The kitchen light shimmered softly behind you, a brief pocket of quiet after hours of noise, and with more to come. Turning your back into the living room again, you slowed without realizing it, stopping beneath the open archway.
The house, your house, was loud tonight. But this moment settled into something warmer. The living room floor was half-buried in snack wrappers and game boxes. The large kotatsu was crowded, with shoulders brushing and legs tangled.
At the center of it all, an old photo album laid open in the middle of it all. Though a bit worn at the edges, lots of memories remained intact—particularly your second-year photos from last year. Before everything changed.
Mark was the first to break the calm, leaning over Brown’s shoulder far too aggressively. “Yo, why do I look like that?” He barked, jabbing a finger at the page. “Tell me you didn’t pick that one on purpose. How about Chris's portraits? Or Yuka's?”
Brown squinted, pushing his goggles up with two fingers. “What? It’s authentic. That’s your face. Don’t blame the camera for destiny.”
“That’s messed up!” Mark instantly shot back. “You coulda picked literally any other picture!”
Maki, seated close by with her legs folded neatly, lifted her hands in a small, placating gesture. “M-Mark, it’s not that bad,” She said gently, “You look… energetic.”
Brown grinned, looking back at Mark. “See? Energetic. That’s polite for ‘loud.’” But Mark sputtered. “Oh, you wanna go—”
At the side, Nate, seated back with his arms crossed, sighed sharply without even looking up. “If you’re going to argue, at least argue quietly. Some of us are trying to reflect.” That earned him an immediate glare from Mark. “Man, you always gotta make it sound like a board meeting.”
Before it could escalate, however, Yukino’s voice cut through the room—clear, sharp, and absolute. “Both of you. Enough.” Silence fell instantly. Mark froze mid-gesture. Brown straightened. Even Nate looked up. Yukino stood with her hands on her hips, unimpressed. “It’s New Year’s Eve. If you’re going to fight, do it over something worth fighting about.”
A beat passed. Then Mark snorted. Brown laughed. Nate shook his head, though his lips twitched despite himself.
“Okay, okay,” Mark said, raising his hands. “Truce. For the year.” To the side, Maki smiled relief, soft and genuine. “Thank you,” She murmured.
The pages continued turning. “That one’s from the hallway,” Brown said, quieter now. “Right after… y’know.” Leaning in, Nate adjusted his glasses. “We look different.”
“Yeah,” Mark replied, voice oddly subdued. “Like we didn’t know what was coming.”
The house was like that throughout the last few hours together. You could almost watch your old friends continue to bond like this forever. But, it cracked momentarily; a presence shifted beside you.
Eriko stepped into the archway, her expression warm and her eyes bright with reflected light. “There you are,” She said softly, before laughing. “I was looking everywhere.”
She folded her hands together, the sincerity plain in her voice. “I just wanted to say thank you. For inviting us. For all of this.” Her gaze flicked past you to the room beyond. “It’s… really nice. Being together like this.”
Before the moment could linger, however, Brown immediately called out, loud as ever. “Oy! You two! If you’re gonna whisper secrets, do it after the game!”
Mark chimed in immediately. “Yeah! No getting all sappy on us now!”
Yukino smirked. “Hurry up before they start another argument.”
Nate added dryly, “Or before Mark eats everything that’s left.”
Maki simply laughed. And back to her, Eriko’s smile widened as she turned toward the room again. “See?” She said lightly. “They’re impossible.”