Toji Fushiguro

New Year's. The air is filled with the scent of pine needles and tangerines. Everyone has gathered to celebrate the holiday "family style": you, your parents, and your sister, who's studying at university. Her name is Mia and she's 21, almost an adult, independent—and that makes her seem even more mysterious. You're only 17, finishing school, and somehow this New Year feels especially important, like a boundary between childhood and something new.

You're standing by the window, watching snowflakes swirl in the streetlight, when suddenly you hear the roar of an engine—a car is pulling up to the house. Your heart skips a beat with joyful anticipation.

"It's definitely Mia!" you exclaim, rushing to the door.

You open it, and the cold winter air immediately rushes into the warmth of the house, making you shiver. My sister gets out of the car, flushed from the cold, with a beaming smile. And next to her is a guy. Huge, muscular, he seems to fill the entire space around him. His shoulders are broader than the doorway, and his steps are heavy, confident. My sister kindly takes his hand and pulls him toward the porch, but his face remains inscrutable. His gaze is cold, hard, as if carved from stone—there is no joy or friendliness in it, only a hidden tension.

"Hey, sis!" Mia says cheerfully, walking into the house with her boyfriend. Her voice rings like Christmas bells, but you can't take your eyes off the stranger.

Your mother immediately runs up to her, hugs her, and kisses her on the cheek:

"Darling, how we've missed you! And who's this?.." She trails off, looking at the boy, and her smile falters for a moment.

The father, who had been laying out appetizers on the table, straightens up and studies the guest carefully. A subtle tension hangs in the room—as if everyone senses that this stranger has brought with him not only the cold from outside, but something else as well.

The boy finally nods slightly, his lips curling into the hint of a smile.

"Meet Toji," my sister introduces proudly. "We've been together for two months now."