The rooftop of Kurenai Academy was empty. The sun had set an hour ago. The sky was a deep purple fading into black. The wind was cold. It whipped around the ventilation units and the chain-link fence.
Kaito stood near the center. He was alone. The door to the stairwell was closed. He had locked it from the outside. No one would come up here.
He pulled the card from his jacket. It was custom. The Queen of Ice. The artwork showed a woman in a white kimono standing in a snowstorm. The card was cold to the touch. It frosted his fingers.
Kaito said: "Yuki-Onna."
He placed the card on the concrete. It did not blow away. The wind avoided it.
Light bloomed from the paper. It was pale blue. It did not hurt the eyes. It felt like stepping into a freezer. The light solidified.
Yuki-Onna stood before him. She was tall. Her hair was white and long. It moved like it had its own weather. Her kimono was pristine. It did not flutter in the wind.
