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The corners of Kisa's mouth tug downward as she pushes back her curtains.
Univeil's campus lays before her, still and serene under a bank of thick gray clouds that threaten snow but have not brought it.
A small sigh shakes her shoulders. "Looks like it won't be a white Christmas," she murmurs to herself, trying not to acknowledge the disappointment tugging at her heart.
It was a silly wish, really. Wanting a white Christmas. The kind of thing children wished for.
But she's a second-year student, now. An experienced Al Jeanne, and the face of Quartz.
Today may be Christmas, but she has more important tasks to focus on.
With the winter performance wrapped up as of last night, it's time to start preparing for the year-end Univeil performance.
So, naturally, after donning her track suit and tucking in for a light breakfast, she finds herself walking the well-trod cobblestone path on her way to the dance studio.
That is, until a familiar voice stops her in her tracks.
"Oh, Tachibana! Congrats on the win!" Kasai's voice rings like a clear bell over the lifeless campus. He jogs to catch up with her, smiling, as he often is. Seeing that bright grin, Kisa can't help but match it with one of her own. "And the gold, too."
"Thanks." Her tensed shoulders naturally ease as he stops beside her. "Congratulations on your silver too, Kasai-kun."
A wounded expression twists his features. "Ahh, don't rub it in. You're pretty tough competition, you know. You and Quartz are poised for another sweep this year."
Onyx has yet to best Quartz, and he has yet to snatch the gold from her, but that doesn't stop him from remaining determined to do so.
There's something oddly... endearing about that determination.
A warmth flares up in her chest and her reply dissolves on her tongue.
Kasai's gaze makes a rare break from hers as he glances over the campus. "Too bad about the snow, huh?"
Kisa blinks herself back to attention. She peers around in confusion. "Um, what snow?"
"There isn't any, I mean." He heaves a sigh and turns back to her, sliding his hands into the pocket of his hoodie. Like her, he is dressed for practice, not winter's early morning bite. "I woke up this morning hoping we'd gotten a surprise snow shower overnight, but looks like that didn't happen."
"Honestly, I was hoping for a white Christmas, too," she admits, feeling less silly knowing she wasn't alone.
"You were?" He's quiet for a moment, brows furrowed as if mulling something over. Before she has a chance to inquire, he's smiling again. "Say, do you have any plans for today?"
"Not really. I was just going to practice some."
"In that case, how about we go out somewhere?"
"Go out?"
"Yeah, like a date."
He announces it boldly, without a shred of hesitation.
Kisa's eyes go wide as her heart lurches into her throat. "A d-date?"
He laughs. "It'll be fun, I promise. I stake my reputation as Onyx's Jack Ace on it."
She scratches at her cheek and glances away in hopes of calming the heat building up in her face. Two years of acting classes, and here she is, scrambling to keep a poker face. "Where did you have in mind?"
"It'll be more exciting if it's a surprise, right?"
When she gathers the courage to look at him, he's blushing a bit too.
It's ridiculously cute.
She needs to change the subject, quickly, before someone sees the two of them standing here, blushing at each other. "I should probably change first."
"Yeah, make sure you bundle up good. I'll meet you by the gates in a bit."
When she reaches Univeil's infamous stairway ten minutes later, he's already waiting down at the gates. It's busy now, students trickling down into town to celebrate the holiday however they wish, and Kisa weaves between them deftly, excitement and anticipation hurrying her steps.
"That was quick," is his greeting as she reaches him. "I guess we should get going, then."
"Okay!"
Their destination is the train station, it turns out. He purchases a pair of mystery tickets at the counter for the both of them, and next thing she knows, they're seated side by side in a cabin as the train slowly chugs into motion, their shoulders faintly touching.
The train ventures north at a comfortable hum. She and Kasai fall into conversation, discussing the performances last night as the mountainous terrain of Tamasaka and its surrounding villages whizz past fogged-up windows.
Rocky hills and familiar trees eventually give way to smoother plains punctuated by the odd farm field. Trenches of dirt leftover from harvest lay in even rows under a sprinkling of snow, drawing Kisa's attention briefly away from the Korean production of a Broadway show they're watching on his phone.
When they arrive at the station almost an hour later, snow falls in a graceful cascade upon the platform outside their window.
"Oh! Look, it's snowing here," Kisa says as they step into the aisle.
"Yeah!" Kasai doesn't look surprised in the least.
"Wait, did you know it would be?"
He smiles and laughs. "Well, it might be the reason I chose this place."
"It really does feel like a date," she lets slip under her breath, and when Kasai curiously asks for a repeat, she insists it was nothing.
They disembark from the train, stepping into a world trimmed in white.
Downtown buildings, carefully trimmed hedges, the bustling Christmas market stall canopies -- everything is blanketed in a layer of soft snow twinkling under the light of a sun that's managed to dodge the clouds, for now.
"It's so beautiful," Kisa says breathlessly as she takes in the wondrous sights.
"It is, isn't it?" Kasai grabs her hand and leads her along. "Come on, let's check out what they've got."
He did it so confidently, and they are quite a ways from Tamasaka after all, so Kisa makes no move to slip her hand from his grip. Besides, it's not like she actually wants to. His fingers are warm and firm against hers. It gives her a fuzzy feeling, as if he's gently cradling her soul itself.
Together, they peruse the stalls' many offerings. Handmade wooden toys, painted glass ornaments, plush woven scarves, and a delightful array of tasty delectables. The air is suffused with gingerbread, pine, and peppermint, stirring memories of Christmases long past.
"Over there looks interesting," she says, pointing to a table bearing what seems to be foreign desserts.
"Oh, you're right!" Kasai leads them right over, still holding her hand tightly. "Wow, they've even got turrón."
"Turrón?"
He points to a platter filled with squares of what looks to be a bunch of almonds held together with some sort of confection. Nougat, perhaps? "Have you had it before?"
"No, this is my first time hearing of it."
"Then we've definitely gotta get some. It's one of the best desserts Spain's got to offer. It's tradition to make it this time of year."
"It looks like there's two kinds," she says, noticing another platter beside it with the same label. But this one is a darker beige shade and seems to lack any nuts.
"Yeah, there's Turrón de Alicante, which is the hard version," he says, indicating the platter with the almonds before motioning to the other, "and then over here is Turrón de Jijona, the softer version."
"Which kind do you like?"
"I prefer the Jijona, but let's get both so we can see which one you prefer."
They buy two squares of each, then find a bench nearby to sit on while they sample the treats.
After almost breaking a tooth on the Alicante version, Kisa is in full agreement that the soft and chewy Jijona version is indeed superior.
"'Jijona' and 'Alicante' come from the names of actual towns in Spain, you know," he says as they polish off the last of their turrón. "Not ones I've ever been to. But I'd like to, one day." He slides a grin her way. "And maybe you'll come with me."
He's mentioned it before -- travelling with her. Going overseas together once they graduate from Univeil. It's been nine months since he'd first mentioned it, and a day hasn't gone by that it wasn't lingering in the back of her mind, constantly nibbling at her thoughts.
"I'd like that," she replies, and she isn't sure whether she's responding to what he said just now, or answering his question back then. But she can see it, now. A future beyond Univeil. A future with him.
A laugh -- laced with what almost sounds like a nervous edge -- escapes him as he rubs the back of his head. "Don't go getting my hopes up, now."
She's not used to seeing him nervous, but it's so adorable her heart splits into a thousand butterflies set loose in her ribcage. "N-No, I really mean it."
"I know you do. I guess I just feel a little giddy hearing you say it."
Little does he know, she feels equally as giddy. She just doesn't have the courage to admit it.
"Oh, that's right. I read they've got ice skating here," he says suddenly. "Do you know how to skate?"
"Just a bit." Years ago, she'd skated with her brother, but she's been out of practice ever since.
"Wanna give it a shot, then?"
"Sure."
It takes a bit of wandering before they find their way to the local frozen-over pond, but Kisa doesn't mind at all, because her hand is happily occupied with one of Kasai's the whole while.
After paying a small 100-yen fee for skate rental, they find seats on the straw bales situated at one end of the pond and lace up before hitting the ice.
Kasai is a natural, it turns out.
Kisa is, well, just as clumsy as she remembers being.
Most of her memories of skating were of Tsuki picking her up and dusting the snow off her rear, after all.
But now, it's Kasai picking her up, and instead of dusting her off, he's taking her hand, and slowly leading her along.
It takes her a while to remember the basics, but once she does, her body takes to it like it'd never forgotten. All the things she hadn't known how to manage as a small child now seem so simple, so obvious.
"Hey, you're improving really quick!" Kasai says with a grin after they make an entire pass around the pond without her stumbling once.
"Only because you're leading me so well."
"Heh, it's kind of like dancing, isn't it?" His grip on her hand tightens as he slows suddenly and swings her around. It happens so quickly she's afraid she'll fall, but he keeps her steady on her feet until she's stationed safely at his side. "It's like I'm the Jack Ace and you're my Al Jeanne."
"If it can't happen onstage at Univeil, then maybe it can happen here," she replies, her cheeks tinging red.
"I was just thinking the same thing."
He slowly leads her into another figure, then another, and the rest of the world melts away, as if they're the only two on the ice. She's still stiff, she's still clumsy, but she remains on her feet, and she can feel the story he's telling in their movements. It's a simple story, but it's one the two of them know well.
"We should come back once the ice melts," he proposes as they skate side-by-side, hand-in-hand. "That way, we can dance on the banks and our reflections can dance alongside us."
Just like Ex, the monster, and Piotia, the blind girl, living their happily ever after.
Kisa nods, already anticipating it. "That sounds fun."
"Phew, I'm out of breath. How about you?"
"I'm getting pretty tired, actually."
"Let's take a break, then."
They grab their shoes and sit on a straw bale while they change out their skates.
Kasai finishes first, and his attention turns to the sky as he lets out a deep breath.
Kisa looks too, and it's only now that she notices the sun is in hiding.
Heavy clouds pass on by slowly, sending large fluffy flakes down in the gentlest of assaults.
"I'm glad it didn't snow in Tamasaka today," Kasai says, his voice soft.
"Hm?" Kisa glances at him.
"Because I probably wouldn't be getting to see this now," he says, meeting her gaze with a tender smile. "You, without the act."
Act?
She almost parrots the word back.
Then, the realization hits.
Her stomach twists.
Ah.
That's right.
All this time, and she's never told him.
She hasn't, not because she's afraid of his reaction, but because she didn't want to admit to the betrayal of lying.
She likes him too much to bear that hurt.
But apparently, it's been all for naught.
She swallows hard, glancing down at the skate dangling from her fingers. "How long have you known?"
"Now that's a secret," he replies triumphantly, and she can hear the smile in his voice before she looks to confirm its presence.
The weight of countless sleepless nights leaves her heart all at once and she smiles back.
It is a smile she hasn't shown in years.
Not the smile of Univeil's Tachibana Kisa, but simply the smile of Tachibana Kisa, the young woman.
"You really do have a beautiful smile," he says, studying her as if he was gazing adoringly upon a priceless work of art. "You know, Tachibana... " He reaches for her, his fingers softly brushing her cheek. His eyes dip to her lips. "I think I've always been in love with you."
When he leans in, her eyes fall closed.
When his lips meet hers, he steals a piece of her heart she doesn't want back.
And when it's over, it's too soon.
He pulls away only slightly, enough to take her hands in his.
She slides her fingers between his, and the cutest smile turns his mouth.
"Merry Christmas, Tachibana."
"Merry Christmas, Kasai-kun."