"So Kanny, what are we gonna do today?" Mana asked and smiled sweetly at the tanned girl sitting beside her, eating a bowl of ramen.
"I don't know where this "we" came from but get rid of it." Akane replied, resting her chin on her hand, glancing at her.
"Come on! Where's your Christmas sprit?"
"You just learned the true meaning of Christmas today but now that's been mentioned I guess the two of us can do something..."
Akane turned her head to look the opposite way. "F-fine! What do you want to do?"
"You-"
"What?"
"Decide"
Akane let out a sigh and rubbed her head before answering. "Let's go for a stroll."
The two headed outside, the entire town was filled with pure white snow and various colorful lights. The sight was enough to make anyone's eyes shine in awe.
"So, enjoying your very first real Christmas?" Asked Akane, glancing at the girl walking beside her.
"Of course I am! Being able to have this kind of fun is overwhelming but I welcome this feeling with open arms!"
Mana smiled and in response Akane unconsciously gave a light smile in return, her eyes down at the snowy path they walked on together.
"I'm glad to hear that, hopefully you can continue to have more fun"
Mana gasped, stopping in her tracks. "K-kanny! Are you still sick? S-saying such kind words!"
"I'm trying to be nice here! Don't ruin this or I'll choke the life out of you."
'Kinky.' Mana thought to herself (a wise choice indeed)
While they were strolling around Mana noticed a poster, running over to it for a closer inspection.
"The Dance of the Snow Phoenix.. What's that?"
"Oh, that's something our guild does every Christmas, twice a year we hold two festivals. In the winter for Christmas we have the Snow Phoenix dance and in the summer we hold the Fire Dance." Akane explained. "The two dances are kinda like a story, two phoenix siblings, one of snow and the other fire.
When the winter comes the snow phoenix will awaken to spread its wings, coating the world in ice and snow to preserve the land and in the summer the phoenix of fire will melt the ice, cleansing the land and revealing new beauty."
"That's really cool. So who are the dancers?"
"Not me, so get that thought out of your head, I wouldn't be caught dead on that stage. But the lead dancer tends to rotate and this time it's Rina who will be on stage." Akane replied.
Mana smiled and suddenly held both of Akane's hands in her own, eyes bright with excitement like a child in a candy store. "Can you take me?"
"Y-yeah, whatever just let go!"
----
"What...?"
"You heard me, Rina is sick, she seemed to have caught your cold.." Emile said to a dumbfounded Akane.
"Okay, but WHY do I have to be the new lead dancer!?" Akane glared at the grinning Veiss standing beside the boy relaying the news, feeling a mix of range and embarrassment.
"Don't be such a baby, Kumiko it's just for one day," Veiss snickered, clearly amused by the turn of events.
"Yeah, it can't be that bad." Mana chimed in.
