Adrian closed the bathroom door. His breath drifted out in a thin curl of frost—the temperature had dropped so sharply that snow now coated the entire city, settling over the fallen leaves. He had expected it, yet something warm still rose in his chest. His coat was still in her room. The walk back from the entrance to their dorm, beneath the first snowfall, had felt like a fairy tale made real, though he would never admit that to anyone.

  He lay back on his bed. His phone buzzed.

  A message from Selene:

  Got what I had? A once-in-a-lifetime cinematic shot—a newly-in-love couple under the giant red maple, wrapped in the first snow. Come home this winter break, and the photo is yours.

  Adrian skimmed it, set the phone aside, and covered his face with one hand, letting the exhaustion sink in.

  Ten minutes later.

  Selene studied her screen, cheek resting on her palm, an uneasy but intrigued smile forming across her features.

  Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.

  This brat—he had just sent her the very picture she’d promised to give him.

  He never stopped playing his little hacker games.

  Then she smiled again—slow, secretive—already thinking about the next plan.

  Back at Vermillion, snow kept coming down, while the branches continued to release their last reds and golds whenever the wind passed. The air held both at once—flakes falling straight, leaves sweeping sideways—crossing paths in patterns that drew the eyes of anyone walking through.

  Some students tried to take photos, only for warm leaves to land on their screens. Others walked with their hoods up, weaving between falling snow and sudden bursts of color. A few had already surrendered to the mess, trudging through slush streaked with bright leaves, muttering dramatic complaints to their friends, shoes soaked, laughter rising whenever someone slipped on a patch layered with snow and fallen color.

  It felt enjoyable and irritating at the same time, romantic in one breath and mildly disastrous in the next—exactly the way Vermillion tended to be.

  And under that meeting of winter and autumn in midair, the campus carried a sense of anticipation, as if anything whimsical could begin from here.

  Next week I’ll share their little side stories in manga form, plus a few finished pages. The full 30-page chapter will still take a while, but it’s coming along.

  P/s: a few photos I took when it snowed in autumn — the scene was so unreal and helped inspire parts of this story. Hope you enjoy them as much as I did.