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Minato's feet slid wearily down the marble stairs of Gekkoukan High School. Like almost every day, he was on the way to the roof to take a short break between the strenuous hours. Toriumi-sensei had bombarded him with questions again today with a smug grin on his lips. Sometimes the boy felt like he was her favorite victim. It must have been because his teacher noticed very well when he was helping Junpei and Kenji with their oral exams.
The boy sighed softly and closed his eyes for a few moments before he opened them again, a bit startled and was just able to hold on to the banister. Cellophane ... Could you slip on it at all? In his current condition he could probably do anything. His eyes threatened to close at any moment. Last evening, or this morning, as you might think, had become too long. Another sigh escaped his lips.

"Oi! Minato!", Addressed turned around and discovered Hidetoshi at the foot of the stairs, completely out of breath. His hair somehow looked like he'd reached into an electrical outlet. Minato couldn't resist raising an eyebrow, but took pity and went back down the stairs towards his friend.
"What happened to you?", He asked the taller guy, calmly, but slightly concerned.
"Ah ... I was just outside. The wind is merciless, do you really want to get out of there?" It wasn't really a question and Hidetoshi didn't wait for an answer either, but cleared his throat briefly and then started again. "Guess what I found out there in the trash ..." he began to rummage in his pocket.
"……", Minato's confused look came back. "... You were digging in the trash ...?", Hidetoshi decided that he simply hadn’t heard the question and showed Minato a crumpled handkerchief. Before he opened it carefully, however, he looked around in all directions to make sure that no one was watching either. What emerged were a couple of cigarette butts.
° Oh, not again ... °Minato just couldn't suppress his somewhat annoyed thought. Smoking was banned in schools, but recently some stumps were found in the boys' bathroom. As a result, the Student Council Club members were tasked with finding the culprit, and Hidetoshi took the task very seriously. (Minato was his partner in the "Investigations.") But since he had already wrongly accused some students, his reputation did not exactly benefit from it. Even now some glared glances at him and began to whisper wildly behind his back. Minato shot a few venomous glances here and there, then looked back at Hidetoshi, who was already tossing around his theories.
"... Hidetoshi ... In which garbage cans did you look?", he interrupted the black-haired man with a gentle tone. At first he got a confused look, but then Hidetoshi clapped his hand on his forehead and Minato felt his suspicions confirmed.
"... In those in front of the school gate ...", the black-haired grumbled. Everyone could have thrown their rubbish away there. "Sorry Minato for bothering you with such senseless gossip. ... See you later.", Hidetoshi turned his back to him and walked away. Actually, the blue-haired man wanted to shout something after him, but he didn't know how to cheer him up. The boy felt guilty that he could not have helped his friend better. Minato sighed for the third time in five minutes.

He turned to climb the stairs again and escape to the roof. The blue-haired man needed fresh air, no matter how windy it was outside.
As suspected, the door opened a little harder than usual, the wind had to blow against it, so this time he used more force to open it. A surprised gasp could be heard from the other side of the door and when Minato stepped through, a little confused, he saw a boy, disconcerted, stumble forward. His yellow scarf was blowing in the strong wind and when Minato saw his face, his head was suddenly filled with a throbbing pain. He took his hand from the doorknob and reflexively pressed it against his left temple, stumbling a little to the side. Ryoji, the boy, was at his side immediately, preventing Minato from stumbling.
"Hey, are you okay?" The blue-haired man regained his equilibrium a little slowly, as the sky suddenly seemed green and yellow to him, the way it was colored for an hour every day. However, only very few knew that.
"A-Ah ... I'm fine ...", Minato took his hand from his head, even if it still hurt a little. "I should probably ask you that. Sorry, I didn't think the door opened so hard because of you ...", Ryoji took his hands off Minato's shoulders and smiled slightly embarrassed.
"You're not the first to have this happened to. I should probably stop leaning against this door." He laughed a little and scratched the back of his head. A strong gust of wind hit the two and Minato skillfully avoided Ryoji's long scarf. "Woah ~", he laughed again, this time visibly because he thought something was funny. "It's best if we sit down, otherwise we'll be swept down."

A short time later they were also sitting on a bench and both looking up at the sky. Only the two were on the roof. Minato would have preferred to have been completely alone, but Ryoji's presence didn't bother him too much. He knew the reason for this, but he had never spoken to the black-haired man about it. He probably wouldn't remember it.
Minato looked at the said person. Ryoji looked at the chain in his hand, slightly bored.The pearls that made it up shone in different colors, almost like soap bubbles that Minato thought could not burst. A spring was attached to one end and only now did the blue-haired man realize that it was a tag for cell phones.
Ryoji seemed to have noticed his surprised look, but he got it wrong. "From a girl from our class. She gave it to me earlier and then ran away bright red. There, the ribbon is still on." He pointed to the shiny red ribbon. "Hmm ...", Ryoji made a thoughtful expression. Minato looked at him calmly, waiting. "Maybe I should have taken her to the school doctor ... She was so pink in the face ... She probably had a fever ..." While the black-haired man continued to ponder, Minato almost fell off the bench if he hadn't got himself under control. Sometimes his classmate could be really very blind.

The blue-haired man's gaze slid back to the ground. A straw had got lost under his shoe. He pushed it aside a little. Hidetoshi would have scolded him a little now, he should pick it up and throw it in the trash and not ignore it. Minato had to smile a little. Did he feel better already ..?
"... You are probably not all right after all.", The distracted boy looked up at Ryoji, who looked at him with a concerned look. When Minato looked into his familiar eyes, he smiled nostalgically.
"No ... Everything is fine with me.", He got up and looked at the gray sky.

"Ah, I've got it! If you feel bad then just look at the poster in front of our school!", Ryoji took him by the hand, pulled him to the railing of the roof and pointed down. The boy was apparently referring to the Karorin Magic commercial. A drink for weight loss.° Whoever thinks will be happy ... °But Minato knew that the intended cheer was in the girl next to the drink shown. Rise Kujikawa ... She had just gotten into the advertising business and the companies were already racing around her like wild animals.
Minato sighed a little. "Don't worry, I'm really fine.", Ryoji looked at him in disbelief.
"Well, it can't hurt to look into this angel's face," he enthused loudly and leaned contentedly on the railing. Minato couldn't help but laugh easily, something that didn't happen often. He turned his back on the view and supported himself on the railing, hands in his trouser pockets. His gaze slid into the distance before he saw some white spots in the air.
"... It's snowing ..." he whispered, looking at the snowflakes. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Ryoji nod in satisfaction.
"... Snow is something beautiful. So beautifully white and pure ...", Minato looked at him after all, as the black-haired man stretched out his hand for a frozen crystal, lost in thought. The blue-haired looked at his gaze for a few moments, thoughtfully.Until now, the death of people was like the blowing of the wind for me ...He had said that once, even if he probably couldn't remember it. Or is it? Minato couldn't imagine that he had meant it seriously at the time, but it had to be like that ... Pharos - Minato shook his head - Ryoji had always spoken the truth.

Minato could suddenly feel a warm fabric around his neck - Ryoji's scarf. The owner looked in his direction with a grin.
"It's gotten cold," he said calmly. Minato looked at him a little confused, but then had to smile slightly herself.
"Junpei would probably get the whole situation completely wrong.", He laughed lightly and Ryoji joined in.
"Yes, he would. He and his hasty conclusions.", Giggled the black-haired man.
° That's what you said ... °Minato had to smile again.
How well one could get along with death.

Then suddenly Minato saw a butterfly, as blue as the sky always shone, flying past Ryoji, towards the horizon. The blue-haired man followed him with his eyes until he stood like Ryoji propped up on the railing. A smile on the face.

"Tell me ... Pharos ... When is the next" ordeal "coming up?" He asked into the wind.
In response, he only received a slightly sad smile, directed at the horizon ...


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