161 Chapter Twenty-Seven: What The Future May Bring

The autumn winds swirled, picking up leaves and whipping them about, as if mother nature was trying to make a point of the approaching winter days. With it now already being November, the air had only continued to become colder, and by this point in the year for Iwanai, some snowflakes here and there had begun making appearances.

"It's seriously too cold… why's it gotta be so damn cold up here?" Jasmine complained as she stood outside. At the moment, she was waiting for Mayu outside of the school. They had been just about to leave when the girl realized she had forgotten something. "She said she'd be just a minute, but it's been like, a lot longer than that," Jasmine muttered. "Maybe I'll just go back inside and- huh?"

Just as she went to move, her phone started buzzing in her pocket. Needing to take her gloves off to answer it (much to the gal's chagrin), Jasmine saw the caller ID. "....." All Jasmine could do was stare, but after a moment of contemplation, she decided to answer.

"...Hello?" she said into the speaker. "Hey, Jasmine," an older woman's voice said. The tone, quite familiar to Jasmine, sounded a little worn down like always, but now it seemed to have a little more energy than it used to. This woman was one Jasmine knew well, and one she wasn't expecting to hear from.

"Hey… mom…" Jasmine said back uncertainly. "I didn't think you'd like, be calling me or anythin'." "Well, I wasn't really planning on it," her mother admitted. "But I just came from this group outing, and a bunch of the women there had their kids with 'em, and… I guess I just sorta wanted to talk to ya." "...huh," was all Jasmine could really manage to say back.

Having never really been in a close relationship with her mother, Jasmine wasn't really emotionally invested in anything her mother said. However, Jasmine's mom had also said that she wanted to do better, so right now she was back home in the United States working on herself. The fact that she was calling now with the reason of "just because" was certainly different than before. "She's already changing…" the gal thought.

"Hey, so," her mother continued, unbothered by her daughter's one-word response. "I know this is pretty early, but I thought I'd wish ya a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. There's no tellin' where I'll be or what I'll be doin' when the time actually comes, so I figured I'd tell you now."

"Uh… right back at ya…" Jasmine said. "Well, I gotta go, so I'll talk to you again sometime," her mother said. But, just as her voice began to grow distant, an unfamiliar feeling welled up in Jasmine's chest. Before she could stop it, it came flying out of her mouth. "W-Wait!" she cried. "Hm? What's up?" her mother asked. Of course, with it being so sudden, not even Jasmine herself could answer that question. In the end, the best she could do was make a simple request.

"Just… make sure you take care of yourself…" Jasmine said shyly. On the other end, she felt like she could feel her mother smile a bit. "Sure thing," the woman said. Then the call ended, leaving Jasmine standing out in the cold.

"Who were you talking to?

"GYAH!"

Jumping from the shock of another unexpected voice, Jasmine turned to see Mayu waiting patiently. "H-How long have you been there?!" the gal exclaimed. "Only for a few minutes," Mayu answered simply. "I didn't want to interrupt your call, so I thought I'd just wait." "At least let me know you came out…" Jasmine said, catching her breath. "God, you totally almost gave me a heart attack…"

Looking at Mayu, it seemed she was still waiting on an answer. Taking a deep breath in and then letting it out into the cold wind, the gal spoke. "It was my mom. She… just felt like callin', I guess…" "That's good, isn't it?" Mayu asked. "I guess so," Jasmine said with a shrug. "But it's just so… different from what I know. It's not like my mom didn't care about me, but… she did give me a lot of independence. Her suddenly calling is just… weird…"

"I suppose that's one way to look at it," Mayu said. "But wouldn't another way be that she simply wants to put in the effort to be a better mother, and that part of that entails making contact with her daughter?" Jasmine was silent, unsure of how to respond. She knew that Mayu could be right, but that didn't mean it was easier to understand. Whether the gal called her mother's behavior weird, or it was a part of more positive actions, there was still an adjustment period that would be required.

"Well, just standing around here talkin' about it isn't gonna change much," Jasmine said before changing the topic. "Did ya find what you were lookin' for?" "Yes," Mayu said with a nod. "Apologies for the wait. I needed to grab a paper out of my desk, but when I looked there, it was gone. That was when I realized I must have put it with another paper we turned in, so I had to go to the teacher's staff room to get it. The teacher was busy as well, so I ended up having to wait." "Was the paper that important?" Jasmine asked. "It's just studying material," Mayu explained. "But I was hoping to look over it this weekend, so I really wanted to have it."

"Still studying even at this point," Jasmine teased. "One can never learn too much," Mayu said proudly. "I'm pretty sure there're some people in history and now that would disagree with that," Jasmine said, getting a small laugh out of Mayu. "Even so," she said. "I think it'll benefit me in the future."

Jasmine turned to look at the girl as they began walking. "The future, huh?" she said. "Ya got somethin' in mind?" Talking about their upcoming adult lives and duties wasn't a common topic for these two, but as the end of their high school career drew nearer and nearer, it felt almost unavoidable for such a thing to be mentioned.

Mayu was quiet for a moment. "...To be honest, mother had something picked out for me." "Like what? Being a housewife?" Jasmine joked, but as it turned out, that was exactly it as Mayu nodded. "Yes. Mother is very traditional, so she believed I should learn all that I can about domestic duties. That was part of the reason why I was in the cooking club. Oh, but I do enjoy cooking. It's not as if I was forced to do it."

"That was supposed to be my path in life, but… after meeting all my friends… after meeting you, Jasmine-chan, I think I began to realize that maybe there's something out there that I truly desire to do. Something that wasn't already chosen for me, but rather, something that I chose for myself. I really… like the sound of that."

"Wow," Jasmine said. "My pet's maturing before my very eyes." "I'm not a pet!" Mayu pouted, but it quickly faded. "It might be a stretch to call it maturity. It's not as if I have a good idea of what it is I want to pursue." "Have you talked to your mom about it?" Jasmine asked. Mayu nodded. "Yes. She wasn't very pleased, but she also told me that she wouldn't stop me. She said that I should explore my options while I still have the chance, though if I wanted, apparently I could still fall back on her plan for me. Oh, she also mentioned that any future plans shouldn't involve you, for some reason."

Jasmine laughed. "Hate to break it to Ai-san, but that probably won't happen." "Only probably?" Mayu asked innocently. "Uh… d-definitely! Definitely won't happen!" Jasmine exclaimed, causing Mayu to giggle. "I'm glad to hear that."

Then the attention shifted to Jasmine. "You said you wanted to do something with hairdressing, didn't you?" "Not really just hair," the gal answered. "I guess you could say I'm lookin' to do the whole makeover process. Hair, makeup, clothes, all of that stuff. I wanna be able to make people look good and have them feel happy about how they look." "I think that sounds perfect for you," Mayu said. "Ya think so?" Jasmine asked. "Yes," Mayu said. "You're very kind at heart, Jasmine-chan. I think a profession that helps others like that is a good fit."

Jasmine could only stare for a moment. "Geez," she thought. "This girl is gonna kill me with all of these compliments she keeps tellin' me." After taking a second to recover, Jasmine shrugged. "Well, it's also fun. Getting to do Haru-chi's makeover was really somethin'." "Is that how you got interested?" Mayu asked. "Yeah," Jasmine said. "It was a real challenge getting the fashion-senseless Haru-chi into presentable shape, but in the middle of doin' that, I realized how much fun I was having, and how it might be nice to be able to do it for other people too."

"Maybe I should have you style my hair sometime," Mayu said. "I'll have to charge ya for it," Jasmine joked. "Oh? How much will it cost?" Mayu asked. Jasmine smirked. "I don't know. What do you think is a fitting payment?" The gal leaned down a little closer, causing Mayu to blush a little. "P-Perhaps the hairdresser should be the one setting the rates," she sputtered back.

Before they realized it, the two girls had reached the point of splitting off. "What a shame," Jasmine said. "Guess I'll have to collect some other time." "Yes, I suppose so," Mayu said, breathing a sigh of relief. "Anyways, I'll see you later."

As they parted ways, Jasmine's mind drifted back to their earlier conversation. "The future we were talking about really isn't that far away, is it? Haru-chi and Kana-chan will probably get married at some point, and even with all of their problems, Chiyo and Fukuhara-san will probably make some sort of future together too… So what am I gonna do?"

Up through the start of her second year of high school, Jasmine had never really had much of a plan for life. Going from boy to boy, she just kept living off of others. Whether or not that behavior would've continued into her adult life, Jasmine wasn't sure, but it was definitely a possibility. If Haruna hadn't fallen in love with Kanako, showing Jasmine what real love looks like, and if through that, she had never met Mayu… "I hate even thinking about what my life would be like right now," the gal thought with a chill. She had no doubt that at the very least, it would be ugly.

Soon enough, Jasmine reached home (or as she still sometimes thought of it, the Yukimura residence). Walking in, she was greeted by the barking of a dog, followed by an older woman heading for the door. "Welcome home, Jasmine-chan," the woman said warmly. This person was of course, Itsuki's mother. Ever since Jasmine had come to live with them, both she and Itsuki's father had been nothing but nice to her. For someone who was used to a rougher environment, it was still an adjustment Jasmine was making. "I'm home," she said quietly.

Jasmine then made her way to her room. It wasn't too different from her original room, as she had made sure to organize it the same way. Although, there was one thing that was definitely different. "Haah… Why do I always find you in my room?" Jasmine sighed as she spotted Itsuki on her bed. It hadn't been the case at first, but in recent weeks, Itsuki had been found in Jasmine's room nearly every day.

"I just wanna hang out," Itsuki said. "Besides, once we graduate, we'll be separated, so I'll hardly see you!" "It's not like you'll never see me," Jasmine said as she set her bag down on the floor. "We'll definitely be together on family get-togethers and stuff. I know your parents will make sure of that. Hell, they're startin' to feel like my own parents…" "Isn't that a good thing?" Itsuki asked with a smile.

The gal recalled the phone call she had gotten earlier. "...I guess…" she said uncertainly. "I'm just not really used to all of this…" "I've gotten pretty used to thinking of you as my nee-chan though," Itsuki said. "I'm pretty sure I keep telling you to not call me that," Jasmine said, throwing her school uniform shirt onto Itsuki. The girl was surprised at first, but once she freed herself of the shirt on her head, she kept watching Jasmine change.

"You really are pretty," she commented. "You have such smooth skin and long legs. Plus, your boobs are huge." "That started out sounding nice, but it just ended up sounding like harassment," Jasmine said as she slipped on a plain white tank top, a pink jacket and a pair of black sweatpants. "I hope ya don't go around tellin' all the girls ya see that kinda stuff." "What kind of person do you think I am?!" Itsuki exclaimed. Jasmine opened her mouth, but the girl put up her hand. "Wait, no! Don't answer that! It's just gonna be mean!"

Rolling onto her back, Itsuki sighed. "Geez… Some big sis you are… But, I guess I like having you around too. Kinda like having a person to look up to." Hearing that, Jasmine froze. "Look… up to? Me?" "Yeah," Itsuki said, turning her head to look at the gal. "Like I said, you're pretty, so that's one point in your favor. You're actually smart too, or at least smarter than me. You're stylish, nice and a good person. That all seems like role model material to me."

"...Ya really shouldn't put me on a pedestal like that," Jasmine said glumly. Pulling out the chair at her makeup table, she sat down. "I've hurt a lot of people in my past, so I don't think I really count as a 'good person.'" "I don't think a good person is always good though," Itsuki said, catching Jasmine off-guard. "What do you mean?" she asked. "Think about it," Itsuki said. "In order to know how to be good, don't you have to have an understanding of what's not good first? For most people, they'll know that because they've lived it. I think very few people called good have always been good. It takes a bit of bad in a person's life in order for the good to stand out that much more. The same goes for you Jasmine-chan. It's true that your past has a trail of broken hearts, but it's not like you don't feel anything about that. And now, you're doing your best to help your friends and figure out what love is to you. Isn't that enough to be able to call you a good person?"

Jasmine wasn't sure what surprised her more: the fact that someone truly considered her to be good, or that such wise words just came from her dumb, self-proclaimed little sister. "...Maybe you aren't so stupid after all." "That sounds like a compliment, but it really just hurts to hear that," Itsuki sighed, causing Jasmine to laugh. "Thanks, Itsuki-chan. I mean it." "If you really mean it, you should give me a reward," the girl said. "A reward?" Jasmine repeated. "Like what? A kiss?" "Ew, no," Itsuki said, looking grossed out. "Save that for Mayu-chan." "Who says I'm gonna kiss Mayu-chi?" Jasmine said, turning around. "You can try to hide, Jasmine-chan, but I can see that the tips of your ears are red," Itsuki said smugly. "Oh what do you know?" Jasmine said, picking up a random pair of pants on the floor and chucking them at Itsuki.

*****

To be learning the more intimate parts of what family was at the age of 18, Jasmine was feeling more and more like she missed out on so much the more she spent time with the Yukimuras. It was never anything big, just a family dinner here or game night there, but it was really these little things that ended up standing out the most. The bonds that they shared with each other became so evident in those moments, and slowly but surely, Jasmine was becoming a part of that too.

This time, about a week later, the Yukimura parents had decided to have a short outing to a nearby woods to see some of the fresh snowfall. It wasn't much yet, but it was enough to coat everything in a thin, glistening sheet of white, making most of the scenery in the Iwanai area very picturesque. However, due to the last-minute planning, Itsuki's siblings already had plans. So, to make up for the loss, the group decided to invite Mayu.

"I'm excited to go see the forest," she commented upon arriving at the Yukimura residence. "Why?" Jasmine asked, having been the one to greet her. "It's not like it changes much, y'know?" "Perhaps it's because of the new snow. It just gives everything a different feeling," Mayu said with a smile. "Yeah, sure," Jasmine said. "All it does for me is make me shiver." "Oh, right. You don't like the cold, do you?" Mayu remembered. "In that case, shall we share my scarf?"

Standing by the doorway, Mayu was wearing a deep brown, pleated skirt with black tights and boots underneath, and above she had on a gray coat. Her hair was down in her usual twin braids, though they were mostly covered by the white scarf Mayu had wrapped around her neck.

"While I appreciate the offer," Jasmine said. "It might, like, be a little hard to walk considerin' how much taller I am than you." "You're not that much taller…" Mayu pouted. "See, look." Getting closer, Mayu unraveled part of her scarf and began wrapping it around Jasmine's neck. When she finished, the two were connected by the piece of fabric, though it was obvious there was an angle in its line. "And now we walk," Mayu said. The two girls each tried to take a step, and predictably, Mayu was the one who took the damage when Jasmine moved, and the reverse was true when Mayu tried to move. "Told ya," Jasmine said.

Regretfully, Mayu gave up on the idea of a shared scarf. As she did, Itsuki came out to join them. "What're you two doing?" she asked upon seeing Mayu's dejected expression. "Nothin' much," Jasmine said, then stared at Itsuki. "Is that all you're wearing?" With a navy blue track jacket and matching sweats underneath, she was clad in Iwanai High's standard P.E. gear.

"I was thinking of running while we were out there," Itsuki explained plainly. "Besides, it's not that cold." "Says you," Jasmine muttered. As for the gal herself, she had put on a plain, deep-red, long-sleeve shirt that cut down to reveal some cleavage, but covering that was a puffy, bulky-looking, black coat that came down well past Jasmine's waist. She also had on a pair of leggings, then a pair of jeans, and finally a pair of light brown boots that came up to just below her knees.

"I'm starting to sweat just looking at you," Itsuki commented. "Shut up," Jasmine said. "Sorry I don't wanna like, freeze." "I think you're more likely to roast," Itsuki said. "I don't know, I think Jasmine-chan has the right idea," Mayu said. "It's better to be too covered up than not enough. Honestly, I'm more worried about you, Itsuki-chan." "I'll be fine!" the girl insisted. "Yeah, ya don't have to worry about her," Jasmine said. "After all, idiots don't catch colds." "Jasmine-chaaaaan!" Itsuki cried. Mayu laughed to herself, happy to see the two getting along so well.

"C'mon girls, let's get going!" Itsuki's dad announced as he approached the door. "Wow, Jasmine-chan, you sure are bundled up." "I just wanna be warm," the gal muttered back. "I thought gyarus were all about fashion over everything else?" Itsuki's dad asked. "Yeah, well, this gyaru also cares about comfort as much as style," Jasmine said. "Even with all the layers, you do look nice, as always," Mayu casually added. "Thanks…" Jasmine said, scratching her cheek with her finger as she looked away.

With their conversation finished, the group headed for the car, and soon enough they were on their way. It wasn't that long of a drive, as less than 20 minutes later they pulled into a gravel parking lot. Ahead of them was forest with several different paths to go down, along with markers indicating which path each one was in correlation to the map of the area.

"Well, I'm sure you girls don't want old folks like us hanging around, so we'll head this way," Itsuki's father said, pointing to a path on the left after they all got out of the car. "Be sure not to get lost!" Itsuki's mother added, then the couple headed for their chosen direction.

"Geez, it's cold!" Itsuki whined. "I'm gonna go run to warm up!" Dashing off toward another path to the left, Jasmine and Mayu suddenly found themselves alone. "Which direction should we go?" Mayu asked. "Is home an option?" Jasmine said, already beginning to shiver. "I suppose we could just wait in the car until everyone is done," Mayu said. "But I would like to see the scenery with you. After all, it looks so pretty just from here. I'm certain it looks even better farther in."

All around them, everything was thinly covered in white, causing all the moisture on the leafless trees to sparkle in the sunlight. With the splashes of color from the remainders of fall in the form of fading bushes and leaves on the ground, it was a perfect picture of changing seasons. Admittedly, Jasmine agreed with Mayu about how nice it all looked, but the temperature was also dampening her mood. However, the thought of making another good memory with Mayu in the time they had left together was very difficult to ignore.

"...Fiiiine. But like, it better be really amazing in there," Jasmine said, then offered her arm to Mayu. "Shall we?" "Mm," the girl nodded, wrapping her arms around Jasmine's. The two of them then began going down a path to the right. As they did, the sunlight began to become sparser, as bigger branches blocked some of it out. Still, the shadows and light combined to create their own beauty, causing Mayu to take some pictures here and there as they walked.

Looking ahead as Mayu took another picture, Jasmine's mind flashed back to their previous conversation about the future. However, instead of thinking about careers or potential majors, she thought of life in general. She thought about a life that was much like this one, spending time with Mayu in simple ways like what she was doing now. They could spend easy days together, with hardly anything to worry about. When they finished doing whatever they were doing, they could go back to their own place. And once there, they could…

"Jasmine-chan?" Mayu suddenly called, bringing Jasmine back to the present. "You look like your head is elsewhere." "Oh, sorry," the gal said back quietly. "Is there something on your mind?" Mayu asked. Jasmine was quiet for a moment, unsure of if she should speak of the future she just imagined. "I want to tell her," she thought. "But what if she has something different in mind? Or what if even suggesting it makes things awkward? Besides, our relationship is so vague sometimes, so could I really even talk about a future together that easily?"

The unease Jasmine felt began to run rampant in her mind. It hadn't been that long ago that she had been mostly alone. Sure, there were Chiyo and Haruna, but Jasmine had never allowed herself to be particularly close to them in the past. And as for her many boyfriends, most of them only cared about getting to know her body, not her mind.

Thanks to many developments though, Jasmine's heart had opened up some, and the first person to walk in had been Mayu. She could be very formal at times, but the gal actually found that comforting. It was as if that formality helped to balance out her more aloof approach to life. Really, Mayu was different from Jasmine in many ways, yet somehow, the bond they had formed had come about so naturally between the two.

It was a bond that Jasmine treasured, so when she first noticed her feelings for Mayu, she did her best to bury them. She was grateful for the differences between them, but… it was the same differences that made it nearly impossible to speak those feelings aloud. And yet, despite her best efforts, Jasmine's affections would slip out here and there. Even more surprising to her, Mayu never seemed to pull away. Considering those reactions, one would usually take that as evidence in their favor.

But even if Jasmine did so, it didn't change the fact that confessing was another beast entirely. There was always the typical fear of their relationship changing because of a confession, but more so than that, Jasmine was afraid of losing that relationship entirely. On top of that, while she felt it could be fair to call her feelings for Mayu love, it was hard for her to be completely certain. Jasmine was a girl who had been in so many relationships she had lost count, but she herself couldn't know what romantic love was like for sure. The irony was practically staring her in the face.

Conflicted with so many different feelings, Jasmine's mouth remained still. What could she possibly say when she had no clue what to make of anything involving Mayu? The girl herself was still standing in front of her, staring curiously up at the gal as she waited for a response. After a few seconds, she eventually turned, looking back up at the trees above them.

"I've really been enjoying today," she said suddenly. "I thought we'd be in a group, taking in the scenery together. That sounded fun… but…" Then Mayu turned back, a gentle smile on her face. "I have to admit, I did hope to be a bit greedy and spend some of this time with just you, Jasmine-chan."

"Our time is limited. There's no telling how things will go once we graduate. But… if I had it my way, I think… I'd like it if we could spend many days together, just like this one. Just like we are now."

Jasmine's eyes went wide. "We were… thinking the same thing…" she thought. Before she realized it, she had taken several large, quick strides toward Mayu. Then, she immediately wrapped the girl up in her arms. Mayu was surprised at first, but it didn't take long for her to return the warmth being given to her.

"Your cheeks are cold," Mayu said softly as she felt the gal's cheek on her own. "So are yours," Jasmine said back. Slowly, she pulled back, but just far enough so that Mayu's full face came into view. "I know a way to warm them up, if you're interested." "Oh?" Mayu said, curious. "And what way is that?"

Bit by bit, Jasmine began to bring her face closer. "J-Jasmine-chan, you're getting… a-a little close," Mayu said in a whisper. "I'm just an owner taking care of their pet," Jasmine whispered back. "I-I'm not-" But before Mayu could finish her sentence, a loud voice broke the tranquility.

"Oh hey, that path was shorter than I thought!" Itsuki announced as she rounded the upcoming corner. "And I found you two!" In response, Jasmine let go of Mayu, nearly ran over to Itsuki, and immediately started pinching her cheeks and pulling them as hard as she could. "OW, OW, OW!!!" Itsuki cried. "Jashmine-chan, why?!" "You stupid, in-the-way, numbskull," Jasmine muttered bitterly as she dished out her punishment.

After another minute or so, the gal freed Itsuki from her torment. "Owie…" the girl whimpered. "Geez, that really hurt… Wait, did you say in the way, Jasmine-chan?" Then Itsuki remembered the scene she had ran into. "Oh… OHHHH! Oops, my bad! I guess I'll just go now- hrk!" But before Itsuki could make her escape, Jasmine grabbed her by the collar. "Why don't ya stay?" Jasmine offered, though her words were ice-cold. "I-I don't think I wanna…" Itsuki said fearfully.

"Jasmine-chan, it's fine," Mayu said, walking up to the two. "I don't mind." "...Yeah, well, I do," Jasmine mumbled, letting go of Itsuki. "But whatevs." "I think I just saw my life flash before my eyes…" Itsuki said. "I'm sure you're being overdramatic, Itsuki-chan," Mayu said. "Besides, Jasmine-chan isn't scary." "...Uh, sure," was the only thing Itsuki could come up with to say back.

After that, the three of them continued on together, and before long, they ran into Itsuki's parents, turning it into the group event that it was believed to be in the first place. While Jasmine had certainly enjoyed her time together with Mayu, she also thought it was nice to be on an outing like this. "It's almost like being in a real family," she thought. "But I really wish it wasn't so cold out."

Fortunately for Jasmine, the group soon called it a day and headed for the car. After that, they went to drop Mayu off, and Jasmine offered to walk her up. Getting up to the front door of the Kawaguchi residence, they both stopped. "You didn't really need to walk me to the door," Mayu said, though she didn't seem bothered. "A good owner makes sure their pet is safe," Jasmine said. "I'm not a pet!" Mayu protested. "Haah… One of these days, I'll get you to stop that." "In order to do that, you'd have to stop being so adorable," Jasmine said back.

Suddenly, the front door opened, behind it a very annoyed looking, middle-aged woman in traditional Japanese dress. "I thought I heard you out here," she said. "Heya, Ai-chan," Jasmine said with a smirk. "I'm just escorting your daughter home." "As if she needs an escort like you," Ai said bitterly. "Mother, please…" Mayu said, indicating she'd rather not listen to another trading of jabs. "Come along, Mayu," Ai said. "And you, begone!" Making a shooing motion with her hand, Ai continued to do so until the door was shut. Of course, Jasmine simply stood there and watched, determined to not leave the front porch until Ai could no longer see her. Then she headed back for the car.

"Mayu-chan's mom really doesn't like you, huh Jasmine-chan?" Itsuki said once Jasmine got back in. "Nope. Not a bit," Jasmine said, looking oddly satisfied. "Well, I hope we won't have to worry about the Christmas party," Itsuki's mother chimed in. "Christmas party?" Jasmine repeated. "Yeah, we don't do it every year, but the schedule worked out for our two families to have a party together," Itsuki's mom explained. "Oh, but you'll probably end up being pretty bored, Jasmine-chan. Just a lot of adults sitting and talking. Itsuki usually just goes and hangs out with Mayu-chan."

"Yeah, we just hang out in my room until they leave," Itsuki said. Jasmine thought for a moment, an idea beginning to form in her mind. "What if… we just have our own party?" "Huh? What do you mean?" Itsuki asked. "Like, it's our last year of high school, so wouldn't it be more fun if we could all be together for Christmas?" Jasmine suggested.

"That's a great idea, Jasmine-chan!" Itsuki's father added. "You girls should get to have a blast, not be stuck with a bunch of old people!" "You guys aren't that old," Itsuki pointed out. "Still, it's something you guys should work on planning," Itsuki's mom said. "Christmas isn't that far away, you know." "It's still over a month!" Itsuki exclaimed.

Regardless, the idea was now in place. "A Christmas party for all of us…" Jasmine thought. "Two years ago, I would've never even suggested something like that. I guess I've really changed too, huh?" And so, with that thought as a comfort to her, Jasmine began to form a plan in her head.

End of Chapter Twenty-Seven.

Author's Note: Sorry for the long wait yet again. I do hope to get these last few chapters out quicker. Also, I apparently couldn't count before, because NOW there are only four chapters left. Again, I'll explain my decisions in the afterword.

-Saturnalia Blackrose.