Nene stood on the bridge, gazing into the snow-covered distance. The air was frigid, causing the puffs of her breath to be visible upon it.

As the sun was beginning to set, Nene became painfully aware how close the eve of Christmas was approaching. She had been determined since the beginning of the year for a certain wish to happen tonight, but now her hopes were dashed as the eve drew nearer.

She wanted to fall in love... to experience her first kiss. But throughout the year, from every crush she confessed to, she was rejected. It was painfully obvious her Christmas wish would never be granted.

Sighing, Nene looked down at the rushing water beneath her. The small man-make river glistened with coins people threw down. "I wonder if..."

As Nene reached into her jacket pocket for some coin, something hopped out. "Ah!"

Startled, Nene jumped back to see a pink, bunny-eared creature with a piece of candy it had stolen from Nene's pocket.

"Don't be afraid. It's just a mokke."

"Huh?" Nene turned her gaze to the sound of the voice. A boy stood there who seemed around her age, warmly dressed in chocolaty colors. "A... mokke?"

"Mmhmm. They won't hurt you... as long as you have candy!" the boy laughed, scooping the mokke into his hands. "You wanted to make a wish?"

Nene was surprised. "H-How did you...?"

"You're standing over a wishing river." he pointed.

"O-Oh..."

"What did you want to wish for?"

"Oh, eheheh... if I say, it won't come true!" she quickly said.

"You didn't even make a wish."

"That's because that little pink thief startled me!"

"We're sorry..." the mokke said.

"Eh? We?" Nene blinked. Then she shrieked. A whole bunch of mokke suddenly jumped out of her pockets, each with a candy between their ears, running toward the boy.

"Hahahahaha!"

Nene pouted. "Stop laughing."

"If you want to make a wish..." the boy held up a shiny coin. "...I can help grant it."

Nene blinked as the boy dropped the coin into her hands. "Um... are you sure?"

He smiled. "Yeah!"

"I don't even know your name..."

"Oh! That was rude of me, huh? It's Yu—" he paused. "Hanako."

"Hanako?" Nene tilted her head. "Isn't that a girl's name?"

"I get that a lot. But just call me that for now. What about you? I haven't caught your name either."

"Yashiro Nene!" she smiled.

"Nene..." he repeated. "You have a very cute name."

Her cheeks flushed when he said that, causing her to look away. "O-Oh! The sun is going down!"

"Better make your wish! You wanted something to happen at Christmas, right?"

"How..." Nene quickly shook the thought and closed her eyes. It was a long shot, but maybe... just maybe...

She dropped the coin just as the sun went to sleep for the night. The entire city shined aglow with Christmas lights as darkness engulfed the sky.

Hanako looked down at the river. "Oh! The river is carrying it off!"

"Does that mean my wish is being washed away?"

He looked at her. "No. I think it means your wish is about to come true!"

Just then, a mistletoe appeared out of nowhere between their faces. Nene's eyes widened and her cheeks flushed. She didn't notice the mokke discreetly dangling it over them.

"Oh, is this what you wished for, Nene?" Hanako said slyly.

"Uh, umm... n-not exactly..." Nene was terrible at lying.

She felt a hand press against her cheek. Hanako turned her face back to his. "You know what standing under the mistletoe entails, right... Nene?"

Her heart began to thump harder in her chest. Could it be? Her wish was really coming true? But with a stranger?!

"Nnn... ONLY ON THE CHEEK, OKAY?!" she shouted, closing her eyes shut.

And at that moment, she felt a pair of lips lightly peck her cheek before pulling away. Opening her eyes, she blinked and then looked up at Hanako. "Huh?"

"You got what you wished for, right?"

"Eheheheh... yeah, I guess so.." she scratched the back of her head, blushing profusely.

"Well, I better be going now." As Hanako was about to turn and walk away, Nene shouted.

"Wait!"

He stopped. "Hm?"

"U-Um... m-maybe you'd like... to spend Christmas Eve with me? We could look at the lights?"

He opened his mouth, but what he was about to say was lost. Instead, he just warmly smiled. "Sure. I'd like that."

So the two of them strolled about to look at the lights. Nene found it a little odd that not many people were out. It felt as if the whole world belonged to just the two of them—well, in addition to the cute little bunny-eared creatures tailing them.

"Whoa! That Christmas tree is so huge!" Nene marveled, running up to it.

"Wow. I've never seen one so big before, either!" Hanako commented.

"Can we take a picture in front of it?' Nene asked.

"H-Huh?"

"Yeah! For a keepsake!"

"Uh..." he hesitated for a moment, then nodded. "Sure!"

Excitedly, Nene pulled Hanako toward the tree and got out her phone. "Okay everyone, smile!"

The two squeezed in close whilst the mokke posed atop their shoulders and heads. The phone made a click sound effect. "Perfect! I'm gonna have to print this out when I come home!"

"Let's try again."

"Hm?"

"This time with my camera." Hanako held up an old looking Polaroid.

"Sure!"

The two squeezed in for another shot in front of the tree. The photo instantly printed out and Hanako shook it. "It takes some time for it to show up. Here."

"Huh?"

"You keep it up."

"Oh... thanks! But then you won't have a copy?"

"Don't worry. I'm happy at least one of us has it."

Nene found that a little strange, but was grateful for the keepsake anyway. "I can always send you the copy I took on my phone—" Nene nearly shrieked. "Ehhh?! Where it'd go?! Did I forget to save it? Waaah!"

Hanako chuckled. "It's a good thing I insisted on another picture, huh?"

"Yeah. That was a good call!"

The night continued on and the two continued to stroll, admiring all the pretty lights and decorations. They found themselves walking along the wishing river again, and without even noticing it, Hanako had discreetly taken Nene's hand in his.

"The moon is nearly full," Hanako pointed out. "It'll be a full moon tomorrow."

"Ooooh... it's so pretty even now..." Nene said as she gazed up. "I barely notice a piece of it is missing!"

"I wanted to go there once."

"Hm?" Nene turned to see Hanako look a little solemn.

"...a long time ago."

"Did you dream of becoming an astronaut as a kid?"

Hanako didn't answer.

"You could wish for it!"

"It's too late... that wish can no longer be realized..."

The sting in Hanako's voice made Nene's heart ache. She knew how it felt to have your hopes dashed. And although the two wished for very different things, a dream is a dream. And to be denied that dream hurts more than anything else.

"Your wish came true tonight, right?"

Nene was broken from her train of thought. "Huh? O-Oh."

"Yashiro Nene..." Hanako took both her hands. "I'm glad I could grant your wish tonight!"

"Hanako—"

Before she could utter another word, Hanako drew closer to her face and kissed her lips. The moment was brief, yet felt as if it stretched on forever.

"H-Hanako...!"

"That's what you really wanted, right?" Hanako said, stuffing his hands in his pockets.

Her face was entirely red as a tomato at this point. She placed both her hands on her cheeks, unable to process what happened. 'Hanako kissed me?! Did I just experience my first kiss?! Did we just fall in love?!'

"Nene."

"U-Uh, y-yes?"

She noticed Hanako's back was turned, the mokke tailing behind him. He lifted his hand to signify a wave goodbye. "I'm happy to have spent Christmas Eve with you. If I was allowed a wish of my own... I would've wished we'd met in a different time..."

"Hanako..."

"Yugi Amane."

"Huh?"

He turned around to look at her one more time. "That's my real name."

"Amane..." she repeated.

He smiled hearing her say it. "Goodbye, Yashiro Nene."

Christmas day

"Nene!" Aoi called, running over to her friend. "It was hard to make out what you were saying on the phone! So tell me all the details!"

"O-Oh... so I met this boy last night..." she began, but was soon interrupted by Aoi's squeaking.

"A boy?! Was he cute?!"

"H-He really wasn't my type, but uh..." Nene's cheeks flushed despite saying that.

"I see he stole your heart anyway~"

"I-I wouldn't say that!" Nene quickly said.

"Awww, it's written all over your face! I'm happy for you! It always made me so sad when you kept telling me about all the boys that rejected you. I personally could never understand it."

'I don't date girls with daikon legs.'

Nene trembled as that dreaded comment she'd heard countless times echoed in her brain.

"Nene, are you OK?"

"O-Oh yes, sorry!" Nene looked down at the photo she had taken in front of the big Christmas tree last night. "I guess since my wish already came true, I can say it without any bad luck..."

So Nene proceeded to tell Aoi about her wish, the mysterious meeting, and the parting of ways. "I'm not sure what he meant by wishing we'd met in a different time, but—" Nene paused when she saw Aoi's pale face. "Aoi? What's wrong, are you OK?"

"Nene... what did you say that boy's name was again?"

"Eh? Oh it was something like... Hanako... no, that's not right..."

'Yugi Amane. That's my real name.'

"Amane... his name was Yugi Amane. Why?"

"So you don't know the story?" Aoi's voice was shaking. "...a boy had drowned in the wishing river sometime ago... they say his name was Yugi Amane, he's been dead for decades!"

Nene felt like all the breath in her lungs was choked out of her body. "Dead... for... decades? But that can't be possible! I saw him! W-We even kissed..." she barely muttered that last part.

Aoi cautiously put her hand on Nene's shoulder. "I think what you actually saw was a ghost."

"Nn...!"

'If I was allowed a wish of my own... I would've wished we'd met in a different time...'

Tears sprung from Nene's eyes as the weight of Amane's words finally sunk in. She really had spent Christmas Eve with a ghost.