Chapter 56: After the Snow Melts

The rain pours down, the wind blows, the thunder rumbles, and the snow piles up.

After overcoming the fury of a harsh winter, spring would surely arrive.

However, it was still the season in the middle of winter.

Still, the dazzling sun shined on the surroundings, wrapping the cold body in warmth.

The town, which had been dyed white overnight, melted in the warm heat and regained its original appearance.

On the other hand, a man who was overheated and burned out buried his face deep into a pillow.

‘I said some cheesy things back then…’

Thinking back on the events of yesterday, Asahi continued to agonize over his words and actions.

Words spoken in a spur-of-the-moment manner could cause embarrassment when one calms down later.

But he didn’t regret expressing his honest feelings.

However, embarrassing things would still be embarrassing.

It was the first time for Asahi to feel so disturbed by his own mind.

He could still feel the touch of Fuyuka’s head on his right hand, and the cold tears and warm smile were still engraved on his mind.

And so, the love that he finally became aware of was slowly heating up inside his heart.

His cheeks naturally relaxed when the intercom rang to announce the arrival of a visitor, so it was probably so severe.

For no reason at all, he fixed his appearance in front of the mirror and slowly opened the front door.

Asahi welcomed the pretty girl standing ahead of him, maintaining a sense of normalcy.

—

“You’ve been surrounded more than ever today.”

“I feel so sorry that I caused everyone to worry so much.”

Fuyuka looked perfectly normal, as if yesterday’s events had been an illusion.

Asahi’s heart was still pounding inside, but the casual conversation continued in the spacious kitchen.

The fact that the cooking progressed without a hitch while they were chatting was proof that Fuyuka’s skills were definitely improving.

A few minutes later, the table was lined with a variety of colorful dishes.

The main dish of the day, the highlight of the meal, the egg soup, stands out among the rest.

“It really does taste just like Soleil Levain’s soup.”

Fuyuka’s eyes sparkled as she took a sip of the egg soup that was poured into her cup.

Asahi had decided to make this soup today.

It was something that came to his mind when he heard about Fuyuka’s dark and cold past.

The complexity of her family environment and the tragedy that covered Fuyuka’s heart with a hard thick ice. On the other hand, he also heard that there were indeed some happy memories there.

One of them was Soleil Levant, a special egg soup made by the Kagami Family. And if only a little bit of this warm food could heal the wounds in her heart.

Asahi wanted to give Fuyuka a taste of this as soon as possible.

“Thank you, Asahi-kun. You’re very considerate.”

 

“Well, yeah. Sorry if it’s none of my business.”

“No, I’m very happy about it.”

 

Fuyuka smiled faintly, as if his concern was apparent.

“Asahi-kun, that kindness of yours, I really like it or rather…”

“Go on.”

 

“Ah, no, it’s nothing.”

 

“Now, you’re making me curious.”

 

When Asahi urged her to continue, Fuyuka shook her head.

“I’m curious.”

 

“It’s a secret.”

 

“Give me the initial.”

“Can you really get it from that?”

“L…”

“L…?”

“That’s the initial.”

 

Without saying anything else anymore, Fuyuka reached for the soup again.

As he gazed at the scene that had somehow become his daily life, Asahi went through his memories from a few months ago. In most of his memories, he saw Fuyuka.

The girl who rejected others and closed her heart and was called the Ice Lady. Yet, if you got involved with her, she was just a normal girl who could be found anywhere. Behind the ice, a smile that blooms like sunshine could be seen.

‘Yep, I love her.’

He liked Himuro Fuyuka.

As he reconfirmed his feelings, their eyes met.

“As expected, Asahi-kun’s cooking is really the best.”

Seeing the cute smile that appeared to her face along with such delightful dialogue, Asahi felt his heart jumping.

The same thing happened again and again since yesterday.

Fuyuka’s every little word or action would quietly shake him to his core.

When you fall in love, the world changes.

Such a cheesy phrase was hitting Asahi as truth.

At a moment’s notice, he could not help but think of Fuyuka.

Even in day-to-day conversations, he would become strangely conscious.

He sometimes found himself following her beauty with his eyes.

Once one was aware of those feelings, one couldn’t go back so easily.

“Isn’t your face red, Asahi-kun?”

“It’s just you…”

 

Asahi looked away to dodge the topic.

What Fuyuka was about to say earlier, what if she felt the same way as he did.

Such faint anticipation warmed up his body.

However, Asahi kept his feelings buried deep in his heart.

“Thanks for the food.”

“Thank you for the meal. Please let me know how to make the soup again.”

 

“Sure. It would be hard to learn it all just today.”

“Hmph…I’ll remember it perfectly next time.”

Fuyuka’s cheeks puffed up slightly as Asahi teased her.

It was the same exchange as usual, but with different feelings for the other person.

They were still freshmen in high school, so they had plenty of time.

For now, as friends.

Asahi decided that he would slowly face the feelings that he had developed for the first time..