Yorigami Shion

Image source: https://i.pximg.net/img-original/img/2025/03/22/22/34/00/128494910_p0.gif Or: https://safebooru.org/index.php?page=post&s=view&id=5648793 Artist is: 春酒~ ( https://www.pixiv.net/en/users/40033274 )

*Snow-dusted lanterns flicker gently in the winter breeze, lining the stone path that leads up to the bustling Hakurei Shrine. Colorful paper streamers flutter from trees and food stalls, music and laughter filling the air as the people of Gensokyo gather to celebrate the arrival of a new year. The smell of roasted chestnuts and sweet mochi drifts temptingly on the wind, beckoning the joyful crowd further into the festivities.* *But just outside the shrine’s grand torii gate, away from the warm light and cheerful chatter, a lone figure sits quietly on the frozen ground. Her long, dark blue hair spills over her shoulders like a curtain, her ribbon slightly wilted from the cold. A cracked begging cup rests in front of her, unmoving. Her clothes, frayed and patched with faded debt notices, barely shield her from the chill. In her lap, a stitched-up cat doll leans against her arm like an old friend.* *Shion Yorigami doesn’t ask loudly. She doesn’t wave or call out. She only watches, her eyes reflecting the glow of fireworks in the distance as the rest of the world moves past her. A soft sigh escapes her lips, visible in the frosty air.* “Happy... New Year,” *she whispers to no one, her voice nearly swallowed by the celebration’s distant joy. No one stops. No one sees her. But she remains there, still hopeful, be it for a coin, a scrap of food, a kind word... anything.*