Would you like to see the photos Mochizuki-san took at the Christmas party?
Winter Break Open Today Only
Yes, I would.
Me, too.
Here you go.
It was a lot of fun.
Yeah, it was.
I'm glad Chloe-san didn't have to go home.
Everyone seemed to be having a great time.
Neuron Cream Soft's performance was really exciting, too.
Though there was that scare with the cake.
Miyoshi-san and Chloe-san's costumes were really cute.
The gift exchange was fun, too.
I want to get together with everyone again.
Yeah.
Definitely.
Hi, there.
Fumio-san, lend me a book on New Year's, please.
A book on New Year's?
Christmas is gone from the town.
Everything is New Year's now.
Huh?
In Europe, many people still have their Christmas tree up in January.
But here, as soon as Christmas is over, everything's gone.
Wow, so that's what they do in Europe?
Wait just a moment.
The New Year's mood is already everywhere.
Including around town, and in TV commercials.
If you're interested in learning more about New Year's, how about this?
There's a lot of kanji.
It looks a bit hard.
Maybe this one is too difficult for you two.
Chloe-san, Yulia-san.
Would you like to come to my house for New Year's Eve?
Your house?
Yes. We don't do anything special,
but you'd get to see a typical Japanese New Year's that way.
That's a good idea!
Can I come, too?
Yes, of course!
Would you like to come, too, Murakami-senpai?
If it's not too much trouble.
Of course not!
Please, come over.
We can't wait!
Girlfriend xxx
Kadomatsu!
Shimenawa!
Japanese culture is so wonderful!
It's my first time seeing something so beautiful!
Très bien!
Everyone puts these up for New Year's, though.
Mochizuki-senpai couldn't come?
I bet she would have loved to see you two get so excited about kadomatsu.
I tried asking her, but...
What?! I want to go!
But I have something to do on New Year's Eve...
It seemed like she was too busy.
That's too bad.
Let's go inside.
Sure.
Osechi!
This is fantastic.
It all looks so delicious.
You flatter me, but thank you.
So, you're curious about New Year's in Japan?
Yes.
Do you know what this is?
A nice ornament?
No, it's a, um... A racket.
If you lose, you get an "x" drawn on your face.
An "x"?
You get an "x" drawn on your face with charcoal as a penalty.
Murakami-senpai, I think Chloe-senpai is imagining
some sort of terrible misunderstanding about Japanese culture again.
Like with the mochi.
I won't make that mistake again.
There are also kites, and the iroha karuta game.
And otedama.
You're just like Emi-san.
Emi-san?
You mean Sagara-san in Kokomi's class?
That's right.
She's really good at juggling.
I see.
Iroha Karuta
Since we have so many people, the iroha karuta game might be best.
You'd also get to learn Japanese sayings.
Let's all play.
Sure!
Harumiya-san, Kumada-san, your turn.
All right!
Sure.
Hit it!
There we go.
This really helps us out.
At our age, it's tough to do this.
It's hard on the lower back, isn't it?
There!
All right, that's good!
Huh? It's done already?
Never underestimate the stamina...
...of athletes.
Want some mochi?
I will have some.
Eating something as sticky as mochi is...
Monochrome-chan!
Did she choke?
We need to clear her throat.
Nah, no need to worry.
Monochrome-chan doesn't breathe, anyway.
So she can't choke.
...a first for me.
So cute!
So very cute!
You look like a doll.
Don't look so closely!
Why try to hide them?
Yeah, you're really cute.
I'm jealous.
I've never worn a kimono.
Neither have I.
Oh, but you two would look great in a kimono.
I'd love to help you put one on.
Non, non.
I couldn't.
It'd be too embarrassing.
Oh, really?
It would.
Yes...
How very modest.
Just like a classical Japanese woman.
Mom, didn't we have a kimono?
We gave yours to our relatives.
It was one from when you were small, anyway.
It wouldn't fit.
Oh, I know.
Shiranui-san probably has lots of them.
She said she spends her time at home in kimonos.
Why don't we ask her?
I see.
I wouldn't mind.
She said okay.
Yay!
That's wonderful.
I'm so glad.
Are you sure it's okay?
Sure.
I'll get out something that'll suit you two.
Isuzu-chan, what's going on?
Turns out there's something I need to do.
Help me out, Haruko.
Sure.
Okay, be careful.
Don't stay out too late.
Okay!
What should we do after we go to Isuzu-san's house and put on kimonos?
Our goal today is to teach you and Yulia-san about the Japanese New Year,
so we should go to a temple, ring the New Year's bell, and visit a shrine to pray.
Oui! That sounds like a lot of fun!
We need to make sure you completely understand what to do.
Or you might get something mixed up again.
I'll be fine.
I'll get rid of my worldly desires.
"Worldly desires"? What's that?
Worldly desires are the worries and desires that we have as humans.
We ring the New Year's bell in order to rid ourselves of those desires.
You know everything, don't you, Fumio-san?
You're a walking encyclopedia.
Welcome.
Hi, there.
You've been shopping?
Yeah.
We've been through a lot.
Remi said we should do New Year's stuff for once, so we went to help,
and she nearly messed up everything.
Sorry about that.
I wonder why everything turned out so bad.
I was following the directions.
You were?
You weren't following the directions. You kept making changes.
Like using marmalade instead of sugar.
I thought marmalade would be a good substitute for the sugar and citrus.
I wasn't wrong, was I?
Well...
Here you go.
Tamai-san, I think using marmalade for sugar is a great idea.
I'll try it next time I have a chance.
Huh?
Nonoka-san, what happened to the owner?
He's out at a neighborhood gathering to make mochi.
Huh?
So, who's doing the cooking, then?
No need to worry.
I'll pour my heart and soul into your food!
Nonoka, I'm back.
Grandpa.
Oh, hello.
What's that?
Are you guys after the neighborhood specialty, our roasted soybean mochi?
We just finished making it, so it's tasty.
We'll take it!
Yuzu-chan, eating New Year's soba here at your house
really makes it feel like the year's end.
Really?
You two have known each other forever.
Do you always spend New Year's together?
Yeah.
Is it okay to leave your parents alone?
It's cold, so they said they'd just get some food delivered.
Isn't that Yukawa-san?
From Haruka's class.
Seiou Academy Second-year Kise Yukawa-san
A high school girl makes a huge discovery!!
I left the instruments as they were,
and went on to the next experiment.
That was all that led to my surprising discovery.
It's nothing worth congratulating.
I've never seen her without her glasses!
Me, neither!
She's cute.
She really is.
Actually, why are you guys eating cold morisoba?
Isn't warm kakesoba the norm?
It is cold out.
Kakesoba would warm you up better.
People in the Edo period used to eat morisoba.
What? Really?
I didn't know that.
Also, kakesoba makes you have to go to the bathroom.
I don't want that during the New Year's concert.
That doesn't happen to me.
You traitor!
That's being a bit dramatic.
Well, whatever kind of soba you have, it'll get soggy if you don't eat it now.
Thank you for the meal.
A lot happened this year, but...
Next year...
Let's have...
...another great year!
Senpai, want to stop for some soba?
I'd like to, but I don't have the money.
Huh? You weren't able to sell enough?
No, I saw so much stuff that was nice this year.
I ended up buying it all.
That's... nice, I think... Or maybe I should offer condolences...
Yeah...
Compared to a fulfilled heart, an empty stomach is nothing!
I'd like to treat you,
but I put a lot into my cosplay this year.
Wait a second.
Something smells good.
Oh? Himejima-chan and...
Shinonome-san, too!
Yo.
Yeah.
So, how was this year?
We sold a lot, and we bought a lot.
You two, have some sweet red bean soup.
Sure!
Let's eat.
This is great!
It warms me up.
Oh, Shinonome-san and Himejima-san,
you're not going to participate in ComiCon?
Isn't it full of stuff you like?
Nah, I don't have the stamina.
I don't like being around that many people.
I went to get some food from Shinonome's house today because I felt lazy,
and she didn't have anything, even though it's New Year's Eve.
You really don't have it together.
It's pretty weird to come to someone else's house to get food on New Year's Eve, too.
Birds of a feather.
I don't think that's something you get to say about each other.
I'd rather not be lumped in with her at all.
Girl Friend BETA.
What a very Japanese-style house.
How wonderful.
Welcome.
We're ready.
Come on in.
Yumesaki-san, why are you here?
We've been friends since we were young.
We always spend New Year's together.
Is this some sort of art exhibit?
No, I just put together some kimonos I thought would look good on you guys.
I feel like my life is flashing before my eyes.
Chloe-san, I think you mean this is the happiest moment in your life.
Oh, sorry. This is the happiest moment in my life!
I feel great.
That's good to hear.
Chloe-san, how about this one?
I think it'd look great on you.
They're all lovely. It's hard to choose.
It's hard to match patterns with everyday clothes.
I wonder why they look so pretty when they're on a kimono.
That's so true.
I like this one.
I see.
You've got good sense.
That's the one I'd recommend the most.
Yeah, that one's really nice.
I feel like a sazare-ishi (a pebble).
Sazare-ishi?
You mean the national anthem?
You mean it feels like Japan?
No!
There's a story about sisters who get to wear beautiful things together.
You mean the book Sasameyuki?
Th-That was it!
I'm making a lot of mistakes today.
I guess I'm too excited.
Okay, let's get those two dressed up.
Hello?
Mochizuki-san?
I'm almost done here,
so I'd like to meet up with you if I can.
Bye.
You heard her.
It's cold.
Oh, she's here!
Satoru-kun!
Sorry, Suzukawa-senpai.
My brother kept saying he wanted to come.
Maybe you should have just brought him.
I can't. He's got a cold right now.
I see.
It'd be bad if he were out in the cold and got worse.
Also, I wouldn't want you to catch his cold.
Let's get going, Satoru-kun.
There's already quite a line.
Yeah.
It's pretty.
Yeah.
Rino-san?
This is Satoru-kun.
My name is Kimijima.
Hello.
Did you come here to ring the New Year's bell?
Yeah.
Is this your first time ringing the bell?
Yes.
I'm excited!
I'm going to get rid of my worldly desires!
I can hear the temple's bell.
We should get going.
Hold on a second.
I got in a hurry and made things worse.
Let me see.
You're a daughter of the shrine priest.
You can't be like this forever.
Thanks for everything, Akio-oneechan.
Jeez, you're hopeless.
Take that!
It's pretty late now.
I need to hurry and find everyone.
Candy Apples 300 yen
Chloe-san, what's the difference between a temple and a shrine?
You ring the bell at the temple,
and at the shrine, there are lots of stalls.
Really?
It has more to do with the difference between Buddhism and Shinto,
but I guess we can discuss that later.
Oh, the arrows that pierce demons!
Hey, Chloe-san...
Thank you very much.
Fortunes
How wonderful!
Oh? Chloe.
Good evening, Akio-san, Mei-san.
You came to our shrine for your first visit of the year?
Oui.
I got rid of my worldly desires just a minute ago.
Oh, you mean the New Year's bell, right?
We've still got some time before the new year starts.
How about drawing a fortune?
Fortunes
A fortune?
It's a fortune that tells you if you're going to have good or bad luck next year.
I see.
I want one.
Me, too.
"You'll be rewarded if you focus on your studies."
Good.
How do you read this?
"Good people come from afar."
It might be about love, Yulia-san.
What? Love?
"What you're looking for is right beside you."
What does yours say, Chloe-san?
"Even if a storm comes, it will end."
This means everything works out in the end, right?
That's what happened this Christmas.
Yeah, you're right!
I'm sure something good will happen next year, then!
It's almost the new year.
10, 9...
8!
7!
6!
5!
4!
3!
2!
1!
Happy New Year!
Chloe-san.
Hm?
I asked you to tell me what was bothering you before, right?
Yeah.
I have one more thing I want to ask you.
Is that okay?
Hm? Sure.
I'd like to spend New Year's with you next year, too.
Of course!
Okay, I'm taking it.