CH 26.5

It’s December 25th, Christmas Day. Today, Akina and Rikka will come to my house, and with Yuki included, we’ll all have a party.

Having finished decorating for the event, all we had to do was wait. My parents, being considerate of us, decided to go out on a date of their own for the day. That meant it was okay for the four of us to have a blast unabashed.

I think my parents were satisfied with spending Christmas Eve with us and wanted to spend today just the two of them. They dressed up in the morning, holding hands, and headed out, showing us their passionate love even after years of marriage.

Also, Yuki stayed over last night. After taking a bath, she borrowed a tracksuit I used to use in middle school and went back to our place so she could grab a change of clothes, seeing as she didn’t have one here.

Thus, I sat alone in the living room. The TV programs were all filled to the brim with Christmas themes, with every single announcer I’d seen using a Santa hat at the very least. A jolly vibe could almost be seen via the screen, yet I still couldn’t help but look outside, where snow fell soft to the floor like plumes.

As I watched the soft, falling white, I decided I should warm up the room so the girls could get comfortable once they arrived. Turning on the fan heater in my room—the venue for our grand party—I pulled out a cookie tin from the kitchen cupboard, placing it down neatly onto the table. Sadly, the kotatsu I own is over at the apartment, so I had to put the heater to work at full.

Prep being done, I sat on the bed to chill for a moment. As soon as I do, my smartphone vibrated. With a few taps, I read a message coming from Akina.

“Haru, we’re heading your way.”

“We’re ready here too,” I replied.

“By the way.”

“I’ve been staring at the map app, but I don’t know exactly where it is.”

“Should I come to pick you up?”

“I’d really appreciate it.”

“If it’s okay with you, please come.”

“Where are you right now?”

“There’s a house nearby with a blue roof and a spacious garden.”

“It’s in front of a white building.”

“Um, is that good enough? Need more info?”

“No, I got it. I’ll be right there.”

I stood up as soon as we finished talking. The place she mentioned was a 10-minute walk away, so I put on my black furred coat and leather boots before setting foot outside. The cold wind bit my face, and I shivered without meaning to. Even my umbrella wasn’t unscathed and softly built up snow atop.

Walking for a few minutes, tracking through the roads fluffed in soft white, I arrived at the place Akina described me. It was a corner of a residential area, and I found myself surrounded by houses. Coincidentally, I knew the place very well, especially that house with the blue roof and big garden, as well as the white one next to it.

At first glance, the house seemed like a cutout from a fairy tale, charming and lovely in appearance. I still recalled visiting that house many times when I was just in elementary. Truly, it was surprising to see these two houses again, as it had been where Yuki and I used to live at back then. I’d visit her basically every day, picking her up and dropping her there until the very day she went abroad.

Now someone else lived there. Feeling a little bittersweet at the prospect of someone unknown living in a place so filled with our memories, I searched for both Akina and Rikka’s figures.

As I walked around, I heard a voice from behind exclaiming, “Haru!”. It was Akina, waving and smiling. She wore a thin cardigan under a duffle coat, and a scarf hang gently around her neck. Carrying a large bag on her back and a paper bag in her hand, she approached me with a beaming smile on her face. I noticed she didn’t use an umbrella.

I couldn’t tell what was inside the bag, but the paper one probably contained some snacks and drinks for today’s party.

“Hey, Haru! Thank you for coming to pick me up,” she beamed.

“You seemed unsure, so it’s only natural. Oh, by the way, where’s Rikka? Did you two come separately?”

“Nah, turns out she caught a cold and won’t be able to come today.”

“Huh? Is she okay?”

“She’s got a slight fever, but it’s nothing serious. She just didn’t want to risk spreading it.”

“I see… Should we go visit her later or something?”

“She’ll be fine. In fact, I’m sure she’ll get better soon, as she doesn’t want to hinder a family trip she’ll go on around New Year’s.”

“Gotcha, a trip. If you say so, I understand. Maybe I’ll just send her a message for now.”

“Yeah, I think she’ll be happy even with just a message.”

“We’ll make it up to her another time. After all, she was the one who suggested this party in the first place,” I smiled.

“That’s right. Oh, but let’s enjoy ourselves today. She told me she wanted us to have fun too, so let’s go quickly before the Christmas cake we prepared gets ruined.”

“Mhm, let’s hurry back then. Ah, before that, c’mon,” I reached out my hand toward her. Tilting her head in confusion, Akina seemed lost. “I’ll carry your bags. They look heavy.”

“Huh? Are you sure?”

“Yeah. You’ve been walking out in the cold for a while, so let me handle the bags.”

“Thanks, Haru. You’re really kind.”

Smiling gleefully, Akina handed me the paper bag. It was quite heavy, for sure. Throwing a quick glance at the contents, I saw cookies, chocolates, and drinks thrown in the mix. The white box deeper inside was probably the Christmas cake she’d mentioned.

It must’ve been a challenge to prepare all these things. She put her all into it, I’m sure.

Expressing my gratitude once again, Akina and I tracked along the snowy path toward home.