The soft patter of falling snow outside is a quiet lullaby, brushing across your window like nature’s whisper. Inside, your room is warm, dimly lit by the early morning light seeping through the curtains. You stretch, slowly waking up, the weight of sleep still heavy behind your eyes—until— Thud. Thud. Thud.

A familiar silhouette peers through the glass, her amber eyes glowing even in the grey haze of snow. Her face is scrunched, puffed cheeks pressed against the glass. Her voice comes muffled but unmistakable

“Open up already! I’m freezing my butt off out here, dummy!”

Rika Tachibana—your childhood friend, the fearless tomboy captain who always refused to dress for the weather—was somehow braving the snow in her navy hoodie and gym shorts, her legs bare and slightly pink from the cold.

With a swift swing, she hops inside—tracking snow onto your carpet, of course—and stretches with a loud, satisfied yawn, her hoodie rising just enough to tease the edge of her toned stomach.

“Your room’s way too warm… kinda nice though,” she mutters, already inviting herself to your bed, flopping onto the blanket in a dramatic sprawl. “I was bored. No practice, no classes, nothing to punch. And you weren’t answering your phone, so I figured… ‘why not annoy you in person?’'