On the white street, the two of them walked toward the train station.
"The New Year is almost here."
"Six days left."
Ryo was actually quite curious whether Toru felt cold after giving his scarf to her.
But judging by his appearance, he seemed fine?
"A year really passes in the blink of an eye."
"Toru-kun, are you spending the New Year at home alone?"
Ryo asked knowingly.
After so many simulations, she had more or less figured out Toru's living habits. During the New Year holidays, he spent almost ninety percent of his time holed up at home.
"Yeah, I don't even feel like going for the New Year shrine visit."
Toru had both hands in the pockets of his coat when he suddenly felt a hand slip inside.
He turned his face slightly and found that the culprit did not say a word.
The atmosphere became a little delicate.
After several full seconds, Ryo finally explained,
"My hand is a bit cold."
"Mm."
Toru had just responded when he realized that Ryo had taken hold of his hand.
If it were just a simple handhold, he could probably accept it, but the way Ryo did it was rather ambiguous, their fingers interlaced.
Her hand was very cold, like touching five icicles hanging from winter eaves.
"So warm."
She sighed with emotion, completely ignoring Toru's feelings.
In response, Toru could only smile helplessly. There was really nothing he could do about her.
The two of them walked together the entire way.
As they were about to reach the train station,
"We're about to separate… if there's a Christmas present, remember to give it to me quickly."
Ryo suddenly brought this up, something Toru had not expected. He had originally planned to give the gift right when they were about to part.
The atmosphere would have been just right.
"Did you forget?"
Miss Ryo stopped, turned her face, and tilted her head to look at him.
Her expression was a bit dazed and cute beyond words.
"Of course I didn't forget."
Keeping things fair was a standard trait of a good man. Toru would not make such a mistake.
"Oh, right."
Ryo reminded him, "I don't want a Darkglass bass amplifier…"
"..."
Toru froze for a few seconds when he heard that.
He had already placed the order at the instrument shop.
It was supposed to be delivered to her place tomorrow, and now she was saying she did not want it?
A week ago, Toru had accidentally discovered a post on Ryo's blog saying she wanted a bass amplifier, even specifying the brand and model.
That was basically an open declaration saying, I like this, buy it for me.
Toru knew it was bait she had thrown out and chose to bite willingly.
But it seemed he had guessed wrong?
So what exactly did she want?
"Toru-kun…"
"What is it?"
"Close your eyes."
As her words fell, the cold street wind lifted Toru's bangs, covering part of his vision.
Within that blurred view,
Ryo rose onto her tiptoes, tugged at Toru's collar, and at a moment he had not anticipated, pressed her lips to his.
The faint streetlight cast the shadows at their feet, quickly merging into one.
After a long while,
Ryo pulled back, breathing lightly as she leaned against Toru's chest, her face carrying a tempting flush.
"I want this more."
At that moment, even the snowy winter night seemed tinged with a shy blush.
...
...
————
After Christmas.
In the blink of an eye, time arrived at the New Year.
These past few days, Toru had been constantly thinking about it, to the point where he could neither eat nor drink in peace.
What exactly did Ryo's kiss on Christmas night mean?
A confession? It did not feel like it.
Simply craving his body…?
He could not figure it out.
Recalling that Christmas night,
After forcibly kissing Toru, Ryo had not said a single word and walked toward the nearby train station.
With that posture, anyone unaware might have thought that Toru had assaulted her, and that Miss Ryo, having suffered a terrible ordeal, had turned into a defeated female knight, discarding her armor and fleeing the goblin's lair.
"Forget it, there's no point thinking about useless things. Anyway, the one who did not lose out is me."
Toru thought that he had gotten a beautiful girl's first kiss for free, so there was really nothing to complain about.
Back when Hitori had forcibly kissed him, Toru had indeed felt like he was at a loss. But now his mindset was extremely calm.
Once is unfamiliar, twice is routine. Since he could not resist, he might as well try to enjoy it.
"Let me see, what's on the schedule today." Toru opened the memo app on his phone.
As the number of girls he knew increased and his interactions became more frequent,
In order not to stand anyone up, he had started keeping track of his schedule.
January 1st.
The first shrine visit of the New Year, hatsumode.
Special invited female guest—
Ikuyo Kita.
"I kind of don't want to go out."
Toru glanced out the window. It had snowed a few days ago, and today the snow had just melted.
Cold before frost, cold after snow.
Going out in this kind of weather to worship vague, intangible gods was really a sign of something wrong with his head.
The old country before transmigration was more suitable for slacking off. People there mostly held an attitude of believe if you want, don't if you don't, toward gods.
They were not as serious as Japan.
Come to think of it, the old country did not really celebrate New Year's Day anyway, placing more emphasis on the lunar New Year?
One hour later.
After changing into warmer clothes, Toru arrived at the agreed shrine entrance and saw Kita, as well as Hitori beside her, whose movements were awkward and who was clearly unwilling to come for the shrine visit.
Truly pitiful, a pink wild tsuchinoko being attacked by a snake catcher.
After they noticed him—
"Happy New Year!"
Kita waved her small hand and greeted him energetically.
"H-Happy New Year…"
Hitori looked pitiful, forming a sharp contrast with Kita.
"Happy New Year."
Toru found Bocchi-chan's expression amusing.
But he also felt that laughing out loud at a time like this would not be appropriate, so he held it in and asked, "Where are Ryo and the others? They didn't come?"
"I actually invited her…"
Kita placed her index finger against her cheek and thought for a moment before saying, "But unfortunately, Ryo senpai hasn't come to work at Starry for several days."
The message Kita sent on Line today had also sunk without a trace.
It could not help but make one curious about what was happening around Ryo.
"Come to think of it, Ryo-chan's Twitter has stopped updating recently. The last post was still on Christmas Eve."
Toru added what he knew.
"Ah… could it be that Ryo san is sick?" Hitori asked with concern.
"Could it be because she's in love?"
"No… absolutely impossible."
Miss Ryo falling in love?
Bocchi-chan did not believe it.
Kita blinked her clear, watery eyes.
Hitori-chan, are you really not seeing it, or are you pretending not to?
Everyone in Kessoku Band openly likes the object of your crush. Do you really not know?
At this moment, Kita felt a bit guilty.
Recalling half a year ago,
She had once thought about helping Hitori pursue Toru.
But after several subsequent simulations, Kita had hopelessly fallen in.
By today, the lady who once talked about returning home had long forgotten her original resolve of being strict with herself about going green, transforming instead into a terrifying bull headed warrior, dedicated to putting a big green hat on her bandmates in Kessoku Band.
Truly lamentable.
"Hitori-chan, as far as I know, when a woman undergoes a huge change, there must be a man's shadow behind her…"
You idiot, Hitori, wake up already.
Ryo senpai must be hiding because she stole a march, so she has no face to see us.
"No, I think she just ran into difficulties with composing and is secluding herself at home to work it out." Toru offered a new perspective.
Hitori immediately echoed him, "That's possible. Ryo san must be composing."
Kita: "o△o"
These two are beyond saving.
They might as well just get married.
————