Winter Chords, Hidden Hearts

I got off the bus. The moment I did, a sharp wind brushed past me, sending a chill down my spine—even with a beanie on my head and a scarf wrapped around my neck. I’d arrived about thirty minutes early. It wasn’t intentional—I’d just left home a bit earlier to avoid the risk of being late.

After that rushed conversation with Lyra last night, I had quickly messaged Yasu and Ray. The sudden meet-up caught them off guard too, but since there was an event, they ended up liking the idea. Sayuri was coming as well, so she wouldn’t feel awkward being the only girl.

Well, considering her boyfriend was coming with her, I doubt she’d have felt that uncomfortable anyway...

We’d agreed to meet by the statue in the center of town, and it was just a few minutes from where I had gotten off.

I’d probably have to wait—and freeze—for a while, but there was nothing to be done about it.

As I got closer to the meeting spot, I noticed someone already there. She stood exactly how someone would while waiting for someone. A white coat, black boots. I saw her from the side, a black bag slung over her shoulder. Her short hair—

No doubt about it.
It was Lyra.

The first thing I noticed was how stylish and modern she looked in those clothes.

Wait... why was she alone?

As I approached, Lyra turned her head toward me.

Our eyes met. She gave me a soft smile. I waved back at her.

What was she doing here this early? How long had she been waiting?

I didn’t know. I just hoped I hadn’t kept her waiting long...

“Good morning,” she said with a smile. As she stood in front of me, I was once again struck by how beautiful she looked. Her green eyes, and the green sweater peeking out from under her white coat, made for a perfect combination.

Meanwhile, with my black coat and black sweater, I probably looked like I was mourning something.

“Good morning. Have you been waiting long?” I asked, a little worried. Her nose had turned red.

“No, not at all. Just a few minutes. I ended up arriving early without realizing.”

She must’ve had the same thought as me.

“Same here…”

We both chuckled, glancing at each other, realizing we’d arrived early for the same reason.

Come to think of it—where was the person she was supposed to come with?

“Did you come alone?” I asked curiously.

“Yeah. Noa will probably arrive right on time.”

“Huh? Noa?”

Wait—Noa? So the person she mentioned all along was Noa?

“Y-yeah, why?” Lyra looked at me, surprised.

“N-no reason. Just wanted to make sure I heard that right.”

So it was Noa from the beginning...

Was it really okay for her to be coming along on a day like this?

For a moment, I wasn’t sure what to feel. Even though I’d mentally prepared myself to meet some unfamiliar girl and keep a respectful distance, this almost felt like we were going back to how things used to be. Like during the fireworks festival.

Lyra clasped her hands in front of her mouth and started blowing warm air onto them. Her fingers were red from the cold.

“You don’t have gloves?” I asked, noticing. Even if she said she’d only been waiting a few minutes, there was no way that was true.

“I forgot them on the way out. But it’s fine.”

It didn’t look fine. Should I give her mine? Would she even take them? I’d be happy to, but what if she thought it was weird?

There had to be another solution.

That’s when I noticed the small shopping mall right across from us. If I remembered correctly, there were some clothing stores in there.

“Lyra, the others will text when they get here. Want to head into the mall across the street so we don’t freeze?”

“Ah, sure.” Lyra seemed to like the idea.

Good thinking, me.

We went inside together and started to warm up. It really was cold outside, and even just standing around had made us chilly.

We picked up a pair of black wool gloves for Lyra at the mall. It was nearly time to meet the others.

“I’m glad we came here. Thanks, Yuta.” Lyra had put on the gloves and was smiling up at me, leaning forward slightly.

“No need to thank me.” I smiled back. At least that issue was solved. I added, “It’s almost time—should we head back?”

But when I looked to my side, Lyra was gone.

Where did she go? I glanced around but didn’t see her anywhere. She had vanished in seconds. I was about to pull out my phone to call her when I heard a voice behind me.

“Yuta.”

It was Lyra calling me.

“Lyra, where did you go? I looked around and couldn’t—”

I turned around. She had two cups of coffee, one in each hand.

“Hehe, it’s a secret. I got us coffee. Even though we’re warmed up now, I don’t want us freezing outside.”

She held out one of the cups.

“You didn’t have to… seriously.”

“I just felt like it.” She smiled at me, kind and thoughtful as ever.

As much as I hated to admit it...

She looked adorable.

I slowly took the coffee.

“Thank you. But I should repay you for this,” I said.

“No need!” Lyra protested, looking at me.

“No, I insist.” I meant it.

“Ugh...” She frowned, puffing her cheeks a little.

“Sorry... I’m just not used to this kind of thing.” I really wasn’t used to receiving things without giving something in return.

“Yuta… fine then. Just surprise me with something someday, and we’ll call it even.”

“O-okay.”

Lyra suddenly went quiet. Did I say something wrong? But honestly, I couldn’t have let it go any other way and felt good about it.

Still, from the look on her face, she didn’t seem upset. It was just classic Lyra. Actually, her cheeks had gone red. Probably from the sudden change in temperature.

A message popped up on my phone. The others had arrived at the meeting point.

“They’re here. Let’s go,” I said.

“O-okay.”

25 – 2

It didn’t take long for the girls to warm up to Sayuri. Honestly, I’d say it took just a few minutes at most.

The funniest part was their reaction when they found out Sayuri was Ray’s girlfriend. Yasu and I laughed so hard while walking that Ray got all sulky. (Totally worth it, though.)

The place was packed. As we got closer to the shrine, we could barely see in front of us. Because the path was narrow, we were walking in groups of three.

The girls must’ve hit it off really well, because they were walking ahead, chatting away, while we trailed behind.

Ray’s expression was... well, a mix of jealousy and exasperation.

“It took me almost a month just to be able to talk comfortably with Sayuri. Look at them—touching her necklace and everything. I’m gonna lose my mind, man…”

“Maybe because they’re the same gender?” Yasu said flatly, in a way that made me chuckle. But honestly, I felt relieved.

“At least they’re getting along. I was worried about that, but I guess I didn’t have to be…” I said.

“Hey, Yuta—how did this meet-up with Lyra even happen?” Yasu turned to me, curious.

“Yeah, seriously. What’s going on between you two, huh? Did she break up with her boyfriend or something?” Ray nudged me with his elbow.

At that moment, Noa turned her head and looked at us. Her face held a strange concern, and her eyes locked directly onto mine.

These idiots were being way too loud. The girls could totally hear us. In a panic, I quickly patted both of them on the back.

“Guys, why don’t you shout it louder so even the people across the street can hear?” I snapped with a sharp glare.

“Sorry,” they both muttered.

I let out a deep sigh. As we neared the shrine, I quickly summarized what had happened.

“Damn, for real?” Ray looked at me, laughing.

“Say that again and may your lips freeze shut,” I grumbled. Still, I couldn’t exactly say they were wrong…

“Whatever. At least it’s something different for once,” Yasu said, taking it in a more mature way.

“Though now that I think about it... if she has a boyfriend, why isn’t she with him right now?”

Ray had voiced the one thought probably everyone was thinking. A short silence followed.

“I mean, maybe it’s not even re—”

Yasu was just about to finish when the girls slowed down and turned to look at us.

“What are you talking about?” Sayuri asked curiously. But it wasn’t just her—two other pairs of eyes were locked on us.

“U-uh, we were talking about how rude people can be,” Yasu stumbled through the first excuse he could come up with. Nice save, Yasu!

“Hm?”

“Yeah, you can’t even see ahead of you with this crowd…” Ray added in support.

“You’re right,” Sayuri said. She didn’t seem fully convinced, but she dropped the topic.

For a while, we all walked in silence, nearly side by side. We were getting close to the shrine.

“By the way, can I borrow Yuta for a couple of minutes?”

Everyone turned in surprise at the person who said it.

That included me.

Because the one who said it was—Noa.

“Huh? Me—?” Before I could react, Noa took my arm and pulled me into the crowd.

“Uh, sure…” Sayuri looked on, confused, as we disappeared into the sea of people.

“W-wait, Noa!” I called out, but she had already taken me away.

The last thing I saw when I looked back were the frozen, stunned expressions of everyone watching us.