CH#278
#278
A Christmas tree adorned the room, and a wall-mounted heater simulated a fireplace. On the table was a homemade Christmas cake, prepared by Kirasaka and finished by Shizuku, marking the beginning of the end for today’s gathering.
What if I wasn’t a high school student, but an adult, celebrating with alcohol and rowdiness? I pondered this while sipping orange juice.
We sat around a table, Yuuto and Miyashita on one side, Shizuku and Kirasaka on the opposite side, and I sat facing them all. Yuuto would likely shed the last remnants of his childlike innocence, maturing into a good-natured young man. His sweet smile was sure to win the hearts of many.
Will Miyashita be able to make Yuuto fall in love with her in the future?
Though attending Sakura Academy, seemed likely to maintain her unconventional black hair. Her calm and composed demeanour might lead her into a career as an elegant office lady.
Shizuku had all the qualities that would make her a hit with the guys, with features men adored.
And Kirasaka, she had no doubt become an unattainable ideal. She had the social status, lifestyle, and everything that would make her rise above the rest.
In the future, would I share the same experiences, time, and space with them? Apart from slight familiarity, maybe just with Miyashita. The others appeared to be on their way to becoming big names.
While my student life lasted, they probably had no talents or feelings of superiority. But still, I couldn’t help but feel out of place, questioning if I’d continue to interact with these seemingly illustrious individuals in the years ahead.
However, I was the only one with these thoughts. The rest of them probably didn’t have a care in the world about status or feeling superior. But even so, I couldn’t stop questioning. It was the only way I knew to live, an inconvenient and difficult life, but one that I believed was the best.
I chose to doubt to avoid being hurt. Rather than believing and getting hurt, I chose to doubt, and as a result, never opened my heart to anyone.
Despite my odd musings, the gift exchange began after dinner. Miyashita was the first to start.
“I haven’t known you all for long, so I’m not sure about your preferences… I bought the same thing for all of us this year.”
Five neatly wrapped boxes. A gift for each of us, including herself.
One by one, Miyashita distributed the gifts, handing them to us personally. Once everyone had their gift, Miyashita, feeling a bit embarrassed, spoke.
“Please go ahead and open it.”
Following her words, we carefully unwrapped our presents. Inside, we found a photo frame adorned with cherry blossom petals.
“Today, we could take a picture and put it in this frame, what do you think?”
Miyashita suggested, blushing slightly.
Yuuto was the first to react to her idea. He smiled at her and spoke.
“Thank you, I think that’s a great idea.”
“Really? Good…”
Miyashita breathed a sigh of relief and smiled, clearly comforted by Yuuto’s words.
A photo frame, huh? I only had photos from my middle school club activities at home, so it might be a good idea to change things up.
Shizuku and Kirasaka expressed their gratitude, and I also thanked Miyashita.
Next, it was Yuuto’s turn. He began distributing gifts, handing each of us a paper bag.
“Here’s one for Kanazaki-san, one for Kirasaka-san, one for Miyashita-san, and the last one is for Minato.”
We all received our gifts, and without anyone announcing it, we simultaneously started unwrapping them.
Inside my wrapping was a seemingly simple alarm clock. As I glanced at the others’ gifts, I saw that Shizuku had received a hand mirror, Kirasaka got a book cover, and Miyashita had received a pouch.
It seemed that Yuuto had chosen reliable gifts that wouldn’t disappoint. I had expected him to bring an element of surprise, but maybe I had misjudged.
As I thought about this, Yuuto’s gaze shifted towards me.
Minato, could you turn on the switch at the back?”
“This one?”
There was an ON-OFF switch on the back, and I flipped it up to turn it on. Yuuto gestured to us to be quiet, placing a finger to his lips. The entire room fell silent.
“Minato, it’s morning… You can’t oversleep!”
“Noisy…”
Yuuto’s voice, recorded as the voice alarm, prompted me to retort involuntarily.
Why did I have to wake up to Yuuto’s voice in the morning?
Everyone chuckled at my reaction. I didn’t need an unexpected comedy route for this.
With a sigh and gratitude in my heart for the Christmas present Yuuto had prepared for me, it was time to move on to the next person.
Next in line was Kirasaka. She took a small, rectangular package from her handbag, obviously meant for everyone except herself.
“Ikemen-kun said my budget should be low, but I didn’t have any experience with this kind of thing, so I cheated a little.”
She brushed her hair back with familiar movements, but her expression was not as strong as usual. It held a hint of uncertainty. Kirasaka, like me, lacked experience in giving gifts due to her lack of social interaction.
Perhaps noticing the change in her expression, Shizuku presented her gift with a slightly amused smile.
“Can we open it?”
“Go ahead.”
With Kirasaka’s permission, we removed the paper wrapping together. Inside was a long white box, and upon opening it, we found a lodging voucher for the Kirasaka Group’s inn, complete with meals for up to four people. The lavish decoration on the voucher indicated it was of a high grade.
…You’re not expecting anything in return, right? If you wanted an equivalent amount in return, I’d have to suggest splitting the cost considering my wallet situation.
Although I was briefly concerned about such a scenario, I graciously accepted the gift.
“Hakone? Everyone would like to go!”
Shizuku said with a smile.
Hakone… Hakone?
No, Hakone is a great place, but my sense of discomfort wasn’t about the location. Was my voucher labelled ‘Hakone’?
I reopened the lid I had closed and checked inside, but indeed, it didn’t say ‘Hakone’. The inn’s address was listed as Karuizawa.
“…Is everyone’s voucher for a different place?”
When I directed my gaze towards Kirasaka and asked this, her elegant hand, which had been sipping tea, froze in place. Shizuku peered from the side and confirmed everyone else’s vouchers. Their expressions were void of emotion.
“Kirasaka-san, why is only Minato-kun’s for Karuizawa?”
“…Tch.”
“Is this on purpose?! You can’t do that; it’s not fair to leave one person out!”
Shizuku grabbed Kirasaka’s arm and playfully rocked her back and forth as she scolded her. Yuuto and Miyashita watched with wry smiles, while I was adjusting my position, aware of the complex situation.
Before the uneasy atmosphere created by Shizuku and Kirasaka could escalate, I took out the gifts I had prepared from my bag and placed them on the table.
I placed them in front of Miyashita, Yuuto, Shizuku, and Kirasaka, and then soberly spoke.
“Which one do you think is the ‘losing’ gift?”
“Don’t say scary stuff like that; is there a bomb inside?”
“…”
“Say something.”
Yuuto looked down anxiously and carefully picked it up, confirming it by sound. There’s no way there’s a bomb inside, but it’s fun to watch.
No one seemed to be wary except for Yuuto, who carefully unwrapped his present.
I chose a mug for Miyashita, and items that I thought would be good for Shizuku and Kirasaka.
“This hair tie is a beautiful piece of glasswork.”
“Mine is a hairpin. Did you pick them both from the same store?”
Both the hair tie and the hairpin I had chosen for them were adorned with delicate glasswork; droplets, mimicking the look of dripping dew, for Shizuku, and intricate ice patterns for Kirasaka.
<The kanji for Shizuku is the same as dew/drop. (雫), Wow, he really did pay attention huh? >
I nodded in response to Kirasaka’s question, and the two of them fell into a brief silence.
…At times like these, silence is more nerve-wracking than anything else!
It feels even tenser than waiting for exam results to be announced.
If anything, it’s more stressful than receiving high school acceptance notifications.
Although it was probably just a matter of seconds in terms of real time, it felt like over a minute had passed before the two of them broke into gentle smiles.
“I’m really happy… Thank you.”
“Thank you. I’ll treasure it.”
Their words of gratitude brought a sigh of relief from me.
It was a good decision to pick these items together with the Student Council President.
If I had chosen the gifts by myself, I would probably have opted for something more modest, which might not have been as well-received by the ladies.
Feeling a sense of gratitude towards the Student Council President, I directed my gaze towards the two of them, who were happily admiring their presents.
“Then, it’s my turn at last.”
Said Shizuku. Her gifts were of various sizes. When I checked mine, I found a navy-blue knitted beanie.
Kirasaka received a matching scarf, Yuuto got gloves, and Miyashita received a sweater in the same color.
I wonder if it suits me…
However, considering that I don’t usually spend much time styling my hair before going out, a beanie could be just what I need. I decided to graciously accept the gift.
Once all the gift exchanges were completed, we had some free time. That’s when Miyashita suddenly got up, left the living room, and returned holding a digital camera in one hand.
“Since we’re all here, how about taking a photo?”
Looking at the gift she’d given – the photo frame – it was clear what she meant. She wanted to take a picture together as a keepsake.
Setting the camera on the table with a self-timer, the five of us gathered in front of the Christmas tree.
Prompted by Miyashita, I took the central seat and sat down, while Shizuku and Kirasaka knelt on either side.
Yuuto and Miyashita stood behind us, their shoulders side by side, clutching the gifts we’d given them close to their chests.
Suddenly, I glanced at the two women on either side of me. They were already wearing the hair tie and hairpin I had given them, securely fastened in their hair.
…If they liked it, that’s all that matters.
As the camera’s flash went off, I reflected on the past year.
My circumstances had changed drastically, and I’d led a busy life while attending school. But all in all, when looking back, it wasn’t a bad year.
During the summer, at the fireworks festival, we took a commemorative photo like this as well, but back then, I had just stared blankly at the camera.
However, this time, I felt that I could face the camera with a somewhat softer expression than back then.
Archived Comments
Mirilu (on 2023-10-25 20:36:14):
Oh, I wonder if he smiled this time.