Sovereign: I would like to thank SpiritTamer and Lightmoon54 for reviewing the last chapter. Thanks guys!

UPDATE (7th May 2017): I would like to give a special shout-out to Beatrice of So Beat! for drawing the cover image of my story. Thank you very much! I love it!

You guys can check out her official website at: beatricherunner dot wix dot com / beat-b-tjondro

The New Year

"Hello everyone! It's now 3:54 PM, which means we are only less 24 hours away from the New Year! I hope all of you have finished making your preparations for tomorrow's Japanese New Year celebrations. And regardless whether you had a great 2021 or not, let's all wish 2022 will be a much brighter year for all of us!"

As Hitoha sat at the couch watching the television, Mitsuha stood at the kitchen watching a mochi machine pounding the rice into a round-shaped rice cake. When the machine finished making the process, Mitsuha stops the machine, takes the rice out and carefully stacks it on top of another rice cake she made earlier.

Meanwhile, Yotsuha is sitting at the dining table and she's just finishing up decorating the food which she placed inside a bento box. After she neatly places the flower beside some skewered prawns, she puts aside her chopsticks and places a plastic lid over the box. She then stacks the box on top of three other bento boxes she made earlier.

"Obaa-chan, I'm done making the Osechi-ryori." Yotsuha said, turning to Hitoha.

"That's good, Yotsuha." Hitoha replied, turning her head to her youngest granddaughter with a wan smile. "What about you, Mitsuha? Are you done making the kagami mochi?"

"Yup, I've finished making my eighth one." Mitsuha replied as she places her kagami mochi next to seven other ones she made earlier. Her stomach then did a twist as she asked her younger sister, "Yotsuha, what's the time now?"

Yotsuha looks up and sees the clock hung on the wall in front of her. "3:55 PM!"

"We only got an hour and five minutes to meet up with them!" Mitsuha cried anxiously.

"Right!" Yotsuha said as she gets up from her chair.

"Well, what are you two waiting for? Get changing. And don't worry about the tangerines, Mitsuha. I'll add them on the kagami mochis by myself." Hitoha said, smiling at Mitsuha.

"Arigatou Obaa-chan!" Mitsuha said to her grandmother in relief. She and Yotsuha then run off to their respective rooms to change into a new set of clothes.

While inside her room, Mitsuha opens her cupboard and spends a few minutes analyzing through all of her clothing inside. Eventually, she takes out a pink long-sleeved sweatshirt with white stripes and a pair of blue jeans. She closes the cupboard and places the clothes she has picked out onto her bed. After removing the clothes that she was wearing earlier, she now puts on her pink sweatshirt and blue jeans.

After she is done changing into a new set of clothes, she walks up to her large mirror she placed at the right side of her room. It's funny that all of the things that survived the destruction of Itomori, it's the mirror that she and Taki always see their reflections on whenever they wake up from bed and dress themselves up for school every morning.

She ties her red ribbon on the back of her long black hair before looking up at her own reflection on the mirror. She gently pushes aside a strand of hair from her vision and she smiles at herself.

Today is the first ever New Year's Eve she is celebrating with Taki. It is a bittersweet feeling for her as for the last eight years, she spend every New Year's Eve feeling heartbroken, knowing that another year is about to pass without finding the man she has lost her connection with. Although Tessie and Sayaka were there to comfort her, she can never get over the fact of entering another year without the man she loves.

But now, after a long time, she is finally going to celebrate the first New Year's Eve with Taki and she couldn't be happier.

Mitsuha turns around and walks up to the door. She steps out of her room and sees her younger sister standing outside, waiting for her with her hands placed firmly on both sides of her hip. She sees that she is now dressed in a white t-shirt with a dark red jacket over it and blue jeans.

"Are you ready, onee-chan?" Yotsuha asked.

"Yup. Let's get going." Mitsuha nods her head. The two sisters make their way to the main door and they walk pass their grandmother.

"Happy New Year, Obaa-chan!" The two said in unison as they wave goodbye to Hitoha.

"Happy New Year to the both of you too. Have fun and say hello to Taki, Tessie and Sayaka for me!" Hitoha said, waving back at them with a huge smile on her face.

After Mitsuha and Yotsuha step out of the house, they put on their shoes and the elder sister closes the door. After making sure the door is locked, both sisters then walk down the corridor.

"Mitsuha, do you think father will come tomorrow?" Yotsuha asked her sister.

"I'm sure he will." Mitsuha said, turning to Yotsuha. "Of course, Obaa-chan won't be happy to see him. As always."

Yotsuha sighs in frustration. "It's good that father visits us every New Year, but…it's so frustrating that he isn't around for us all the time. Sure he picks up our calls and talks to us every now and then, but what kind of father isn't there for his children whenever they need him." She said with a frown.

Mitsuha lowers her head and her eyes softened, knowing that Yotsuha is saying the honest truth. "I know how you feel, sis. And Obaa-chan certainly feels the same way too." She said.

"I don't even know if I should consider him as my father. He never hesitated to abandon us after mother died and I barely knew him because I was only three back then." Yotsuha said, narrowing her eyes and stuffing her hands into her pockets.

The two continue walking in silence until they find themselves standing in front of the elevator. After pressing the button, Mitsuha suddenly grabs her sister's right pigtail and playfully pulls it down.

"ACK-HEY!" Yotsuha cried in annoyance. She turns to her elder sister, who giggles at her.

"Come on sis. Now it's not the time to think of anything negative. Today is New Year's Eve and we're going to have a good time by celebrating with our friends!" Mitsuha said encouragingly.

A grin breaks out and plastered itself across Yotsuha's face. "Yes! You're absolutely right!" She said.

Sayaka looks at her watch in worry. The time is now only 2 minutes away from their proposed meeting time and yet Mitsuha, Yotsuha and Taki haven't shown up. She and Tessie are now currently in Akabanebashi Station where they and their friends are planning to countdown to the New Year at the Zojoji Temple, which is located near the Tokyo Tower.

Sayaka is dressed in a dark red coat, black pants and brown boots while Tessie is wearing a blue t-shirt with a dark grey jacket over it, black pants and black shoes.

"Can you relax, Sayaka? They'll show up." Tessie reassured his wife.

Sayaka sighs and lowers her arm as she turns to Tessie. "I know. It's just that ever since I've gotten my job as an office manager, I expect everything and everybody around me to be punctual now, both in and outside work."

"Come on dear." Tessie said, placing his hands on her shoulders and comforting her. "Don't think about how stressful your work is all the time. Relive yourself and take good care of your mentality."

"Seriously, I'm getting advice of taking care of something from a guy who got his motorcycle broken?" Sayaka asked her husband.

"Hey! At least I got it fixed." Tessie protested.

"With someone else's money…" Sayaka deadpanned as she rolls her eyes. "You better pay Taki back some day. He risked his time and money to help you that night and you should repay him."

"Hey guys!"

Sayaka and Tessie turn their heads to the direction of the voice and huge smiles appear on their faces. They see Taki running over to them. He is dressed in a gray shirt with a long-sleeved black jacket over it, black pants and white shoes.

"Taki! You made it!" Tessie said as he waves his hand to his friend. Taki stops in front of the both of them and shook hands with Sayaka.

"Thanks for setting up this gathering, you two." Taki said to them before he turns to Tessie and shook hands with him.

"No problem at all! It's always great to watch a celebration with a group of friends." Tessie smirked.

"By the way, don't mind if I bring in an additional person to join us for our gathering?" Taki inquired.

"And who would that be?" Sayaka asked puzzled.

"So sorry Taki. It took me a while to top up my train card. The machines here are really slow." A voice said apologetically, causing Tessie and Sayaka to look behind Taki and see who is approaching them.

Taki turns and sees Okudera walking over to him. She is dressed in a sleeveless black sweater with a long-sleeved brown trench coat over it, blue jeans and brown boots. She stops in front of Taki and smiles at him.

"Mrs. Okudera, I would like to introduce you to my friends, Sayaka Natori and Katsuhiko Teshigawara. But you can call him Tessie." Taki said, gesturing Okudera to the couple.

"Hello there. It's a pleasure to meet the both of you." Okudera greeted and bowed. "I'm Miki Okudera. I'm a friend and former co-worker of Taki."

"Former co-worker? Whoa." Tessie grins and widens his eyes at Okudera. "Taki, I didn't know you used to work alongside with such a beautiful woman."

Taki narrows his eyes at Tessie in annoyance while Sayaka glares at her husband and hits him in the abdomen with her elbow.

"Ow!" Tessie cried in pain.

Okudera simply laughed as she places her hands behind her back. "You're making me blush, sir." She said to Tessie.

"Okudera actually sent me a message yesterday, asking me if Mitsuha and I would like to celebrate New Year's Eve with her. But I suggested to her why not join us instead? And she agrees." Taki explained.

"Well, we always have room for one more person. The more the merrier, right?" Sayaka said smiling.

"Hey everyone!" Mitsuha called.

Tessie and Sayaka turn around and see Mitsuha and Yotsuha walking over to them. The two sisters wave their hands as they approach the group.

"Hey Mitsuha! It's been a while." Sayaka said smiling as she and Mitsuha wrap themselves into an embrace.

"It sure is." Mitsuha replied. She then pulls away from the hug and turns to Tessie. "How have you and Sayaka been?"

"Oh just peachy." Tessie shrugs his shoulder. "Well except that one night, I came home late because my bike broke down."

"Yeah…" Taki frowned and lowers his head as he unpleasantly recollects the memories of that night.

"By the way, my grandmother says 'hi' to the both of you." Mitsuha said to Tessie and Sayaka.

"Ah yes, Hitoha. I haven't seen her in a long time. Has she been alright?" Tessie asked.

"Yup, she's fine." Yotsuha said, nodding her head. "She may be old but she's still as fit as a fiddle."

"Hello Yotsuha. And my, you've grown so big since the last time I saw you." Sayaka smiled at Yotsuha as she places her hand on her shoulder.

"And you've changed your hair." Yotsuha commented. A playful smirk then appears on her face. "Which is good because I never like those braids. They were ugly as sin."

"Hey!" Sayaka snapped as her cheeks blushed while Tessie is shaking and covering his mouth, trying his best not to laugh. "Are you saying that you think I was always ugly during my youth while I had those braids? And pot calls the kettle black! You still tie your hair to pigtails."

"Cute and beautiful looking pigtails." Yotsuha grins slyly as she pushes her right pigtail, causing it to briefly swing side to side. "And the people in the city really like my style, unlike yours."

"You may be in high school now, but you're still the same old pesky little sister to Mitsuha." Sayaka narrows her eyes as she folds her arms.

While Yotsuha and Sayaka are having their conversation, Mitsuha stood in front of Taki.

"Hello Taki-kun." She greeted with a warm smile.

"Hello Mitsuha." Taki smiles back at her as he stuffs his hands into his pockets. "How's everything?"

"Everything's been fine. Oh, and Obaa-chan says 'hi' to you." Mitsuha said.

Taki chuckled. "Your grandmother really likes me, doesn't she?"

"Well, mainly because she's always encouraging me to get married before I turn 30." Mitsuha said as her smirk widens. After Yotsuha is done talking with Sayaka, she walks over to her sister and Taki.

"Hello Taki!" Yotsuha greeted her sister's boyfriend as she waves her hand at him.

"Hey Yotsuha, it's been a while." Taki smiled as he gently places his hand on her shoulder.

"Have you been nice to my sister?" Yotsuha narrows her eyes at him.

"Of course I have. Why do you still not fully trust me?"

"Ahem."

Yotsuha, Mitsuha and Taki turn their heads to Okudera as she places her hands on both sides of her hips. "You are aware that I've been standing here this whole time, right?"

"Oh, sorry that we kind of forgotten about you." Taki said as he and Mitsuha rubs the back of their heads. Yotsuha arches an eyebrow in confusion.

"Who are you?" She asked Okudera.

"Hi!" Okudera smiled as she extends her hand to Yotsuha. "I'm Miki Okudera, a friend of Taki."

Yotsuha shakes her hand and smiles back at Okudera. "Nice to meet you, Okudera. I'm Yotsuha Miyamizu, younger sister of Mitsuha." She said.

"Awww, Mitsuha." Okudera turns to Mitsuha. "You never told me you had a younger sister, and she looks adorable."

"You really think so? Arigatou!" Mitsuha smiled at her friend while Yotsuha chuckled as she places a finger on her cheek. "By the way, are you here alone? Where's your husband?"

"Oh my husband is staying at home. He has some paperwork to do and after that, he'll celebrate the New Year by watching the city's fireworks display from our apartment." Okudera explained.

"Working on New Year's Eve? That doesn't sound right." Taki said with his arms folded.

"Well what can I do?" Okudera turns to Taki and shrugged. "He's under the workaholic's curse."

"Alright!" Sayaka yelled, getting everyone's attention. "Now that everybody's here at last, let's head to the nearest shopping mall and spend some time together before the celebration!"

For the next two hours, the six walk through a nearby shopping mall where they enter a few shops to buy whatever item catches their eye.

After they're done with their shopping, they all enter a restaurant to have their dinner. They gather around a table and ordered their food. When their dinner arrived, they all close their eyes and clasp their hands together.

"Itadakimasu!" Everyone said in unison before they look back at their food and grab their chopsticks. They take whatever food they have ordered and place them on their bowls of rice. After Yotsuha places her prawn and beef on her rice, she looks up and examines everyone who is sitting around her.

She sees Sayaka and Tessie staring at each other and place food into each other's mouths. Then she turns her head and sees Taki, Mitsuha and Okudera having a conversation with each other. Okudera tells a joke to them which made Taki and her sister laugh.

'My sister and friends are with me, but I still feel…lonely.'

"Yotsuha?" Yotsuha snaps out of her thoughts and turns to Mitsuha who looks at her in concern. "Are you okay?"

Yotsuha sighs. "I'm fine. It's just…everybody around here has a partner except me. You got Taki as your boyfriend, Sayaka and Tessie are married, and Mrs. Okudera has a husband."

Mitsuha smiles warmly and wraps an arm around her sister. "Cheer up sis. I'm sure you'll find that special someone in the future." She reassured.

"Really?" Yotsuha asked as she slightly tilts her head to the side.

"Yup." Mitsuha nods her head. "And even if it takes a long time, just keep searching and don't lose hope. Just like how Taki and I eventually found each other because we never gave up."

Yotsuha stares wordlessly at her sister as she contemplates what she has told her. Mitsuha gives her a pat on the back before she grabs her chopsticks, picks up a piece of cabbage and places it on her sister's bowl of rice.

"Here you go. You should eat more vegetables." She said to her.

Yotsuha turns back to her bowl and silently eats her dinner.

4 hours and 30 minutes later, the six arrived at Zojoji Temple. They enter the temple and see that the open area is packed with hundreds of people. Many lanterns are hanged around to lit up the area. Taki, Mitsuha, Yotsuha, Tessie, Sayaka and Okudera stick close to each other as they carefully squeeze through the huge crowd and navigate through the area. They eventually reach the middle of the area where they got a perfect view of the Tokyo Tower. They all look up and smile as they admire the sight of the landmark. It's completely dark right now but at midnight, something spectacular will happen.

Okudera went off to a booth to pick up six balloons and a marker. After getting them, she rushes back to her friends and pass each of them a balloon. They then take turns to use the marker to write down their New Year wishes onto their balloons. When they're all done, Okudera puts away the marker and they all hang onto their balloons tightly.

Sayaka sighs and turns to Taki and Mitsuha. "I can't believe another year has gone by so fast, hasn't it? I'm definitely going to miss 2021." She said to them.

"Me too." Tessie said as he wraps an arm around his wife. "2021 was the year we finally got married."

"And I hope 2022 will be the year when you are fully committed to have a child together." Sayaka said, turning to Tessie.

"Hmmm…" Tessie looks up into the sky as he ponders. "Maybe by the end of summer." He said as he turns back to her with a smirk.

"Ugh." Sayaka rolls her eyes. "You're so lazy." Taki and Mitsuha laugh for a while before Sayaka turns her head back to them. "What about you guys? Was 2021 a great year for the both of you?"

"It sure was. 2021 was the year we finally found each other." Taki said to her. Mitsuha widens her smile as she tightens her grip around Taki's hand. Taki turns his head to Mitsuha and smiles back at her.

"I'm glad we finally did. And I look forward to spending the whole of next year…with you." Mitsuha uttered. Taki sighs blissfully before and he and Mitsuha close their eyes and place their heads against each other.

"Guys! Only one minute left!" Yotsuha cried to everyone. Everyone turn back to the front and look up at the tower.

"This is it, guys! In less than a minute, we'll be entering the New Year. And I look forward to it with my lovely wife and my two best friends." Tessie grins.

"Ahem." Yotsuha said to him in annoyance.

"Oh, right. And my best friend's sister." Tessie said, turning to Yotsuha.

"Um hello?" Okudera said, narrowing her eyes at him.

"Oh, yes." Tessie said, now turning his head to Okudera. "And my best friend's…best friend." Everyone simply laugh before they turn their visions back to the tower and anxiously wait for the New Year to arrive.

Everybody present in the open area started shouting and Taki, Mitsuha, Yotsuha, Tessie, Sayaka and Okudera join in.

"10…9…8…7…6…5…4…3…2…1…HAPPY NEW YEAR!"

Everyone cheered as they all release their balloons and watch the Tokyo Tower lights up and illuminates the night sky while the numbers "2022" appeared on the observation deck.

"Happy New Year, onee-chan!" Yotsuha cried to Mitsuha, smiling with her eyes wide.

"Happy New Year to you too, Yotsuha!" Mitsuha said as she and Yotsuha embrace each other. Mitsuha rests her chin on Yotsuha's head and while the younger sister pats her older sibling on the back.

"Happy New Year, honey." Tessie uttered to Sayaka as they turn to each other.

"Happy New Year, Tessie." Sayaka said as her eyes softened. The two lean their heads towards each other and kiss.

"Happy New Year, Taki." Okudera said to Taki.

"Happy New Year to you too, Okudera. May 2022 be a much better year for all of us." Taki smiled at his friend.

Meanwhile, Hitoha stood at the corridor of her apartment building. A wan smile swept across her face as she watches the fireworks bursting in the night skyline of Tokyo.

At Taki's apartment, his father stood at the balcony and watches the fireworks display happening in the distance. He lets out a sigh before uttering, "Happy New Year Taki…Ayase…"

Taki and Mitsuha turn their heads and smile as they blissfully stare into each other's eyes. She then proceeds to plant a kiss on Taki's cheek.

"Happy New Year, Taki-kun." She said softly.

Taki then plants a kiss on Mitsuha's forehead.

"Happy New Year, Mitsuha." He said barely above a whisper.

They turn back to the brightly lit Tokyo Tower and Mitsuha rests her head on Taki's shoulder.

It couldn't get any better than this.