One afternoon.
When Tsuna and Shouko returned home from school, Shizuka and Daisuke, who had been enjoying their time as a couple in Kyoto, suddenly appeared in the living room.
Shizuka even claimed it was a big surprise for them.
Seeing them return almost empty-handed, Tsuna didn't pay much attention, assuming they were just on their honeymoon and that ordinary souvenirs wouldn't impress his shrewd father.
It wasn't until two days later, when a familiar delivery company's truck pulled up in front of their house, that he realized how naive his initial thoughts had been.
Kyoto's local specialties were far from scarce; Shizuka had practically cleared out the local products at every new scenic spot she visited.
And Tsuna, who had been lounging on the sofa in the living room, was roped in by Shizuka to act as a porter, delivering the piles of souvenirs to their friends and neighbors.
Days passed one by one.
Shouko completed the two online commissions she had taken on the very last day of the deadline.
But before she could even rest for two days, she began working on the illustrations for 'Your Lie in April'.
The two even went to Futaba Publishing with Jun on the weekend to discuss the cover and promotional poster illustrations for 'Your Lie in April'.
Meanwhile, Tsuna's mind was frantically storing information and business details about his old man's office.
He had also made plans with Daisuke to be put through training at the office during the upcoming winter break.
As for Yuzuru, she was still the same: after school, she would take Hachiko to the park on time, occasionally running into Tomohiro, who was lost in thought by himself.
On Saturdays and Sundays, she would either hang out with her middle school girlfriends or pester Shouko, and the two sisters would go shopping.
After the last lecture, Tsuna and Shouko did not interfere too much with Yuzuru's social life.
She also hadn't mentioned her acquaintance with Tomohiro to Yaeko.
Time flew by, and it was now early December.
A few days prior, the second trailer for 'i want to eat your pancreas' was released on Futaba Publishing's Twitter account.
Tsuna and Shouko also retweeted Futaba Publishing's post.
At the same time, Shouko secretly revealed the heroine's illustration for Miyamura-sensei's next book, which caused a stir online for a while before gradually settling down.
By mid-December, the cold grew heavier; clothes were layered on, one after another, and air conditioning blankets had long been put away in the closet, replaced by thick cotton quilts.
Outside, knitted scarves and woolen gloves tightly wrapped around exposed skin.
Summer school uniforms were replaced with winter ones, and exposed thighs were covered with warm black stockings.
"Jie jie jie!"
"Class monitor, do you have phlegm in your throat?"
Ajitani rolled her eyes at Nishikata and ignored him. She looked at Shouko and Takagi, who were huddled together for warmth, with a mischievous smile:
"We have only one or two more weeks until winter break!"
Shouko, who felt the classroom was drafty on all sides, Shrinkle her neck and asked, "Ajitani-chan, have you found out the exact date?"
"No." Ajitani shook her head. "I just heard Nanase-sensei and the others say it would be in a week or two."
Not dwelling too much on this topic, since they already knew it would be within half a month, they turned to discuss where to go during the winter break.
"Here, hot water."
A gentle voice interjected their conversation, and as the words fell, a well-defined hand placed hot water on Shouko's desk.
The soft clink of the cup on the table was like the lingering echo of this small interruption.
Shouko smiled and nodded at him, cupping the warm mug with both hands, her palms immediately enveloped in warmth.
Facing this accustomed scene, Ajitani didn't even lift an eyelid. She simply raised her chin and gave Tsuna, who was still standing, a sly smile:
"Miyamura, your book 'i want to eat your pancreas' is being released this month. Remember to sign it for me then."
Her tone was full of familiar intimacy and unreserved anticipation.
"Alright—"
He had just uttered a syllable when a loud shout suddenly erupted from the corridor: "It's snowing!"
"What? It's snowing!?"
The exclamations from the corridor instantly ignited the classroom! Before the words even finished, the sharp scraping of chairs against the floor rose and fell in quick succession.
Even Ajitani, who had been sitting steadily just a second ago, now sprang up as if on a spring, rushing to the window in a few quick steps.
She almost pressed her face against the cold glass, squeezed among the equally excited crowd, holding her breath and gazing at the first snow swirling and falling outside the window.
Takagi and Nishikata followed closely behind.
"I wonder how long this snow will last." Tsuna didn't join the commotion by the window; he simply pulled up a chair and sat down, looking out the window.
Shouko didn't speak; instead, she moved next to him, sitting closely beside him, her gaze also fixed on the window.
...
The winter break that students had been looking forward to was postponed by the school to December 27th, which was the day after tomorrow.
Early morning.
Christmas Day.
Shouko poked her head out of the warm covers, but the cold made her shiver, and she quickly pulled back in.
"How about we take a day off today…"
Lost in thought, she fell back asleep until the fifth alarm rang, and she struggled to get out of bed.
...
Snowdrifts piled up on both sides of the cleared path in front of the school gate. Students chattered, exhaling puffs of white breath, and as they walked further in, adorable snowmen had quietly appeared along the roadside.
"Merry Christmas, Miyamura, Shouko-chan!"
As Tsuna and Shouko stepped through the school gate, Ajitani's characteristic, energetic voice rang out behind them.
The two turned at the sound, only to see her, bundled up like Fat Man, smiling broadly and extending a slightly reddened, palm-up hand towards them.
Her lively eyes darted around, blinking hard at the two of them.
The extended hand and expectant look clearly indicated she was asking for a Christmas gift.
"Merry Christmas," Tsuna nodded at her, but then unceremoniously raised his hand and, with a crisp slap, knocked away her outstretched hand.
"Shouko-chan, look at him!"
"Haha…" Shouko covered her mouth and chuckled, then stifled her laughter when she saw her looking. "I'll give it to you back in the classroom."
The three continued walking towards the classroom.
As soon as they returned to the classroom, Tsuna had just hung up his backpack but hadn't even sat down when Nishikata called him out to the bustling corridor.
Kitano and Tanaka also 'happened' to be there.
"What do you guys want?" Tsuna looked at them, puzzled.
He always felt that when these few gathered, it was never for anything good, especially since it was Christmas today.
"What day is it today?"
Kitano didn't answer Tsuna's question immediately; instead, he swept his eyes across the faces of everyone present with a serious expression.
"…"
"…"
"Christmas." Only Tanaka cooperated with a response.
"Exactly!"
"Today is Christmas! Although it's not Valentine's Day, it's also considered an important date night. Couples or people who have feelings for each other usually exchange gifts or spend the night together!"
After speaking, Kitano and Tanaka exchanged a narrowed-eyed glance.