Chrono X Angel, Book 2: Winter Snow

Christmas Special!!

Christmas Eve:

Snow had fallen once more upon Fumizaki, though this time not through any fault of Hyoka's. It was Christmas Eve, and a surprise snow storm had descended upon the city, quickly covering it in a foot of the fluffy white stuff. Though it had slowed for now, there was no sign of it stopping any time soon as the wind whipped it all around. Everywhere you looked, on nearly every house, there were twinkling multicolored lights, sparkling like gemstones in the cold night air. It was to this backdrop that Usoko trudged her way downtown, the sound of newly fallen snow crunching beneath her boots as she headed towards the restaurant she was supposed to meet Emiko and the others at. It had been Nonami's idea for them to do a gift exchange, and a week prior they had all drawn names out of a hat. Hyoka had been a little confused who "8 1/2" was, until Nonami explained to her she had accidentally pulled the size tag out. Usoko had drawn Sarah's name, and had been wracking her brain on what to get the Banshee. After all, she did not know her clothing size, she sure did not need any food gift cards, and Usoko did not know of any hobbies she may have had. At a complete loss, she decided to sneak a peek at her quarters to try and come up with... something! Low and behold, when she had, she made an... interesting discovery. The walls of Sarah's bedroom were lined with recently hung shelves, sturdy metal ones bolted into the wall, and on those shelves were row after row of recently built Gundam model kits of various sizes and grades. Stacking nearly to the ceiling were the boxes, some opened, some yet to be, that contained the trays of parts needed to build the robots. Using her phone to take a picture in order to try and figure out what she already had, Usoko carefully slinked out and had made her way home. From there she hopped onto the Internet, somehow managed to find a kit Sarah did not yet have, and ordered it straight away.

Still walking, the snow pelting her face, Usoko's nose began to perk up. There was the distinct smell of Italian food in the air, which meant she was getting close now. Narrowing her eyes to get a better look, the pinkette could make out the white, red and green canopy over the restaurant's door. "Mama Luigi's Pastaria" had recently opened in town and the reviews for the place were stellar. According to Nonami, the head chef was secretly a European Ogre, a race not typically known for their cooking skills, bu this individual was something of a prodigy, having trained in several high end culinary schools.

Standing near the door, having just checked her phone, Emiko thought she could make out a person approaching. In conditions like these, she doubted anyone would be out if they did not have to be, especially if they were on foot, which meant this person was likely-

"Usoko!!" She cheered, embracing her girlfriend when she finally made it to the restaurant, "I'm so happy to see you, I was worried with all the snow and everything... well anyway, c'mon lets get inside! Nonami and Sarah arrived about twenty minutes ago, Kobayashi's on her way, and we cannot get ahold of Hyoka. Sarah's a bit concerned about that."

"I'm just glad to finally get out of the snow," sighed Usoko heavily, removing her coat. She was wearing a new dress Sakura had bought for her, it was sleeveless, red and covered in similarly colored sequins, with white fur trim along the bottom. A real Santa dress, you might call it. As for Emiko, she had opted for something a bit more subdued but still fitting the season: a green evening gown with a similar white trim to Usoko's around the bottom.

"Yes, I could imagine," giggled Emi, "Sure is rough out there tonight, I'll try and fly you home if the wind cuts out. Otherwise, my driver can take us."

Her driver. Usoko could not help but laugh a little. Ever since she had found out Emiko was a princess, the Blue Oni had done little to hide that fact anymore. It was not like she was gloating, far from it, more like she was finally able to be a bit more herself around Usoko, something the pinkette had certainly enjoyed benefiting from.