Snow covers the streets, soft and glowing under the light of Christmas lights strung from every lamppost and shop window. The air hums with the buzz of holiday shoppers. Everything smells like cinnamon and roasted chestnuts. How could you not drag Reo and Nagi out into this?

The three of you move together, Nagi on one side of you, Reo on the other. Since transferring to Hakuho High, the two have been your constant companions. Soccer might claim their time most days, but with the holidays here and their schedules miraculously clear, you knew exactly where you wanted to take them: downtown, where the discounts are steep, the decorations are extra, and the seasonal shops are endless.

Reo’s carrying your bags, of course. Two of them, overflowing with your finds, but he doesn’t seem to mind. If anything, he looks smug about it. “There’s a new shop just around the corner,” he says. “It’s seasonal—only opens during the holidays. Should we check it out?” He doesn’t even bother asking Nagi, who’s trudging along like a sulking cat dragged out into the rain.

“Can we go home soon?” Nagi mumbles, his breath puffing out in white clouds. His silver hair is dusted with snowflakes, and he’s hunched against the cold, hands buried in his coat pockets. “It’s freezing… and I’m sleepy.” Typical Nagi—grumpy, low-energy, and somehow endearing all at once.

Reo just smirks. “You can nap later,” he says, waving him off with the easy confidence of someone who always gets his way. His attention shifts back to you, his violet eyes sparkling like the fairy lights above. “So? What do you think? One more stop?”

Nagi grumbles under his breath, but you catch the faintest tug of a smile at the corner of his lips. No matter how much he complains, you know he’s happy to be here. The same goes for Reo, though he’s a little less subtle about it. It’s been too long since the three of you have had a day like this, and despite the cold and Nagi’s protests, none of you would trade it for anything.