章 501: [501] New Year's Visit
Chapter 501: New Year's Visit
"Over here! Happy New Year, Hikki, Komachi!"
Turning towards the voice, they saw a cheerful pink-haired girl waving enthusiastically at the siblings.
Since it was winter, this silly girl knew how to dress warmly. She wore a khaki coat over a wool sweater, with a scarf wrapped snugly around her neck. As for her lower half, she had on a pair of navy skinny jeans, and her little hands were tucked into mittens, which she kept waving in the air—looking utterly adorable.
Standing next to her was, of course, Yukinoshita Yukino.
Yukino was dressed in a long white coat today, with a fluffy scarf around her neck. Beneath her checkered mini-skirt, she wore black tights.
When Hachiman approached, Yukino greeted him with a gentle smile.
"Happy New Year."
"Yes, Happy New Year, Yukino," Hachiman replied, smiling warmly.
After greeting Yukino, he naturally couldn't ignore the pink-haired girl beside her. Looking at Yui, Hachiman gave her a similarly warm smile.
"Yui, Happy New Year."
"Yes, Happy New Year, Hikki!"
Seeing Hachiman standing in front of her, Yui's eyes sparkled with delight.
Being able to see the person she cared about on the first day of the new year made Yui very happy. She nodded energetically, causing the bun on her head to bob up and down.
At that moment, Komachi's voice rang out.
"Onii-chan, Yukino-nee, Yui-nee, let's go for the New Year's visit!"
"Yes, let's go."
Hachiman nodded, then led the group up the steps toward the shrine.
When it comes to a New Year's visit, it's practically like a small festival.
And since it's a festival, the roads on either side were naturally lined with stalls selling snacks.
Taiyaki, takoyaki, okonomiyaki, candied hawthorn...
These delicious treats naturally caught the attention of both Komachi and Yui.
As the enticing aroma wafted through the air, Yui couldn't help but twitch her nose. "Smells so good."
"It really does," Komachi nodded in agreement.
"How about we buy something to eat?"
"Yes, yes! I want okonomiyaki!" Yui said excitedly.
"Komachi wants candied hawthorn!"
Just as the two were about to veer off the main path, Hachiman lightly chopped them both on the head.
"Eat later. Let's finish the visit first."
Hearing this, the two reluctantly quieted down.
As they entered the main path leading to the shrine, the crowd thinned out a bit. Since they were now within the shrine's grounds, there were no food stalls, only the shrine directly ahead.
Following the line, it was soon Hachiman's group's turn.
They stood in a row, took out some coins, tossed them into the offering box, rang the bell, bowed twice, clapped their hands twice, then brought their palms together and closed their eyes, beginning their prayers with sincere devotion.
Although Hachiman wasn't sure how powerful these so-called gods were, he still made a modest wish.
"I hope that the people I care about can achieve their dreams."
After making this wish, Hachiman opened his eyes and glanced at the three girls beside him.
At that moment, all three of them had serious expressions, even Yui, who usually loved to play around, was solemn.
Perhaps, in their hearts, making vows before the gods was a deeply serious and solemn matter.
After a short while, the girls finished making their wishes and opened their eyes, their faces showing expressions of relief, as if they had just completed an important task.
With the visit over, Yui quickly returned to her usual lively self, looking around the shrine.
Suddenly, she seemed to notice something and pointed in a direction.
"Let's try drawing a fortune slip!"
Hearing Yui's suggestion, Yukino thought for a moment and then nodded, "Let's go draw one."
She picked up the hexagonal fortune stick box, gave it a gentle shake, and let one of the wooden sticks fall out. After handing the stick to the shrine maiden and paying 100 yen, she received the corresponding fortune slip.
In reality, this is just a fun tradition; whatever result you get doesn't have much impact. Of course, if you draw a "bad luck" slip, it might dampen your mood.
Fortunately, all of them had good luck—they either got "good luck" or "great luck."
Seeing their fortunes, the three girls smiled happily.
Komachi was especially pleased since she's about to face her entrance exams. Drawing a "good luck" slip before the exams is indeed a positive sign.
As for Hachiman, he was less interested in the fortune drawing and more focused on observing the shrine maidens.
It wasn't because the shrine maidens were particularly beautiful, but rather because their attire caught Hachiman's eye.
Their black hair was tied back with a white ribbon, and they wore white long-sleeved robes paired with red hakama. The entire look gave off an air of elegance and grace.
Hmm... It might be nice to have Kotoha and Saeko try wearing this attire someday.
Just as Hachiman made up his mind about this, he suddenly felt a slight pain in his waist.
Looking down, he noticed Yukino standing on his left, her expression calm as she discreetly pinched his waist with her left hand.
Is she... jealous?
The thought amused Hachiman, and he shook his head with a smile. He reached out with his left hand, gently capturing her mischievous hand and naturally holding it in his own.
Feeling his gesture, Yukino didn't resist. She simply shot him a subtle glare before letting him hold her hand.
With her soft hand secretly in his grasp, Hachiman smiled and said, "Alright, we've paid our respects and drawn our fortunes. What should we do next?"
"Let's check out the stalls!" Yui immediately suggested, with Komachi nodding enthusiastically beside her.
"Yes, yes, let's go see the stalls!"
Earlier, both of them had been drawn to the various snacks, and now that the important tasks were done, they were eager to indulge!
This time, Hachiman didn't stop them and simply let the two girls go enjoy themselves.
Retracing their steps, they soon returned to the area where the stalls were clustered.
Not only were there food stalls, but also game booths and merchandise stands.
It really felt like a full-blown festival.
Seeing the many food stalls, Yui and Komachi let out cheers of excitement and then split up to line up for different foods.
Hachiman also released Yukino's soft hand, letting her move around freely.
Taiyaki, takoyaki, candied hawthorn...
All kinds of snacks were available, and there was even sweet sake to warm people up during the winter.
Hachiman approached the sweet sake stand and bought a cup.
Taking a small sip, the warm, slightly sweet liquid flowed down his throat, spreading a comfortable warmth throughout his body.
This sweet sake was made from glutinous rice, though he wasn't sure if it was the same as the famous kuchikamizake. But after drinking it, he did feel a cozy warmth spread through him.
Just then, Yui came running over with a box of takoyaki.
Reaching Hachiman, she picked up a piece with a bamboo skewer and offered it to him.
"Hikki, say ah~~"
Hachiman didn't hesitate and ate it.
Chewing the slightly hot takoyaki, Hachiman handed her the sweet sake he was holding.
"Have a sip to warm up."
"Mmm." Yui took the paper cup, drank a sip of the sweet sake, and smiled happily.
"Ahh, it's so sweet and delicious."
Whether it was because of the cold wind or the effect of the alcohol, Yui's cheeks, exposed to the chilly air, turned a rosy pink, making her look incredibly cute.
Noticing that Hachiman was staring at her, Yui couldn't help but feel a bit shy.
"Hikki, don't stare at me like that."
Hearing her playful complaint, Hachiman chuckled and reached out to pat the bun on her head.
"Alright, alright. We've known each other for so long—how can you still get shy over something like this, silly bun."
Noticing his gesture, Yui pouted unhappily.
"Mean Hikki, don't mess up my hairstyle."
She patted the bun on her head to make sure it was still intact, then breathed a sigh of relief. A moment later, as if something had crossed her mind, she spoke up again.
"By the way, Hikki, when are we going to buy Yukino's birthday gift?"
Oh, right, Yukino's birthday.
Hachiman remembered that Yukino's birthday was on January 3rd, and he had already agreed with Yui to go shopping for a gift together.
"How about tomorrow?"
"Okay, it's a plan—tomorrow it is."
Yui nodded happily, then murmured to herself.
"We have to give Yukinon a big surprise."
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