On the afternoon of the third day of the New Year, the entire city was immersed in a peaceful and tranquil silence.
Xiao Chun Miura was slumped ungracefully in the living room’s kotatsu.
A rerun of a historical drama she had seen countless times was playing on the television.
The actors’ voices echoed through the empty living room, only serving to emphasize a sense of loneliness.
‘Those neglectful parents of mine, they really have the nerve to leave me home alone while they go on a hot spring trip.’
Xiao Chun Miura buried half of her face in the soft quilt of the kotatsu and let out a muffled complaint.
Although being alone should have been the ultimate luxury for a former 25-year-old workplace slave, having spent so much time in this slender body named “Xiao Chun Miura,” a faint physiological sense of loneliness would always quietly spread like damp moss in corners where no one was watching.
Lunch had been instant cup noodles, and dinner… would probably be instant cup noodles as well.
Just as she was staring at the ceiling light, debating whether to have seafood or curry flavor, a crisp and rhythmic doorbell suddenly rang from the genkan.
Ding-dong —
Xiao Chun Miura sat up with a start.
‘Who is it?’
Only a few people knew where she lived, and the doorbell didn’t sound like a delivery driver — no courier would be that playful.
She scrambled to tidy her messy long hair, and after confirming that her loungewear was decent enough, she timidly shuffled to the door and pulled it open just a crack.
“Who is it… please?”
Outside the door, light snow was falling silently. Standing in the snow was a figure so familiar that it almost triggered her physiological retreat instinct.
Kanzaki Sou was wearing a dark blue cashmere coat and a grey checkered scarf.
A thin layer of mist had formed on his glasses due to the temperature difference between the indoors and outdoors.
He was carrying a beautifully wrapped paper bag. The moment he saw Xiao Chun, his eyes, which always held a gentle smile, crinkled into a pleasant arc.
“Happy New Year, Miura.”
“Kan… Classmate Kanzaki?!”
Xiao Chun Miura was so startled she almost slammed the door.
“What, am I not welcome?” Kanzaki Sou tilted his head slightly. “I received some very nice New Year wagashi. I remembered you quite like them, so I thought I’d bring some over for you to try.”
“Ah… No, of course not. Please, come in.”
Xiao Chun Miura gave an awkward smile. “I was just so surprised. I didn’t expect you to come at all.”
‘What is he doing here!!’
‘I didn’t invite him at all, right? Wait, was I sleepwalking? Why did he just run over here without even sending a message on LIME?’
As Xiao Chun thought this, she pulled out her mobile phone.
“…”
Fine, he actually had sent one.
But she had been watching the Taiga drama and completely missed it.
Xiao Chun rolled her eyes helplessly and headed back toward the living room.
Kanzaki Sou followed her into the genkan and elegantly took off his coat.
However, as he looked toward the shoe locker, he froze for a moment.
Xiao Chun Miura had entered the living room ahead of him. Seeing that Kanzaki hadn’t followed from the genkan, she couldn’t help but call out, “Is something wrong, Kanzaki?”
At the doorway, Kanzaki Sou’s gaze remained on the shoe locker until Xiao Chun spoke to him, at which point he finally walked toward the living room.
The shoe locker only held a pair of small sneakers and a pair of plush indoor slippers.
The spots clearly meant for her parents’ outdoor and indoor shoes were currently empty.
“Miura… are you home alone?”
“Yes… my parents went to a hot spring inn. They won’t be back until tomorrow,” Xiao Chun Miura answered naturally.
“I see. Are you not interested in hot springs, Miura?”
“I’m… not really used to those kinds of places. So I stayed behind to watch the house.”
In truth, it was because she was from the south… bathhouses, hot springs, and the like.
Just thinking about being “boiled like a dumpling” with a bunch of strangers gave her goosebumps.
Not to mention her current body; it felt like it would be weird to be seen by others.
“Hmm…”
Hearing this, Kanzaki Sou stared thoughtfully at Xiao Chun Miura for a moment, forcing her to look away.
He knew, of course, that this girl named Xiao Chun Miura had many secrets she was unwilling to tell others, but he never exposed them.
In Kanzaki Sou’s view, everyone had parts of themselves they wanted to hide and were unwilling to let others know.
Respecting these personal boundaries was the basis for getting along harmoniously.
“I see.”
He nodded with a smile and then naturally rolled up his sleeves. “Then it seems I’ve arrived just in time.”
‘What does he mean?’
Looking at Kanzaki Sou’s actions, Xiao Chun Miura suddenly had a bad premonition.
“If you don’t mind, as an apology for disturbing your peace, why don’t you leave tonight’s cooking to me?”
‘That’s the one!’
“Cooking? That… that’s too much trouble…”
“It’s perfect, actually.”
Kanzaki Sou pointed to the paper bag in his hand. “I passed by the supermarket earlier and saw some very fresh daikon and mochi. I suddenly had a craving for zoni. Miura, may I borrow the kitchen?”
‘You even bought groceries! You were planning to cook from the moment you decided to come!’
Xiao Chun shouted in her mind.
……
In the end, yielding to the simple desire of not wanting to eat cup noodles again tonight, Xiao Chun Miura agreed to Kanzaki Sou’s request.
The two of them began to bustle about in the kitchen.
Surprisingly, the atmosphere was quite harmonious.
Kanzaki Sou was in charge of processing the dashi base made from kombu and bonito flakes.
His movements while chopping vegetables were quite practiced; it was clear he cooked often.
He was so skilled that Xiao Chun Miura, who also knew how to cook, felt a bit clumsy beside him.
After washing the daikon, Xiao Chun caught a glimpse of Kanzaki Sou’s profile for a fleeting moment.
“…”
She had to admit, when Kanzaki Sou was working seriously, that foundation of rationality mixed with a gentle aura… he really did look like someone everyone would swoon over in a text adventure game.
Xiao Chun Miura was the exception.
That accidental glance gave her goosebumps all over.
She didn’t want to admit that Kanzaki Sou looked good just now, but because of her honest nature, she couldn’t objectively deny it.
The girl pursed her lips and lowered her head to deal with the leftover daikon leaves in the sink.
“You handle vegetables very diligently, Miura.”
Kanzaki Sou suddenly turned his head and spoke.
“Ah! — Ah? Oh, um, really? Not really…”
Xiao Chun Miura immediately looked away and stared at the ginger in her hand, her voice carrying a hint of panic.
“That kind of diligence is one of your strengths, Miura.”
His tone was as flat as if he were stating an obvious fact — and perhaps to him, it was just an objective truth — but that sincere attitude made Xiao Chun Miura’s cheeks flush hot.
‘This is a move, right? The fighting game has started, hasn’t it? This is definitely a finishing move! Don’t think that just because you’re handsome, you can make people’s hearts skip a beat with whatever you say!!’
“You always say things that make people misunderstand, Kanzaki.”
Xiao Chun Miura muttered a small counterattack.
Kanzaki Sou merely let out a knowing, soft laugh.
……
The mochi swelled slowly on the grill, its skin cracking into tiny fissures and emitting a charming toasted aroma.
The pot of zoni let off white steam, and the rich scent of kombu and chicken slowly filled the emptiness of the house.
30 minutes later, two steaming bowls of zoni were placed on the kotatsu in the living room.
“Let’s eat.”
“Let’s eat.”
The two of them tucked into the kotatsu opposite each other.
The continuous warmth of winter spread from their legs to their entire bodies.
Due to the heat, Xiao Chun Miura’s face, which had been somewhat pale and cold in the kitchen, gradually took on a healthy glow.
“Phew… it’s hot — but it’s really delicious.”
The girl took a small sip of the soup and couldn’t help but let out a sincere exclamation of praise.
“After all, this is a dish that you helped complete, Miura.”
Kanzaki Sou sat opposite her, eating his mochi in a refined manner.
“Pff — !”
Kanzaki Sou watched the girl as she nearly choked, a genuine smile appearing on his lips.
‘He’s still laughing!’
Xiao Chun Miura flusteredly pulled out a tissue to wipe the table, giving Kanzaki Sou a reproachful look.
The latter laughed apologetically and raised his hand to signal her not to be angry.
“…You’re making fun of me again, Kanzaki.”
“Sorry, I didn’t mean it that way.”
Kanzaki Sou put down his wooden chopsticks. Looking at the girl through the rising steam of the zoni, his expression softened slightly.
“Actually… before I came today, I was quite worried.”
“Worried?”
“Worried that you wouldn’t agree.”
Kanzaki Sou chuckled. “After all, I just showed up unannounced.”
“It’s… just borrowing the kitchen.”
Xiao Chun Miura grumbled.
“Besides, it’s so delicious that I’m the one who benefited.”
Hearing this, Kanzaki Sou’s pupils dilated slightly, and his expression froze for a moment.
The two of them fell into silence for a while, with only the laughter of a comedian on the television echoing around them.
“…”
Realizing that it was just the two of them sitting face-to-face eating zoni, Xiao Chun Miura felt the atmosphere become a bit awkward.
She pursed her lips and shifted her body unnaturally.
However, the space under the kotatsu wasn’t large. While moving her legs, her toes accidentally brushed against Kanzaki Sou’s knee.
“Ah!…”
She tried to pull back as if she had been electrocuted.
However, Kanzaki Sou showed no reaction.
As if the contact hadn’t even happened, Kanzaki Sou peacefully continued eating the zoni in his bowl.
Even that little bit of unexpected contact didn’t cause him to feel any awkward change in the atmosphere between him and Xiao Chun Miura.
“It’s fine,” Kanzaki Sou said softly, his eyes still fixed on the television. His tone was incredibly steady and reassuring.
“A kotatsu is meant for everyone to huddle together to stay warm, isn’t it?”
This sentence caused Xiao Chun’s averted face to turn even redder.
……
At 6:00 PM, the snow outside began to fall more heavily.
Kanzaki Sou put on his coat at the genkan and readjusted his scarf.
“The zoni was delicious. Thank you for the meal,” Xiao Chun Miura said from behind him.
Kanzaki Sou smiled as he looked at the girl seeing him off under the light of the genkan.
“As long as you liked it, Miura.”
With that, he moved toward the door.
Xiao Chun Miura gripped the doorframe. After thinking for a moment, she couldn’t help but ask the question that had been on her mind.
“Why… did you really come over today, Kanzaki?”
Kanzaki Sou turned his head and adjusted his glasses, revealing a smile that held a hint of mischief but remained gentle.
“If I said I came to make sure you weren’t just neglecting your meals while you were home for the holidays, you’d probably think I was being too nosy, wouldn’t you?”
“…True.”
Xiao Chun Miura squinted as she replied.
But a moment later, she also let out a light laugh.
There was no hidden meaning; she laughed simply because she felt a bit happy.
Watching her, the smile on Kanzaki Sou’s face remained unchanged.
“Happy New Year, Miura.”
Kanzaki Sou pushed open the door, and cold air instantly rushed in.
“When you go out during the New Year, remember to dress warmly. Don’t catch a cold before school starts.”
Accompanied by that simple and rustic reminder, the door closed gently.
Xiao Chun Miura stood in the genkan, listening as Kanzaki Sou’s footsteps gradually faded away outside.
She returned to the living room and looked at the empty seat and the beautifully wrapped New Year’s lucky bag Kanzaki had brought.
‘I only said I liked wagashi in passing.’
‘Dummy, you remembered for so long.’
Xiao Chun Miura crawled back into the kotatsu, set the paper bag aside, and picked up a warm tangerine from the table.
She popped a segment of the tangerine into her mouth, and the sweet and sour flavor exploded on the tip of her tongue.
Under the falling snow of the third day of the New Year, the warm atmosphere felt like a thin thread connecting the two of them, keeping them wrapped in warmth even as they moved apart.