Chapter 23: Actions Warm Enough to Melt Winter

We were nearing the winter break, and the classroom atmosphere carried the scent of certain finality.

The school calendars were flipped to the succeeding year.

The once colorful class boards were now stripped down to bare cork.

The usually crowded hallways full of chatter and laughter were now reduced to the squeaks of mops and buckets being moved around, and the quiet murmurs of cleaning students.

Not even the room was spared in the silence and melancholy. Most of my classmates are just talking about their family plans and mumbling their temporary farewells. It really felt that this homeroom is over even before the bell rang.

Despite my own world running on sepia, I can still detect the bright golden light shining behind me. My awareness of her never left despite the absence that settled between us for days since I braved through hesitation and confessed. To say it frankly, these feelings kept getting stronger each passing day.

"ALLLLRIGHT!" Yamaguchi-sensei clapped his hands together at the front. "Eyes on front, everybody!"

As usual, that broke the ice that almost consumed the classroom. He had that tone of a hybrid teacher and comedian—cheerful enough to wake people up and not pushy enough to piss them off.

"I have a few announcements before we wrap up the semester and you all run off into the snow like ungraded essays.”

A few students laughed. Some smiled. Most were just ready to leave, including me.

He adjusted his necktie, already loosened from the day.

“First off, good job surviving your finals. Whether you aced them or scraped by through divine intervention, you’re still here. That’s worth something.”

Another classroom joker muttered something about divine intervention and cheat sheets working harder than he did.

The class chuckled. Even Yamaguchi-sensei smirked.

“Now, your three-way conferences are scheduled starting today and through the week. Parents, guardians, teachers—all together in one little room to talk about your future. Sounds fun, right?”

Collective groans.

“But hey,” he continued, “don't worry if you underperformed. There's still a lot of chances in the future! Take note that the majority of you actually did really well, and the class rankings tilted as well. So for those who really failed, I’ll see you in remedial classes next week.”

A nervous murmur echoed in the room. I tried to observe them for a moment, with most of the girls huddling around Tsurugi-san, and I spotted someone mouth my surname—maybe surprised I wasn’t sleeping through finals for once.

But I wasn’t proud.

I was tired.

And this was the tiredness that won't leave no matter how long I rest. Physical exhaustion and emotional exhaustion are completely different, and there isn't a technique known to man that can ease the effects of the latter.

Yamaguchi-sensei picked up a clipboard and cleared his throat.

“Now, before we head into winter break, one final announcement from someone you all know pretty well. Tsurugi-san?”

That name still held weight in this room, and my heart.

Tsurugi Konomi stood from her desk—she didn’t even have to say anything at first. Her posture alone carried presence. That quiet grace people often mistake for strength, but is really just a finely-tuned silence learned from years of holding everything together. I knew that from a close friend's perspective.

She smoothed her skirt, walked to the front, and faced us—not as a superior, not as a fallen representative reclaiming her title, but as a classmate. One of us.

“Everyone, our second year of high school is almost complete. I know that a lot of things happened throughout the months that made me step down as your classroom representative.”

Her glances shifted around the classroom, the smile on her lips unwavering.

“I still worked behind the scenes though, and I'm really glad that Class 2-1’s harmony remained strong and holding. Let's carry this same spirit forward into the next term and beyond!”

And behind her, she pulled out a clipboard.

It made the room shake in anticipation.

Because when a student was holding a clipboard, it only meant one thing.

“And last but not the least, I’ve decided to return as your class representative!"

Her voice was calm but resolute, like a returning tide.

There was a beat of stunned quiet.

Then, slowly, like a ripple spreading across still water—applause.

I was probably not the first, but I was the loudest. I promised to be someone to count on when it mattered, and little gestures like these would mean everything for her.

Even Yuuya, our resident delinquent, clapped—though probably just to save face.

I just watched her. And it's not long after when her eyes met mine. I can see in her eyes the unforgotten love she kept being the classroom representative now and then.

There was also still that deep intention in her gaze, but no longer pushing whatever she's been trying to achieve recently.

We smiled in acknowledgment.

We’re good now. I can't say fully fixed, but we've grown. And our relationship might have been better than before.

Like soldiers pressing fists together at the end of a long, bloodied campaign.

“Welcome back, Tsurugi-chan,” Yamaguchi-sensei said, scratching his chin. “We’ll promise to protect you from delinquents this time.”

She acknowledged and returned the dark joke. “No promises from my side either!”

Laughter again, and the sepia that covered my surroundings finally dissolved.

I was happy.

I really am.

For everyone could've remained falling and shattered after taking an emotional hit—it's easier to stay broken than to get a fix, right?

I did before.

Tsurugi-san was an exception.

She was able to rebuild herself and become stronger afterwards. That is a miracle alone in a sense, but if it's Tsurugi-san, it's as simple as redirection and finding purpose when things fall apart.

And that's what makes her special.

I still remember that she was the one that bailed me out when we got caught sneaking in the public library past their operations.

She can work under pressure, definitely. I just wonder if she really stepped down just to reconcile with Kousaka-san and me.

And for me, seeing everything develop around me, it made me feel lighter this time.

I realized that Tsurugi-san gave her best effort to break the long-standing silence between us.

And looking behind me, I can see the silence that remained.

Kousaka-san.

This time, should I be the one breaking it like how she barged into my world recklessly?