He took one more look around his room, which laid many familiar objects. Posters which he had gotten long ago. Books and mangas are neatly stacked in one corner of the room. And figurines with most of them bearing silver-haired characters. Seriously there is a lot of it. Despite that though, a sense of comfort exudes from it all, calming him down.

He took in a deep breath, silently psyching himself for the fateful meeting. He was nervous? Definitely. Extremely anxious and worried? Absolutely. Terrified? He can feel his heart pounding with each passing minute. He adjusted his attire in an attempt to calm down for the tenth time now.

He imagined this was how athletes must feel when they are aiming for victory. Those last few moments where everything will be decided as their bodies begin to go into overdrive, pushing every fiber of their being past their limits, and achieve what was thought to be impossible. Yet this was not a competition, or an athlete battle, or any types of battle at that. This was something that to him, was so much more nerve racking and intense.

A date, and a movie date at that.

He paced around in his tight space, his mind darting through every possible scenario and outcome that might happen. He thought about the possibility of losing the ticket, so he checked his pockets. They were there. He thought about them being late for the premier, he checked the clock next to his bed. There was still a good hour and a half left. Letting out a long sigh, he tries to ease his mind from all these terrifying thoughts. He doesn't want to keep thinking of bad what ifs all the time after all.

But that only allowed for another thought to go through him. What if the movie isn't good? The two of them both decided on this film, but if it turns out to be not what they are expecting, it would become awkward quickly. If that happens, he needs another plan. Luckily, he has a real knack at coming up with things on the spot, leading to most of their dates ending in fun or exciting ways. But he knows more than to rely on luck all the time, there should always be another plan in case of anything that might happen. At least, it's what his dad would have done…right?

"Subaruuuuu, she's hereeee." A gentle feminene voice called out to him, ending his thoughts.

Crap. He still hasn't come up with any contingencies yet, but making her wait for him would be the last thing on his mind. This isn't good. This is horrible actually! But he can't keep her waiting, so he'll just have to rely on his natural born skills of figuring things out on the fly!

"C-coming!" He replied, closing the door to his room and proceeding down the hall.

Before he could go any further though, a large figure stood before him, light refracted from his glasses.

"Hmm, you're being quite hasty there, Subaru." Chuckling, the man spoke as he pushed up his glasses. Patting the boy on the shoulder, he then proceeds to fix up his face.

"But remember son, whatever you do don't act so nervous around her, alright? Just stay cool."

"I know, I know. I'm not a kid anymore alright?" He groaned, his face contorts. Despite what he said though, his heart was pounding harder than those massive drums he had seen back in his elementary school days. In other words, he was anything but calm.

"Hah, you seem just the same as you always were. But I suppose you are right, you are already in college after all." Natsuki Kenichi replies, a smile spreading across his lips as he points towards the door. "Anyways, I won't delay your date any longer, go get her Natsuki Subaru, my son."

"Right, thanks dad." Subaru nods, hiding the encroaching smile threatening to show up. In spite of his eccentric and sometimes annoying personality, Subaru was happy that his father cared so much about him. Perhaps he'll get something for him once he's done.

As he got closer to the front door, he inexplicably began to check his hair and clothing, making sure to look as presentable as possible. Although he had never truly worn any formal clothes besides his student uniform, he wasn't sure if he looked alright or not. He was wearing a jet black tuxedo, with a matching color tied along with it. The white shirt he was wearing underneath contrasted quite well with the rest of his color scheme, at least that's what he was told by his parents. With all that said however, it was time for the moment of truth.

But before he could reach the door handle, another hand reached over to his back, dragging him back. Turning back, a family figure wearing their signature apron appeared before him.

"Now now, let me have one last look at you." She softly says, gliding her hand across his body, straightening his tuxedo.

"It's alright mom, I already checked it over a hundred times now…" He remarked, slightly embarrassed. Natsuki Naoko only smiled at this however.

"That so? I suppose one more time can't hurt."

"A-ghk! That's too tight!" Jumping back, he pulls down his tie.

"Ara, sorry about that~" She giggles into her palm. "I guess I am quite nervous for you after all."

"This isn't the first time we have gone on a date, so I'm not sure why you still feel that way." He said that, but his heart was still pounding. This not being their first date was true, but this was the first time that they are going to see a movie together. Sitting side by side, their hands barely inches away from touching each other. Getting to see her face up close for the rest of the movie...AHHHH! No no, he shouldn't think about that now! It will only make him all the more panicky when it happens!

"Mmm, do you have everything you need?"

"Yep, it's all here." He pats his left pockets. "So anyways, can I go now?"

"Hold up, let me give you one last thing." She turned around, grabbing something from the kitchen table. She then promptly hands him a small bottle of-

"Mayonnaise?! Why?!" He exclaimed, clearly baffled.

"You never know if you'll need it, so it's better to be prepared than underprepared right?" And yet, his mother simply replied, not even a bit of doubt present in her mind. He already knows that she was a bit strange, but this was way too much.

"I really don't think that's what the saying is for. Besides, what could I possibly do to need this?"

"Just trust your mother ok? Who knows, she might just like the flavor. All the more reasons for you to like her right?"

"Her liking it or not is not the problem here!" Though, if she did then that would be nice.

"Here, I'll put it where she can't see. Is that better?" She then tucks it into his right pocket, making sure that it does not fall out. He audibly groaned, yet did not try to protest any longer. It would be pointless trying to make her reconsider anyways.

"Alright, I'm leaving now."

"Mm, take care."

As he waves her goodbye, Subaru looks over to the front door once again. Despite the weird topic, her antic was able to calm his nerves down a bit, as his hands weren't shaking anymore. Taking in air before exhaling, he quickly psyche himself up.

"Alright, just gotta be yourself, Subaru. Just be yourself." He twist the handle, gently pushing the door open. And standing behind it….was the most beautiful sight he has ever seen.

Standing in front of him, her radiance was simply blinding. Her black dress accentuated her naturally silver like hair, coupled with black colored gloves that covered her hands, further showcasing their slimness and beauty. Her face was as wonderful as ever, with her amethyst eyes staring deeply into his. The side of her hair was held by a small cat-like ping, giving her a childish look despite the alluring clothing she was wearing. He found it adorable of her.

He continued to stare at her blankly, truly in awe of her appearance. This lasted for almost a minute until the girl spoke.

"Um...Subaru?" She muttered, her cheeks slowly turning reddish. "I-is there something wrong with me?"

Realizing his mistake, he shook his head before giving her his brightest smile and thumbs up.

"Nope, not at all Emilia-tan! You look so stunning that I can't help but freeze at the sight of you!"

"I-I see...but you don't have to compliment me so much." She shyly says, moving her arms towards her dress. "It's my first time wearing something like this, does it fit that well?"

"Yes yes yes! It fits perfectly! Like a perfectly shaped cube being placed in a perfectly shaped box for the cube!" He wasn't even sure what he was saying anymore, his mind trying its best to come back from the aftershock.

"What are you even saying at this point? Jeez, let's just go." Her face now even redder, she then grabs him by his collar wrist as she drags him away. It seems she is still easily embarrassed by compliments. No problem, he'll keep complimenting her as much as she needs until she truly finds confidence in her own self. That's what he is good at after all.

And so, as the two matched each other's pace, their fateful date begins.

Lights filled the streets, yet there were oddly no cars around. This was natural however, considering how the road was covered in snow. There were only a few people walking down the sideroad, two of those belonging to a silver-haired girl and black-haired boy.

"So, how's your major going, Emilia-tan?" Deciding to speak first, Subaru said. "From what I heard, it doesn't seem to be so easy-going."

"Hah, you have no idea…" Emilia tiredly says, a long sigh escaped from her mouth.

"Some complications occurred which resulted in the delay of my equipment, which only then further complicated the experiment with me having to reschedule it in a functioning timeline…" Emilia continued to go on and on, eventually it became a full monolog. He didn't mind it though, despite not understanding much of it, it was a good way for her to de-stress.

"So that's that...another typical day of another eventful month." She remarks, her tone and her delivery clearly contrasted her statement.

"You certainly got a lot on your plate."

"Definitely, but what about you? A week ago you got pretty popular, you know that?"

"Oh, that…" Subaru rubs his cheek, unsure of how to answer it. He recalls the events of past weeks and what led to his boom in fame.

It was a minor thing really, yet somehow it got him so much attention. Now he's being called around school the "Wonder Boy" or something close to that. Truthfully, he cringed at every mention of him, it was just some dumb dream he had anyways.

A dream where everything was so odd, strange yet wonderful. A world where humans and half-human, half-animals live amongst each other. Where there will be dragons and kingdoms ruled by Kings and Queens. A place where magic was not considered a fantasy, yet is used in such ways that will help people in their lives. A colorful world where everything was so different from this one.

Every time he thinks of it, it always feels so...real. He knows almost every little detail and bit in each possible nook and cranny. The world, the terrain, the nations, the people, even the magic system. Everything, like he had actually experienced it all. And so when it came down to the literature assignment where he was tasked to write a story revolving about any subjects he liked, he fell for his temptations and gave it a shot. Unfortunately, it ended up becoming way more than just some fun attempt at him trying to formulate his thoughts, into a full blown story that somehow got immensely popular around the school.

At first he was glad that it was getting recognition and gave it a much higher grade than he had ever gotten on the subject, but it quickly became overwhelming with so many people reading and got invested into it. To the point where there is not a moment in class where people won't ask him about when he intends to continue it. It even got to the point that his own teacher recommended him to actual publishers for such a "creative and fascinating" story, thankfully though that never came to pass, mostly because he avoided making a definitive decision.

"Sooooo, what was it?" Still intrigued, Emilia kept asking, to which Subaru shyly glanced at her. If this was anyone else, he would divert the attention away, but that just wasn't possible when he's with her. So instead, he reluctantly indulges her.

"Well, I wrote a story…"

"A story? What was it about?"

"About...a world. Another world you might say. Somewhere that is wholly different from ours, where the very nature and fabric of their reality differs greatly from our own. Impossible and fantasy-like things that were only ever a fairytale here were real, and almost everything felt possible and could exist."

"So you wrote a fantasy novel?"

"...yeah, basically." See? It's that simple. Yet nobody seems to think so other than him.

"That's definitely interesting, since you always said that you were never good at literature. And yet here you are, being the talk of the entire town for a story you wrote? Quite ironic isn't it?"

"It definitely is, but that's how it turned out to be."

"So do you have a copy of it?"

"Eh? Why would you want one?"

"Why wouldn't I? I like fantasy stuff after all, even more so if it was written by you." Walking in front of him, the girl twirled around, her dress fluttering, stopping as she faced the boy. "So?"

"Ahh, umm...I don't have any spares...sorry." Subaru looked away in rejection. He did actually have spares, but he much rather for her to not find out about it. He would probably want to die if she finds out that one of the lead characters in it was someone that resembles her to a tea, bearing only her ears and race being the main difference. Hell, it was a miracle that she somehow doesn't know the full story about it already. He would have just accepted death at that point.

"Hmm…." She stared at him, her eyes unwavering. "...Alright then, but do tell me when there's one available."

"Got it." Nodding, the two then continue their march with Emilia being in front.

Taking a left turn, the empty streets were suddenly littered with people. Some were simply walking, and others coming out from cars and other vehicles. There was a stream of people, all honing into one place. The movie theater.

Standing a couple meters away, the two watched on in confusion and amazement. They did expect to be met with more people as they go near the theater, but not to this ludicrous extent. There were people pouring everywhere in, all seemingly in a rush to get to it. He was afraid of what was possibly dragging so many people's attention, until he turned to the wall beside him.

Hanging on the wall was a poster, its cover showing someone. The person was wearing a light green scarf wrapping around their neck, yet it was cartoonishly long, flowing all the way down to their hips. They were wearing a small princess-like dress, with pink as its base color. It matches with her hair he thought, her eyes further emphasizing her childlike face. He felt an odd sense of attraction towards her, but quickly snapped out of it, realizing the main cause of such a scene.

"It seems like the new Carmilla movie came out…" He mutters, staring at the ever expanding crowd. Emilia stood by his side, nodding her head as a single sweat fell down her cheeks.

"I guess that explains it…" She placed her chin on her finger, seeming more worried. "Still, people seem to adore her a lot."

"I...don't think you should call this adoration." Subaru retorts, as he sees a man running and pushing people away, before diving right into the middle of the crowd, desperately crawling further in. "...Obsession would be the better word."

"I'm quite worried about the actor herself. Is she fine with her popularity or is this too much for her?"

"I don't think we'll ever know the answer to that, Emilia-tan." The chances of them even coming into contact face to face was next to none, let alone getting to meet her. With this much fame, she must have so many guards covering her footsteps all the time to even have a semi functional day. He shivers to imagine what it must be like living your life like that everyday, constantly being swarmed by so many people and your popularity completely unkempt. He felt thankful that no matter what he would do, he can never get as popular as that, nor would he ever feel like it.

With that said however, this was an unexpected event. And with that, their chances of getting a ticket was close to none, let alone getting in. So much for pre-buying them.

Heaving a sigh, Subaru began to think to himself, trying to come up with a plan to get in. Bruteforce is definitely not an option for the two, so the only other way is to go from the back. But he doubted that things would be any easier behind, considering that this is a two way theater, which means both front and back are entrances. So that's out of the picture.

Is there really no other way? He contemplated as he scratched his head. Maybe they could go to another place? But even the nearest one is a few kilometers away, and it would be a complete waste of money if he doesn't use these tickets.

He looks to his side, spotting Emilia looking more worried about the people in the crowd than them being unable to watch the movie. He figures, knowing her tendency to think about others well-being way more than herself. It's the entire reason why she's in med school after all. It's because of that though that he wanted to get her somewhere for her to not worry so much, to simply relax and enjoy her own leisure time. Yet it seems like this entire night was going to be in vain…

As he reached that conclusion however, a figure flashed through his eyes. Something pink. He gazed up, searching for the strange silhouette. Then, just at the far corner of an alleyway, he saw it. A person, peering from the sides, seemingly scared to venture off any further. It was strange he thought, why would they hide like that, and in such a dark and hard to notice background?

But as he slowly started to piece together the evidence, his head sparked, and his gears started turning. It was cruel, he knew that. It was horrible, he also knows that. Definitely something that Emilia or his parents wouldn't approve of him, he understood that. But for the sake of a quiet and wonderful evening where the girl beside him could have a proper rest, he would risk it all. And so, taking in a hefty amount of air into his lungs, he lets out a loud shout.

"CARMILLA-SAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAANNNNNNN!"

"Eh?!" Startled, Emilia snaps her head back at him. He hopes she could forgive him for this, if she ever realizes what he was doing. But his voice managed to catch the attention of most of the people around as they gazed at him. He raised a finger towards a dark alley, inside was a certain person whose popularity exceeded everything else in the world.

"...Is that?"

"Holy shit, that is her!" And just like that, without a moment later, the flock completely turned their attention away from the theater, instead now all focused on the shocked girl, visibly surprised by the sudden attention. It didn't take long before she realized she was in trouble, as she began to run deeper into the alley. The rest quickly followed suit.

"Yikes, that is certainly something…" He heaves a sigh, one part relieved that the plan worked, the other feeling bad for the situation he just put the girl in. He can only hope that she can get away safely. "Alright then, it seems things are clearing itself now."

"I-it would appear so...why were you shouting her name though?" Emilia inquiries, tilting her head towards him. Seeing her innocent expression, his guilt ramped up immensely, yet he held off the urge to bow his head to apologize.

"I-I just thought I saw someone that looked similar to Carmilla that's all! Though on second thought I think they were different people…" And so, he came up with a half-lie, hoping to ease off her mind. It wasn't just some look alike though, it really was Carmilla.

"...Hmm, alright. Then we should head in then before anything else happens." She says, causing him to release a quick sigh. Alright, now they can finally have a good time.

As the two walked towards the building, Emilia's eyes wandered to the ticket booth. There she saw a woman, hastily searching her wallet with a worried expression, next to her was a little girl, holding onto her skirt. Curious, the girl walked ever so closer, inciting him to follow her steps.

Getting closer, the voice of the woman became audible.

"I could have sworn that it was here somewhere...no, did I lose it somewhere?" Her tone flooded with worry and panic, she looked on with dazed eyes. The child beside her didn't seem to realize that, as she simply stared at her.

Judging from that conversation alone, he pieced together what had happened. During the crowd, she must have accidentally dropped her tickets somewhere, and now she can't find it. Though that shouldn't be too troubling, she could always buy a new one.

"Um, do you still sell tickets for this movie?" She points at a poster besider her, to which the person sitting inside the booth only shocked his head. So she can't even afford another even if she could, and the movie that she was pointing at was...the same film the two was about to go watch.

"Mommy? Is something wrong? Why aren't we going into the movies yet?" Confused, the little girl questioned, tugging at her mother's skirt. Gazing at her, the woman lets out a small sigh before kneeling down to the child.

"I'm sorry sweetie, but perhaps we could watch something else? There's loads of other films to see." In an attempt to persuade her daughter, she points her fingers towards the other posters. But the girl's expression quickly soured as she did not understand why her mother was saying that.

"B-but you promised that we were going to watch this today. You promised!"

"I know, I know. But...mommy is sorry, can we perhaps watch it another time. Today we can watch something else, this one can be for next time."

"No! I don't wanna! I wanna see it!" She moaned, her voice slowly getting more muffled, drowned out by her eyes beginning to water. Seeing this, her mother only looked in sadness, trying to calm her down.

"..." Observing the scene, Emilia clenched her hand, her expression clearly heartbroken at seeing this. Despite that though, there wasn't anything that they could do. Like the man said, the tickets are out, and that's that. So even if we could or wanted to, they can't do anything.

Yet, she still glanced over to him, her eyes almost pleading him to think of something. Agh! No! Stop it! Stop staring at him with those eyes! They are too much for him to look away! He can't, this is supposed to be for their night. Her night! So no matter what, he wants to be selfish for just today, just for her!

"...Subaru…"

"..." He shouldn't, this is to give her a good night. A night that she could look back fondly at and can say she enjoyed those quiet times, where she can relax and didn't need to worry about anything. Yet is that even possible when her mind is only fixated on the two in front of them? When she so desperately hopes that something will happen that can help them? He asked himself, but he already knew the answer.

"...Hahhhhhh." He quickly walked over to the woman in front, before kneeling down to her. "Um, miss?"

"Huh? Is..something wrong?" Hearing his voice, she turned to look at him, revealing a side of the kid behind her. She was practically crying at this point, if he had waited a little longer, this place would have been filled with her tears.

"I...accidentally overheard you a bit, and I think you said that you lost your tickets? If so, you can have ours since it's the same one." He took out the two shiny VIP tickets hidden in his pockets, and proceeded to hand it over to the woman. She could only stare at him in puzzlement.

"Y-you're just going to give it away? But why?" She asked.

"Well...the kid seems to really want to watch it, so I couldn't just stand by and let her be disappointed." He lets out a nervous smile, before turning to the girl.

"Hey, you really wanna see this movie right?"

"..Mmm.." Wiping her teary nose, she softly muttered.

"Then here, this is a very good one as well you know? You can see the whole view with this one." He gently grabs the girl's hand, placing the tickets onto it. The mother, still in shock, inquired about him.

"A-are you really sure about this? What about you two?" She glances over Emilia, whose face was holding a soft smile.

"It's alright, I just so happen to have a knack to make any situation into a fun one, so you don't have to worry. Just make sure to let this kid right here have fun." Showing another smile, he patted the little girl's head, to which she readily let him and playfully spoke.

"Thank you mister!"

"...What is your name?" The mother asked.

"It's Subaru, Natsuki Subaru. And she's Emilia."

"I see...Thank you, Subaru-san, Emilia-san." The woman bowed deeply, and as she rose up, she gave a thankful smile. And with that, the two mother and daughter began heading into the theater.

And so, the two were left alone, with no tickets to watch. Not enough money to afford another, and with the coldness accompanying them to boot. He scratched his nose, a bit conflicted on how he should feel. On one hand, he made the day for a little girl, and on the other, he just destroyed the two's date and Emilia-tan's possibly few rare days where she could relax. Great.

"You did great Subaru." And yet, the girl seemingly didn't feel any disappointment from this, making him further uncertain what to feel.

"But now our date is ruined, well, your night." He grunted, trying his best to hide his conflicted feelings.

"How so? Nothing went wrong, did it?" Emilia slightly tilted her head in question.

"What do you mean? We just gave away the tickets to the movie and now we don't have enough to afford another. If this isn't the worst possible outcome to come out of a movie date, I can't think of another."

"Now what makes you think this is a bad outcome? I still have you don't I?"

"Eh?" He snapped his head back to her.

"Whenever I'm with you, it's always an enjoyable day for me. So don't feel bad about this, you did the right thing after all."

"I...guess so.." He rubbed his head, a bit flustered by her comment. Sure he was always able to lighten the mood, and occasionally come up with fun activities, but isn't that a bit too much credit being given to him? He only tried so hard because those times he really had not a damn clue on what to do. This was different, he clearly had a plan, and it was in ruins.

As he thought of this however, a warm feeling enveloped his shoulder. Turning to his side, Emilia was resting her head on his torso, a smile still present on her lips. With that, he could no longer bring him to feel anything but sheer fluster, trying his best not to shake.

"E-emilia-tan, how about we go somewhere else?" He nervously says.

"Mm, do you have anywhere in mind?"

"That's the difficult part…" He thought to himself, searching through any possible locations they could go. Going through every option in his head however, nothing seems to poke up...expect…

"I...think there might be somewhere we could go."

"Oh?"

"Follow me."

"Lead the way then."

"Yep, it seems I remembered correctly." He gazed at the scenery as the snow began to fall, painting the ground in white.

He spots many kids running around as their parents watch on. Some were playing tag, some throwing snowballs, and some were simply building a snowman. It made the park more livelier than it usually is.

He rubs his nose as he focuses on a certain part of the place. Spotting his target, he promptly strode towards it. Emilia followed suit, dodging the kids that were playing.

"Where are we heading?" She asked.

"You'll find out." He shortly remarks. If all goes as he predicted, then it would be quite a sight.

And so the two walked, reaching a short ledge. Climbing up, they then stood at the very edge of the railings as they took in the sight before them.

Laying in front of them, a stream of light was visible. Stretching across the terrain like a long and connected river, the bright yellow lights clashed with the snow whiteness of the scenery, creating a wonderful picturesque sight.

Emila simply stared, unmoving as her eyes processed the scene. Standing beside her, Subaru smiled. Guess this wasn't so bad after all.

"Eh?" Suddenly, he felt his hand getting warmer. Looking down, another hand was holding onto him. He immediately became flustered, yet continued to hold onto it. This was her moment, so he will not do anything to interrupt it.

Letting out a soft smile, Emilia muttered.

"Thank you, Subaru."

"It's nothing really. I just so happen to remember this place after all." He replied, his tone shaking not from the cold, but from how warm and soft her hands were. Emilia only shook her head to his statement however.

"I don't mean that. I want to thank you, Subaru. For always being here for me, only ever wanting to cheer me up and give me your time. You never needed to go so far, yet you always do."

"W-well, it's because of you Emilia-tan! It's because you always seem to be working so much that I thought this was the least I could do. Besides, I don't think I would go this far for anyone else."

"That's not true. I know you, and you would do this to anyone you care for. It's actually a bit too much sometimes though."

"I-it is?"

"Yep, you need to learn to let yourself relax as well alright? It's good that you want to liven other people's day, but yours is just as important as well."

"I see...I'll try to keep that in mind then." He nervously nods, scratching his cheeks. Though even he was unsure about how much is true about Emilia's statement, and how much of it is just false. He still doesn't quite know it yet, and it's been eating away at his mind for a while now. He wanted to say that he was doing everything because he wanted to, but that didn't sit right with him. He wanted to say that he cared for everyone and would do anything to help them, yet he couldn't bring himself to think that way.

Noticing his troubled expression, Emilia lets out a sigh.

"Jeez, you look like you can't even admit that to yourself." And sharply hit right on the mark. "Just believe me when I say it alright? You're a very good boy, Subaru."

"You sound like my mother when you say that. Did I get demoted from boyfriend to your child now?" He sadly remarks, trying to switch away from the topic.

"You know I didn't mean it like that. I just want you to be true to yourself, ok? At least...when you're around me…" She then turns away, her face reddened. Seeing that, he was a bit surprised, yet also felt a bit flustered as well. A moment of awkward silence enveloped them. Yet it didn't feel so bad, Subaru let out a small smile.

Be true to myself huh? I don't really know how to do that, but I guess I can work on it later. For now, I just want to enjoy this.

"Alright, it's time for Natsuki Subaru to do his thing!"

"Eh?" Emilia turns to him, confused. "What are you-Ah!"

"There's a stall somewhere around here that serves really warm food, so let's go there." Plus it would be a good way to use this mayo I have.

And so, he ran towards the kids playing in the park, throwing snowballs at them while dodging the kids' onslaught. Failing to stop him, she gives a disappointing shake, yet her face still holds a smile. WIth just herself, she whispered.

"I promise, I'll get you to love yourself more." And with that, the Christmas night ended in a small but lively park, with the sounds of children raging through the cold air.

Merry Christmas!