章 31: Sickness

As the year-end approached, the weather became increasingly cold. Despite being forty years into the future, the New Year celebration remained as important as ever. Hana noticed that there seemed to be more people giving gifts lately, and with the school on winter break, the number of young people in their neighborhood had increased.

"Why do we need to buy New Year's goods so early?" Hana casually asked. "Yoshita's sister-in-law started preparing a month in advance. What about our family? Did you spend New Year's alone here in previous years, or what?"

Inside the warm room, Jun, dressed in a pullover sweater, was leisurely reading a book. Hearing Hana's question, he took a moment before looking up and responding, "Most of the time, I was alone. Some students would come to pay a New Year's visit during the holiday. My cousin is still around; he would invite me over for the New Year's celebration. But he has many kids, so I don't go there often."