𝑺𝒐𝒓𝒅𝒊𝒅

ℂ𝕙𝕒𝕡𝕥𝕖𝕣 𝟚𝟛 - ℍ𝕠𝕝𝕚𝕕𝕒𝕪 ℂ𝕙𝕖𝕖𝕣

It was already Christmas.

Everyone was in good cheer to encounter the yearly holiday. Decorations have been placed, from convenience stores to houses and such. Seeing that people celebrates the joyous holiday. With the lights glittering along the way, the streets were brimming with green and red lights, complementing the holiday. Shinichiro, Haruko, and (Y/n) bought ingredients for a hotpot for the Christmas dinner before going to the shrine. "It sure is merry here" (Y/n) said with a timid smile upon her face. Shinichiro only hummed as a response. "How did you spend your Christmas, Haruko, (Y/n)?" He asked with his signature smile on his face.

"I spent the holiday holed up in the office."

"I spent Christmas in the streets."

The two simultaneously responded with a displeased look on their faces as their eyes glued to the male's posterior. He asked something that made them recall something unpleasant, which he froze a bit from his realization. He apologized right after, since he considered himself insensitive towards their feelings, but they both forgave him anyway, so he looked very relieved. Since even such an idle question is not meant to be worried about.

They all went to the shrine as planned, saying their prayers with sincerity. It was the first for (Y/n) to visit a shrine, considering herself that she was isn't worthy enough to be asking something from the gods. For her first experience, she was sweating bullets out of nervousness, hoping that she wouldn't fail on how to pray in a shrine. Haruko have visited couple times in shrines, always wishing that someday he would have a nice home to sleep on. That wish came true, and he was very thankful for it. He wants to properly say his thanks at this time when he visits a shrine.

(Y/n) only kept an eye on the both of them on how to pray in the shrine, doing it as they were shown. It would be embarrassing for her to reveal to them she hadn't visited in a shine so she preferred to be silent and follow them.

A few minutes passed, the three descended the staircase, also running towards Shinichiro's bike. They let Shinichiro take them home peacefully, albeit the roaring sounds of the vehicles they passed by seemed more noisy than theirs. The road they passed by never failed to be decorated for the blissful evening of the Christmas winter day. (Y/n) almost slept, but the cold wind hitting her face helped her be fully awoken before she dove into her slumber. She had never slept so well ever since that night, since the fear of having the same dream again would definitely lose her mind.

She didn't notice that they had arrived. She was completely exhausted and wanted to keep her eyes open to keep herself awake. Haruko patted her shoulder, signalling that they would dismount the bike. Shinichiro eventually noticed her lack of sleep. The dark circles under her eyes were slightly visible that he noticed it a bit sooner. He grabbed her hand, guiding her inside. He slid the door open, removing his shoes and placing them on a nearby shoe rack on the corner of the entrance. She still didn't recognise much of the place. She was still fighting her eyes from sleeping to prevent herself from collapsing down to the floor. She didn't even realise that they were in the Sano residence, which she wanted to avoid for the meantime.

"Mikey! Shin-nii is here!" a young girl shouted after she took a peek at the house's entrance, seeing their brother's arrival along with two children. Everyone caught the young girl's shouting. Manjiro ran at a faster pace, excited that his brother had returned. Behind him is a man who has lived longer than anyone else in the humble abode, also walking towards the older brother. Haruko was startled that everyone in their home rushed towards their direction. He had always been used to just being with Shinichiro, whom he treated as a brother figure and her elder sister.

Suddenly, (Y/n)'s strength had completely vanished, letting her eyes involuntary close. Letting her body lean on the young adult's posterior, receiving a heavy weight from the albino-haired female. They were shocked that the girl was unexpectedly unconscious. Shinichiro dropped the bags he was carrying, catching the female before she would crash to the ground. His eyes were filled with worry, and so were the people around him: Manjiro, Mansaku, Emma, and Haruko. But then again, Shinichiro thought,