Chapter 125.5
A New Year
"Do you do anything to celebrate the new year in your own universe?"
Illya's words slipped out of her mouth as she snuggled in the imported kotatsu, her cheeks squished against the wooden surface of the low table. It was the end of December, and they were about to head to Fuyuki to set up their base and do some reconnaissance in person.
Though she had never celebrated New Year, even with her parents around, she still knew that it was something that people did, though she was really only familiar with German and Japanese New Year traditions. Staring at Berserker, she couldn't help but wonder if her eclectic Servant had ever done something similar, or if her universe even had an equivalent. Her curiosity got the better of her, and the question slipper out of her mouth naturally.
Berserker paused in her chewing of daifuku, the red bean paste sliding down her throat as the potato starch covering the outside layer of mochi turned her lips white.
"Nomnomnom...New Year's? According to the time system we use in the Servant-verse, time is kept relative to a standardized calendar based on the Solar System rotational constant, which is adopted on all space-going craft. However, the seasons and calendars for individual planets and systems vary on a case-by-case basis."
Tilting her head, she drew on the basic information that she was taught at the C.C.A. (Cosmo Chaldea Academy) and her time in the Dark Round, racking her brain for any sliver of information that was relevant.
"Well, for some reason it seems like there are only minor variations in most of the calendars when compared to the Solar System one, with the largest gap being one month and a week longer. The only places where this doesn't apply is in areas where Ether is disrupted or gravitational anomalies occur, such as the Abyss Sargasso."
Though she had cleanly forgotten a lot of stuff, some random tidbits and facts still stuck in her head for no reason. Maybe it was because of the random trivia quiz challenge the Academy held before. Or the inter-galactic team competition that MHX had 'convinced' (forced) her into joining, which included a healthy dose of trivia quizzing as well.
Noticing Berserker drift off in thought, Illya flicked her forehead with her birdlike Mystic Code, the translucent beak pecking her pale forehead just above the glasses.
It barely registered as a tickle for Berserker, but it was enough to bring her back.
"Ah, sorry Illya. As I was saying, we do have a calendar system like yours, and some people in the Servant-verse do indeed celebrate the New Year in their own way."
Well, she didn't really care about that though. She just ate sweets like usual, lazing around in the Dark kotatsu and sleeping the day away until somebody dragged her out of the room, usually Master A (Agravain), then later on MHX.
Illya could already guess that just by looking at her everyday. If she wasn't in the kotatsu, she was in the large baths enjoying the warmth of the enchanted waters. It could almost be said that she was freeloading, if she hadn't done what she had when Jubstacheit had thrown her out with Illya during their training campaign to winter hell in the Einzbern forest. That and the fact that she did listen to Illya whenever she wanted to do something, proving surprisingly diligent when working with Illya.
Not doing anything special for the New Year was fine. It wasn't like there was a tradition in the Einzbern family or anything…
But it would still be nice. Especially since it would likely be her last year, and she had someone to celebrate it with besides her maids, who likely had no idea about the concept of celebrating the passing of a year and the coming of a new one.
"Say Berserker, do you know what they do to celebrate New Year's Eve in Japan?"
Shirou, Taiga and Sakura all sat in the kotatsu, basking in it's warmth to ward off the chilly winter air, even with how well insulated the Emiya residence was. A pile of mikan, or tangerine, peels lay on the table, the culprit currently in the process of peeling another as she casually popped it whole in her mouth after extracting the juicy fruit meat from the skin.
"Fuji-nee, you're going to finish the whole bowl before midnight at this rate."
Shirou tried to slow her down, but Taiga simply pretended to be deaf, continuing to burn through the fruit at an impressive rate. Sighing, Shirou decided he'd have to take more tangerines from the kitchen later to replace them.
"Fujimura-sensei, you'll get bloated if you eat too much."
Sakura's innocently sweet tone with an equally sweet smile bore down on Taiga, or at least that was what it felt like to her. An invisible pressure appeared on Taiga's back, and she slowly put down the tangerine into the wooden bowl.
"Urk! I-I guess you're right, staying in shape might be for the best after all…"
There was no way she wanted to get fat, she was the world-class beauty Taiga Fujimaru after all! Well, at least she wanted to be one. Also, Sakura was getting a bit scary.
Switching her focus to the television, she switched channels until the New Years special program was on, the NHK singing competition.
"Kimi to natsu no owari shourai no yume,
Ookina kibou wasurenai-"
"Eehhh, it's not a hot guy. I was hoping to see the white team for this year. Hey, I heard SMAP got invited this year too you know! Wonder when they'll show up."
Taiga stared at the screen, slightly disappointed as she leaned on the table to rest her head on her arms while watching the show.
"They sing rather well though don't they? This band, I think their name was...Zone?"
Sakura didn't listen to music often, but she'd heard this song before while walking in the shopping district, and she'd seen the band in magazines before placed outside stores and the like.
For Shirou who barely listened to any, he was unfortunately unable to join in the conversation, though to a complete amateur like him, all the participants singing sounded great.
"Say, wouldn't it be great if Sakura turned out to be a talented singer and got on TV like that? We'd be able to watch you perform there, and it'd be amazing to see someone we know reach the national stage."
Taiga's random offhand comment made Sakura imagine her singing on the stage, just like those women on the screen right now, and her senpai below, watching her and cheering her on. Her heart fluttered slightly at such a scene, imagined though it was.
"I guess...it wouldn't be too bad."
She smiled at Shirou, who caught it at the edge of his vision, and he smiled back in return, if a bit puzzled at why she suddenly did so.
If only, she was born in another world where she didn't have to become a magus, where she was free to be whatever she wanted to be, free to be with senpai whenever she wanted to...a singer, a dancer, an artist, a cook, a lawyer, it didn't matter.
Her heart yearned for the New Year to bring a fresh start to her life, even though her cynical mind knew that nothing would change.
Slurping on the soba contentedly, Rin was glad she had accepted Ayako's invitation. The warm kotatsu, fried tempura toshikoshi soba, comfy cushions and well, friends, though she'd never say that out loud, were all leagues better than anything she'd have at her own home to accompany her for New Year's Eve.
Originally, she had simply planned to study her magecraft and make some headway into further crafting other Mystic Codes, eating something fancier like steak for dinner, and then going to sleep early or something to enjoy the New Year. In retrospect, it felt kind of lame to simply end the year like that, but it wasn't like she really cared either way. She was the only one living in the house after all, and there was no way she was inviting the priest over.
So when Ayako called her, she was quite surprised at her invitation to pass New Year's Eve with her. Though they were friends, she was somewhat surprised that Ayako had reached out to her specifically, when she had so many other friends, unlike Rin who maintained many acquaintances, but had few people she actually hung out with. There was the track trio, Ayako and...yeah that was it. The number could be counted on one hand.
For Ayako though, she knew that Rin was unlikely to have anything special planned for the evening. She basically lived by herself, with her legal guardian frequently away, or at least that was what Rin told her. Though their friendship may not have been for long, the two had clicked just right when they met each other. In the end, they might not have seemed close on the surface, but in their hearts they treasured each other. For Rin who had little in the way of real friends or family, Ayako was someone she genuinely wouldn't want to lose. For Ayako, Rin was a good friend she was glad to have.
Ayako stared at Rin sucking on the noodles, smiling all the while.
"Is it good?"
Rin slurped up the last few strands of soba and nodded.
"It's pretty good! Which means you definitely didn't make it."
The lighthearted jab only elicited a laugh from Ayako.
"Of course I didn't! Do you think my parents would let me do the whole thing by myself, knowing my skills? Although I did help fry the tempura."
"Oh? I suppose the tempura wasn't bad, when paired with the soba that is."
It was the closest she was going to get to a praise, but Ayako could tell after being around Rin for a while and just extracted the intent from her words.
"Thanks. I also did the decorations too! Cut down the bamboo, tied it together and placed it there myself. I was kind of surprised when otou-san (dad) let me do it this year, but I guess the lazy bum just wanted one less thing to do after cleaning the house from top to bottom. He rarely cleans at all."
"Oi, don't diss your dad like that!"
Her mom from the room over yelled at her, her voice clear and ringing. It was clear where Ayako had inherited her brash and direct personality from.
Ayako just rolled her eyes at her mother's warning.
"She does it all the time herself. A few words from me is nothing compared to what she says."
Rin stifled a grin, then reached into her pockets and passed a paper packet to Ayako.
"Is this…?"
Opening the packet, her eyes widened when she saw what was inside.
"WHA-, Rin! Is your guardian sane, giving me this much?"
The otoshidama, a gift of money given during the New Year, was given to children up to highschool. In most cases, the amount of money given to high school students was the most, and the amount given to preschool or younger the least. In the envelope containing the money however, Ayako could tell the cash exceeded the average amount by a fair bit.
For some reason though, Rin was smiling, the mouth curved wider than usual. It could even be described as smug.
"I can't possibly accept this-"
"No, you'll be doing me and my guardian a favour by accepting it. I'm sure he'll be extremely happy that you've received such a great gift. It's for you to learn the value of money as well."
Rin was practically beaming at this point, and Ayako was completely confused at this point at her reaction, but seeing her adamant refusal to take back the otoshidama, she had no choice but to accept it.
In fact, the cash was secretly 'borrowed' from Kirei, and while it wasn't an amount that would seriously affect him or anything, it was still something that Rin felt happy about, petty as it may be. By now, Kirei had probably noticed the missing cash, but there was nothing he could do about it. He wouldn't even figure out it was her, though his instincts might point in her direction. She had briefly considered keeping the money for herself, but she decided to give it to Ayako after getting called by her. It was only right for priests to perform charity after all, wasn't it? It would also be safer for her to make it seem like she didn't have extra cash to spend. Though the priest didn't watch her 24/7, there was no telling when he was around. Sometimes, he had an eerily accurate grasp of her movements and actions.
It was a great start to the New Year for Rin, and for Ayako too, as they continued chatting away in the kotatsu, the Mitsuzuri family joining in as well.
The priest in question was eating mapo tofu at the chapel with Gilgamesh, the king looking in disgust at the red sea with floating islands of white tofu, minced meat and spring onions dotting the spicy sauce.
"I will never understand what you see in that food, mongrel."
"It is not what I see, but what I experience, Your Majesty."
The king shook his head.
"I suppose the only food that would elicit any reaction in you would be the most extreme dishes. Pain that stimulates the tongue could be said to be one of the most intense of tastes in all cuisines."
Swirling the wine in his golden cup, he drank deeply from it, measuring each sip with his tongue as he savoured the fruity aroma and the well aged liquid, a smooth taste neither too sour nor too sweet, with a hint of tartness to it.
Kirei paused in his eating, addressing Gilgamesh.
"I've also been meaning to ask you. What have you been doing at the arcade all this time?"
"Hah! I have found some worthy challengers to pass my time there, that is all. Though the modern world may have many defects, their capacity for entertainment has certainly grown, and along with it, many avenues of pleasure are to be found."
Kirei stared at the king for a moment longer, then shrugged, and continued eating his dish of flaming spiciness.
*dong-dong*
The bell rang at the shrine, the monk tolling it as the others chanted at the sides. 108 strikes against the bell, for 108 desires of mankind.
The next morning, Kuzuki stood at the shrine, threw a coin into the offertory box, arms held at his sides as he bowed in front of the box once, twice, then clapped his hands twice.
There was a moment of silence when he put his hands together and prayed, the temple silent in the wee hours of the morning.
What was there to pray for?
His mind searched for answers, and though he was once empty, the image of the school he taught at popped up.
Deciding on his wish, he finished and opened his eyes again, bowing one more time.
He wasn't a religious man, but leaving at the temple had made him pick up a few traditions which he saw no harm in performing. He had been taught to blend in with the environment as an assassin, and though he no longer was one, the desire to blend in remained there all the same.
With that, he walked out of the shrine, wondering if it was cheating if he was able to skip the long lines that other people would have to experience to get into the shrine by virtue of living on the spot. In particular, Ryuudou Temple was one of the few shrines around the area, and it wasn't strange for throngs of people to flood it from the bottom of the stairs to the very top during hatsumode, the first visit of the shrine during New Years day.
"Good morning. You're up early Issei-kun."
The Student President of Homuhara was indeed awake rather early, considering how late it had been when he had finished doing the 108 rings last night with the rest of the monks as per tradition.
"Good morning to you too Souichirou-sensei. I simply wish to visit the shrine before it becomes packed."
His eyes held no trace of sleepiness, and though he wasn't clad in thick garments, he barely shivered in the early morning air. Inwardly, Kuzuki nodded with approval at his physical training.
"I see. I will not delay you further then. Happy New Year to you."
Already, there were people trickling into Ryuudou Temple, despite how ungodly early it was. It was simply that popular of an activity, and a strong tradition as well.
"Happy New Year sensei."
Kaede blearily opened her eyes when she felt someone shaking her shoulders, a voice echoing from far away into her consciousness.
"Uuuuuhhh, lemme shlep for a lil longerrrrr…"
Kaede flipped around and shook off the hand shaking her, burrowing into the blankets once more.
"There is no escape."
"Hiyah!"
She almost slammed her head on the wall as she jumped out of bed, scooting away as Kane closed in on her with a bag of ice in her hands.
"St-stay away from me! I'm already awake, alright?"
Yukika tugged at the sleeves of the girl wearing glasses, nervously glancing at the bag of ice in her hands.
"Um, I think she's already out of the bed, so it's fine to stop now, isn't it?"
Kane closed her eyes, then nodded.
"I suppose so. I will return the bag of ice to the fridge. Make sure she gets dressed."
She walked towards the door, carrying the ice with her. Seeing her do so, Kaede closed her eyes and breathed out a sigh of relief.
"Kya!"
The sudden sensation of ice-cold cubes against her cheek knocked her over, sending her scrambling away on her knees as she crawled away from the menacing threat.
"Oi, what was that for? You wanna go at it, hah?"
Kaede clutched her cheek as she stared resentfully at Kane.
"If you head back in bed, much worse will happen to you."
A shiver went down Kaede's spine, but she could only comply.
Less than an hour later, the three of them were in a car, heading to a spot where they could see the first sunrise of the year.
The car cruised to a stop near the sea, the beaches already dotted with groups of people, all waiting to catch dazzling sun as it rose into the sky. It was a clear sky, with few clouds dotting the night sky, and the sky was already starting to pale as the moon faded away while the sky lightened.
"Here we are kids."
The three jumped out of the car as they went to pick a good spot, while Kaede's dad went to park the car. They hadn't been able to see the sunrise very clearly last year owing to the bad weather, but this year, the conditions seemed to be near perfect. Although a brisk wind bit at their faces, they were filled with anticipation for the event, white fog escaping their mouths as they rubbed their gloved hands together for warmth.
Slowly, the deep turquoise sky shifted to a light azure, then tints of soft orange appeared on the white clouds, the edge of the horizon experiencing a gradual shift in gradient from blue to white and orange. The clouds that had formerly been black strips against the sky brushed with orange from the sun's rays, one side of them turning colorful, then the color spread, yellow and white mixing with the orange as the sun came ever closer to the edge of the horizon. The moving clouds became an ever shifting palette of colors, purple and orange outlining each other as they mixed and swam within each other on the edges of the clouds and along the spot where the sun would rise, the colors getting more and more muted the further away the clouds and sky were.
Slowly, the first hint of white breached the horizon line, where the sea met the sky. Some people cried out, with children waving their arms in excitement, while others remained quiet, appreciating the moment that was an everyday occurrence, yet held special meaning for this one day of the entire year. Amaterasu, the sun goddess, was the creator of Japan, at least in the legends. Luck descended on those who saw the first sunrise when the god of luck came along with the sunrise, granting a boon to those willing to get up just to see it, or so people believed.
In truth, seeing such a sight with friends and family was enough for anyone. Luck was welcome, but simply a bonus.
The borders brightened momentarily, and then the ball of light peeked out from beneath the sea, a warm orange surrounding it as the rest of the sky assumed it's usual color in daylight, a sky blue. Like an old cat lazily stretching and waking up from it's nap, the sun slowly but steadily climbed up the sky, lighting up the land and sea for the very first time that year.
It felt like a year had passed, but in reality was only minutes, as the sun finally appeared in it's full glory, an orb of pure white that couldn't be looked at with the naked eyes, radiance spilling off it and turning the sky around it orange. Teh rays of warmth hit the three on the cheeks as they stood there in the cold winter air, granting them some much needed succour from the cold.
*guruguru*
The two of them stared at Kaede, whose cheeks reddened as she looked away.
"I'm hungry, ok?"
Then another stomach grumbled.
"I think I'm hungry too."
Yukika laced her hands behind her back and looked down, suddenly finding the sand at her feet very interesting.
"Let's go for breakfast."
Kane's words were met with great relief, and they headed off for their first meal of the day and the year.