[Charlotte] Seventy-Five Years (Discontinued)

[Christmas Special] Christmas Eve

The reddish-yellow colour of the sky had darkened into a charcoal one, specifying the sun setting. Though in such, the snow still kept falling in mild speed as it indirectly allowed people to cover themselves from the gradually increasing cold.

A certain platinum blonde-haired female stepped out from her room to take a short stroll around the street next to where their quarters was located. Her body felt rather warm, for black and white-striped scarf was aiding her so. She wrapped it more around her neck before closing the door behind her.

"Alright," muttered the lass to herself.

Christmas Eve--generally Christmas itself--in Japan is a perfect day to go out with your lover. It only is a normal day, compared to the Westerners'. However, the decorations, seasonal foods, songs, events and weather was a perfect type for dating.

Yet, Nao was missing one.

Vivid sapphire optics glanced upwards, but never would the sky lighten. A sigh escaped her lips before feet had proceeded to draw her tracks to where people had gathered.

As soon as she entered the garland-decorated borders of the road, stood at the side were stalls of different items regarding the aforementioned season, or generally anything about couples.

I probably was too harsh earlier...

Aimlessly, Nao checked her surroundings to see if there was something he could buy for herself, and her boyfriend even if they currently weren't on good terms. Immediately, her face lightened up upon seeing bunch of ZHIEND-related merchandises. Cheeks turned pink, eyes comically glittering. "This is good!" Said her in happiness, then minimally dropping the keychain to admire the other one. "This one too! I can't choose!"

Maybe, I should get two of these so we could match...

Her thoughts of excitement had lowered upon remembering that she recently had an argument with Yuu. She had as well dropped the items whilst walking away without much of a strength as the vendor kept calling her by more sales talking.

"You got me this? Thank you!" Said a girl in utmost happiness.

Her man chuckled, "I'm glad you liked it! I was really torn in between..."

His words slowly vanished upon Nao turning to a different direction. But no matter where she would dart her gazes, there only couples she could spot.

Maybe, I should apologise?

Hesitantly, the female grabbed her cellular phone off from her pocket. She went to compose a message--between politely saying she was sorry, and roughly inviting him for a Christmas Eve date--only to be deleted. Nao snapped her tongue in annoyance before shoving her gadget back inside her pocket, unfortunately wasn't able to send him a message.

Sigh.

Nao found her arms leaning against the fences whilst standing on the bridge, blue-shaded eyes staring at nowhere. Aimlessly, she dropped her gazes onto the clear, slightly frozen pond under her.

Coloured variants of Amur carp--commonly known as koi--came swimming deeper than they usually do because of the weather. The lass dropped her jaw over her crossed arms on the fences, releasing a kept sigh thereafter.

Surely, she had never felt so sad.

"Nao!"

It was the voice she had been yearning for, the voice she wanted to hear. As she would look forward to witness it from the person she had been desiring to see, it came to the point that she was beginning to hear unnecessary things.

"Here. You liked anything about ZHIEND, right?"

From her left side, she could see a hand holding a piece of bracelet clearly as one of ZHIEND's merchandises. Seeing it alone made her sapphire eyes grow in surprise, her mouth performing a gasp of the same feeling.

Immediately, she turned to that direction, and stood for a few seconds to check if she was just having images in her mind. "You...," the lass closed her eyes, shocked expression was exchanged into a serious one. "Can I slap you?"

Yuu flinched at the question, hand still gently gripping the bracelet he bought for her. "W-Wh... Is it because of what happened earlier?" Regaining his composure, left hand scratched the back of his head. "I was... Actually, I went to your room in the quarters earlier to apologise, but Shunsuke-niisan told me you went here, so I tried finding you wherever I could," small slashes of pink came evident on his cheeks, indicating the embarrassment he was currently feeling.

"Oh," said her, reaction unseen. Comically instant, her expression soon changed into a blushing mess, completely indeed a happy person as she dropped her gazes back onto the bracelet. "You got this for me?! Awesome!"

But she didn't grab it off from his hand. Instead, pinned both of her eyes onto her boyfriend.

"Earlier...," said Nao. "I'm sorry about earlier. I didn't know I was too harsh. I tried apologising through text a while ago, but I felt like it wasn't the perfect moment nor option."

Yuu wrapped his arms around her, adding to her current warmth. "Don't apologise. I was stupid, don't blame yourself, Nao," without further ado, the man tenderly grabbed her chin upwards and stared at her sincerely. "I won't let an argument last in a long day, Nao, because I love you..."

Facial expression still unchanging, Nao only looked back at him for a few seconds before closing her eyes, head still slightly arched upwards.

Is this my cue...?!

Invisibly, Yuu gulped whilst composing himself to do what Nao mentally asked him to.

The lass, undoubtedly feeling that she was in the mid-air for too long already, revealed one of her ocean-blue eyes for the latter to see. "Hurry up before I change my mind," stated her which definitely alerted the other.

"H-Huh? O...kay...," albeit engulfed with nothing but nervousness, Yuu took a deep breath, gently held his girlfriend's perfectly fluffy cheeks, moved closer to her lips, and soon planted a kiss on it. It lasted for a few seconds, but it felt like hours.

There was a mild attempt to catch their breathing thereafter, forming a tender smile towards each other then.

"I love you, too," it was mentioned with utmost sincerity; the smile carved on the platinum blonde's lips was stunningly pretty, it had caught her boyfriend flinching in surprise.

"Wh... D-Did you just..."

Quickly as Lightning, Nao exchanged such a face with her usual, blushing fangirling face upon reaching out for the ZHIEND merchandise after. "You bought this for me, right? Ah, thank you!" Effortlessly snatching it off from Yuu's hands next.

"Oi, wait...!" He insisted to return it on his grips as the man would request for Nao to say those lovingly words once again before he could fully give her his timely gift, but to no avail.

The couple continued chasing for each other under the falling snow whilst surrounding with Christmas carols, celebrants and designs. Their voices arguing quite happily echoed around in the road, causing other lovers passing by turn to them and give them a smile of amusement, if not of awe.

Such a day came long, and seemingly never-ending for them.

(A/N: I was planning to put the reason why they fought, but it came out well so I didn't, anyways. x])