidence.  Since the roof is one of the places where students are not allowed to go, the surroundings were completely empty. Even the sound of the chaos below was barely reaching this floor. People had already started making their plans for the next events, even though they have more than a month.

Ichika reached the top with all the thoughts in her mind. The door to the rooftop stands left ajar. It should have been locked, yet no trace of any visible damage to the lock. She paused, her hand hovering over the handle, her thoughts racing. It wasn't hard to guess who might have left it open.

Her hand hovered over the handle for a beat. ''Kazuma-kun, you there?''

No voice answered.
Ichika pushed the unlocked door and entered the roof.
The winds of late summer were blowing already.
Autumn was almost here.

''Wind feels so good...'' She took a few steps forward to admire the view.

The scenery was truly mesmerizing. The beautiful and colorful leaves of summer were giving themselves to the wind, slowly turning into every shade of yellow. Even though it wasn't as big as their old school, Ichika and her sisters had managed to adapt to this school somehow. With the help of her friends, of course. A small smile crept onto Ichika's face when she finally realized her efforts hadn't been in vain for her family.

''. . .''

However, she didn't forget why she came here, enjoying the view does not mean forgetting her purpose. "Kazuma-kun, are you hiding or something?"

"Lower your voice; no need to shout."

The reply came near the railing.
Ichika's head turned, and sure enough, there he was in the shadows. 
Her lips curved upward. ''I knew you would be here, hehe!''

Kazuma was at the edge, his back leaning against the rusted metal bar, eyes fixed somewhere in the distance. His posture somewhat between relaxed and guarded. "No, you didn't. Either Asuka or Fuutarou must have told you."

''Rude as ever, hmpf.'' Ichika huffed, crossing her arms over her chest. ''Why didn't you answer when I first called you?''

''I thought you were with a teacher. The last thing I need right now is dealing with them.''

The usual dead eyes, cold attitude and dark clothes.
If you saw him, you'd think he was a character straight out of a crime novel.
But no matter how bad someone looked, he had been the one to come to Ichika's aid in her darkest hour. Looks were genuinely the cheapest thing about a person.

"Now it's clear why I can't see you anywhere...''  Ichika glanced around the entire broad roof a number of times. ''Uwa! It's actually quite nice here, onee-chan won't lie. If it wasn't for the prohibition, onee-chan bet this place would be packed as hell."