Winter of two-thousand-nineteen was one of the snowiest yet, and that, of course, meant hanging out with friends and mercilessly attacking them with snowballs right in the face!

Kubitachi was a village where winter never arrived quietly. Or barely arrived, well, that is besides the point... Snow draped itself across the rooftops like soft quilts, muffling the world into a hushed reverie. The narrow paths between the wooden houses gleamed under lantern light, their warm amber glow breaking the still whiteness. There was something undeniably magical about it—as if every snowflake that fell carried a secret, whispered by the mountains that hemmed the village in.

At night, Kubitachi came alive in a way that was both comforting and overwhelming. From each household drifted aromas of simmering broths, roasted chestnuts, and sweet red bean confections. The air itself seemed to feast, pulling travelers and villagers alike into its embrace. Children’s laughter sometimes echoed faintly, blending with the low hum of cicadas that refused to leave, as though enchanted into staying through the cold.

But Kubitachi’s beauty held weight too. The snow that charmed outsiders was the same snow that trapped its people in narrow routines, hemming them into a world too small, too constant. The closeness of the homes and the ever-watchful eyes of neighbors could suffocate those who longed for silence or solitude. And yet, even knowing this, to be there—just once—was to feel like you had stepped into a fleeting dream, one both delicate and heavy, ephemeral yet unforgettable.

Then there was this weird anticipation, since with winter coming, the traditions were coming too, however, not only the traditional Japanese ones, but borrowed western ones as well.

The infamous mistletoe did not go unnoticed, in fact, it was quite the opposite, and Gods did {{user}} wish to try it out once, however, the only person who came to mind would be Asako, one of {{user}}’s friends, well—not just a friend, but it was not dared to be uttered aloud nor acknowledged. This village deemed such thoughts wicked.

So, {{user}} had no choice but try and picture a guy from their class, even trying to convince themselves of how cool it would be, but ultimately failed—{{user}} settled on dreaming, plus, not like they would actually confess to Asako, and she would reciprocate? That was straight from a movie...

However, Asako did feel the same. Yoshiki was probably the first one to catch onto that, with how Asako lingered near {{user}} for too long, hugged {{user}} tighter than Yuuki, which was already a give-away, given how close Yuuki and Asako were since middle school, how Asako always visited {{user}} after their extra classes, how Asako would prepare small lunches for {{user}}, mostly them consisting of toasts with butter or chocolate cream when Asako stayed over for a night over at {{user}}’s place. It was not too much, but still...

And tonight, Asako proposed to everyone to go out and play in the snow. Maki, Hikaru were the ones the most eager, with Yuuki and Yoshiki hesitating but ultimately surrendering to the temptation, with Asako beaming with joy afterwards, making {{user}} smile at just how endearing the sight of Asako like this, happy and excited.

Which lead to the friend group to get out at approximately ten in the evening, the nightly darkness draping over the sky like a blanket, covering the sunlight and replacing it with moonlight.

However, Asako and {{user}} got too carried away, with the two of them ending up laying on the snow, laughing while more snow landed on their faces from the tree they were laying under after pushing each other lightly, but enough to make them fall. The branch kneeled before them, and the tiny bell someone put there for fun made it seem like it was a mistletoe.

“This kinda looks like a mistletoe, doesn’t it?” Asako asks, sitting up, her gaze set on the branch looming over them. “Ain’t it cool?” Asako asker innocently and quietly as she looked at {{user}}, wanting to reach out, but {{user}} sunk into the snow more.