Winter drapes the city of Sapporo in silence—snow on rooftops, frost on windows, and secrets beneath every breath of cold air. It is in this frozen landscape that two lives on opposite ends of the city begin to move toward each other.

Ichika Komori lives a life built on elegance and expectations. Surrounded by luxury and perfection, she is admired like a snow sculpture—beautiful, delicate, and cold to the touch. Her heart, long protected by ice, has forgotten what warmth feels like.

Across the city, Rikuu Arakawa survives a world far less forgiving. Raised by hardship and night fights in back alleys, his emotions burn hot—anger, loyalty, fear, and a past that left its mark. The fire inside him keeps him alive, yet also threatens to consume him.

When their paths cross, something impossible begins:

Rikuu becomes the spark that melts the frost around Ichika’s guarded heart—and Ichika becomes the snow that cools the burning storms inside Rikuu.

Their worlds should never have met. Yet winter has a way of changing everything.

The Winter That Burned is a story of unlikely connection, slow and inevitable as falling snow, where fire learns to soften, and ice discovers how to feel again. In a city of silence and secrets, they will learn that some hearts freeze to survive… and some flames burn not to destroy, but to heal.

Additional Notes:
• No need to worry about errors on this novel (except for plot errors), each chapter is checked thrice by the author and by another person (a friend) before being uploaded.
• Upload time:
Monday–Friday: 11:00PM/23:00 GMT+8

-STAIRWELL NEAR THE THEATRE WING, AURORA ACADEMY OF EXCELLENCE, SAPPORO, HOKKAIDO, JAPAN-


The stairwell was quiet, lit only by a single overhead light.


Ichika Komori descended slowly, one hand brushing the railing as she moved. Her bag felt heavier than usual—not because of its contents, but because of what she hadn't said.


Rikuu Arakawa stood a few steps above her, one hand resting casually on the rail.


"You dropped this," he said, holding out a folded paper.


Her eyes widened slightly. "Oh—my notes."


She took them, fingers trembling just a bit. "…Thank you."


"…About earlier," Rikuu said. "I wasn't ignoring you."


"I just—" He stopped, jaw tightening. "I'm bad at… balancing things."


"I didn't think you were," she said. "I just didn't want to assume."


They stood there, neither in a rush to leave.


"You going with Mizuhara and Kanzaki?" he asked.


Rikuu glanced down the stairs. "Sounds nice."


"You could come," Ichika offered before she could stop herself.


Rikuu blinked, clearly caught off guard.


"…Maybe another time," he said finally.


But then he added, quieter, "Thanks for asking."


And somehow, that felt like enough—for now.


They continued down the stairs together.


"Don't stop asking," he said. "Even if I don't always answer right."


Ichika smiled—soft, steady. "I won't."


And for the first time that day, the space between them felt less like distance—


Chapter 29 - A Small Step Forward