(A Big thanks to Malle and Duong Nam for being a Quill Club patron.)
"Tokyo Godfather" is indeed an excellent movie. Yukino and Hachiman watched it with great seriousness, seemingly unaware of how much closer they were getting to each other.
"I'm a little thirsty…"
After watching the film attentively for an hour, Hikigaya felt a bit parched. The room was dark, and like when he was writing, he didn't take his eyes off the screen. He reached out with his right hand to feel for the water cup.
" ah! "
Hikigaya felt a very smooth touch on his fingertips. Before he had time to think, Yukino, who was curled up next to him, let out a cute scream.
" Hikigaya-san? What are you doing?! "
Yukinoshita Yukino was watching a movie seriously when she suddenly felt a pair of hands holding her ankles. Her body's instinctive rejection reaction made her scream.
" I'm so sorry! Yukinoshita-san. I just wanted to get the cup, please trust me! "
Before Hikigaya had time to savor the wonderful touch, he immediately turned around and sat down on the sofa and said to Yukino .
" ... What a poor excuse, Hikigaya-san. You must have used the same method to take advantage of someone last year, right? "
Yukino came back to her senses and said with a hint of sarcasm, but her tone was not as cold as expected. She stroked the ankle that Hachiman had just touched with her slender fingers, her expression thoughtful.
"Let's continue watching the movie, Yukinoshita-san."
Hachiman drank his tea with trembling hands, causing the teacup to hit his upper and lower teeth, making a crisp sound.
"Um."
Yukino returned to her usual soft tone, seemingly unfazed.
Another half an hour passed, and the movie ended. As the credits began to roll, both of them stretched at the same time.
"You have good taste, Hikigaya-san. This is a very profound anime. I like it a lot," Yukino praised.
"As long as you like it, Yukinoshita-san. This movie is perfect for watching in winter," Hachiman said while walking to the window. He drew back the curtains, and the sudden influx of bright white light filled the room. During the hour and a half they spent watching the movie, heavy snow had begun to fall outside.
"This is the first time it has snowed so heavily since the start of winter," Yukino remarked, captivated by the scenery as she joined Hachiman at the window.
"Hikigaya-san, I think we can't just enjoy the snow..." Hachiman said uneasily while checking his phone. He had received a common weather notification at the beginning of the movie.
"From the afternoon of January 3rd to the 4th, Chiba Prefecture experienced heavy snowfall, with the heaviest accumulation in Funabashi City and Chiba City reaching..." Hachiman read aloud, his expression growing more serious. The snow on the ground was visibly thicker, and the snowfall showed no signs of letting up.
"Based on the current weather, I'm afraid public transportation in Chiba won't be operational today," Yukino analyzed. Hachiman thought he must have misheard; he detected a hint of pride in her tone.
"Yes, Yukinoshita-san. Why don't you call home right now, before it gets dark and the roads become completely impassable, and ask them to send a car to pick you up?" Hachiman suggested. In reality, the road conditions were already quite bad.
"No."
Yukino replied softly.
"What? Sorry, Yukinoshita-san, I didn't hear you clearly."
"I said, I don't want it. Did you hear me, Hikigaya-san?" Yukino's soft voice was now assertive.
"Uh... Okay, whatever you want. But as far as I know, your apartment doesn't have any mattresses or anything like that. Of course, I can lend you mine. But there's a bigger issue: your apartment doesn't have heating this year, and it lacks air conditioning as well. I'm afraid it's going to be as cold as an ice cave. How are you planning to spend the night like this?"
Hachiman asked seriously, genuinely concerned about how she would manage in a house without heating.
"... Hikigaya-san, if you aren't just playing dumb, then I have reason to suspect that you gave someone a love potion last year," Yukino said, narrowing her eyes and smiling.
——————
"Yeah, okay, Mom, don't worry. I'll go home as soon as public transportation resumes tomorrow. Say hello to Komachi for me."
Hikigaya is talking on the phone with his family. He definitely can't go home today. Fortunately, this new place has everything he needs, so he doesn't mind staying.
"Hikigaya-san, your fridge is empty. Should we go out to eat tonight? There aren't many restaurants around here," Yukino said as she poked her head out of the kitchen, already wearing her apron.
"Oh, don't worry about it."
Hikigaya walked into the kitchen and opened one of the cabinets, which was filled with various self-heating pots and canned goods.
"...You're not going to rely on these to survive after you move in here, are you, Hikigaya-san?" Yukino asked, looking at the astonishing amount of instant food in the cabinet with concern.
"It's hard to say. It depends on my mood that day. I'm not someone who spends a lot of time cooking, but I still pay attention to the quality of my meals."
Hikigaya replied, noting that the fridge was empty simply because he hadn't officially moved in yet; there was no need to start stocking up so early.
"Well then... if you need anything in the future, you can ask me for help with cooking," Yukino offered, sounding a bit disappointed.
The two of them each picked a self-heating hot pot, added water, and stared at the steam rising from the small holes in silence.
"Yukinoshita-san?"
"Yes?"
"Is it really okay for you not to go home today?" Hikigaya asked, knowing that the Yukinoshita family has strict rules about not staying out overnight.
"Well, I just talked to my mother on the phone. She understood that we couldn't do anything about the weather today, so she agreed. However, my sister was a little too excited and insisted that I let her speak to you. She said she wouldn't feel relieved until she heard your voice."
Yukino recalled, a hint of amusement in her tone.
"So how did you convince her?"
Hikigaya knew that Haruno was very protective of Yukino, so she must have been quite worried.
"Convince her? Not really. I just made a video call with her and pointed the camera at you, and then she hung up immediately. It was really strange," Yukino said innocently.
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