This Warmth Of Yours

Chapter 27 - Tranquility Before the Storm

The final performance. The act that ended all acts. Haru simply shut her eyes.

...

By the time she opened them again, she felt warmth dripping onto her face. It was his tears. She didn't understand. Or, well, her character didn't understand.

...

She wasn't going to move. The rope right above her frayed, twisted, snapped.

He launched himself forward, at a speed he didn't know was possible. It hurt, the weight of a cardboard tree crashing against his back at the sharp corner. He was sure the petite girl beneath him was trembling, yet when his eyes met hers, it appeared that the one trembling was him all along.

Her eyes were clear, almost as if this didn't faze her at all. She reached out towards his cheek, groping it in her hands. The slender fingers icy, unfamiliar.

Huh...?

She parted her lips.

"My dearest knight, why have you come to save me? For I am nought but the fearsome creature told in tales, the witch of the forest, the one that should've died long ago."

He suppressed himself from turning towards the audience. He had forgotten. He must play along too. Kyoya's reputation was at stake as the one responsible for this mishap. His brows furrowed and he grit his teeth. Damn it.

"I'm not here to save you, I'm here to convince you to save yourself. You wanted to see the world beyond the forest, didn't you!?"

...

Joyful chatter reverberated in the hall as the small crowd gradually streamed out. Yuki turned to Haru, the girl still donning the witch's costume. "Haru–" he was instantly interrupted. Both of them were swarmed by their respective classmates, spouting endless praise and concern alike. Kyoya effortlessly weaved through the crowd, a single sweat dripping down his chin. Yuki chuckled as the ever so stoic boy circled the two of them, frantic in movement. Kyoya hadn't even spoken anything yet, but he was expressing himself enough.

Ding dong ding dong...

A sanguine voice rang out over the school intercom. "Uh-ahem! With this, Niji High's school festival is now over!!!" Enthusiastic clapping can be heard from the other side of the speaker. "Good work, everyone!!! Go home safely today and we'll clean all of this up tomorrow!"

Rika pat Haru on the back. "Ice cream's on me, everyone! How about it? Consider it a little gift from me for doing so well!"

Nami scoffed, nudging Rika's arm. "And to celebrate a certain someone's new relationship, right?" she teased.

Rika turned red at her joke, her eyes flickering between Kyoya and Nami. Kyoya wasn't even standing near them, he had no idea what they were talking about. Haru couldn't help but to smile.

The apricot dyed streets became flooded with students and guests walking home. Haru bit into her strawberry ice cream, her eyes inexplicably drawn to the mother-daughter pair before her. The mother was braiding her daughter's hair on the bench. Haru caressed her own braided hair, a pained smile flashing across her face for a mere split second.

All of them noticed, but none of them could say a thing. Just then, Haru giggled. "What's up, Haru?" Kana asked.

"I– I remembered when Yuki lost the race to school that one time, so he had to buy us all ice cream, and that emptied his wallet instantly, so he had to cut back on buying anything for a while..."

Rika stuttered. "H– hey, I'm not that broke, okay? I can afford a few ice creams for friends!"

"Yeah? Can I buy another one, o benevolent and generous Rika?" Kana pointed at the special triple ice cream combo on the poster. Rika snuck a peek into her wallet and smiled. "S– sure..."