The calendar marked the 31st of December—New Year’s Eve, in other words.
The closing day of the year had always been an exceptional occasion. With just one step outside, the jubilant hubbub of the masses could be heard down the streets. The New Year’s spirit inevitably seeped inside the houses, as well, and populated the news rounds on TV and social media alike.
Should New Year’s Eve really feel more special now that I’m spending it with someone this time? Asahi contemplated. “Man, it’s been a busy year.”
Asahi’s murmurs echoed through the room before fading away. The recollections of various recent events gave him a pleasant, warm feeling on the inside; meanwhile, the boiling water of the bath he was submerged in supplied warmth of another variant.
I’ve spent so much time looking back at what happened over the year that I’m actually starting to feel dizzy, he thought.
Asahi had made plans to spend New Year’s Eve together with Fuyuka. They’d agreed that Fuyuka would leave for a while after the splendid dinner they’d enjoyed, and then they’d meet up again once she’d gotten ready.
“Should probably step out of the bath,” he decided. He stood up once he’d warmed up enough, causing agitated ripples and splashes from where he’d once sat.
He took a quick shower and exited the bathroom, still dripping wet. Fortunately, the droplets that trickled down his body landed onto the diatomite bath mat he’d spread on the floor. The mat promptly absorbed the water and evaporated it. One of the best items around if you’re living alone. Doesn’t even need to be washed.
The only thing left to do was to dry himself using the towel he’d readied beforehand, put on some clothes, and dry his hair with a blow-dryer... or, at least, that had been the plan until Asahi realized two things. First, he had forgotten to prepare a change of clothes, and second, the intercom was ringing.
“Crap, I gotta put something on,” Asahi mumbled as he hurriedly wiped the rest of his body. Since he wasn’t all too keen on running around the apartment naked, he wrapped a towel around his waist before checking who was at the door.
However, it was at that moment where another realization, or rather, a certain question crossed his mind. Wait. Did I remember to lock the front door...? I have a bad feeling about this.
As it would turn out, his fears were well-founded.
“Honestly, Asahi—you need to make sure you’ve locked the door behind you. What if some burglar entered the apartment?” Fuyuka complained.
Asahi’s ears couldn’t properly register her words. Fuyuka, for her part, froze in bewildered shock as a mostly-naked Asahi—save for the towel—stood in front of her.
“Sorry about that. I’ll be extra careful next time,” Asahi apologized, opting to bow his head as a cacophony of emotions wreaked havoc within his mind.
“Go change into something first and we’ll talk about this later!”
Her shriek, although very much warranted, rang throughout the apartment and into the bathroom behind him. Her face was so red that Asahi could’ve sworn she was the one who’d just gotten out of the bath.
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“I know that I’m at fault for barging into the apartment, but that wouldn’t have happened if you’d remembered to lock the door behind you. You should take part of the blame! I didn’t see anything, by the way! And even if I had, it was only a slight peek, and I’ve already wiped it clean from memory!” she rambled without seeming to take a pause for breath.
Asahi’s features contorted into a stiff smile in response. He returned to his room to put on some clothes and dry his hair.
After a while, they relaxed on the sofa and the situation began to calm down. Still, his heart refused to stop beating like mad; largely in part to how novel Fuyuka seemed.
The sweet scent of roses wafted from her slick, black hair, and her ever-translucent skin had taken on a slight, yet nonetheless seductive, reddish tint. Her attire was also quite eye-catching—although she was dressed in loungewear, the light pink boa fleece material was both snug and stylish as it wrapped itself up warmly around her delicate body.
Although Asahi was used to seeing her in casual clothing, this was the first time he’d met with her right after she’d taken a bath. He was frozen in place, unable to take his eyes off of her.
“Umm... You’re staring at me so much it’s starting to make me feel embarrassed,” she mumbled, hanging her head down to hide her face.
“Crap, my bad. It’s just that you look kinda different,” he swiftly apologized.
“I could say the same for you, too.”
“Huh, really? I think I look the same as always, personally.”
“That’s not true at all. You’ve combed your hair and you’re in your pajamas for a change,” she noted. She stole a peek at him before adding, “I’m surprised that you’re hiding some muscle under there.”
“You didn’t have to word it like that.”
“You aren’t in any clubs, so it was a bit unexpected.”
I guess she’s got a point. It’s not like my regular routine would help me build any type of muscle, but... seems like the little bit of training I’ve been doing in my free time has paid off!
“I don’t mean to tease you, or anything. I’m praising you, actually,” she added.
“Thanks, I guess. Hold up, didn’t you tell me you wiped it from your memory?” he replied, electing to tease Fuyuka to cloak his bashfulness.
“I-I just did, I swear!” she shook her head in panic, her face painted deep crimson once more.
The evening grew late as they spent the remainder chatting and watching TV.
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“For some reason, I’m slightly craving a bowl of cereal right now,” Fuyuka said.
“What a coincidence—I was just thinking the same thing.”
“It seems like we have tomorrow’s breakfast all planned out, then.”
“What, we’re putting corn flakes on the top of the list of first things to eat on New Year’s? Seems a little out of place, doesn’t it?” he asked.
“Hehe, you’re probably right about that.”
They both watched the actors on TV tell jokes. Asahi could hear pleasant, charming laughter from right beside him. Fuyuka—who was clearly unfamiliar with comedy shows—sat on the edge of the sofa, enjoying the lively sketches of the year-end-special.
Damn, the smile won’t leave her face, he noted. Asahi was convinced that her typically-displayed “Ice Queen” exterior must take a considerable toll on her, and that the lovely, beaming girl sitting next to him was, in fact, closer to her real personality. She’s changed so much in a span of a few months.
“Umm, why isn’t this actor wearing any clothes?” she asked.
“He’s performing a bit. Never heard of this act before? It’s pretty common on comedy shows.”
“B-But performing with nothing but a tray as cover is taking things a little too far...” she grumbled and buried her face into the cushion, trembling in a sheepish manner.
Guess she has a pretty low tolerance for nudity... especially considering she was as red as a tomato when she saw me without a shirt on.
Fuyuka tugged on his heartstrings each time he got to know a new side of her. Every cute gesture or change in expression left him pleasantly surprised.
“Asa... hey, Asahi?”
“Hm?”
“We need to start preparing the toshikoshi soba,”she said.
“Whoa, it’s already this late?”
“Yes. The New Year will come and go if you keep spacing out like that,” she reprimanded him, pointing at the clock on the wall which steadily closed in on midnight.
Not much left to do to prep the noodles, anyways. We just gotta boil them and let them soak in broth for a bit, he thought.
They both headed to the kitchen and divided the work between them. Asahi tasked himself with making the broth, while Fuyuka was placed on boiling duty. The food preparations moved ahead efficiently and without a hitch.
“Look at this one, Asahi! I’m very proud of it!” she exclaimed with a grin—a new expression of cheerfulness that differed from the one she’d had when she’d watched TV.
“I gotta say, it’s looking great,” he said, following up with a smile of his own. It warmed both his heart and body to see her happy. In fact, he felt a certain, unique sense of comfort when he was with Fuyuka that was quite dissimilar from when he hung out with Chiaki and Hinami.