Epilogue:

The sun never made its full appearance that Eve, but she still waved goodbye as the last of the light vanished from the world. As she went away, the lights among the city dimmed, allowing the bulbs of the holiday season to shine brightly against the impending darkness. The snow, while still falling, began to slow to a comfort pace, allowing easy travel for all the folks around Lastation. Great timing too, for the big party at the Basilicom was ready to begin.

Already, people of numerous classes, big and small, were lining up outside the mighty doors, the guards doing everything they could in order to stop a potential stampede. Among the people were the Mother, her daughter Isabel, and even the little boy (the rest presumably went on to do whatever they wanted to accomplish), who were given adequate clothing by Noire herself. They had no idea why they were spontaneously invited to such a great event, but as she looked up to the sky, the mother smiled, thanking Win for always finding some light in their blight.

Lady Kei was barking orders at every maid that walked by, making sure that not a single screw up could occur on this very special night. At the same time, Uni overlooked the Christmas tree, silently putting up the Lastation Soccer team Christmas Ornament, Win naturally being a prominent figure on it. She never told anyone her fascination with the sport, but for the readers, there's some useless trivia for you all.

The band was busy preparing for their performances, while the dozens upon dozens of chefs, both Basilicom workers and professionals from around the nation, prepared the dining hall with every possible thing imaginable. It was hectic, it was dizzying, it was horrifying; yet, it all seemed to be fun in the end.

The only person missing from the final setup was the Goddess herself, who was busy in her room with Win, the Soccer Girl who was the happiest girl in the world. It was a rather harsh scene they had to go through, but in the end the athlete was happy that the pain was gone. Noire, her idol, was not only a great person, but she was a great listener at that. Perhaps, though, the best thing she could think of right now was that the CPU was a friend. What more could a person want?

After they got the people Win requested, they spent just a little bit preparing themselves for the big party. This of course required the Soccer gal to don yet another dress for herself (she was okay with it, but she was accustomed to the Uni-looking wear from before), and for Noire...well, the dilemma came back to her full front.

However, like what happened with her talk with Win, this problem of hers seemed really, really, stupid. You see, her whole fear was the tabloids based solely on "OMG, she's, like, wearing the dress she wore 3 years ago! OMG, no wai! Total Fashion .TER!" Was anyone in Planeptune, Lowee, or Leanbox going to care about the dress? Maybe Neptune, but honestly, who cares? Everything she made with that needle, besides this year of course, was made with pristine perfection. It would be a waste for some of the designs to only be used once in their life.

And besides, even when she wore the dress she chose initially, she still had her critics. She still had some people not impressed, disappointed, you know. Right now, it would probably be the same story again. If the only thing people complain about her is the dress she wears for one night a year, then there was seriously nothing to worry about.

It was strange to think like that, considering she had to speak to Win in order to see that. It was something she never had to worry about any other time, so why now? It was funny to her, really, that it took her this long to see that.

And she had to thank Win for that. Somehow, even though their conversation had everything to do with fixing the Soccer Girl's problems, she inadvertently fixed her own. That was impressive, in my opinion, and she felt that as well.

Jeez, Win, um...thanks, I guess?

It sounded rude up there, I know, but she was thankful. Like Win, she felt some weight leave her too.

Now, as the lights grew dim and the people began filing in, Noire and Win stood by the door, hand in hand. Hope was ever-present in their eyes.

"So Win...you ready?"

The Soccer girl was of course ready, but once the question was asked, she felt a tinge of fear crawl up her spine. "O-Of course I'm ready! I'm looking right at the goal, milady!"

Noire smiled at her, tightening her grip on Win's hand. "Don't worry, Win-chan. I promise you that no matter what, when I meet the team, you will be back on it in no time." Saying this appeared to make Win feel relieved, as her shoulders fell at ease and her smile looked more genuine. "I really want to talk to that mother. She looked really nice."

Win couldn't help but nod vigorously. "I know, right? She's really cool and nice," her nice words were compounded by her warm demeanor. She looked over at her idol, who looked at her in response, smiling. The warmness soon turned into determination, making Noire jump at the sudden shift. "I...I want to help them, milady. She doesn't deserve to be there. If I'm going to get back together, then I promise that I will help them too!"

The Goddess was touched, honestly. "Totally got it. I'll help them too, Win." Though that will probably be more on you...no offense, of course. Still, she wished Win the best of luck; if she actually did help them out, then that would just make Noire feel all, I don't know, giddy or something.

A maid soon appeared on the other side of the door, looking like an Elf working diligently for the Santa-Tome herself. "We are all set for you to go, My lady. We have an impressive turnout this year, if I do say so myself." She turned to face the young Soccer player, who was blushing as she now realized that Noire was seriously holding her hand. "Will both of you walk out at the same time?"

The duo looked at one another, before nodding at the maid. "Of course. Thank you for your hard work. Please, have fun, too! I'll feel like a Grinch if you didn't!"

The maid bowed, feeling quite nice as she walked away. With the door now ajar, the two of them thought of all the scenarios that could possibly happen out there, though most were undoubtedly positive.

"You ready, Win-chan?"

The Soccer Girl looked at the Goddess and gave her a sharp nod. "Of course, Noire. Always ready!"

As they stepped through the door, Win finally thought that everything was going to turn out okay. She couldn't wait to meet Isabel again, as well as all her teammates and Coach. She couldn't wait to embrace the mother once more, and say that everything will finally be fine.

And of course, she couldn't wait to walk out with Noire by her side.

For once this holiday season, everything was well.