Seeing Shinji and Rin turn their heads in perfect synchronization, their expressions equally agitated, Mizuji Ayako, who had somehow ended up in the café, laughed heartily.
"You two really are just alike."
"Who's alike with this guy?!" ×2
They both retorted simultaneously, then glared at each other with clenched teeth.
"Hahaha, I can't take it," Mizuji laughed so hard she held her stomach, unable to stop. "This is funnier than any joke I've ever heard."
"Tch!" Both Shinji and Rin clicked their tongues and crossed their arms, turning away from each other.
"So, why are you here, Mizuji? Isn't today Christmas Eve?" Rin asked.
Sitting down in the booth, Mizuji shrugged casually. "My parents had too much to drink and are singing karaoke in the living room. It's way too noisy, so I came out for some fresh air. Then I saw this very rare pairing and got curious."
"Just to be clear, I only ran into him by chance," Rin said with an air of superiority.
Shinji snorted dismissively, "Probably because I didn't check the calendar before going out. Running into this woman is such bad luck. Next time, I should check my horoscope."
Rin's eyes narrowed into a sweet yet sinister smile. "Oh, Matou-kun, you're such a joker. Obviously, I'm the unlucky one. Next time, I'll be sure to check my star sign forecast on TV before leaving."
Shinji returned a polite smile. "No need for that. It's too troublesome. Let me handle the bad luck; you can go out without worry, Tohsaka."
Bang!
"You!" Rin slammed her hands on the table and stood up, glaring at Shinji.
"What's your problem?" Shinji also stood, crossing his arms and looking down at Rin with annoyance.
Watching their confrontation, Mizuji suddenly thought of something. "Do you two know the term 'star-crossed lovers'?"
"Mizuji-san, please don't say such things. We're more like mortal enemies."
"Yeah, exactly, sworn enemies," Rin nodded in agreement.
"From my perspective, you two look more like bickering old couples."
"No, we don't!!" ×2
Covering her ears, Mizuji could only smile wryly. "Please, keep it down. My eardrums are about to burst."
The heavy snow showed no signs of stopping. The park bench under the yellow streetlight was covered in a thick layer of white snow.
"Huff—"
Standing nearby, Rin rubbed her hands together, breathing out a puff of white air.
Serves her right, Shinji thought.
In this cold weather, wearing a skirt? Serves her right!
Even though he thought this, Shinji still handed over the hot drinks he had bought from a vending machine to Mizuji and Rin.
"Oh, Matou-kun, you can be quite the gentleman," Mizuji teased as she accepted the hot drink.
"Huh? Don't be ridiculous. I just didn't want anyone blaming me if they caught a cold."
"I'm curious about who this 'anyone' might be," Rin smiled as she took the hot drink. "And what's with your outstretched hand?"
"A hundred and fifty yen."
After a moment of silence, Rin pointed at Shinji and looked at Mizuji. "Mizuji-san, do you really think this guy is a gentleman?"
"I'll cover Mizuji's drink. Yours is 150 yen."
Rin: ...You're just targeting me, aren't you?
"Thanks, Matou," Mizuji said nonchalantly, then added, "I almost forgot the time. I need to head back; my brother might not be able to handle things alone."
"Need a gentleman to walk you home?" Shinji asked as he accepted the coins Rin grudgingly handed over. "I can be your escort if you need."
"Oh, Matou-kun, you really don't get it. I'm creating an opportunity for you two."
"Huh?"
"Anyway, goodbye." Mizuji waved and gave them a playful wink. "Good luck, you two."
"What is she talking about?" Shinji muttered, watching her jog away.
At the familiar long slope in the remote town of Fuyuki, a taxi stopped, and two people got out—Shinji and Rin.
Instead of heading home immediately, Shinji walked to the railings by the roadside, hands in his coat pockets, staring idly at the distant city.
After about five minutes, Shinji couldn't take it anymore. He turned to see Rin, also standing in the cold, her hair covered in snow.
"What are you still doing here? Afraid to walk home alone in the dark?"
Hugging herself and shivering, Rin retorted, "No! I'm just a little bored."
"Seems like we're in the same boat."
"By the way, didn't you get yourself a drink earlier?"
"No, I actually wanted to..." Shinji pulled out two cans of beer from his coat. "Try some beer. But with you hanging around, it felt awkward."
Seeing the beers, Rin propped her chin on her hand, a playful smile forming. "Oh, Matou-kun, you do have a normal side, wanting to try beer before the legal age."
"Not that I want to hear it from you," Shinji replied, opening one of the cans. "Well, here goes, my first taste of beer."
"Wait..."
"What?"
"I... um..."
Seeing Rin's hesitant look, Shinji guessed. "You want to try too?"
"Just give it to me already!"
"Minors aren't allowed to drink."
"Neither are you!"
"It's different. I look more like an adult."
"There's no difference!"
In the end, curiosity got the better of Rin, and she snatched a can from Shinji.
…
"Ahh—"
Shinji let out a content sigh after taking a big gulp of beer.
"It's an indescribable feeling."
Looking at the can, Shinji reflected that he hadn't had beer in years.
"How is it?" Shinji asked, glancing at Rin, who was staring at her beer with her head down. All he got in response was a hiccup.
Seeing Rin lift her head, eyes glazed and with a playful grin, hiccupping occasionally, Shinji realized something. A few stress lines appeared on his forehead.
Is she drunk?
"Shinji-kun."
"What?"
"Go to hell!"
Splat!
A snowball smacked Shinji in the face, leaving him stunned. It took him a while to process what had happened.
What followed was a late-night snowball fight between the two "drunks." It might have been the effect of the alcohol; Shinji felt a bit dizzy himself.
After about half an hour, they finally stopped, both panting heavily. Shinji then spotted a wooden board by the roadside.
Thus, after the snowball fight, they began a new round of slope sliding.
Under the influence of alcohol, what started as solo rides down the slope soon turned into tandem sliding.
Sitting on the wooden board, they lost count of how many times they had joyfully slid down the long slope, crashing into the thick snow at the bottom each time.
"Ha—ha—ha—" Lying in the snow, Shinji was covered in sweat, panting lightly.
After catching his breath, he turned to look at Rin, who was also lying in the snow.
"Letting you steer was a mistake. How about we go agai—"
Before he could finish, perhaps due to the alcohol wearing off or for some other reason, Shinji suddenly froze.