IT'S NEW YEAR'S.

If it had been a few months ago, the event of 【Celebrating the New Year with Shiratorizawa】 would have been something that Kobayashi Aotori could not have imagined, even if he had thought about it for ten or eight years.

But now, he is standing in front of a snow-covered courtyard, watching a red thorn running towards him excitedly——

"Aotori—chan—Happy New Year!!"

The increasingly close voice told Kobayashi Aotori that it was time!

He seized the moment, sidestepping perfectly to avoid Tendou Satori's bear hug!

"Eh?" Tendou Satori, who hugged nothing but air, stood there dumbfounded. When he turned around, he saw Kobayashi Aotori walking away without a second thought.

"—Ao—tori—chan!!"

This guy's voice was almost as wavering as Oikawa Tooru's.

Hearing it, Kobayashi Aotori didn't look back and just kept walking forward. Behind him, Tendou Satori jumped up and grabbed Kobayashi Aotori's shoulder, acting cute, "Aotori-chan is so cold～ you didn't even greet your senpai!"

Kobayashi Aotori pushed his face away without expression, skillfully pulling Tendou Satori's long arms and legs off himself, mechanically saying, "Tendou-senpai, Happy New Year."

"Eh—still so cold!"

—Just as Kobayashi Aotori opened the door and entered, the people inside saw Kobayashi Aotori's face but heard Tendou Satori's shout.

Kobayashi Aotori thought strangely, isn't this also a kind of "hearing the voice before seeing the person"?

He quickly brushed away these strange thoughts and greeted the people inside, then sat down in an empty seat, but found that there were obviously not enough people around him. There were only four of them: him, Tendou, Ohira Reon, and Kawanishi Taichi.

Ohira Reon, noticing Kobayashi Aotori's searching gaze, smiled, "Are you looking for them? They're in the back..."

However, the moment Ohira Reon spoke, before Kobayashi Aotori could respond, and even before Ohira Reon could finish his words, Tendou Satori's eyes grew brighter and brighter, finally shining so brightly that it dazzled the eyes of the three people and made Ohira Reon break into a cold sweat, instinctively stopping his voice.

Kobayashi Aotori looked at Tendou Satori with crescent eyes, already knowing without thinking that the other party had come up with some bad idea again.

As expected. Tendou Satori suddenly grabbed Kobayashi Aotori's shoulder, and Kobayashi Aotori, already familiar with this action, jerked his face back to avoid Tendou Satori getting too close.

Ohira Reon watched as Kobayashi Aotori now being dragged up by Tendou Satori and half-forced to stumble to the door of the inner room, looking very enthusiastic:

"Aotori! You want to find them, don't you...!"

"No, I don't." Kobayashi Aotori decisively refused, but still couldn't escape the clutches of Tendou Satori, who was a few centimeters taller than him.

"Oh come on~ just come and take a look! They're doing something very interesting... you'll know when you see it..."

Ohira Reon watched as Kobayashi Aotori, a formidable figure on the court, was now being dragged in by Tendou Satori. He couldn't bear to look, and exchanged glances with Kawanishi Taichi.

With a "bang," the door closed tightly. Ohira Reon and Kawanishi Taichi exchanged a look, and the next moment both let out a sigh and smiled helplessly, picking up the hot tea on the table and sipping it slowly.

Meanwhile, inside, Kobayashi Aotori was being shocked by the scene before him—

Tendou Satori was smiling mischievously, and the still struggling Kobayashi Aotori froze in place when he saw the scene behind the door, not even reacting when Tendou Satori slammed the door heavily behind him.

In front of him was a tall man in casual clothes, with an apron tied around his waist, holding a kitchen knife, expressionless yet skillfully handling the fish in front of him, looking focused and agile, seemingly reliable—

—But this person is fucking Ushijima Wakatoshi!!

Hey?! That Ushijima Wakatoshi! The one who plays like a cannon! Now he is holding a kitchen knife and cooking in a super kawaii apron!!

The other people, who were busy helping, turned around at the sound of the door closing and saw the never-before-seen, stunned Aotori——

Oh! Aotori is petrified, how rare.

"Aotori! You're here... oh oh oh, the water is overflowing!!" Goshiki Tsutomu, who was greeting Kobayashi Aotori suddenly felt his clothes getting cold. When he turned around, he found the vegetable sink overflowing, hurriedly shutting off the faucet, while nearby Semi Eita watched him helplessly.

"Pay attention, Tsutomu."

"S-sorry! Senpai!!"

On the other side, Shirabu Kenjirou, one of the few skilled cooks, looked at the chaotic kitchen with dead fish eyes, his gloomy eyes making Goshiki shiver all over. Even with his back to Shirabu, he seemed to hear those eyes saying:

【You don't know how to do anything, yet you still insist on helping?】

After "scolding" Goshiki with his eyes, he turned to look at Kobayashi Aotori, who was still staring at Ushijima in disbelief, a rare smile appearing in his usually sullen eyes.

It's actually not bad to see this guy shocked.

After a long time, Kobayashi Aotori snapped out of his petrified state, slowly finding his voice and forcing himself to speak calmly:

"Ushi, Ushijima... you're c-cooking?"

Suddenly called, Ushijima Wakatoshi paused, then looked up calmly at Kobayashi Aotori:

"Um."

"What 'um'! Why are you cooking!!" This is so OOC!! Kobayashi Aotori exclaimed, looking devastated.

Ushijima Wakatoshi blinked, paused for a few seconds, and then answered in a deep voice:

"Because I get hungry."

"When hungry, you eat."

The kitchen suddenly fell silent.

Oh, so that's it! Learned something new... What?! Was my point about this?!

...Forget it.

Kobayashi Aotori pressed his temples in frustration, looking at Tendou Satori, who was very satisfied with his reaction and smiling brightly. He said weakly, "...I've seen it, so is there anything else?"

Tendou Satori's smile widened slightly, gently pushing Kobayashi Aotori from behind:

"Oh come on, Aotori, you're already here. Show us your cooking skills!"

...

......"Ha—?!"

————

KOBAYASHI AOTORI, a man with almost zero cooking experience.

Once, as a child, he ate his parents' cooking; in middle school, he ate in the school cafeteria every day; after starting work, he ate the company's meals for three meals a day; even on holidays, he ate takeout.

Now, he runs a few kilometers after school every day to buy bento food, and his home's food reserves are enough to last him months even in an apocalypse.

Such a person, even after living another life, has cooked less than others do in a day.

And now, with his clean hands raised, he looked at Tendou Satori, who was cheering for him, his usually expressionless face now looking quite healthy.

The words that Tendou Satori had just said to him echoed in his mind:

【Ah, because Reon, Taichi, and I are all kitchen disasters, we won't bother everyone... What? You've never been in the kitchen? Great! Take this opportunity to try it out! I believe Aotori-chan will definitely be a kitchen genius!!】

With a "bang," the door closed again, sealing off Kobayashi Aotori's escape route.

Shirabu looked at the dumbfounded Aotori in front of him, his face showing a helpless expression:

"...You... how about this, just make a random simple home-cooked dish, then go out and tell Tendou-senpai you're done." He suggested.

Don't get him wrong, he's not showing concern for Kobayashi Aotori, it's just that one person causing chaos is enough.

Kobayashi Aotori opened his mouth but then closed it helplessly.

...Actually, I've only made instant noodles...

But on this occasion, he definitely couldn't just make instant noodles for everyone.

...Forget it, I'll make tomato and egg stir-fry... Anyway, it's just tomato and egg stir-fry! It shouldn't be too bad!! Kobayashi Aotori thought unconfidently.

"...Then I'll make tomato and egg stir-fry."

Shirabu was slightly stunned, then suspiciously said, "Is that a Chinese dish?"

Kobayashi Aotori nodded, and Shirabu, although somewhat doubtful that Aotori could make a Chinese dish, still let him proceed.

...After all, it's such a simple dish, just knowing the basics should be enough... right?

So, Shirabu went to another station to do his own thing, though he still frequently glanced at Kobayashi Aotori out of concern—

He watched Kobayashi Aotori take out a few eggs and tomatoes, his actions a bit clumsy, but still properly cutting the tomatoes into pieces, cracking the eggs into a bowl, stirring them slowly.

He relaxed a bit and turned to look at the pot in front of him.

After a long while, he heard the sound of food entering the pot beside him, a sizzling "zzz" sound, and he glanced over casually.

Oh, the tomatoes have been put in... hmm?! Something seems off?!

He quickly turned his head again, seeing a pan frying tomatoes and the egg mixture waiting quietly beside it.

He rushed over in one step, looking at him in disbelief, "You haven't fried the eggs yet!"

"Hmm? Can't I fry the tomatoes first and then the eggs?" Kobayashi Aotori was startled by Shirabu's action, looking at him in surprise.

"—Ha? No matter how you think about it, you should fry the eggs first!" Shirabu looked stunned at the confused young man in front of him, his usually calm face almost breaking down.

"...Why?" Aotori's eyes flickered slightly, tilting his head and looking at Shirabu innocently.

Shirabu stood there with his head down, dark energy suddenly rising behind him, his fists making a "creak creak" sound by his side. Kobayashi Aotori felt a chill down his spine, not knowing what to do.

The few people cooking around them silently moved away from the area. Although they didn't know what happened... it seemed like Shirabu was about to explode...

————

OUTSIDE THE DOOR

The three people on the tatami mat were chatting and laughing, when suddenly the door beside them was forcefully pulled open. The next moment, two tall figures were pushed out with an undeniable force.

Innocent-looking Aotori and bewildered Goshiki Tsutomu stood at the door, behind them was Shirabu's furious voice:

"All you kitchen idiots, get out of the kitchen—!!"

Goshiki: I understand the logic—

But what did I do wrong?!!

————

AFTER BEING KICKED OUT OF THE KITCHEN, Kobayashi Aotori, who had intended to just sit in the room, suddenly had a whim. He looked at the white snow outside the window and suddenly proposed that he wanted to go out for a walk. Naturally, no one objected.

Walking out of the room, looking at the white world in front of him, Kobayashi Aotori's heart suddenly calmed down.

Snowflakes quietly fell on his shoulders, head, and eyelashes. The world before him gradually blurred and became moist.

It turns out that I have been here for so long without realizing it.

He looked up at the sky, his lips trembling slightly.

【Happy New Year.】

He didn't know who he was speaking to, maybe to his past self.

————

RETURNING FROM THE COLD outside to the warm house, everyone was already gathered together, chatting and laughing for a long time, and they all beckoned Kobayashi Aotori to sit down quickly.

Sitting in his seat, Kobayashi Aotori felt the warm and familiar interactions of everyone, and comfortably squinted his eyes.

"Tendou-senpai! Today is New Year's, did you draw a fortune when you went to the mountain? Like for the Spring High results...?" The curious Goshiki Tsutomu was the first to speak, his voice tense at the end as if he were experiencing it firsthand.

Speaking of which... Goshiki in his casual clothes and bobbed hair always gave Kobayashi Aotori the impression of a delinquent high school student...

Tendou Satori, who was asked, was slightly stunned, then decisively shook his head, "Nope!"

Goshiki Tsutomu was greatly disappointed, letting out a long "Eh—", and asked puzzledly: "Why not?" He put his hands on his knees, looking completely baffled.

Tendou Satori mysteriously "hm-hm"ed twice, while Ushijima Wakatoshi beside him stared at the tableware without changing his expression.

Semi Eita twitched his mouth. In the past, he might have confidently said, "Only Goshiki would be curious about this kind of thing," but now he couldn't say this facing Ushijima Wakatoshi's unchanged expression!

Tendou Satori crossed his arms, smilingly said: "Goshiki, because..."

"Won't lose means won't lose."

"Why draw a fortune?"

The two voices were quickly drowned out by the surrounding people, but Kobayashi Aotori heard every word clearly.

Kobayashi Aotori propped his chin with one hand, quietly watching the steam rising from the pot in front of him, his ears filled with noisy sounds of people messing around, gambling, and even someone saying, "That's it, that's it!" with others replying, "So cool, so cool."

The water droplets gradually melted the snow on his bangs, blending together, intertwining, and becoming one.

His hazel eyes stared at the water droplets on the tips of his hair, blinking slightly with the movement of the water droplets. In an instant, the water droplet fell, landing on Kobayashi Aotori's wrist that was propping his chin, and a tissue was handed over—

It was Shirabu.

"Wipe off the snow on your forehead," Shirabu said calmly.

He was the first to break Kobayashi Aotori's daze, followed by Ohira Reon, Kawanishi Taichi and others:

"Aotori is here! Now we're all here at this table!"

"Hey—speaking of which, the coach's group had started drinking a long time ago! Let's start too!"

"Yoshi yoshi! Cheers!!"

Kobayashi Aotori was pushed to stand up by several people, still not fully recovered from his daze, and his cup was already filled with drink.

Holding the cup with one hand, he looked at the smiling faces around him. Even the usually stern and steady Ushijima Wakatoshi seemed to have a particularly gentle look today, not to mention the always unruly Tendou Satori and Goshiki Tsutomu.

Letting out a slow breath, the corners of Kobayashi Aotori's mouth gradually lifted under everyone's gaze, finally revealing a cheerful and open smile, his eyes curved into crescent shapes:

"Cheers!!"

"Happy New Year—!"

As everyone was about to sit back down, Tendou Satori mischievously stopped them. Looking at his strange expression, everyone exchanged puzzled glances.

The next moment, they all suddenly realized, their smiles widening, and they raised their glasses again simultaneously:

"Spring High—Shiratorizawa!!"

"Victory!!!"