Snow was steadily falling on the streets of Iwatodai , as winter that year had reached its peak , giving the entire city a calm appearance . The whiteness of the snow spread across the street , blending with the grey clouds , and silence of the streets almost made the residents of Iwatodai forget the harrowing events that had been happening in the city . Even in those difficult times , people could still take in the uniquely serene environment of the snowy winter .
Minato had ascended to the shrine along with Koromaru , with Aigis right behind him . The two of them were wearing thick winter coats , and Minato was wearing a dark blue scarf . Adorably , they also thought to give Koromaru a black scarf as well , and he was so happy to wear it . The two of them wiped a seat near the shrine of the snow that was covering it and sat there , while Koromaru went to play in front of the shrine .
" what are you doing , Minato-san ? " Aigis asked curiously as she saw Minato rummaging through his bag
" here ... " Minato gave Aigis a light blue scarf " I wouldn't want you to get cold here "
" oh , thanks ... but I don't feel cold ... I'm a machine ... " Aigis started
" for the fifth time , don't say that about yourself " Minato frowned , as he shoved the woolly scarf in her hands " consider it your Christmas present "
" Christmas present ? " Aigis's eyes were opened wider , and she worriedly said " I did not know you give presents during Christmas ! I have to buy you one quickly ! "
" settle down , just you being here is fine ... "
" no ! That is unacceptable ! I will obtain a present for you , Minato-san , so just sit here and wait ! " Aigis stood up stubbornly , and then suddenly jumped away from Minato
Minato found himself messing with Koromaru's fur , while waiting for Aigis to return . His eyes wandered into the horizon , as the milky white snow seemed to blend in with the light grey clouds of the sky , almost lulling him into sleep . He wanted this moment to last for all eternity , just him , and Koromaru , and endless silence , without the thought of the future , or the probable lack thereof . That was when Aigis jumped back down in the field in front of the shrine , and hurried to Minato and Koromaru , quickly giving Minato a paper bag .
" a novelization of Eternal Crusaders Untold ! " Minato's eyes opened wider with interest as he looked into the contents of the bag , before he looked at Aigis with appreciation " this one links the two Untold games and adds some more events ! I can't wait to read it ! "
" I am glad that I managed to make up for forgetting to prepare a present beforehand , and for picking an appropriate one for your taste " Aigis said with satisfaction " anyway , it looks like Koromaru-san had finished playing , so let us return to the dorm "
" actually ... I feel like staying here a little longer " Minato looked at view from the top of the shrine " this scene is beautiful ... I want it to last forever "
" it will , Minato-san ! " Aigis said eagerly " we will save the world , no matter what Ryoji said , we will defeat Nyx ! "
" yeah ... we will ... " despite what Minato said , there was a clear look of sadness in his face
" do not be afraid , Minato-san ! I will protect you and Minako-san ! I will not let you be harmed , I promise ! "
" Ai ... thank you ... " Minato smiled to her , he remained silent for a moment , before nodding back " we'll do our best to protect you , too . We'll protect everyone in SEES , and the whole world . I know we can do it ... "
Despite Minato's words , Aigis could sense there was more that he wanted to say , but for some reason didn't say it . Normally , she could tell what he was feeling based on an external analysis of his breathing and heart rate , and the information she was getting was normal . However , she could still feel that there something else there . When Minato would look at her , there was nothing but determination in his eyes . However , when he turned his eyes back to the world around him , it was clear that something in him would change , and that made Aigis very worried .
" do not worry , Minato-san ! " Aigis repeated , more to assure herself rather than Minato , as she had her cold metallic hand intertwined with Minato's hand " I will protect you , I promise ! "
" I know , Ai " Minato smiled to Aigis " say , besides presents , do you know what people tend to do on Christmas ? They buy a cake "
" a cake ? "
" let's grab one from Iwatodai mall , it should be nearby "
——————————————
Junpei sat in that same seat on which he saw Chidori sitting the first time he met her , thinking of his life as he stared at the snow covered city . His attention was brought back to reality , when he noticed Fuuka leaving the cinema with a notebook in hand . As their eyes met , Fuuka eagerly walked toward him , but she neglected the slippery part of the street on which the snow was beginning to melt , and she slipped and fell on her back .
" Fuuka ! Are you alright ? " Junpei hurriedly walked toward her and helped her stand .
" s—sorry ... " Fuuka let a nervous laugh " I didn't expect to see you here , Junpei "
" yeah ... feels like everything that changed my life happened here in this place ... " Junpei laughed awkwardly " first it was my first meeting with Chidori , and then our discussion about fighting Nyx "
" our discussion ? " Fuuka started
" never mind that ... what were you doing ? I didn't think you'd spend your Christmas watching a movie "
" oh , I've actually been coming to the cinema a lot lately " Fuuka turned and looked cinema " there are slice of life movies that I'm watching , some of them contain subjects close to cooking , and I'm taking notes "
" oh ... so it's cooking, then " Junpei smiled " you know , the last feast we had with Shinjiro , I saw you cooking in the kitchen . And guess what , the food was so great , I can only think that your cooking was seamless in quality with Shinjiro senpai's "
" n—no , it wasn't that good ! " Fuuka's eyes darted back to face Junpei , her face growing redder by the second " I caused a lot of trouble for Aragaki senpai , and he was constantly yelling at me for making obvious mistakes ... I actually think I was holding him back ! "
" say what you want , but I still think you've come a long way . Maybe you don't believe in yourself , but I owe it to you that I found the courage to take the choice to fight , Fuuka ... thank you ... "
" Junpei ... I'm glad to hear that ... "
" say , you don't have anything else to do now , right ? What do you say we spend the day together , then ? This is Christmas , after all "
" Oh , yes , of course "
———————————————
Yukari opened the front door to the dorm , and saw the girls she had invited in front of the door . It was Yuko and Rio , along with Natsuki and Sumire , the last of which had only began hanging out with them recently . Yukari eagerly invited them into the dorm , and as they entered the dorm , they began taking off their coats and winter gloves .
" are you sure I can be here ? " Sumire asked anxiously " everyone is my seniors ... and I... I only started hanging out with you recently ... and ... "
" you know , you were the first girl I invited tonight , Sumire " Yukari smiled welcomingly " you don't need to feel restricted , and I personally don't mind if you would just call me Yukari "
" I know ! How about we call you Sumi-chan from now on , how does that sound ? " Natsuki suggested
" I ... well ... I don't mind ... " Sumire was actually very happy to be called of something other than getting her name mistaken as an apology
" but I didn't know Rio was coming , too " Yuko asked " I thought you were going to hang out with Kenji "
" the dork caught a cold , he's staying home " Rio said " but I could say the same thing about you , Yuko . Was Kaz bedridden as well ? Why didn't—? "
" ' why ' would I even be hanging out with that deranged ape ?! " Yuko defensively exclaimed " I didn't even bother asking him , that's how much I care about him , okay ?! For all I know , he's probably with his sick cousin , telling him about his training as a kendo player or something ! "
" that's ... very specific ... " Yukari wondered if that was exactly what Kazushi was doing , regardless , she decided to change the subject " anyway , let's go to my room , there's a lot that we can do today ! "
" alright , it's Christmas time ! " Natsuki exclaimed
" just to make sure ... none of you said anything about this , right ? " Yukari said sternly " you know Junpei will jump in on this if he catches wind of our gathering , right ? "
When everyone confirmed that they kept their party a secret , the girls went to Yukari's room , except for Yukari herself , as she went to the kitchen to the cake she had ordered out of the fridge . The girls were already chatting by the time Yukari entered the room , and they were all really excited to see the cake . It was a Buche de Noel , one of the brands that were only sold around Christmas .
" happy birthday... I ... I mean ... " Yukari fumbled as she realized it wasn't exactly anyone's birthday " merry Christmas ! "
" hehe ... one unconsciously think of birthdays when they see a cake like this , right ? "
" my birthday was a few days ago ... I suppose I missed the mark ... " Sumire laughed awkwardly
" then next year , let's celebrate your birthday , too , Sumi-chan ! " Yuko said
" stop wasting time , cut the cake already ! " Natsuki exclaimed greedily
" it's such a shame to cut it , though " Yukari thought as she took out a knife " it looks so good ... with all of its chocolate cream , chestnuts and strawberry jam , and ... "
" you're just making me hungrier , Yukari ! " Natsuki said impatiently
" I know , let's take a picture of it ! " Rio suggested , and took out her phone to take one " I'll send it to you girls later "
" great ! " Yukari said as she cut a piece " don't start until everyone gets a piece , okay ? "
At that moment , the door was knocked gently . The girls looked at each other , wondering if word of their party had actually gone out . When the voice of Mitsuru came from the other side of the door , Yukari eagerly stood to open the door . What she forgot was the knife in her hand , which still had traces of the strawberry jam from the cake . When she opened the door , the first thing Mitsuru noticed was the knife in her hand .
" Y—Yukari ?! What are you doing ?!! " Mitsuru asked nervously
" oh ! Sorry , I didn't mean to scare you , senpai ! " Yukari eagerly apologized " it's just jam , we're having a party ! "
" I ... I see ... sorry for the trouble ... " Mitsuru sighed , and began to walk away
" ah ! Senpai , wait ! " Yukari exclaimed " Ken is watching a Christmas special of Featherman , and I think I heard Akihiko senpai training in his room , what do you say you join us ? "
" I ... I can ? " Mitsuru turned back , with interest in her eyes " I would love to ... "
———————————————
" this is ... very uncomfortable ... and awkward..." Shinjiro grumbled
" shut up , we're snuggling ! " Minako insisted
" was it you who ... ? " Shinjiro looked at her doubtfully , but as he saw her embarrassedly blushing , he grinned " heh ... so I was on the mark ... "
" I said ... WE ... ARE ... SNUGGLING !!! " Minako huffed , as she huddled closer to Shinjiro and pouted grumpily , as if she was fighting back the sense of embarrassment and public shame in their appearance
The two of them were walking the streets of the city to Paulownia mall , both wearing heavy snow coats and carrying a plastic bag each , and the two of them were wrapped in a long long scarf , so long that even when they wrapped it around both of their necks , there was still enough of it dangling all the way down to Shinjiro's thighs and Minako's knees . While there were other lovers who had such a long scarf that they shared , none were as weirdly long as Minako's . However what Shinjiro said , he still felt very warm with Minako by his side and with the two of them wearing it together , and was really glad to know that Minako put in so much effort for this .
The two of them arrived at Paulownia mall , which was filled with lights and decorations that almost made it an entirely new place . There were lights strapped to the rails of the stairs , and big artificial trees that extended all the way to the roof . When the two of them were in the mall , they were warm enough to take off their .
" alright ! Time for us to find a cake ! " Minako declared eagerly
" a cake ? Minako ... wait ! "
Shinjiro could only watch as Minako went from one store after another , looking for a suitable cake , but finding none . Every time he wanted to stop her and tell her what was on his mind , she would just shrug off and say that she's finding a cake no matter what . However , by the end of it all , Minako could find none .
" what do they mean ' we're sold out ' ?! " Minako ranted to basically no one " It's Christmas for crying out loud , you should bring as many cakes as you can ! In fact , you're supposed to fill your stores with nothing but cakes ! And the leftovers ? You , the employees , should eat them , that's what Christmas is , right ?! "
" are you done ? " Shinjiro took out a box from within the bag "I'd already baked a cake before ... if you would let me speak ... "
" ah ... I see ... " Minako's anger was immediately snuffed out , and was replaced by guilt over dragging Shinjiro around for nothing
" erase that frown of your face ... it's Christmas , after all , and we still have plenty of time to enjoy ourselves " Shinjiro said as he walked with her toward a place to sit " honestly , I thought there was cake in that plastic bag of yours , then what was it you were carrying in there ? "
" it's your Christmas present , Shin-chan " Minako smiled lovelily " I'll give it to you when the time is right "
" and here I was thinking that awkward scarf was your present "
" meanie ... " Minako nudged him " I could still not give you your present , you know "
The two sat down to eat their cake , and as Shinjiro tore the box slowly to reveal it , Minako could only watch in awe and feel her mouth watering quickly as she stared at it . It was a chocolate cake covered in chocolate cream, with the top being divided into four quarters , each with their own decorative additions . There was chestnuts , white chocolates , marshmallow, and coconut flakes .
" I'm so gonna get diabetes for this ... " Minako looked at Shinjiro in awe " Shin-chan ... I know you cook like a master chef ... but was it really you who made this ??? "
" I had a lot of help from the internet ... I actually googled the recipe for this ... sweets aren't my thing when it comes to cooking , but I wanted to give you a Christmas experience you will never forget " Shinjiro admitted , and as he spoke his face continued to get redder and redder " I ... I mean ... even though I remained unconscious for months , you still waited for me . I can't be grateful enough for you , Minako "
" Shin-chan ... thank you ... " Minako smiled sweetly
" just eat the cake ... "
As the two of them sat down to eat the cake , the world seemed to silence itself for them . It was like they were all alone in the world . The cake wasn't that big , so they finished it all after some time . After that , Minako began rummaging through her bag , and Shinjiro realized she was about to give him his present at last .
" here ... " Minako gave him an old-looking pocket watch " the one you had was broken . Consider this a gift for coming back to life "
" Minako ... " Shinjiro stared at the pocket watch that Minako gave him , and the other one that protected him from the bullet which he had insisted on keeping and not throwing away
" I'm really glad that you wanted to keep the older one , even though it's beyond repair , but you still need one that can tell you the time , Shin-chan . This time , I made sure to buy one identical to mine , so we can have a matching pair "
" thank you ... " Shinjiro pressed the new pocket watch into his coat
" and this ... " Minako took out a smaller box and gave it to him " this is your Christmas present "
" this ... " Shinjiro opened it to reveal a small stuffed doll of a grumpy grizzly bear " what's this ? "
" I will keep this one for myself " Minako showed him an even smaller stuffed doll of a happy-looking bunny , while smiling adorably to Shinjiro " what do you think ? Doesn't this pair remind you of something ? "
" you're unbelievable " Shinjiro could only smile to express what he felt " it's great ... I'll cherish it ... "
" oh ... and one more thing , Shin-chan ... close your eyes ... don't open them until I tell you to ... "
Minako had a strangely serious expression on her face , but Shinjiro didn't think much about it and just closed his eyes . However , as he did , he felt something warm and soft pressed against his lips , and he also felt the warm and agitated breath of someone who very close to him . It was very brief , and it ended very quickly . Shinjiro quickly and anxiously opened his eyes , just as Minako was drawing her face away from him , and her face was intensely red .
" I ... I told you not to open them until I tell you ... " Minako mumbled
" M—Minako ... did ... did you ... ? " Shinjiro unconsciously touched his own lips
" yes ! Yes I did ! I kissed you ! Please don't look at me like that , it's embarrassing ! " Minako stuffed her head in her long scarf
" it's not fair ... that you would take advantage of me like that ... " Shinjiro said seriously
" I'm sorry ... I'm so sorry ! "
" I don't care for your apology , I want compensation . If you're going to kiss me like that , then I want a kiss from you , too "
" look ... I ... I mean ... " Minako nervously replied " can we do it somewhere ... less ... crowded ? I only realized during the kiss that this was too public ! "
The two left the mall , wrapped again in that long scarf . When they reached a somewhat less crowded area of the street , Shinjiro covered their faces with the extended part of the scarf , as he knelt a little down and kissed her , a kiss that lasted a little longer than Minako's . After that , the two gave each other some distance , as they tried to let that feeling of intimacy between them sink in their hearts .
" thank you , Shin-chan ... " Minako said in a voice a little louder than a whisper " ... now I don't have any regrets left ... "
" regrets ? " Shinjiro said sternly " you're not planning anything stupid , are you ? I didn't fight to stay alive , just so you could leave shortly after ! "
" that's ... that's not what I said ... " Minako let one short and stiff laughter , as tears quickly began filling her eyes " we're going against Nyx , you know what that means . For all we know what Ryoji said could be true ... and if we lose to Nyx ... this could be our last Christmas ... "
" oh yeah ?! " Shinjiro held Minako's arms firmly , and said while glaring into her eyes " we're kicking Nyx's ass straight into that cursed full moon , understand ?! We're saving the world and our future , and next year , we're having an even more eventful Christmas date ! "
" Shin-chan ... " Minako felt a sob rising up her throat , and she found herself burying her face in Shinjiro's coat and crying . When she looked at Shinjiro again , she was smiling her usual smile " you're right ! That didn't sound at all like me , did it ? We're going to scrub the floor of Tartarus with Nyx's depressed head , then we'll toss it back into whatever pit it crawled from ! "
" yeah , that's more like it " Shinjiro smirked , then said in a softer tone " you know what kept me going even though I thought my life was approaching its end ? It was you planning what you wanted to do after the Dark Hour ends , so let's plan for what we would do next year "
" yes ! That's a great idea ! Let's do it ! "
*************************
Well do I have a lot to talk about ... and I mean a lot ...
First ... Chidori , she's not coming back . I know , it was probably cannon that she lives , and that was probably the reason why it never crossed my mind to think of reviving a dead person after declaring them dead when I decided to bring her back . However , my word remains absolute , she was declared dead , and dead she remains . See , I want this book to improve my writing , and it's been helping me a lot for the past year and a half , so between choosing romance fan service and happy ending for Junpei , and choosing to uphold my writing mottos , I went with the later . I'm so sorry for the many many fans who ship Junpei with Chidori , but it won't be a thing here , even though I tried to compensate for that by showing beginnings of a forming bond between him and Fuuka , I imagine that won't be enough . By the way , the bond between Fuuka and Junpei is a thing in the game , and not just a fan ship from me . There is this scene at the end of the game before the final battle in which Junpei talks to Minato , and if you date Fuuka he tells Minato to " treat her right " .
Again , sorry for not continuing the ship between Junpei and Chidori , even though I did publish a part that included her revival . That part is deleted ( not just unpublished , it's forever lost ) . I suppose that's pretty cool , as it's now one of those mysterious lost media on the internet ... hehe ...
Anyway , I hope the rest of this part helped compensate for this loss . How did you like the events that happened here ? I tried to give everyone some time to shine , but I think the one who shone the brightest was Minako and Shinjiro . I especially hope the kiss those two shared made up for Chidori's loss .
Anyway , you may notice that this part is longer than usual , and that it took much longer to publish than usual . Well , I can't say the week I spent in silence on Wattpad was all that silent for me . From getting slammed in the face with a brick wall of writer's block , and before that I bought a cone of ice-cream to refresh myself in the blazing summer , only to end up with an upset stomach for a little less than two days , because it was apparently a bad ( probably expired while STILL ON SALE FOR SOME REASON ... ) ice-cream cone ... needless to say , it's been roughly . In the end , I decided to make this longer to make up for the delay .
Stay safe and healthy out there , and let's meet again in the next part.