Chapter 19: Snow, Beer, and a Drunken Night (Patreon)

Watching the two of them turn in perfect sync, their expressions identically outraged, Ayako—who had appeared in the café for reasons unknown—laughed heartily.

"You two are exactly the same!"

"Who's the same as him/her?!" ×2

They retorted simultaneously, but the next moment, they were both glaring daggers at each other.

"Ahahaha, I can't," Ayako clutched her stomach, laughing uncontrollably. "This is funnier than my best jokes."

"Tch!" They both clicked their tongues in unison, crossed their arms, and turned away.

"So, why are you here, Ayako? Isn't it Christmas Eve?" Rin asked.

Ayako, now seated in the booth, shrugged casually. "My parents are already drunk. They’re doing karaoke in the living room right now. It’s way too loud, so I wanted to get some fresh air. I was passing by and saw a... very peculiar pair. Got curious and came in."

"Anyway, don’t get the wrong idea. I just happened to run into this guy," Rin said with a haughty expression.

Shinji snorted lightly. "Probably because I didn’t check the calendar before leaving home. How unlucky to run into this woman. Seems I should start doing divinations before going out next time."

Hearing this, Rin’s eyes instantly curved into an excessively sweet smile. "My, my, Matou-kun, you’re so funny. Clearly, I’m the unlucky one, right? Next time I go out, I’ll be sure to check the daily horoscope on TV first."

Shinji also offered a polite smile. "No, no, that’s too much trouble. Let me handle such troublesome matters. You can go out anytime, Tohsaka-san, with complete peace of mind."

Slam!

"You...!" Rin’s expression shifted. She slapped the table and stood up, glaring at Shinji through gritted teeth.

"What is it?"

Shinji also stood, crossing his arms and looking down at Rin with an impatient expression.

Watching the two square off, a thought occurred to Ayako. "You two know the term 'a bickering couple,' right?"

"Ayako-san, don’t say such strange things. We’re clearly mortal enemies."

"Exactly. The 'till-death-do-us-part' kind," Rin nodded in agreement.

"But from my perspective, it really does look like a bickering couple."

"It is NOT!!" ×2

Ayako covered her ears with a wry smile. "Please, a little quieter. You’ll break my eardrums."

...

The goose-feather snow hadn’t let up for a moment. The park bench under the dim streetlight was already buried under a thick layer of white.

"Huu—"

Rin, standing to the side, rubbed her hands together and let out a soft puff of white breath.

Serves you right, Shinji thought to himself.

Such a cold day, and you’re not even wearing proper winter pants? Serves you right!

Even though he thought it, Shinji still casually handed the hot drinks he’d bought from the vending machine to Ayako and Rin.

"My, my, I didn’t expect Matou-kun to be such a gentleman," Ayako teased as she accepted the drink.

"Hah? What nonsense are you talking? I’m just afraid that if someone catches a cold, they’ll blame someone else for it."

"I’m very curious about who this 'someone' is, Matou-kun," Rin asked with a smile, accepting the hot drink. "And what’s the meaning of you holding your hand out like that?"

"A hundred and fifty yen."

After a long silence, Rin pointed at Shinji and looked at Ayako. "...Ayako-san, do you really think this guy is a gentleman?"

"Ayako’s is on me. Yours is 150 yen."

Rin: ...Are you specifically targeting me?

"Well, thanks, Shinji," Ayako said cheerfully. Then she remembered something. "Oh, I almost forgot the time. I should head back. My little brother might not be able to handle the situation alone."

"Does the gentleman need to see you home?" Shinji asked without thinking, having just accepted the two coins Rin very reluctantly handed over. "If required, I can play the role of protector for once."

"Eh~ Matou-kun, you really don’t get it, do you? Right now, in a way, I’m creating an opportunity for you two."

"Hah?"

"Anyway, see you." With that, Ayako waved goodbye, winking at the two of them. "Do your best, both of you."

"What in the world was she talking about..." Shinji muttered, watching Ayako jog away into the distance.

At the foot of that familiar, long slope in Miyami Town.

A taxi stopped, and two people got out—Shinji and Rin.

Not in a hurry to return home, Shinji walked over to the roadside railing. He stuffed his hands into his coat pockets, letting the cold wind whip past him as he gazed idly at the shimmering lights of Shinto in the distance.

After about five minutes, Shinji finally couldn’t stand it anymore. He turned his head to look at Rin, who was also standing there in the cold wind, a layer of snow settling on her hair.

"Why are you still here? Don’t tell me you’re scared of walking alone at night?"

"Of course not!" Rin retorted, shivering as she hugged her arms for warmth. "I’m just... a little bored, that’s all."

"I see. Seems we’re in the same boat, then."

"By the way, didn’t you buy a drink for yourself back then?"

"No, I actually wanted to..." Shinji began, pulling two cans of beer from inside his coat. "...try beer for once. But you just wouldn’t leave, so I felt a bit awkward about it."

Seeing the beer in his hands, Rin propped her chin on her hand, a slight, intrigued smile playing on her lips. "So even Matou-kun has a side like a normal boy, wanting to try alcohol before he’s of age."

"Don’t want to hear that from you," Shinji said, casually opening one of the beer cans. "Alright then, the first taste of alcohol since I was born into this world."

"Wait..."

"What?"

"I, well... that is..."

Seeing Rin suddenly become fidgety, a realization dawned on Shinji. He ventured tentatively, "Don’t tell me... you want to try it too..."

"Enough! Just give it to me!"

"Minors aren’t allowed to drink."

"You’re a minor too!"

"That’s different. I look more like an adult."

"There’s no difference at all!"

In the end, the overly curious minor—Rin—managed to snatch one of the beer cans from Shinji’s hand.

"Ahhh—!"

Shinji let out a long, satisfied sigh after taking a big gulp of beer.

"What an indescribable feeling."

He looked at the beer in his hand with a hint of emotion. How many years had it been since he’d last tasted this?

"How is it?" Shinji asked, turning to Rin, who was holding her beer with her head lowered. The only response he got was a soft hiccup from her.

Seeing Rin lift her head, her eyes hazy and unfocused, a playful yet dazed expression on her face as she hiccupped intermittently, Shinji suddenly realized something. Several sweatdrops unconsciously appeared under his eyes.

...Is she drunk already?

"Shinji-kun..."

"What?"

"Go die!!"

Thwack!

A whole snowball smashed directly into Shinji’s face, leaving him momentarily stunned. It took him a long moment to process what had happened.

What followed was a late-night snowball fight between two "drunks." As for why there were two drunks... perhaps because it was his first time drinking in this life too, Shinji was also feeling a bit lightheaded.

A full half-hour later, a breathless Shinji and Rin finally stopped simultaneously. But it was then that Shinji spotted a wooden board by the roadside.

And so, following the snowball war, the two began a new round of slope sledding competition.

Under the influence of alcohol, their solo sledding sessions on the wooden board somehow turned into a two-person affair.

Sitting together on the board, they had lost count of how many times they had whooped and cheered as they sped down the long slope, only to tumble headfirst into the thick snow at the bottom.

"Haah... haah... haah..." Lying on the snow, fine beads of sweat on his face, Shinji panted softly.

After catching his breath, Shinji turned his head to look at Rin lying in the snow beside him.

"Letting you steer was a mistake. So? Wanna go aga—"

He didn’t finish his sentence. Perhaps because the alcohol was wearing off, or maybe for some other reason, Shinji found himself inexplicably stunned into silence...