December 24th, Christmas Eve, the night before Christmas.
However, compared to the original meaning of the holiday, Christmas Eve here in Japan is almost equivalent to Valentine's Day.
This phenomenon is reflected in various anime, games, light novels, and other works, and has even given rise to many famous scenes, but I won't go into too much detail here.
In short, couples in love will go on romantic dates today, and most of those in the ambiguous stage of their relationship will also choose this day to confess their feelings.
Especially in the latter case, if the person of their affection agrees to go out on a date on this day, all that remains is a tacit confession.
After returning from Jump Festa last time, he had taken the initiative to invite Rin out on a date, and Rin had accepted.
So in the afternoon, after the assistants finished their work and left one after another, Akira dressed up a bit for a change. Then, according to the agreed-upon time, he arrived downstairs ten minutes early to wait.
However, he only waited for five minutes before Rin's figure appeared in his line of sight, making his eyes light up—
Her outfit today looked similar to the one she wore to Jump Festa, but her top had been changed to white, and her short skirt was now wine red, making her aura seem even more pure and innocent.
Of course, there was also his current favorite item: thick black tights.
Needless to say, Rin was already beautiful, and dressed like this, she looked just like an elf in the snow.
At the same time, seeing him, Rin immediately quickened her pace slightly to come before him, saying somewhat apologetically, "I'm sorry, I'm late."
"Not at all, I just arrived a bit early."
Akira waved his hand with a smile, while keenly noticing that Rin seemed to be a bit more nervous today than she usually was around him.
The reason was self-evident.
Of course, he himself was actually a little nervous too.
At the same time, he didn't forget one thing—
"Shimizu-san, you look very beautiful today. Of course, you're always beautiful."
"Thank you."
While Rin's face flushed slightly, she couldn't help but curl her lips up a little, looking quite pleased.
Then, Akira smiled and said, "Then let's get going."
"Yeah."
""
The more traditional dating hotspots for couples on Christmas Eve are areas like Shibuya and Roppongi.
On Christmas Eve, almost every shop in these areas is elaborately decorated for Christmas, filling the air with festive and romantic vibes.
However, the date location they had chosen this time was Akihabara.
This was a mutual decision they reached after discussing it.
Shibuya, filled with its festive and romantic atmosphere, was certainly nice, but Akihabara was a place of special significance for both of them.
And on this special day, having their date in Akihabara was perfectly fitting for the two of them.
Just as they exited Akihabara Station and looked at the familiar streetscape before them, Rin couldn't help but sigh softly, "It's been so long since I was last here. It really brings back memories."
After signing with Being, she had suspended her street performances, and several months had passed since then.
Although she had only spent a few months in Akihabara, the memories of that period were deeply etched in her mind.
The hardships of trying to debut at the very beginning, the experiences of street performing—
And her first meeting with Akira.
"Yeah."
Akira also nodded in agreement with a sentimental tone, while taking in the streetscape before him.
He had fewer memories of this place, but they were equally fresh in his mind.
After all, to him, this place was equivalent to the starting village.
At the same time, he also thought of the manga bookstore where he used to work part-time, and the store manager, Kayo, who had taken good care of him during his time there.
Actually, when he had just moved to his current studio, they still occasionally kept in touch by phone, but later on, contact became less and less frequent.
Firstly, because Kayo was very busy with her work as the store manager and didn't have much time for small talk, and secondly, because they didn't have many topics to talk about anyway.
Moreover, after realizing his feelings for Rin, he also had some intention of keeping a conscious distance to avoid any misunderstandings.
Of course, he hadn't forgotten how she had looked after him during his part-time job.
If there was an opportunity in the future, he would like to bring Rin to meet her and express his gratitude once again.
But that opportunity was certainly not right now.
Returning to the streetscape itself, generally speaking, Akihabara's streets still looked familiar, but there were many differences in the details.
Although Akihabara was not a dating hotspot for couples, since it was Christmas Eve, most shops had still put up Christmas decorations.
Although they weren't as exquisite as the decorations in Shibuya and Roppongi, they still added a lot of festive atmosphere to the streets.
At the same time, there were clearly more couples walking together on the streets than usual.
Their plan was to eat first and then go shopping, so next, the two of them headed to the restaurant they had planned to reserve.
Most people might choose higher-end restaurants or places with stylish decor for a date.
In fact, Akira had thought so at first too.
But after discussing it, Rin ultimately chose a family restaurant.
To be precise, it was the same family restaurant she had taken him to the first time she treated him to a meal.
On their way to their destination, the two passed by an intersection.
Just then, Rin suddenly thought of something and smiled, "This seems to be the place where we met that 'president' back then, right?"
Thinking back carefully, she found it hard to pinpoint exactly at which moment she had truly fallen for Akira.
But what was certain was that what happened here was one of her most deeply etched memories.
"Indeed."
Akira quickly recalled the situation back then. While nodding in agreement with a smile, he sighed, "But speaking of which, we'll probably never find out what that 'president's' true identity actually was."
.
That 'president's' identity?
Aside from being the president of a small talent agency, wouldn't it only be AV—
Thinking of this, Rin's face instantly flushed. She rolled her eyes at him with mock annoyance and said, "I don't want to know his true identity at all!"
"Well, I was just mentioning it in passing—"
Akira scratched his cheek, laughing it off to brush past the topic.
Fortunately, seeing this, Rin found it a bit amusing but had no intention of making things difficult for him. She just said with a light chuckle, "I have to say, Mochizuki-kun, your way of thinking always seems a bit peculiar."
"—Is that a compliment?"
"Hmm, barely."
"Then I'll barely accept it."
""
After saying that, the two couldn't help but look at each other and smile.
There weren't many people who chose to dine at a family restaurant on Christmas Eve like they did, so there were plenty of empty seats in the restaurant.
They simply chose the same window seat they had sat in before. As they chatted and laughed while waiting for their food, the dishes were soon served one after another.
Akira took a bite, and his eyes immediately lit up. He smiled and said, "Not bad, the owner's cooking is still as good as before!"
"It's only been a few months, after all. How could it change that quickly?"
Rin replied with a smile, then said softly, "Also, thank you, Mochizuki-kun, for being willing to accommodate me by coming here."
"Isn't 'accommodate' a bit of an exaggeration?"
Akira smiled, "I also think this is quite meaningful, so how does it count as 'accommodating' you? You make it sound like I'm someone who loves flashy things."
"Flashy—Pfft!"
Rin was so amused by this strange description that she couldn't help but cover her mouth and giggle.
The next moment, just as she was about to say something, her attention was suddenly drawn to the scenery outside the window—"Ah, it's snowing!"
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