I'm uploading this at exactly when the clock hits twelve and we leap into a new year. Happy New Year, everyone! It's been a great year with you all, thanks for sticking with my stories and my writing and I just love you all so much. Like seriously, come over here for a big hug everyone.
This chapter is a little short, but I can totally make up for that. Because this story, Evening Yesterday, will have three endings. Yep, you heard it here first! THREE endings! That way, you can pick how you like this story to end. There'll be a happy end, true end, and a bad end. Just like in visual novels. All these endings are up to one single choice by one character. You guys pumped for the ending? At least I am! Be sure to read all three endings and review them all and tell me which one you like the most!
Enough from me. On with the story.
A few days has passed since Haruka's birthday, and the year was coming to a close. Thinking back on what had happened, it really had been an eventful and wild year. Meeting Ayano and Shintaro was amazing. It felt as if they had been friends for such a long time already, where really, only a year had passed. She had so much fun when she and her friends went out together. The Enomoto Takane from a year ago would have hated going outside and spent her days cooped up in her room playing video games, but no. She was different now, and it was thanks to Haruka. He was the one who invited her to go outside and have fun all those times, and the times she had with him were much better than the ones she had shooting at zombies and monsters.
It was now the last day of the year. Takane sat on a cushion, her body warmed wonderfully by her kotatsu. She had just finished her dinner including things like mochi and soba, and she was now peeling a Mandarin orange while watching Kohaku Uta Gassen. It was now, what, the 66th? Yeah, something like that. Currently, an idol group of nine was performing on stage, and Takane couldn't deny that they were sparkling on stage. The song was also quite catchy as well.
She brought out the postcards that she received and reread them. They really did warm her heart and reminded her that someone like her had amazing friends like these. The first one was from Ayano. It was in a beautiful light red, and there was a flower design on the envelope. Ayano's siblings also sent Takane postcards. They had gotten to know each other a bit, and Takane thought that they were wonderful people. Tsubomi sent her a beautiful purple postcard, Kousuke sent a green one, and Shuuya sent a grey one. Marry also sent Takane a beautiful pink postcard. Shintaro also sent her one, and in small words he noted that his sister had made him send it. Momo also sent her one as well, and so did Momo's friend Hibiya. Of course, Haruka sent Takane a postcard as well.
Haruka's postcard read: "Takane, happy new year! It's been an amazing year with you, and I can't imagine life without you! I hope for your favor again in the coming year!" Takane smiled as she read it over and over again. Finally, she put it down and turned her attention back to the TV. However, the warmth from the kotatsu was overwhelming, and soon, she fell fast asleep...
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Takane woke up to the ringing of her phone. Groggily, she rubbed her eyes and picked up, not even pausing to glance at the screen to check who it was.
"Takane! Are you getting ready?" It was Haruka. Takane glanced at the clock and all her sleepiness faded. It was 11:47 PM. She had missed the end of Kohaku and she didn't get to see who won. And she had to get ready to go hatsumode with Haruka, Ayano, and Shintaro. At this rate, she'll be late.
"Shit!" Takane exclaimed. "Sorry, gotta get ready. I fell asleep." On the other side, Haruka laughed.
"That's okay! That happens to me a lot. Anyways, I'll hang up so you can get ready. See you there, Takane!" With that, Haruka hung up. Takane stood up quickly and ran upstairs to get dressed properly. Her grandmother came in at just the right time and without a word, she helped Takane wear her kimono. She rarely wore kimonos, and she didn't really like them either. Kimonos were hard to move in and way too formal for her. However, special occasions called for special clothing.
"Now, Takane, you'd better get going!" said Takane's grandmother. Takane nodded.
"Thanks, Grandma!" said Takane, before hurrying out the door. Her grandmother has done so many things for her, and Takane made a mental note to thank her properly afterwards. It was almost impossible to run in her kimono, so she had to walk quickly. She managed to arrive at the shrine in a few minutes, and she saw that her friends were there already.
"Sorry, sorry! I fell asleep while watching Kohaku. The kotatsu was too warm." said Takane apologetically. "Who won, by the way?"
"Red." said Shintaro. "They haven't won in a while." The quartet headed into the shrine, talking and laughing, and the first thing they did was buy o-mikuji. These fortunes were quite important. After they all payed and got their o-mikuji, the quartet opened them and read the description in silence. Takane's o-mikuji read "han-kichi", a half blessing. She skimmed over most of the fortunes. Most of the comments for the categories were quite positive, with predictions and recommendations on how to act. She had decided to read it carefully later when she got home, but the romance fortune caught her eye. It read: "Everything is up to a single choice."
What did that mean? Whose choice? What could happen if the wrong choice was made? Did she have to make that choice...? She shook her head. It wasn't time to worry about these things.
"What did you get, Takane-san?" asked Ayano.
"Half blessing." Takane replied. "What about you, Ayano-chan?"
"I got small blessing!" said Ayano, smiling.
"I got middle blessing." said Shintaro.
"Eh?! That's pretty good!" said Ayano, smiling. She seemed happier for Shintaro's fortune than her own.
"What about you, Haruka?" asked Takane, peering at Haruka's fortune. Haruka quickly put it in his pocket.
"Um, I got ending blessing..." he said. Takane narrowed her eyes. Something about Haruka's actions made him suspicious, but she let it go. They all got a cup of sake and after drinking it, they walked to the middle of the shrine and waited for the bell-ringing.
"But can you believe it? There's only a few minutes left of this year!" said Haruka excitedly.
"I know, right? I'm so excited!" said Ayano. Takane was about to reply, but the bell-ringing had started already. It rang once, twice, thrice...
"Takane..." On the 107th ring, Haruka uttered her name. Takane turned to look at him, and he smiled at her. The bell rang one last time, the sound resonating throughout the whole shrine. A booming flower bloomed in the sky, followed by many others.
"Happy new year!" Takane's eyes widened as she gazed at Haruka's smiling face, and the fireworks in the sky behind him and the echo of the bell made it seem... Magical.
She finally realized it. The pounding of her heart when he got close, the nervousness she felt when talking to him, the happiness of being beside him, she finally realized what it all meant.
She loved Haruka.
