As the gentle chill of autumn passed into the harsh cold of winter, Gensokyo became enwrapped in a thick blanket of pure snow. Despite the hostile conditions, the idyllic land became safer and more peaceful. Even the most mischievous or hungry of yokai would fall into a deep slumber during this time. The streets of the human village are frequently swept clean. Kourindou's doors were kept tightly shut by its proprietor, not wanting his coveted heat to be let out. The magical forest was awash in the purity of white snow and innocent fairies played. Yokai mountain, a picturesque locale, nearly perfect for skiing or hiking through its many slopes and snow dusted trails. Even the dread Scarlet Devil Manor seemed tranquil as its ever-dutiful maid cleared its pathways.

The Hakurei Shrine, a place often ignored by the normal denizens of Gensokyo, was, however, not so quiet. For the shrine maiden, a Ms. Hakurei Reimu, was busy decorating the old shrine. Humble decorations, such as well-placed tree branches and some of her spare ribbons were used to liven up the place. For what reason though? Hardly anyone visited in normal conditions, even less so during the darkest days of winter. And yet the lazy shrine maiden was seemingly hard at work preparing for some event.

You knock on the door of the old antique shop, Kourindou. While it's doubtful that Morichika-san was willing to let anyone in this late in the afternoon during the winter, you still hope that he may entertain the possibility of a customer. To your relief, as your long walk from the shrine was not in vain, the white-haired man opens up the door and looks at you.

"Hello? Oh, you're that man who has been hanging near Reimu-san recently. Is there something I can help you with?" He says, stepping to the side to let you in. Eager to get out of the cold, you step inside and place your thick coat on a convenient coat rack. You begin talking to Morichika-san, explaining your need to get something for Reimu by that night.

"Is there any reason that you couldn't have come by sooner?" He looks at you straight in the eyes, though you look away. "As I suspected, you were just lazy. But still, I don't know why you are in such a rush, but I'll do what I can to help you. I should have something she would like." You thank him profusely, but he waves it off, muttering that it isn't a big deal. You follow him as he searches through the myriad of objects, some of which you recognize as relatively modern equipment.

Eventually, he evidently finds what he had been looking for. "Aha! There we are." He turns to you and shows you a small set of sake dishes. "I know that she has been eying these for a while, so I suspect that she may want them." The discussion quickly devolves into payment for the glasses. He nearly floored you with the price tag for them, but you were just able to cover the cost for them, though at the expense of not having meat at most meals for the foreseeable future. Though, at least he was kind enough to lend you a small box to transport the dishes in before you left with a wave.

The crunch of snow and the occasional broken twig are all that disrupt the calmness of your surroundings as you walk the path to the shrine. The long, orange rays of light filter through the bare treetops, disgruntling you as they shine straight into your eyes. But they hardly slow your walk.

"Ayayaya, what have we here?" An almost foreboding voice echoes through the surrounding forest as the familiar, winged form of a black-haired tengu lands in front of you.

"Moving something in the dead of winter? Seems a bit odd. Whatcha up to?" Aya-san chirped at you. You sigh, knowing that Aya wouldn't leave you alone until her curiosity was more than satisfied. First, you explained that you had purchased a gift for someone, whom she quickly identified as Reimu. Then, she asked the reason for the gift, which you answered that it was a tradition for an outside world holiday to give gifts at this time of year. More questions and more answers were exchanged for far longer than you would like as she wrote it all down in that little notebook of hers. Eventually, her curiosity sated, she left you alone, declaring that it would make quite the good article. Noticing the now dim light, you start rushing back to the shrine, managing to avoid tripping onto the sake dishes as you do so

The bare cherry blossoms lined the pathway to the shrine, as usual for this time of year. Though, the shrine seemed a bit happier with its makeshift decorations than it would otherwise look. You trudge through the snow, the cold having long since driven its daggers into your throat and lungs. Eventually, the pain from exertion fades and you reach the doors, which open up the moment you step foot onto the porch.

"There you are! I was about to come looking for you." You ask the girl in red and white if she was really that worried, but she quickly snaps back. "Oi! I w-wasn't worried, I just wanted to get the festivities on as soon as possible!" She looks away, almost annoyed looking, but she peeks back at you and smiles. "I'm glad that you got here safely, though. Who knows what those sick yokai are up to. Come on in. I have some tea ready. Oh! And please put that box by the door." You do as she says, placing the box near the sliding door as she walks over to the central kotatsu table, two, tall clay cups flanking a teapot on its surface.

As you leave your coat by the door and close said door, Reimu sits next to the kotatsu, letting the comforter cover her legs. She pours tea into both cups as you follow suit. "So, where've you been today? I really could have used your help, ya know?" She seems a little annoyed, so you try apologizing for not helping. But she starts to laugh. "I'm just kidding. It's no big deal. It's not like I was cleaning up after one of the flower viewings!" She sees your confused expression and looks confused herself for a moment, before realizing something. "Oh yeah! You got stuck here in late spring… Heh, I'll be sure to save you a seat once spring begins. Actually, back to what I asked, what took you so long?"

She listened intently as you explained. She looked mildly surprised that it took no time at all in Kourindou, but then grimaced as you mention Aya. "Ugh, that damn tengu always knows how to be an annoyance. I just hope you didn't give her any ammunition to use in that tabloid of hers. But, that explains that." Your throat feels dry, so you drink some of the tea. You recoil a bit, as it's still super-hot. Reimu giggles, calling you her 'cat-tongued friend'. Taking that as a challenge, you pick up the cup and proceed to drink all of it at once, much to Reimu's surprise. It burns, but she also seemed marginally impressed by your 'bravado'. The two of you talk for a bit longer, mostly trivial things such as 'how was your day' or 'it's been colder than normal, hasn't it'.

"So, um, do we exchange gifts now?" Oh! Talking to her was fun to the point where you nearly forgot. You get up for a second and grab the small box full of the sake dishes and bring it over to the kotatsu. You tell her 'well, I guess we can' as you sit back down.

"Well…" She blushes a bit and turns her face away. She lifts up the kotatsu's blanket and pulls out a small, poorly wrapped box. "I think I'm supposed to say, 'Merry Christmas'." She holds it out to you. You gently take the box and place it on the kotatsu in front of you as you hand her the box of dishes. 'Merry Christmas' you say in response. You unwrap the present, careful to not damage whatever paper she used to wrap it. The box opened easily enough, revealing… a beautiful silver pocket watch. You marvel at its craftsmanship. It looks like it costed a fortune and was definitely way out of Reimu's price range.

"I hope you like it. It wasn't easy convincing Sakuya to give me one her of spares… And, I thought that you could use a bit of help telling the time, since you're always so late." She gives a grin that was at first cheeky, but then melted into a genuine, and beautiful, smile. You stammer out a thank you as your cheeks started to glow red. Satisfied at your response, she giggles as she opens the top and sees the nice set of sake dishes you had bought just that afternoon. She looks a bit stunned but that quickly fades as she beams a smile at you. She doesn't speak, but the gratefulness for this is obvious on her face.

The two of you remain quiet for some time, until Reimu says, "Well, why don't we break in these dishes?" As she fishes a bottle of sake from under the kotatsu. You simply chuckle and mention that she's always quick to grab the sake. She pouts but still pours you a bit of sake.

You drink the warm liquor with her for some time as you enjoy her company and she enjoys yours. She says, "You seem to be enjoying yourself! I'm glad that I could have done this for you. Although, I wonder who will foot the bill for this?" She says, yen signs almost appearing in her eyes. You groan and she starts laughing. "I'm joking! Don't be so serious!" You couldn't help but start to laugh a bit. The two of you laugh for minute, before it dies down and silence reigns. She fidgets a bit, almost as though she wants to say something.

After another few minutes, she opens her mouth, "Hey, close your eyes for a sec, I have another gift for you. M-merry Christmas." Needless to say, you just did what she said. You trust her, after all, and she was probably telling the truth. The feeling of something soft pressing against your lips, though, nearly sent you into shock as your eyes open and Reimu sits back down, her cheeks as red as her bow. You didn't know what to say or do, so you did the next thing on impulse. You leaned over the kotatsu and kissed the shrine maiden back. Equally shocked, it took a moment for her to accept it, but that acceptance eventually came.

The doors are flung open as a familiarly boyish voice yells "MERRY CHRISTMAS!". You and Reimu stop snogging and look in horror at Marisa as she looks at the two of you in shock. All was quiet as the reality of what the girl must have witness sunk into her. Though, shock eventually turned to laughter and horror to embarrassment.

"I… forgot that I invited her", Reimu quietly said. Marisa would continue to tease you and Reimu throughout the night, but that still hardly hampered the festive cheer in the cold air of the shrine, as its lights penetrated the dark night of wintertime Gensokyo.