*December 31st - New Year's Eve*
The week between Christmas and New Year's had passed in a comfortable blur of family time, quiet conversations, and the particular intimacy that came from sharing daily routines with someone you loved. Noa had extended her visit, and Haruki's parents had welcomed the extra time to get to know her better.
Now, on New Year's Eve, they sat in his childhood bedroom with takeout containers and a bottle of champagne his mother had given them, watching snow fall outside his window while the rest of the world prepared for midnight celebrations.
"Are you sure you don't want to go to the party at Kaito's house?" Noa asked, referring to one of Haruki's high school friends who'd invited them to a New Year's gathering.
"I'm sure. I'd rather spend tonight with you, talking about the year we've had and the year we're hoping for."
"That sounds very serious for New Year's Eve."
"It is serious. This year changed everything for me."
Noa set down her chopsticks and turned to face him fully. "Tell me about this year. From your perspective."
Haruki considered the question, thinking back to January when he'd been a different person entirely—still carrying the weight of his failed confession to Mirei, still convinced that love had to be complicated and painful to be real.
"In January, I was lonely and convinced I was bad at relationships," he said slowly. "I thought transferring schools was running away from a mistake. I had no idea I was actually running toward the possibility of learning how to love properly."
"When did that start to change?"
"The day I walked into Professor Akizuki's classroom by mistake and met you. Not immediately—I was still too scared of my own feelings to recognize what was happening. But that was the beginning."
"What was the beginning, exactly?"
"Learning that I could trust my own emotions if I took time to understand them. Learning that healthy relationships require communication rather than mind-reading. Learning that love doesn't have to hurt to be real."
Noa smiled softly. "Those are big lessons."
"What about you? How would you describe this year?"
"This year I learned the difference between being independent and being isolated," she said without hesitation. "I thought I was protecting myself by keeping emotional distance from people, but really I was just scared of being vulnerable."
"And now?"
"Now I know that vulnerability with the right person feels like safety rather than risk. That I can maintain my independence while also building something meaningful with someone else."
They sat in comfortable silence for a moment, both processing the magnitude of their personal growth over the past twelve months.
"Can I tell you something?" Noa said eventually.
"Always."
"I've never made New Year's resolutions before. They always seemed arbitrary—why wait for January first to decide to change something?"
"But?"
"But this year feels different. Like we're at the beginning of something important, and I want to be intentional about how we approach it."
Haruki felt something warm settle in his chest. "What kind of resolutions are you thinking about?"
"Relationship resolutions. Things we want to commit to as we move forward together."
"I love that idea. What would be on your list?"
Noa pulled out her phone and opened a new note. "Okay, let's do this properly. New Year's resolutions for our relationship."
"Should we take turns?"
"Let's brainstorm together and see what feels important."
Haruki moved closer so he could see her phone screen. "What's first?"
"Communication," Noa said immediately, typing as she spoke. "I want us to commit to talking about problems when they arise instead of hoping they'll resolve themselves."
"Yes. And being honest about our needs instead of expecting the other person to guess what we want."
"Good one." She added it to the list. "What about individual growth? I don't want us to get so focused on being a couple that we stop developing as individuals."
"Agreed. Supporting each other's goals even when it's inconvenient for the relationship."
"Like when you have to travel for research presentations or when I'm stressed about thesis deadlines."
"Exactly. What else?"
Noa thought for a moment. "Physical affection. I want us to be intentional about maintaining physical intimacy even when we're busy or stressed."
"That's important. It's easy to let that slide when academic pressure builds up."
"What about conflict resolution? We've been lucky so far—we haven't had any major disagreements. But we probably will eventually."
"True. Maybe something about fighting fairly? Focusing on solving problems rather than winning arguments?"
"Perfect." Noa added it to the list. "And taking breaks when discussions get too heated instead of pushing through when we're both upset."
"What about family integration? This week with our parents was amazing, but it also showed us how much our families matter to both of us."
"Good point. Making time for family relationships and including each other in family events when appropriate."
They continued building their list, covering everything from financial transparency to graduate school planning to maintaining friendships outside their relationship. By the time they finished, they had twelve resolutions—one for each month of the coming year.
"This is either very romantic or completely neurotic," Noa said, looking at their completed list.
"It's romantic. It's us being intentional about building something lasting instead of just hoping it works out."
"Should we make it official somehow?"
"What do you mean?"
"I don't know. Sign it? Read it aloud? Make some kind of commitment ceremony out of it?"
Haruki considered this, feeling the weight of what they were doing. These weren't just casual promises—they were foundational agreements about how they wanted to approach their relationship going forward.
"Let's read them aloud," he said. "Like vows, but for New Year's instead of a wedding."
"That's perfect."
---
They sat facing each other on his narrow childhood bed, Noa holding her phone between them like a sacred text. Outside, they could hear distant sounds of New Year's celebrations beginning—fireworks, music, the occasional shout of celebration.
"Should I go first?" Noa asked.
"We could alternate. You read one, I read the next."
"Okay." Noa cleared her throat with mock seriousness. "Resolution number one: We commit to communicating directly about problems instead of hoping they'll resolve themselves."
"Resolution number two," Haruki continued, "We promise to be honest about our needs instead of expecting the other person to guess what we want."
"Resolution number three: We will support each other's individual growth and goals even when it's inconvenient for our relationship."
"Resolution number four: We will maintain physical intimacy and affection even during stressful periods."
They continued through the entire list, their voices growing more serious as they progressed. By the time they reached the final resolution—"We will approach challenges as a team rather than as individuals protecting separate interests"—the room felt charged with significance.
"So," Noa said, setting down her phone. "Are we really doing this? Making formal commitments about how we want to love each other?"
"We're really doing this."
"It feels big."
"It is big. But good big, not scary big."
"Good big," Noa agreed. "Like we're choosing to build something intentional instead of just seeing what happens."
From downstairs, they could hear the television counting down to midnight—ten, nine, eight...
"Should we kiss at midnight?" Haruki asked. "Make it official?"
"Seven, six, five..."
"We should definitely kiss at midnight."
"Four, three, two..."
"Happy New Year, Noa."
"One! Happy New Year!"
"Happy New Year, Haruki."
They kissed as fireworks exploded outside and the world celebrated the beginning of another year. But for them, it felt less like an arbitrary calendar change and more like a deliberate choice to continue building something meaningful together.
When they broke apart, both slightly breathless, Noa smiled at him with the particular expression she wore when she was completely happy.
"So," she said. "Ready to spend a year keeping promises to each other?"
"Ready to spend a year learning how to love you even better than I already do."
"That's the most romantic thing anyone's ever said to me."
"It's also the truest thing I've ever said."
Outside, the celebration continued, but inside Haruki's childhood bedroom, two people who'd learned the difference between attachment and love sat planning how to honor the commitments they'd just made to each other.
It felt like the beginning of everything.
---
*End of Chapter 27*