Time passed, and winter came around again.
Gray clouds blanketed the sky over Chiba Prefecture. Fine snowflakes drifted down, and a fair hand caught one of them.
The snowflake rested for a moment in the cool palm, then melted into a tiny drop of water.
"It's that time of year again." Hoshida No gazed at the falling snow and murmured softly. He slipped his exposed hand back into his coat pocket.
He raised his hand and opened his black umbrella. Snowflakes pattered against its edge as he walked steadily down the lightly snow-covered road.
Hoshida No had been staying at Uncle Kenichi's house for over two years. Thanks to the physical advantage of his height, he had easily landed a job at a general goods store.
His tall, well-built figure and handsome face had also made the store the most popular with young girls.
Hoshida No pushed open the door of a bookstore. The wind chime rang softly, and the owner glanced up at him, then nodded in familiar greeting. "Here to pick up your little sister again?"
"Yeah." He dipped his head in reply, scanned the neatly arranged bookshelves, then leisurely pulled a book with a simple cover from the literature section.
He went straight to the armchair by the window and sat down, resting his umbrella against the corner. The hem of his black coat brushed the seat.
The middle school gates stood just outside the window, and a thin layer of snow covered the field within the fence.
He opened the book and ran a fingertip over the clearly printed words, but every so often his gaze drifted to the silver watch on his wrist.
The bookstore was quiet, with only the sound of pages turning echoing through it.
The watch hands pointed to four—four in the afternoon. Hoshida No finally stood, picked up his umbrella from the corner, and returned the book to its place.
The moment he pushed open the door, a biting gust of wind swept snowflakes into his face.
Snow was falling heavily outside, and a few students could be seen at the school gates, hunching their shoulders against the cold.
Among them, Kei's golden hair stood out. Her fluffy blond hair was tied in a high ponytail, with a pale blue ribbon woven through it.
Even bundled up in a dark winter blazer, a navy pleated skirt, and white stockings, the girl's graceful figure was hard to hide.
The girls gathered around her were chattering away. One of them noticed someone at the school gates, her eyes lit up, and she gently nudged Kei with her elbow before pointing toward Hoshida No.
Kei immediately turned to look.
The moment she saw the tall figure standing in the snow beneath a black umbrella, she waved goodbye to her classmates and hurried toward Hoshida No, almost breaking into a run.
Her leather shoes crunched cheerfully through the snow.
Hoshida No stepped forward and lifted his wrist, tilting his umbrella just enough to shield the girl as she reached him, keeping the falling snow off her head.
He naturally reached out with his free hand and gently brushed the snow from the top of her head with his fingertip.
The gesture wasn't especially tender, but it was careful.
Kei tilted her head up slightly and waited quietly. Her amethyst eyes reflected the snowy light and his figure, and her smile never faded.
"How was school?" Hoshida No asked, his voice especially clear in the snow. "Nobody gave you a hard time, did they?"
It had practically become their standard greeting whenever they met.
Kei shook her head emphatically, making her ponytail sway. "Nope. Everyone's really nice." Her voice was bright and affectionate.
As soon as she finished speaking, she naturally reached out and took Hoshida No's free arm, leaning half her body against the warmth of his coat.
They walked home side by side, their steps in sync, leaving two sets of footprints—a larger one and a smaller one—in the steadily thickening snow.
This habitual greeting and reassurance had begun two years earlier, not long after Hoshida No moved in with his uncle.
He had discovered that Kei was being bullied when she came home soaked through. It didn't take him long to figure out what had happened.
The next day at lunchtime, he waited alone at the school gates.
He cornered the students who had bullied Kei. Without wasting words, he dragged them to the entrance of a nearby alley and beat them up.
At the end, he stood before the bruised and swollen students, his voice cold as ice, and demanded that they apologize to Kei in front of everyone.
Kei had been terrified when she saw their battered faces, especially when she noticed that one of them was missing a front tooth.
The school and local police got involved soon afterward. When questioned, Hoshida No remained exceptionally calm, simply stating the facts of the bullying.
Under Hoshida No's warning stare, the students finally swallowed their excuses and resentment, then stammered that they were willing to settle things.
Later, they all transferred to other schools, one after another. Before long, a rumor had spread around the school: the handsome older brother who always came to pick up Kei was fiercely protective of her—and incredibly good in a fight.
Many girls who had previously ignored Kei began approaching her, hoping to get to know Hoshida No through her.
The bolder ones even handed him love letters or confessed to him at the school gates, but without exception, he rejected them in the simplest, most direct way possible.
Kei's standing at school quietly changed. Her features had always been delicate, and with her confidence gradually returning, along with the occasional advice from Hoshida No, the old Kei was back.
Before she knew it, she had become the school's acknowledged beauty, and she had made sincere friends too.
But one thing never changed: rain or shine, every day after school, Kei could always see him waiting for her at the school gates.
Now, as they walked home,
Kei turned her head slightly and looked at Hoshida No's perfect profile, bathed in the snowy light: his straight nose, sharply defined jaw, and deep eyes that always kept their emotions hard to read.
Without realizing it, she tightened her hold on his arm.
When they got home, Kei reluctantly let go of Hoshida No's arm.
She stopped on the doormat by the entrance, rose onto her toes, and stomped the snow off her shoes several times. Then she smoothed her wind-tousled blond ponytail before looking up at Hoshida No, who stood on the step below the doorway.
Her voice was petulant and dissatisfied. "Brother No, are you... going to the store again today?"
Hoshida No met her gaze and gave a soft "Mm," confirming it.
At that, Kei's little pang of gloom grew even stronger.
She knew the owner of the general goods store where Hoshida No worked was a woman who had aged gracefully.
A few times, she had stopped by to wait for Hoshida No to finish work and seen the woman sidle up to him as if by accident. She leaned toward him when she spoke, her eyes always lingering on him.
Thinking about how heavy the snow was today—and how much more time the two of them would spend together—made Kei feel even more downcast.
Hoshida No caught the change in her expression. His hand moved toward the inner pocket of his coat, and he pulled out a handful of White Rabbit Creamy Candy, holding it out to her.
"Hmph." Kei gave a soft snort and turned her face away, but she promptly took the little handful of candy and clenched it tightly in her palm.
Her tone had already softened. "...I'll let it go for the sake of these candies. But come home early today, okay? I'm making oden."
He nodded. "Okay."
Kei watched him walk off beneath his black umbrella and disappear into the snow. Only when he was completely out of sight did she look away.
She lowered her head, unwrapped a piece of candy, and popped the creamy white sweet into her mouth.
So sweet.