They played games until the night settled in fully, the outside world quiet except for the faint whistle of wind through the snowy streets.
Rei and Souta had gone completely feral—shoving each other off the couch, arguing over controller buttons, and somehow ending up mock-boxing in the middle of the room.
On the other side, Sia and Sera sat comfortably on the floor with mugs of coffee, leaning against the bed. They played with Haruta and Alya, who was… losing. Badly.
For the sixth time in a row, Alya's character fell off the map.
"WHAT?! HOW?! AGAIN?!" Alya threw her arms in the air, her voice almost cracking.
Haruta chuckled. "Maybe you should stop running straight into the enemy."
"I WASN'T—okay, maybe I was," Alya admitted, flopping back dramatically.
Meanwhile, Airi and Chris had slipped out to the balcony. The snow outside reflected the moonlight, bathing them in a soft silver glow. The cold air nipped at their skin, but neither seemed to mind.
Chris kept his eyes on the snowy rooftops ahead. "Airi."
"Yeah?" she answered, leaning against the railing.
"So… what are we?"
Airi blinked. "Humans? Organisms? Duh."
Chris huffed out a laugh. "No, I mean… what's our relationship? Are we just friends? Or… something more?"
Airi tilted her head, thinking. "Well… we understand each other, we talk every day… I guess that could be more than friends."
Chris smiled faintly. "You know, Henry Cavill once said, 'If you have a crush on someone, just ask them out. It works for me.'"
Airi frowned slightly. "So?"
"So… if it worked for him, why wouldn't it work for me?"
She blinked again. "Wait—what?"
Chris turned to her fully, then dropped to one knee, taking her hand gently in his.
"The moon looks beautiful tonight," he said softly, then smiled. "And anyway… I like you. A lot."
Airi's face flushed instantly. "Wh–WHAT?!"
"I said I like you," Chris repeated, still holding her hand. "Will you… date me?"
Airi's voice trembled just slightly. "…Yes. If you don't mind me."
Chris's smile grew. "I don't mind you at all."
And then—
"Nice show," came a voice from the doorway.
They both turned. Standing there, crammed together and peeking through the slightly open balcony door, were Souta, Rei, Sera, Alya, Haruta, and Sia—grinning like they'd just watched the season finale of a drama.
"WHAT THE—YOU STALKERS! WHY WERE YOU LISTENING?!" Chris shouted, turning bright red.
Airi covered her face with her hands, her soul visibly leaving her body.
"Well," Alya said cheerfully, "looks like we've got another couple in the group."
"Which leaves… odd ones out: Sia and Souta," Rei teased.
"Date already, you two," Alya added with zero hesitation.
"You both like each other, don't you?"
"NO—NO IT'S NOT LIKE THAT!" Sia and Souta shouted at the exact same time, their ears turning red.
Airi sighed, half embarrassed, half amused. "We really chose one wild group to join."
Chris squeezed her hand lightly, still smiling. "That's the fun part, isn't it?"
Airi looked up at him and smiled softly. "…Yeah. It's fun."
After dinner and hours of laughter, the night had settled into that soft, comfortable quiet that only comes when everyone's full, tired, and happy.
Haruta excused himself to take a bath, leaving Rei, Souta, and Chris in the living room to set up the mattresses for the night. Airi sat cross-legged nearby, carefully patting moisturizer into her cheeks—her full skincare routine laid out in neat little rows beside her.
On the balcony, Sera and Sia stood shoulder to shoulder, their breaths turning into pale clouds in the cold night air. The moon hung low, casting silver over the snow.
They weren't talking about anything important at first—just random things. The kind of aimless conversation that drifts easily between small laughs and comfortable silences.
Then, after a pause, Sera asked quietly, "Sia… are you sure you don't have any feelings for Souta?"
Sia's eyes stayed on the moon. She didn't answer right away.
"It's not about whether I have feelings or not," she said eventually, her voice soft. "It's about… whether we'd even make a good pair."
Sera tilted her head. "Why wouldn't you?"
"Look at me," Sia murmured. "He's like… sunshine. Bright. Loud. Always moving forward. And me? I'm… too quiet. Too different to match his energy."
For a moment, the only sound was the faint creak of the wooden balcony under their feet.
Sera smiled gently. "Tell me, Sia… don't the sun and moon make a good match?"
Sia hesitated. "…Yeah. They do."
"Then you have your answer," Sera said simply, and stepped back inside.
Sia stayed where she was, her gaze still on the moon. Her breath came out slow, the words barely a whisper. "It's easier said than done…"
---
By the time everyone had washed up, the living room felt like a soft little nest. Two large mattresses were spread out—one for the girls in one corner, one for the guys in the other. The blankets were thick and warm, the kind you could just sink into and forget the world.
Alya, already sitting cross-legged on her mattress, grinned mischievously. "Alright… let's play truth or dare."
Chris groaned. "At this hour? No one's gonna do a dare in the middle of the night. Everyone's just gonna pick truth."
"I'm in," Airi said without hesitation, still fluffing her pillow.
Chris leaned back on his elbows. "If Airi's in, then I'm in too."
One by one, everyone else agreed. Rei tossed a pillow onto his mattress and nodded. Souta rolled up his sleeves like he was preparing for battle. Sera smirked. Haruta, freshly showered with his hair still damp, just smiled and sat down with them.
The game began, laughter bubbling up almost immediately. The night still felt young, even though the snow outside told a different story.
--to be continued
-~Rei