Chapter 18

Synopsis
The children join students of the academy for a ski retreat. Throughout a day of fun in the snow, several students notice what seems to be an oddly-dressed, extra child.

Long Summary
Before the spring season, Morinomiya Academy is holding its annual skiing field trip, and the children from the daycare center are coming along, although Ryuuichi does not understand why. As the bus travels, the children excitedly gaze at the mountain scenery with sparkling eyes. Ryuu attempts to calm them down while Hayato and his classmates watch the energetic children. Usaida and Midori are sleeping, but Hayato swiftly hits Usaida on the head to wake him up. He then turns to each of the children and hits them on their heads as well, ordering them to sit tight. Once they get outside, the children play around in the snow. Kotaro makes small steps in the snow but falls over. He is trembling when Ryuu picks him up. Ryuu notices a mound of snow but is approached by a fully-clothed Usaida and Midori. Ryuu wonders what he saw, and the mound of snow moves.

The students have fun skiing, and Usokawa skis right into his classmate. They ask Hayato to help stop them, but Hayato moves out of the way and the two slam into a tree. The girls watch the boys frolic, and Ushimaru thinks about Ryuu. The children cling onto Ryuu as he is about to ski, and Usaida, yawning, informs them that they can use rented snowboards instead. Ryuu sees that they are missing a board, and Usaida points out that there is someone behind Ryuu. Yagi is right behind Ryuu and is excited to pinch the children's cheeks. His nose starts to bleed when Nezu pulls him away. Ryuu notices Inomata staring at him, and she panics and staggers on her skis. Ryuu feels someone pull on his jacket, and he assumes it is Kotaro. However, Kotaro is not behind him and is rather holding onto a snowboard string. Hayato pulls the children on a snowboard, saying it is for training. He looks over at Ryuu and notices a small, unfamiliar child with a straw hat and wonders who that child is. He sees part of the child's face and a shocked expression comes onto his face. He realizes that he can no longer pull on the snowboard because Usaida has sat on the board and wants Hayato to pull him too. Hayato responds by picking up the children off the snowboard and kicking Usaida off. Ryuu goes snowboarding with the children.

At the resort, Ryuu's classmate asks if he is alright, since Ryuu is exhausted after playing with the children. The children and Usaida are napping together in a different room. Usokawa asks Ryuu about the other child that he had seen outside and was dressed in olden days clothing, which confuses Ryuu. The other classmates asks if he was just seeing things, but Usokawa insists that he saw another child. Hayato notes that the child was clinging onto Ryuu. Ryuu decides to go outside and look for this mysterious child. His classmates ask Usokawa why he did not bring in the child if he saw him, and Usokawa replies that the child seemed suspicious.

Ryuu searches the windy and snowy area and spots a child with a straw hat. He calls out to the child, asking if he is with his parents, and the child shakes his head. Ryuu tells him that they can search for his parents together, but the child shakes his head again. Ryuu thinks that the child is just as shy as Kotaro, and he starts to walk towards him. Usokawa and his classmates debate why Ryuu is taking so long. Usokawa suggests that the child has possessed Ryuu and taken him to a far away place, to which his classmates scoff at. The children are worried that Ryuu has been taken away by monsters. Ryuu is carrying the child but cannot see properly because of the wind. He notices that holding onto the child feels like holding onto a block of ice. He puts the child down to warm his hands and give him his gloves. Ryuu smiles and the child, who appears identical to Kotaro, smiles back. Suddenly, Ryuu hears Kotaro calling for him behind him and turns around. The child disappears without a trace.

At the hotel, Ryuu's classmates and the children huddle around him, telling him about how worried they were. The next day, as they are boarding the bus, Usaida notices a stone statue with a pair of gloves. Ryuu hopes that the child can safely return to a place where he is warm.

Characters in Order of Appearance

 * Taka Kamitani
 * Kotaro Kashima
 * Kirin Kumatsuka
 * Hayato Kamitani
 * Takuma Mamizuka
 * Kazuma Mamizuka
 * Ryuuichi Kashima
 * Usaida Yoshihito
 * Morinomiya Youko (mentioned)
 * Usokawa
 * Ushimaru Yuki
 * Yagi Tomoya
 * Nezu Chuukichi
 * Inomata Maria