Christmas was over, and New Year’s was fast approaching. The holiday was just shy of a week before it arrived, verified by the sight of kadomatsu—a decoration which consisted of three closely-bounded bamboos placed on top of a straw mat—shimenawa ropes which garnished the entrance of the shrines, and kimono dresses which were worn around town. Meanwhile, the striking Santa Claus suit had begun to fade into obscurity.
Mellow festive lights would continue to illuminate the streets amidst the infamously hectic final days of the year. The sublime semblance of the kadomatsu, kindled by the modern LED strips above them, fashioned a novel aspect that treaded between tradition and innovation.
The New Year’s cheer could also be seen in neighboring supermarkets, where customary New Year foods—like kagami mochi rice cakes and various, colorful dishes of osechi—lined up the storefront. Meanwhile, forgotten leftover Christmas cakes, now sold at a substantial discount, suggested the year had drawn to a close.
“A few more nights until it’s New Year’s Day,” Asahi hummed a verse of a popular children’s song to himself.
It was time to enjoy traditional New Year’ activities, such as casting kites, playing with a spinning top, bouncing a ball, or enjoying a good round of battledore and shuttlecock.
Many people were filled with anticipation for the upcoming year, whereas others fretted with the heavy weight of unfinished business. Fuyuka was one such example of the latter, as she’d promised to redeem herself at cooking just one month ago.
“I’ll be making food by myself today,” Fuyuka declared with a piercing gaze.
“You’re sure you’ll be careful to not burn the pan this time around?” Asahi asked, making little effort to hide his skepticism.
“I’ll be fine.”
“You won’t mess up the seasoning either?”
“No, I won’t.”
“And you won’t spill oil everywhere?”
“If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you’re making fun of me.”
“Nah, just listing every mistake you’ve made up until this point.”
“So you are mocking me,” Fuyuka grumbled, pouting a little in protest.
Asahi would be forgiven to assume they’d grown closer over the spell of Christmas Eve and Christmas Day—they’d spent the holidays together, after all. Still, Fuyuka’s attitude hadn’t truly changed much. Her transient cheerfulness, which peeked through the layers of melted snow of her frigid personality, led him to believe that her current good nature was simply an instance of embracing the holiday spirit.
Either way, there was no way Asahi could determine the subtleties of their relationship—not when Fuyuka visited his apartment every night to have dinner together.
I know we’re good friends, at least. I mean, we’ve grown to know each other, and we’ve spent so much together and all, Asahi thought. “I was just messing with you. No need to get all bent out of shape about it.”
“I’m not,” Fuyuka retorted.
“A little grumpy then?”
“Where did you get that idea?” she said, looking away from Asahi.
“Hit the jackpot, huh?” he forced a smile.
Asahi could sympathize with her at the end of the day. Inhibiting a student’s enthusiasm was hardly a commendable trait for a teacher, after all. Besides, Fuyuka’s cooking skills had been showing steady signs of promising growth. Of course, it had been largely in part to his thorough teaching, but he couldn’t discredit her ability to rapidly improve with daily experience.
She’s still pretty rough around the edges, but I can confidently say that she’s got the basics down, Asahi mused.
Her past blunders didn’t exactly inspire confidence, but he finally settled on letting her have her way. Meanwhile, Fuyuka had already begun making preparations in the kitchen.
“I get that you’re eager, but what brought up the whole thing anyways?” he asked.
“I feel confident enough in myself, and I want to show you what I’m capable of now.”
“Whoa, now you’ve got me interested,” he said. They hadn’t gone shopping that day, so they were limited by what little ingredients they had in the fridge. That left Fuyuka to try her hand at a certain familiar dish—curry. “So you’re giving curry another shot?”
“Yes,” she answered. She was determined to succeed in her second attempt at preparing curry and make it the highlight of their closing year. “You can go relax on the sofa for the time being.”
“What? I’m not allowed to stand next to you?”
“No. I can’t focus if you’re around.”
“C’mon, I’ll just be looking from the side.”
“You say that... but then you’ll start meddling, just like you always do.”
“Point taken.”
“I thought so. That’s why the kitchen is off-limits until I’m done!” Fuyuka asserted, then pushed Asahi out into the living room. She rolled up her sleeves, opened the recipe book, and prepared the vegetables—potatoes, onions, and carrots. “Hey, no peeking!”
“Damn, was it that obvious?”
“Very much so,” she glared at him holding a knife, compelling him to raise his arms in surrender.
I think I’ll really get on her bad side if I keep joking around, so I’ll just sit down and wait for her to call for me, he concluded.
An assortment of emotions grew and swirled unchecked in his head. As a concerned party, he was both keen to see where she stood ability-wise and afraid for her well-being at the same time. All of his conflicting feelings served to heighten his excitement.