— — — — — —
Japan - Kanagawa Prefecture, Ichinose Academy
The dismissal bell had long since faded.
"Sigh."
Inside the teacher's office, Mafuyu Kirisu closed the last lesson plan and pressed her fingers against her temple.
As the school's strictest teacher, her world was built on rules and perfection, with no room for the smallest flaw. And yet, there was always noise.
From the hallway came the whispers of a few excited girls, their chatter breaking her dear silence.
"Hurry up, hurry up! If we waste any more time, that silver hair hottie in the park might be gone!"
"Today I have to get his number. Don't you dare get in my way!"
"Ugh, just thinking about it makes my heart race. He's too handsome to be real…"
Mafuyu's frown deepened.
That ridiculous rumor again.
For the past week, some silver-haired boy had suddenly become the hottest topic among the girls.
Hormone-driven students, throwing away the most valuable years of their lives chasing something that meant absolutely nothing.
Hopeless. Completely hopeless.
Her lips pressed into a thin line, every bit of her posture radiating stubborn coldness.
She grabbed her black coat and stood.
Her heels clicked sharply against the floor, each step carrying the weight of crushing silly fantasies underfoot.
She stepped out of the school gates.
The wind carried a sharp chill.
Mafuyu pulled her coat tighter, her long legs wrapped in black stockings cutting a graceful line against the winter air.
Passing the park, she should have ignored it. But her eyes betrayed her, glancing in the direction of the rumor.
Just one glance—and her steps froze.
By the bench, a boy crouched low.
Silver hair, a thin hoodie barely enough for the cold.
Four stray cats curled peacefully at his feet, rubbing against his legs as if they belonged there.
With a battered cardboard box and strips of tape, he was clumsily—yet with complete focus—building them a makeshift shelter against the wind.
The scene was out of place against the harshness of winter, carrying a warmth that softened everything around it.
From behind a tree, a few of her own students peeked out, blushing as they watched. Even housewives pretending to chat nearby couldn't help stealing glances.
"The rumor… wasn't exaggerated at all."
Mafuyu's heart skipped a beat.
In that moment, she finally understood why the girls called him 'A Prince.'
Her lapse in focus proved costly.
The tip of her stiletto landed on a thin patch of ice. Her foot slipped.
"Ahh!"
A sharp cry, her balance gone.
Every head turned.
But luckily for her, the humiliating fall never came.
A strong arm wrapped around her waist, pulling her into a firm chest at the last possible second.
Still breathless, she looked up—straight into a pair of deep eyes filled with unhidden amusement.
"..."
From behind the tree came muffled squeals.
"Oh my God! That's Kirisu-sensei! She's in his arms!"
"No way! Icey Kirisu? What, she planned to fall into him like that?!"
"Ugh, adults are so unfair! She even calculated her fall so perfectly… so sneaky!"
Mafuyu's face flared scarlet.
"Oh?" The boy holding her caught the word 'Sensei.'
His brows lifted. Looking down at the flustered woman in his arms, a smirk tugged at his lips.
In a low voice, only for her: "Oh? So you're a teacher…"
He feigned surprise. "I could've sworn you were some clumsy, cute high school girl."
Before she could retort, he leaned in closer, laughter brushing her ear.
"Your face is bright red."
"Your heart's racing too…"
"Like this, how are you supposed to set an example for your students, sensei?"
Her entire body stiffened.
"But…"
His gaze flicked briefly to her long legs in black stockings, then back to her eyes brimming with outrage and shame.
"Next time, maybe wear flats."
"Less chance of literally throwing yourself at me that way."
A pause. Then, with teasing finality: "Not that I mind a girl who takes the initiative."
Mafuyu nearly shook with how hard she forced two words out between clenched teeth.
"…Thanks."
She tore herself free and all but fled, heels clattering, under the weight of countless jealous stares.
...
That night, 11 PM.
An apartment echoed with canned laughter from the TV, with Mafuyu curled up on the couch, dazed.
Her mind replayed the evening on an endless loop.
Her students' shocked faces.
The boy's teasing smile.
His voice against her ear— "Next time, wear flats."
Shame. Anger. And something else, something she refused to name, left her unsettled.
A sharp pang in her stomach finally dragged her back to reality.
She got up and opened the fridge.
Only to find it... empty. No instant meals left either.
With no choice, she had to go out.
At the doorway, her eyes landed on the dark red heels—the very symbol of her teacherly "authority."
She froze.
A moment later, almost against her own will, she reached to the back of the shoe cabinet and pulled out a pair of neglected flats.
...
ding-dong~
The 24-hour convenience store blasted warm air the moment she stepped in.
She only wanted to grab food quickly and retreat to safety.
Distractedly walking the aisles, her gaze drifted to the glass wall facing the street.
She stopped dead.
On the bench outside, curled up and shivering in his thin hoodie, was the silver hair boy.
Asleep.
The image of him carefully building a shelter for stray cats came rushing back.
He'd found them a place safe from the cold—yet had none for himself?
Her chest tightened.
She rushed her shopping, tossing an extra hot bento and a canned coffee into the basket.
At checkout, the young cashier noticed her repeated glances outside. Spotting the boy, the girl blushed and whispered, "You've been watching him too?"
"He's been out there every night lately."
"I tried inviting him in to warm up, but he always refused so politely. Said he didn't want to cause trouble."
Those words unlocked something inside Mafuyu, breaking the last fragile lock called 'restraint.'
Her carefully guarded logic gave way. She paid, walked outside, and stopped before the bench.
The boy stirred uneasily in his sleep, curling tighter against the wind.
Mafuyu reached out, gently touched his shoulder.
"…Um.."
His lashes fluttered, eyes hazy with sleep—until he recognized her.
That lazy smirk returned instantly.
"Well, if it isn't the teacher who threw herself into my arms."
Heat shot straight to Mafuyu's cheeks. Flustered, she shoved the food and coffee into his hands.
"This… is to thank you for earlier!"
"Then I won't hold back." He accepted them without hesitation.
Twisting open the coffee, he took a sip—his eyes sliding down to her feet.
Ara~ it's flats.
The smirk deepened.
"But sensei… black stockings with flats?"
"Kind of… dated."
Mafuyu nearly exploded.
This damn brat!
She'd brought him food, and he had the nerve to critique her outfit?!
With a cute "hmph," she stormed off.
---
Mafuyu's apartment
Later, after a hot shower, Mafuyu lay in bed, still wide awake.
No matter how she tossed and turned, that boy lingered.
Annoyingly flirtatious, yet gentle with stray cats. Polite to others, yet needling her at every turn.
And still… why was someone like him homeless?
His clothes were clean despite being thin—not like a real drifter.
"Is he some crazy gamer or just a weird otaku?"
"No, no. It doesn't make sense."
After some thinking, only one explanation made sense for her.
He was some runaway from a wealthy family.
The thought gripped her chest.
A pampered boy, out in a blizzard…
What if—
She bolted upright, unable to think further.
Outside, snow fell thick and heavy.
Defeated by her conscience, and by that infuriating face she couldn't forget, Mafuyu threw on a red tracksuit and rushed downstairs.
The night was colder, the snow harsher. And there he was.
The empty bento box and coffee can were neatly placed at his feet.
He was still curled up, shrinking into himself for warmth.
Her heart clenched painfully. She stopped before him.
Sensing her, he opened his eyes slowly.
Seeing her again, that knowing smile flickered. His gaze swept over her red tracksuit, and the smirk grew.
"Oh? Back already, sensei?"
His voice dripped with amusement.
"Cute. You don't look like the uptight teacher at all like this."
Her face burned to the roots of her hair.
But beneath the embarrassment, her teacher's instinct kicked in.
Her upbringing, her professionalism—everything screamed she couldn't abandon a boy this age in the snow.
This wasn't pity.
Or weakness.
It was responsibility.
Yeah. That's it. Just responsibility.
That was the excuse she clung to, her way of convincing herself she still held control.
Grinding her teeth, she forced three words out: "…Come with me."
---
A few moments later...
Mafuyu couldn't remember how she made it back upstairs.
Her heartbeat thundered in her ears, drowning everything else. Like a puppet, she led him into the elevator, down the hall, to her door.
Her hand shook so badly it took three tries to fit the key into the lock.
Finally.
Click.
The door opened.
She stepped aside stiffly, letting him in before closing it behind her and locking it tight.
That lock was her final illusion of control.
Her home. Her rules.
She turned, forcing her voice into the stern tone of a teacher.
"Listen. The couch is yours. Don't wander around without permission. Tomorrow morni—mmph!"
Her words cut off.
A shadow moved fast.
Cold lips, still carrying the chill of winter, pressed firmly against hers.
A kiss~
Silencing everything.
.
.
.