Even during the day when the illuminations weren’t on, Shibuya was a beautiful sight in the winter. It had started to gently snow at some point, and the thin layer of white painted a pretty picture of what was already a vibrant city.

Mai and I continued to walk arm-in-arm while Nao and Saki held hands, the four of us slowly wandering the streets and taking in the sights around us.

There were temporary stalls lining the high streets with all sorts of food and Christmas-themed goods. Apparently certain Japanese businessmen had been inspired by Berlin’s famous Christmas market and attempted to incorporate elements of it here in Japan, which meant there were even stalls selling traditionally European foods like bratwurst and frankfurter sausages.

The decorations were as fun and pretty as one would expect, with Santa Clauses and Christmas trees adorning every place they could possibly fit. One large shop along the high street even had an animatronic Santa Claus climbing up and down a ladder to the roof.

It felt bittersweet to me. I was enjoying every second there, especially in the company of my closest friends and significant other, but I felt a pang of pain for having missed out on such things for such a long time. I was nearing the end of my time as a carefree teenager, so I knew I would have fewer and fewer chances to appreciate these sorts of things in the same way.

Still, one look at the beaming smile on Mai’s face was enough to put my worries to rest. Even growing old and frail would be fine if hers was the face I would wake up to every morning.

“I love you, y’know.”

“Huh? I love you too, but what prompted that all of a sudden?”

“Nothing at all. Just felt the need to say it.”

For once my words actually made Mai blush. I suppose my sudden declaration of love was a tad embarrassing, but I wanted to make sure I said it as many times as possible before the battle. We had no idea how our lives would change after the fact.

“Ooh, ooh, I love these sorts of things!” Saki stopped in front of a street stall selling a number of knitted works, all looking to have been made specifically for the cold winter season. “Let me grab one of those woolly hats with the dangly bits on the side!”

“I-I’d like to buy one too please… in the same colour…” Nao hid her face, but it was clear that she had somehow flustered herself with the idea of matching with Saki.

After the two had bought their items, I moved in to make my own purchase.

“Hi. Can I get a pair of black gloves please? And that nice cyan scarf, too.”

“Sure thing, kiddo. Cash or card?” The kindly man behind grabbed both items as he spoke, then handed them over to me after I scanned my debit card. One touch told me they were expertly made, worth the somewhat hefty price tag.

“Wow, two bits to keep yourself warm already? I didn’t think you were so bad at taking the cold, Shin.” Mai teased me, but I was prepared for it.

Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

“Two? Only the gloves are for me. I got the scarf so I could do this.”

I stepped in close to Mai, our faces less than half a metre apart, and gently wrapped the scarf around her face. I could tell it was my victory when she started blushing furiously.

“Idiot. Stupid.”

“Because I made you blush in public?”

“No, because when my face is partially covered I can’t do this.” She pulled the scarf down under her chin and gave me a quick peck on the lips, smiling a smile so sweet it could kill a diabetic.

I could feel my face burning up. Damn. Back to even.

“Ahem.” Came a gentle but slightly uncomfortable voice from nearby.

“Ack! Sorry!” I replied on instinct.

Remembering that we were not in private and were instead standing in front of a nice man’s small business, we ceased flirting and quickly moved to catch up with the girls.

The four of us continued about the busy streets of Shibuya, the smell of street food permeating the air, and the spirits of the people higher than they were the rest of the year. It was enough to almost make us forget about the impending danger.

As we window shopped every stall and shop in the city, I suddenly remembered something I had hoped to do here.

“Hey, you two.” I called out to Saki and Nao, who turned their attention to me. “Now that you’re officially together, are you guys doing a Christmas gift exchange?”

They looked at me for a moment, then to each other.

“I guess we haven’t even had time to think about that sort of thing recently, huh?”

“N-no, it had slipped my mind entirely.”

“Well I haven’t had a chance to get anything for Mai for yet either. You guys wanna split into pairs and get it done while we’re here? We might not get another chance before Christmas Eve.”

“Ooh, that’s a good idea! I had a couple ideas but I was struggling to decide between them, I could use some help.” Mai seemed excited at the prospect, and the other two looked to be on board too.

“Sh-Shin, do you think you could help me?” Asked Nao, something I found a tad surprising considering how close she and Mai were.

“Sure, that’s cool with me. That work for you guys too?”

“I was gonna ask for Mai’s help anyway, so that’s perfect.”

“Works out great, Saki’s help would be grand.”

“Then it sounds like we’ve got a plan. Nao, let’s go this way first. You guys wanna meet back up here in an hour or so?”

With all of us in agreement, we split off into our pairs and got hunting for Christmas gifts. Nao said she needed time to think before trying to pick anything out, so we decided to go shopping for Mai’s present first.

“Y’know, I was a little surprised you asked to come with me instead of Mai.”

“I-I understand why. I didn’t want to devalue our friendship, but you and I aren’t as close as we are with Saki and Mai, but I think that’s also why I picked you. W-we don’t how things will be after the battle. I do consider you one of my best friends, and I wanted to take the chance to spend a bit of time together while we still have a chance.”

“To tell you the truth, I’ve regretted not taking the chance to know you better this past year or so too. It’s been fun being your friend, but you and I haven’t really had many chances to hang out without the other two. I appreciate you going out of your way this time.”

“W-well, it would have left a bad taste in my mouth otherwise.”

“And here I thought you asked for my help because I’d be more likely to know what to give a tomboy like Saki.”

“Geh- busted.” Nao looked embarrassed that I saw through her, though I just chuckled at her completely transparent motivation. “I-I did really mean the other stuff too, though!”

“I know, I know. I meant it too.”

I had always felt more distant from Nao than the other two, though that’s not to say I liked her any less. We got along as well as friends should, but rarely found the chance to talk just the two of us. As the two least social members of our group, neither of us were known to take the initiative, thereby having our hangouts dictated by our overly social counterparts. Hence why I was appreciative that Nao herself suggested the two of us shop together.

Even as we walked through the market together, we said little. Our conversations were sparse and short, but not awkward. We were simply two people who didn’t speak much. We valued each other’s friendship for that no less.

Even silence was comfort in good company.