The snow fell heavily, adorning the vibrant nightscape of Tokyo.
Although it hadn't yet reached the level of a silver blanket, and couldn't be called a White Christmas Eve, if the snow continued like this, by tomorrow morning, upon opening the window, they might just witness a true white Christmas.
The snowflakes drifting from beyond the fence, delicate and soft, gradually piled up on the jacket covering them both.
"If we stand here all night, someone from over there might see a yeti tomorrow morning."
Speaking with a laugh, Yuu pointed towards the apartment building across the way.
Although the distance was considerable, someone with eyesight not as good as his probably wouldn't be able to see anything clearly.
"Go be a yeti by yourself. I'm going inside soon. Don't worry, I'll remember to brush the snow off for you."
Shaking her head and sighing, the girl in his arms curled up again, her slender shoulders trembling slightly. Like a kitten fond of acting spoiled, she nestled her warm, soft body deeper into his embrace.
Smelling her scent, enveloped in her warmth, Yukino let out a relieved sigh. She narrowed her eyes. The snowy cityscape before her seemed to flicker with a warm, fireplace-like light, intoxicating and captivating.
Of course, she had to ignore the "sea-quelling staff" pressing against her waist—if she dwelled on that too much, this warm and romantic atmosphere would be utterly ruined.
Meanwhile, Yuu noticed Yukino's beautifully shaped bottom tense up slightly, seeming a little nervous.
Although she didn't say anything, as a real man, he felt the need to defend himself: "Holding my girlfriend's perfect body in my arms, pressed close without a single gap. If that doesn't cause a reaction, I should go get checked out."
"I'm not blaming you. Just don't move recklessly." Without turning her head, Yukino rolled her eyes helplessly towards the sky. She placed her arm over his on her stomach, "Having a lecherous boyfriend like this is really troublesome."
"I told you, it's a normal reaction. All men are lecherous..." Yuu initially muttered discontentedly, then paused for a moment, and for some reason, flashed a mischievous smile, "How dare you say that, I never expected you to voluntarily place my hand on your chest. I didn't even know—"
"That's my stomach."
Yukino's voice was as cold as the snow just fallen from the clouds.
Yuu immediately fell silent. Sensing the tense atmosphere, he quickly coughed twice to lighten the mood: "...Ahem, the point is, I didn't use any strength. If I hadn't squeezed it twice, I wouldn't have known how soft it felt."
"Tenkuji-kun..."
Her soft palm gently rested on the back of his hand. Her neatly trimmed nails slowly dug into his flesh.
"If you utter one more useless word, I will throw you from this balcony. This position is perfect for me to use a shoulder throw."
Yuu possessing highly sharp survival instincts, immediately put on a serious expression: "Yes, your Highness!"
(Although there's a hard railing blocking the way, you absolutely can't throw me~)
Of course, he wouldn't voice the taunt in his heart. Yuu raised his gaze, looking at the night snowscape that wasn't particularly beautiful. His eyes were calm and indifferent, a stark contrast to his tone.
He simply held the girl tightly. Occasionally, he would exhale to blow away the drifting snowflakes, working hard to protect her soft, beautiful hair from being stained by the dirty snowmelt.
He was afraid Yukino would get cold, but her body temperature was higher than his. She didn't even seem to mind the winter's cold wind and snow hitting her face. In the end, he was the only one busy, struggling against the bone-chilling cold of the White Christmas Eve.
As if realizing that he was different from her, unable to calmly enjoy the scenery, Yukino slightly raised her head. However, her forehead was pressed against his chin, so he couldn't see her expression.
Even so, she still asked softly: "What are you afraid of?"
"Huh?"
"What are you afraid of, that isn't related to the Mission?"
When Yukino lowered her head, her tone became more convinced, as if she had already guessed the thoughts in his heart. She said with a faint smile: "Tell me. It's not a secret forbidden by the Gods, but the worries in your heart, the things you can say but don't want to say."
"...You already know I don't want to say it, why are you still asking me to?" Yuu smiled wryly, like a pitiful boyfriend helplessly coaxed by his girlfriend.
"I want to share your pain, even if all I can do is listen."
Taking the hand he had placed on her stomach, Yukino interlocked her fingers with his, holding tightly onto his much larger hand.
Then, she turned around. She leaned her forehead against his chest and said softly: "...At least let the me of now do more of what a girlfriend should do."
"..."
Yuu silently lowered his head. He buried his face in the long hair at the nape of her neck and let out a long sigh.
"How cunning. I never thought my Yukino would become like this."
Speaking like this, wasn't it making it impossible for him to pretend to be strong anymore?
Yukino wasn't embarrassed; instead, she seemed proud. She smiled calmly and proudly: "Although I am perfect and flawless, one could say the most perfect human creation from God, from a biological perspective, I'm just an ordinary girl... And ordinary girls, of course, become cunning when in love."
(Besides, I also have to compete with a boyfriend who strays easily and doesn't like to tell the truth)—She added this last part silently in her mind.
Yuu kissed her forehead, moved: "My dear, I love this shameless side of your personality."
Feeling a hard pinch on his waist, he hurriedly steered the conversation back on track.
"What did you ask me before?"
"I asked what you are afraid of." Yukino said, slightly annoyed. The hand pinching his soft flesh loosened and naturally wrapped around his waist.
"Let me think..."
After pondering for a moment with a serious expression, Yuu slowly raised his gaze, watching the lonely falling snowflakes. He said gently:
"Perhaps, what I fear most is the feelings returning."
Yukino wasn't surprised by this answer.
"Nee-san, Yuuki-san, Natsukawa-san..."
Muttering to himself, his tone was calmer than she had imagined: "Tenkuji-kun, are you afraid of falling in love again with the people you once dated, just as you're afraid they will regain their memories and return to you?"
Yuu nodded. His fingers instinctively played with her long hair.
"If it were just Haruno, it might be okay. But now I owe so many debts of love. If my feelings were to recover someday, with my indecisive and stubborn personality, wouldn't I have to take responsibility for all of you?"
"I don't see how honest you are being." Yukino brushed away his hand as it wandered from her hair to her collarbone.
Honestly returning his hand to her black hair, Yuu laughed with a hint of self-mockery: "Think of it this way, a child going to a candy store naturally wants to bag up all the candies he likes—but if he actually does it, both the shopkeeper and his parents will give him a hard lesson, right, because he's being naughty?"
"The problem is here... I wouldn't hand over the candy I've set my sights on to anyone. Even if I had to spend all my savings, I would take it all home to enjoy."
Because his love for them was always a love that wanted to grow old together—the so-called serious relationship with marriage intentions.
So, if his lost feelings were to recover, Yuu would no longer be able to refuse Haruno's obsession...
He would no longer be able to ignore Asuna's aloofness keeping her distance...
He would no longer be able to disregard Masuzu's figure waiting behind for his return...
Yuu would shoulder all those memories and feelings of love, chase after his three ex-girlfriends, and find every way to make them happy—and moreover, now there were Yukino and Yuigahama.
Putting aside whether he, just an ordinary high school student, was capable of dating five people at once, and putting aside how the parents from all sides would feel if they found out, not to mention the System hadn't left yet, and the final mission's nature was unknown...
Whether doing this was truly good for them was what Yuu cared about most.
"Being with me, you might not necessarily be happy. It might be better to use the power of the Gods, experience a little pain in a short time, completely leave me behind, forget me, and seek your own happiness that won't be lost or changed."
Yuu said calmly: "For me, the best outcome is for you all to never regain your memories. Because that way, I, who no longer love you, won't have to stubbornly shoulder this responsibility."
He would be able to bid them farewell normally and become a coward who shirks responsibility with a clear conscience.
As soon as the words fell, Yukino slightly pushed him away, then gently slapped his face.
It didn't hurt. In fact, it was just a touch accompanied by a sound.
Yet, it seemed to freeze Yuu in place instantly. He couldn't help but widen his eyes, staring at her teary eyes and complicated expression.
"Yukino..."
"Sorry, although I might have been able to guess your thoughts, after hearing them, I still couldn't hold back my anger."
Saying this without a hint of apology, Yukino took a deep breath. Her melodious and soft voice suddenly sharpened, becoming the unyielding, decisive truth she always embodied.
"First, although as your girlfriend, I'm not too keen on saying this... But Tenkuji-kun, you are not a child, and we are not candies—as a knowledgeable young entrepreneur, even if you bought the entire candy store and ate different flavors seven days a week, as long as you demonstrated the corresponding ability, who could give you a hard lesson?"
"Therefore, your analogy is completely unnecessary. Worrying about this is utterly unreasonable!"
Analyzing calmly and rationally, yet her tone was somehow heavy, and she seemed a little reluctant.
It wasn't that Yuu didn't understand—Yukino could share her boyfriend with Yuigahama because she felt guilty, and she accepted it without complaint as the one who came later.
But facing others, especially her own sister, how could Yukino possibly be generous enough to share her boyfriend?
After all, in her memory, the one who came first was only Yuigahama. And the opposite sex always by her side was only the two of them. Others, like the transfer student, were outsiders who had entered between the three of them.
Even so, Yukino had no intention of taking back her previous words. She continued to look into Yuu's eyes, saying what she truly wanted to say from the bottom of her heart.
"Next, on what basis are you deciding our happiness based on your own imagination?"
She suddenly stepped forward, pushing Yuu back.
"What qualifications do you have to arbitrarily assume that a future where you love us, and we love you, is destined to hurt everyone?"
She stepped forward again, pushing Yuu, who didn't resist, against the floor-to-ceiling window. Then, she reached out and grabbed the collar of his shirt.
"And why can you arbitrarily draw a line between the two of us, and in the end, try to push us away by pitying yourself and being moved by your own actions?"
Yuu lowered his head. His eyes were helpless and serious, as if wanting to convince her with logic: "That's not imagination, it's like deriving a formula, things that are bound to happen in the future…"
"Lies!"
Yukino suddenly raised her voice. Her eyebrows arched, her teeth clenched hard. Her pale cheeks flushed like blazing fire.
For the first time since returning home, she was truly angry with Yuu. So angry that her voice involuntarily trembled slightly.
"A reason you don't even believe in yourself, do you still want to use it to deceive me?!"
"How long do you want to keep running away? How long do you want to pretend to be a rational coward?"
"Lying to your girlfriend, is that what you call taking responsibility?!"
"Answer me, Tenkuji Yuu!"
"..."
The jacket connecting them both fell to the ground. The winter snow continued to pile up like dirty cotton.
The cold wind tousled her long hair. Yet, those azure eyes flickered with an unquenchable flame amidst the snow.
That burning gaze was like snow reflecting the scorching sun. It was so dazzling that Yuu unconsciously turned his face away. Even his answer didn't sound as confident as before.
"I'm just, making the right choice."
"Only the lucky ones can turn mistakes into correctness. And I've never been that lucky, so I can only strive to walk the right path. Even if I occasionally make mistakes, occasionally stray… As long as I don't mistakenly choose the wrong goal, at least I won't make a huge mistake I'll regret for life. What's wrong with that?"
"Of course there's nothing wrong. After all, I used to think that way too."
Yukino smiled helplessly. She seemed to have calmed down a little.
But before Yuu could breathe a sigh of relief, the girl suddenly turned her face back.
Her eyes widened terrifyingly. Her face was devoid of a smile. She spoke coldly, word by word:
"Don't joke around childishly with me. Who do you think is the reason the me of now is completely different from the past?"
"You're the one who told me that being obsessed with correctness isn't good. Someone who is truly intelligent will choose to hold fast to their own sense of justice, then remain flexible and adapt to the situation—you should understand better than anyone: The right choice for the past and present, in the future!"
As if all her anger had been vented. After she finished speaking those words heavily, the imposing aura and anger slowly faded from her flushed face.
Their eyes met. That knife-sharp gaze flickered. Slowly, ripples of sadness and affection surfaced.
Her fingers slid from his cheek, slowly and reluctantly, to the corner of his mouth, and finally fell to the side as if losing strength.
"...Enough with deceiving yourself. Think about what you truly need, okay?"
Passing by him, Yukino opened the floor-to-ceiling window, letting the warmth melt the snowflakes on her shoulders.
After stepping inside, with the window separating them, and with her back to him, she suddenly spoke again.
"Actually, I also have one thing I'm afraid of."
"..."
Although he stood still without answering, Yukino continued nonetheless:
"I'm also afraid that you will regain your lost feelings, and then, because you don't know how to handle these complicated relationships, you will leave all of us."
Yukino knew, Yuu was the kind of person who would do such a thing—As long as it was for their own good, as long as there was a reason to set them free, this fool would do just that.
So, she turned her head to look back at the side of his face, whose expression was unreadable, and said as if pleading:
"Swear to me, no matter what happens in the future, don't do that. Okay?"
"..."
The snow continued to fall, as if wanting to drown the whole of Tokyo in a great, pale white wave.
The cold wind blew with greater force, assaulting the young man standing motionless on the balcony.
And he, as if buried by the snow.
The vow, left unspoken, froze into ice beneath the snowfall.