[Author's Note: This chapter of the story takes place chronologically after one to three months from the third chapter. Don't worry, the rest of the chapters will explore what happened within those intervening months. I just decided to do this because it's the Christmas chapter.]
Snow drifted slowly across the city skyline. It was often a nice sight, especially once the sun began to set. On the rare days when Mami didn't have any errands to run, she would sit next to me to watch as the flakes flutter down onto Mitakihara.
However, it was not one of those days. Mami was out of the house and I was alone. Though, for what I had planned, I wanted her to be out. It was the kind of day where Mami would tell me she'd meet me at home, only for her to come to the apartment about three hours later when I finished my homework and she's too tired to finish hers.
It had been a few months since I moved in with her and in that time, I made due with the spare time I had. I helped tutor Madoka in English on a few days, and on other days, I would go shopping with Sayaka. Today though, I decided I would surprise Mami with a gift: Christmas cake.
But not just any Christmas cake. Mami was an avid baker, like her father before her, and she enjoys reading cooking magazines. I noticed how there was a pastry shop that she liked known as Charmant, located in Zawame City. It was gonna be a long trip, about an hour total, but I was determined to make the journey and get Mami a special cake.
As soon as Mami and I split, I went over to the bus stop. I skimmed the map to figure which route would take me to Zawame the fastest. The number 15 was the one. It had a lot of stops like multiple stops at Kazamino, but as I looked up on my phone, it was the fastest way to Zawame, as one of the stops was directly at the pastry shop. And so, I waited…
A minute passed as the bus pulled up. I hopped on, paid my fare, and rode the bus. The ride was pretty nice. No bumps at all. When the bus took the scenic route, I looked outside at the snowy landscape. There was no noise at all save for the calm voice announcing the next stop. I was reminded of the time Mami and I took the train together and she stayed by my side the whole ride. It all felt… relaxing… A little too relaxing. I closed my eyes and nodded off…
Only to wake up at the words "Last stop." Immediately my body felt cold as I began to look around. I then saw the words appear overhead by the driver's seat: "Asunaro City Station."
The bus stopped as I immediately got out. I took out my phone and noticed three missed calls from Mami, a text from Madoka, and a voicemail from Sayaka… My heart pounded as I opened up the voicemail.
"Hey, I just wanted to call and ask where you were. The music store just opened up their Christmas sales on their CDs and I was wondering if you like to come with me." As soon as she said goodbye, I hastily saved the message for later and looked at Madoka's text.
"There's a test coming up Friday, can you help me?" I bit my lip as I texted her back:
"I'm sorry. Got a little sidetracked in an errand. Can't teach you tonight, maybe tomorrow?" I sent it, then began to call Mami.
"Hello?" Instantly, I got an answer.
"Mami! It's me, Shane! I… I missed my stop and I got myself lost and now I'm stuck and I don't know what to do…" My voice was about to crack as I saw people stare at me.
"Shane, calm… It's okay. Where are you right now?" Mami asked.
"Uh… Asunaro City." I said.
…
Nothing. I heard nothing. I pulled my phone away and noticed the black screen. I tried to turn it on, only to notice it flash an empty battery.
"No no no no no no!" I wasn't sure how many times I panted, but I couldn't see anything but the empty battery. My legs became jelly as my mind began to spin. I didn't bring a charger with me and I'm now stranded in a city I don't even know…
"Hey, it's gonna be okay…" I felt someone's hand pat my head. I snapped out of my anxiety attack and saw a girl with short black hair, red eyes, and silver, bell-like earrings. "May I see your phone?" She held out her hand as I handed her my phone. She rotated the phone and saw the bottom of it. "I have a charger back home with this exact plug." She smiled.
I know I shouldn't be accepting gifts from strangers, but I was desperate and just glancing at this girl made me feel a little calmer. So, I nodded. She took my hand and led me to her home. I couldn't help but admit that I liked it. Even though I knew nothing about her, the way we walked through the winter wonderland known as Asunaro City peaceful, calm. There was a lingering worry that she may drag me to certain doom, but the smile on her face told me otherwise…
We arrived at her house as I took off my winter gear. Like Mami's, it too was pretty, albeit modest in comparison to the lavish furniture that Mami had. There were two couches, one of which I sat on. That's where I saw the charging cable within arm's reach of me. I took it and plugged my phone. It would take at least thirty minutes for it to be functional enough for a five-minute call. More than enough to talk with Mami.
"Are you hungry?" The girl asked me. I nodded. "I'll make us some strawberry risotto." She went to the kitchen as I waited. I bit my lip as the feeling of uncomfortableness clashed with the big comfy couch I was on. I felt like I shouldn't belong here. Like I was invading this home. I shuddered. I shouldn't have tried to go to Zawame. I got up and went over to the kitchen. There, I saw her preparing the food in the pot. The smell of simmering butter and wine beckoned my nose to come closer.
"... Thank you…" I muttered.
"It's no problem… Actually, I should be thanking you…" I noticed her frown. "This is going to be my first Christmas without my grandmother. And… this will be my first time making her signature risotto." As she mentioned that, I felt the urge to hug her, though I held myself back and looked away.
"This is also my first Christmas without my parents." A pause later, I spoke up in a frantic pace. "I-I mean they're not dead! I'm just living with my cousin in Mitakihara! … Her parents died and she needed some company." She simply beamed.
"It's nice being there for others, isn't it? So long as we hold that idea in our hearts, then there'll always be hope." She let the rest of the ingredients simmer in the risotto and patted my head. "Oh! Silly me, I haven't introduced myself… I'm Kazusa Michiru, though Michiru can work."
"Shane McGowan…" I said back.
"I figured you speak English." She noticed how fluently I said my name without any hint of an accent. "I can speak it too, but not a lot…" In contrast, while there was a smidge of Japanese accent in her English, it was legible.
"It's okay, we can stick with Japanese." I said. Michiru and I talked for the rest of the time the risotto was cooking, namely about what we would do for the holidays. When the risotto was ready, I went over to call Mami. The battery was twenty five percent charged, so more than enough time.
"Hey Shane! I'm on my way to Asunaro!" I smiled as I heard Mami say that. "Where are you right now?" Mami asked. I asked Michiru what address I was on and told her. "Alright, I'll see you there." With that, I hung up the phone and went to eat risotto.
"You have a nice cousin, Shane." Michiru already consumed a spoon full of risotto by the time I sat.
"Yeah. I really like her." I smiled, though not to a large extent. Michiru will never know what I truly think of Mami. I took my own spoonful and ate it. It was alright, though due to me not having anything earlier, it tasted better than I had imagined. "This is good. Thank you!"
"I'm glad you like it… It's exactly like how grandma used to make it." Michiru hummed and continued to eat.
Throughout the dinner, Michiru and I discussed about my time in Japan, the places I explored, and the friends I made. By the time I finished the risotto, she asked me a pretty big question.
"So, you seeing someone special?" She gave me a coy, yet cute smile. I blushed and focused on my bowl.
"W-well… That's the thing…" My eyes wavered away from her and scooped whatever remnant of the risotto I could find. Everything about her was just attractive. Her kindness, her tasty food, even the way she talks to me. I feared that the same infatuation complex that had me crushing on not just my classmates but also my own cousin would make me fall for her too. "Everyone to me is special." Michiru giggled.
"You're too cute!" She leaned in and pinched one of my cheeks, though I too had a giggle from this. That's when I heard the door knock.
"I think that's her." I got off my chair and got to the door… And there she was, almost like an angel with the light hanging by the door. Without any sort of second thought, I leaped into her arms and cried. She patted me and hushed me.
"I'm glad you're okay…" Mami said to me.
"I remember you!" I heard Michiru speak up. At first, I thought she referred to me, but then I heard Mami speak next.
"Well, it's a small world after all…" Mami snickered. I felt Mami's hand on my head. "Thank you very much for looking after Shane."
"The pleasure is all mine. He's great company." Michiru said. That comment alone made me turn around.
"Michiru, I'll try to see you again some time, okay?" I said.
"Sure! I'll make more risotto for us next time." With that smile, I felt calm and at peace. I waved goodbye to her as we departed from her house.
We went back to the bus stop. While it was cold, being close to Mami made me warm. We sat down on a wooden bench and waited for our bus to come.
"Mami… I'm sorry." I frowned as I remembered my phone dying around here.
"It's alright. If anything, I'm sorry. I've been too busy with my life to be with you." Mami squeezed me tightly, though I didn't seem to mind it.
"... You never really told me what you're up to after school, now that I think about it." I said.
"It's… something I don't wish to be upfront about." I bit my lip and began to think about what kind of stuff she would be doing. Started mundane, like a part-time job at an embarrassing place or even a bikini model (she had the figure for it, after all), but then my mind began to dig deeper. I heard that school girls tend to escort older men for a large sum of money.
I tried to take my mind off that line of thought before it went for darker ideas. As the bus arrived, there was one thought in my mind that was related to what she said:
Mami pretty quick after the second phone call, especially if she walked all the way to the house, so whatever her work was, it seemed to be close to Asunaro City… Or if it was what I feared it was, perhaps the service was done somewhere in Asunaro.
The bus ride home was simple enough. I sat next to Mami and held her hand the whole way home…
Or so I thought.
Ding!
"Next Stop: Zawame #7. Next Stop: Zawame #7."
"Huh?" I looked to Mami as she smiled at me.
"I've always wanted to come by here." As I the bus pull up, I knew exactly what she meant. I saw the familiar shop of Charmant just at the corner of my eye. Holy crap! Did Mami read my mind or something? It seemed pretty damn coincidental that she decided to stop for the same place I was intending to go.
But, I decided to count my blessings. It was a close-to-Christmas miracle, after all. We got off the bus and headed into Charmant to enjoy some delicious cake. Afterwards, we went home and got to sleep, though this would be one of the nights that I would remember.
Though, I kept Michiru in the back of my head, hoping that one day I'll decide to visit her again.
