After bidding farewell to Christmas, the end of the year arrived quickly.
Tokyo is different from China. Although it is also the end of the year, December 31st is known as "Omisoka," or New Year's Eve.
Chinese people celebrate New Year's Day on January 1st, while for Japanese people, "Shogatsu" lasts from January 1st to January 3rd.
On New Year's Eve, most people go on holiday and return to their hometowns to reunite, sharing a rich and delicious New Year's dinner with their families; Inohara and Yamashita Kyoko were no exception.
As traditional Japanese families, in previous years, their two families would exchange Toshikoshi Soba—a New Year's Eve custom said to originate from the Edo period—and then watch the famous music program, the Kōhaku Uta Gassen, together.
"Kohara, Kyoko is here! Why aren't you coming out? You're becoming more and more impolite!"
"Don't blame her, Madam. She's been in a bad mood lately; I'll go up myself." The young girl with willow-leaf eyebrows spoke softly. She wore light makeup, and when she smiled, her red-lipped, fair-skinned cheeks dimpled adorably.
"That child hasn't liked talking lately. Could it be that she's heartbroken? Tsk, which young man is so blind? My Kohara is so pretty!"
"I think so too," Kyoko said with a gentle smile.
Inohara's face—who could refuse it, unless they were blind?
Inohara's mother, named Seto Sakura, was a forthright and carefree woman from the north. In her early years, she built an empire with her husband. She was very strong-willed in both family and career, a classic case of a strong woman and a submissive man.
"Kyoko, go upstairs yourself. Remember to call her down for New Year's dinner later." Seto Sakura turned and started shouting at the man in the kitchen, "The water's boiling, the water's boiling! Are you blind, a grown man like you?"
"Oh... oh!" The man with the crew cut hurriedly turned off the stove. Watching him get scolded, you wouldn't think he was a billionaire CEO; he looked more like a pathetic shut-in. He didn't forget to greet Kyoko honestly, "Little Kyoko is here, Happy New Year!"
"Happy New Year to you and Madam as well."
Thanks to Madam Seto, the house was as lively as always. The Hara household was always full of vitality, even though she herself was a cold person.
Familiar with the way, she went upstairs to Inohara's door and twisted the handle; sure enough, it was locked. Kyoko took a deep breath, braced herself, and gave the door a firm tug. With a bit of clever force, the door opened immediately.
"Close the door." Inohara, lying on the bed, didn't even turn her head. No one else but Kyoko could open her door like that.
"How long are you going to lie there?" Kyoko stepped directly onto her bed. "Get up."
"Leave me alone." Inohara covered her head, trying to ignore her.
"You're not going to stay in bed forever, are you? It's just a breakup, is it really that serious?"
"..." Inohara didn't make a sound; her fingers covering her ears tightened, and she remained silent.
"We see each other all the time. Are you giving up on the band?"
"..."
Kyoko simply squeezed into her quilt. When they were little, they often slept huddled together after playing, a habit that didn't change until high school; it was their little secret.
"Get off."
"Not getting off."
Kyoko ignored her and pounced on her pillow, ruffling Inohara's long hair. "I just don't get it, what's so great about Kusanagi?"
The person on the bed said glumly, "You don't understand."
"You always say I don't understand. How don't I? Come to think of it, I've known Kusanagi longer than you have, right?"
"...Why ask so much?" Inohara turned over with her back to Kyoko. Her mood hadn't fully recovered, and she couldn't face it calmly.
Seeing that she wasn't in the mood to talk, Kyoko let it go. She lay on the edge of the bed and opened her phone: "The holiday homework is due tomorrow. Did you do it? Foreign language and math."
"Didn't do it."
"You didn't? Then you'll be handing in a blank paper. You're definitely dead."
"Not doing it! Don't want to do it!" Inohara covered her head with the pillow. "My head is full of her... I can't write."
"If you don't hand it in tomorrow, your participation grade will suffer," Kyoko said, pinching Inohara's arm playfully. "I'll help you. Get up!"
Inohara had no choice but to listlessly lift the quilt, sitting dejectedly at the desk and beginning the assignment under Kyoko's supervision.
Their shoulders leaned against each other, long hair sliding down their slender backs, curling and tangling together.
Inohara's room had tatami mats with underfloor heating, so even barefoot, it was warm; walking on it made one feel drowsy. In the room, there was a brand-new drum kit, and in the most prominent spot sat a photo of their band, as well as a picture of her and herself as children.
That was their first live performance; the four girls huddled together excitedly, with a small audience in the background. Everyone tried their best to crowd into the photo; they said it was called a "live group photo." They didn't really understand, just happily raised their hands as the organizer pressed the shutter, leaving behind this precious memory.
After that, their popularity skyrocketed, with offers for gigs, commercial performances, and albums pouring in. But they didn't let it hinder their studies, turning down most performances to continue school as usual. After becoming famous, more and more people surrounded the band, and they heard about themselves more frequently in daily life; the number of times they were discussed increased, and they had gone through so much along the way. Being secretly photographed by creeps, malicious slander by strangers, fabricated rumors—but at the same time, they spent the most intimate times of the four of them together.
The black pen wrote unhurriedly on the textbook, while the person beside her was lost in thought, her mind wandering.
"Do you remember the first time our band went to the beach?"
"Of course I do." Inohara put down her pen. "When we came back from summer vacation, you had sunburned so badly that your skin peeled, and you were screaming that you were disfigured and wanted to die."
"Is that what I wanted you to remember?" Kyoko tapped her playfully. "I was talking about the time at the hotel when you and Kusanagi were stopped at the same time."
"What about it?" Mentioning Kusanagi made Inohara's heart ache uncontrollably, and her expression dimmed.
"At the time, we all thought Kusanagi had been recognized, but it turned out it was you. That girl said that among the band members, you were her favorite. She said you were more dazzling than the stars and that you looked so cool while drumming!"
"Yeah, I remember." Inohara turned her face away. Of course she remembered; she had been happily chatting with Kusanagi when suddenly a stranger stopped her to ask for an autograph.
It was also the first time she realized that there were people who silently liked and supported her; before that, she had always thought everyone only liked the band as a whole.
"And last year, when you and Momozawa competed in bass playing—she's a bassist! You actually beat her on that instrument. I was stunned."
"I learned drums, so my sense of rhythm is strong. I play bass occasionally too." Inohara felt embarrassed by the praise and rubbed the back of her neck. "That Momozawa didn't take it seriously; she went easy on me."
"But your playing skill was on par with hers! And your voice is clearly better; when we were choosing the lead singer, I said it should have been you."
At the time, the band had just been formed. During the voting for the lead singer, only she voted for Inohara; all other votes went to Kusanagi. She wasn't convinced and demanded another vote, but the result was the same. Afterward, Kusanagi asked her very seriously, saying it was fine if she didn't become the lead singer, and asked if she wanted a third vote. Only then did she reluctantly give up.
"Why bring this up now?"
"You've always been amazing to me," Kyoko continued, "Like that time at the amusement park when I almost broke my leg—if you hadn't been tall enough to catch me, I would have fallen hard on the ground."
Inohara sighed helplessly, "That's because you were too carried away, swinging so high. It would have been strange if you didn't fall."
"Back in middle school, Hara chased away hooligans for me three times, which is like protecting me three times! And your science grades were always so good, better than the boys."
"They deserved it. What kind of skill is it to bully girls?" Inohara snorted. That was the first time she was glad she was tall; she could scare off hooligans just by her height.
"But you're a girl, too. Someone will protect you."
"Forget about me. People who are too strong don't have it easy."
Kyoko had been chattering incessantly since just now; now she seemed to have finished, and she turned her head to look at Inohara.
Inohara lay on the desk, her slender arms covering her face, with only the corners of her eyes visible.
"Can't I do it?" Kyoko looked at her and said.
"What?"
"I'm not any worse than Kusanagi."
Inohara froze for a second, then quickly elbowed Kyoko. "What nonsense are you spouting? Your phone is ringing."
Kyoko's pocket flashed and vibrated. She took it out, glanced at it, looked at Inohara, and then swiped the screen to answer.
"Hello, hmm... hmm, Happy New Year. I'm the same as usual. See you after the New Year? No, I'm not angry anymore... I'm older than you, at least... I'm with her. Okay... let's leave it at that."
Hanging up the phone, she took a deep breath, seemingly trying to soothe some emotion. A few seconds later, Inohara's phone rang.
"Who's calling so late at night..." Inohara lay listlessly on the desk, ignoring the ringing. She just wanted to lie there, not thinking or doing anything.
Kyoko glanced at her, "It's the Kusanagi you like calling. If you don't answer, wait to regret it."
"..." Although she couldn't see Inohara's expression, her fingertips were tightly curled, and her body was visibly tensed.
After about two seconds, she couldn't resist the temptation of the phone, grabbed it from the bed, and pressed answer.
"Hello?"
"Hara, Happy New Year's Eve. Are you asleep?"
Kusanagi's clear, soft voice came through the phone, almost right in her ear.
Kusanagi hadn't taken the initiative to talk to her in a long time. Since that incident, they had fallen into a strange cycle, and now, speaking so quietly, it felt like a lifetime ago.
Inohara gripped the phone tightly and pressed it against her face. "Kusanagi, Happy New Year's Eve. I'm not asleep yet. What about you?"
"I'm not either. The old man and the others insisted on booking a hot spring hotel for New Year's Eve, so I'm waiting for the countdown."
The girl's voice carried a hint of helplessness. Inohara knew she hated such occasions and always complained about wanting to escape, so she couldn't help but smile.
"Spending New Year's Eve in a hot spring sounds nice. Kyoko and I are doing the same old thing, eating soba noodles at home."
"I know, I just called her. Madam's soba noodles are delicious; remember to save some for me tomorrow."
Inohara's heart skipped a beat, and she couldn't help but feel nervous: "Are you coming over tomorrow?"
"Yeah, Momozawa and I will both be there." The signal on Kusanagi's end wasn't very good, and her cool, pleasant voice faded in and out.
"With Momozawa, huh." Inohara couldn't hide her disappointment, but she quickly cheered up. "Okay, I'll ask my mother to make extra tomorrow. Is there anything else you want to eat? How about last year's rice cakes? And your favorite Qinglu wine, I've prepared it in advance."
"So rich, I'm already looking forward to it." The girl's smile was clear, passing through the receiver and into Inohara's ear.
Thinking about how the person she liked so much didn't like her back, she couldn't help but feel sad.
"What about you? What are your plans for tomorrow? Do you want to go to the Hatsumode shrine visit together? The temple bell has already started ringing."
Inohara was silent for a while, her knuckles gripping the phone tightening.
The temple bell is the Joya no Kane. On New Year's Eve, people stay up to wait for the New Year's god, casting away the old, troubled things to welcome a brand new year and a brand new self.
She wanted to discard her old self, too.
The countdown passed second by second. From the other end of the line, she could hear the cheers of the crowd and the light of fireworks blooming outside the window.
"It's almost the countdown, it's so noisy here." The voice on the other end was intermittent. "I'll go a bit further away."
"Are there a lot of people?"
"A lot. There are many people from Kanagawa Prefecture. After bathing, they came straight out to watch the fireworks, the heat on their bodies like steam."
"And you? Are you wearing a yukata?"
"Me?" The girl's answer was obvious. "It's too much trouble; I couldn't be bothered."
"Kusanagi."
"Hmm?"
"I still like you very much."
You will never know how intense the struggles I went through to stop liking you were. I like you so much, so much; just hearing your voice makes my heart flutter uncontrollably. You don't know how much I like you, you don't know how much I regret my impulsiveness back then, and how much I hate myself for liking you.
I can't give you up, and I can't have you.
"I will pester you, bother you; you need to be prepared." Inohara's voice was almost trembling. "Calling me like this only makes me harbor false hope, thinking I still have a chance. I will keep chasing you; even after high school, even after college, I won't give up. I will keep pestering you."
"I know."
The other person heard her and didn't blame her. Even though she was the one being unreasonable, she tolerated her willfulness and accepted her unreasonable demands. Even though she was the one who hurt her and took advantage of her gentleness, she still cared about their friendship. A person like her, who was soft to the core, couldn't bring herself to hurt her back.
How could she give up on someone like this? If she met Kusanagi ten thousand times, she would fall for her ten thousand times.
"I mean what I say; don't underestimate me." Inohara held back her tears. "I will definitely win you over. When that happens, you'll love me to death, stick to me every day, and won't look at anyone but me."
The other side was silent for a while.
"Right now, it's you who loves me to death."
"You jerk..." Inohara held back the tears in her eyes. "Bullying me, huh? Let me tell you, don't get too cocky; one day you'll pay it back!"
And, I'm much younger and prettier than that woman, you blind bastard.
"I'll be waiting for that day." The other side even chuckled, with an inadvertent lightness.
Inohara was completely speechless; she wished she could rush in front of Kusanagi right now, ruffle her hair fiercely! And pinch her cheeks hard!
Wasn't she afraid she would take it seriously? She would rather Kusanagi scold her, like last time. But even after that setback, she hadn't given up on this thought; she was truly hopeless.
After all the twists and turns of melancholy, her heart had actually become firmer. Even if the road ahead was destined to be painful, because of Kusanagi, it became sweet.
She would see her tomorrow.
The countdown officially entered its final phase. With the blooming of brilliant fireworks and the cheering of the Kōhaku program hosts and audience on TV, Tokyo welcomed a brand new year.
Inohara touched the screen with her fingertips, as if caressing the girl's face, unwilling to hang up.
"Happy New Year, Kusanagi."
This year would surely be a wonderful year, because she would see her favorite person on the very first day.
"You too," the person on the other end said, "Happy New Year."