3.2
After getting off the ski resort bus, the eight of us decided to walk around the area instead of immediately entering the resort.
This wasn’t planned; it was Amikura’s idea, who noticed several souvenir shops around the area from the bus.
A 20 or 30-minute detour wouldn't make much of a difference.
“Ummm… it’s cold in Hokkaido this morning, isn’t it? It was warmer in the bus, so I can feel the temperature difference even more.”
Saying so, Kushida rubbed her gloves together, her body shivering.
“Yes, this weather is surprising at the end of November. It's weird that there's snow on the ground.”
“If you're going to look around, get on with it. But I'm sure most of them aren't open yet.”
Ryūen called out to the group that was standing still.
The time was still just past 9:15.
The ski resort opens at 9:30, so most of the stores in the area were still closed.
It seems that Ryūen intended to just enjoy skiing for the day, so he wanted to head there and wait.
Among the few stores that were already open, there was an unusual apparel store, and for some reason, Kitō walked in and began to stare at the clothes. There were some very fancy and unusual clothes on display. Did he find anything he liked?
Just as I thought, he replaced the clothes he had picked up and began rummaging through another set of clothes.
“By the way, Kitō's feet are so big. They look like a snowman's footprint, man.”
Watanabe looked at the snowy footprints leading up to the apparel store and compared them to his own, as if impressed.
Kitō was certainly tall, but even without taking that into account, it seemed certain that his feet are quite large.
“Let's all go browse more shops.”
Amikura, the one who proposed the idea, called out to everyone and started walking away, as if time was of the essence.
Kushida immediately accepted Amikura's invitation, but Yamamura refused, apparently intending on staying behind.
Watanabe and Nishino also seemed to have decided to walk around by themselves.
“Yamamura-san? Aren't you going?”
“...Ah, I'll stay... Please don't mind me.”
Only Ryūen, Yamamura and I remained at this spot.
I really wanted to browse with Amikura and the others, but since they didn't invite me to go with them, I missed out on that chance.
What should I do now? I could look around by myself like Watanabe and the others…
Since Yamamura declined the invitation, she must be planning to stay here and wait for everyone to return.
If I left, I would be leaving her alone with Ryūen. It would’ve been fine if the two of them were on good terms, but they had never interacted with each other before.
There was no prospect of them getting along with each other; it would be a terrible idea to leave them alone.
Therefore, unless Yamamura or Ryūen started to act alone, it would be necessary to stay behind until then, despite it being frustrating.
“....”
Yamamura shuddered as she watched Amikura and the others, whose backs were getting smaller and smaller.
The cause for her shivers was clearly her lack of gloves which she normally kept hidden in her coat. It was certain that she came here without gloves. So, should I lend her mine?
But if she refused, it might make things a little awkward.
The sixth group, including Kitō and the others, had already left, leaving just the three of us in a quiet situation.
Yamamura seemed to be holding back her trembling as much as she could, but she still couldn't hide it.
“Hey, Yamamura, give me your hand.”
“What...!?”
As I continued to wonder whether I should call out to her or not, Ryūen instructed Yamamura, who was standing there with her hand in the inside pocket of her coat, in a harsh tone.
Apparently, Ryūen also noticed Yamamura's shivering and the unnaturalness of her hands remaining in her coat. He thought her cold hands would come out, but Yamamura averted her gaze and...
“I don't want to.”
She said no firmly, albeit in a small voice.
“Oh?”
“I don't want to pull them out. It's too cold.”
Without mentioning whether or not she had gloves, she stated her reason. I could feel the cold, Hokkaido wind even through my gloves. It was definitely warmer to have your hands inside your coat if you didn't have gloves.
I thought the conversation would end here, but Ryūen stepped onto the snow-covered road and invaded Yamamura's personal space.
Then he grabbed her right arm and forcibly pulled it out of her pocket.
“Ah──”
After confirming that she was not wearing gloves directly, Ryūen let go of her arm and Yamamura hurriedly moved to hide her hands inside her coat.
“Well, that must be cold. Where are your gloves?”
Ryūen forcefully proved that she was bare-handed, but Yamamura didn’t answer.
She turned her back as if asking to be left alone.
“You're probably not even good at skiing to begin with but you're not gonna wear gloves on top of that?”
Ryūen's point was valid. As a beginner, Yamamura wasn’t even halfway decent at skiing yet.
If her hands were so cold that they were useless, she wouldn't make any progress. On the contrary, it would only increase the risk of falling.
“If you get into a lot of trouble and cause a commotion, my skiing time will be cancelled. Can you take responsibility?”
The emphasis on his own skiing sounded like a mixture of selfishness and clumsy kindness, typical of Ryūen.
“No, that's...”
Yamamura seemed unable to retort to an issue that wasn't merely about feelings.
“So. Where are your gloves?”
“I forgot...”
“Ha, I guess there are dumbasses like that.”
Not many people would forget their gloves in this cold weather.
Laughing through his nose, Ryūen looked down at his own gloves.
I didn't think he was going to lend his own gloves for Yamamura's sake──.
“Oi, Ayanokōji, lend her your gloves.”
“...Mine?”
He didn't even show any kindness yet he imposed demands on me.
“I'm a skiing novice too, you know?”
“You'd have no problem if you got hurt, right?”
I'm not quite sure I understood the logic behind it, but...
Unfortunately, there were no stores open around here that sold gloves. I guess I'll have to lend them out for the sake of the trip. There may be special gloves in the ski resort, but even 10 or 15 minutes of warmth would make a difference.
“No, that's okay. I'm fine.”
Yamamura said that and exhaled as she moved away.
“You shouldn't do that. The cold causes vasoconstriction. Your body’s shivering because your muscles are trying to raise your body temperature. It might be dangerous to start skiing in that condition. Isn't it extremely frustrating that Ryūen is right?”
“That's...”
I half forcefully pushed the gloves I took off to Yamamura.
“But... Ayanokōji-kun?”
“I'm fine, don't worry about it.”
I don't have a special tolerance for the cold, but as Ryūen said, if I try to endure it, it won't be a problem.
“I'm sorry...”
While dreading it, Yamamura wore the large pair of gloves with her hands shaking slightly.
Then she slipped her hands back into her coat.
They will remain cold for a while, but after a few minutes, it’ll improve.
“You'll have to buy a new pair of gloves in your size later.”
“Yes, you're right. Um, when we get to the ski resort, please let me reimburse you for the gloves.”
“Reimburse?”
“I'd feel bad giving them back to you... after I wore them. They're dirty.”
“They're not dirty. No, even if you fell and stained them, I don't really mind, as long as you return them as they are, that's fine.”
“That's not what I mean. I'll get them dirty by wearing them ...”
Is this a germaphobe's way of thinking? No, but Yamamura wore the gloves without resistance, albeit reservedly. That's a way of thinking I don't quite understand.
“I would still like to reimburse you.”
When it comes to reimbursement for the gloves, I don't think she would blatantly choose the cheapest ones and return them.
I'd be forcing a pricey expense on her for an action that didn't require reimbursement.
“It's just spending some extra private points. You don't have to worry about that.”
“It's weird, isn't it?”
I still say something as if I don't understand it.
Why would Yamamura wear them and why would it make her feel uncomfortable?
Even if it hadn't been Yamamura, I would’ve felt the same way.
“It's okay. It would be worse to be compensated due to being overly concerned about it.”
I used a slightly stronger statement to let her know that I was confused.
“So, at least allow me to thank you in some other way.”
I didn't think a thank-you was necessary, but maybe Yamamura would feel better if she did something.
If she's this insistent, I should provide a way for her to be satisfied.
“Then may I ask you one question in lieu of a thank you?”
“...Yes?”
“Was there a reason you didn't have your gloves since the wait for the bus in the morning?”
“I forgot, that's all.”
I knew she hadn't left them unintentionally.
“You had plenty of time to go back and get them. Or are you saying you weren’t cold?”
I asked, pushing further towards what had been bothering me.
“...That kind of thing, because it wasn’t the right mood...”
“Mood?”
“The kind of mood that is hard to get through, sort of.”
It's true that the lobby was crowded with students, but I'm not sure if it was the atmosphere that made it difficult to return.
No, that's just how I felt, but Yamamura might not have necessarily felt the same way. Although the exchange only lasted a few minutes, I was able to understand the student Yamamura a bit more.
And that could be intriguing.
“Who do you usually hang out with, Yamamura?”
What kind of friends do these types of students make? Are they the same quiet kids, or are they in a circle of popular kids like Kushida who welcome everyone? Or is she a strong puller?
Yamamura, however, didn't immediately answer these questions. Her expression showed no significant change, but she looked slightly uncomfortable as she narrowed her eyes and turned away.
“No one really. I usually spend most of my time alone.”
“Alone? I don't think a Class A student would leave one person alone.”
“I have such a weak presence that... you probably wouldn't even notice that I'm alone. It's an everyday occurrence, so I'm not particularly concerned about it.”
She did indeed lack presence.
I myself would be classified as someone similar.
However, in the case of Yamamura and I, it was highly likely that our personalities were completely different.
If Yamamura was cold, there was no way Amikura would ignore it if she noticed.
Even Kushida, who was always concerned about other people's reactions, seems to have become desensitized to Yamamura's weak presence.
Well, if Yamamura was actually almost invisible, like a shadow, I don't think anyone would have paid attention when she went back to get her gloves.
The thinness of the shadow. If we analyze it objectively, we can grasp its true nature to some extent.
“Do you like yourself, Yamamura?”
“I don't like myself at all. It's impossible.”
Yamamura answered honestly, perhaps out of obligation for having been lent gloves.
The thing she wanted to hide was herself, and that was one of the first factors that left her overshadowed.
If you didn't want to reveal yourself, if you didn't want to appeal to others, you would inevitably act inconspicuously.
Even in a discussion, they would hide behind someone and try to avoid being recognized.
It was similar to wearing black clothes in the middle of the night.
Also, because they don't move unnecessarily, they are rarely noticed when in view.
It's as if they have less presence than they should.
Furthermore, from what I have seen, Yamamura seems to be more wary of people than others.
In other words, she was afraid of other people and avoided asserting herself as much as possible.
The combination of these factors resulted in the birth of Yamamura, a shadowy and unrecognizable student. The problem was that even if the cause was known, there was no immediate solution.
I, who didn't usually interact with Yamamura, would only make her more wary of me. It would be easier to reach her if there was someone close enough for her to trust.
Eventually, our conversation ended here and we went silent.
About 10 minutes later, just before the doors opened, everyone returned.
“So how should we divide ourselves up? We don't all have to ski together, right?”
Even though acting as a group was mandatory, it didn't mean we had to match every detail. There was a mix of beginners and advanced skiers, and it would be difficult or even bothersome if everyone had to fit in with one or the other.
The key was balance. Whether or not the people around you would judge it as reasonable when they see it.
The team division would have to be considered starting with the least technically skilled of the eight.
“Yamamura and I are confirmed for the beginner course. I don't mind if the two of us ski together.”
There was a gentle beginner course at the bottom of the ski area, so it was definite that both of them would ski there. Yamamura quickly agreed to Watanabe's offer.
“I think it would be better if someone who can ski to follow Yamamura-san and the others. If you want, I can...”
“Oh, that's okay, Kushida-san. I'll do it in the beginner's area.”
“What? Is that okay?”
“Don't worry about it, you can go ahead and ski. Even if you can ski, the advanced course is a bit scary.”
Amikura offered to follow Yamamura and the others, even though she was at the level where she could ski normally.
“I'm not sure about the advanced course either... so I'll do that.”
Nishino answered and told the others at the same time, as if she had also planned to do so from the beginning.
Unexpectedly, we agreed to split into groups of four people each and ski different courses.
“If you want to ski on the intermediate or higher courses, let me know anytime.”
In case Nishino and Amikura weren't willing to put up with it, Kushida added, “I'll be there to support you.”
“Well, lunch is at noon. Let's all meet up at the restaurant.”
As the group began to move toward the entrance of the ski resort, an unfamiliar sound, the beating of horses' hooves, began to fill the air.
Kōenji happened to be the rider.
The students in the other classes were truly astonished, and even the devil himself seemed to be a little taken aback.
It was an understandable reaction for students who hadn't known Kōenji for very long.
“Sir,────! You aren't on the course...!”
Immediately after, we saw several panicked staff members in the distance, shouting as they chased after him.
“What was that...?”
“That's amazing, isn't it…?”
Stunned, Nishino stared at Kōenji, and her figure seemed to shrink.
“What is this? I've never seen anything like this before, but I'm not surprised.”
Kushida said this so that only I could hear.
“As classmates, we're used to seeing Kōenji's outlandish behavior...”
Strangely, I felt it wasn't surprising that something like what just happened would happen with Koenji.
Familiarity, to put it bluntly.
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