The Weight of the Ice

Frozen Petals – Episode 3

The Weight of the Ice

The whispers began almost immediately.

Hana had expected it. After all, nothing was ever easy at Aoyama Academy. The wealthy students had their own way of making sure someone like her never got comfortable. And it seemed the moment Hana started to show she wasn’t afraid of Ren Takahashi, the target on her back had grown bigger.

It wasn’t just the way they looked at her anymore. The cold, judgmental stares had turned into something more insidious: ridicule, and whispers behind her back.

She could feel their eyes follow her every time she entered a classroom, as if she were an outsider who didn’t deserve to breathe the same air.

But it all came to a head one morning in the hallway, when Hana was late for class.

She was rushing, her heart pounding in her chest, when she accidentally bumped into a group of students.

The leader of the group, Mika, was the daughter of one of the wealthiest families in Japan. Her platinum blonde hair shimmered under the fluorescent lights, and her perfectly manicured nails glittered as she glared down at Hana.

"Watch where you’re going, Moriyama," Mika sneered, stepping forward with deliberate malice. "Don’t you know you’re not even supposed to be here?"

Hana straightened, refusing to let Mika’s words break her. "I didn’t ask for your opinion."

Mika’s eyes narrowed, her smile turning cruel. "You think you can just waltz in here, act like you belong, when everyone knows you’re just a charity case?"

Hana’s fists clenched, but she held her ground. She wasn’t going to let this girl tear her down. She wasn’t going to give Mika the satisfaction of seeing her crumble.

Before Hana could respond, a voice cut through the tension—Ren’s voice.

"What’s going on here?"

Hana looked up, her breath catching in her throat. Ren had appeared, leaning casually against the doorframe, eyes locked on the scene unfolding before him.

Mika, sensing an opportunity, stepped toward him with a fake smile plastered across her face. "Oh, nothing, Ren. Just putting this scholarship girl in her place. You know how it is."

Ren’s eyes flicked toward Hana for a split second, an unreadable expression on his face. But he said nothing.

Hana’s stomach dropped. She had expected him to intervene, maybe even say something to stop the bullying, but instead, he watched in silence.

"You think I need your help, Takahashi?" Hana spat, turning on him. "You think this is your game to control?"

Ren’s eyes narrowed, but he remained quiet, as if this moment didn’t concern him. He wasn’t going to step in.

Mika’s laughter echoed in the hall, and it felt like a knife in Hana’s chest. "See? Even Ren knows you're just a joke, Moriyama."

The words hit harder than any physical blow could.

After that, the bullying intensified.

It wasn’t just Mika anymore. It was everyone. The whispers. The constant reminders that she didn’t belong.

At lunch, the seats at the cafeteria that once felt like a safe haven were now empty. No one wanted to sit with the girl who couldn’t afford the latest fashion, who didn’t know how to play the game.

On the rare occasions that she dared to speak in class, her voice was met with eye-rolls and sarcastic comments. "Oh, look. The scholarship girl’s giving us a lecture," one of the boys snickered from the back of the room.

But what hurt the most wasn’t the stares or the mockery. It was the silence from Ren.

He seemed to take pleasure in watching her struggle. He never interfered. Never spoke up when Mika and the others targeted her.

She couldn’t understand it. Was this part of his game? Was he testing her?

The breaking point came two weeks later.

Hana was sitting alone at the back of the library, her textbooks spread out before her as she tried to ignore the stares that followed her. She needed to finish her homework—she had no choice.

But that’s when it happened.

A drink—cold, iced soda—splashed across the back of her shirt. The cold hit her like a slap, and she jumped up, her eyes wide in shock.

A group of students, led by Mika, stood just a few feet away, laughing hysterically. "Whoops! Didn’t see you there, Moriyama," Mika mocked. "You look much better wet. Maybe you should just go home and quit while you're ahead."

Hana’s heart raced, the humiliation crashing over her like a tidal wave. But this time, she couldn’t stay silent.

She stood up, fists clenched, her face burning with anger. "I’m not going anywhere." Her voice was low, but firm. "I’m not going to let people like you push me out."

But as she glared at them, the realization hit. The world didn’t stop.

No one came to her defense. No one even looked in her direction.

And then she saw him.

Ren.

He was standing near the door, arms crossed, watching.

His gaze was steady, calculating, but his lips were barely curving into a smirk. He was enjoying this.

Hana’s heart shattered, but she wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of seeing it. She turned her back on him, walking out of the library without a word.

That night, Hana lay in bed, staring at the ceiling, her heart heavy with frustration. The humiliation, the isolation, the constant feeling of being small in a world that demanded she be anything but… it was starting to wear her down.

But she wasn’t done yet.

She wasn’t going to let Ren Takahashi or anyone else control her life.

Tomorrow, things were going to change.

Summary

This episode dives into the dark side of Hana’s experience at Aoyama Academy, where the bullying becomes not just a verbal assault but an emotional one. The tension between Hana and Ren grows, and the subtle cruelty of Ren’s indifference becomes even clearer. Hana is starting to feel the weight of being an outsider in this world, but she isn’t giving up yet.

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