I waited for the heat in my face to subside and my heartbeat to calm down before leaving the Infirmary.

Checking the time in the hallway, it was just past noon. Naturally, it was a time when exams would already be over, and the atmosphere of students liberated from tests seemed to travel through the hallway all the way to the Infirmary.

In the end, I couldn't even participate in the exams on the final day.

It's a well-known fact that I collapsed in the classroom, so I just have to pray they'll be flexible about it. It might actually be more graceful than poorly submitting a paper with just my name on it.

When I checked my smartphone, the LINE group with Madoka and Emiri had a massive amount of notifications. Ranging from things worrying about my health to silly messages telling me to reply privately. To summarize the contents: "Exams are over, so if you're feeling okay, let's go to karaoke." They had probably vaguely guessed that my lack of sleep was the reason I collapsed. There was no holding back on that front. And having slept plenty and completely resolved my sleep deprivation, I had no reason to turn down karaoke. If there was one concern, it was that my actual exam (makeup exam) would probably take place next week. Well, that's completely my own fault, so I decided to study hard over the weekend.

And so, we went to karaoke, went to a family restaurant, and fully enjoyed being high school girls.

On Monday, after the weekend, I was called to the staff room by my homeroom teacher the moment morning homeroom ended. She faced me with a terribly exhausted expression.

"Do you know why I called you here?"

"Is it because my exam results were a disaster?"

"...Well, I suppose it boils down to that."

Normally, makeup exam results are announced by posting the subject and student ID number on the bulletin board. The fact that I was called in individually like this despite that—did some unforeseen situation occur?

Thinking that, I braced myself slightly.

"I received reports from the teachers proctoring the exams that you were acting a little strange, Nago, and you've taken your exams seriously up until now. So, you're being given a special chance for a makeup exam. The makeup exams will be held after school this week, so make sure to head to the designated classrooms."

However, it seemed to be just a standard notification regarding makeup exams, and I breathed a sigh of relief.

It seems my attitude and results during the exams were so disastrous that they were simply worried about my mental state. I told the teacher I would be fine this week and returned to the classroom.

And so, this week was completely painted over by regular classes, makeup exams, and studying for those exams.

Just taking exams normally is exhausting mental labor, so having to do it after finishing regular classes was quite a grueling task. On top of that, I had to study for the next day's exams at home, making it feel like the most densely packed week of studying in the history of Nago Miyuki's life.

By Friday, I was exhausted both physically and mentally, went home, and slept like a log.

Then, over the weekend, I worked on revising the novel I had finished writing. Thanks to the one-week cooling-off period, I was able to approach the text I wrote with an appropriate sense of distance.

...There are far too many typos and omissions.

It's probably because I wrote it in a frenzy while pulling consecutive all-nighters. The writing was too emotional and hard to read, and typos and omissions in scenes that were supposed to be exciting ended up breaking the immersion.

While I was fixing those minor details and typos, the weekend ended in the blink of an eye.

Monday was the 24th, treated as a substitute holiday.

Using that holiday, I did a final check of the manuscript and somehow managed to maintain its form as a novel.

...Or so I'd like to think.

"At least I'm glad I didn't just show it to Chifuyu on impulse like that."

During the revision process, I was driven by the urge to rewrite the ending several times. It wasn't because I was unsatisfied with the story, but because the thought of showing it to Chifuyu made me feel like I was going to die of embarrassment. However, as a creator, my pride wouldn't allow me to change the ending for a reason like that. It was nothing more than the petty stubbornness of an amateur, but I felt that if I bent on that, I would cease to be myself. Above all, facing creation with sincerity was a promise I made to Chifuyu.

So I decided to let her read the novel written by the me who had lost Chifuyu.

...I wonder what kind of face Chifuyu will make.

I tried to somehow picture Chifuyu's face in my mind, but for this particular instance, I couldn't imagine what kind of reaction she would show at all. That was terribly frightening.

If I had to say, that troubled expression of hers crossed my mind.

If she made a face like that as a response to this novel, I would surely die. Well, no matter what reaction she has, this tiny heart of mine feels like it's going to kill me anyway.

Agonizing over such things, I couldn't sleep much that night.

In the first place, my days and nights had probably flipped slightly over the past few weeks. Repeating a cycle of shallow sleep and waking up, as soon as morning came, I dragged my heavy head and headed to school.

Just in case, I decided to pack a change of clothes in my bag. I didn't quite know what today's plans were, and there was a chance we might head straight to Sapporo Station or somewhere from school.

And so, I attended the closing ceremony with a restless heart. My gaze naturally wandered to the space where the teachers were waiting, but I couldn't find a teacher with the height of an elementary school girl. She probably hates these kinds of events and might have just skipped it. Though I don't know if that's allowed.

The closing ceremony and homeroom ended with a completely predictable message: "Let's not get too carried away during winter break." It was just before noon, and the classroom instantly grew noisy with a sense of liberation. Seeing the classmates like that, the homeroom teacher gave a wry smile and returned to the staff room.

Perhaps because it was the last day of school for the year, the students showed no signs of going home, forming groups and talking about their plans for after school and winter break. Maybe the liberating atmosphere caused it, but the "fun" was spreading across groups like a catching fire. And with someone's remark, "I have a date with my boyfriend today," that fire instantly flared up.

Due to the nature of a girls' school, students with boyfriends are often treated with an unusual level of reverence.

Though today—being Christmas day—it made them an "enemy." Fueled by jealousy and playful mischief toward the glamour of "spending Christmas with a boyfriend," the classmates united, groups merged, and it seemed they were planning to head to a leisure facility with a large crowd.

From the looks of it, Madoka and Emiri were going to join them.

...Ugh. It's hard to throw a wet blanket over this kind of atmosphere.

But I had already decided to spend today with Chifuyu, so joining them was out of the question. Just as I was looking for the right moment to bring up that I couldn't go, Emiri approached me.

"What will you do, Miyuki-san?"

"Um... sorry, I wanted to hang out with everyone, but I have plans today."

When I answered, almost mumbling, Emiri slightly narrowed her eyes.

"Well, I figured it would be something like that. If it were the usual Miyuki-san, you would have joined the conversation at an earlier stage. Understood. If that's the case, it might be better for you to leave first. It'd be quite a hassle to turn them down once they're at the stage of actually leaving."

I'll explain it to Madoka-san for you.

Adding that, Emiri subtly guided me out into the hallway.

"U-Um... thanks, Emiri."

Feeling a slight bewilderment, I thanked Emiri. Because if it were her usual self, she might have forcefully dragged me along to hang out, and she probably wouldn't have helped me out like this either.

"Well, I'm the one who sent you to the music room in the first place, Miyuki-san. I'll take at least that much responsibility."

Thinking that was a somewhat loaded way of speaking, I peered at Emiri's expression. She placed her index finger over her mouth, then lightly pushed my shoulder. It seemed she was telling me to stop asking questions and hurry up and go. Just as I was hiding things from her, she might also be hiding something from me.

Well, as long as people are living, it's normal to have a secret or two, and Emiri was always a person of many mysteries to begin with, so there's no point in getting worked up over a secret now. Still, I thought it would be nice if someday we could have a heart-to-heart talk about all sorts of things.

Pushed on the shoulder by Emiri, I jogged toward the music room.

Normally, the hallway is so cold you feel like freezing, but on this day in particular, it felt filled with a spring-like warmth, and my steps toward the music room naturally became light.

In response, my heart also bounced slightly.

Wondering how Chifuyu would entertain me.

I stopped in front of the music room, checked that no one was on either side or behind me, and went inside. I didn't think there was anything wrong with being seen, but I still wanted to keep this a secret just between her and me. Inside the music room—it seemed Chifuyu was leaning her weight against the handrail by the window, gazing at the scenery outside. Reacting sensitively to the sound of the door, Chifuyu spun around, her face brightening.

"Miyuki! Thank goodness you came!"

Her voice was filled with a brightness and tension she was surely unaware of herself, sounding somewhat more childlike than usual. Perhaps because we hadn't seen each other in a while, my cheeks felt somewhat itchy. We were just seeing each other face-to-face, so why was my heart bouncing so much? Chifuyu seemed just as happy as I was, but hers seemed a bit excessive.

"I was thinking you might not come."

Told this in a slightly stiff tone, I was surprised, letting out an "Eh!"

"Didn't I say I was going to go?"

"You did. I thought you would give me your answer sometime last week, but you didn't visit the music room even once. I honestly worried that you had come to hate me."

Poke! Chifuyu closed the distance and poked me in the chest.

Triggered by that poke, the events of last week came rushing back.

"Ah..."

Because my schedule was packed with exams until after school last week, I didn't have the time to visit the music room. Since coming to the music room today was a confirmed fact in my mind, I mistakenly assumed it was a shared understanding.

As I struggled to come up with an excuse, Chifuyu let out a sigh-filled laugh.

"Fufu, just joking. I know you were busy with makeup exams, Miyuki, so I'll let it slide this time."

Seeing Chifuyu triumphantly wink one eye, my heart contracted, and for some reason, my tongue naturally licked my lips. To cover up the goosebumps-inducing embarrassment, I stood beside her and looked outside.

One of the inner windows of the double-paned glass was open, and the condensation on the outer window had been carefully wiped away. Because of that, the view outside was clear. Just then, groups of students were cheerfully chatting as they left through the school gates. Among them, some students were even engaged in an all-out snowball fight between the student entrance and the gates.

"What were you looking at, Chifuyu?"

Was there something that caught Chifuyu's interest?

Though I doubt she was concerned about the outcome of the snowball fight.

"Um... Well, I knew you were busy with makeup exams, Miyuki, but the thing is, today is actually Christmas... so I started thinking, maybe you already made plans with your other friends, and, well, you didn't contact me at all last week, right? So... I wasn't really sure if you were actually going to come, so I was checking to see if you were out there..."

Muttering weakly, Chifuyu's chin gradually dropped, and she peeked up at me with an upward glance.

Gulp. I felt like one of us swallowed hard.

I felt like my breathing was going to stop, and I almost hugged her body impulsively.

...C-Calm down, me.

So Chifuyu wouldn't notice, I secretly took repeated deep breaths.

I feel like this person used to have a slightly more dignified aura before, but I don't know, since that day she told me her past, it feels like Chifuyu has become terribly demure. That gap, which also matches her appearance, was driving my heart crazy.

"I... wanted to spend a special occasion like Christmas... with you, Chifuyu..."

"I-I see, I'm glad to hear that. I also... glad."

Nodding her head repeatedly and saying she was glad, Chifuyu kept nodding.

Her eyes darted left and right slightly, before hesitantly locking onto mine.

"Well, yeah. I thought you would come, but since you were a little late... you know."

Having said that much, Chifuyu let out an "Ah!" as if she had noticed something.

"By any chance, did you already eat lunch...?"

Chifuyu had bent her eyebrows into a 'V' shape, wearing a troubled expression unlike her usual self.

It was a blatant way of telling me, "It would be inconvenient for me if you've already eaten lunch."

"Ah, no, not yet... but did you prepare something for us?"

Did she make bento boxes or something? Or is she going to take me on a date—no, take me out to hang out somewhere now? Regardless, Chifuyu's words tickled my expectations and my heart.

"Thank goodness!"

Chifuyu's face lit up brightly.

"Fufu. I've prepared all sorts of things for you. Look forward to it."

With her expression still bright, Chifuyu checked the time on her watch.

"However, it is already lunchtime. No point in dragging this out any further."

Follow me. Saying that, Chifuyu walked ahead. I thought for sure we were going out into the hallway, but she headed for the door at the back of the music room—the music prep room.

...Why?

Aren't we going to eat lunch together now?

Is she going to play some music for me before that?

As various imaginations and suspicions raced through my head, Chifuyu and I entered the prep room.

The prep room was about one-third the size of the music room, crammed with various instruments. Large ones like drum sets and xylophones, while the shelves mounted on the wall held boxes filled with castanets, tambourines, triangles, and the like. Also, music stands were shoved into the corners.

That much was to be expected since it was a music prep room, but the problem was what lay in the center of the room.

"Whoa."

In the center of the room, a large blue tarp, the kind you might use for cherry blossom viewing, was laid out. On top of it sat a folding table, on top of that was a portable gas stove, and finally, on top of that sat a clay pot. The lid was tightly closed, so I didn't know what was inside. But since small plates and bowls were arranged around it, it seemed preparations were already complete.

"Why a hot pot?"

I couldn't hide my bewilderment at the clay pot that had suddenly appeared in the music prep room.

My jaw literally dropped, and my gaze wandered around the prep room as if trying to avoid the clay pot. As a result, I ended up facing an even more terrible reality.

Namely, things like a sleeping bag had been left out and abandoned in this room.

I recoiled at the prep room overflowing with a strange sense of everyday living.

There was no doubt someone was sleeping in this prep room. And that someone could be none other than this woman standing right in front of me, watching me intently with an anxious expression.

"...Why a hot pot?"

Because the scene in front of me was so shocking, and because Chifuyu hadn't given an answer for so long, I ended up muttering the exact same line twice. This time, even Chifuyu showed a clear reaction.

"Eh, wait, eating hot pot on Christmas... is that... weird?"

...That's not the issue here.

Even if dishes fitting for Christmas were lined up, I would have had the same reaction. While I was agonizing over where to even begin pointing out the flaws in this situation, Chifuyu began to get increasingly depressed all on her own.

"N-No, well, I... Since I was a kid, I've only ever thought about music, so I didn't have any friends, and in college too, well... as I told you the other day, I wasn't in any condition to make friends. So... I really wanted to try this, you know, a hot pot party kind of thing."

Chifuyu stared fixedly at the floor, constantly rubbing the back of her neck as if trying to cover something up.

"W-Wait, calm down a bit. Don't suddenly hit me with a tragic backstory."

Since Chifuyu looked like she was about to burst into tears at any moment, I naturally found myself comforting her. For someone who had lived aloof without making any friends until now, a Christmas party right off the bat might have been too high a hurdle... I almost felt sympathetic, but again, that wasn't the issue.

"I think hot pot on Christmas is fine, but nobody would normally expect it to be set up in the prep room."

And the lived-in feel drifting around the prep room made no sense either.

The unexpected turn of events made me feel like I was the victim of a hidden camera prank.

"I actually wanted to prepare fried chicken and stuff too, but... I heard places are super crowded this time of year, and they don't have time to change the oil so the taste drops, so I gave up on it for next time."

"...So you do know things like that."

It was a cute piece of trivia, the kind of thing you'd look up specifically for Christmas.

However, I suppose my failure to give a clear answer on whether I was coming or not was one of the causes. There's only so much you can prepare for someone who might not even show up, and if she enthusiastically planned a da—no, an outing, and I didn't show up, it would have been a massive disaster.

In that sense, a hot pot party might have been a form of compromise. Well, looking at Chifuyu's expression, nine times out of ten, she probably just really wanted to have a hot pot party.

Be that as it may, there was one more thing I couldn't avoid pointing out.

"More importantly, Chifuyu, are you living in the prep room by any chance?"

Perhaps having touched on the core issue, Chifuyu forcefully averted her gaze the moment I asked.

"...Chifuyu?"

When I placed a hand on the shoulder of Chifuyu, who was blatantly trying to escape, her entire body shivered.

Creak, creak, creak... With movements like a rusted doll, she shook her head and stared at me.

"No, you see. If I go home, I'll have to see my mo—my mother, right? I'm grateful she hired me as a teacher, but I have a little bit... too many complicated feelings about the piano, and teaching... Also, I didn't really want to see my cousin who lives at home..."

Seeing me about to open my mouth, Chifuyu hurriedly interrupted.

"I know what you're going to say! I know I can't keep running away like this forever. I plan to go home by the end of the year at least... the school is closed during the New Year's holidays anyway."

I felt like I heard her true feelings at the very end, but it was clear she felt guilty about the current situation. I could understand that much just from looking at her expression.

In that case, there's no point in me giving her a boring lecture.

"So let's make today a year-end party to lift our spirits, too!"

"...Well, if you say so, Chifuyu, I won't force the issue."

And so, we took off our shoes, sat facing each other on the tarp, and began our hot pot party.

After turning on the stove and waiting for it to come to a simmer, we poured non-alcoholic champagne, which had been chilling between the inner and outer windows, into our cups. Fizz, fizz... the pleasant sound of fine bubbles rising hit our eardrums. We each held a cup in our hands and clinked them together like instruments.

"Cheers!"

The champagne swayed, and a spilled droplet landed on the lid of the clay pot, evaporating instantly. The chilled champagne soaked into our bodies, which were overly warm from the combined effects of the heater and the portable stove.

"Puhaa... Since it's a special occasion I wanted to add some alcohol, but having a drinking party with a minor at school would definitely be grounds for disciplinary action, so I restrained myself. Non-alcoholic is tasty too, though."

Perhaps her heart was dancing at her first-ever hot pot party, because Chifuyu's tone was more energetic than usual.

...Come to think of it, is Chifuyu actually an adult?

Since she's smaller than me and her actions are always so adorable, I almost forget she's an adult, let alone a teacher. I know it's a pretty rude thing to say, though.

"Whoa, hot!"

Said music teacher tried to grab the lid of the clay pot with her bare hands and nearly flipped the whole thing over. Let alone a hot pot party, this might be her first time even eating hot pot like this.

"...What are you doing. With this much steam coming out, of course it's hot."

Don't you have pot holders or something? I asked, and Chifuyu let out a weird "Ugh..."

"Do you think I have something like that in this room?"

Looking around the room, it's just instruments everywhere. Well, of course, it's a music prep room. Not only were there no pot holders, there wasn't even a cloth that could substitute for one in this room.

"If you go to the music room, there should at least be a rag."

"...A rag."

I knew my face was naturally wrinkling in disgust.

"Ugh, fine. I just have to go get it, right?"

"No, the face you just made wasn't 'Ugh, the music room... it's a pain to go get it'. Before even getting to that point, it was a face that clearly said, 'A rag is out of the question,' so please don't misunderstand."

I stopped Chifuyu, who was half-standing with a lonely expression, and made her sit back down.

"I have my gloves, so we don't need a rag."

I put on the woolen gloves that were in my coat pocket and opened the lid of the clay pot.

The steam, having lost its escape route, burst out forcefully! with a whoosh. Chifuyu's earlier lonely expression vanished completely as she gazed at the rising steam, her eyes sparkling brightly.

"Heheh! Smells pretty good, doesn't it! I think we can expect great things from this!"

No sooner had she spoken than Chifuyu, with childlike enthusiasm, began serving the ingredients into her bowl and mine.

By the time I set the lid aside and took off my gloves, preparations for the meal were already complete.

"Well then, shall we say grace?"

Itadakimasu! Putting our hands together in greeting, Chifuyu enthusiastically dug into the hot pot.

"Ah, if you eat it with that much enthusiasm—"

"Hot!"

Sure enough, Chifuyu yelled that out, and going heh heh! like a dog, tried to cool her tongue with the air.

"Calm down a bit, Chifuyu."

Even as I told her that, I was fully aware that my own cheeks had relaxed into a smile.

—I never thought I'd be eating hot pot with Chifuyu like this.

Because of the various twists and turns over this short period, I found myself thinking deeply about this. At the same time, I wished these fun and noisy days would continue forever.

Since the clay pot itself was relatively large, combined with the ingredients poured to the brim, I think there was probably enough for four or five people. Even so, in the hands of growing high school girls, it was an amount we could polish off in no time. Above all, Chifuyu seemed to be quite a big eater; I was surprised because she was stuffing her mouth with an amount that made me wonder if her entire midsection was made solely of stomach.

"You eat quite a lot, Chifuyu."

"Yeah, well, I used to believe that if I ate a lot of food, my body would get bigger! I consciously tried to eat two or three times as much as other people... though in the end, it just ended up stretching my stomach out."

That makes sense, I thought, convinced.

I didn't necessarily associate it with that, but I figured Chifuyu probably drank several glasses of milk a day, too. Because Chifuyu seemed to have that kind of natural, adorable stubbornness about her.

"Yaaawn..."

Even though we had polished it off, I currently had quite a large amount of hot pot packed inside me. With all the blood concentrating in my stomach, a fairly heavy drowsiness landed in my head, which was already suffering from a reversed sleep schedule.

"If you're sleepy, why don't you sleep for a bit? Shall I lend you a sleeping bag?"

"Mmm... but it's a special party and all."

"Well, even if we call it a party, we've already achieved the goal of having fun and eating hot pot together. Besides, it's not like you're planning to sleep for ten hours, right, Miyuki? I can hold out for a few hours. Continuing the banquet won't be too late even after you've properly woken up."

"Mmm... then maybe I'll take you up on that offer."

Handed the sleeping bag by Chifuyu, I slipped inside it.

"Whoa, it's so fluffy."

The sleeping bags I had used in the past were flimsy, paper-thin things that rolled up to the size of a pillow, but the one Chifuyu handed me was as soft and pleasant as a giant ball of fluff.

Moreover, from the head area, I could smell Chifuyu's scent, which must have soaked into the fabric and cotton.

It felt as if my entire body was being enveloped by her, making my heart race in a strange way. Although the feeling almost made me breathless, I couldn't seem to beat the drowsiness rising from the bottom of my stomach.

"Ugh... sorry, Chifuyu. Then... good night for a bit."

"Yes, yes, get some good rest. By the way—"

Chifuyu asked me something.

In response, I answered something.

But because my brain had already plunged both legs into the swamp of sleep, neither what she had asked nor what I had answered ever surfaced in my thoughts at all.