Thick dark clouds, a gloomy afternoon, cold snowflakes falling to the human world.
In the quiet cetery, a young man nad Guan ng slowly walked up to a pair of tombstones, crouched down, and laid down a bouquet of white flowers.
"Dad, Mom. Long ti no see. It's Guan ng... How are you doing on the other side? Recently, I..."
The young man's expression was amicable yet cheerful, but his voice carried a hint of sorrow and helplessness. While recounting recent interesting things that happened around him, he imagined non-existent phantoms laughing happily at them, comforting himself.
"Phew... Next is..."
After letting out a sigh, the young man woke up from his mories and stood up. Holding another bouquet of fresh flowers, he walked toward another tombstone not far away, a bitter look on his face.
"...Hello, Auntie. I am sorry... my dad caused you so much trouble..."
...
At dusk, the young man got on the subway, returning to the city where he usually lived.
Looking at the festively decorated streets, this joyful atmosphere made the young man, whose emotions hadn't yet settled, feel a bit out of place.
(Human sorrows and joys are indeed not interconnected. If Jesus knew his birthday was used by couples as an excuse to be lovey-dovey and make babies, who knows how he would feel.)
Looking at the couples glued to each other, the young man couldn't help but think helplessly.
Buzz, buzz— The phone in his pocket vibrated slightly.
[Guan ng. The company is holding a Christmas party this year, do you want to co?]
Unlocking his phone and seeing the text from his colleague, the young man exhaled a breath of white mist and typed a reply with slightly stiff fingers.
[No thanks, I have plans today. You guys have fun.]
[Plans again? You were like this last year too. You... haven't gotten a girlfriend, have you?]
Seeing his colleague's baseless suspicion, the young man, who was still single, didn't know whether to laugh or cry. But if he explained that today was his birthday and also the anniversary of his family's passing, it would probably make his colleagues feel weirdly hesitant when facing him in the future. So, he replied with a half-joking tone.
[Leave it to your imagination~]
...
"Big bro Guan ng! rry Christmas!"
Returning to his rented apartnt, the young man happened to run into the little boy from the neighboring apartnt.
"Mhm, rry Christmas. You look really happy, did sothing good happen?"
"Ah? You noticed. As expected of big bro. Haha, actually, Mom and Dad bought the new toy I always wanted and gave it to as a birthday present!"
"Oh, that is really enviable."
The young man ruffled the kid's hair and said with a smile.
"Ah, isn't this Guan ng? rry Christmas."
The kid's mother walked out of the room and greeted the young man friendly.
"Mhm, hello, Auntie. rry Christmas."
"Ah, big bro! We're having a Christmas party tonight! Do you want to join us?"
"That's right. This child is usually taken care of by you a lot. If you're interested, you're welco to co in and sit for a bit."
Faced with the other party's kind invitation, Guan ng just shook his head and replied tactfully.
"I am sorry, I still have so work to finish today, so I have to hurry and get it done."
...
Returning to his room and locking the door. Having nothing else to do, the young man started cooking, doing laundry, and sweeping the floor, giving the room a thorough cleaning.
"Ah... Forget it, I will play a few rounds of gas to kill ti."
At night, feeling tired, the young man unlocked his phone, quietly staring blankly at the screen's update interface.
(I really am awkward...)
Recalling what happened today, the young man couldn't help but feel speechless at his own unusual behavior.
Guan ng was a very obedient and sensible child. Who knows since when, but the people around him gave him this evaluation.
Reliable, capable, never causing trouble. Everyone thought so, and he naturally responded to this expectation.
However, occasionally, he also wanted to beco a "self" different from usual at a certain mont. He wanted a person who could accept everything about him, to be rebellious, act spoiled, throw a tantrum, put down all his burdens, and enjoy himself.
Once, he had indeed opened his heart to soone. But after his father left and that person knew everything about him, he once again hid this feeling deep down, carefully avoiding letting anyone touch it.
This might be a bit of inferiority, or perhaps so kind of stubbornness.
He didn't want strangers they t by chance to touch those mories that belonged only to him and his family; nor did he want these mories to fade and weaken under the influence of "Christmas" and "ti."
[Dear XX, Happy Birthday. Thank you for eting you, please accept this gift.]
Opening the ga, an email with a blessing from an ani chibi popped up on the screen.
Even though he knew this was just an automated task triggered by the system detecting the personal information he filled in, Guanng still felt a bit touched in his heart.
"Just like Dad said... the 2D world is great. I should learn so Japanese when I have ti."
———————————
"Ugh..."
A slight swaying motion from the seat made Shido open his eyes groggily.
"Ah... This is?"
The blurry scenery gradually beca clear. Inside the narrow, enclosed space, the slowly rotating snowy scenery outside the window could be seen.
(Right... I am riding the Ferris wheel with Yutsuki?)
A comfortable sensation ca from his cheek, his hair was being gently stroked by slender fingers, making Shido feel peaceful and cozy.
Shido looked up, only to see Yutsuki quietly staring at his sleeping face, a gentle smile on her lips.
"Are you awake, Shido?"
"...Ah, I-I'm sorry."
Realizing he was resting on Yutsuki's lap, Shido hurriedly sat up, his face burning from embarrassnt.
"I accidentally fell asleep..."
Yutsuki shook her head, expressing she didn't mind.
"It is fine. After all, you were running around everywhere earlier, you must be very tired. Resting a bit is just right."
"How long did I sleep?"
"Not long, just a few minutes."
Hearing Yutsuki's answer, Shido turned his head to look out the window. Sure enough, they had passed the highest point of the Ferris wheel and were starting to descend toward the ground.
"Ah... What a failure."
Shido couldn't help but drop his shoulders in frustration. He originally planned to give her the gift when the Ferris wheel reached the top and the atmosphere was just right. He didn't expect to accidentally fall asleep.
"What failure?"
Yutsuki asked curiously.
"Ah... Um, I ant. I originally planned to admire the night view here together with you, but I ended up falling asleep. It's a bit embarrassing."
Shido scratched his cheek, answering sowhat shyly.
"Oh, you an that." Hearing this, Yutsuki couldn't help but smile knowingly and said, "Don't worry, I don't really care much about the night view either, so there's nothing to be embarrassed about."
"Eh? Yutsuki, what you an is..."
Shido froze. However, before he could ask, the Ferris wheel completed its rotation and returned to the ground.
"Alright, with this we have collected all the stamps. Shall we go see what the prize is?"
"Mhm... Okay."
Shido nodded in agreent, getting up to follow Yutsuki.
Arriving at the prize redemption counter, the staff dressed in Santa uniforms welcod the two enthusiastically and exchanged the prizes.
A set of Christmas ornants, a limited-edition cafe coupon, and a photo of the two at the stamp location.
"Mhm... Not bad. Although I am not too interested in the first two. But the last prize is indeed very good. Shido, your despairing expression of having no regrets left in life... Tsk tsk, the shot is not bad."
"...As long as you are happy, Yutsuki."
Looking at Yutsuki admiring the photo with relish, Shido couldn't help but have black lines on his face.
"But... Since we already got it, Yutsuki. Do you want to go to the cafe for a snack before heading back?"
After checking the ti, Shido proposed to Yutsuki.
"Mhm... Although I have a bad premonition, taking a break is fine too."
...
"I am very sorry! Right now the store is completely full. If you do not mind, there are still empty seats at the outdoor area. Please accept this as a small token of apology from our store!"
Sitting in the outdoor seating area, Shido lowered his head in sha.
"...Sorry, Yutsuki, I didn't think it would turn out like this."
"Well, it was expected. That coupon was originally a discounted collaboration event between this store and the amusent park. It is not hard to obtain, and this is exactly the ti for snacks."
Yutsuki roasted without surprise.
Of course, the original outdoor area wasn't a bad spot. The view here was very good, offering a panoramic view of the amusent park's night scenery. The neon Christmas trees placed next to the seats also created a very romantic atmosphere.
But as luck would have it, light snow was falling right now.
"Are you cold?"
"Phew... A little bit, but it is not a big deal."
Despite saying that, looking at Yutsuki blowing hot air into her hands, Shido still felt a bit guilty.
(Now is not the ti to care about the atmosphere...)
After giving himself a pep talk in his heart, Shido took a deep breath, deciding to take out the gift bag that had been sitting in his pocket for a long ti.
"Yutsuki, if you are cold, use this."
"Hm?"
Yutsuki curiously opened the bag Shido handed her. Inside was a pure white scarf embroidered with blue snowflakes.
"This... is for ?" Yutsuki asked in surprise.
"Mhm."
"I don't see a brand or a tag... Could it be, you knitted it yourself?"
"Y-Yeah, is there a problem?"
Even though he knew Yutsuki's observation skills were always sharp, being exposed by Yutsuki in one sentence still made Shido unavoidably look away in embarrassnt, responding softly.
"Of course not. Thank you, Shido. I will gratefully accept it."
Yutsuki smiled, shrugging, wrapped the scarf around her neck, and then let out a relaxed sigh.
"Phew... Much warr."
"As long as you are satisfied." Shido first felt relieved, then seemingly thinking of sothing, hurriedly added, "Ah, also! This is the birthday present I prepared for you, it is not a Christmas present!"
"...Why did you specifically emphasize that?"
Yutsuki asked speechlessly.
"Ah... Um..." Shido hesitated for a mont before speaking, "After all, today is your birthday. Furthermore... you seem to not like Christmas very much."
"Ah... So you cared about that." Yutsuki sighed, closed her eyes for a mont as if in thought, and then replied, "Mhm... Indeed. I used to dislike Christmas. However, I don't hate Christmas itself, I just couldn't accept it because of so personal reasons. But now, I... have reconciled with Christmas."
"Reconciled?"
"...Mhm, reconciled."
Looking at the sowhat confused Shido, the corners of Yutsuki's mouth involuntarily curled up into a smile.
"So don't worry, whether it's a Christmas present or a birthday present. As long as it is from you, it is the most precious gift to ."
The world is cold. If everyone is unwilling to try, whether it is oneself or others, it is difficult to obtain warmth.
At the sa ti, if one does not know how to cherish and repay the efforts of others, no matter how passionate that sentint is, it will one day lose its heat in the cold wind.
Ryougi Yutsuki understood this better than anyone.
Suddenly, Yutsuki took out a small Santa hat from the prizes and put it on her head.
"...Yutsuki?"
Shido looked at Yutsuki sowhat blankly.
The leisurely falling snowflakes brought a hint of chill, while the soft orange light highlighted the girl's clear blush, passionate yet gentle.
Pressing the scarf against her dimples for warmth, the girl slowly reached out her left hand, tightly intertwining her fingers with Shido's right hand.
"Today is my birthday, not Shido's birthday. So, I can only act as Santa Claus and give you a return gift."
Saying that, Yutsuki rose slightly from her seat, leaning her body slowly forward.
"Thank you, I am very happy right now."
Under the shifting lights of the Christmas tree, feeling the soft touch on his lips, Shido's mind went completely blank.
...
"Ah—— Finally ho."
Arriving at the door of the Itsuka residence, Yutsuki stopped walking and turned to look at Shido.
"Shido."
"..."
"Shido?"
Looking at Shido whose mind seed to be wandering the cosmos, Yutsuki furrowed her brows, waving her hand in front of him while shouting loudly.
"...Ah?! Ah, ah—— What is it, Yutsuki?"
After freezing for a mont, Shido finally snapped out of it, coughed twice, and asked sowhat awkwardly.
"...It is nothing. I just wanted to ask, is everyone preparing a surprise party for right now?"
"Mhm... No, no! Why would you suddenly ask that!?"
Shido instinctively voiced his affirmation, then imdiately realized it, shaking his head desperately like a rattle drum to deny it.
"Mhm... Just vaguely had this feeling, there's no real basis for it." Yutsuki sighed, smiling bitterly with so disappointnt. "Or rather... I'm actually looking forward to everyone doing that in my heart. If I open the door and nothing happens, I'll probably be very disappointed. If that happens, Shido, can I hide in your arms and act spoiled to my heart's content?"
"...Although that proposal is extrely, extrely tempting, unfortunately... your expectations probably won't be disappointed."
"Ah~ I knew it~"
Seeing Yutsuki's triumphant smile, Shido seed to understand sothing and widened his eyes in surprise.
"You set up! Yutsuki?!"
"Hehe, trying to fool ? You're still too green, Shido."
After teasing Shido, Yutsuki smiled with satisfaction and opened the front door.
Pop——! Pop——! Pop——!
"Happy Birthday! Yutsuki / My comrade / Yutsuki-nee / Honey / Onee-chan / Biri-chan
"Thank you, everyone. And also——"
Like déjà vu from last year, watching the party poppers bloom before her eyes, Yutsuki showed an incredibly bright smile.
"rry Christmas to everyone too!"
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