Monday. The worst day of the week. Fresh from a weekend of doing nothing much at all, the rigour of this day was already wearing me out, more than usual. I couldn't wait any longer to get out. The stuffy room didn't help either.

As a result, once the bell rang and Hiratsuka-sensei bid the class farewell, I packed up and tried to bolt out of the classroom, to escape this prison.

In my haste, I had forgotten to wait for my clubmate, and she duly made her presence known, stopping me in my tracks with her thunderous voice.

"Why do you never ever wait for me, Hikki?" Yuigahama accused. I only did it once in the past few weeks, why does your tone sound like one you would use when talking to a brutal serial murderer? Also, stop pouting damn you. It would give others the wrong idea, after all, what I did was a simple mistake, not some despicable act.

Clinching the chance to tease her in retaliation, I said, "If you don't finish packing in ten seconds, I will leave you here."

"Ehhh, Hikki, how cruel! Give me more time!" She wailed, attracting the attention of whoever was left in class, and their stares were directed right at me.

Wait, why am I the villain now? All I did was crack a joke. Not that I cared about all these riajuus anyway.

Looking around the classroom absently while I wait for Yuigahama, I spot a pair of purple eyes staring straight at me. They flickered for a moment. Those eyes belonged to… Kawa… Kawasomething. She gasped when our eyes crossed one another. She quickly broke contact and left the classroom with haste. That was weird. Am I really that hated? Not that I would care anyway.

As Yuigahama finally stuffed the last of her belongings into her bag, I slowly trundled towards the door, and she kept pace. Finally, the last stage of my daily routine, the Service Club. Most of the time I just idled away, reading my light novels, drinking tea, and trading insults with Yukinoshita. She never seemed to run out of ways to insult me. Well, her title of Ice Queen isn't for show after all.

"It sure is cold this winter, right Hikki?" Yuigahama asked as she tilted her head towards me. It was so typical of her, to fill any silence with noise. Oops, I meant conversation. Really. I don't find her noisy. Not at all. She always managed to find something to fill the void during our short stroll from the classroom to the Service Club room.

"Yes, it is indeed colder than usual." And it was true. Winters in Chiba are typically mild, and temperatures rarely dip below zero. As such, it was even rarer that there would be snowfall. One of the many reasons why I love Chiba. Chiba is the best place in the world. I would never let it go for anything. However, today's temperature was already dipping below zero, and it would only get colder as the week progressed.

"I hope it doesn't get too cold… Sablé's dog wear might not be thick enough." Yui replied. Funny how the first thing she thinks about when it comes to the cold is her dog, and not herself, or anyone else. Just how much does she love this dog of hers? No wonder she was so thankful I saved it. But then again, if she loved her dog so much, how did she let him loose near the road? Another mystery of the universe I have yet to uncover. Not that I had the time to uncover it anyway, for we have arrived at our destination.

Gently opening the door, it revealed the sweet aroma of the tea leaves, which wafted through the air and gracefully filled my nostrils. Further in, Yukinoshita was silently preparing tea. Looks like someone got here early.

"Yahallo, Yukinon!" Yui greeted from behind me. My ears rang as a close range blast from the Yuigacannon erupted right next to me. I glared at her, but she was already moving towards Yukinoshita, as if she was ignoring my existence. If only she was more considerate towards my eardrums. Even to a loner like me, my ears are important too! I need them so that I can listen to my lovely angel Totsuka-tan talk sweetly about his escapades during tennis training. If only he would bless me with his presence a bit more…

"Oh, greetings, Yuigahama-san, Hikigaya-kun. Take a seat." Yukinoshita turned around, evidently surprised at Yuigahama's sudden explosion of noise. One would think that she would have gotten used to it after so many months, but apparently not. The Ice Queen was evidently not infallible, after all.

Taking my usual seat at the far end of the table, and the closest to the door, I must add, for that seating position means it was so much easier to remove myself from the room when the club time was up. Setting my bag down, I was about to retrieve my light novel when I felt a vibration in my pocket. That was weird. No one ever texts me at this hour. Komachi should still be at school, and my parents were still busy slogging away their lives as corporate slaves. And for obvious reasons, I do not expect anyone from school to text me.

Placing my hand into my pocket, I extracted my phone and looked at the screen. Surprisingly, it was from Komachi.

Onii-chan, I would need you to pick me up from school. The school has implemented this temporary measure to combat the increasing number of stalkers in the school's vicinity. Sorry for informing you so late, and stealing away your precious bonding time with Yukino-san and Yui-san. Loveya! Your dearest Komachi.

"Hikigaya-kun, that smile looks extremely creepy. What exactly are you reading?" Yukinoshita said while covering her great plains with both her arms. There's nothing to cover there, don't even bother trying. Of course, I kept that thought to myself, for I knew that if I let that loose, I would not survive to see the next sunrise.

"Komachi just sent me a message," I replied.

"Hikki, that's was so creepy! Seriously creepy!" Yuigahama recoiled in disgust. Evidently, she didn't have a younger sister of her own to care for, and she will never understand the bottomless amounts of love one can lavish on his or her younger sister. I pitied her.

"Proving my suspicions once more, you really are a siscon, Hikigaya-kun. Really hopeless." Yukinoshita said as she put her hands to her forehead, and begun rubbing it.

"About that message… I need to go pick her up." I said, facing the screen towards the pair of them.

"Oh.. you be on your way then, I'll inform Hiratsuka-sensei for you. Inform us if there are any changes. See you around, Hikigaya-kun." Yukino said, fulfilling her role as club president reliably as always.

"Goodbye, Hikki! See you in class tomorrow!" Yuigahama said, waving her hand in farewell.

I grabbed my bag and proceeded out of the clubroom, much earlier than expected. This was becoming a decent Monday after all, I got to skip club, go home early, and get to spend more time with Komachi. What more can I ask for on an otherwise drab and dreary Monday?

As I stepped out of the school block, the full force of winter struck at me once more. Since the school was near the coast, I was feeling the full brunt of the freezing sea breeze. I shivered slightly. It was definitely one of the coldest days of the year so far. I donned my gloves and walked over to the bike stands, unlocked my bike, and began to cycle towards Komachi's middle school. Utilising all my experience from the past year or so from fetching Komachi to school, I took all the shortcuts I knew of, just so that I could see my dear Komachi even faster. Not because I was lazy. Not at all. I mean who wants to expend extra effort when there is no need to? Not me, for I am not that foolish.

Arriving at Komachi's school, I gave her a short text informing her that I was outside her school gates. Shortly after, I see Komachi walking out of the school buildings with a teacher and… that insect. Taishi, his name was. Komachi often mentioned him in our conversations at home. He was the one trying to get close to my precious Komachi. As a loving elder brother, I would not allow that. Now, if only I had some time alone with this poisonous insect…

My thoughts of conducting pest control were interrupted when the loud mouthed pest opened that particular orifice of his. "Hello, onee-chan, onii-san!"

"I've told you before already, don't call me onii-san, or else…" I snapped back. I was getting annoyed seeing him getting so close to Komachi, and wait, he said onee-chan too. That can only mean that…

"Or else, what? Are you threatening my brother?" An intimidating tone spoke out from behind me. Turning around to face the source of the voice, I saw a pair of scary looking eyes boring into me. Looking at her blue ponytail, I realised something. What was her name?

Kawa… Kawachi? Kawakaze? Sakawa? Ahh, whatever, Kawasomething-san it is. For a moment I thought she was Mega Man for a moment there for how much blue she has on her…

If looks could kill, this would be close to it. People with younger sibling complexes were extremely scary. I mean, doting on a blood relative to such an extent was creepy. Totally creepy. Who else does this anyway? Sadly, it looks like my pest control measures would have to wait for another day. One day, one day I will get my chance. I'm always ready… ready to strike.

"Hello Onii-chan, Kawasaki-san, thanks for coming to pick us up!" My lovely Komachi's voice was like music to my ears. Rushing here was so worth it, just for that. Also, nice save Komachi! Coming to the rescue of your one and only brother. Now I recall, that creepy brocon's name is Kawasaki. I shall remember it. At least I think I will.

Sensing that this was the right moment to cut in, the teacher spoke up. "I presume that you are the siblings of Komachi and Taishi here. Please sign on this form to show that you have picked them up. I apologise for the inconvenience, seeing that you must have rushed over from your own schools. We hope to end this arrangement as soon as possible. The students have already been given a circular to explain the situation in full to your parents. Goodbye and stay safe!"

"Goodbye, Taishi-kun, see you tomorrow!" Komachi said as she waved her hands at that insect. Do insects spread disease? I think they do. I don't want any of those on my dear Komachi though… Christmas is coming up. Maybe I should get her some insect repellent. That might work. No, I'm not jealous that Taishi spends so much time with her. Not at all. I'm just doing what a normal elder brother would do.

"See you around then, Kawasaki." There, I used her proper name! Why is she getting so flushed? She seemed to be spacing out. All I did was something expected of societal norms, something to be expected. Oh well, I guess it's because she's just that type of person, one of those loners, just like me. Choosing to be alone meant that she was not used to interacting with others I guess. As she realised my glance that was on her, she immediately shot me a glare. What a sudden switch! What's wrong with this woman, such a scary being! I recoiled instinctively.

"Oh, see you around too, Hikigaya," Kawasaki said, her eyes looking down at the floor, intentionally avoiding eye contact. Hey, that's quite rude of you there, while I might not be as handsome as a certain Football Club captain, I'm pretty sure that I'm still a rather high spec in that respect. Didn't your parents teach you any manners about looking at who you are talking to? "See you around too, Komachi-chan."

"Bye bye, Kawasaki-san!" Komachi beamed. She really lights up the place wherever she goes. As expected of my sister. With that, Kawasaki took Taishi in her hands and began walking off.

"See you, onii-san!" Taishi waved at me. I could only muster a grunt in response. Didn't I just tell you specifically, not to call me onii-san? My fists clenched up in anger. One day… Just you watch out little insect. One day I will get you…

"Let's go, onii-chan, it's cold out here. And can you stop staring at Taishi-kun as if he's an insect? It's a tad creepy you know." Was I that obvious? Nah. She probably knows what I want. We are such close siblings after all.

"Let's go, Komachi." I said as we got onto the bicycle. As I cycled through the familiar streets that I've come to know and love, I noticed the absence of any crowds. The harsh winter definitely has killed off any ideas of hanging out. It was getting way too cold for the average Chiba citizen. How blessed we were, with such mild winters. I love Chiba.

"Onii-chan, sorry for troubling you. I'll make dinner for you in return! Ahh, that surely got me a ton of Komachi points!"

"It's okay, Komachi." It was at this kind of moments that I would love to rustle her hair and give her a head pat, but unfortunately, my hands were occupied with well, riding the bicycle. I would do anything for this sister of mine.

Arriving home, I shed my outerwear and headed straight for my beloved bed. It was a long day, and I needed some rest. After all, that was one of the benefits of this arrangement. I could spend more time flattening my bedsheets. With that, I closed my dreary eyelids and fell asleep.

Some wise old man once said staring at the clock doesn't make it move faster, and I can attest to that. What I wanted though, to the contrary, was for the clock to move slower, but Sensei's mouth to move faster. The bell had rung several minutes ago, and the corridor was filled with commotion. However, class 2F was still stuck in its prison. Sensei mentioned something about it being important and what not. I begged to differ. Picking up my sister on time is much more important. And I was running late. Every time that second hand ticked clockwise, I was getting later. Sneakily sliding my belongings into my bag bit by bit, I hoped that Sensei wouldn't notice, as she went on and on. It was getting annoying. It's no wonder she can't find anyone who could stand her long enough to marry her.

"Thank you, class, sorry for holding you up. Class is dismissed."

Finally. Freedom. I unceremoniously shoved the rest of my books into my bag and dashed out of the classroom, but not before giving the clock one last glance. Thirteen minutes! Sensei stole thirteen whole minutes of my life away! Thirteen minutes of my precious free time!

As I stepped out into the open, I noticed how gloomy it was compared to yesterday or even this morning. The clouds were hanging a little bit lower and they had grown in size. The strong winds bit into my body with a menace. They were the harbingers of an impending snowfall. I tugged my coat even closer towards myself. I was glad I put on my gloves before heading out, as my face definitely felt the full brunt of the winter chill.

Making quick strides over to the bike stands, I began to unlock the chains restraining my bike in place. Fumbling with my gloves, I got rid of them, and I instantly regret it. The metal chains were ice cold, and it froze my fingers. After all, it had been sitting out in the open for the whole day. Quickly untangling the chains from my steed, I stowed them in the front basket and donned my gloves once more. How warm they felt.

Getting onto my bike, I spotted a certain someone walking towards the gates hastily. My eyes involuntarily followed her lush, flowing blue hair down towards her… behind. Against the backdrop of the gloomy grey sky, those blue streaks of hers stood out. She was quite pretty after all. What was her name again?

"Ka… Kawasaki!" I shouted in her direction.

"Eh?" She turned and looked at me in surprise. Guess I got her name right then, since no one else responded. Thank my high-spec brain for remembering that!

"You want a ride? We are going the same way anyway, and we are running late." Wait what did I just say? The words just came out of my mouth rather uncharacteristically as if I was taken in by her beauty. No way I was that superficial. Right? Oh well, I already said it, and it would be unbefitting of a high spec gentleman like me to retract an offer.

"Riding the bike… together?" She stared anxiously at her toes before looking up at me, her fingertips pressed hard against one another, and on her lips.

"Yea, how else?" I responded, getting slightly annoyed at her hesitance. Time was still ticking away. I gestured towards the rear of my bicycle.

The annoyance must have made it into my tone, as she became more flustered before agreeing.

As she slowly strode over and took a seat, she let out a short shriek. I look back instinctively and found myself inches away from her face. Well, my bicycle is small, and that was inevitable. Her scent invaded my consciousness. Was that… lavender? It smelled good. But still, it was too close. Way too close to her face. Our eyes broke contact as she glanced away. It took me a moment, but I got back to my senses.

"What happened?" I enquired. She was a girl of little words, someone who chose to avoid interaction, much like me. She wouldn't open that mouth of hers for no good reason.

"The.. metal... It's cold." came the barely audible response. Ah right. She had to grip on to the rack to prevent herself from falling off, and the rack was metal. Glancing down towards her hands, I realised that they were bare, as her fair skin shone through in stark contrast to the sheer black metal frame of my steed.

"Where are your gloves? It's cold today you know?" I asked with concern. It was nothing more than my imouto instinct taking over, I swear.

"They.. they tore, and I haven't had the time to mend it." Kawasaki looked away shyly.

Recalling how bone numbing the chains were against my fingers moments ago, I made her an offer. "Take mine then, at least my handlebars are rubber. Here." I said, as I plucked off my gloves and dangled them in front of her.

She looked at the gloves as if she was in a daze. "Take them. We are running late, you know." As she donned them, she went silent once more, rooted in place staring at those hands of hers, as if she had donned the world's most expensive pair of gloves.

"Get on, and hang tight."

"O-Okay." as she stumbled onto the bicycle. Seeing that her hands were tightly clutching the frame, I faced forwards and rode off onto the streets.

Riding out of school into the crowd of students that were not held back by a certain nearly expiring Christmas cake that is Hiratsuka-sensei, I was garnering weird stares. What's so weird about someone cycling home in the winter? It's a convenient mode of transport, and much more efficient than walking. Furthermore, it doesn't cost me anything, unlike the train. Gripping the stone cold handlebars, I was slightly regretting my generous offer to Kawasaki. Reminding myself that her situation was worse, I gritted my teeth and carried on.

The wind began to pick up as our speed increased. The crowds thinned out, only to be replaced by more of the bitter, freezing cold. Remembering that I had a passenger behind me (I could tell from the excess weight, but I was smart enough not to mention it), I told her something I've always told Komachi when the weather was exceptionally cold.

"If your hands still feel cold, put them in my coat pockets. My hands are on the handlebars, anyway."

More layers between the skin and the outside air meant extra insulation. Common sense dictates that meant more warmth. Simple really.

"But that would mean…" she replied, almost silently. For some reason, she was reluctant to finish the sentence. I wonder why.

"If you need to, just do it. Can't have you falling sick when you have your younger siblings to take care of… right?" and that was true. I recalled the events from that insect's request, Kawasaki was taking care of her younger siblings while their parents were corporate slaves at wherever they worked.

Taking a quick glance at my watch, I realised that more time had passed than I expected. I guess I had to make up for lost time, right? I wasn't going to let Komachi wait any longer than she had to, and especially not with that insect.

"Hang tight, I'm taking a few shortcuts." Swerving off the main road, I cut into the narrow alleys that offered a much shorter path to the middle school, albeit at a cost of comfort. It was bumpier and less smooth, but it does the trick. To combat smart people like me, the local council had begun placing road bumps along such small roads to prevent those on bicycles to speed pass houses at dangerously high speeds. While I was not an avid fan of high speed (it took up too much effort), it did present for a bumpy ride. Not to mention there was some extra weight behind today.

Freewheeling towards the first of many bumps, I gave a curt warning to my impromptu passenger. What happened next was totally out of my expectations. Kawasaki let out a yelp in surprise and clung onto me from behind. With both her arms. While I did tell her to place her hands in my pockets if need be but what she did was essentially a bear hug.

"What the…" I cursed in surprise at the sudden contact.

"I'm… I'm sorry, it was so bumpy and I was losing my balance and I was afraid I would…" Kawasaki rambled away, and I felt her slowly release her grip on my abdomen.

"It's… its okay. It wouldn't be great if you fell off." I replied. I mean, her falling off would definitely delay our journey, right?

"Are you sure?" she asked tentatively.

"It's fine, don't worry about it." I replied casually. I mean, what's done is done, and she was just doing it instinctively. I can't fault her for that. I'm not such a bastard.

"Okay then," she acknowledged. I realised in the next moment that I had misunderstood her completely. Instead of forgiving her for grabbing onto me as I intended, she had interpreted that as me allowing her to carry on hugging me. What have I done? Now it was too awkward to tell her that she had misunderstood. Oh well, at least we were getting to our destination soon.

However, with every passing speed bump, she clung on tighter and tighter, and soon I felt her warmth on my back. I would hate to admit it, but it felt great. It was the depth of winter after all, and any source of warmth was welcome. It was totally not because I felt her head leaning on the back of my neck. Totally not the case at all.

Thankfully, we soon arrived at the middle school. The sparse crowd showed that we were indeed, quite late. Despite the scarcity of people, people were still sending weird glances our way. Was it really that odd that I gave Kawasaki a ride?

"We are here." I declare, stopping right before the gates. Finally letting go of me, Kawasaki quickly strode towards the gate proper, looking for that little brother of hers named Taishi. I leaned my bike against its stand and followed her, looking forward to reuniting with Komachi.

Her face lit up as she waved her arms towards the school building, a rare show of expression from her. I guess this is what a true brocon looks like. I went forward ahead of her and looked for my beloved Komachi. There she was, strolling out with that insect once more. A lucky boy he was, for today he spent more time with my lovely Komachi than he had deserved.

I felt a gentle tap on my back, and I turned around, only to find myself face to face with Kawasaki. Or at least I thought I would. Instead, what I saw was a pair of gloves dangling in my face, and Kawasaki looking to the side, her features obscured by the swaying pair of gloves that were mine. I reclaimed my gloves, revealing a Kawasaki whose face was glowing red, a contrast made more obvious against the backdrop of her luscious blue hair. Must have been the cold weather today. I stood there silently for a moment, my eyes taken in by her features. I have never seen her so up close before, and beyond her tough facade was indeed a very beautiful face.

"Onii-chan!" Komachi rang out from behind me, shaking me out of my daze.

"Oh, yea, let's go, Komachi." I replied, still slightly stunned.

After exchanging our customary farewells and once again pushing back my pest control scheme, I prepared to mount my steed, but not before wearing my gloves once more. The gloves felt warm, and it smelt of lavender. It was her warmth. Her scent. On my gloves.

"Something wrong with your gloves, onii-chan?" Komachi asked in concern.

"Nothing, nothing at all." I shook my head, brushing off her concern. Komachi seemed to quieten down after that, and it was an uneventful ride back home.

Reaching home, I stretched my arms and began to saunter towards my room, but this time Komachi stopped me.

"Onii-chan, can I ask you a question?"

"Yes, my dear Komachi, what do you want to know?"

"Just now… how was it that both you and Kawasaki-san arrived at the same time? Sure, it was coincidence yesterday, but once more today…" Komachi leaned towards me, her eyes coy with suspicion.

"I… I gave her a ride. We were both running late, and we were going the same way anyway."

"Then what about the gloves? You lent yours to her didn't you?" Komachi's smirk reminded me of a certain foxy kouhai that I had fortunately not bumped into recently. I shuddered at as her image appeared in the back of my mind.

"She didn't bring hers." What is this, an interrogation? What wrong did I do this time, Komachi?

"Giving a girl a ride on your bicycle, lending your gloves to her, staring intensely at her face… How daring of you, onii-chan." Komachi gave me one last coy look before disappearing down the corridor and into her room. That was odd. After all, what I did was perfectly normal… right?

A/N: This is my first attempt at a proper fic. Massive thanks to Xynovitch and yang for the beta/proofread. Thanks as well to The Quotable Patella for helping me name this fic. All feedback welcome. Please review. See you guys soon.