The flurry stares at the blizzard, utterly awestruck.

“Wow,” Akira whispers.

Akari whips her head over to him. “Ah!” In a fit of shame and embarrassment, she stumbles back into her seat. “S-Sorry!”

“Hm?” Akira asks, standing about six feet before Akari. “Oh, no! I’m sorry that man was so rude.”

“W-Well, that’s not your fault,” Akari murmurs. “He didn’t touch you, right?”

“No, you saved me! Thank you so much.” Akira’s voice oozes admiration. He even tops off his comments with an open-hearted exclamation, “You’re so strong!”

Akari hunches, blushing harder. “Y-Yeah…”

“She was the strongest in our high school!” Emilija brags.

“Oh, is that so?” Akira asks enthusiastically.

“M-More or less,” Akari murmurs.

Akira lets out a tender chuckle. “What’re your names, you two?”

Answers come forth: a confident shout of “Emilija Mazur,” and a nervous mumble of “Akari Hirose.”

And the small man responds, “My name is Akira Aoki. You two are first-years, right?”

Emilija, hugging Akari with her arm, exclaims, “Yessir! We’re trying to room together in the Honors District. That said, we plan to join the Blizzards as soon as we can. We’re gonna beat a bunch of assholes down to a pulp!”

“That’s so cool! I’m sure the Blizzards would love to have you two on their team.”

Akari leaves Emilija’s hug and asks a question of her own. “Wh-Where do you plan on rooming, Akira?”

Akira, adopting a more awkward demeanor, answers, “Me? Well, to be honest, I’ve come to this college to find a way to grow strong. Because of that, I’m… planning to apply for housing in the Troubled District.”

Troubled District?! Akari gasps, eyes wide. This small, frail man, living among the violent?! Even with my mission, I wouldn't be able to ttolerate living there!

“Damn,” Emilija mutters with surprise.

Akira shakes his head vigorously. “I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to be off-putting. It’s… kinda a long story. There’s no need to bother you two with it, so…”

But an intrigued Emilija asks, “You want to become stronger?”

Akira summons a meek smile. “Yes, I do. I mean, look at me. I have to change if I’m going to survive here.” Akira’s innocent eyes then meet Akari’s compassionate gaze. “Akari, right?”

“Yes!” Akari answers, voice uneven.

“If you don’t mind me asking, what have you done to become so strong?” Such a gentle man, dwelling upon such a crude subject.

An unbearable sensation of sympathy and affection penetrates her. Akari can only sense tragedy coming from an innocent angel.

An angel… What does she know about him to call him an angel? Is it just how beautiful and gentle he is? She doesn’t usually grow enamored like this.

She wouldn’t blush over a man just because he’s decent. Akira just seems… so ideal to her? After all, he provides her with a golden opportunity…

Redemption through protection.

But perhaps, something more as well.

Indeed, infatuation is already taking root. A dangerous thing if left unchecked.

She knows. She knows she has to be careful.

But even still, Akari determines that she should be by this man’s side, for his sake and her own.

Her mission is her greatest priority. Infatuation looms from above, awaiting its turn.

As for his question of how she grew so strong… Thinking about it, pictures of her battles plague her mind. Ah! If I told him that I exercised a lot, that wouldn’t necessarily be a lie. I don’t want to scare him, so—

“You see,” Emilija intervenes, “we didn’t grow up in the nicest town, so we have experience as fighters.”

“Oh, that’s horrible!” Akira exclaims, his tender empathy laid bare.

“Yeah,” Emilija remarks. “It was tough, but here we are now!”

And just like that, his smile returns. “Right! You two are amazing!”

And Akari’s ultimate takeaway? This man is so pure! What the hell is he doing here?! Helplessly, she chimes in, “R-Really it’s a matter of experience, practice, and, well, genetics. You… You shouldn’t aspire to be like me, because well, I’m quite unusual!”

Akira chuckles. “You can say no human being is quite usual."

“I-If I may be at liberty to say, I just d-don’t think the Troubled District will really help you in this regard!”

Akira pauses, his face becoming more serious, though it seems no emotion can ever erase his inherent gentleness. With a nod, he says, “I understand your concern, but… we’ve tried a lot already. This is more or less a last resort.”

“A last resort?” Emilija asks.

“Yeah. My parents and I have worked so hard to make me stronger. Medical treatments, exercise, everything. But I mean… I’m still skin and bones. I stopped growing two years ago, never even reaching five feet. We’ve truly become desperate. To be honest, a part of me has… given up on the prospect of ever being strong.” And yet, he smiles at Akari. “That’s why when I see people like you, I’m super impressed! I can see all the hard work you’ve done. It feels like a blessing that the first people I met here… were you two. Even though I expect to face a lot of nasty people here, I’m sure this college would be a much better place if you two were its typical students.”

Akari gulps. Her compassion, and her emerging affection, for this gentle, cute man? Already they are strong enough to overcome her nerves.

An infatuation grows and grows within her, warping her timidity.

“Akira,” she starts with a low, soft voice, “you seem like a kind young man with a big heart. Immersing yourself into that kind of environment… could have dire consequences. I… I would know…” 

“Hm?” Emilija is pleasantly surprised by her friend’s assertive honesty.

“You,” Akari continues with a rising voice, “shouldn’t need to endure the Troubled District’s violence. There’s got to be a different way to become stronger. I gained strength from danger myself, but that’s… not the path you want to take.”

“Ah,” Akira utters. Growing meek with a pause, he blushes and frowns. “I’m so sorry, Akari. To think we’d get into these personal matters.” He shakes his head. “Perhaps I should not have said anything.”

“No!” Akari shouts, before immediately trembling with regret.

But even with that outburst, Akira continues to stare at her so tenderly.

“That’s not what I meant,” Akari murmurs. “What I’m trying to say is… you don’t have to do this.”

“But unfortunately, I do.”

“You still have time,” Akari replies, becoming more adamant. “You can advocate for yourself; the interview hasn’t happened yet!”

“Oy, don’t get so worked up!” Emilija whispers.

Akira smiles at Akari’s kindness, but nevertheless says, “I-I know, but… I’m sorry. To be in the Troubled District is simply my fate.”

All of this angst from a man she barely knows… It renders Akari deeply distraught. Her mind screams, Akira, you don’t need to be strong like me! Please, I can already see… 

And thus she shouts, “You’re strong in your own way!”

“H-Huh?” Akira stares at Akari with complete surprise. “N-No, that’s not…”

“You must have gone through so much as a young man,” Akari continues. “I learned as I grew up… that strength is so much more than just physical ability.”

“N-No!” Akira yells, genuinely worried. Immediately after, he lowers his voice and explains, “Y-You can’t call me strong. I’m such a small and frail man… There’s no reality where a man like that can be considered strong. I… really appreciate the sentiment, but it’s just not reflective of who I am. We… don’t really know each other, after all.”

Akari grabs her wrist. He’s right. We don't know each other. But Akira, I want to get to know you! Just like me… you’ve been so, so misguided.

And once more, the words come right out of her.

“I want to know you!”

Chapter is over. Here is some Emilija Mazur art : )