Winter vacation continued, and soon Christmas night arrived.
The whole town looked different that evening. Colorful lights were hanging on houses. Small Christmas trees stood in many windows. Soft music played in the streets. The cold air carried the smell of cakes and warm drinks.
It felt magical.
That night, our group decided to meet again.
I reached the town square first. The streets were full of people walking slowly and enjoying the festival. A tall Christmas tree stood in the center of the square. It was covered with glowing lights and shining ornaments. Silver stars and red ribbons hung from its branches. When the wind blew softly, the decorations moved and sparkled.
I stood there quietly and waited.
Soon Ritou arrived.
She was wearing a warm white coat and a bright red scarf around her neck. Small snowflakes had already started landing on her hair.
"You're early again," she said with a small smile.
"I guess I like waiting for you," I replied.
She laughed softly. Her breath made a small white cloud in the cold air.
We stood together near the big tree.
A few minutes later, Purmodo came running toward us.
"Sorry! I'm late!" he said while breathing fast.
"You're always late," Ritou said jokingly.
"I had to buy snacks!" Purmodo replied proudly.
Aarihito arrived with his girlfriend shortly after. He waved his hand calmly when he saw us.
Soon all of us were together again.
The square was full of people enjoying the festival. There were many small stalls selling warm food, cakes, cookies, and hot drinks.
The smell of roasted food filled the air.
We walked around the square together.
Purmodo bought roasted snacks for everyone. He kept talking excitedly while eating.
Aarihito found a stall selling hot chocolate. He bought several cups for all of us. When I held the warm cup in my hands, it felt perfect in the cold night.
Christmas music played near the big tree. Children were running around happily. Couples were taking pictures under the lights.
Ritou looked up at the glowing lights above us.
"They're beautiful," she said quietly.
I looked at her instead of the lights.
"Yes… they are."
After walking around for a while, Purmodo and Aarihito decided to go see another part of the festival.
"We'll be back soon!" Purmodo said.
Soon they disappeared into the crowd, leaving just the two of us near the big tree.
The music continued to play softly.
Later, snow slowly began to fall.
Small white flakes drifted gently through the air. They fell on the ground, on the tree, and on people's coats.
Everyone became excited.
"It's snowing!" Purmodo shouted somewhere far away.
Ritou stretched out her hand to catch the falling snow.
A small snowflake landed on her glove. She looked at it with bright eyes like a child seeing snow for the first time.
Her face looked bright and happy.
For a moment, everything felt peaceful.
Just lights, snow, and quiet music.
Ritou turned to look at me.
"Christmas feels special tonight," she said softly.
"Yes… it does."
The snow kept falling slowly around us.
The lights from the big tree reflected in her eyes.
I felt my heart beating a little faster.
"Ritou…" I said quietly.
She looked at me with a curious expression.
"Yes?"
For a moment, I didn't know what to say.
The music, the lights, the snow… everything felt perfect.
Then she stepped a little closer.
"Why are you so quiet?" she asked gently.
"I was just thinking," I replied.
"About what?"
"About this moment."
She looked surprised.
"This moment?"
"Yes… standing here with you."
Her cheeks became slightly red from the cold.
Or maybe from something else.
For a few seconds we both stayed silent.
Snowflakes continued falling around us.
Then Ritou smiled softly.
"You're strange sometimes," she said.
"Maybe," I replied.
She took another small step closer.
Now we were standing very close under the glowing lights.
I slowly reached out and held her hand.
Her hand was a little cold from the snow, but she didn't pull it away.
Instead, she held my hand back.
Our eyes met.
Neither of us spoke.
The music played softly behind us.
My heart was beating fast.
Then I gently moved closer.
Ritou looked slightly surprised at first, but she didn't step back.
She closed her eyes for a moment.
Slowly, I leaned forward and kissed her.
It was a soft and gentle kiss.
Snowflakes fell quietly around us while the Christmas lights shined above.
For a moment, the whole world felt silent.
When we slowly pulled apart, Ritou looked at me with wide eyes.
Then she smiled shyly.
Her cheeks were bright red now.
"You… really surprised me," she said quietly.
"I'm sorry," I said nervously.
But she shook her head.
"No… I didn't say it was bad."
She looked up at the glowing lights again and laughed softly.
"Merry Christmas," she said.
I smiled.
"Merry Christmas."
Just then Purmodo suddenly appeared again.
"HEY! Where did you guys—"
He stopped talking when he saw us standing very close together.
"Ohhh… I see what happened here," he said with a big grin.
Ritou quickly looked away in embarrassment.
"Purmodo! Don't say anything!" she said.
Purmodo laughed loudly.
Aarihito just shook his head calmly.
"You two are obvious," he said.
Everyone started laughing.
When the clock finally reached midnight, the crowd around the square cheered loudly.
"Merry Christmas!" people shouted everywhere.
Snow continued falling slowly under the glowing lights.
That Christmas night became one of the most beautiful memories of our winter.
And deep inside, I knew our story was still continuing.