Don't tell me you're gonna kiss everyone

It didn't take long before the rest of the group, now including Damien, made their way out of the noisy club and into the festive streets full of people. There was a lot of noise around too, but maybe it was more pleasant considering the size of the space.

I buried my hands in my pants pockets and looked up at the sky full of lanterns as well as the surrounding planets and stars. I felt a slight smile spread across my face at the beauty. The view alone was gift enough every year.

"Rayne," I suddenly heard the words snapping me out of a slight trance. So I looked back down to the street at Arno who was looking at me questioningly as he stood by one of the food stalls.

I came closer and looked at the offer they had there. In particular, they were selling Tteokbokki in this one, which I enthusiastically welcomed, so I nodded in agreement at Arno. In the meantime, the others got to other stalls, where they were also probably looking at the offer.

Before long we were walking down a wider street with a much larger crowd of people while we each had some of the food we had bought at the last minute. And some even carried a drink. Jasper was chatting passionately with Hideaki about something, both of them stuffing themselves like their lives were at stake, while Yuki was talking seriously and quietly with Damien about something. And Arno and I closed the group with our Tteokbokki, while we examined the offer of all the stalls around.

It was less than an hour until midnight and it was starting to look that way all around. A lot of people gathered in places from where they could later see the so-called fireworks, and a lot of people also flocked towards the city center.

"Rayne!" I heard a shout from the front of our small procession causing me to look up from the rest of my food as I stuffed the last bite into my mouth. Hideaki turned as he walked and looked at me curiously before continuing after a moment: "Don't you wanna something better than just a toast as a gift."

I raised a questioning eyebrow. I didn't need anything and I didn't understand why everyone always did this to me. The beauty of tonight was really enough for me. A beautiful starry sky with lanterns, colorful fireworks and some kind of drink and good street food.

"How about you shut up."

"But remember, you're twenty-five only once," he said, not forgetting to throw up his hands and probably making something up in his head. I rolled my eyes at his words, he said the same thing last year and the year before that.

"You don't have to remind me that I'm getting old, Hide," I blurted out and walked around him, as he had to stop while he was telling me how old I already was. I headed to the nearest garbage can, where I dumped the mess of street food.

For a while, our group moved on, while I led it this time together with Arno. He bought some very sweet but at the same time quite good drink, which he offered me, which was a mistake to accept when I heard what else my friends managed to produce.

"How about goin´ to a strip club?" Jasper suggested, causing me to almost choke on the spot.

When I finally stopped choking, I shook my head dismissively and walked away as more and more excited laughter echoing around us. Midnight was apparently nearer than I thought, and in a short time we managed to get a little higher, from where we should have a better view of the coming beauty.

We also managed to buy something to toast, while pushing our way through the crowd of people to a kind of artificial terrace, from where there was a pretty good view of the city below us. Arno became serious at that moment, but he first checked if the others were paying enough attention to the view in front of us before he began to speak:

"Did you look at what I sent?"

I remembered the information about the scumbag Nicolas that Arno had sent me in the chat earlier in the week. I nodded, unenthusiastically, to which Arno sighed, "Watch that bastard, he seems to be erratic."

I nodded with a chuckle. The moron had quite an influential family from a distant planet it seemed. He had plenty of money, and of course he could afford to marry almost anyone, which he apparently did. Even if he didn't really have a reason for it - as it was in my case.

I preferred to put this problem behind me and look at the time that my communicator was showing. There were only a few minutes left until the long awaited midnight. Until the end of another year.

So with a sigh, I looked up at the sky full of wishing lanterns when I felt someone wrap their arms around my shoulders. I looked over at Hideaki, who had his arm around Arno's shoulders as well, while looking a little too happy.

Everyone waited tensely for a while before the people around started counting down the final seconds, while the excited commentator Hideaki couldn't help but say, "It's about to start."

I rolled my eyes, to which I heard the last numbers, after which the missiles flew into the sky at the end of their journey, changing into beautiful and abstract shapes. I smiled and drank with the boys, after which I watched the beauty in the sky as a warm feeling spread in my chest.

"What are you doin´...?" was suddenly heard from Arn, so I looked back at him. But before I could figure out what was going on, Hideaki's face came dangerously close and I felt him kiss my cheek.

I blinked in confusion and exchanged a confused look with the guy with glasses, noticing that Hideaki's attention had turned elsewhere. I rolled my eyes to which I raised my voice slightly so he could hear me over all the noise, "Don't tell me you're gonna kiss everyone now!"

My words elicited a startled reaction from Jasper, but even he didn't have time to save himself. We only saw Hideaki forcefully grab him by the neck and face with his hands, after which he planted a kiss on his cheek, as he did with me and Arno.

With a chuckle, I shook my head and shifted my gaze to the starry night sky, where today, in addition to the stars, pyrotechnic lights also sparkled and where yellow lanterns were still flying. I felt a smile spread across my face. How little was enough for happiness.