On Omisoka, the Japanese New Year's Eve, many people choose to go to the temple nearest their home to ring the bells, a tradition said to help dispel the troubles of the coming year.
Tokyo has three popular spots for New Year's Eve celebrations: Senso-ji in Asakusa, Meiji Jingu Shrine, and Zojo-ji Temple.
But this time, Tsuda Nao dragged Aoki Haruhi to Oji Inari Shrine.
This year, it was said that Oji Inari Shrine would recreate the legendary scene of foxes paying their New Year's respects at the shrine for the first time.
The event was called the "Oji Fox Dream Parade."
In their previous life, this tradition began in 1993.
Since then, the Oji Fox Parade has become one of Tokyo's most famous New Year's Eve events.
Compared to other places, young people especially prefer to go to Oji Inari Shrine.
On New Year's Eve, Aoki Haruhi and Tsuda Nao, dressed in traditional Japanese attire, arrived hand in hand to find the place already teeming with people.
It was said that thirty million people in Japan visit temples on Omisoka to ring the temple bells. One could imagine what an awe-inspiring spectacle this must be.
Aoki Haruhi couldn't help but marvel at the scene. Back in China, he would likely be sitting in front of the TV watching the New Year's Gala, then going to bed at midnight.
The stars twinkled in the sky, like countless lanterns suspended above the earth. The streets were filled with people dressed in traditional, old-fashioned clothing. Standing among them, Aoki Haruhi suddenly felt a sense of disorientation, as if he had time-traveled from 1990 back to ancient times.
After buying a box of fried squid balls from a street vendor, Aoki Haruhi and Tsuda Nao walked through the crowd, their faces glowing with excitement.
"Tsuda-san, aren't you cold?" Aoki Haruhi asked, glancing at her in confusion.
He couldn't understand Japanese women. Even in the depths of winter, they wore traditional kimonos with wide collars and long sleeves. How could they not be freezing?
"I'm fine," Tsuda Nao replied with a smile. "I have a warming patch inside my clothes."
Oh, so that's how it works.
Aoki Haruhi nodded in understanding. Still, he instinctively tightened his arm around her.
Tsuda Nao paused briefly, looking up at Aoki Haruhi's rugged, chiseled jawline with her almond-shaped eyes. A delighted smile spread across her lips. Without resisting, she gently leaned into him, nestling against his shoulder.
Before long, the approaching Fox Parade came into view.
Leading the procession were two young women wearing fox masks and traditional Japanese kimonos. Their figures alone suggested they must be incredibly cute.
"Want to join?" Aoki Haruhi asked Tsuda Nao, his voice warm and friendly.
"What do you think?" she replied, blinking her beautiful amber eyes, which seemed to hold a galaxy of stars.
"You decide. I'll follow your lead," Tsuda said.
"Okay. Let's give it a try. We're here for a rare opportunity."
Aoki Haruhi felt quite happy.
It was their first Omisoka (New Year's Eve) after traveling through time, and they could actually participate in the Fox Parade.
"Yes, if you want to join, it's just 1000 yen," the masked young woman said. "Then we'll have professionals apply your makeup and give you your fox masks."
After finishing their makeup, the two exchanged glances and smiled at each other.
Tsuda Nao, with her blush-colored eyeshadow and lifted eye corners, still had her delicate and innocent features, but she now exuded a more alluring charm.
"You're becoming more and more like a fox," Aoki Haruhi remarked with a sigh.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Tsuda Nao shot him a playful glare.
"I'm complimenting you! You're as beautiful as Tamamo-no-Mae."
"Is that really a compliment?" Tsuda Nao muttered, but she couldn't suppress her bashful smile.
Dong!
At midnight, a massive bell toll echoed, eliciting cheers from the crowd.
It signaled the end of 1990 and the arrival of 1991.
Dong!
Dong!
The deafening peals shook the very foundations of one's worries, leaving the mind utterly blank.
Aoki Haruhi couldn't help but marvel at the Japanese New Year's Eve tradition of bell ringing.
Truthfully, whether it was the Fox Parade or the bell ringing, both carried a profound ritualistic quality.
Dressed in traditional attire, everyone gathered in this eerie yet romantic atmosphere, perfectly suited for welcoming the new year.
By the time the bell-ringing ceremony ended, it was already past 2 AM.
Aoki Haruhi still felt unsatisfied.
Holding Tsuda Nao's hand, he strolled along the slope covered in blooming winter plum blossoms, feeling completely enveloped in happiness.
Ah...
If only he could continue participating in the Fox Parade with Tsuda next year.
"Let's... come back again next year," Aoki Haruhi suggested.
Tsuda paused, turning to glance at him.
"Who knows?" Tsuda Nao replied, raising an eyebrow. She turned her gaze forward again, her tone casual. "The future is too distant to predict. What I care most about is seizing the present."
Aoki Haruhi frowned, clearly dissatisfied with her answer.
"Aoki-san, what do you think?"
"I..." Aoki Haruhi blinked. "The present is undoubtedly important, but without anticipation for tomorrow, the present loses its meaning. Isn't hope beautiful precisely because it exists in the future?"
Tsuda smiled enigmatically.
Aoki Haruhi wondered if he was imagining it, but he thought he glimpsed a fleeting shadow of melancholy on the fox woman's face.
Aoki Haruhi waved goodbye as he saw Tsuda Nao to the foot of her apartment building.
"Oyasumi."
He turned to leave when a hand reached out and stopped him.
Aoki Haruhi turned around.
Tsuda Nao's charming, fox-like face was turned toward him, her large eyes framed by fox-like makeup, exuding an alluring charm.
"Are you going back tonight?" A flicker of something passed through Tsuda Nao's eyes.
"Hm?" Aoki Haruhi felt momentarily flustered.
What else would I do?
"It might be inconvenient at home," Tsuda Nao hesitated before speaking. "There are two girls there. Stay here tonight."
"Huh?"
"Is this really okay?" Aoki Haruhi asked, stepping inside with a mixture of disbelief and trepidation.
He had never even crossed the threshold of the apartment building before, let alone this door. It was like a sacred boundary he'd been conditioned to respect for so long that he'd come to view it as an unbreachable line.
Yet now, he stood perfectly fine in Tsuda Nao's home.
Oh, right!
It's because there are women here.
Ah!
Thank you, Ishino and Ayase. Without them, I would never have ended up here.
Thinking about it—
So even the Fox Parade leader gets jealous sometimes?
If she wasn't worried about what might happen when I got back, she probably wouldn't have brought me upstairs, right?
"It's fine," Tsuda Nao said with a smile, retrieving a pair of slippers from the shoe cabinet and changing into them.
"Aoki-san, we don't have any men's slippers. Just feel free to go barefoot."
"Okay," Aoki Haruhi nodded.
His gaze swept the room as he spoke.
This apartment was one of the most luxurious in Tokyo, spanning over 100 square meters. The interior boasted opulent Japanese decor: a smooth, polished wooden floor and a faint, pleasant fragrance that lingered in the air.
After filling the bath for Aoki Haruhi, Tsuda Nao went to remove her makeup.
When he finished bathing and came out, Tsuda had already laid out two futons on the floor, separated by about an arm's length.
Seeing this, a flicker of disappointment crossed Aoki Haruhi's eyes.
Ah...
He hadn't expected that even after moving in, they would still sleep separately.
Aoki Haruhi detested Japan's floor-sleeping custom. Wouldn't it have been more natural to simply lie on the bed if there was only one?
No, not necessarily.
They might have made him sleep on the sofa instead.
There was nothing to be done about it. Aoki Haruhi wasn't the type of man to force himself on anyone. He'd just have to wait and see when Tsuda Nao would unlock the door.
He didn't dwell on it for long and simply burrowed under the covers.
Breathing in the faint, fragrant scent coming from the bedding, Aoki Haruhi drifted off to sleep.
After an unknown amount of time, Tsuda Nao finished washing up and drying her hair, then slipped into the neighboring futon.
Aoki Haruhi turned onto his side, his hand under his pillow, calmly gazing at Tsuda.
Tsuda returned the smile.
"Goodnight, Aoki-san," Tsuda Nao murmured.
"Goodnight," Aoki Haruhi replied.
He closed his eyes, letting sleepiness wash over him, his mind filled with images of Tsuda Nao's fox-like makeup from earlier that day.
After a while, Aoki Haruhi heard a rustling sound, followed by Tsuda slipping into her bed.
The woman's arms wrapped around Aoki Haruhi.
The atmosphere suddenly turned heated.
Soft lips pressed against hers.
Aoki Haruhi kissed hungrily.
"Aoki-san."
"Call me Haruhi."
"Aoki-san. Whether you believe it or not, this is my first time," Tsuda said earnestly.
"Huh?"
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