District 8 was full of grand stone boulevards that shimmered beneath pale sunlight, lined with cafes, wrought-iron balconies, and towers whose architecture whispered of old Paris. Yet beyond the crowded streets, the city transformed. Pine forests crept along its outskirts, their dark green crowns rising toward snow-capped mountains beneath an endless northern sky. At night, warm golden lights spilled from narrow windows, reflecting across canals that wound between the buildings like silver ribbons. The scent of freshly baked bread mingled with the crisp fragrance of snow and pine. Music often drifted through the streets, accordions from the southern plazas, violins from quiet balconies, and distant bells echoing across the frozen air.
Chifuyu pressed his face against the tram window as another row of old stone buildings passed outside: "Look at that!"
In the seat behind him, Yukinoya was doing exactly the same thing: "I'm looking!"
Dakota: "You've both said that 17 times."
Chifuyu: "You've been counting?"
Dakota: "I have nothing better to do."
Yukinoya: "Even Dakota knows he'd be missing out if he was playing his game instead of watching the view."
Yukinoya's mother leaned forward between the seats: "You three remember the rule, right?"
The children answered together: "Stay where you can see us."
Chifuyu's dad: "And no wandering into mysterious alleyways."
Dakota: "That sounds very specific."
Chifuyu's dad: "This city has mysterious alleyways everywhere."
Chifuyu: "What happens if we go into one?"
His father looked deadly serious: "A nice local will greet you with his pocket knife and say 'Ay bruv, give me all yer money.'"
Yukinoya stared at him. Chifuyu burst out laughing.
Chifuyu's mom smacked her husband lightly on the shoulder: "Stop scaring them with nonsense."
Outside, Golden Festival decorations stretched between the buildings. Long ribbons of gold and white fluttered above the boulevards, while lanterns hung from iron posts beside the canals.
Their first stop was a bakery.
Or rather…
It was supposed to be one bakery.
Yukinoya discovered three more within ten minutes. Fresh bread filled the display windows, stacked beside fruit pastries, glazed rolls, chocolate-filled croissants, and little cakes dusted with powdered sugar. They were impossible to just pass by.
Yukinoya: "I want that."
Chifuyu: "Which one?"
Yukinoya: "Yes."
Dakota nodded solemnly: "Understandable."
Chifuyu's mother ordered enough for everyone to share.
Chifuyu bit into a warm pastry filled with apple and cinnamon. His eyes widened: "Oh."
Yukinoya: "How good is it?"
Chifuyu: "Terrible. You definitely shouldn't try it."
She reached across the table. Chifuyu moved the pastry away.
Yukinoya: "Give me some."
Chifuyu: "I'm protecting you."
She grabbed his wrist and stole a bite. Her expression instantly changed.
Yukinoya: "Oh my God. You liar!"
Their parents laughed from the other end of the table. By the time they left, all three children were carrying paper bags filled with pastries they insisted they would save for later. None survived the afternoon.
The streets narrowed. Stone arches stretched overhead. Tiny stores hid beneath apartments covered in vines and iron balconies.
Yukinoya: "I want to live here."
Chifuyu: "You said that about the bakery."
Yukinoya: "I can live above the bakery."
Dakota: "You'd go bankrupt."
Yukinoya: "Why?"
Dakota: "You'd eat the inventory."
Chifuyu laughed. Yukinoya kicked Dakota lightly in the shoe.
Yukinoya's mom: "He's probably right."
Yukinoya: "Why is everyone against me?"
By afternoon, they reached one of the main canals. Long wooden boats glided beneath arched bridges while festival banners fluttered overhead. The families boarded together.
Chifuyu immediately tried claiming the seat closest to the edge. The boat moved slowly through the city. Old buildings leaned over the water as though watching the boats pass beneath. Someone somewhere was playing a violin. The sound followed them beneath an archway before fading into the distance. The city simply drifted past them. Chifuyu found himself looking at one thing. He wouldn't remember every building. He wouldn't remember the names of every bridge. But years later…
He would remember that exact smile.
After this, they found themselves in the shopping streets. They had all kinds of stuff. Stylish Winter clothing. Handmade jewelry. Carved wooden decorations. Golden Festival charms.
A nearby stand caught Yukinoya's attention. Small festival charms hung from wooden hooks, each tied with different colored cords. She picked up two identical ones. Cheap little golden stars.
Yukinoya handed one to him: "For you."
Chifuyu: "Neat. Which one is Dakota getting."
Yukinoya gestured with her hand to be quiet: "It's just for the 2 of us."
Chifuyu blushed a little. There was no way he couldn't. She bought both before he could say anything. Chifuyu attached his to his bag. Yukinoya did the same.
They continued through the plaza until music pulled them toward a crowd.
A group of street performers had formed a circle beneath strings of golden lanterns.
An accordion player led the melody while a violinist moved between spectators.
Two dancers spun together across the stone pavement.
Children clapped.
Adults tossed coins into an open case.
Eventually, one of the dancers grabbed Chifuyu's hand.
Chifuyu: "Wait—"
He was dragged into the circle.
Yukinoya immediately started cheering: "Go, Chifuyu!"
Chifuyu: "I DON'T KNOW WHAT I'M DOING!"
His father cupped his hands around his mouth: "READ THEIR MOVEMENTS!"
Yukinoya was laughing so hard she could barely stand. Then the second dancer grabbed her.
Yukinoya: "WAIT!"
Chifuyu pointed at her: "HA!"
Now both of them were being spun around the plaza.
Dakota stood safely beside their parents: "Am I safe?"
A third performer slowly looked toward him. Dakota's smile disappeared.
Dakota's dad: "Haha! Doesn't look like it."
Yukinoya: "GET HIM!"
The crowd cheered.
Dakota's parents betrayed him immediately.
Dakota's mom: "Go have fun!"
Seconds later, all three children were stumbling through a dance none of them understood. By the end, Chifuyu was laughing. Yukinoya was breathless. Dakota looked defeated.
Their final stop before dinner was an outdoor ice rink built beside one of the larger canals. None of the children were particularly experienced.
Chifuyu stepped onto the ice. His legs separated: "Whoa—"
He windmilled his arms wildly before grabbing the wall.
Yukinoya laughed: "We're not dancing anymore y'know."
Chifuyu: "Does it look like I'm dancing?!"
She pushed away from the edge. Made it approximately six feet. Then fell directly onto her butt.
Chifuyu: "HAHAHAHA!"
Yukinoya: "Shut up!"
Dakota cautiously stepped onto the rink. He remained completely still.
Chifuyu: "You gonna move?"
Dakota: "No."
Yukinoya: "You can't just stand there forever."
Dakota: "I'm deciding if I want to leave before I embarrass myself."
Eventually, their parents joined them. Chifuyu's mother and father skated surprisingly well.
Chifuyu's dad: "Bend your knees!"
Chifuyu: "I'm trying!"
Chifuyu lost focus and crashed into Dakota. Yukinoya got the hang of it quickly while the boys never did.
Yukinoya walked between Chifuyu and Dakota. Her cheeks were pink from the cold. She looked exhausted. But happy.
Yukinoya: "Tomorrow's gonna be even better."
Chifuyu: "What's tomorrow?"
Yukinoya: "We're hitting the mountains."
Dakota: "Are we hiking?"
Yukinoya: "Yep! Prepare yourself."
Dakota put his hands on his waist and took a deep sigh knowing hell awaited him.
Chifuyu: "Oh, they should have snowboarding right? I've always wanted to try."
Yukinoya: "Are you sure? It'll be even harder than ice skating. You'll probably fall twice as much."
Chifuyu: "Snowboarding seems more up my alley, I'll get the hang of it."
Dakota accepted his fate.
***
Morning arrived with snow clinging to the rooftops of District 8. The stone streets were pale with frost, and the canals reflected a sky washed in silver. Far beyond the old district, the mountains rose sharply above the pine forests, their peaks almost glowing against the cold horizon.
The plan was ambitious.
Too ambitious, according to Dakota.
They would ride partway up the mountain, follow one of the easier hiking trails toward an old shrine and observatory, spend the afternoon near the ski village, then finish with their first attempt at snowboarding.
They arrived at the gondola station. Chifuyu pressed against the window almost immediately after their cabin left the ground.
The city dropped farther beneath them with every passing second.
Chifuyu: "Whoa."
Yukinoya leaned over his shoulder: "Move."
Chifuyu: "There's another window."
Yukinoya: "This one's better."
Dakota remained seated firmly in the center: "I'm not looking down."
Chifuyu: "Why?"
Dakota: "I don't like raising my cortisol."
Chifuyu: "Dude, you play video games."
District 8 stretched beneath them.
The old city looked almost miniature from this height, its canals winding between pale buildings while golden festival banners crossed the streets like threads. Beyond it, the landscape opened into dark forests and frozen fields.
Yukinoya stared silently.
Chifuyu noticed her expression.
Chifuyu: "Pretty cool, huh?"
Yukinoya nodded: "Really cool."
The cold became sharper the moment they stepped off the gondola. Snow covered the ground in uneven patches, crunching beneath their boots. The trail began gently enough. Tall pines surrounded them on either side, their branches heavy with white. Every breath appeared in front of them as mist.
Chifuyu immediately ran ahead.
Chifuyu's mom: "Don't go too far!"
Chifuyu: "I'm not!"
Yukinoya sprinted after him: "Wait for me!"
Dakota continued walking at a perfectly reasonable pace: "They're going to burn themselves out."
Dakota's dad: "Probably."
Five minutes later, Chifuyu and Yukinoya were leaning against a tree breathing heavily.
Dakota slowly passed them: "Interesting."
Chifuyu: "Shut up."
Yukinoya: "I definitely didn't slip."
Dakota: "I know. The snow all on your back that you're trying to hide just magically appeared there."
Chifuyu grabbed a handful of snow.
Dakota: "Don't."
Chifuyu threw it. The snowball struck Dakota directly in the chest. Dakota looked down, then back up. Chifuyu gestured for him to come at him. Dakota placed his bag on the ground and scooped up snow.
Dakota: "You have chosen violence."
The next ten minutes destroyed any remaining structure the hike had. Chifuyu hid behind trees.
Dakota attempted ambushes. Yukinoya attacked both sides indiscriminately. Their parents eventually got pulled into it. Chifuyu's father took a snowball directly to the face. He slowly turned toward his son.
Chifuyu: "That wasn't me."
A moment later, Chifuyu was running for his life.
Yukinoya laughed so hard she had to stop moving. She bent forward, one hand against her knee. Then remained there for a little longer than expected.
Chifuyu noticed: "You good?"
Yukinoya looked up: "Yeah."
Chifuyu: "Want to slow down?"
Yukinoya immediately frowned: "No, I'm good."
Chifuyu: "Okay."
Yukinoya smiled: "Come on.
She ran ahead of him. Chifuyu followed. He didn't notice the way her smile disappeared the moment she turned away.
***
The shrine appeared after nearly an hour. It was smaller than Chifuyu expected. Despite that, it was still huge. An old wooden structure rested against the mountainside, surrounded by weathered stone lanterns and tall pines. Snow gathered along its roof, while faded ribbons and charms fluttered beneath the entrance.
Chifuyu's mother clasped her hands together: "This is beautiful."
Yukinoya's mom: "Isn't it?"
Dakota: "Think there's a ghost?"
Chifuyu: "Ghosts aren't real."
Yukinoya: "If Saki shows up, we're leaving you here."
Dakota: "That story clearly traumatized both of you."
Chifuyu: "It didn't traumatize me."
A bird suddenly flew from one of the trees.
Chifuyu jumped.
Yukinoya: "And we're supposed to believe that."
Chifuyu: "I thought it was coming at me!"
Their parents laughed. Each family bought small wooden prayer plaques from a nearby booth.
Chifuyu stared at his for several seconds: "What am I supposed to write?"
Chifuyu's dad: "Something you hope for."
Chifuyu thought seriously. Then began writing. Yukinoya tried looking over. Chifuyu immediately covered it.
Chifuyu: "No peeking."
Yukinoya: "Why?"
Chifuyu: "Then it won't happen."
Yukinoya: "Hmph. Well you can't look at mine either."
Chifuyu: "I wasn't going to.."
Yukinoya rolled her eyes and focused on her own plaque.
Chifuyu finished first.
"May everyone be able to keep laughing over stupid things"
Dakota wrote something about owning every console ever made. His mother made him rewrite it.
Yukinoya took the longest.
She stared at the small piece of wood for several quiet moments before finally writing something.
When Chifuyu attempted to look, she hid it against her chest.
Yukinoya: "No peeking."
Chifuyu: "You're taking so long it's hard not to wonder what you're writing."
Yukinoya: "You said it. If you look, it won't happen."
They hung their wishes among hundreds of others. Chifuyu never saw what hers said.
The observatory stood farther along the trail.
An old stone tower rose from the side of the mountain, topped with a large metal dome that had long since stopped being used for research.
The overlook beside it gave them an unobstructed view of District 8.
Chifuyu: "Whoa…"
The entire city lay beneath them. Its pale stone buildings gathered around the silver canals. Golden decorations glittered faintly. Farther beyond the city, the landscape stretched almost endlessly toward the horizon. Yukinoya walked toward the railing. The wind moved gently through her hair. She rested both hands against the cold stone and stared down at the city. Chifuyu eventually joined her. Dakota remained several steps behind, helping his parents take pictures. For a while, Chifuyu and Yukinoya simply stood there.
Yukinoya: "I'm glad we came."
Chifuyu: "Obviously."
She lightly bumped her shoulder against his. Her attention returned to the city.
Yukinoya: "I wanna remember this."
Chifuyu looked at her.
Something about the way she said it sounded strange.
Chifuyu: "This view?"
Yukinoya: "All of it."
The mountains. The city. Their parents laughing behind them. Dakota complaining because his camera wouldn't focus. Chifuyu stared at her for another second.
Chifuyu: "We'll plan a lot more trips."
Yukinoya: "Yeah." A brief pause. "We will."
Their parents gathered everyone for a picture before leaving. Chifuyu stood in the middle.
Yukinoya squeezed beside him. Dakota took the other side.
Chifuyu's father: "Whenever you're ready."
The person taking the picture held the phone up: "Okay! 3, 2, 1!"
Click.
***
By the time they reached the ski village, the sun had begun lowering toward the mountains. It was snowboarding time. Their parents rented beginner equipment for everyone. The instructor taught the children how to strap their boots into the boards, how to balance, and spent over an hour practicing.
All three were falling. Chifuyu attempted moving too fast and spun sideways. Dakota was catching edges every single time. Yukinoya successfully stopped once by intentionally throwing herself onto the snow. Chifuyu's father tried joining them and immediately proved where Chifuyu had inherited his confidence. Chifuyu's mom remained near the bottom with the other parents, laughing every time father and son wiped out in nearly identical ways.
Gradually however, they improved. Chifuyu figured it out first. He started making short turns without falling. Yukinoya followed soon afterward. Dakota remained upright mostly because he refused to move faster than walking speed.
Chifuyu glided past him: "Come on!"
Dakota: "I enjoy having bones."
Yukinoya passed from the opposite side.
Yukinoya: "Race you!"
Chifuyu immediately accelerated.
Dakota: "Both of you are idiots."
They reached the bottom within seconds of each other.
Yukinoya raised both arms: "I won!"
Chifuyu: "No you didn't!"
Yukinoya: "I touched the line first!"
Chifuyu: "You fell across it!"
Yukinoya laughed: "Still counts!"
The next few days passed almost too quickly. District 8 had somehow become even more beautiful as the Golden Festival approached its busiest nights. Every bridge was wrapped in warm lights, golden banners hung from the upper floors of old stone buildings, and music seemed to follow the families wherever they went.
Chifuyu had already decided something. One week wasn't enough.
Chifuyu: "We should stay a whole month."
Chifuyu's mom laughed: "Are you paying for it?"
Chifuyu: "Dad can."
Chifuyu's dad: "Why did I get volunteered?"
Yukinoya: "Because you're an adult."
Chifuyu's dad: "There are six adults here."
Dakota's dad: "And we've unanimously elected you."
Chifuyu's dad stared at him. Dakota's dad calmly took another sip of coffee.
Chifuyu: "See?"
Chifuyu's dad: "Traitors."
Nearby, their parents watched the children wander from stall to stall. Yukinoya's mother smiled, but there was something quieter behind it. Every so often, her eyes lingered on her daughter longer than they were meant to.
When Yukinoya stopped to catch her breath…
Her mother noticed.
When she barely touched the sweet bread she'd begged for ten minutes earlier…
Her mother noticed that too.
Yukinoya noticed her noticing: "What?"
Her mother gave her a small smile: "Take it easy today."
Yukinoya: "I am."
Chifuyu turned around while walking backward: "No you're not."
Yukinoya: "Okay mom number two."
She stuck her tongue out at him. Everything seemed normal.
The evening came with fireworks. Everybody gathered along one of the widest canals in the old city. Hundreds of people filled the bridges and stone walkways. The first explosion painted the sky gold. Great circles of light bloomed above District 8 while their reflections spread across the dark canal below. Yukinoya stood beside Chifuyu. Her shoulder occasionally touched his as they leaned against the railing. Another golden firework burst overhead.
Yukinoya: "It's beautiful."
Chifuyu: "This might be the best vacation ever."
Yukinoya looked back toward the fireworks. Another explosion illuminated her face: "It really is."
The crowds eventually began thinning. But instead of returning directly to the hotel, Dakota's father suggested one last stop. Earlier that afternoon, locals had mentioned that the skies above District 8 were unusually clear. There was a chance the northern lights would appear. They traveled toward the northern outskirts where the city lights faded beneath the mountains. By the time they reached a wide overlook above a frozen lake, the world had become almost completely silent. Snow covered the ground. Dark pine forests surrounded the valley. The mountains stood like enormous shadows beneath the stars. Their parents unfolded blankets and poured warm drinks from thermoses.
Dakota: "What if nothing happens?"
Chifuyu's father: "Worst case, we just spent the night stargazing."
Yukinoya: "I wouldn't mind that."
Am hour passed. Everyone looked. At first, it was barely visible. A pale green streak appeared above the mountains. Then another. As another hour passed, the color slowly strengthened. Long ribbons of green light stretched across the northern sky, bending and flowing as though an invisible ocean had formed among the stars. Purple appeared along the edges. Then faint shades of blue. The entire valley seemed to glow beneath them. There was a huge crowd, but no one spoke. The aurora drifted silently over them and reflected across the frozen lake.
The lights reflected inside Yukinoya's sky-blue eyes.
The northern lights danced above them. Chifuyu looked toward his two closest friends. Dakota was beside him. Yukinoya was smiling beneath from ear to ear.
Everything was perfect.
Then Yukinoya's smile faded.
Her eyes lost focus.
Chifuyu noticed her sway.
Chifuyu: "Yukinoya?"
Yukinoya's hand rose weakly toward her chest: "I…"
Her knees buckled.
Chifuyu moved immediately: "YUKINOYA!"
He caught her before her head struck the snow. Her body went limp in his arms. The peaceful night shattered. Yukinoya's mother screamed her name. Their parents rushed forward. Dakota froze beside Chifuyu, his face drained of color. Chifuyu stared down at Yukinoya. Her eyes were closed. Her breathing was faint. People around began looking to see what was going on. The northern lights continued looking beautiful overhead, as though nothing had happened at all.