The Twelve Disastrous Days Of Christmas

December 14th

The weather was nice outside.

Actually, it was only nice for Saiki, considering how it was currently about -1°C. Of course, with his pyrokinesis, staying nice and toasty was no big issue. Even better, when it was too cold for any sane person to even consider a morning walk, the streets and sidewalks were empty. He could've walked backwards, blindfolded and hopped on one foot, while crossing a four-way intersection and emerged unscathed.

He had to know, he'd already done it twice.

Even better, it was Sunday, and most cafes and coffee shops were open, so if by any chance, he happened to fancy a drink, he could've stopped inside, and maybe even gotten dessert.

It was too early for Akechi's visits, too, so he wouldn't have to go home to three hours of book discussions and lost snacks.

Hmm...

Maybe he wouldn't have minded it so much, but it'd been a while since he'd gotten to take a walk alone.

Now, his walks with Akechi or his friends were never unpleasant, per say, but they could get tiring, even if he enjoyed them, though he'd never admit it; at least not out loud. Friendship was something to be taken in moderation.

Take 3-4 pills a day, twice daily until symptoms reside. Only take on weekends if "symptoms" persist and protest. Stopping treatment suddenly may lead to withdrawal.

And that's enough of that.

He felt he was about to overdose sometimes.

So a nice little break, (keyword being "little") was needed from time to time. To maintain potency.

Sometimes the gods graced him with snow; snow he could barely see, let alone feel but at least it kept people from going outside. Snow was good at keeping people inside.

Heat wasn't, because an impromptu trip to the beach was hardly ever pleasant.

Rain only opted for increasingly corny and cliche scenarios, whether they be platonic or more than, but either way, it was annoying.

Wind couldn't be stopped inconspicuously, and bothered him the same as everyone else, along with their constant complaints.

But snow...

Ah, the marvel of snow. True ice-olation.

He smiled to himself, mentally cheering.

The crowd goes wild! Such flawless delivery! Such subtle humor, perfectly crafted into the pun of the century! Brilliant! Marvelous! How does he do it, folks? How does he so effortlessly exhale these wonderfully woven words, spun into the sugar floss of majesty, flourishing into the most-

That's enough of that.

Okay, I'm being silly.

Though for an oh so beautiful quip... And there he goes again.

He made it a personal challenge to see how much he could buy with 1000¥. Usually he got away with a cup of coffee, and maybe a cookie or two, but if he was lucky, (or a cafe was having a special) he'd end up with three desserts, two funny looks from employees and a partridge in a pear tree.

Splendid.

Feeling the coins in his pocket, he pulled them out and rubbed them with his thumb. Occasionally, he allowed himself the leftover coins from the last walk, if he didn't leave it as a tip. Though it'd been a few weeks, he had an extra 100¥.

Shiny, coffee-buying money, that he-

The coins went flying. They clinked and rolled on the ground before he could see them.

There goes my coffee...

"Ah! Sorry, Kusuo! Thought I'd clear you. My bad," said Aiura, kneeling down to pick up the coins. "Here, I got your money."

'Thanks.'

Oddly enough, she was sweating.

It was cold-- it was cold, right...? And she was wearing a casual sweater and pink sweatpants. Neon pink sweatpants because she was her, apparently. She had a headband on to match, adorned with sporadically placed sequins, of too many colors for him to care about, that slipped down her forehead a bit as she jogged in place.

'What are you doing?'

"Oh, yeah! Hahaha, you're probably wondering what's up with my sick fit', huh? I'm going for my morning jog. Y'know, this," she said, gesturing to her legs, "Doesn't come free. It takes dedication! I would know, I'm practically freezing my tits off!"

'I... didn't need to know that. I meant, why are you running in place?'

Aiura chuckled, breathing rhythmically.

"Gotta keep the blood flowing, y'know? If I'm gonna talk to you, I can't let it kill the mood!"

'Don't worry about that,' he replied, tucking the coins back into his pocket and walking along, "I'm walking and you're jogging. We're not talking.'

She caught up to him, pumping her arms along with her legs.

"Aww, mean ol' Kusuo! Haha! You better not be such an asshole at the party!"

'What are you...'

But she was already running off.

"I mean 'asshole' in the nicest way possible!" she yelled over her shoulder, laughing to herself.

Nicest way possible... Thank God the coins didn't roll away. Strawberry anmitsu, here I come.

...

The party?

...

He decided not to worry about it.