On the twentieth day of December, it finally snows.

It 's a light dusting at first, powdered sugar on a freshly-baked cupcake, then quickly frosts the ground of the abandoned park with swirls of vanilla icing. Normally Yuuta quite likes snow: it 's calm, serene, and when it 's heavy enough it gives him an excuse to stay indoors, locked in his room beneath a mountain of blankets. An introvert 's heaven, even if being left alone with his thoughts is hell.

But the timing today kind of sucks. Yuuta has been steadily improving in physical combat and cursed energy control, and Suguru suggested they find somewhere other than the backyard to train for once.

A team too used to playing on their home turf will stumble at an away game,

Suguru had said, and Yuuta 's sure it would 've been a great piece of advice if he knew anything about sports. Why are there two

separate

things called football, one of which is played primarily with hands?