On a snowy day in Hokkaido
A cold wind blew through the deserted streets, carrying with it the light snowflakes that fell on the white pavement. On that street, Kiana Kaslana wandered aimlessly, her hands stuffed into her coat pockets, exhaling wisps of white smoke in the cold air.
Today was December 7th and it was...
Her birthday.
It's her 18th birthday
No party, no cake, no flickering candles—she just wanted some peace and quiet after everything. The battle with Chiyou had been over for a month, but its aftertaste still lingered. Many things had changed, but some things hadn't.
For example, that hateful name.
In a corner of the deserted park, Kiana saw Yumeji sitting alone on the swing, head bowed, eyes staring blankly into space. The scene seemed quiet, seemed deep... but to Kiana—
"So annoying."
Without thinking much, she bent down, neatly shaped a snowball in her palm, aimed carefully, and threw it straight at his face.
"Slap!"
Yumeji flinched, her entire face white with snow. One second of silence. Two seconds of silence. The third second—
"Hey, you jerk! What the hell did you just do?!"
"Huh? Just woke a pig up from her daydream." Kiana crossed her arms, raising her eyebrows in provocation.
Yumeji glared at her. Kiana looked back, smiling happily. And so, without another word, the snowball fight officially broke out.
The snowballs flew everywhere, hitting trees, benches, and of course, each other's faces. Laughter, boos, and taunts echoed throughout the normally quiet park. But then—
"Ha! Idiot, you don't stand a chance!"
Yumeji turned on Fire Cloud, the heat coming from his palms making it easier for him to shape and throw snow much faster. Kiana, who had just been hit on the forehead, shouted in annoyance:
"You cheater! You're not playing fair at all!"
"There's no such thing as a fair battlefield, idiot!" Yumeji stuck out her tongue, continuing to throw snow like a machine gun.
Kiana gritted her teeth, her blue eyes flashing dangerously. Alright, you want to play dirty? Let's see who can play dirtier!
She spun around, unleashing a powerful kick onto the snow, activating Neko-Charm. A huge wave of snow rose up like a tsunami, crashing straight towards Yumeji.
"Wait—!"
"Take it, CHEATER!"
Yumeji was instantly buried.
A moment later, when he woke up, he realized that he had been molded into a giant snowball, with only his head sticking out. In front of him, Kiana was standing, her hands on her hips, smiling a vile smile.
"Hahaha.You're now... Yumeji the Snowman!"
She put a fake carrot nose on him, then used all her strength to lift the snowball (and Yumeji inside) up, stabbing it straight into the ground like a pillar.
Yumeji closed his eyes, taking a deep breath. Alright, calm down, calm down... No, you can't calm down!
Fire erupted, and the snow around him melted in an instant.
"Kiana, you're dead for sure!"
"Just try it!"
The two of them were ready to charge at each other, but just before their fists made contact—
"ROAAAAARRR!"
The ground shook. A Chariot-class Honkai Beast charged out from behind the trees, roaring in the midst of the blizzard.
Yumeji and Kiana turned their heads at the same time. For a moment, they both had the same thought:
"What the—?"
And then, the same thought:
"Damn, now's the time?!"
Without any discussion, they both switched targets.
One kick.
Two kicks.
They both launched flying kicks at the same time, kicking the monster's head before it could react. A CRACK rang out, and the giant Honkai Beast was sent flying into a tree, immobilized instantly.
A second of silence.
Two seconds of silence.
Kiana and Yumeji looked at each other.
"Let's call it a draw this time?"
"Hmm, fine."
The air still lingered after the double kick, the snow underfoot stirred up by the force. Yumeji and Kiana stood still for a second, then turned away as if they had reached a tacit agreement. But less than a second late...
"I WILL FORGIVE YOU WITH ANY REASON!"
"I WILL FORGIVE YOU WITH ANY REASON!"
Both of them shouted in unison, and simultaneously turned around, charging at each other like two wild beasts.
"Muscle brain!"
"Wrinkleless brain!"
"You blockhead!"
"You bitch!"
Punches and kicks flew through the thick snow. What had started as a snowball fight had now turned into a real fight—with no one intending to win or lose, simply... no one willing to give in first.
By the time they were both exhausted, they were sprawled out on the cold snow, panting, the cold wind whipping their faces but neither of them cared.
Yumeji tossed her snow-covered hair back, complaining:
"I was just thinking about what to give you for your birthday!"
Kiana raised her head, frowning as she looked over.
"Then why not do it secretly?" she sneered. "Are you trying to make trouble to make people feel touched? How tactless."
Yumeji shrugged, turned around and sat up, brushing the snow off her clothes.
"I don't like it. I'm tired of playing the secret game." He glanced at her.
"Tell me, what do you want me to give you?"
Kiana pouted.
"Tsk, what a tactless thing. If people were to say it directly, what kind of gift would that be?"
She rubbed her cold hands, letting out a white breath in the air. The snow continued to fall, the north wind blowing through her white hair.
"Then... give me a pair of warm gloves."
---
They wandered to the nearby shopping district, where the warm yellow lights dispelled the winter chill. Kiana examined each pair of gloves, trying on one color after another, while Yumeji stood to the side, hands in her pockets, occasionally frowning at Kiana's choice of overly "girly" colors.
Finally, she chose a pair of red gloves with flames embroidered on them.
"I think these are cool." Kiana said, her eyes lighting up.
"Are you sure? They look more rugged than cute." Yumeji frowned.
"Better than wearing those pink polka-dot gloves you picked out!"
"What kind of girl would pick something like this?"
"I'm here! Do you have an opinion?"
Finally, the red gloves were wrapped up and they left the store.
---
When they returned to the dormitory at dusk, everything was dark.
Kiana frowned.
"Huh? Where's everyone?"
Just as she was about to turn on the lights—
"HAPPY BIRTHDAY, KIANAAAAA!"
Confetti exploded, the lights turned on, and before Kiana's eyes was a dazzling sight: The room was decorated with twinkling lights, balloons, and a large cake was placed on the table.
Mei stood nearby, wearing an apron, smiling gently.
"I made the cake, remember to eat it all."
Himeko raised her glass of wine (though it was definitely just juice).
"Surprised? Theresa and I took great care in decorating it!"
Bronya crossed her arms, still maintaining her expressionless face, but her tone was a little warm.
"Bronya wrote a greeting on the cake, it must be very meaningful."
Theresa jumped up and down.
"Here's your birthday present! Don't lose it!"
Fu Hua also nodded, placing a neatly wrapped gift on the table.
While Kiana was still touched by this surprise, Yumeji had tactfully stood outside the door, not entering right away. He quietly observed, smiling slightly before entering the room, joining the stream of congratulatory people.
"Happy birthday." He said, clapping along with the others.
Then came the opening of the gifts:
Bronya gave a gray rabbit stuffed animal.
Mei gave a winter scarf.
Theresa gave a pair of ice skates.
Himeko gave a new winter coat.
Fu Hua gave a diary, a dictionary, and a calligraphy set.
Then someone turned to Yumeji.
"What about you?"
Yumeji just shrugged nonchalantly, pointing at Kiana.
"I gave it to you."
Kiana held up a pair of red gloves, showing them off.
Immediately, the room fell silent for a second, before Mei spoke up.
"This... isn't the type of outfit a girl would like to wear."
Himeko-sensei narrowed her eyes.
"This looks like a mercenary's outfit."
Theresa rested her chin on her hand.
"Hmm, Yumeji must have picked it herself."
Yumeji took a deep breath, almost shouting, 'SHE CHOSE THIS ONE HERSELF!'
But then he just shrugged, smirked, and let Kiana explain herself.
Kiana puffed her cheeks, glaring at the crowd in front of her.
"I like it, so I choose! What's the problem?"
Someone laughed, and then everyone laughed along. The atmosphere suddenly became warmer than ever.
Kiana looked around, looking at her loved ones gathered together, feeling the warmth seeping through each greeting, each look.
She gently squeezed her new gloves, her breath blending into the cold air like a thin white smoke.
Even though this year was not a peaceful year...
But today's birthday was definitely an extremely precious memory for her.