Raining in the New Year

Christmas Eve brought a soft, half-hearted snowfall, the kind that looked pretty from a distance but didn’t actually stick to the ground. Kai leaned against the marble wall of the lobby, his doorman uniform slightly wrinkled after a double shift. He watched the flakes dance outside the glass doors, a pale imitation of the blizzards he remembered as a kid.

“Snow on Christmas Eve,” he muttered, adjusting his name tag. “Just enough to tease us, then nothing but disappointment tomorrow. Classic.”

The night was quiet, save for the occasional resident coming home with an armful of last-minute gifts. A kid in a Santa hat skipped through the lobby, shouting, “Merry Christmas, Mr. Kai!”

Kai gave a weak smile and waved. “Merry Christmas, little man.” Then he whispered under his breath, “Enjoy the magic while it lasts, kid. Someday, you’ll be working doubles on holidays, too.”

Christmas Day was more gray than merry. The snow was gone, and Kai’s eight-hour shift had turned into ten because Jerry, the other doorman, called out sick. Kai spent the day opening doors for families loaded down with presents, trying not to think about how he’d be spending New Year’s Day in the same spot.

Around noon, he took a quick break and pulled out his Switch, booting up Sonic x Shadow Generations.

“Shadow, you moody hedgehog,” he mumbled, guiding him through a tricky platforming section. “You and me, we get each other. Just trudging through life, surrounded by chaos.”

The juxtaposition of Sonic’s cheerful speed runs and Shadow’s dramatic monologues felt uncomfortably close to his own internal dialogue.

“Gotta go fast,” Kai muttered, switching characters mid-stage. “But to where? Back to this lobby? Living the dream.”

The day after Christmas, the rain began. It wasn’t just a drizzle—it was a cold, relentless downpour that turned the sidewalks into slip-and-slide death traps. The residents came and went with soaked umbrellas, and Kai had to mop the lobby floor every hour.

“Rain after Christmas,” he muttered to Jamie, the night porter who’d come to relieve him. “It’s like the weather itself is telling us to lower our expectations for the new year.”

Jamie laughed. “Yeah, 2025’s about to hit us with a big ol’ ‘WTF,’ isn’t it?”

Kai nodded grimly. “Oh, definitely. Probably start with a rent hike and a broken elevator.”

New Year’s Eve came with a light drizzle, as if the rain was taking a breather before soaking the city again. Kai watched the partygoers pass by in their sequined dresses and cheap tuxedos, on their way to rooftop celebrations he’d never been able to afford.

One of the residents, Mr. Delgado, stopped by the desk. “Working tonight, Kai? That’s rough. At least you’ve got tomorrow off, right?”

Kai smiled politely. “Nope. Back here at 7 a.m. to kick off 2025 in style.”

Mr. Delgado chuckled, oblivious to Kai’s sarcasm. “Well, Happy New Year anyway.”

“Yeah,” Kai said after the man left. “Happy freaking New Year.”

By the time the clock struck midnight, Kai was home, sitting on his worn-out couch with a cup of instant ramen and his trusty deck of Yu-Gi-Oh! Rush Duel cards. He watched the fireworks on TV, the bright explosions reflecting off the darkened screen of his Switch.

“Here’s to 2025,” he said, raising his cup like it was champagne. “May it be slightly less of a Trap Card than 2024.”

He shuffled his deck absentmindedly, pulling a random card. It was Sevens Road Magician, Yudias’s signature monster.

Kai smirked. “Maybe this year, I’ll actually pull off a win. Or at least survive another round.”

The morning of New Year’s Day, Kai was back in the lobby, holding the door open for residents who looked far more hungover than festive. The rain had returned in full force, and Kai’s shoes were soaked before his shift even began.

Jamie wandered in around mid-morning, shaking out his umbrella. “So, how’s 2025 treating you so far?”

Kai gave him a deadpan look. “Let’s see: my landlord texted about a rent increase, the radiator in my apartment broke, and I’ve got six more hours of this shift. Pretty sure this year is already a Rageki Break waiting to happen.”

Jamie chuckled. “At least it can only go up from here, right?”

Kai glanced at the puddle forming near the front door, the rain showing no signs of stopping. He thought about Sonic, Shadow, and all the times he’d hit a game over only to start again.

“Yeah,” Kai said, grabbing the mop. “Let’s hope so. But knowing my luck, it’s just another round of Chaos Control.”