Lessons in Warmth and Cold

Soft flakes drifted through an endless hush, and somewhere far off, a voice called his name, bright and familiar.

He pushed forward, but the white grew thicker, until his fingers held on to something beneath the frost, two small round shapes rising from the snow.

They were soft. Too soft.

Light seeped through the whiteness, growing warmer, brighter…

...until his eyes opened.

Something warm rested on him, slow, steady breaths against his chest.

It took him a few seconds to realize it wasn’t a dream anymore.

“Mmmh…” Koori murmured, shifting slightly.

Hale blinked and looked down, his hands still resting on the soft shapes.

“K–Koori!?”, he gasped as he yanked them away.

She was half sprawled across him, hair tousled, cheek against his stomach, curled close against his body.

She opened one eye lazily and gave him a drowsy look.

“Yes...?”

Hale shot upright so fast she almost tumbled off. “W–why aren’t you in your room!?”

She blinked at him, perfectly calm. “It was too quiet in there…”

“That might be true, but you just can’t... crawl into my bed.”

She just kept looking at him, calmly.

“But when we slept in the cave on the mountain, it wasn’t a problem, was it?”

Hale froze for a heartbeat. “That was… different.”

Very different... Back then, she practically forced me to.

He sighed and sat up.

“Look… you can’t just do that. It’s… not something a girl should do with a man she barely knows.”

Koori pouted.

“I always have to follow these strange rules…” she mumbled sulkily, but obediently scooted to the edge of the futon.

Hale sighed. “That’s how the human world is, full of strange rules…” 

He gave her a curious look. “Are you… disappointed?”

Koori tilted her head, thoughtful, then smiled softly.

“It’s still better than being alone on the mountain. Besides...” her smile widened, “now I have you. And Hiro-san.”

Hale stared at her for a heartbeat, then smiled helplessly.

“Where is Hiro-san, anyway?” Koori asked curiously, glancing around the room.

“Good question…” Hale said uncertainly. “But don’t worry, I think he’ll be back soon.”

***

A short time later, Hale stood in the narrow kitchen as he searched the shelf for coffee.

Koori watched him from the table, chin resting in her hands.

“Do you need to think straight again, Hale?”

He looked over his shoulder. “...What?”

She pointed at the mug in his hand. “That awful, bitter drink. Is that why you’re having it again?”

Hale blinked. “Uhm, yeah… something like that.”

He poured in the hot water, stirred with a spoon, and in that instant, the mark on his wrist began to glow faintly.

A thin crust of ice spread across his fingers, and the cup cracked softly, as the coffee froze solid.

“Why did you freeze it now?” Koori asked, blinking.

“That wasn’t on purpose!” Hale stammered. “I have no idea how I did that...”

“So you still can’t control it,” Koori observed, tapping her chin thoughtfully.

Then her face brightened. “That’s fine. I’ll show you how.”

“You’ll… show me?” he repeated, half wary, half curious.

“Of course!” She smiled. “If you learn to guide the energy, it won’t overwhelm you anymore.”

He frowned. “You mean… that energy you shared with me?”

“Mhm.” She nodded seriously. “Right now, you’re not guiding it, you’re suppressing it.” Her voice grew calm, almost instructive. “If you learn to feel the current, you can decide where the ice grows. And when.”

Hale was silent for a moment, then frowned again.

“You make it sound so simple. I’m not even sure what I’m supposed to be feeling…”

He looked down at the frozen coffee and sighed.

Suddenly, Koori stepped closer, took his hands, and wrapped them gently together with the cup.

A warm, golden light ran across her fingers, and steam rose as the ice melted away.

Their eyes met.

“Do you feel it?”

Hale swallowed as the starlight in her eyes flickered.

“I... guess.”

He felt her energy flowing through his skin, the warmth, the life, her heartbeat merging with his own.

“A part of me lives in you now,” she said softly. “When you understand me… you’ll understand it.”

Hale opened his mouth to speak, but the words wouldn’t come.

Then Koori blinked, as if she too had felt something she couldn’t name. 

A brief uncertainty crossed her face.

"What... is..."

Suddenly the latch clicked.

The door slid open and Hiro stepped in, arms full of bags, the rain still glistening on his shoulders.

“Ohayō!” he called brightly, kicking off his shoes. “Sorry to keep you waiting!”

Hale spun around, jerked his hands back, and stared fixedly at the floor.

“Uh, g-good morning, Hiro-san! Don’t worry, everything’s fine, hehe…”

Koori still held the cup in her hands and blew gently into the rising steam.

Hiro blinked, studying the two of them. “Everything alright?”

Koori smiled innocently and lifted the cup proudly.

“We made coffee!”

Hiro decided not to ask, set the bags on the table, and took off his jacket.

His gaze lingered seriously on Hale.

“I met someone last night,” he said quietly. “From school.”

Hale blinked. “You mean our school? Shinsei High? Don’t tell me it still exists!”

For a moment, a faint, nostalgic smile crossed Hiro’s face.

“Yes, that was its name. Back then.“

He lowered his glasses slightly, his eyes drifting somewhere far away.

“Now they call it Nyansei High.”

Hale frowned. “Nyansei…?”

“Yes,” Hiro said dryly. “Same building, same classrooms, but that’s where the similarity ends. The school is part of a special program. Humans and Nekos teach and study there together, the only place where that’s even allowed.”

Humans and Cats... together?

He looked at Hale. “The principal already agreed to take you on, starting tomorrow.”

Hale needed a moment to process that.

“Wait.” Hale blinked. “You want me to teach again?”

Hiro nodded slowly.

“You need to find your footing here somehow, Heiru-san. Having work helps with that.”

Then he smiled apologetically.

“Don’t get me wrong, I’m glad to help, but if you work at the school, it’ll be easier for all of us. And since I’ll be there too, I can help you settle in.”

Hale scratched his head, thinking it over.

Koori tilted her head, eyes wide. 

“What is a… high school?”

Hiro smiled faintly and reached into one of the bags. 

He pulled out something neatly folded, soft fabric, cream-gray with gold buttons and a brown-red ribbon at the collar.

“Here. For you.”

Koori took it reverently.

“A dress…?” she whispered, her voice full of wonder.

“Not exactly,” Hiro said, amused. “It’s a school uniform.”

“Wait,” Hale interrupted, frowning. “Are you serious? You want Koori to attend school?”

Hiro remained calm.

“If she’s listed as a student, she’ll draw less attention,” Hiro explained patiently. “And… it’s safer if we stay close.”

He studied Koori for a moment. “We don’t know how old she really is, but... she could pass for a student.”

Koori held the fabric up, studying it from different angles, then smiled softly.

“So… it’s a symbol that I belong there?”

Hale and Hiro exchanged a look.

“Something like that,” Hale said quietly.

She nodded once, as if that answer was enough, and disappeared into the next room.

A few minutes later, she was back.

The sleeves hung far past her hands, and the hem of the cardigan nearly reached the skirt.

Hiro rubbed his neck, embarrassed. “Ah… sorry. I guessed the size.”

But Koori only turned once, the fabric swirling lightly around her.

“Warm… and soft,” she said softly. “I like it."

Hale watched her for a moment, caught between a smile and a warm feeling he couldn’t name.

Then Hiro placed something else on the table, a small round case.

“This is for you as well, Koori-san.”

She leaned closer, curious. “What is it?”

“Contact lenses,” he said. “They’ll make your eyes look… human.”

Koori opened the case, peered into the clear liquid, then looked at Hale.

“I know I’m supposed to hide them…” she said softly, “…but why does it always have to be that way?”

For a moment, no one answered.

The sound of rain filled the silence until Hale finally spoke. 

“Because the world isn’t ready for them yet,” he said quietly, eyes lowered.

Koori blinked, as if she didn’t quite understand, or maybe just didn’t want to, but nodded anyway.

Then Hiro clapped his hands together and smiled warmly, like someone who knew fate had already taken its course.

“Then it’s settled. Tomorrow marks the start of your new life at Nyansei High.”