I couldn't help but stare fixedly at him. He was still looking down at that man who was still grinding his teeth in front of my line of sight.
"If you keep pestering like this, I'm going to call the police. You know there are patrol policemen in this area, right?"
"...So what!"
Hearing his words, the man's shoulder trembled sharply, but still put on a brave front and raised his voice. This man is really persistent. The glances he threw from time to time made me sigh involuntarily. However, he suddenly narrowed his eyes and put his hand into his overcoat pocket. The man jumped up like his butt was on fire and ran away as fast as a fleeing hare.
The speed at which he ran away was astonishing. Just seeing him take out his mobile phone made him run away. This man is probably very afraid of the police. I didn't expect that he is such a cowardly man. It's really a great help.
"Ah, wait a moment."
I stared at the back of the man running away like a rolling ball for a while. The hand placed on my shoulder silently left. I hurriedly turned around to look at him, but he was walking down the stairs with his back towards me.
"Wait,...wait a moment."
I was surprised by myself for chasing after him so desperately. I held onto the corner of his overcoat. Then, he was suddenly pulled back by me. He frowned slightly and looked back at me.
"Sorry... This, this."
Being stared at by him with narrowed eyes, my voice couldn't help but become sharp. But when I handed the thing in my pocket to him, he looked at it with a slightly surprised expression.
"I picked it up at the bus stop. Isn't it yours?"
I put the lighter on his outstretched palm. He skillfully opened and closed it and his sight circled around the shell.
"It's mine."
"Ah?"
He suddenly murmured in a low voice. I didn't quite understand the meaning of this sentence and tilted my head to look at him. Suddenly, he raised his face and for some reason reached out his hand towards my cheek.
"What,...what?"
Suddenly feeling the warmth he gave to my cold body, I couldn't help but have my shoulder jerk. Then, remembering that my body was already so cold, my brain suddenly realized the cold and a chill rose from the soles of my feet.
"Wow, it's so cold!"
"It's really cold enough. Standing in such a place all the time will make you catch a cold."
He put his hand on my cold cheek and said in a low voice. Although his words were rather cold, I could still feel that he was worried about me. His voice was gentle and pleasant to hear.
"Hmm?"
I was listening to his voice in a trance. Suddenly I felt warmth coming from my right hand and I blinked. His hand left my cheek and somehow held my fingertip.
"Your hand, doesn't it hurt? It's all red."
"Ah, well... A bit."
He frowned and stroked my cold fingertip. Indeed, rather than saying the fingertip is cold, it already hurts.
His hand gently rubbed my fingertip to warm it. Strangely, I didn't feel uncomfortable as before.
"...That."
"What?"
"Ah, no."
I couldn't help but make a sound to him who was just holding my hand, but he just tilted his head slightly in response to my inquiry. But seeing that I couldn't find the right words and stammered, he narrowed his eyes and suddenly released his hand and touched my cold cheek again.
"If this continues, you will become a snowman. If you are waiting for someone, isn't it better to wait below?"
I looked at his hand brushing off the snow falling on me in confusion. This is the first time that I have been touched by a person I met for the first time so easily. I thought I would be a bit disgusted, but still deeply felt that good-looking people have an advantage.
"Aren't you waiting for someone?"
"Ah... No, he said he'll be back soon. And I was looking for you. It's already okay now."
"Me?"
He stared at my face that was shaking my head vigorously with a puzzled expression. I pointed at the hand of his that was holding the lighter. This time he slightly shrugged and sighed.
"What a pity. I was looking forward to it a bit."
"Ah? What did you say."
I didn't understand the meaning of the words he murmured softly. I frowned and looked at him. He suddenly gave a wry smile.
"Your boyfriend is really late."
"Ah, no, it's not like that."
I didn't know why I was so flustered. I suddenly grabbed the arm of him who was turning around.
"Is that, an airhead?"
"What,...what?"
He turned around and blinked, tilting his head slightly. I also tilted my head following him. Seeing me like this, he showed a very confused expression and gave a wry smile again.
"You'd better be careful. Don't be tricked by bad men again."
"What does this mean?"
"...That's exactly what it means."
He narrowed his eyes with a mischievous expression. I looked at him in surprise. Suddenly a soft fragrance passed by the tip of my nose.
When I realized what it was, my heart started beating wildly as if to stop breathing. I couldn't think about why this happened. I just felt extremely flustered. Then I was suddenly pulled closer and embraced by him. His body temperature gradually spread to my body.
"So cute."
"...Ah?"
Beside my ear that was flustered by the sudden hug, he suppressed his laughter and said in a soft voice. But his voice was too low. I tilted my head in confusion.
"You are too defenseless."
"No,...defense?"
He showed a slightly helpless smile. Looking at me who was still tilting my head, he hugged my back even tighter.
"It's better to go back earlier."
He gently stroked my back and gently touched my forehead with his. His actions made me blink in surprise. Then he gently kissed the cheek that he had touched before.
"A bit, having a fever, right?" "..."
Facing his gaze peering down at me, I suddenly felt a strong dizziness. I felt a sharp pain in my heart as if even the hand of his on my forehead could feel it.
"Are you okay?"
However, just at the same time when he frowned worriedly - or simultaneously, the door downstairs opened with a clang.
His hand, the warmth slowly left me.
"So you see. I don't know. That guy always does whatever he wants. He suddenly went out just now too. It would be great if we could tie him up like putting a collar on a cat."
"Did you call him?"
The drawn-out voice and Daniel's unhappy voice came one after another. I looked down downstairs and saw the blond young man I saw on the bus and Daniel coming out of the shop.
"Ah, Daniel."
Seeing that he finally came out, I felt a bit relieved. But a black shadow suddenly flashed past from the corner of my sight.
"...Wait, wait a moment."
I couldn't help but want to chase after him. But the outstretched hand stopped. I swallowed the sound that was about to shout out.
"Minato."
The blond young man - Minato called him. He slowly let go of the lighter in his hand. After drawing an arc in the air, the lighter fell into the hand of Minato who turned around.
"So that's how it is. That belongs to that kid."
Looking at where the lighter went, I finally understood the meaning of the words he murmured.
"Mithy! Where did you go? Because of you, I was pestered so badly!"
The young man called Mithy walked down the stairs. Although Daniel looked at him with an unhappy face, he still relaxed his expression and hugged him.
"Stop lying. You were quite enjoying being pestered. Didn't you want to get close to that person?"
"Fool. I only like you, Mithy."
He hugged Daniel. Daniel shrugged, but didn't seem to mind the arm wrapped around him. After glancing at Daniel, he looked up towards my side.
"Your companion is very strange. Was he pestered?"
"Ah?...Ben?"
Daniel suddenly looked at me with a pale face and rushed up the stairs at an astonishing speed. Seeing him like this, I looked at him in surprise and then was hugged tightly by him.
"Are you okay? Nothing happened, right? Sorry for making you wait."
"Daniel, calm down. Take a deep breath. Take a deep breath. Nothing happened. It's okay."
The arm being hugged tightly by him made me feel that I couldn't bear it anymore instead. I patted Daniel's back that was rarely in a flustered state to calm him down. He finally loosened the strength of his arm. The powerless arm hanging down stopped at my waist and Daniel's head leaned on my shoulder.
I stroked his head like comforting him and heard his small sigh.
"Sorry, really sorry."
"It's okay. Really nothing happened."
"Really, is it okay?"
Daniel repeated over and over again. I couldn't help but laugh. He always overprotects me and is overly worried.
"Daniel, thank you. It's already okay. Thanks to you."
"Well, great. Then, let's go back."
Daniel nodded gently and hugged me tightly again, pressing his face against my cheek. But while I was patting his back to comfort him, I couldn't move my sight away from the sight looking towards this side.
"Ben?"
"...Well, ah, let's go back."
I stopped my body that wanted to turn around in confusion and held Daniel's hand and went back along the way we came.
"..."
Dizzy from the gaze he was looking at me with. The places touched by him were very hot. My cheek and body were as hot as having a fever and I also felt a bit dizzy. But, this is probably an illusion - just having a cold. The proof is that my body aches like creaking and it's a bit cold too.
But, why. If possible, I still want to stay by his side for a while longer.