They had only walked a short distance when Amikura slowly exhaled, feeling like she had mentally prepared herself.
Just then, a snowball suddenly smacked her right in the face.
The icy chill instantly wiped away all her thoughts, freezing her brain in place.
"Ah, sorry! We didn't see you there!"
Kaoru turned toward a group of students playing in the snow.
They had been having a snowball fight, their faces still flushed with excitement, but now they looked timidly at Kaoru and Amikura.
"Be more careful next time."
"We're really sorry!"
"..."
With such an unexpected mishap, Kaoru couldn't really say much—except that their aim was impressive.
"You okay?" Kaoru turned to Amikura.
Snow clung to her face like a makeshift mask, her eyes devoid of their usual spark.
"I-I'm fine." She forced a smile, unconsciously hugging her arms.
Just as she was about to leave the awkward scene, she suddenly sneezed, shivering all over.
"Doesn't look like you're fine to me." Kaoru frowned as her nose gradually turned red.
"Is that outfit even warm enough?"
"Of course it is! Look, it even has fur lining." Amikura pouted, pointing at her sleeves.
Though her dress had an off-shoulder design, she had specifically worn a fur-trimmed shawl over it.
However, when she raised her arms, the full and perky curves of her chest faintly revealed themselves, a glimpse of delicate, fair collarbones flashing by.
Her pristine arms further exposed the clean underarms of a maiden, exuding an unusual allure.
Especially with her slightly indignant expression, it was clear she felt no impropriety in her actions—or perhaps she was simply accustomed to being this close to Kaoru, unaware of the charm she currently possessed.
"Down there too?" Kaoru cast a skeptical glance at her straight calves.
The hem of her Christmas outfit was slightly short, revealing a sliver of thigh as well as legs clad in white thigh-high socks.
The thick material didn't appear coarse in the slightest; instead, it had a polished, smooth sheen that only made one want to reach out and feel their texture.
Amikura's cheeks flushed slightly.
Truthfully, when girls wore skirts out, they always felt a bit of a draft below, and even with stockings, that sensation never completely faded.
She was used to it, but she had somewhat underestimated this outfit's resistance to the cold.
Even so, Amikura was too embarrassed to say it outright and only murmured.
"I'm wearing warm safety shorts underneath, so it's fine."
Because the skirt was a bit short, she had deliberately worn safety shorts to prevent any accidental exposure.
Kaoru blinked, momentarily stunned.
The sight of the blushing girl inexplicably made him want to see those safety shorts.
"Achoo—" Another odd sound escaped Amikura, her little nose now thoroughly red.
Seeing this, Kaoru had no choice but to take off his own coat and drape it over her without hesitation.
"I know you look adorable right now, but adding a coat won't ruin that. You can take it off when we take photos later."
His coat carried a lingering warmth—the heat of a man's body—making Amikura's mouth go dry and her heart beat faster than usual, her breathing growing uneven.
"Achoo—"
Instinctively, she tightened the coat around herself before realizing how improper that might seem.
"Y-you're quite considerate of girls, no wonder you have a girlfriend."
"Because I only take care of cute girls," Kaoru said offhandedly. "I'll buy you a hot drink later. Just be careful when you get back, and you probably won't catch a cold."
Amikura didn't register the rest of his words, only hearing "cute girls" echoing in her ears.
How many times had he called her "cute" today?
Leading the dazed girl along, Kaoru soon arrived at a convenience store, picking up a few small carrots.
Though black buttons were rare, this store happened to sell them too.
Spotting dango, Kaoru bought a few skewers to feed Amikura, along with a cup of instant coffee, finally managing to perk her up.
On a bench outside the convenience store, Amikura sipped the steaming coffee, her previously uncomfortable body gradually warming up, the sneezes finally subsiding.
Kaoru checked his phone—it was about time.
Turning to Amikura, he said, "There's something I want to talk to you about. Can you come with me for a bit?"
"Can't we talk here?" Amikura found it strange, but seeing his serious expression, her heart began to pound.
"This place is too crowded. I want you to meet someone."
Seeing Kaoru stand up, Amikura hesitated for a moment before following, though she couldn't help wondering who she was supposed to meet.
The two left the convenience store and walked down a secluded path, where they spotted the figure of a girl leaning against the railing by the artificial lake.
Amikura stiffened—she recognized her.
It was Shiho Manabe from Class C.
"Bringing this up now might feel like reopening old wounds, but you probably haven't forgotten what happened at the start of the school year. Shiho accused you of stealing in the library. Even though it was a setup by Class C, it left you depressed for a long time."
Hearing Kaoru's words, Amikura was momentarily stunned.
What was going on? Why was Shiho Manabe here?
"Back then, Ryuen ordered us to do it. Ibuki planted the item, and I was the one who framed you." Shiho Manabe lowered her head.
"I'm sorry for what happened."
Amikura stared blankly at the girl before her.
She had never expected an apology, let alone for Shiho to admit the truth on her own.
After all, so much time had passed—hadn't it?
Even she had nearly forgotten about it.
Did anyone from Class C even remember what they had done to her?
"Even though Ryuen made us do it, that doesn't mean I bear no responsibility. Honestly, I really resented you Class B students back then. I was unhappy about being in Class C, so I was more than willing to go along with it."
Shiho's candid words left Amikura at a loss.
"But now, I don't think any of that matters anymore. Whether you're in Class C or Class B, it doesn't make a difference. As long as there's someone you care about, someone who pays attention to you, what you do—"
Kaoru coughed, cutting her off.
She was clearly going off-topic, and if he didn't stop her, she might end up confessing something else entirely.
"Anyway, I realized I made a terrible mistake, so I wanted to apologize to you properly. Whether you forgive me or not is up to you." Shiho still didn't raise her head. "I know I don't deserve it. I've done a lot of bad things, not just to you, but to many others."
Amikura glanced at Kaoru.
Was this his doing?
She looked back at Shiho with a complicated expression.
Honestly, she had been furious about what happened back then—but what could she do now?
Slap her?
Amikura wasn't the type to do that.
After spending time with Ichinose, she had come to understand one thing—if she sought revenge just because someone else had wronged her, how was she any different from them?
So, Amikura didn't want to stoop to Shiho's level.
"It's in the past. I'll might accept your apology." Amikura paused. "But you didn't ask for my forgiveness, and I won't give it that easily. Let's just treat each other as ordinary classmates."
Shiho Manabe finally looked up, exchanged a glance with Kaoru and then smiled knowingly.
"That's more than enough."
Amikura watched as Shiho walked away before turning to Kaoru.
"Did you arrange for her to apologize to me?"
"Are you unhappy with it?" Kaoru asked.
"No, I'm just frustrated. On one hand, I don't want to let her and Class C off the hook, but on the other, I don't want to stoop to their level." Amikura felt conflicted, perhaps this was the common plight of most honest people.
Before coming to ANHS, she had always been a well-behaved student who wouldn't do anything outrageous, and that hadn't changed much.
Kaoru remained silent for a moment.
"Actually, before giving you the gift, I had planned to apologize to you."
"Huh?" Amikura was surprised, not understanding what he meant.
"The framing was indeed Class C's doing, but I was the one who fanned the flames." Kaoru revealed the part of the truth that Ichinose had kept from her.
"At the time, I wanted to make Honami submit to me, so I used you."
As he slowly recounted the entire sequence of events, Amikura stood frozen in place, completely motionless.