Rei grabbed Sera's hand and said, "I think we need to escape."
"TO WHERE?" said Sera.
"Roads where silence speaks."
And they rushed outside.
It was cold.
Sera said to Rei while walking, "Hey Rei... what even is our relationship?"
"At this point, even I don't know," said Rei.
But they both knew where this was going.
They felt love but didn't know how to express it.
"Your mother really is something else... her chaotic mind is far beyond human imagination," said Rei.
"Yeah, she is my mother after all."
As they walked on silent roads... there were whispers beneath the snow.
They walked side by side, quiet snowflakes falling around them like soft whispers. The world felt calm. Peaceful. It was one of those rare moments when time didn't rush them.
Sera glanced at Rei with a teasing smile. "Still thinking about that 'I would like a girl' answer?"
Rei groaned, burying his face in his scarf. "I was under extreme interrogation, okay?! I almost saw my life flash before my eyes."
She bumped his shoulder. "You're so dramatic."
"Coming from the girl who passed out after hearing the word marriage," said Rei.
Sera gasped. "I was overwhelmed by stupidity, there's a difference."
Just as Rei opened his mouth to clap back—
Slip.
"AH—!" Sera's feet flew out from under her.
Rei reached out. "I got you—!"
But nope. Gravity had other plans.
THUMP.
Rei landed on his back, snow puffing up around him like a cartoon. Sera crashed right on top of him, hands planted on his chest, their faces dangerously close.
They froze.
The world stood still. Their breath mixed in the cold air, hearts racing, faces turning beet red.
"U-Uhh…" Sera blinked. "I think I broke something."
"My soul…" Rei wheezed.
Then—
Click.
Both their heads turned slowly.
Standing a few feet away was Alya. Grinning like a devil. Holding up her phone.
"I knew it. I knew something was gonna happen. My shipper instincts never fail," she said proudly, already editing the photo with sparkles and heart filters.
"ALYA?!" they both shouted.
"Tagging you both," she smirked. "Caption: Love found in snow. Accidental fall? Or destiny?"
Sera lunged. "DELETE IT—"
Rei just lay there, face to the sky, completely done. Blank. Just done.
"This is it. This is how my legacy ends."
Alya skipped away, humming. "Mom's gonna love this…"
"Not Mrs. Ishimia!" Rei yelled before running after Alya.
As Alya disappeared into the snowy night, cackling like the chaos gremlin she was, Rei and Sera were left standing in the middle of the road, breathless and red-faced.
Sera groaned and buried her face in her scarf. "She's so annoying…"
Rei gave a tired chuckle. "I think she's actually the devil."
They kept walking through the snow, shoulders brushing, silence falling over them again.
Then, Sera peeked up at him with a sly smirk.
"Don't fall for me too hard after that, okay?"
Rei paused… glanced at her from the corner of his eye… and smiled, just a little.
"Too late," he whispered to himself.
"Huh?"
"I'll see," said Rei.
The snow kept falling—soft, slow, and silent—like the world was trying not to interrupt something special.
And as they walked away…
There were whispers beneath the snow.
--- to be continued
-~Rei