Chapter one, 2018, Hatsumode, segment three

Kyoko grinned and pulled at Yukio’s hand. “We’re early, and she might be late. Wait?”

Yukio shook his head. “Let’s see if they’re already up by the shrine. Man, I’m freezing my butt off.”

While Kyoko wasn’t entirely convinced, there was the chance that Kuri-chan had opted to climb the stairs and wait for them with something to eat or drink in her hands. Looking up the stairs Kyoko observed how they’d be over and done with the harsh climbing once up there. If worst came to worst they could always send Kuri-chan a call. The last thought made her mind up, and Kyoko followed Yukio up to the shrine.

There were quite a few stalls there. Nothing like the main temples and shrines, but still enough to make everything look festive. January second also meant there were a lot of people on their first visit for the year, and a lot of people meant that when Kyoko finally remembered to call Kuri-chan she found out much too late that her phone had next to no signal.

I’ll call her in a moment, Kyoko thought when Yukio offered her some amazake. Then the warmth of the drink and Yukio being close to her made that moment into two, and a hot bite of Yukio’s food took another several moments. Before she knew it half an hour had passed since they were supposed to meet.

“Kyoko! Kuri!” Yukio said just as she frantically dug for her phone in her pockets.

Where? Kyoko looked around, but she didn’t see nothing like the unmistakable blond sunshine anywhere.

“No, I mean she should be here,” Yukio said.

Kyoko’s phone still refused to connect to any network. “No, we should have been there,” she responded and pointed in the direction of the stairs.

Yukio had the decency to look ashamed when he grabbed his phone and made the call. Apparently he had better luck with his connection. He glued the phone to the side of his face and stared into the air.

No! Kyoko shook her head when she noticed how he just continued staring into the skies without talking. Kuri-chan’s phone is out. Kyoko grimaced when Yukio finally gave up and gave his phone an angry glare.

“Message her so she knows we tried?” Kyoko said.

She didn’t need to. Yukio’s fingers already stabbed furiously into his screen.

At a lack for anything else to do Kyoko stared at the crowd around them. Hatsumode made itself reminded in the clothing. While she and Yukio wore normal clothes there were a lot of kimonos here, and it being hatsumode several men wore them as well.

“Sent,” Yukio said and turned her attention to him again. “Urufu and Noriko are here as well, together with Ryu,” he added.

Kyoko grimaced again. Well, they were supposed to celebrate together this time, so she couldn’t really complain about Ryu coming with his sister rather than his girlfriend. She just didn’t have to be happy about it. Noriko and Urufu didn’t get anywhere near enough alone time.

Yukio must have noticed that grimace, because he suddenly hugged her. “They’ll be fine,” he said, and Kyoko understood that ‘they’ meant Noriko and Urufu. “I still want to get in touch with Kuri though.”

Just as he said that Kyoko saw Tomasu and Jeniferu in the crowd and waved to them.

“Haven’t seen you since Christmas, how are you doing,” Kyoko said, but she hoped Jeniferu wouldn’t answer how she really felt.

Jeniferu’s face split up in a smile that almost reached her eyes. “It’s super! I never got to do this last year.”

I don’t know if you’re pretending to have fun or if you’re trying to. It really didn’t matter, did it. If fun was the game of the day… “Heard anything from Noriko?” Kyoko said.

Tomasu looked at Jeniferu, and she looked back at him. Then both of them broke down in laughter. This time her grin reached all the way to her eyes.

What?

“Yep, she’s not in the toilet.”

“She’s not what?”

Jeniferu struck the back of her hand to her forehead and stared skywards. “How thoughtless of us! How could we possibly forget...” and she bent double laughing again.

Around them people stared at the two wheezing teenagers.

“Seems Christina called her, and, and, and...” Tomasu said between laughing fits.

“So Noriko got real pissed off when her bro didn’t leave ahead to meet Christina.” Jeniferu stood straight again and wiped hair from her face.

“And I don’t know exactly what happened, because I spoke with Ulf about it, and he just went: bloody idiot, suits you you dickhead, why don’t you spend all of hatsumode there, and so on.”

Kyoko stared at both of them. They stood hugging each other, more for support than to show any affection, because both still shook with silent mirth. It’s good to see that smile on you again. I’ve missed it. Whatever happened it was worth it.

Yukio must have used the comedy stunt to buy drinks, because Kyoko felt his arm on hers, and then a bottle showed up in her hand. He promptly gave Jeniferu and Tomasu one each, twisted the plastic cap off his own, pushed the glass marble back into the bottle and emptied his Ramune in one go.

“I never learned how to open one of these,” Tomasu said when he was alone with an unopened bottle in his hand and both Kyoko and Jeniferu greedily followed Yukio’s example.

When Yukio tried to help him Jeniferu growled. “My boyfriend,” she said and pushed Yukio’s hands aside. She gave Tomasu a good stare and took the bottle from his hand. Very slowly she removed the plastic so he could see, popped the centre of the cap out and demonstratively placed it on top of the marble. “Thomas, you do the pushing.”

His face lit up. “Ah, that’s why the damn cap is there!” With a huge grin he pressed, and when the marble dropped into the bottle he grinned as if he had just invented the wheel. “Super, Jennifer!”

“OK, that’s the bribe. Now spill it, man. What about that toilet?”

“Oh,” Tomasu said, “Noriko’s not in it,” he added helpfully.

“The three of them arrived at some station earlier, and Ryu had pressing needs...” Jeniferu began.

“and we expect Noriko and Ulf to show up here any minute now,” Tomasu filled in.

“Eh, man, what about Ryu?” Yukio asked, but by then Kyoko had already doubled over in laughter of her own.

“They left him inside?” she guessed.