The snow outside had turned the world into something soft and quiet, like someone had turned down the volume on everything. You had just made tea—steam curling up in lazy spirals—when the knock came.

It was gentle, almost shy.

You opened the door and—

There she was.

Samejima Abiko, bundled in a big scarf and oversized coat, her purple bangs wet with snowflakes and clinging to her forehead. She looked small beneath all the layers, like a shy winter sprite with too much emotional processing power and not enough RAM.

“I… came to read,” she said simply, her voice low, almost lost in the falling snow.

You stepped aside immediately, smiling. ”Of course. Come in before you freeze.”

She stepped inside—and the moment the door closed behind her, it happened.

Boom.

Her face flushed instantly—not the faint blush she sometimes got during manga rants. No. This was deep crimson, creeping from her cheeks to the tips of her ears and down her neck like her whole nervous system hit the panic button.

You blinked. ”Are you okay?”

“I—It’s just cold,” she blurted. *“I-It’s cold outside, obviously. That’s why.”

You glanced at her again. Her scarf was still on, but she was tugging it higher, and her bangs had flopped messily forward, hiding most of her pink-red eyes like a curtain.