Chapter Text
Cold Mornings
Mitsuki waits in the communal area of the dorm, because that's where they agreed to meet, but there's no sign of her.
He waits three minutes. Four. His phone shows 7:05am and he sets off to find her, not worried at all. No, just annoyed. Definitely just annoyed.
After braving the chill autumn air, he finds her in Quartz's training room, helping a first-year with his singing. He breathes a sigh of relief.
Then, clears his throat. Loudly.
Kisa's attention snaps from the junior to him, and she immediately lights up. "Oh, Mi -- Shirota-senpai!"
"Ready to go?"
Her face falls. "Eh?"
"Don't tell me you forgot. It was your idea, after all."
"Oh, the shrine visit!"
She excuses herself and trots over to him. It's adorable, but he keeps a poker face.
Mostly. He definitely doesn't crack the smallest of smiles as soon as her approaching form blocks the junior's view.
They head out, back into that icy morning air.
Mitsuki is wearing a light jacket and a scarf, because he has a sense of self-preservation.
Kisa is in a T-shirt and joggers, because she does not.
"You don't want to grab a jacket?" he asks as she guides them down the path leading to the mountain trail to Himehiko Shrine.
She's rubbing at her arms as he asks this, then immediately stops. "No, I'm fine!"
Or so she insists, with a smile.
Mitsuki wishes he could find it annoying instead of endearing.
Or so he tells himself.
He stops in the middle of the path -- which makes her stop, too -- and unwinds his scarf.
She watches, perplexed, until he lays one end over her shoulder and begins coiling it around her own neck.
Her cheeks go pink. "Thank you, Mitsuki-san."
The words frost through the air in a cloud of white, and he's the only one around to hear them.
They walk side-by-side down the path, drawing the attention of no one, Quartz's leader and its Al Jeanne simply taking a walk as they chat idly about class duties.
But when they're in the cover of the forest, Mitsuki holds her hand tight.
Because it's cold.
Because she was too busy helping someone else to help herself.
The walk is half-silence, half conversation.
She points out plants and animals along the trail that Kai-san had told her about last year.
She talks about the progress their first years are making in preparation for the fall performance tomorrow.
She wonders if she should stop in town tonight to pick up more honey lozenges in case someone wakes up with a sore throat in the morning.
Mitsuki listens, singularly at ease in the song of her voice, grunting agreeably when necessary.
They arrive at the shrine, where not a soul stirs other than their own.
Mitsuki's steps are tired and heavy, but Kisa tugs him along, like she always has.
They toss their coins, they ring the bell, they bow.
They clap, and they make their prayers.
Mitsuki isn't convinced there's anyone to answer them, but that doesn't stop him from being thankful for mornings like these.