SS 4 The Two on New Year's Eve (2)

The Two on New Year’s Eve (2)

After finishing our meal, the two of us sat together, watching a music program and chatting about nothing in particular. Since neither of us knew much about music, the program ended up just being background noise.

“Shall we have some soba soon? I’ll go boil it.”

As the clock approached 11 p.m., Ai-san headed into the kitchen. I offered to help, saying, “I’ll give you a hand,” and placed the tempura in the toaster oven to reheat. This trick makes tempura wonderfully crispy again. It’s surprisingly effective, even with supermarket deli items, so I highly recommend it.

Shrimp tempura, seafood-vegetable kakiage, and lotus root—three pieces each.

Once the soba was done boiling, we quickly plated it together. We garnished it with mitsuba, green onions, yuzu, and red-and-white kamaboko for an elegant finish.

“Itadakimasu!!”

As we spoke the familiar phrase, the music from the TV faded into the background, sounding distant and far away.

I took a bite. The broth, rich with dashi and just the right amount of sweetness, paired perfectly with the soba. The tempura had absorbed the soup, making it even more flavorful and delicious.

“This kakiage is amazing. You’re really good at this, Onii-san.”

She bit into the kakiage with delight, savoring the perfect balance of the seafood’s umami and the natural sweetness of the vegetables. Her face lit up with pure enjoyment.

The combination of my family’s traditions with those of the Ichijo family felt surprisingly heartwarming. It was like a beautiful culinary collaboration between our two households.

Ai’s PoV

“It was delicious,” he said with a satisfied smile. I ended up eating more than usual myself as well. Spending New Year’s Eve with him turned out to be even more fun than I had imagined. Saying something like this might make me sound like a hopeless romantic, but it almost felt like a newlywed life, and my heart couldn’t stop fluttering.

I was also thrilled that the soba broth made with my mother’s recipe could be paired with the tempura from Senpai’s family. After cleaning up, we returned to the TV. The music contest was reaching its climax, and a famous ballad began to play.

“Thank you for everything today, from the preparations to now.”

“No, no, it was nothing.”

If anything, I was the one who wanted to thank him. Just like at Christmas, I never could have imagined that I’d experience such happiness. If three months ago I had actually jumped off that rooftop…

The ballad ended, and as the lively music contest wrapped up, the New Year’s Eve program “Yuku Toshi, Kuru Toshi” began to air.

“As a child, New Year’s Eve was the only night I was allowed to stay up late. That’s why it always felt so special to me.”

Memories of my family—if I hadn’t met him, I probably would have never wanted to recall them. The happier those memories were, the more painful they had been to me before I met him.

We’d always have a big meal, and during New Year’s, I’d be spoiled by my normally busy father. Together, our whole family would eat New Year’s soba to welcome the new year.

That kind of life had returned to me.

As the temple bells rang out to mark the end of the year, I leaned in and stole a kiss from him. Surprised by the suddenness of it, he flinched, but soon enough, he gently accepted it.

“Is it okay to do something so indulgent while listening to the temple bells?”

His reaction made me burst into laughter.

Because…

“Isn’t this the purest kind of kiss?”

As I finished speaking, this time he leaned in and kissed me back.

Before we realized it, the new year had begun.

After our lips parted, I gazed into his eyes and said,

“Happy New Year. Let’s stay together, always.”

And so, we welcomed the new year with another kiss.