Secret Anniversary ~Melting Reason at a Snowy Hot Spring Inn~
Eren and Mikasa are celebrating their one-year anniversary. Normally, Eren teases the girl he likes because he can't be honest with his feelings, but he's slowly started to show his softer side only to Mikasa.
The two of them have a "secret anniversary" that they haven't told anyone about. It's a special day known only to them, completely separate from their real anniversary. To celebrate, Eren took the plunge and booked an expensive hot spring inn deep in the mountains. The tiny inn, far from
Secret Anniversary ~Melting Reason at a Snowy Hot Spring Inn~ - Snow, Fingertips, and the Sound of Heartbeats
The door of the local train opened with a hiss.
Mimori Station. Eren let Mikasa step off first, then followed her onto the platform. Instantly, cold, clear air filled his lungs, and he shivered involuntarily.
"It's cold."
Standing beside him, Mikasa let out a long breath. The white puff drifted softly upward, dissolving into the twilight. Eren tried exhaling the same way. His breath clouded white. A trivial thing, yet somehow it felt amusing.
Before them stretched an empty platform. Not a single person with an umbrella. The snow fell steadily, silently, without a sound. In the distance, the mountains were sinking into a white darkness.
Her profile suddenly leapt into his vision.
Long, black hair. Cheeks faintly flushed from the cold. But — wait. In Eren's memory, when he'd seen her at the university that morning, her hair had been in its usual ponytail. Yet now, a short-cut of black hair swayed lightly around her shoulders.
"Your hair..."
The words slipped out before he could stop them.
Mikasa looked at him quietly. "I cut it. Yesterday."
"Wh-why..."
She said nothing, only letting the corners of her mouth relax just a little. That expression hit Eren like a punch square in the chest.
*That's wrong*, he thought.
He understood it with his head. She'd only cut her hair. It shouldn't mean anything. And yet — why was his chest so loud?
The snow-light dimly illuminated Mikasa's black hair. A fresh look, different from usual. She seemed like a different person — more mature, beautiful. Eren's throat made a dry, audible swallow.
*(It's not like I care.)*
He tried telling himself that. But the words just spun uselessly in his chest. If he didn't care, there was no way he'd be staring at her this intently.
Embarrassment threatened to explode. To hide it, Eren reached out his hand.
*Pat.*
He gave her head a light tap.
"Idiot. Aren't you cold?"
Even he knew he was just taking it out on her.
But Mikasa didn't get angry. She didn't complain. Instead, she smoothly extended her arm. Her slender, pale fingers pinched the sleeve of Eren's coat, holding tight.
And then, silently, she pressed herself close against him.
"Now I'm warm."
She murmured it in a small voice. Her weight rested ever so slightly against Eren's right arm. The weight of trust. Soft, and warm, and she smelled good. Eren's face flushed burning hot.
*(That's... not fair.)*
He stood frozen, face bright red, until eventually a white wagon came rolling down the snow-covered road.
"Sorry to keep you waiting! Welcome to Yamazakura-tei."
A cheerful, elderly local driver opened the door with a smile. Eren felt a strange mix of relief and a faint, reluctant regret that this sweet moment was ending.
The two of them sat side by side in the back seat. The heater was on, lukewarm air blowing against their chilled bodies. The wagon began its slow climb up the snowy road.
"Eren, look."
Her eyes sparkled as she pointed out the window. Eren followed her gaze.
As they advanced along the mountain road, the snow piled on the tree branches grew thicker. The conifers spread thick, white arms, and the thickets of mixed trees looked as if they had burst into countless white blossoms. The sky, with the sun nearly set, wavered between pale purple and orange. A whole world of silver was being dyed by the twilight.
*(Beautiful.)*
He murmured it in his heart without thinking. But what Eren was looking at wasn't really just the scenery outside the window.
It was Mikasa's profile, reflected in the glass.
She was defenseless, purely and simply moved by the snowy landscape. Her usually cool face now held an innocent radiance, like a child's. Her short-cut black hair swayed softly with the car's motion. The nape of her neck was terribly pale, and Eren hurriedly averted his eyes.
Heat spread gradually from the base of his throat down to his chest. His heart began to beat a strange rhythm.
*(This is bad.)*
He thought about making some snide remark, like he always did — *your face looks weird* or something. But his mouth wouldn't open. His voice wouldn't come out. His heartbeat was so loud he worried she might hear it.
He just couldn't take his eyes off her profile.
He inwardly scoffed at his own speechlessness. *Way too uncool.* Maybe he should bring up one of the inn reviews he'd looked up online so many times beforehand. No — if he did that, Mikasa would definitely laugh. That wasn't it. That wasn't what this was about.
His head was a mess. If he opened his mouth, only weird things seemed likely to come out. In the end, Eren stayed silent the whole time, pretending to look out the window.
A quiet silence settled inside the car. From the stereo, some inconsequential local information program played softly. The driver said nothing. That was deeply appreciated.
Then, at the edge of Eren's vision, Mikasa's right hand moved slowly.
Her slender, pale fingers gently came to rest on top of Eren's left hand.
They were cool. Her fingertips were still cold from standing on the snowy platform until just moments ago. And yet, the spot where she touched him burned as if on fire. Eren's shoulder twitched sharply.
"...Warm me up."
Still facing forward, Mikasa said it. He couldn't see her profile. But her voice seemed to tremble just a little more than usual.
The thirty-percent rule. An excuse she gave herself to muster her courage — her own way of clinging to him, with everything she had.
Eren turned his face, burning bright red, toward the window. The silver world simply stretched on. His mouth was bone-dry. He couldn't even swallow properly.
Even so, he moved the fingers of his left hand — very, very slowly.
He slipped them between hers. Awkwardly, he intertwined them.
Through their entwined fingers, her warmth seeped into him. Tension, happiness, and embarrassment swirled chaotically in his head, threatening to burst.
*(I feel like I'm going to lose it.)*
In the reflection of the window, Eren did not miss the way Mikasa's mouth softened just a little at the corners. He thought his heart might break.
He didn't know how long they stayed like that.
The driver said something. When Eren looked up, the car was slowly passing through a gate.
On an old wooden sign, the name *Yamazakura-tei* was modestly carved. The moment they entered the grounds, the scenery transformed completely. A snow garden illuminated by soft lights gave off a fantastical atmosphere. The white, piled-up snow reflected the orange light, making the whole area glitter and sparkle.
Here and there, he could see steam rising. White plumes, as if welling up from the ground itself, dissolved softly into the cold air.
"Not bad, I guess."
Desperately feigning calm, Eren said it in a voice meant to sound cool. He hoped she'd forgive the fact that it came out a little strained.
Beside him, Mikasa laughed quietly.
"Yeah. It's beautiful."
Saying that, she gave his fingers one more tight squeeze with the hand that held them. That small sign alone was enough for Eren to understand everything. The solid realization that they had come to a place just for the two of them — and a sweet premonition of what this night would become.
From the palm of the hand that squeezed back, heat spread throughout his entire body.
The time alone together, finally arrived, waited quietly for them beyond the illuminated snow garden.
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