Chapter Two

A Once-in-a-Lifetime Smile

Three days had passed since Fuyuka had suffered from a cold and Asahi had taken care of her. It was Monday, which marked the beginning of a new week.

Classes had already finished for the day, but Asahi wasn’t heading home just yet. He’d promised his friend Chiaki that he’d remain at school with him so they could study together. The sky outside was dimming rapidly; however, Asahi had fortunately anticipated this outcome—he’d done his laundry and prepared the night’s dinner earlier that morning prior to leaving for school.

Unfortunately, he didn’t have enough time to complete all of the problems he’d personally assigned himself. Or, rather, it was more an issue with his concentration—he’d found himself unable to focus on solving all of the questions. The reason behind this was none other than Fuyuka Himuro, The Ice Queen.

I’m just glad that she was able to recover from that fever, at least, Asahi thought to himself.

Chiaki had told him earlier, but she’d attended classes earlier that day as if nothing had ever happened. She behaved the same as usual and ignored everyone—a clear sign that she’d made a complete recovery from her illness. That should’ve been the end of things. Asahi didn’t think much about what happened after that... or, at least, that’s what he tried to tell himself.

Once he returned home, collecting the clothes that he’d left out to dry was the first priority. As he folded them, he went over the math problems he hadn’t been able to complete at school. His parents always gave him a hefty allowance so that he could fully concentrate on his studies. That was something he knew he had to stay on top of. He didn’t particularly dislike studying, although as of late, a few subjects—such as Math and English—had been the source of several headaches.

I should probably try to solve a couple more questions before getting dinner ready, he mused to himself as he continued to sort the laundry.

Once he’d finished with his clothes, he went straight to his room and opened his notebook. The first page was covered in traces of half-assed equations and smudges of mistakes he’d erased. The moment he decided to turn to a blank page and get to studying, something unexpected occurred.

Ding dong.

“Who could it be this late?”

At first, he thought it might be Chiaki. When he thought it over more, though, there was no chance it would’ve been him—he always let Asahi know beforehand if he was coming over to hang out. That scratched the possibility of it being him off the list. That meant that it had to be another friend of his, but even that seemed unlikely. Perhaps it was someone dropping off a delivery? But, no, he was certain he hadn’t ordered anything recently.

Because he was absolutely clueless as to who rang the bell, he headed straight for the camera attached to the intercom to check who it was. It was the safest choice to make, considering the circumstances.

What he hadn’t expected was a certain black-haired beauty to be the one waiting on the other side of the door.

“What do you want?” he asked as he opened the door. Fuyuka was standing in front of him in what could be considered everyday attire: a button-up shirt and a pair of jeans. He wasn’t used to seeing her in clothes outside of her uniform at all, so it briefly threw him for a loop.

He wasn’t able to conceal his utter surprise. How could he? Of all the people he’d thought of, Fuyuka was not even close to being on the list. As he tried to look anywhere but in her direction, she presented him with a white envelope.

“Please take this,” she said.

“And this is...?”

“My thanks for everything that happened the other day,” she followed up while thrusting the envelope toward him. He smiled awkwardly as she essentially forced him into taking it.

Although he knew what she meant by “the other day,” he didn’t quite understand why she felt inclined to thank him. It wasn’t like he’d done anything that merited her gratitude. He opened the envelope and spotted a ten thousand yen bill inside.

“I can’t accept this. I don’t remember doing anything to deserve this.”

“That won’t do. You must factor in not only the time you spent caring for me, but also the cost of the supplies—the cooling packs, the ice pillows, the sports drink, and...”

Asahi sighed deeply as she rattled off the costs of her “maintenance.” Are you telling me this is how she thinks she’s going to “pay me back” for the favor?

Actually, this was quite fitting for The Ice Queen to do. He understood that Fuyuka was simply trying to be courteous in her own unique way, but he didn’t really share the same sentiment. Shoving money in his face wasn’t the best way to thank him.

“I’m not taking this, no matter what you say. I took care of you out of good faith. I wasn’t expecting any sort of compensation in return for what I did.”

“But...”

Fuyuka was speechless as Asahi handed the envelope back to her. She was completely stumped by his defiance and didn’t know how to react in such a situation.

Given the abrupt visit and the normal conversation they were having, it was clear to Asahi that, despite her recovery, the fever had thawed a small portion of her icy disposition. He could actually read the combination of confusion and mild irritation on her face—something that would have been unthinkable even just a few days ago.

Despite multiple attempts to assure her that she didn’t have to worry about it anymore, Fuyuka wasn’t the sort who liked remaining indebted to someone. She rooted herself to the spot and stared awkwardly at him. It didn’t look as though she was ready to admit defeat just yet.

Knowing her, I bet she’s just trying to think of another way to repay me... Wait, I have an idea, Asahi mused.

“Actually... You’re good at studying and all that, yeah?” he asked her.

“I guess you could say that.”

“How about you help me with my studies, then? If you do that, you can consider us even.”

“And that would be good enough for you?”

“Yeah.”

Fuyuka was merely being modest—Asahi was aware that she was at the top of their class when it came to marks. Getting her help would greatly improve his scores, not to mention he’d finally be able to tackle the problems he was having trouble with earlier.

“Very well then,” she responded after a short moment of silence. With his confirmation, she accepted his offer somewhat reluctantly. “If you’ll excuse me,” she followed up, heading toward him.

“Huh?” Asahi quickly blurted out, his eyes widening in shock.

She didn’t pay much heed as she side-stepped him and made her way into his place. “What are you so surprised about?” she asked. “You said you wanted me to help with your studies, didn’t you?”

“I... I guess so, yeah.”

He hadn’t expected her to just barge in like that, however. He’d assumed they’d figure out a time and place to meet up, not right then and there. It had definitely caught him off-guard.

I thought she was The Ice Queen? What the hell’s wrong with her? he thought.

As she headed inside, he turned around in confusion and faced her petite, yet imposing, back. This was his second time interacting with Fuyuka, the Ice Queen, out of coincidence; it was also the second time she’d subverted his expectations.

*

Fuyuka quickly proved that it wasn’t mere luck that had landed her at the top of his class. All the math problems that he'd been struggling with, she solved with ease. She was able to explain all the core concepts he hadn't gotten a grasp of in a way that was easy for him to understand, as well.

“Use the second equation here, then apply a quadratic formula, and you’ll be able to get the final result. The next question uses the same method. Make sure you don't forget this method in the middle of the problem-solving portion.”

Her class was an incredibly efficient one; with her assistance, Asahi managed to solve all the questions he'd previously left blank.

I wonder if she feels the same as I do whenever I try to explain things to Chiaki, he pondered to himself.

The fact that she even had some secret tricks to solve problems that the teachers had never mentioned really made it clear to him that she excelled in her studies. She was certainly leagues above him, at any rate, and acted more like a teacher than the professionals they had at school as the lesson progressed.

“Damn, you’re good at this. Honestly, if you were my teacher, I wouldn’t complain at all.”

“You're overestimating me. If you have time to fool around, then surely you have time to solve this problem here.”

He focused his attention back to the notebook, but Asahi heard her sigh ever so slightly. There wasn't much he could think of as a reply, so he just forced a smile.

She’s a weird one, that’s for sure, he noted.

Her attitude was as cold as ever, but she didn’t attempt to push him away whenever he inquired about the problems. She would always answer in a way he could comprehend and even complimented him whenever he actually understood something and applied it to the problems at hand.

Leaving aside the matter of debt and repayment, he felt that he'd finally caught a glimpse of The Ice Queen's “human” side. Her movements and speech had a very regal and subtle method about them, but he slowly adapted to how to read her based on her expressions and movements.

She was acting so out of character to him that he actually found it endearing to a certain degree. Although he had to admit that a lot of the preconceptions he held about her were based on Chiaki's impressions. His friend constantly talked about her being a different kind of person.

“You calculated this incorrectly.”

“Oh, I did. Oh God, how could I fail at simple addition?”

“You’d better start taking this seriously. The test relies on these equations, so you need to drill them into your head.”

Fuyuka quietly sighed to herself again at Asahi's basic blunder. She tried to make sure he didn't hear her, but he did anyway. It was difficult for him to focus, though—he still couldn't come to terms with what was happening in front of him. He never thought he’d get the opportunity to study with The Ice Queen herself, or to be able to see her express herself in ways he’d never imagined.

*

One hour had passed since Fuyuka agreed to help Asahi with his studies, and most of his questions were already complete. She was a proficient teacher, and he had been a fast learner. He had also tried—for the most part—to concentrate while she assisted him, which had contributed to things progressing quickly.

“Is one hour of studying really okay with you? I don’t think it’s nearly enough after all you did for me, but...”

“What are you talking about? Anyone could’ve taken care of you, but no one else could’ve helped me with these math problems. In fact, I should be the one owing you.”

Fuyuka’s face said it all—she clearly disagreed with Asahi and placed more stock into his efforts than he did. She wasn’t ready to surrender just yet, but Asahi also wasn’t planning on budging and asking her for anything else.

He’d briefly considered proposing that she come every day to help him out for the upcoming test, but that would’ve been a bother to her eventually. Plus, he wasn’t looking forward to the idea of having a daily Ice Queen studying session, so he quickly dropped that idea.

And so, after a lengthy back-and-forth between the two, Fuyuka—who had remained steadfast about assisting him until the bitter end—finally agreed to leave it at that.

“In any case, let’s just complete these remaining problems. If we’re quick about it, we can have them done in 30 minutes or less.”

“Uh, yeah, I suppose. Let’s see, the next one... Actually, wait a sec.”

Just as he’d readied himself for the final push, a sound rang out from the kitchen. Asahi got up and rushed over after he’d gotten the okay from Fuyuka.

“What was that sound just now?”

“My rice cooker. I programmed it while I was taking my break,” he replied from the kitchen as he fiddled with the appliance in an attempt to stop the grating beeping sounds.

“Now that you mention it, you were in the kitchen earlier. So that’s what you were doing?”

Asahi had taken a brief 10-minute break some time ago, which had allowed him to quickly finish folding his clothes and prepare some rice. By pouring it into the rice cooker with some water, he was able to set the timer to go off when he’d predicted he’d be done with his studies.

He lifted the lid and was immediately engulfed in a cloud of steam and the characteristic fragrance of cooked rice. There hadn’t been time to wash it, since the day had unfolded in a completely different fashion from what he’d planned. As a result, the rice was extra fluffy. Without much time to dedicate to that day’s dinner, he had decided to make some curry with rice.

Grumble.

A familiar sound echoed throughout the kitchen. Fuyuka was standing there, and the noise caused her face to turn a deep shade of crimson.

“I prepped some curry in advance. You’re more than welcome to join me if you want.”

Homemade curry was completely different from the roux sold at markets, but the latter could be stored easily and wasn’t quick to spoil—even after months in the cupboard. Nevertheless, Asahi had made curry the day prior so he could enjoy it that night. As he was preoccupied with contemplating the intricacies of curry, he failed to notice Fuyuka’s death glare, or the fact that her cheeks were as red as a Fuji apple.

“I will pass on your offer,” she answered with a shake of her head.

I guess she’s too embarrassed to say yes? I wish I could read minds, Asahi lamented.

Unfortunately for Fuyuka, her stomach continued to vocalize several times following that, so it completely killed the studying mood that had been cultivated beforehand. Each time it growled, she would tremble slightly in mortification.

“I’m not going to add this to your tab or whatever, so don’t worry. You don’t need to hold back.”

“But...”

“Like I said before, I really don’t mind. Come on, join me.”

Asahi was perturbed after her stomach started acting strangely, so he insisted on having her for dinner. How could they have studied properly under those conditions anyway?

The thought that Fuyuka could simply return next door and eat her own dinner did not occur to either of them.

After a short period of silence, Fuyuka finally gave a muted nod. Her face was still as red as could be.

*

Fortunately, Asahi had possessed the foresight to prepare enough rice for dinner and tomorrow’s lunch, so there was plenty for him and Fuyuka to share.

“Thanks for the food,” they both said in unison.

They grasped their spoons and scooped some curry into their mouths. The level of spice was quite mild, and the rich flavor quickly spread across their tongues. Although it wasn’t homemade curry, it was pretty appetizing nonetheless.

“It’s quite delicious,” Fuyuka said after she’d savored the initial spoonful. Clearly, she appreciated the cooked meal.

“Thanks.”

Asahi braced himself, just in case she was about to break out into another waterworks show like she had three days ago, but—thankfully—nothing of the sort happened. They both enjoyed their meal without incident. Then again, it had been a touch awkward on account of the silence that persisted the entire meal. The only thing that could be heard was the sounds of their spoons clinking against the dishes.

Asahi finished way before Fuyuka, and, wanting to avoid the awkwardness of waiting on her to finish her meal, decided to return to solving his math problems to kill some time. He moved to the sofa near the table and placed his notebook on the coffee table in front of him. Just a few hours ago, these equations had felt like an impossible task. Now, thanks to Fuyuka’s guidance, he was more than prepared to take them on alone. What method should he use for the first problem? He quickly dove in. At least, that’s what he’d hoped to do—his mind was still sluggish from the hearty curry he’d just polished off. It was impossible for him to actually concentrate on the task at hand.

“Your cooking is very good, Kagami.”

Wait, she’s the one initiating a conversation with me? Did I hit my head during the meal or something?

Fuyuka didn’t seem to be the type of person who minded silence, like the situation they were currently in. The fact that she struck up a conversation was unthinkable for Asahi.

When did she decide to start calling me by my surname? All she’s ever referred to me as is ‘you’ until now. I know that’s how she’d normally address me, but I kinda have a bad feeling about this...

“I’d like to think I’m pretty good at it. Gotta thank my parents for that.”

“Your parents, you say?”

“My dad’s a chef, and my mom’s a patissier.”

She gasped slightly in admiration and looked his way. He didn’t think he’d said anything outrageous just then—so what brought about the reaction? He didn’t see any reason for it in his parents’ occupation.

“Does that mean that you also wish to become a chef in the future?”

“Maybe, maybe not. I haven’t decided yet. When I was little, I really wanted to be one. My parents encouraged me a lot, too. But now, I wouldn’t particularly mind following another path.”

“And your parents didn’t say anything about it?”

“Well, they definitely seemed disappointed that I was thinking of other options, that’s for sure.”

Fuyuka directed her gaze toward him, focusing on him rather than her food. She seemed very engrossed in the conversation now, and Asahi noticed her concerned expression.

“But the only thing they actually said was that I should do whatever I feel I want to do.”

“Your family seems very supportive.”

“I’m still thankful that they taught me how to cook, at least. Otherwise I’d be a bum who couldn’t make anything for himself.”

Asahi wasn’t exactly the talkative type, either. He was taken aback at himself—there hadn’t been many times where he’d been as engaged in a conversation as he was then. Maybe it was because his mood had lifted at the thought of being a part of the rare event. Or maybe it was because, for whatever reason, she seemed rather downtrodden, and he wanted to lift her spirits somehow. It was common to talk with others in one’s daily life, but talking to the Ice Queen was not. Something about that moment in particular intrigued him and drew him in; he wanted to be a part of it.

They continued to chat for a while about this and that—methods for making curry, things that must be noted when storing it, their studies, and so on. This continued right until Fuyuka had finished her meal.

“Hopefully we’ve been able to silence your tummy.”

“Thank you for the food.”

Asahi tried to joke around a little, but she ignored his gag and pierced him with her trademark icy stare. He realized that messing around was probably not the best idea just yet.

“You can just put your dishes in the dishwasher.”

“Very well,” Fuyuka answered along with a nod. She quickly gathered her spoon, plate, and glass, then headed toward the kitchen.

Hopefully now we’ll be able to study without any issues, Asahi hoped as he waited for her to return.

“Hey, Himuro—”

Asahi was going to propose a short 10-minute break before they resumed studying so the food wouldn’t hinder their concentration, but he was interrupted by noises coming from the kitchen. He could make out running water, as well as the clanging of cutlery being shuffled about.

“What are you doing?” Asahi asked as he made his way toward the kitchen.

“I’m cleaning the dishes,” she retorted in an incredulous tone, as if it was the most obvious thing for her to do.

Asahi peeked over at her. She was wearing rubber gloves as she brandished a sponge in one hand and a plate in the other. It was clear as day what she was doing, but he still felt awkward watching her wash his dishes.

“I can do that later; don’t worry about it,” he spoke up, although what he had really wanted to say was, “Why would you push yourself to do that?”

“I won’t allow that. It’s the very least I can do,” she replied.

“Well... okay. That would really help.”

He’d only known her from the small handful of interactions within the past two days, but he knew by now that arguing with her over something like that would be wasted effort. He let it be—the best thing to do would be to give in and let her do the dishes. It was a win-win situation for him, either way, so why not?

“... And what are you doing, exactly?”

“Just watching you clean the dishes,” Asahi answered. He tried to imitate the same incredulous tone she’d used just a few moments ago.

She briefly stared at him with a puzzled expression, but quickly turned around and ignored him in favor of completing her self-assigned task.

Asahi contemplated returning to the living room to work on those yet-unfinished problems, but he soon dismissed that plan. He didn’t feel very confident about leaving Fuyuka in the kitchen alone. Plus, it was so out of character to witness someone as regal and stoic as her washing the dishes that he felt the need to stay, even if he knew it probably wasn’t as big of a deal as he was making it out to be.

“Can I ask you something, Himuro?”

“As long as I can—or wish to—answer it.”

“Do you normally cook food for yourself?”

Fuyuka didn’t reply with words—instead, she ended up dropping one of the glasses she was in the process of cleaning. Fortunately, it wasn’t from a high distance, and it was made out of plastic either way. Was the question really that big of a deal to her?

“Why would you ask me something like that?” she shakily replied as she scooped up the errant glass from the sink. Her face was flushed red yet again.

“I was just curious; that’s all.”

“I invoke my right to remain silent.”

“Oh, sure...”

Tch. Shouldn’t have asked her that.

Asahi decided to stay in the kitchen and observe her as she cleaned the rest of the dishes. He wanted to speak up a couple of times and comment on her technique, but he figured it was best to hold his tongue while she was working. In his eyes—as someone who knew his way around a kitchen—Fuyuka was clearly a novice. Although she garnered a reputation for being the perfect girl at school, it was possible she didn’t know how to cook at all. It was that gap in preconception and reality that intrigued him.

“I mean, there’s no need to get so embarrassed. You don’t have to hide it—there’re tons of girls out there who wouldn’t know a spatula from a whisk.”

“It’s not that I can’t cook, mind you.”

Neither of them was particularly old-fashioned or bound to traditional gender roles when it came to aspects like cooking. Just as men who could cook didn’t put Fuyuka off, in turn, women who couldn’t didn’t put Asahi off. Who cared if The Ice Queen was an accident waiting to happen in the kitchen? Nobody was perfect—everyone had their own weak points.

And although Asahi did care to some extent about the reason behind her lack of culinary proficiency, he decided not to broach it. He remained silent as he watched her finish the dishes.

As she continued her task, she grew tired before long. It wasn’t a surprise to Asahi, considering she wasn’t the most experienced. He was worried she’d end up making a mistake and injuring herself, so he decided to try and step in.

“I’ll help you—”

“I’ll do it. You go back to the living room and finish your questions, Kagami.”

As if the very concept of being offered help had been the last straw for her, Fuyuka finally shut Asahi down and demanded he leave. She was dead set on getting everything done by herself, so the best course of action was to concede.

Trying to be helpful all the time is pretty annoying, so whatever, Asahi thought as he watched Fuyuka struggling to scrub the stubborn scraps of curry off the plates.

It was weird to see someone who was so hellbent on keeping others at a distance, but also so dead set on repaying a debt. It hadn’t even been that big of a deal for him personally. The only reason he could think of as an explanation for her behavior was that she was desperately trying to pay him back so she would never have to interact with him again. She was reluctant to open herself up even the slightest bit. Maybe she simply wanted to return to her old self, in which she sealed off her heart to everyone else and kept people at bay. It could be that she wanted to return to her previous relationship with him—where they were essentially strangers who simply happened to live next to each other. Maybe that was why she was going through all of the trouble of helping a classmate and neighbor she barely knew.

“I mean... all that matters is that you have meals to eat in the end, right? It’s not a big deal if you can cook properly or not.”

“What are you going on about?” she replied curtly.

“Nothing. Just something I wanted to say. I’ll shut up and leave now.”

He didn’t care if he came off as some sort of sanctimonious asshole to her; he’d felt so concerned about her for a moment that he’d felt something compelling him to tell her.

“I’d rather not have you collapse like you did the other day again,” he added. “‘You gotta make sure you eat your share...’ Well, my grandpa used to tell me something like that, anyway. I’m just parroting him at this point.”

He felt a pang of embarrassment after repeating his grandpa’s somewhat-coarse words, but it wasn’t like it really mattered—she’d forget about his words by tomorrow, anyway.

He could envision how the rest of the night would go: Fuyuka would assist him with the remainder of the equations and make a quick departure following that.

As he endeavored through his math problems alone, he happened to notice something—or, more accurately, the absence of something. There were no more sounds coming from the kitchen. When he looked up, he saw Fuyuka entering the room.

“I’ll keep your words in mind,” she said with a warm, bright smile.

This was the first time he’d ever seen The Ice Queen smile. It made his heart race, and he was thoroughly captivated by her for a brief moment.

“Is there something on my face?” she asked.

“Oh, no... I was just thinking that this is the first time I’ve seen you smile.”

Fuyuka quickly shifted back to her frigid poker face and serious demeanor. Unfortunately, she couldn’t hide the red color that emanated from her cheeks.

“I can smile just like anyone else can. Didn’t you know that?”

“Oh, really now? That’s news to me. You always look so stern at school. You’ve never smiled once.”

“What sort of impression do you have of me?” she replied with an exasperated sigh.

The sort of image where there’s a reason everyone calls you “The Ice Queen,” Himuro...

Fuyuka was someone that, due sheer coincidence, had revealed to Asahi that she was capable of conversing with others, having emotions, and even smiling like the average person. The thought that she’d soon repay her debt and revert to ignoring him made Asahi sad. At the same time, he felt that he’d been treated to the rare occasion of seeing her smile, and that alone had been more than worth it.