It's New Year's Eve, and Saeko is huddled with her brother under the kotatsu, watching Kouhaku Uta Gassen. She's watching the performers and, out of the corner of her eye, also watching Ryuu slowly lose the battle against sleep.
"Oi! You're gonna miss Morikasa Ai, isn't she your favorite?" Saeko nudges him sharply under the table, and he rouses with a grunt.
"Ai-chan's so cute," Ryuu mumbles, but he's nodding throughout the whole performance and Saeko can tell he won't remember most of it in the morning.
"Well, there's always youtube," she says. "Do you want to skip going to the shrine? You're so tired."
Ryuu shakes his head. "No, no, I have to ask for good luck for Karasuno this year! Besides, Yuu's going to meet us there."
Pulling themselves away from the kotatsu is a hard thing, though, and Ryuu groans as he pulls his coat on. "It's cold, it's cold," he sings to himself, an old habit. Saeko laughs and jams a woolen hat over his head.
"Then bundle up!" she says, "It's almost midnight, we'll have to hurry. Come on."
Saeko makes sure all the lights are off and the TV is quiet before joining Ryuu outside, where he's already stomping his feet. The cold has woken him up, though, and his eyes are bright as he looks up at the full moon. Saeko walks fast and Ryuu trots beside her, hands jammed in his pockets, grinning as he talks about all the good food they'll get to eat at Noya's place the next day when they go to make their new year's visit.
"We'll have to visit a lot of people tomorrow," Saeko reminds him. "A lot of people help us out, yeah?"
"Yeah," he agrees solemnly, but she can tell he's still thinking about new year's food, and leaves him to it.
Ryuu breaks into a run and leaves Saeko behind when he sees Noya at the entrance to the temple, bundled in a scarf that covers his face up to the tips of his ears. "Honestly, the two of them," she says to herself, but it's fond. "They just saw each other yesterday."
Still, she slows down a little, to give them a minute to catch up. When she's close enough she roars, "The gods are waiting! Hurry up and go!" and laughs as they dash inside the temple, filling the air around them with their chatter.
Saeko blows onto her hands to warm them and looks up at the full moon herself, smiling. "Auspicious," she murmurs. She'll go to the temple heart herself, and ask for the same things she always does: for happiness, hers and Ryuu's both.
"It will be a good year," she says, firmly, and nods once before starting to ascend the temple steps.
"Oi! You're gonna miss Morikasa Ai, isn't she your favorite?" Saeko nudges him sharply under the table, and he rouses with a grunt.
"Ai-chan's so cute," Ryuu mumbles, but he's nodding throughout the whole performance and Saeko can tell he won't remember most of it in the morning.
"Well, there's always youtube," she says. "Do you want to skip going to the shrine? You're so tired."
Ryuu shakes his head. "No, no, I have to ask for good luck for Karasuno this year! Besides, Yuu's going to meet us there."
Pulling themselves away from the kotatsu is a hard thing, though, and Ryuu groans as he pulls his coat on. "It's cold, it's cold," he sings to himself, an old habit. Saeko laughs and jams a woolen hat over his head.
"Then bundle up!" she says, "It's almost midnight, we'll have to hurry. Come on."
Saeko makes sure all the lights are off and the TV is quiet before joining Ryuu outside, where he's already stomping his feet. The cold has woken him up, though, and his eyes are bright as he looks up at the full moon. Saeko walks fast and Ryuu trots beside her, hands jammed in his pockets, grinning as he talks about all the good food they'll get to eat at Noya's place the next day when they go to make their new year's visit.
"We'll have to visit a lot of people tomorrow," Saeko reminds him. "A lot of people help us out, yeah?"
"Yeah," he agrees solemnly, but she can tell he's still thinking about new year's food, and leaves him to it.
Ryuu breaks into a run and leaves Saeko behind when he sees Noya at the entrance to the temple, bundled in a scarf that covers his face up to the tips of his ears. "Honestly, the two of them," she says to herself, but it's fond. "They just saw each other yesterday."
Still, she slows down a little, to give them a minute to catch up. When she's close enough she roars, "The gods are waiting! Hurry up and go!" and laughs as they dash inside the temple, filling the air around them with their chatter.
Saeko blows onto her hands to warm them and looks up at the full moon herself, smiling. "Auspicious," she murmurs. She'll go to the temple heart herself, and ask for the same things she always does: for happiness, hers and Ryuu's both.
"It will be a good year," she says, firmly, and nods once before starting to ascend the temple steps.