The door creaked open, letting in a gust of cold air and a trio of voices.
Raika was the first to step in, balancing Emi carefully against her shoulder, followed closely by Yumi—who was grumbling under her breath about the cold—and then, like an unwanted but inevitable shadow, Akemi Inoue sauntered in after them.
"I still think you could've found another room," Raika muttered, shooting Akemi a look over her shoulder.
Akemi just shrugged, tossing her bag down onto a nearby chair with a casual air. "Not my fault the hotel messed up my reservation. Besides, you have space, don't you?"
"This is our room, not yours," Yumi remarked, trying to keep her voice low for Emi's sake. "And you didn't even ask—you just decided."
Akemi smiled sweetly. "You guys wouldn't have left me out in the snow, right?"
Raika groaned under her breath but didn't argue further. Emi squirmed slightly, restless from the cold outside, and Raika focused on soothing her instead of yelling at the intruder.
"Let's just check if Raito's back and—"
Her voice cut off sharply.
All three of them froze.
Raito was lying on the bed, face down, the blankets twisted loosely around him.His jacket and boots were still on, snow melting into small wet patches on the carpet.His entire body was soaked in sweat, the hair at the back of his neck clinging to his skin.
Raika's stomach dropped.
"Raito?" she called out, hurriedly stepping forward, shifting Emi into Yumi's arms.
He didn't respond.
Not even a twitch.
Yumi muttered under her breath and rushed over too, her hand pressing against his forehead. She recoiled instantly, eyes wide. "He's burning up—he's got a crazy fever!"
Akemi's smug expression faded, replaced by something far more serious. She moved closer, frowning. "Should we call a doctor?"
"No," Raika said quickly, panic prickling under her skin. "No, he'd hate that... we have to try to cool him down first."
Carefully, they set Emi down on the extra bed, piling pillows around her to keep her from rolling off. Emi whined softly in protest but quickly settled, too tired to put up much of a fight.
While Yumi removed his boots and jacket, Raika grabbed a towel from the bathroom and soaked it in cold water, wringing it out with trembling hands. She brought it back and placed it gently across Raito's forehead.
The moment the cold cloth touched him, his body twitched slightly, but he didn't wake up.
Yumi knelt beside him, feeling his pulse."It's fast... but steady. That's something, at least."
Akemi hovered awkwardly nearby, arms crossed, looking unusually tense. She opened her mouth once as if to say something, then closed it again.
The room was filled with the sound of Raito's ragged breathing and the distant howl of the storm still raging outside.
For once, none of them had anything to say.
They just sat there, watching him, waiting.
The storm outside kept raging, but inside the room, the air was heavy, still, and frighteningly fragile.