SUNDAY - DECEMBER 24 - LATE EVENING

[isolatedfox]

As Rtisuko reached the bottom of the flight of stairs, she was greeted by a mixture of smells that were coming from the kitchen. Dinner was nearly done, and her mother was calling for Ritsuko to come help set the table. Ritsuko hesitated, taking in the scents which helped to lift her spirits, before heading towards the kitchen. Her mother Mutsumi,

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[nothing__nomore]

It was rather frustrating, the amount of stores that closed early on the night before a holiday. The Tanaka Shrine was bustling with activity tonight, and Naozumi had been sent on a task to pick up supplies. He hadn't expected the task to take him across Tokyo in search of an open store. When he had finally found one, it was packed with last minute shoppers, picking up the missing ingredient for supper.

He was walking back now, supplies in a bag placed carefully inside his backpack. He would have taken his bike, had he anticipated the nearby stores being closed.

He came across Ritsuko as he was walking and didn't immediately recognize her. Her red hair is what caught his eye, recalling his homeroom classmate.

"Fawkes-san?" He questioned.

[isolatedfox]

Ritsuko had went outside to push the thoughts of Mattie out of her head. Instead, she managed to warp Naozumi's voice into the familiar Australian voice she missed. Her heart sank as she swiveled around to face him, only to realize that her mind had tricked her. What are the chances that Mattie would show up tonight of all nights? Was she expecting them to romantically come together on the holiday, under the snowflakes?

Naozumi was in her homeroom class. "Naozumi-kun," she started when she caught her voice. "You know you can refer to me by Ritsuko." She smiled meekly. "What are you doing out here alone on Christmas Eve?"

[nothing__nomore]

"Sumimasen, Ritsuko," he apologized, dipping his head into a bow. "I am out running errands for the Tanaka shrine. Why are you out here alone?"

[isolatedfox]

"Tanaka shrine. I've heard of it before. Does your family run it?" She asked before pausing to answer his question. "I am out here to take a breather from my crazy family," she said with a chuckle.