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As the holidays approach and the winter nights get colder, Mizuki is on their phone, lying in the comfort of their cozy bed. It's a typical night, really, scrolling through social media right before bed, despite knowing how unhealthy that is. While they browse through the '#fashion' tag, a post from a particular clothing store catches their eye.
'Big Holiday Sale!! Everything Up To 50% OFF!'
Mizuki's eyes practically light up, and within an instant, they make up their mind. She takes a photo of the post and logs on to Nightcord. They check the chat, and everyone is online, as expected. But to her surprise, K and Enanan are already on a call together. She sends the photo in the chat, then hops on the voice call with a cheerful greeting.
"Hey guys!! I didn't know we were gonna meet today."
"We're not," Kanade says. "Ena was showing me some drawings she was working on; she wanted to get my thoughts."
"Ahh, I see. Typical girlfriend stuff~" Mizuki smirks.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Ena huffs.
"Anywayyy~” Mizuki laughs, “Did you see what I just posted?" Ena looks away from her camera and then back up, her frustration with Mizuki seemingly forgotten.
"Wow, that store looks so cute!! ...Eh? Isn't it in the mall that's an hour away from here?"
"That's the one!! I want to go 'cause I have the day off, but don't wanna go all that way by myself... so I was hoping we could all go tomorrow!! Wouldn't it be so fun just to hang out and go shopping~?"
"Hmm, I am off tomorrow, and I heard there's a super cute dessert place there. Alright, I'm in!"
"I'm free tomorrow too," Kanade agrees."There's a nice music store there. Maybe I can find some inspiration for a new song," she says.
"Wow!! It's almost too good to be true~! But what about Yuki? Does she wanna come?"
"I think so. I'll go ask her; she's in another room working on some lyrics." Kanade says, muting her audio and leaving the room.
"You better set an alarm, Enanan~" Mizuki pokes.
"Hey, we haven't even decided a time yet.." Ena folds her arms. "When are we going, anyway?"
"Hm-hmm~ the mall closes pretty late, so we can stay awhile if we want! I'd sayyy we meet at about noon?"
"That works for me; I just hope the lines aren't too long by the time we get there.."
Kanade comes back and sits back down with a smile on her face.
"Yuki says she'll come." She breaks the good news.
"Yay~!!" Mizuki cheers, "Enanan and I were just discussing when to meet at the station. Is noon okay?"
"Mhm, that should be fine."
"Alright~!! Now that that's settled, I'll leave you guys to it. See you tomorrow~!" Mizuki says, leaving the call after Kanade and Ena say their goodbyes. She spins around in her chair, absolutely beaming—and a little surprised that all of them agreed.
But there's no time to lose. Mizuki gets up and walks to their closet to get some inspiration for tomorrow’s outfit.
“Hm-hmmm..” Mizuki ponders her mind while flipping through hangers—something easy to try stuff on over, but still stylish. She searches her closet some more until she reaches a long, pale pink button-up coat.
“Aha-!” they victoriously shout, unhooking it from the closet rod and proudly holding it up by the hanger. Mizuki quickly forms the rest of the outfit in her head and hangs the coat up on the mirror for tomorrow before heading back to bed. As they sink into their pillow, they try to think about the perfect gifts she could get for her friends, but the thoughts never quite finish as she soon drifts to sleep.
Mizuki wakes up the next day pretty late in the morning, almost forgetting their plans in their sleepy state. A second later, she remembers and hops out of bed to check Nightcord, just in case anyone had to cancel at the last minute.
- - - - - - - -
Enanan: [1 image attached]
-Here's the dessert place!
Amia: Oohh! So cute ♡!!
- - - - - - - -
With that settled, Mizuki gets to work. They do their makeup and style their hair, curling it up nicely and finishing with a pink ribbon. Unhooking the coat from the mirror, they pair it with a nice skirt and top underneath. After adding some last-minute accessories and cute shoes, she gives herself one final look in the mirror and grabs her bag before heading out. She stops by the kitchen, where she's greeted by her sister, who is home for the holiday break.
"Where are you heading?" she curiously asks.
"Oh, right! I'm going to the mall with my friends; there's a sale at this super cute clothing store~!"
"Ooh, have fun! Make sure to get me something cute!"
"No promises, Sis!" She lies, already having plans to get her a Christmas gift while she's out. She grabs a few bags of snacks and stuffs them in her bag, waves goodbye to their sister, and finally heads out the door.
When she steps outside, the sunlight shines on her through the gaps in the cloudy skies. The ground is cold and fresh, though there have been no signs of snow in the past few days. Mizuki pulls out her phone to let the group know she's on her way.
- - - - - - - -
Amia: I'm headed out; meet you guys at the station!
Yuki: K and I are already there.
Amia: Geez.. Did Enanan sleep in again?
Enanan: I did not! I'm still getting ready; I'll be out in like a minute.
- - - - - - - -
Mizuki playfully rolls her eyes, even though they can't see it. She continues her walk, and before long, she reaches her destination. They look around the station, and in an instant, she spots Kanade and Mafuyu and runs up to meet them.
"Hey!!" Mizuki enthusiastically waves at the two, who wave back at her in a much calmer manner.
"You look cuter than usual today. I've never seen you wear that coat before." Mafuyu points out.
"Thanks~!!" Mizuki bashfully waves a hand up and down. "It's not thaaat new, I think. I just finally have the chance to wear it!!" They lift their arms to show it off a little.
"All we need is Ena now." Kanade says, looking around.
"Hmph." Mizuki looks around as well, tapping their foot. "Is she sure she didn't sleep in?"
After a few moments of waiting, Ena arrives. Just as the train comes to a halt, the doors slide open in front of them with a whoosh.
Ena steps on first and looks around for a spot with enough seats, promptly gesturing the group over when she finds one. Mizuki walks ahead, hoping to get a window seat, with Kanade and Mafuyu following close behind. They scoot over to the remaining window seat at the end of the row, across from Ena. Kanade and Mafuyu take the remaining two seats. Ena already has her sketchbook out for the long ride, and Kanade is watching next to her with headphones on, making Mizuki suddenly realize they don't have any way to pass the time.
She leans her shoulder against the cold glass, looking at the streets and passing buildings. They watch the people on the sidewalks going back and forth, and the cars driving by—not quite fast enough to keep up with the train. The train passes PXL, the whole park is decorated with lights and festive decor, which makes Mizuki wonder what kind of show Rui's theater troupe will put on this year.
Eventually, the train finally stops. The group grabs their stuff, shuffling through the narrow seats and between other passengers, and departs the train. Luckily, the mall is close to the stop, so they don't have to walk long to the mall's sliding doors, which open for them to enter.
The entrance floor appears to be the second—there is a floor both below and above them; with shops to the left and right of each. The whole center is decked out for the holidays, complete with a big Christmas tree in the center of the bottom floor. People are bustling around all around, perhaps trying to get in last-minute Christmas shopping.
"Wow, it's so crowded!" Mizuki remarks, looking around at all the people.
"Makes sense," Kanade says. "It is a busy time of year."
"Well~ we better get going then!!" Mizuki walks ahead before Ena stops her.
"Hey, wait! Where are we even going?" She asks.
"To the clothing store, of course~!"
"We can't spend the whole time there.. Shouldn't we browse on the way?" Ena folds her arms.
"Why don't we split up? We'd make much better time that way," Kanade suggests.
"That is totally genius!! We'll go do our own things and meet back up later!!" Mizuki exclaims.
"I'll go with Ena," Kanade says, looking at the digital map nearby. "The music store is close to the pastry shop Ena wants to check out."
"Okay!" Ena points and asks, "That way, right?" Kanade nods, and the two depart from the group.
"Okayy~ have fun!" Mizuki waves as they leave. "You're with me, Mafuyu!" they turn to her.
"Alright, where to?" Mafuyu asks. Mizuki turns back to the digital map and studies it for a minute before pointing to the spot on the map where the store is.
"Ah! It should be..." they suddenly say. Mizuki glances up from the map and looks around, scanning the mall with her finger pointing like a compass, "There! Come on~!" She starts in the pointed direction and gestures at Mafuyu to follow her.
"Ahh, isn't this so nice?" Mizuki takes a big, deep breath. "I haven't been out shopping in a while; my school has been all at me about my absences.. The bustling people, the classic mall smell."
"Not really; I didn't know malls had a smell." Mafuyu replies.
"Of course they do! All things have a smell."
"I guess that's true," Mafuyu supposes.
They continue walking when Mizuki suddenly picks up the pace, until they stop in place, mouth agape.
"We're here!!!" Mizuki is practically beaming with excitement.
The whole store is lit with a warm pink glow, contrary to the white lights of the mall outside. The kind of place Mizuki could probably stay in forever if she were able. But she shakes off the awe and reminds herself not to get carried away, though the atmosphere might make it very hard.
Mafuyu catches up, and they both enter the store, following her through the maze of cuteness. Mizuki passes every section with great attention, making sure not to miss anything.
"Mafuyu!!" they call in distress. "I can't decide if I should get this or not... I mean, the whole reason we're here is because of the sale, but still.. Ooh, it's just so cute, though!!" Mizuki clutches her coat in frustration. Before her lies a pink lolita-style dress covered in lace, bows, and patterns—the whole sha-bang. However, Mizuki took a look at the price tag and fears for the sake of their wallet.
"Hmm, how often do you think you'll wear it?"
"Wellll, I wouldn't wanna wear it all the time, or else it'd feel kinda repetitive, and it'd also be hard to match with my other less-detailed clothes. I'd be much happier with a blouse or a skirt, or would I? Ugh, I just don't know!!"
"Aren't you thinking too hard about this?"
"You can never think too hard!!" Mizuki shakes her head. "When it comes to cute clothes, especially on a sale, the thought process is crucial!!" Mizuki continues their ramble, but suddenly cuts themself off. She stares in place with a certain look on her face, like she's looking at the tastiest plate of curry rice ever. She walks forward to another section. They sift through the rack in front of them until they find what they're looking for—a soft pink suspender dress. Mizuki unhooks it from the rack and holds it up to show Mafuyu.
"This!! This is it~!" Mizuki exclaims.
"But didn't you just say you think hard about clothes?" Mafuyu questions Mizuki's logic.
"Yeah, but-" Mizuki tries to think of the right wording: "Some clothes just feel so right, like fate, yknow? Like you see something so perfect, you just have to get it!" she explains, likely making little sense to anyone but herself.
"Like fate, huh.. You sure are peculiar, Mizuki."
"That's one way to put it! Now, sit tight; I'm gonna go find a mirror." Mizuki takes off with the dress in hand. She passes through aisles, looking around until she gets to the left end of the room, facing a mirror against the wall. They take their coat off and hold the hanger up to their chest. Their eyes sparkle at the sight, and like their world becomes whole for even a moment.
Wholey satisfied, she puts the hanger hook on her arm and pokes her head back around at Mafuyu, who's sifting through a rack of clothes. They look back to look at some things in the section they're now in. Her eyes fix on something, and instantly her eyes sparkle with the light of a perfect idea.
"Hey, Mafuyu~!!" Mizuki calls as quietly as she can in the store. Once again, Mafuyu follows the sound of her voice until she finds Mizuki near the mirror and a section of accessories. They appear to have something in their hand, but Mafuyu can't see what. Mizuki tells her to turn around and begins to mess with Mafuyu's hair.
"Hold still~!" Mafuyu feels Mizuki carefully pulling at her hair, and afterward, they do the same with their hair, reaching back into their pink curls.
"Oh~ it's perfect!" Mizuki claps her hands together. "Hang on, I have to get a picture of this-" She whips out her phone and snaps a photo of Mafuyu from behind. Mizuki lets out a squeal and peaks back around Mafuyu to show her the photo. Her back is facing the camera to show her purple ponytail, but instead of the normal hair tie, a pink bow is fixed in its place, laying flat against the back of her head. Then Mizuki turns around to reveal her own ponytail, styled with the same bow, only purple.
"Aren't we adorable~!?" she giggles. Mafuyu nods, her lips perking upward into a gentle smile.
The rest of the shopping lasts quite a while, and Mizuki makes sure to check every aisle and rack—a very intense process. She picks out a few more things for herself, and gifts for her friends and family. For Ena and Kanade, respectively, they find a white button-up blouse with embroidered flowers on the sleeves, and a cozy white hoodie with orange cat patterns all over. They pick out a few hair ribbons for their sister, a cat bucket hat for Rui, and some star hoop earrings for An. All the while, they circle the aisles, waiting for a moment when Mafuyu's eye is not on them.
Finally, they get their moment and sneak away from Mafuyu's view, looking around every so often just to make sure they're out of sight. They head to a certain spot with an item they've been keeping their eyes on: lavender earmuffs with a pair of butterfly wings attached to each ear. Mizuki takes them and heads back within a couple of minutes.
Mizuki returns; the earmuffs are suspiciously hidden from Mafuyu's view. They go to check out; Mizuki almost buys some cute earrings at the last minute on the way to the register, but stops herself with as much restraint she can have in this environment.
Once the two leave the store, Mizuki wonders what to do next, now that they've already done what they came here for. She and Mafuyu stroll around, trying to think of what to do with their time.
"What do you want to do next, Mafuyu?" Mizuki leans forward a little with her hands behind her back.
"I'm not sure." Mafuyu looks around with a dazed look in her eyes, until they finally fix on something.
"Hm?" Mizuki follows Mafuyu’s gaze to the center of the mall, walking up to the glass railing surrounding the floor’s overlook.
"Woahh!" she marvels, looking over the edge. On the far end of the bottom floor, just beside the Christmas tree, lies an ice rink. Pristine and white—as pristine as a shopping mall can be, at least. Mizuki grabs Mafuyu by the hand and leads her down the escalator to the bottom floor, the area partially covered in rough carpet to keep people's skates grounded on their way to the rink.
Suddenly, their phones buzz with a message.
- - - - - - - -
Enanan: We just finished browsing; where are you guys?
Amia: We're at the ice rink.
Enanan: Alright! We'll meet you there soon.
- - - - - - - -
"We should probably wait for them," Mizuki says. "Do you want anything, Mafuyu?" They then ask, pointing to a hot cocoa stand beside the rental counter, but Mafuyu shakes her head in response.
"Really? You aren't hungry or anything?"
"We ate before we left." Mafuyu says, referring to her and Kanade.
"Suit yourself~!" Mizuki shrugs. "Could you get our skates in the meantime~?"
She walks over to the cashier and orders a hot chocolate. At the same time, Mafuyu heads to the rental counter and gets ice skates for both of them. The concession lady finishes their drink, handing Mizuki the cup and a spoon. They happily take it, and shoot the lady a smile meant to say 'Thanks!'.
Mizuki takes a sip, initially met with the cold whipped cream, but as soon as the foamy layer is broken through, a sharp burning hits her tongue.
"Mm-mm!!" Mizuki makes a muffled cry with her free hand to her mouth, her eyes getting a little teary.
"Are you alright?" Mafuyu asks.
"Too hot!!" Mizuki painfully, if not a little dramatically, complains.
"Let me try." She requests, extending her hand out.
"Huh? Are you sure? I'm pretty sure my tongue's gonna be burned for days.." They continue to complain, but hesitantly give the cup to Mafuyu when she still doesn't object. When Mafuyu takes a sip, her eyes squint and twitch a little, but not nearly the same reaction Mizuki had.
"You're right, it's way too hot to drink." Mafuyu hands the cup back to Mizuki, who looks a little stunned.
"Why do they make it so hot anyway? I know it's in the name, but still..." She stares sadly at her cup.
"We could ice skate in the meantime; give it some time to cool down." Mafuyu hands them a pair of ice skates. Mizuki takes them and quickly ties them up, as does Mafuyu.
"Aaand, all done!" Just then, Ena and Kanade arrive, with possibly more bags than them. Mizuki immediately walks over to them as fast as they can without falling and sets their things on a nearby table.
"Hey, Ena! Can you watch our stuff while we skate~?" Mizuki pleads.
"Sure, but wait-! What about when we're all on the rink?"
"You'll figure something out~!" Mizuki says.
"Hey-!" Ena calls, but Mizuki is already on her way to the rink entrance, pulling Mafuyu by the arm. They get to the open rink door. Mizuki sets one foot on the ice, then the other, and they slowly slide outwards when their hands let go of the wall. Her legs feel a little stiff at first, but she quickly steadies herself a moment later.
"Woah!" She laughs, "Sorry, I haven't done this in a while~!" Mizuki skates a few steps back and waits for Mafuyu before going any further. Mafuyu steps and glides onto the ice with ease. Then both of them, side by side, go around the ice.
"Woah~ you're really good at this!" Mizuki remarks. "Have you ice skated before?"
"Um.. yes, but it was a long time ago. Have you?"
"Only a few times, but you make it look easy!"
After a few laps, they pass Ena and Kanade by the rink's entrance, and Mizuki gives a friendly wave to them both, but she can see Kanade isn't too confident in her skating abilities. Ena goes first, then takes Kanade by both hands and helps her onto the ice. Kanade's feet nervously slide back and forth in place, knees bent and shaking, then suddenly they fail her. She slips on the ice and falls backward, landing on her back and sliding backward. Mizuki hears Ena exclaim something, and she holds out her hands for Kanade, and with some struggle, eventually pulls her up to her feet.
"Kanade! Are you okay??" Mizuki slides over to her.
"I'm.... okay...." Kanade says, holding onto Ena like her life depends on it. They lap around the rink just as she and Mafuyu are, Kanade holding onto the wall with one hand and onto Ena's hand with the other, gripping both like a new lyric on the tip of her tongue. She's visibly struggling but smiling nonetheless.
Mizuki and Mafuyu continue to skate beside each other. Mizuki takes in all the surrounding sights, the light of dusk shining through the big ceiling window. Then suddenly, Mafuyu's hand grasps onto hers. Mizuki feels her heart stop, but she doesn't let go. They skate around the rink together, two pairs of skates as one. Mizuki feels a little faint, like their knees could fail them and buckle under themselves. She glances at Mafuyu; her expression is one of a peace they can't describe, but can feel all the more.
“Are you okay, Mizuki? You’re looking a little red.” Mafuyu cuts.
“Oh- yeah! I think it’s just the cold weather, messes with my skin, yknow?” Mizuki abruptly stops in the middle of the ice, her hand slipping from Mafuyu's by accident. A split moment of stillness and silence pass by, before the two glide on the ice once more, hands now apart, Mizuki wishing she had not let go.
The skating comes to a close, and the four decide to sit down and chat for now that they're all together again. Mizuki retrieves their hot chocolate still on the bench and takes a sip, but frowns upon finding it has now gone cold.
Ena and Kanade tell them about the pastry shop and music store, how they also tried a skincare place and got some nice products. Ena also mentions some holiday-special crepes she got, along with some pictures. Mizuki talks all about the hot chocolate and the clothing store, minus the gifts for them, of course.
"Oh! We brought you guys something, too." Ena reaches for one bag and pulls out desserts from the pastry shop she and Kanade went to. For Mafuyu, she slides across the table a clear plastic box with a mini black forest cake inside. Next, she takes out a bread-bun-type sweet with pink and brown swirls in the dough and hands it to Mizuki.
"Thanks!!" She happily takes the sweet and unwraps it from the plastic, but stares at it for a while, trying to guess what might be inside. To their delight, their tongue is met with sweet strawberry and chocolate filling when they take a bite.
“Mmm~" She smiles with pure contentment and says, "I got you something too, yknow.”
“What is it?” Ena smiles eagerly.
“It’s a secret~! You gotta wait until Christmas!” Mizuki teases.
“Ugh, no fair! Now I’m all curious.."
“Hehe~” They take another bite.
Mizuki watches Mafuyu with a mischievous smile, waiting for a moment when she looks away, until finally. She goes in with her spoon and steals a bite of Mafuyu's cake. It's a deep and rich kind of chocolate, with the cherries and light frosting balancing out the bitter.
"You got a sip of my hot cocoa; it's only fair~!" They say with a wink, when Mafuyu notices the theft.
"You could have just asked, you know." She says.
"Yeah, but it's more fun this way~!" Mizuki smiles at her, stealing another bite.
Soon, the time to leave the mall arrives. The group packs up their things and heads out the way they came, the sliding door opening for them once more. By the time they leave, the sun has almost passed, projecting part of the night skies in the sunset's remaining pink and purple hues. It's amazing how the clouds look so much prettier at night. But the best thing of all is the long-awaited snow falling all around them. It covers the whole parking lot in powdery white and shines in the moonlight peeking through the clouds. The four look in awe at the scene before them.
Ena immediately pulls out her phone to snap a photo of the moment, and the group gathers in close to get into frame. Ena makes a cute pose with her free hand, with Kanade smiling next to her. Mizuki is in the middle, pulling Mafuyu in with an arm around her shoulder. The moment lasts only a second, but this capture will be theirs for life.
The snow falls on their hair more with every step closer to the station. Mizuki can't help but notice Kanade wearing Ena's coat over her usual track jacket. By a stroke of luck, the train arrives just as they get to the station. This time, Mizuki stays behind the group to let Mafuyu have the window seat.
"Ahh!" Mizuki stretches their arms and leans back into their seat with a soft thud, followed by a yawn.
"What a good trip, huh? I got sooo many cute things, and got all my Christmas gifts figured out~!"
"Thank you, for today. I had a fun time, I think..." Mafuyu says.
"Of course! I always enjoy a shopping trip~" Mizuki smiles at her with softness in their eyes, like it means something more.
Mafuyu turns her head to look out the window; all the sights of the train ride before are now cloaked in the night's darkness, covered in the bitter snow's wintery white. The bright city lights and Christmas lights aglow, all shining into Mafuyu's eyes, reflecting it back. All the while, Mizuki sits beside her, shining brighter than all.
"Like fate, yknow?"
. . .
Mafuyu thinks back to the ice rink, when she grabbed onto Mizuki's hand. She's unsure why she did that—perhaps for support or not to get too separated on the ice. But she knew one thing: even through Mizuki's gloves and the cold winter air, Mafuyu could feel the warmth when their fingers touched. The whole day, it seems, despite the weather, she didn't feel so cold. Whatever this is, she'd like to hold on to it as long as she can.
Mafuyu reaches into her coat pocket and pulls out the pink bow. Mizuki looked so happy when they picked them out. It's a little hard to understand, but she kind of admires that about Mizuki. The way these simple interests make her so happy, even through hurt. Mafuyu squeezes the bow a little tighter.
Hm, fate indeed.
Truth be told, Mafuyu never felt much love during the holidays, even though it's supposed to be a time of warmth and joy, at least to her understanding. But things have changed ever since she joined Nightcord. Now, with everyone, she might begin to understand the feeling for herself.
“Ugh.. I’m starving; shopping can really make you hungry.” Ena complains.
“Me too…" Mizuki agrees, slumping down into her seat, then sitting back up a second later.
"Hey-! We should go to the family restaurant! It's close to our stop.”
"Ah! Great idea, Mizuki!" Ena remarks.
"Mhm, their ramen sounds so good right now," Kanade agrees.
"Yes! I'm on fire today~! Well, what do you think~ Mafuyu?" Mizuki tilts their head towards her in a lazy sort of way.
Mafuyu gently smiles, "I'd like that."