The holiday party at Kamiyama industries was ridiculously lavish: roast beef and sushi, chocolate fondue and pastries of all sorts.
And beer, and champagne, and sake.
It was the sake that caused their downfall.
Kanade had come in late from her illustration job for a small mobile games company, soaked from a heavy freezing rain that turned to snow as the party progressed. Sakuya clamped on to her as soon as she came in, but Kanade was able to make her way to Yukino, socializing with her coworkers, even with Sakuya hanging off her arm.
Yukino had gotten the job with the industrial psychology team thanks to Sakuya's pull, but her coworkers really seemed to like her - certainly they all lit up when she disappeared for a few minutes, and came back in a red velvet Santa dress, handing out small Christmas gifts from their boss, laughing and smiling and posing for photos.
The team's good will towards Yukino got transferred to Kanade - person after person pushed a drink in her hand, remarking that she looked cold, and this would warm her up. After a while, the evening became a warm haze, where she leaned against a corner, heard the people chattering around her, heard Sakuya constantly talking beside her, but understood none of it. It was all white noise while she focused on Yukino, and her dress, and her long hair, and her short, fur-trimmed skirt, feeling her heart skip a beat when Yukino would look her way and smile.
And drinking round after round after round.
At some point, Sakuya's father came out to give a short speech, and Sakuya got pulled away to stand beside him and her brother Shinji. Yukino took the opportunity to come stand next to Kanade, and Kanade grabbed her arm, swaying slightly.
"Kana-chan... you smell like a liquor store after an earthquake! How much have you had?"
"I... haven't been counting, Yuki-chan. They've just kept giving me one after another after..." she trailed off for a moment, and started whispering again. "After another..."
"Kana-chan... you just don't know how to deal with how much they drink at these big corporations. We need to cut you off before you can't even walk home."
"Yuki-chan, I'm... I'm drunk on... drunk on you!" And she started laughing, loudly and awkwardly enough to attract glances from the crowd.
Fortunately Sakuya's father finished seconds later, to a round of polite applause, and everyone started breaking up into small groups, some headed for their coats, and home. Yukino left Kanade swaying against the wall while she ran to her teammates, bowing and thanking them and making her goodbyes. Kanade was vaguely aware of Sakuya trying to make her way back towards her from the front of the room, but she was continually cut off by well-wishers and senior management.
Finally Yukino had them out the door and down the elevator before Sakuya caught up with them. They came out into Tokyo's central business district, where people hurried out of skyscrapers through the snow into the train stations, and then stood packed together in cars, waiting for their stops. Kanade oscillated between needing to vomit and staring at Yukino, who looked back at her in concern.
At their stop, the cold air calmed Kanade's nausea; she still felt euphoric from the sake, but energized enough to run and jump, skidding around Yukino in circles as they made their way through empty, snowy streets towards their apartment.
"Kana-chan, are you..."
"Yuki-chan, you look AMAZING in that dress!" Kanade turned to her suddenly, eyes wide. "It shows off your figure SO WELL. Your legs and your hair, it's..." She stopped and turned, facing the nearest house and yelled. "MY SISTER IS THE CUTEST GIRL IN THE WHOLE WORLD!"
"Kana-chan!" yelped Yukino, shocked. "People are trying to... they don't want to hear about that! Stop acting like..."
"What? What? I'm only telling the truth, Yuki-chan! Do you not know how great you look? Have I not told you enough lately? I want to tell you how good you look ALL THE TIME, but..."
Yukino grabbed Kanade's arm, and dragged her down an alley where fewer people could hear. "Kana-chan... it's not that I mind what you're saying, but it's embarrassing when you say it so loud..."
Kanade's expression collapsed. "I'm... I'm sorry, Yuki-chan, forgive me! I didn't... I don't want to embarrass you! I only want to make you happy! I only want to be close to you and..." she stepped forward, her face inches from Yukino's, and put her arms around her. "I only want to kiss you," she whispered.
Yukino's face softened, and she reached out to stroke Kanade's hair, brushing away some of the snow that had accumulated. "Well, that, at least, is something we can agree on," she replied softly, and leaned forward, kissing the snow away from Kanade's eyes, and nose, and finally her lips.
They stayed like that for minutes, under the bright LED streetlight, snow steadily falling on them, building up thicker and thicker on their hair and shoulders as they traded soft, shallow kisses back and forth.
He stood in the shadows, recording all of it, even as they stopped kissing and walked the rest of the way home, hand in hand, into their building.
Shinji stopped capturing video with his camera, and walked to the nearest covered bus stop before calling a Kamiyama Industries car to come take him home.