Chapter Text
It's the same as it always was.
She wakes up in her messy bed, limbs far from where they had been the night previous, her hair a tangled mess of curly browns, and her eyelids far too heavy to start the day. When her feet touch the ground, it's cold— just enough to give her a bit of feeling.
The snow piles up outside her window, the pale sun barely peeking out from the horizon. There's a faint scent of vanilla around her— the kind her mom likes to buy during winter— and she vaguely remembers having dinner with her parents and her sister; dips and laughs in conversations that filled up the entire room.
It's almost the same as it was, years and years ago.
Back then, she loved winter. She loved the snow and the hot chocolate and the conversations in the dark. The way people's faces light up at the thought of holidays and festivities and giving each other gifts.
She lives alone now— a different apartment in a different city— but she figures some things never really change. There's still a television set in the far corner of the living room, her room was still a mess of colorful duvets and scattered notebooks, and she still stood quiet in the middle of her home not quite feeling right.
It's funny, she thinks, how she still manages to feel uncomfortable in her own company. She grows aware of the numbness of her fingers and the cold tip of her nose, the sound her pyjamas make as they drag along the wooden floor.
It's quite different than it was, years and years ago.
Winter wasn't... special anymore— no more gifts or conversations or warm bodies pressed against each other. The fairy lights hung dull on the walls, more of a rule than a celebration.
Kumiko doesn't like winter anymore— with each passing year only getting colder and colder.