It's a couple months early for a Christmas story, but I just had to write something after listening to Alice's character song! This story is based off of the song lyrics.

Alice stood outside in the cold, in front of the mall. Shinobu had left for the grocery store (because Isami wouldn't do it herself, even though she was the one who complained about there not being enough snacks in the house), and Alice was supposed to meet her at the mall. Since she had specified that she would be in front of the building, Alice stood exactly there, despite the freezing cold, and did not consider going inside until Shinobu came. She put on her I'm-a-big-girl-so-I-won't-cry face, and hugged herself for warmth.

"Where is Shino?" Alice said to herself. "Doesn't she remember she's supposed to meet me here? There's no way it takes this long to buy groceries and take them home!" Her fingers trembling as she shivered, Alice managed to pull out her phone, and was about to call Shinobu, but at that moment, Shinobu appeared carrying a small plastic bag.

"Shino!" The life came back to Alice's shivering body as she stood up taller, and tried to give her Japanese friend a disapproving look.

"I'm so sorry I forgot to meet you here!" Shinobu cried out, bowing to the small girl in front of her. "To make up for it, you can have this cookie!" Shinobu pulled a snowman-shaped sugar cookie from the plastic bag and held it out to Alice. "Oh no! It's broken!" The snowman cookie was split right down the middle. "Uh, glue! We'll fix it with glue!"

"Shino, you can't fix a cookie with glue!" said Alice. "It will taste the same even if it's broken!" She took the cookie from Shinobu. "Thank you."

"I'm so sorry, Alice!" said Shinobu. She cried, sniffling, and Alice stared at her sympathetically. She held out one of the broken halves of the cookie to her sobbing friend.

"No, it's for you!" said Shinobu. "I'm a terrible friend to you. I feel so awful; I just want you to be happy, but I always seem to-"

"Don't overreact," said Alice. "Everyone forgets things sometimes." Her initial plan had been to whack Shinobu over the head, but now, Alice found herself softening up. Just being near Shinobu, Alice felt so much warmer.

What does Shino think of me? Alice wondered. The two were best friends, and were always trying to cheer each other up, which was normal for friends to do, but the extent to which they cared seemed... unrealistic. Alice put this out of her mind, forcefully, and turned away from Shinobu. "Well, let's get inside. Presents aren't going to buy themselves."

"Yes, of course." Shinobu followed Alice, looking quite depressed, and Alice hadn't even scolded her.

"I'm not exactly sure what we're here to buy," Alice said honestly. "What kind of stuff do they like?" By 'they' she meant Karen, Aya, and Yoko.

"Well, Yoko likes food..." said Shinobu. "Aya likes girly things. I guess Karen likes... weird things." Shinobu laughed somewhat awkwardly, and Alice just nodded. "I'm sure they'll like anything we get them."

"That's true," said Alice. She put her phone back in her pocket, pleased to find that she could move her fingers again. It felt so nice inside of the mall; the temperature seemed almost like thirty degrees, but in a cozy way. Christmas music was playing in the store, and it was a romantic song that made Alice feel all happy and fuzzy, as she looked at Shinobu. Alice resisted the urge to sing along to the music; she knew this song, but didn't want to embarrass herself.

"Are you hungry?" said Shinobu randomly.

"Hungry? I just ate that cookie you gave me," said Alice, startled by the odd question.

"Oh, I just meant that maybe later we could eat something in the food court," said Shinobu.

"I guess so..." said Alice. "Did you want to eat that cookie?"

"N-No!" said Shinobu. "I was going to give it to you anyway!"

"Are you sure?" Alice bit her lip.

"Yeah... sure..." Shinobu suddenly looked depressed again.

"H-Hey... do you want to go to the food court straight away?"

"No, not at all!" said Shinobu. "Let's get the presents first!"

"Okay..." Alice started walking forward, and Shinobu followed her.

"There are cute erasers over here," said Alice, looking at a display of erasers to her right.

"Oh!" Shinobu ran up to them and pulled a few from the display. "These erasers are shaped like foods, so they're perfect for Yoko! Aya could have these ones with fairies and hearts... and Karen could have these! They're shaped like body parts!"

"Body parts?" said Alice, looking a little disgusted.

"Yeah! See, there's a head, a leg, an ear..."

"That's a little disturbing," said Alice. "C'mon, we can buy them something better than erasers." She started to walk off, and Shinobu quickly put the erasers back and followed Alice again.

"Alice, I'm really not in the mood for shopping today!" said Shinobu.

"What do you mean?" said Alice. She continued walking, not looking back at Shinobu.

"My stomach hurts."

"Because you're hungry?"

"No! My stomach always just seems to feel funny around you!"

Alice suddenly stopped walking, and Shinobu ran into her back. "Ouch!" said Shinobu. Alice's heart pounded, and she gulped.

"S-Shino... is that... is that so?" Alice waited for her friend to reply. Shinobu was sitting on the floor next to her, after having fallen down.

No response came for a while. Alice thought Shinobu was trying to make an excuse, but instead, when Alice got the courage to look back at the girl on the ground, she saw that she was looking up her dress.

"Shino!" shouted Alice, stepping back quickly. "W-What are you-"

"S-Sorry! That was an accident!" said Shinobu. She stood up, her legs shaking a little, and covered her face. Alice was blushing heavily, and it was certainly not because the cold was making her cheeks rosy. She still felt very warm; it was just...

"T-There's no way you did that on accident..." said Alice.

"So you're saying I'm a pervert now?"

"No!" shouted Alice. She stopped and looked around, but no one in the mall seemed to be listening to the conversation. So she looked back at Shinobu, who was crying again. "Shino, what's wrong? Really, I want you to tell me!"

Shinobu wiped her eyes. "D-Do you want to go out to eat somewhere after we're done shopping?"

"Not the food court?"

"I want us to celebrate Christmas together, just the two of us, and, well..."

"It's fine with me," said Alice, shaking. She squeezed the inside of her pockets. What does Shino think of me...?

"Shino, what do you think of me?" Alice managed to say it, as embarrassed as she was. She had to know.

"Y-You're my best friend, Alice..."

"I like you more than that, though. How do you feel about me, Shino?"

Shino forced herself to look directly at Alice. "L-Let's not have this conversation now, Alice..."

"We're going home," said Alice. She tugged Shinobu's sleeve as she walked back to the mall's entrance.

"B-But what about the presents?"

"Later," said Alice. "I'm not in the mood for shopping, either."

Alice got Shinobu out the doors, but then Shinobu placed her feet firmly on the ground. Alice stopped walking and looked at her again, almost in tears.

"Alice, I love you," said Shinobu. "Not like a friend, but like-"

"I know, I know!" said Alice. "I know now! Let me talk! I love you too! I want to be with you."

"A-Alice...?" said Shinobu.

"There's no better way to say it than forwardly! I was always asking myself if there was any way to tell you this, and now I have my chance, so let me keep talking! You make me happier than anyone else, so please be with me! I get so happy just hearing your voice, just seeing you, just being near you! Time flies when I'm thinking of you; it's amazing! And... and... maybe even if I pretend I don't need your help... I really need you all the time, and I just don't want to seem like I'm afraid to go anywhere without you! Everything makes me think of it, even the cheesy Christmas music... it's about us! Because-"

"Alice, you love me?"

"Duh," said Alice, sniffling.

"I never knew!" said Shinobu. She wrapped her arms around Alice and pulled her close, so close that both girls could feel each other's hearts pounding. Alice still didn't feel cold, even when snowflakes began to fall. She squeezed Shinobu tightly, as snowflakes landed in a couple's hair and dotted their winter coats. Shinobu pulled away a little, which briefly upset Alice, but then she saw that Shinobu was leaning in for a kiss. Alice closed her eyes and let it happen.

Aya and Yoko were standing several meters away. They had come to shop at the mall for Christmas presents for the other girls, but they'd become sidetracked.

"I can't believe what I'm seeing..." said Yoko.

"Yeah..." said Aya, who was blushing as she stared at her friends.

"Are they, like, lesbians or something?"

"S-So what if they are?"

"There's nothing wrong with that," said Yoko. "I just never imagined that I might know any lesbians."

"W-What about me!?" Aya blurted out.

Yoko slowly turned her head towards Aya in shock. "W-What...? You too?"

Aya looked down at the snowy ground. "N-No! I-I meant to say-"

Yoko moved closer to Aya. "Can I kiss you?"

"T-That's blunt!" Yoko came in for a kiss, and Aya gulped and had to resist all her tsundere reflexes when she kissed Yoko back.

"Christmas is such a romantic time of year, isn't it?" said Alice. She and Shinobu were watching Aya and Yoko together.

"It sure is!" Shinobu chirped.

"I wonder if Karen and Honoka will get together, too."

"Right?" said Shinobu cheerfully.

And snowflakes continued to fall.