Chapter Text
The white particles of snow slowly fell down and perched themselves on the wooden guardrails. It was December, and Kira was alone once more.
It was a type of punishment Arkadi gave her after she framed him at the retreat: pure isolation. Riri was most likely with Mary, and the student council were on their winter break "vacation" as they liked to call it. That gave Kira plenty of time to sit back and reflect on her actions. But it did get unbearable sometimes.
The silence, the empty space the council members sat and laughed in, and Riri's overbearing yet soft existence. She missed those small distractions. But what lingered at the back of her mind was the thought of the doe-eyed gambler.
She wondered if she'd change, perhaps mature a little, and not gamble impulsively. How she managed to pervade even her smallest thoughts was beyond comprehension. She shouldn't have even let her linger in her mind.
Kira looked out the window again and noticed the snow slightly piling up. The wind began to slightly howl, its speed beginning to whirl small flecks of snow around.
Surely enough, in a matter of minutes, she couldn't see a mile ahead of her. She closed the curtains gruffly, sighing as she did so.
Kira left her room and descended the stairs at a rather rushed pace, her feet barely touching the steps.
By now the snow had accumulated by a large margin, and just by peering outside the large window in the living room she could see that it had reached a third of the glass's height.
Maybe her punishment was a blessing in disguise. With no people around to judge and point her insecurities out, Kira could be as free as she wanted. Or that's what she thought.
A lingering feeling that someone was watching her started suddenly surfaced and a wave of uneasiness came up too.
Kira turned back, but to her relief, no one was there. Pushing the sensation away, she walked to the kitchen, hoping to get a get a few fruits and a glass of water.
That was until a series of harsh raps on the front door rang out.
Usually, a maid would answer the door and welcome the person in, but that week, they were all given breaks.
Not even a minute later, another set of knocks were heard. A sickening feeling if anxiety pooled deep in Kira's stomach. She didn't have to prove herself to this person, so why did she feel the underlying need to do so?
She stuck a foot out and started to trudge slowly to the door.
The snow was still ferociously swirling and the cold started to seep in through the cracks. She eyed the indoor monitor connected to the doorbell as it crackled to life.
The resolution started off scratchy and incoherent until a single word was heard.
"Hello?"
The voice was breathy and soft, almost double-thinking whether to speak or not.
Kira froze. The voice and tone struck her instantly.
"Yumeko, is there a reason for you to be here?"
There was no surprise that the gambler had came to visit her, a person who she had recently partnered up with. But to come while there was a blizzard was odd.
Kira grabbed and twisted the handle, hastily opening the door. In her all her glory, Yumeko stood refined even while wearing a jacket and scarf that looked like it was bought from a thrift shop. The two interlocked eyes for a brief second before Yumeko quickly said, "So, could I come in?"
Kira didn't give her an answer; she moved from the door and walked away, a silent acceptance that Kira trusted her not to make any disturbances.
But what fun would Yumeko be if she wasn't one or unpredictable? She stepped in and the aura of the room nearly shifted. The quiet, serene, and threatening atmosphere became a mix with a volatile and idiosyncratic one.
She walked carefully, examining every nook and cranny of the hallway. A turn to the right showed her to the living room, and to the left was presumably the office of Arkadi. A pretty injudicious spot if you asked.
In the kitchen, Kira zoned out. Her thoughts had became the same as the blizzard outside. A swirl of confused, thankful, irked, and serious thoughts pressurized inside her mind and a feeble headache had began to start. She reached for the medicinal cabinet and pulled it open. Her hand searched for a single pill of ibuprofen when Arkadi's voice popped up.
"Only the weak relieve themselves of pain."
She shut her eyes and pressed her lips in a straight, taut line in hopes that she could forget that sentence. In a sense however, he was right. If she took that pill, she would prove her father right in the fact that she was weak and inadequate to continue the legacy.
The cabinet was shut forcefully and the slam was like a metal grater to Kira's ears.
"Kira-san, I don't think the snow is about to stop anytime soon."
When did Yumeko get to the living room? She peered up and noticed that the snow nearly covered half of the glass now. It was hard, considering the whiteness nearly caused her to close her eyes again.
Now, not only did Kira have to deal with the snow, she had to somehow control and handle an impulsive teen. It was not impossible, it was just difficult.
An hour later, nightfall began. It was still snowing, but it had started to slow down, and for a minute Kira believed that Yumeko would be gone by the next day.
"I'm going to bed. You can sleep here or in the spare guest room."
A rude way to end the day, but she didn't care; as long as she could get through this without her, it would be alright.
It hadn't stopped. Instead, as if to spite her, it had appeared to become stronger.
Kira hated December.