Chapter 305: The Last New Year (Part )

December is one of the coldest months in Hokkaido.

In preparation for the New Year's Festival at Matsumae Shrine, Matsumae Shrine has entered its busiest time of the year.

Because every time this season comes, Matsumae Shrine prepares large quantities of rice cakes to worship the gods.

The making of rice cakes at Matsumae Shrine is not only for worshipping the gods, but also part of the Matsumae family tradition, even older than the worship of the Jade Fox God. Legend has it that the ancestors of the Matsumae family prospered under the protection of the gods, and the head of the family used rice cakes as a sacrifice to grant them a good harvest and good health.

Since then, the Matsumae family has made a large amount of rice cakes every year and offered them to the gods, praying for good luck in the coming year.

Early in the morning, when it was still snowing, the group began to follow the staff of the shrine to make rice cakes.

First, soak the glutinous rice prepared the night before, then steam it in a large pot. After it is cooked, pour it into a large wooden mortar and toss it vigorously with a wooden hammer.

Pounding is the most interesting part of making rice cakes, and is usually done by two people working together.

One person pounded the glutinous rice with a large wooden pestle, while the other used a wooden shovel to constantly pull the rice ball off the mortar wall and adjust its position.

After working together for a while, Jiuhuayue and Yangkui Qiansui have been able to perform the operation quite skillfully.

Jiu Huayue thought she was amazing. She was holding a hammer that was taller than her and hammered more than 200 times without feeling tired at all.

She didn't even put on her coat. She was standing in the heavy snow with her thin arms bare, swinging a sledgehammer and smashing down again and again.

"Chitose."

"Hmm?" Yang Kui Chitose pounded the rice cake in the wooden mortar vigorously, so focused that she didn't even raise her head.

"Do you know what Xinchun is busy with recently?"

Yang Kui Chitose regarded the rice cake in the wooden mortar as her love rival and smashed it down with all her strength, "That must be preparations for the New Year's Festival! Didn't you see that there's such a big stage set up at the foot of the shrine?"

"That's not right either."

"Something's wrong."

"After Xinchun came out of the confinement room, I kept trying to talk to her about reconciliation, but she always smiled and said there was no rush."

"Then, there's no rush!" Yang Kui Qiansui thrust the wooden pestle into the mortar. "No matter what Xinchun says, she won't say she doesn't want to reconcile with you. She probably just thinks it's not the right time to say it yet."

"That's okay."

Yang Kui Chitose put down the hammer in his hand and said to her with a smile:
"Anyway, let's just hang out here for a few days and wait for the New Year to come."

Jiuhuayue nodded in agreement.

December, mid-December, late December.

In the blink of an eye, it was New Year's Eve.

Jiuhuayue felt a little emotional, time passed too quickly.

It feels like the moment I met Fujii Itsuki happened just yesterday.

She picked up a mechanical pencil and gently wrote down her experience of this year in her diary:

[202x, December , weather, snow
This year can be said to be the happiest year of my life.

In fact, I often wonder what I want and what I love.

At first I thought he would have someone else around him, and I would become very sad and lonely.
But the fact is, as long as his opinion of me has not changed, as long as he is willing to take a little responsibility for me, as long as he is willing to keep his promise to me, I will feel very satisfied.

As for what I want, maybe my thoughts will change in the future, but at the moment, I still hope to have the comfort of the present. ]
He simply wrote the last stroke, staring at the line of words with a dull look in his eyes, and suddenly felt a little conflicted.

What I wrote was so peaceful, but a complex emotion inexplicably surged in my heart.

She gently put the notebook away and locked it in the drawer of the guest room.

Jiuhuayue stood up, walked to the window, and stared at the snowflakes falling outside.

At this time, she saw Fujii Itsuki walking into the guest room lobby with Akai Muko who had just arrived. Fujii Itsuki looked a little tall, and Akai Muko was beside him with her usual smile, looking very comfortable.

Soon, the voice of Chitose Yangkui was heard from the living room.

"Jiuhuayue! It's time for the New Year's Eve dinner!!!"

The energy in his body was very strong, so it was not difficult for Jiuhuayue not to hear it.

She walked to the mirror and tidied her hair a little, and suddenly saw a small shark hairband given to her by Fujii Itsuki on her wrist.

It's a very ordinary scene though.

The thing on her hand is just an ordinary little hairband, with a simple design, even looking a little childish.

But why.
When she looked at this, she felt a little reluctant?
Maybe she was afraid that one day he would leave her?
Is she afraid that he won't agree to her one day, so she'll find a place to run away?
In that case, I will have to keep my love in my heart forever. Looking at this hairband, I will remember the moment when he gave it to me.

Jiu Huayue raised her head and stared at herself in the mirror with a complicated look. She took another look at her eyebrows, her nose, her mouth...then reached out and gently tied a ponytail, changing to a clean and neat image.

She gathered herself together, took a deep breath, opened the door, and walked into the living room.

The New Year's Eve dinner prepared by Fujii Itsuki and Yang Kui Chitose has already filled up a large table.

There are delicious dishes on the plates, from the sea, the sky, the land and the underground, with steam rising up.

Fujii Itsuki, Matsumae Shinharu, and Akai Muko had gathered together, chatting in a warm atmosphere.

When Jiuhuayue walked into the living room, Fujii Shu immediately saw her:

"Hurry up and sit down. Qiansui has prepared the New Year's Eve dinner."

"Ah."

Jiuhuayue nodded slightly, and when she sat down, she glanced at Matsumae Xinchun more, and Matsumae Xinchun also looked at her.

Akai Muzi spoke up at this time, "It seems that everyone got along pretty well during the time I was away."

"Of course!" Yang Kui Chitose, who took a seat later, was the first to answer, "It's mainly because I love Brother Shu the most! No one is allowed to refute this!"

If it were before, Jiuhuayue would definitely choke Yangkui Qiansui, but not now.

Yang Kui Qiansui was a little disappointed when she saw Jiuhua Yue didn't react, "Hey, boring, no one is competing with me anymore! Little Jiuhua, what's wrong with you!"

"what?"

"Shouldn't you have refuted me harshly just now?"

Jiu Huayue smiled and said, "I just think that Qiansui, as long as you are happy."

"What do you mean I'm happy as long as I'm happy? I'm telling the truth! Come here, Brother Shu! I'll fry you a big steak!"

"Thank you. But why are you talking about me again?"

"Qiyi is so happy today! Today is New Year's Eve, and I can have dinner with Brother Shu!"

In fact, among these girls, Qiannian Sui is the one who can liven up the atmosphere the most. Fujii Itsuki couldn't help laughing when he saw her happy look:

"Well, since it's New Year's Day today, Chitose can at least let me, Brother Shu, have a few more drinks, right?"

"This is not okay!"

"no?"

"Brother Shu said he wanted to drink a few cups, but he ended up drinking too much. No, no, drinking too much is really-"

Yang Kui Chitose suddenly stopped talking because she suddenly saw Jiuhuayue winking at her.

Looking at Matsumae Shinchun again, I felt a little shy again.

She got it.

Yang Kui Qiansui coughed deliberately, "Okay then, I'll allow Brother Shu to drink a little more tonight!"

"You kid."

Fujii Itsuki glanced at the people in front of him. He knew what the three girls were thinking.

But it’s the New Year, it’s the New Year.

What's wrong with everyone being happy together?
He also took the risk.

"Well, let's just wish we have survived another year and grown another year older. Cheers!! Happy New Year! Cheers!!!"

"cheers!"

"cheers."

"cheers."

When we have a New Year's Eve reunion and dinner together, TV is a must.

The stars from the NHK Red and White Song Contest sang and danced, and they ate the barbecued New Year's Eve dinner in front of them with gusto.

Fujii Itsuki and Akai Muko drank a lot of beer, and Chitose also made him drink a lot. Suddenly, Chitose said that she also wanted to drink a little.

"You are not yet twenty years old, what do you want to drink?" "Just a little bit, just a little bit."

Fujii Itsuki felt a little dizzy, "Then just a little bit, just a little bit."

"it is good!"

Because he drank too much, Fujii Itsuki had some vague memories of what happened in the second half of the night.

But remember everyone was very happy.

While Fujii Itsuki was holding the microphone and singing, Jiuhuayue was eating ice cream below.

Yang Kui Chitose looked jealous and seemed to say, "Jiuka, you've eaten so much! Give me some too!"

Matsumae Shinchun is not competitive.

Of course, Fujii Itsuki did not show partiality to her.

I don’t know if there was something wrong with the beer, but Fujii Itsuki felt just like last time and was energetic the whole night.

Yang Kui Qiansui was very happy at first, but in the second half of the night she began to beg for mercy, saying that Brother Shu should go to sleep soon! She was almost dead tired and sleepy.

How could Fujii Itsuki let her go?

Because the other girls had so much fun during the New Year that they were so tired that they fell asleep on the floor.

If the Matsumae family’s guest room didn’t have heating, I would definitely have caught a cold.

"Brother Shu, Brother Shu, stop! Qiansui is wrong, Qiansui is really wrong!"

"Isn't that how you begged for mercy before? And then you forced me to drink tonight? There's something wrong with the wine today, right?"

"Tonight, tonight we all discussed it together! Jiuhuayue also agreed to it! Brother Shu! Brother Shu, Qiansui was wrong, really, really wrong!"

Yang Kui Chitose kept begging for mercy, but Fujii Itsuki didn't care about her. Chitose was in good physical condition and could stay up all night, so she continued to stay with him all night.

Until the end, Chitose could not hold on any longer and fainted, but Fujii Jyunya relied on her to hold on for a while.

the next day.

The first day of the new year.

Jiuhuayue was the first to wake up on the ground. When she opened her eyes, she found an extra blanket on herself.

My head hurts extremely badly.
She just remembered that she drank yesterday, sang with everyone all night, and then passed out.

There was dense snowflakes falling outside, but the room was a mess.

Various clothes were piled up in the guest room lobby and celebratory balloons were scattered all over the floor.

Jiuhuayue didn't know where her clothes had gone. She rummaged through her clothes and found that Xinchun was gone from the living room.

After simply putting on her clothes, Jiuhuayue stood up and prepared to go to the bathroom. Coincidentally, she met Matsumae Xinchun, who was only wearing a coat.

"."

"."

The two met and looked at each other, and the atmosphere was a little awkward.

".Good morning." Jiuhuayue said softly.

"Good morning, Xiaoyue." Xinchun replied, her voice a little hoarse.

"Xinchun, you..."

Jiuhuayue pointed at the exposed part of her body.

"It's ok."

".Is that so?" Jiuhuayue hesitated a little.

There were unfinished words flowing in the air, and the two looked at each other again, as if waiting for someone to break the subtle silence first.

"Xinchun."

"Little Moon."

They both spoke at the same time, but stopped in tacit understanding.

After a brief silence, Jiu Huayue bit her lip and decided to take the initiative to speak:
"I have something to ask you."

"Um"

"The reason why you were put in solitary confinement a few days ago"

Matsumae Xinchun immediately understood what Jiuhuayue meant and quickly comforted her, "Don't worry, it's okay."

"That's good"

Jiuhuayue breathed a sigh of relief and thought for a while.

"Xinchun, you know I always blamed you before."

Matsumae Xinchun's expression slowly calmed down, and her eyes dropped slightly, "Xiaoyue, there is no need to say more. The matter of the Matsumae family is indeed my fault. No matter what, the Matsumae family has led to your current situation, and I was completely unaware of it, and even later... accidentally hurt you. I know how sad you have been over the years, all because of my negligence."

Jiu Huayue didn't know how to respond for a moment. She knew Xinchun was apologizing sincerely, but the complicated emotions in her heart were not so easily soothed.

But it's already now, isn't it?
There is no need to care about these anymore.

Moreover, I had decided not long ago that I would face it myself instead of having the uncle relay it to me.

Because of the uncle's retelling, Xinchun was put in solitary confinement.

".How about we make peace?"

"Okay."

"."

Matsumae Shinchun saw that Jiuhuayue seemed to be choking suddenly, and hurriedly asked with concern: "What's wrong?"

Jiu Huayue smiled and said, "No, it's nothing. It's just that Xinchun, you agreed too quickly and I didn't react for a while."

Matsumae Shinchun was stunned for a moment, as if she had not expected Jiuhuayue to have such a reaction. "Sorry, it seems that I was too impatient."

"No, I don't have any Xinchun either. I'm already very happy that you can promise me this."

After saying these words, Jiu Huayue breathed a sigh of relief, and her tone became softer, "It's now. The unpleasant things in the past are no longer important to me. The most important thing is that I saw your attitude, Xinchun. I'm sorry that you were put in solitary confinement because of me a few days ago, but we can finally have a good chat, right?"

Matsumae Shinchun's eyes gradually softened, and she softly agreed, "Of course."

Jiuhuayue then took the initiative to extend her hand to her. Matsumae Xinchun looked at her outstretched hand and without hesitation, she smiled and held it. The warm touch brought back a long-lost warmth to her heart.

Xinchun was actually happier at this time. After shaking her hand, she hugged her directly.

"Xinchun!"

Matsumae Shinchun's actions suddenly became more intimate. Jiuhuayue didn't react for a moment, and a look of surprise suddenly appeared on her face.

She felt Xinchun's embrace was warm and firm, but also with an indescribable tension. Xinchun hugged her tightly, as if he wanted to hold on to the warmth of this moment, as if he was afraid of losing it again.

Jiuhuayue felt like a child at this moment.

The two of them always, always, always held hands, holding hands, laughing and playing together.

The feeling of childhood sweethearts.
"Xinxin Chunbie, don't hug me so tight, your breasts are not wearing any clothes."

But that's pretty good, isn't it?

There is no need to dwell on the past.

If you say let it go, just let it go.

Gently pushing the girl's shoulders away, Jiuhuayue looked into her eyes, a complex emotion welling up in her heart.

She took a deep breath and felt that at this moment, Xinchun's true heart was right in front of her.

The two exchanged warm smiles and the atmosphere became relaxed again.

"correct."

"What did Xiaoyue think of?"

".Actually, I had already figured out what I wanted to say to you, Xinchun, today, but you didn't seem to want me to say it before."

“Because today it’s possible.”

"Today?"

Matsumae Shinchun smiled gently again, "Today is the first day of the new year, Xiaoyue can look forward to it!"

(End of this chapter)