“That was rather quick... I’m assuming it was your mother?” Fuyuka asked.
“Guess I was too loud, huh? Yeah, it was.”
“You could have taken your time if you wanted...”
“Nah, it’s okay. It wasn’t really a big deal,” he assured her with a shrug. The call between Asahi and his mother hadn’t lasted long. When he’d returned to the living room, he was met with a somewhat-dejected Fuyuka. It seemed that she was particularly conflicted after she’d heard their discussion.
Now that I think about it... Fuyuka always looks sad whenever her family’s mentioned, he recalled. He suspected that she had issues with her family based on the way she talked about them and her solitary living situation, but they were nothing but mere assumptions.
Can’t say I’m not interested in her past, but I don’t exactly want to make her feel uncomfortable either, he thought. This was Asahi’s particular way of being considerate toward Fuyuka. He didn’t believe that it was necessary to press her when she would rather not talk about it. Although their friendship had brought them closer, they still had a considerable ways to go. One day, when she felt comfortable enough around him, he hoped that she would open up. Still, he couldn’t bring himself to leave her looking so depressed.
“I’m being serious!” he insisted. “She just called to tell me to reply to the message she sent yesterday.”
“A message?”
“Yeah, here. Take a look,” he said as he whipped his phone out and handed it to her. There wasn’t anything he’d feel embarrassed to show other people so he figured it was okay if Fuyuka saw it.
“I’ve secured a reservation for you for Christmas Eve. Why don’t you drop by the restaurant and bring a date?” it read. The text had been the main perpetrator behind Asahi’s bleak mood the day before.
“‘The restaurant’? Is it the same one you told me about before?” she said as she looked over the message with curiosity.
“That’s the one. It’s called ‘Soleil Levant,’ if you’ve ever heard of it.”
“Soleil... Levant...?” she asked in apparent surprise.
“Oh, so you’ve heard of it?”
“Heard of it? Wasn’t that the restaurant that recently acquired its third Michelin star?”
“Yeah, I guess so.”
“Your parents must be extremely talented...”
It wasn’t the first time somebody had praised Asahi’s parents—he recalled Chiaki and Hinami echoing similar sentiments in the past. In all honesty, it had never truly felt real to him. Even though the person he was just on the phone with was renowned as a top-notch patissier, it was still his mother at the end of the day—not to mention a woman who was incredibly difficult to please.
“Now that you mention it... was this the reason why you began living on your own?” Fuyuka asked.
“Bingo. They’ve been super busy ever since they received that third star.”
“I’m sure it was quite an inconvenient time to receive one—particularly for you.”
“My dad was crying and smiling at the same time when we first heard the news.”
Asahi vividly recalled how overjoyed his father had been when they had first heard about it. Still, he had also felt heartbroken that he would be forced to live away from his son. Asahi would’ve preferred if his father had picked one or the other—elation or sadness—instead of the bizarre, contorted expression he’d worn, but it seemed that the many intricacies of being a father eluded Asahi for the time being.
“You must have a fantastic father,” she marveled with a small smile. Her eyes darted back to the phone before she added, “I’d suggest replying to that message as quickly as possible. You’ve already settled on an answer, haven’t you?
“You’re right. I’ll tell her I’m going to pass n—“
“You’re not going to accept?”
“You’ve been awfully excited for a while now. What’s going on?” he asked cautiously.
“W-Well, it’s not everyday that you receive an invitation to dine at a three Michelin star restaurant! I can’t believe you’re planning on turning it down...” she protested.
“I get what you’re saying, but it’s really awkward for me to show up at my parents’ restaurant. I don’t have anyone to invite either,” he explained. He, regrettably, didn’t have a girlfriend to spend Christmas Eve with. If last year—and the one before—were any indication, Chiaki and Hinami would spend it practically stuck to each other. Asahi always enjoyed the festivities with his family, a fact that his mother was all too aware of. Every year around this time, she would send the exact same message, word for word, to her ever-lonely son. And, every year, it never failed to dampen Asahi’s spirits.
Can’t exactly ask Fuyuka to go with me either... he thought to himself. The implications of going out at night on Christmas Eve were already there, and his mother’s demand to bring a “date” only added fuel to the fire. There was no doubt that Fuyuka would be conscious of such a fact. Asking her to accompany him could very well jeopardize the friendship they’d spent so much time building. That was why Asahi was dead-set on rejecting his mother’s incredibly unwelcome offer.
However, it seemed that Fuyuka was there to present him with a new choice he would have never considered. “Why don’t I accompany you?” she offered as her shoulders quivered.
“You? Go with me?” he asked in surprise.
“Of course. Who else but you?” she responded. Her reply was clear-cut, but it didn’t do much to dispel Asahi’s confusion. “Is that a ‘no’? I guess that’s to be expected, seeing as I don’t fall under the category of a ‘date’...”
“I think we should put that to the side for now,” he hastily said, still dumbfounded by Fuyuka's sudden proposal. When he stared into her upturned eyes, however, he made up his mind once and for all. “You know what? Let’s do this thing. If you’re still up for it, that is.”
“O-Of course! With pleasure!” she exclaimed, her eyes aglow with joy.
Seeing her so enlivened made Asahi feel all warm and fuzzy inside. His contentment soon turned to embarrassment when he recalled the contents of his mother’s message, however. It appeared as though Fuyuka shared the same sentiment, as she quickly reverted to her typical composed demeanor and hung her head in complete silence.
Crap, it’s gotten awkward now... I gotta think of something else to say, he panicked. Suddenly, an idea flashed through his mind, and he continued, “Oh yeah. Are you even free on the 24th? Rumor is you’re pretty popular among the guys. Didn’t a bunch of them ask you out already?”
“They did, but I’ve politely rejected every single one,” she answered.
“I see. Guess I should’ve seen that one coming,” he said as he mentally offered a quick prayer for the fallen soldiers.
He concluded that his unsuccessful peers had approached her in order to get on good terms with her before the extended holiday started. Time was of the essence for them—they had little time to secure dates before finals and holidays, so they would often go all-out right prior to exams. This year’s prime target was apparently the elusive and untouchable “Ice Queen.”
Her popularity had clearly increased even more, if such a thing was possible, after her stellar performance during the sports festival. That, in addition to rumors about her icy nature thawing, served as the confidence booster some guys were seeking. Even those who would have never dreamed of asking her out beforehand had approached her. He’d heard about it from Chiaki—an irritating smirk plastered on his face—on multiple occasions.
While it was true that the harsh, frigid aura that surrounded her had lightened somewhat, she was still locking her heart away from others. In Asahi’s eyes, it was hard to believe that the very same Fuyuka was so willing to spend Christmas Eve with him. It seemed that there would be throngs of heartbroken boys for the foreseeable future.
“I’m quite excited for Christmas Eve,” she said with an innocent smile, her cheeks tinged with a faint trace of red. Asahi knew that they were only going out as friends, and nothing more. Still, his heart couldn’t help but pound with anticipation at the prospect of spending the holiday with Fuyuka.
“We gotta focus on passing the exams first,” he said in an attempt to waive off the ticklish feeling of embarrassment. I’ll drink some coffee to calm myself down, he mused as he downed his cup in a single gulp. Somehow, the mere thought that Fuyuka was the one who had prepared it for him in particular made the coffee taste just that little bit sweeter than usual.