"Want to go take a look first?"
"Let's go, Takagi-chan. Let's go check it out."
As the words fell, Shouko and Atsuya Ayumi exchanged a glance, instantly understanding each other's intentions.
At the same time, both of them linked arms with Takagi on either side, escorting her toward the fortune-telling stall ahead.
"I never said I wasn't going..." Takagi muttered helplessly, glancing at the passersby. Her weak protest had no effect, so she gave in and let herself be dragged along.
When the three of them walked closer, their first instinct was to turn back. The stall consisted only of a table draped with a starry black cloth, a single deck of tarot cards, and a glowing crystal ball. Nothing else.
If anything stood out, it was the price tag: "Fortune-telling – 100 yen."
(100 yen ≈ 5 RMB)
"Hehe... Are the three of you here for fortune-telling?" The girl behind the table wore a black lace veil, smiling as she looked up at them.
"Don't worry, it's absolutely accurate. If it's not, you can come back tomorrow and I'll give you a refund."
As if sensing their doubts, she patted her flat chest and assured them repeatedly.
"..."
Shouko glanced at her friends, hesitated a moment, then stepped forward. She pulled a 100 yen coin from her wallet and handed it over.
"Please tell me my fortune for next year," Shouko said politely.
"Mhm." The girl picked up the tarot cards and began shuffling. She spread them across the table. "First, draw three cards at random, then one from each side."
Under the curious stares of Takagi and Ayumi, Shouko followed her instructions, drew five cards, and placed them neatly on the table. Then she quietly waited for the explanation.
"...Wh-What's wrong?" After a long silence, Shouko's nerves got the better of her.
"Ah? Oh—oh!" The girl jolted, as if just returning to reality. She scanned the cards and coughed softly.
"Cough, cough... Yours is simple. If you let a family member or someone you like kiss you on the cheek before sunrise tomorrow, your luck will double, and the whole year will go smoothly."
"..."
Shouko froze for a moment, unsure how to respond. At last, she managed a polite thank you and rejoined her friends.
"Haha..." Atsuya Ayumi chuckled, waving her hand and whispering, "Shouko-chan, this doesn't sound very reliable. Maybe we should just leave..."
Shouko didn't reply. She simply blinked at her.
In the end, Ayumi still obediently handed over 100 yen. Just as she was about to draw her cards, Takagi intervened.
"Don't..." Takagi raised a hand to her eyes. "I know what this means. I'll go."
Her prediction turned out to be even stranger than Shouko's. She was told she'd have to keep chatting normally with a boy who secretly worked out for a month to double her luck. It sounded simple—until she realized she'd need to somehow confirm which boys secretly exercised. She hardly talked to any boys in her class anyway.
Ayumi's was slightly more normal: help a young boy overcome his psychological trauma. She dismissed it at once.
In the end, all three decided the fortunes were just for comfort. The girl herself had said that even if they ignored her advice, they would still have good luck next year.
Back at home—
"She didn't get knocked silly, did she...?"
Akira, curled under the quilt, watched Shouko giggling to herself now and then. He muttered softly.
Snapping out of it, Shouko threw a cushion at him.
"Get up, Akira! The sun's almost out." She glanced at the clock on the bedside table.
"Hai, hai." He sighed, reluctantly crawling out of the warmth. He walked to the wardrobe and pulled out the clothes he had prepared.
From his morning run experience, the sun rose around 6:50 AM in winter. It was just past 5:30 AM now.
"Shouko, can you go downstairs first?" Akira sighed as she climbed into his quilt.
He seriously suspected she had come this early just to steal his spot.
Shouko stuck out her tongue playfully. "Change already, I'm not watching. Besides, it's not like I haven't seen you when we were kids."
With that, she pulled the quilt over her head.
"..."
Speechless, Akira ignored her maggot-like wriggling under the covers and began changing. He didn't notice the tiny gap in the quilt, where a pair of eyes peeked at him.
When he finished, he patted her through the quilt. "Let's go. We can walk slowly up to the shrine and still make it."
"Got it, got it. You wash up first," came her muffled reply.
"Alright." He went downstairs.
"Click..."
The moment he left, Shouko peeked out again. Only then did she fully emerge, fanning her flushed face.
She hadn't expected Akira not to avoid her at all...
The snow piled into crooked hills along the roadside, revealing mossy scripture stones beneath.
Halfway up the mountain, the bronze lanterns on the stone steps were dark, their golden 「奉納」 (Offering) inscriptions peeling with age, yet still glinting faintly in the whitening sky.
Snow slid off cedar branches, revealing a fox statue. Its incense-burned eyes reflected the first streak of crimson dawn.
"We almost didn't make it..." The boy held the girl's hand as the sun rose like a salted egg yolk over the horizon.
"You've got some nerve," the girl huffed, smacking his arm. "Who told you to stay up so late? You wouldn't even wake up this morning."
"And who wasted time dawdling upstairs instead of coming down?" he teased back.
The reply was another smack.
Silence fell as they watched the rising sun.
Then, unable to resist, the boy leaned in and kissed her cheek. Their eyes met.
"Cough, cough..."
They jumped apart at the sound of coughing behind them.
Akira spun around to see a shrine maiden in her robes. He sighed in relief, though he grumbled, "Showing up like that will scare people to death, you know?"
Shouko clutched her chest, still startled.
The shrine maiden smiled. "Then I'll apologize. Sorry for disturbing you."
"No need, thank you..." Akira sighed. The mood was ruined.
"Happy New Year, Miko-san," Shouko greeted with a small bow.
"Happy New Year." She handed them each an omamori.
After a short chat, she urged them back down. "You've seen the sunrise, now get some rest. The shrine's closed today. I want to sleep."
As she left, she waved over her shoulder. "Be careful, the snow's slippery."
Watching her leave, Shouko hesitated. The moment she had wanted to kiss Akira had slipped away, but she chose patience over impulse.
"Let's go. Auntie's probably made breakfast."
At the Miyamura house—
"You two really are something," Miyamura Yui said from the living room. "Sleeping so late, yet still waking up to watch the sunrise."
"Good morning, Grandma," Akira greeted. "Have you had breakfast?"
"They're still sleeping. I already made some, so go eat."
Neither Shouko nor Akira found it strange that she ate here too. Everyone was used to it—after all, she was family.
Just as they sat down to eat—
"Ding dong..."
Shouko paused mid-bite. "So early in the morning... who could that be?"
"Probably spam." Akira pulled out his phone.
It was a LINE message—from Inoue Nishiki, the girl who had added him yesterday.
Shouko blinked curiously. "Akira, who's 'Inoue Nishiki'? When did you add her?"
He quickly explained.
"Oh," she nodded, reassured. "So it's just about study problems. I thought it was something else."
She glanced at his screen. "Aren't you going to reply? It's been read for ten minutes already."
Akira handed her the phone. "You reply. I'll eat."
Shouko froze, then quickly took over, typing:
「Happy New Year!」
The reply came instantly:
「Miyamura-senpai woke up so early?」
Smiling, Shouko imitated his tone and chatted. She'd gotten good at this. Ever since one shrine maiden added his contact, more had followed. She gave them all his secondary account, and no one had noticed yet.
To outsiders, it looked like Akira was cold in person but warmhearted online. In reality, it was Shouko answering for him.
When Ayumi or Takagi asked, they still thought Shouko was being remarkably understanding.
Meanwhile, Akira just poured her a glass of milk and pushed it over. "Drink some."
She nodded absently, still typing replies.
「How about you add my main account? This is my secondary one.」
Shouko was about to send her own alternate contact, but Akira stopped her.
"This isn't like at school. Don't."
Seeing her puzzled face, he explained briefly until she relented. She sent his alternate instead, though the chats would still stay on his main.
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