This is a Love Live 2017 secret Santa gift for hikarihawkeye! As always, you can find this on Tumblr and AO3 under Shiny_the_Strange. Please enjoy!

"Lili…"

Yoshiko sighed as she stared at the picture on her phone. Six Aqours, dressed in mostly ebony and white. It was hard to believe that when Riko had first dressed in the frilly, gothic uniform, she was nothing but an acquaintance to Yoshiko. Now, though? Out of all the members of the group, Riko was the last person Yoshiko expected to make her hands clammy every time they spent time alone. She was the last person Yoshiko expected to invade her thoughts every morning when she woke up and every night when she went to bed. The pyre of their relationship had burned higher (and hotter) than ever anticipated. Whether it was a chance encounter or a fate the celestial spheres had foretold, Yoshiko didn't know.

She zoomed in until only one girl was visible within the phone's frame, until she could see only Riko and her quiet grin. Funny how Yoshiko's heart raced every time she glanced upon her Lili's radiant smile. It didn't matter whether her amber eyes sparkled in the sunlight, or her skin glowed in the moonlight; Riko was utterly perfect. When she tried to bring Yoshiko down to earth (even though she'd fallen far enough already), her voice was that of an angel who hadn't fallen quite as far. From Riko's flowing burgundy hair to her to her kind demeanor, Yoshiko couldn't help but feel the sharp arrow of romance pierce her. How anyone not feel that way about her?

A shame Yoshiko had no idea whether her little demon shared similar sentiments or not. Sure, there were warm smiles and playful giggles between the two of them, but there was no way Riko's meant anything Yoshiko longed for.

She put her phone on her nightstand and snuggled into bed, shutting her eyes and burying herself under the covers. Tomorrow was Christmas, and it was a week until New Year's Eve. Yoshiko had wanted to confess before Christmas so that the two could spend it together. However, every time she tried to tell Riko how she felt, her words vanished to some place beyond knowing. Her confidence left, her feelings concealed themselves.

If only she could take wing and retrieve the courage she needed.

"Quick, everyone! Get in!" shouted Chika, racing over to the Christmas tree. Taking her position, the rest of Aqours crowded around her and smiled. Yoshiko found herself between Riko and Hanamaru, staring straight ahead. In one hand she held a mug of hot chocolate, while she posed with her other, sticking her arm out into the space behind Riko.

"Merry Christmas!" said everyone, raising their drinks as the timer went down and the camera snapped. They followed Chika as she went to check the picture, eager to see if it turned out well.

"D-Did I blink?" asked Ruby.

"Doesn't look like you did."

Trying her best to see over Yō and Ruby's heads, Yoshiko sipped her drink and examined the photo. Not a single eye had blinked (Kanan and Dia winked, but that was different), nor had a smile dropped. It was flawless.

…That is, until Yoshiko noticed her 'posed' arm wrapped around Riko's waist, pulling her against her side. The most anyone else had done was wrap their drink-free arms around their friends' shoulders, and it was obvious they weren't quite as physically close as Yoshiko and Riko.

"Yoshiko-chan, are you alright? Your eyes are quite wide, zura."

"It's Yohane!" cried Yoshiko. She turned to see Hanamaru cocking her head. Uh oh. "E-Everything's fine! I just momentarily saw a vision of the future. If we don't immolate that picture right away, the devil himself will rise and destroy every last mortal on this planet!"

Hanamaru smirked. "If you say so."

"I-It's true!" Yoshiko began to back away before turning and running away, heading for a table and taking a seat in the very back corner of the café. Hopefully nobody other than herself noticed what she'd done in the picture.

She took a deep breath before taking another sip of her hot chocolate. With the others contining to chatter loudly without her, Yoshiko gazed out the frosty window. A couple, bundled up and holding hands, passed by. Across the street was another café, packed to the point where the line was slightly outside the entrance. Inside sat several more couples. Though Yoshiko couldn't discern their expressions, they were surely having a good time.

The sight of so much romance made her sigh. She tried to picture herself and Riko at a table, sharing a snack and laughing at each other's silly jokes. Holding hands as they left the establishment, walking home together in otherworldly cold. Getting home, throwing a blanket over each other to warm up, kissing gently…

Yoshiko reached into her pocket and pulled out a wrapped box, covered in pitchforks and tiny devils. She placed it on the table and stared at it. Will she even like it? she thought. Surely a gift from the great Yohane couldn't be turned down. After all, anyone who defied her was doomed to bathe in the fire of Hell for all eternity.

Then again, even if it was turned down, there was no possibility its recipient would go anywhere but the heavens above.

"Yocchan?"

"Eek!" With a start, Yoshiko whipped her head around. Her heart did a jump; of course it was her. "Don't sneak up on me like that, Lili!"

Riko giggled. "Sorry, Yocchan. But we're starting to open gifts, and I thought I should come get you."

Yoshiko glanced over at the Christmas tree. Mari handed a gift to Dia, who frowned at the gift before slowly opening it. Her expression relaxed as she showed off a photo album, with of what appeared to be a picture of herself and Mari on the front.

"Sure, just give me a few minutes to finish my drink," said Yoshiko, taking a large glug and setting it to the side. Her heart lurched; she should've gotten Riko a similar gift. Something to show her just how much she cared for her, something that would last forever. Dia would probably put that book on her shelf and accidentally come across it one day, grinning at her memories with Mari. It was the kind of gift Riko deserved.

"Would you like to open my gift now, at least?" asked Riko. She held up a small box with floral wrapping.

Wait, right now? "You don't want me to open it in front of the others?"

Riko's face suddenly pinkened. "I mean...you can, if you want to, but I just thought…" She took a step forward. "Please?"

Yoshiko's stomach warmed. Why was she so intent on it being opened right away? Regardless, if Riko wanted to do it privately, there was no way Yoshiko could say no. "If it's a request from Lili, then I shall honour it." She cackled as she accepted the gift and tore the paper off. Flipping open the box, inside sat a plush toy of an oddly familiar dog…

"L-Laelaps?!" She took the toy out and began to turn it in her hands. Even though it was only slightly larger than Yoshiko's hand, the details were remarkably accurate.

Riko smirked. "Read its collar."

Glancing down at the collar around the dog's neck, Yoshiko noticed 'Nocturne' written on its tag. She narrowed her eyes at Riko. "Lili! How dare you? You know this dog's name is Laelaps!"

Laughing, Riko made a turning motion with her hand. "Flip the tag over!"

Rolling her eyes, Yoshiko turned the tag over. The newly revealed side read 'Laelaps'. "L-Lili…"

"I thought you'd like it," said Riko, grinning widely.

Yoshiko felt her face heat up as her attention went fully back to Riko. Somehow, her angelic smile combined with it being Christmas made Yoshiko's heart beat even faster. "I…I love it. Never did I ever expect to be reunited with Laelaps like this. I know I can count on you, as my elite little demon, to please me. But this? This…" Her vision began to blur.

Riko's smile dropped. "Are you crying?"

"N-No!" Yoshiko felt something hot run down her cheek before wiping it away. "T-That's just my body melting from how hot it is in here!"

"Oh really?" Riko's grin returned, but something was different about it. It contained…a hint of mischief? Whatever it was, Yoshiko's stomach did a flip. "Then I suppose if you and I were to go outside right now, you'd feel better?"

"That's…I…" If Yoshiko was honest, she was burning. However, she needed to do something before Riko realised it wasn't from the heat inside the café. "A-Anyway! I have a present for you too! I opened yours, so you have to open it now, too!" She grabbed the gift she had taken out of her pocket earlier and held it out.

Furrowing her brow, Riko seemed as if she were about to press further, but her eyes were on the gift. Taking it, she gently ripped the paper off. Beneath the wrapping was a black box. She looked back at Yoshiko with curiosity.

"Just a little something Yohane forged from the rocks of hell." Yoshiko's squeezed her mini Laelaps between her fingers, desperate to ignore how sweaty her palms had gotten. When Riko's gift was full of so much love, how could anything Yoshiko give compare? She really should've made her a photo album.

"The rocks of hell?" Riko raised an eyebrow.

Yoshiko crossed her arms. "H-Hey! At least open it before you make fun of me!"

"Alright, alright." Riko pulled the lid off. Her face lit up so much that Yoshiko felt like passing out. How much cuter could Riko get?

Inside the box sat a cherry blossom-shaped brooch made of pink studs, with grey studs providing the lines leading to the middle of the 'flower'.

Yoshiko's gaze moved to the floor. "I know its build may not reflect upon the true creativity or craftmanship of a fallen angel, but I thought you would appreciate a gift from the great Yohane anyway."

Riko kneeled down to meet Yoshiko's eyes. Her cheeks were scarlet. "It's beautiful. Knowing you, I expected something weird. It might not be like what you normally give me, but it's perfect. Thank you, Yocchan."

Sitting up, Yoshiko blinked to stop her eyes from watering once more. Seeing Riko's face so red wasn't an uncommon thing, especially when she was telling Yoshiko off. But to see her blush while being so happy…it was a sight Yoshiko would never tire of. "Y-You're welcome. Thank you for Laelaps, too."

A silence settled between them as they kept their eyes on each other. The air was filled only with the noises the rest of Aqours made. Despite this, Yoshiko felt as if they were the only two in the world. Wouldn't it be nice, she thought, to be like this forever? Just me and Lili. Facing the tribulations of this world together. The colour of Riko's face never lightened, remaining as red as it was before.

Their eyes only broke contact when Riko gazed at something behind Yoshiko. Turning towards the source, Yoshiko noticed nothing different from when she had looked outside earlier. There was still a line going outside the café, and yet another couple passed by.

"It's nice, isn't it? Being able to be with someone like that on Christmas. So many people walk hand in hand along the streets of Tokyo during Christmastime…when I was a little girl, I always enjoyed watching them pass by. They always seemed to be having so much fun," said Riko. She continued to gaze outside, fixated on the scene. Her eyes were almost…wistful?

Yoshiko's heartbeat quickened. Before she could stop herself, she asked, "Lili, is it possible that you wish to be bound to another in the same way those out there are?"

Riko's eyes widened before moving her gaze to Yoshiko. Her face was an even deeper red now. "D-Don't worry about me, Yocchan. It's not something I'm too concerned about. We've all got each other, after all. Aqo— Aqours, I mean."

Aqours? Yes, that was true. The nine of them had a bond that would probably never break at this point. But was that how Riko felt as she watched all those couples? With a sigh, Yoshiko said, "I guess you're right."

Again they were silent. After a few second, Riko went right back to looking outside.

Heart sinking, Yoshiko yearned to reach out and hug Riko as hard as she could. The longer Riko spent staring out, the more Yoshiko couldn't handle the silence. It made her want to confess her feelings right then and there, to give Riko the Christmas she wanted.

…Hell, why couldn't she do it? The time seemed apt enough. Riko was thinking about romance. A quick glance at the other Aqours proved that nobody was looking their way. A sudden surge of courage ran through Yoshiko. Would she fail as she had done many times before? No, she wasn't going to think about that. She could do this. Heart thumping in her chest, Yoshiko croaked, "Li-Li-Li-Li—"

Riko's attention shifted back to Yoshiko. "Eh? Yocchan, are you feeling alright?"

Okay, no more sputtering, she told herself. She drank the rest of her hot chocolate and wiped her lips. Clenching her eyes shut, she pushed it out: "Li-Lili, I need to say something to you. It's kind of important."

"Oh? W-What is it?"

The apprehension in Riko's voice made Yoshiko tremble. She opened her eyes and swallowed. This was it. Her words were going forward. "I…I—"

"Hey, you two! Are you gonna open presents with us or not?" called Chika.

The words on Yoshiko's tongue instantly evaporated. No! Why?

"Just a minute!" called back Riko. She smiled apologetically at Yoshiko. "If it's important, why don't we talk again after we're done with the gifts?"

Yoshiko opened her mouth, but only a breath came out. All her confidence had drained away. That one feeling she needed to confess, gone just like that. She shook her head as she put her mini Laelaps and its box aside and stood. "No, it's okay. I'll tell you another day. Let's get over to the—" she paused when something grabbed her arm.

"You said it was important, Yocchan. If you need to tell me something, I'd like to hear it as soon as possible."

"Waah!" Yoshiko struggled slightly under Riko's grip. Why had she even said anything? Quick, think of an excuse! "Unhand me! I promise to tell you, but not until this unholy night has passed! We should embrace the sacrifices made and perform rituals with the other seven little demons that have joined us here tonight!"

Riko frowned. After a few moments, she slowly released Yoshiko's arm. "Alright. We did come here as a group, after all."

Yoshiko rubbed the spot she'd been grabbed by. Damn, Riko was strong when she was serious. But now wasn't the time to think about all the little things that sent Yoshiko's brain into overdrive. "Lili, I promise to tell you before the Earth completes its rotation around the sun."

"You mean, before New Years?"

Yoshiko nodded. "If I do not, may I freeze for eternity alongside Lucifer in the lowest circle of Hell."

Frown unmoving, Riko nodded back. "I'll hold you to that."

She really, really shouldn't have promised to confess before New Years.

Now that Riko knew something was up, a cloud of anxiety permeated their interactions. Neither had texted each other during the past three days, nor had Yoshiko spoken of her to any of her friends. She tried to act like it was nothing, that they had simply caught her at a bad time. Inside, however, she was reeling. The thought of having to confess to Riko the next time she saw her was too much. Lying was probably the better option at this point. But when she thought of Riko's sweet, blushing face, her desire to do so suddenly disappeared…

"Then why don't you tell her the truth, zura?"

Putting her face into her hands, Yoshiko groaned. "My heart is full of darkness. It is this very thing, this curse of 'infatuation', that cast me out of heaven in the first place."

"You were infatuated with someone when you were four?"

"Shut up!" Yoshiko buried her face into her pillow.

"Come on," said Hanamaru, pulling Yoshiko's covers off. "While it's nice to sleep, being in bed for three days straight unless you're sick isn't healthy, zura!"

"But I AM sick, Zuramaru!" cried Yoshiko, throwing the pillow aside and yanking the sheets back over her. "I'm lovesick!"

"Lovesick? How cliché, zura."

"I don't care! It's true!" Yoshiko shot up and grabbed Hanamaru by the shoulders. "When I'm with Lili, all I can think about is how much I want to be with her! To me, she's my Beelzebub! My Persephone! She's the one the spheres have guided me to! I want to fly with her across the moonlight sky! I want to drag her down to hell with me so that we might frolic among the flames! I want to take her, tell her how much Yohane appreciates her, engage in the sinful human pleasures only obtained by undoing her shadowy robe and touch—"

Hanamaru shoved her hand against Yoshiko's mouth. "T-Too much detail, zura!"

Mumbling, Yoshiko pushed Hanamaru's hand away. She moaned and curled into a ball. "What am I going to do? The Earth's final rotation is so soon…if I cannot tell Lili about the true depths of my feelings, I too shall perish alongside the year..."

"No, you won't." From the feeling of the bed bouncing, Yoshiko guessed Hanamaru sat next to her. She put her hand on Yoshiko's back. "Y2K was nearly twenty years ago, after all."

"And just how do you know about Y2K?"

"I read a book about computer technology a little while ago. Did you know that the first functioning prototype of the internet came out in the 1960s?"

"No, actually."

A quietness came between the two of them. Their breathing was the only audible sound for several minutes. That was bad, in Yoshiko's opinion; it gave her too much time to think. It was if she was stuck in the original Hell, where nothing but fire and souls screaming in never-ending pain lurked. She tried to think of something else to get her mind off Riko to little avail. Aqours as a whole had next planned to gather at a soba stand for their meal before heading over to the local shrine for the New Years countdown. If Yoshiko couldn't say anything to Riko before then, she had to say it that very night or break her promise. Knowing her luck, the latter was the most likely possibility. Why was this so difficult? Was there even a point to thinking about this?

"It doesn't matter whether I say something before the year ends or not," said Yoshiko, curling up even tighter. "I don't know what made me so courageous last time. Every other time I've tried, an unseen force devours my will, my words. But when I saw her on Christmas…my resolve remained. I don't know how I can hope to emulate it again."

"Yoshiko-chan…"

"It's Yohane."

More silence. It was too much; to Yoshiko, anything was better than hearing her own thoughts. Even the bed creaking as Hanamaru briefly moved was better than nothing.

"Oh, is this what you got from Riko-chan for Christmas?"

Yoshiko lifted her head and looked over to see Hanamaru holding her Laelaps plush. "Put Laelaps down!"

"I just want to look for a second, zura."

"No!" Yoshiko snatched the plush away. "Laelaps is a symbol of the bond Lili and I share! If anything happened to it, it'd be a worse sin than anything Lucifer, Cain, and Judas committed combined!"

Hanamaru stared, then grinned. "Sorry. It's kind of sweet that a gift like that means so much to you though, zura. Riko-chan getting you something like that in the first place probably shows how much you mean to her, too."

Yoshiko began to stroke her toy. "I probably don't mean as much to her as she does to me. She's a stunning goddess, while I'm a dirty gremlin. Mortals may worship those above, but they'll never feel anything but contempt for children of sin such as myself. Such is the life of a fallen angel."

"But you also showed her just how much you liked her, didn't you? I couldn't even count how many texts you sent me saying you were about to give up on making that brooch, zura. You worked hard on it and finished it because you like her so much. Seeing her reaction to your gift probably made you feel pretty good, I bet."

Wait a minute. Yoshiko got up onto her feet. "Zuramaru, can you say that again?"

"You worked hard—"

"No, the thing after that."

"Seeing her reaction to your gift—"

"That's it!" Yoshiko did her signature two-fingers-over-eye pose and cackled.

Hanamaru blinked. "Zura?"

"A gift!" By now, Yoshiko was practically manic with laughter. "When I last tried to reveal my burning passion to Lili, I'd given her a gift! Maybe that's the key I need!"

"Oh, you're right! Good idea! I was going to suggest you read a romance novel to get a feel for how people confess," said Hanamaru. "I can still lend you one if you want, zura."

"As if! A fallen angel needs no advice from Earth tomes." Grabbing her phone off the nightstand, Yoshiko gazed at its background: herself and Riko standing next to each other, with devil horns and wings digitally drawn on both. "On New Years Eve, I will confess to Lili. And I know just how to do it."

"Everyone, hurry up! Midnight is only fifteen minutes away!" announced Dia, already off her stool and standing at the end of the table.

"I'm eating as fast as I can!" said Ruby, quickly shovelling soba into her mouth.

As Yoshiko slurped her own soba, she nervously fumbled with her cross-body bag. She'd gotten stares for daring to wear it over her kimono, but it was what was inside the bag that instilled such jitters. All night she'd been waiting for an appropriate moment to talk with Riko, but the opportunity had yet to present itself. It probably didn't help that she sat as far away from Riko as possible; Yoshiko sat at the very end of the table, while Riko sat closer to the middle. Riko had given a friendly nod and a smile when Yoshiko had arrived at the shop, but that was all she had done. Not a single word had been exchanged between them. She'd probably be panicking, had Hanamaru not been next to her.

"Deep breaths," said Hanamaru, patting Yoshiko's shoulder. "You can do it, zura!"

"Shhh!" shushed Yoshiko, noodles hanging out of her mouth. "I don't want to whole world to know I'm up to something!"

"I think you might want to be quieter, zura."

"I—" Yoshiko looked down the table to see the rest of Aqours staring at her.

Dia raised an eyebrow. "And just what are you up to, Yoshiko-san?"

"…Nothing." Yoshiko turned away from the stares and sucked back her noodles. She still had more than half a bowl left, having lost her appetite in anticipation of the event to come. Perhaps she should've asked for more hot sauce.

"I'm going to go for a walk," came an angelic voice. Yoshiko glanced in its direction to see Riko pushing her bowl forward and getting off her stool.

Yō watched as she began to walk off. "You sure? We're going to the shrine soon!"

"Yō-chan, the shrine is only a couple minutes away. I'll be back in five." And with that, Riko made her departure.

Keeping her eyes on Riko until she was further down the street, Yoshiko's legs stiffened. She could get up and follow her. It was a vey real possibility. All she needed was to take a simple step. One step, then another, then another…

"Yoshiko-chan."

Craning her neck to the side, Yoshiko's attention was drawn to Hanamaru's half lidded eyes and frown. "Hm? S-State your question, little demon."

Hanamaru looked in the direction Riko left. "Don't you think you should go after her?"

Yoshiko felt her face flush. "Well, yes, but…m-maybe— maybe she'll only be gone for a minute and—" She suddenly found her feet on the ground and a hand on her back.

Hanamaru grinned. "Don't get cold feet now, zura. Just pretend you're going to initiate her as your underworld queen, zura."

"Pretend? This isn't pretend, I really do want to make her my underworld queen!" said Yoshiko. Riko was already a considerable distance away, seemingly entirely focused on what was ahead. "And look at how far she's gone already!"

"Better run then, zura." Hanamaru shoved Yoshiko.

As if on autopilot, Yoshiko bolted after Riko, hearing a gradually fading "Good luck, zura!" from behind. Her feet moved faster than her mind. The frightening reality of what she was doing made her slow momentarily, then pick up speed again; by now she couldn't stop. She darted around the pedestrians, unintentionally knocking into some and having them yell obscenities at her. All the while, she kept her eyes on her queen.

Once she was close enough, Yoshiko cried out: "Lili!"

Riko came to a stop and turned, eyes wide. "Yocchan?"

"Lili! I— waaaah!" Yoshiko lost her footing as she tried to slow down. Before she knew it, she crashed into Riko, sending them both tumbling to the ground. "Ouch…"

"Hrgh…"

Blinking, Yoshiko raised her head. Riko lay beneath her, eyes squeezed shut. "Er, hi Lili. You okay?" Her heart pounded as she tried to ignore how close their faces were. She didn't want to think that if they were any nearer, their lips might've…!

Riko groaned as she looked up at Yoshiko. "Yocchan…can you get off me?"

Yoshiko pushed herself up, helping Riko up afterwards. She rubbed the back of her neck. "Um…I tried to stop, but a dark force kept pushing me forward."

"It's okay," said Riko, sighing. "Just be more careful next time."

Before Yoshiko could respond, a man stopped in front of them, motioning for them to move. "Pardon me, ladies."

Riko looked back and forth between the man and Yoshiko. "Excuse us," she said, taking Yoshiko by the hand.

Yoshiko breathed sharply; Riko had never grabbed her hand like that before. The way their fingers laced together made her worry that Riko could feel how sweaty they were. Before she knew it, she'd been dragged into a small alleyway.

Letting go of Yoshiko, Riko put her hand on her hip, face stern. "So, why did you come after me?"

"I, uh…" Yoshiko clasped her hands together and avoided Riko's gaze. Oh boy, this was happening. "I wanted to walk with you."

"How come? I thought you were still eating."

Yoshiko gulped. "Well, you see…this body of mine…it doesn't need food! Unlike you mortals, food is not a necessi—"

A loud growl came from Yoshiko's lower half. She looked down at herself, then at Riko. Her mouth hung slightly open before she began to snicker.

Grimacing, Yoshiko balled her fists. "H-Hey, come on! Are you gonna listen to what I have to say or not?"

"Huh?" Riko stopped her laughter. "You never mentioned anything about wanting to say something to me."

"I-I didn't?" Crap. There was no backing out now. "W-Well, there is something…"

Taking a step closer, Riko gazed inquiringly. "Is it possible that you're going to tell me what you meant to back on Christmas?"

"Um…yes." Okay, deep breaths. You've got this, Yohane. Yoshiko flipped her bag open and reached inside. "But before I say anything, I want to give you something. The kind of present you deserved on Christmas."

Riko gasped. "Y-Yocchan! You didn't have to!"

"But I wanted to, Lili." As Yoshiko pulled the rectangular wrapped object out, the sound of glass sliding scratched her ears. "Ah! I hope it didn't break when our flesh vehicles came into contact and tried to return to Hell!"

"D-Do you have to say it like that?"

"Perhaps not, but that's the way it is," said Yoshiko. She held out her gift. "Please, Lili. Accept this small token of my feelings."

"Token of your feelings…?"

Riko took the gift and carefully removed the wrapping, revealing a picture frame. If she was beaming when Yoshiko gave her the brooch, then she was positively glowing now. She turned the frame around to show off a picture of them holding hands, arms entwined. Both were making Yoshiko's signature pose at the camera, with the bonus of them sticking their tongues out slightly. The glass was slightly cracked, a shard falling out of the frame.

"It's broken," said Yoshiko, crossing her arms. "I'm sorry, Li—"

A pair of arms suddenly wrapped around her waist, holding her tight. Riko lay her head on Yoshiko's shoulder. "Yocchan…why are you so kind to me?"

"I…I…" Yoshiko thought she might die on the spot. She hugged Riko back, leaning into her as much as she could. She couldn't help it; Riko had never hugged her so powerfully, so passionately before. "I'm glad you like it."

"Of course I like it." Riko pulled back, but didn't let Yoshiko go. Her eyes twinkled in the light from the street, illuminating her grin. A tear had rolled down her cheek. "It's the moments that last, right? And this picture reminds me of a fun time I spent with you. How could I not love it? Thank you, Yocchan. I couldn't have asked for anything nicer."

By this point, Yoshiko was practically on cloud nine. The absolute delight Riko radiated made her heart soar. She felt unstoppable, so long as Riko was happy.

Riko turned her head slightly to the side. "Will you tell me what you wanted to—"

"Lili, I like you! I like you a lot! Please be mine!" The words sprung from her mouth, beyond Yoshiko's control. She immediately froze; how the hell had she done that? Why the hell did she do it? Riko hadn't even finished what she was about to say! "Oh, uh…"

If Riko's eyes were any wider, Yoshiko thought they might pop out of her head. "Yocchan? Did I hear you right? You said you…you like me?"

"And not just as a friend either!" blurted Yoshiko. Now that she'd begun, she wasn't about to stop. "I want more than that, Lili! I want you to be with me, whether it's on Earth or in Hell! I want to be with you on Christmas! I want to be able to see you smile all the time! I—You're the reason I've descended! Please, Lili! Accept my feelings!"

"Y-Yocchan…" Riko's smile fell. She glanced at the ground. "I don't know how to tell you this, but…"

"But what?!" Oh no. Yoshiko's heart stopped. Crap. Crap crap crap. She shouldn't have said anything. Riko didn't feel the same. She probably didn't want to hang out with Yoshiko anymore or even look at her. She would keep her distance, and Yoshiko would be forever without her loving gazes. Truly, Hell was the only place Yoshiko belonged. The only feeling left in her body was a chilling, unholy disgust—

Until a pair of lips met hers. Riko's arms had resumed their position around Yoshiko, squeezing even tighter than before. Her lips were somewhat rough, but soft and warm all the same. Yoshiko's entire body suddenly felt like it was floating.

When Riko released her lips, she cuddled into Yoshiko's neck. "I like you, Yocchan. I want to be with you, too."

This had to be a dream. Some wonderful, strange, fantastic dream. In what world did Riko genuinely like Yoshiko back? "Lili…you mean all this time, you…?"

A loud bang sounded above. Both girls glanced up to see a huge firework go off, sending white light across the sky. Yoshiko pulled her phone out of her pocket; the display read '00:00'. "Oh…happy New Year, Lili."

"Happy New Year, Yocchan," said Riko, kissing her again. Yoshiko kissed back, unable to get enough of Riko's salty soba mouth. Not even a cup tea with quadruple sugar and quadruple milk or curry soaked in hot sauce could taste better than Riko. All the feelings she'd suppressed, all the tears and fear she went through stressing over her attraction to Riko— who'd have though it was all for naught?

Riko suddenly pulled away, leaving Yoshiko's lips hanging. "Oh no, we're late! Everyone's probably wondering where we are!"

Yoshiko opened her mouth to protest, but then realised Riko was right. "Quick, jump on my back! We'll fly on my wings!"

Riko groaned. "No, Yocchan."

"Then let's at least do this!" said Yoshiko, reaching towards Riko.

Clasping their hands together, they began to run for the shrine.