A Rent-a-Girlfriend Fanfiction
OC x Mami Nanami
Natsu Sugihara, a humble upperclassman, is a long-time friend of Mami Nanami, who similarly hails from a wealthy family. When the two enter university together, they meet a variety of new faces, includ...
Today is December 31st, otherwise known as New Year's Eve. As a bit of a history lesson, us Japanese used to have New Year's celebrations based on an old calendar that we once used. However, after the Meiji Restoration, Japan switched to using the Gregorian Calendar (the date standard used in the West), and ever since then, we've been having our new year's celebrations on January 1st, just like how it is in the West. However, that doesn't mean we have our own customs regarding the holiday.
Some people like to head to a local shrine to participate in the hatsumode, or first shrine visit, where people come to make new wishes, buy new omamori (a type of amulet), and bring deceased relatives to the shrine to be cremated. And that is exactly what me and Mami both plan on doing today. After all, we get time off of classes because of the two-week break that they give us to celebrate Christmas and New Year.
You see, me and Mami have made an intricate plan for tonight. Mami has told me that she'll be heading to a shrine with some of her friends to do the hatsumode, after which she'll sneak off and rendezvous with me at a set meeting point and go on from there. She said that she wants us to celebrate together in our own special way, but what exactly we're doing, I have no idea yet. However, she has told me that she wants us to watch the fireworks once the clock strikes midnight. All day, we've been exchanging texts to help out with planning:
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I was excited as I prepared to get my clothes together. I had opted for a simple sweatshirt and loose pants, for a knew that I was going to be putting a kimono over myself. After all, I wouldn't want myself overheating whilst I'm doing the hatsumode. Then again, the weather forecast is calling for the temperature to hit near freezing tonight, all the way down to 1°C by midnight. Nevertheless, I had decided to go to the shrine about 15 minutes before Mami gets there, just so that I can be there right when she comes out. With that in mind, I had decided to make dinner early tonight so that I can quickly get going.
(A/N - Or 33.8°F for those using imperial units)
[Timeskip, 7:45 PM, Akasaka Shrine]
After a ride on the train, I have now arrived at the shrine that Mami and the others will be going to. I was now sporting the best kimono one could buy as I entered the shrine to get myself in line for the hastumode.
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