“Ladies and gentlemen-”
“-Thank you all for waiting!”
After much anticipation, the pinned-up blankets that formed makeshift curtains were finally drawn back to reveal the twins wearing matching green and red Christmas elf outfits. Perhaps by design, the clothes seemed two sizes too small and the shorts barely reached past their knees, which for Mitra made a typically comical sight, but for his fashionable sister, it held a somewhat cute air.
“Let the Christmas Eve festivities begin!”
The two of them had put a surprising amount of effort into the preparation, and Hema’s room had been entirely remodelled into their very own Santa’s grotto. Yuuji himself hadn’t seen the interior before, but while the layout was the same as his own dorm, all the furniture had been taken out to make enough space for everyone to fit in comfortably.
In the main space of the room, there was a decently sized Christmas tree along with several tables covered in various snack foods and beverages. Most of these looked familiar, as the participants had each brought something to add of their own, but the large punch bowl of eggnog that served as the centrepiece was still impressive.
The crowd quickly dispersed, as everyone began mingling with each other and spread throughout the room. Yuuji was happy to see that everyone else from class had joined in, so nobody had been left out, and as he made his way over to the snacks, he bumped into one of the organisers.
“Aha! Yuuji! There you are. You enjoying the Christmas spirit?”
“...Honestly, I have to say yes. Not that I doubted you, but you two really knocked it out of the park. I’m impressed.”
“Haha! As expected of me - though could you say that again, a little louder this time? I want to make it my ringtone.”
The compliment immediately went to Mitra’s head, but Yuuji only grinned in response as the young man reached for his phone and pretended to start recording. It surely wasn’t easy to round up such a large group and handle all of the preparation, but they had managed to pull it off, so he could let his friend gloat for a little while at least.
“Hmm? Oh! My greatness is needed elsewhere. You have fun and I’ll see you again soon!”
“Right, right. See you soon.”
As he glanced across the room, Mitra caught sight of his sister’s wave and sped off to prepare for the next phase of their operation. Yuuji thought better of following him to investigate, and decided to enjoy the surprise for what it was, bringing his attention back to the near-overflowing table in front of him.
“...Might as well give it a try.”
He’d never had eggnog before, and the idea seemed a little bizarre to him, but whoever had brought it clearly put a lot of effort in, and the sweet scent it gave off was drawing him closer and closer. As he reached towards the bowl to fill himself a cup, his hand touched someone else’s, and they both reeled back apologetically.
“Eep! Sorry!”
“No, I’m sorry too. Please, you first.”
Elis blinked widely as she looked at him before her lips curved into a wide smile. Despite not being a part of the initial preparations, she wore a fuzzy Santa hat and an eye-catching knitted Christmas jumper with flashy sequins shaped into a reindeer, and it was obvious she loved going all out for the holidays.
“Umm~, do you like eggnog?”
“...This will be my first time tasting it.”
“I see! It’s an unusual flavour, but once you get used to it it’s really delicious!”
She gave herself a large serving and giggled quietly, and he noticed her face was slightly flushed. To his surprise, she was already a little tipsy even though the drinks had only just been made available for everyone.
“A-Ahh, is that so? I look forward to trying it, then.”
“Mmm~! Gracie and her dad helped me make it for this year… Even though he’s a great chef, I couldn’t let him take all the credit, you know? He only picked out the brandy, me and Gracie did the rest!”
“Isn’t Gracie too young to drink?”
“That’s why I did the taste tests!”
His face stiffened as he nodded nonchalantly. The situation began to make a whole lot more sense now.
“That reminds me, I brought some cinnamon with you can sprinkle on top… Oh! Also, earlier we baked these super soft buttery cookies that will go so great as a side here!”
“O-Of course.”
Her eyes began to dart across the feast before them, as her hands became a blur while selecting items for him to use as an accompaniment to the drink. Cold sweat formed on his back, as he didn’t dare interrupt the girl’s flow, but if he were to try every combination she was bringing forward, he’d drop to the floor in a heartbeat from the sheer amount of alcohol consumed.
“Yuuji-nii, what are you doing?”
“Ayumi!”
“Eh? Hah!?”
In his darkest hour, a saviour appeared. He had spoken to his sister recently and she revealed she was also invited to the party, but for her to find him in a moment of need was surely a level of fate only those bound by blood could hold. He pulled her tight into an embrace, and she froze up from the sudden hug, with her voice and movements becoming disjointed and robotic.
“My dear little sister, it’s been too long! Elis, it’s been lovely, I’ll speak to you again soon - for now I have some catching up to do!”
“Aww~! You two are so cute! Have fun!”
Possibly due to her being slightly intoxicated, or simply finding the situation too adorable to question, Elis didn’t raise an issue with him escaping to speak with his sister even when the siblings could easily see each other daily on the island. Ignoring Ayumi’s confusion, he quickly grabbed his cup and together with her, bolted to a more secluded area while he had the chance.
“Whew. Sorry about that, you really saved me.”
“W-What? Yuuji-nii, what happened?”
“It doesn’t matter. I actually wanted to see you tonight, so this is perfect - here, this is for you.”
With a sly smile, he reached into his back pocket and produced a small, neatly wrapped box. The girl was still shellshocked by the rapidly progressing events, but when she saw the present he produced, her big brown eyes opened wide and she looked up at him.
“For me?”
“Of course. I hope you like it.”
She pulled gently on the neatly tied ribbon, and the tiny box opened to reveal two small hair ties with familiar cat faces on either side. She always wore her hair tied into two little bunches at the back, and the ties that she used were the same each time they saw each other, so if nothing else he thought she might appreciate a new pair. They were the same style as the plush toy he had purchased for her months ago, and from what Hibiki had told him, his younger sister spoke frequently about how she adored the mascot characters that were seemingly very popular in Japan.
Without another word, her eyes misted up, and she threw her arms around his chest and gave him a tight squeeze. Yuuji chuckled lightly, returning her hug in earnest this time, and he held his little sister closely amongst the pleasant chatter of the partygoers.
“Thank you… Yuuji-nii.”
“You’re welcome. Merry Christmas, Ayumi.”
“Mmrry Cfftmffs.”
Unable to face him, she buried her face in his clothes, though he understood her response well enough. It wasn’t a particularly large gift, as he felt that giving something expensive without prior notice was a little selfish, but even still he wanted to make up for lost time and act the way he felt a loving older brother should.
“Ahem, excuse me, everyone! It’s time for the main event of the night - and though it seems some of you have been giving out presents early, it’s time to introduce our very special guest!”
“That’s right, we have the big man himself here tonight; please welcome Santa Claus!”
As if they were two MCs for a stage show, Hema and Mitra directed everyone’s attention to the front door. Moments later, it grandly swung open to reveal a large man dressed head to toe in red and white, with a thick, curly beard and big round belly, and he took large strides into the room as his aura permeated through the crowd.
“...”
The room stilled as they waited for Santa’s grand announcement, but instead, there was an awkward silence, with the bubbling excitement for the newcomer being replaced by an uncertain discomfort of not knowing exactly what was supposed to be happening next. ‘Santa’ still stood proudly front and centre, but as he hadn’t spoken a word, his glorious entrance was entirely squandered.
“...Hark, revellers! Your icon of joviality graces you with his presence!”
After the silence stretched to a painful degree, there was a rustling from behind Santa’s back, before out came another elf to herald his arrival after the fact.
Hema and Mitra both stood with their faces in their palms as they watched Wang Bao and Akil flounder their roles, but the crowd quickly warmed up to their scheme and happily welcomed ‘Santa’ and his new elf attendant, not fully sure of when the two of them had slipped out unnoticed to change into costume.
“A-Ahh! Santa, it’s so good to have you here!”
“That’s right! And as I understand it, you’re going to kick off what we’ve all been waiting for: the Secret Santa Gift Exchange!”
On hearing his cue, Santa gave a big thumbs up to the crowd.
“Elf Akil, if you could please assist Santa in calling out the recipient of the first gift?”
“Indeed.”
With a silent Santa taking a seat on his prepared throne of tinsel and ribbon, Akil reached under the tree to pull out a present. Weeks before, once the twins had the full list of all the attendants, they’d arranged a present exchange for everyone so they would each have a single gift to give and receive amongst the class.
It was going to be a little odd having ‘Santa’ and his elves also receiving gifts from some of the guests, but nobody was being left out, and it was those kinds of oddities that helped make the event even more endearing.
“For our first gift… Yuuji!”
“...”
Yuuji smiled wryly at being the first to be picked. It was randomly selected so it couldn’t be helped, but he had somewhat hoped that he’d be middle of the pack to avoid any unnecessary embarrassment, though that was a pipe dream at this point.
He casually walked towards ‘Elf Akil’ who held the gift in his hands, but as he neared him, his bespectacled friend shook his head.
“You must show the appropriate etiquette! Pay homage to Saint Nicholas, and perch yourself upon his knee!”
“...What?”
He blinked dumbly, as in the corner of his eye he saw Mitra holding back tears of laughter while shaking uncontrollably, and the jolly Wang Bao making a grand gesture of patting his lap. Looking out amongst the small crowd before him, Hibiki’s eyes were practically gleaming with excitement, and Ji-Hye was holding her phone up to record the event with a huge smile plastered across her face.
Begrudgingly, he dragged his feet towards ‘Santa’, and slumped down onto his lap. The onlookers murmured and giggled in glee at his plight, and though he felt a righteous craving for retribution welling up in his chest the moment he saw Mitra finally crack and howl with laughter, he let it pass for the sake of Christmas.
Seeing that he had done as instructed, Akil dutifully handed over the present he held, and Yuuji began unwrapping it. Though he had expected the wrapping paper to be festive, it was instead a deep shade of purple, and in the place of charming reindeer and snowmen, it had little scribbles of skeletons and red-faced demons for decoration.
Peeling back the wrapping, he was left with a chunky plastic case with a white-haired boy in jet-black clothing on the cover. He was shrouded in darkness and had countless chains and belts on his outfit, and above his head showed a title in blood-red letters.
‘Using the God-Slaying Demon Inside of Me to Become the World’s Strongest - Full Box Set’
He had very little experience watching anime, and he wasn’t even certain that he had a way to play the DVDs they were provided on. Even so, a gift was a gift, and as he looked out towards his friends around him he locked eyes with Claire who held a triumphant pose as she flared her nostrils.
“Thank you, whoever got this for me. I’ll be sure to give it a watch.”
He gave the most diplomatic response he could muster, before making a mental note to ask for Ji-Hye’s help in arranging a setup to watch his newly acquired series. In fact, as he walked away with his prize, he felt that it might actually be quite a nice couple’s activity, as his tech-obsessed girlfriend would certainly already be aware of a show Claire enjoyed - possibly even being a fan herself.
“Next, Valeriya.”
As the elf read the next name, the silver-haired girl stepped forward. There was an uncomfortable air as she approached, and Akil’s eyes darted between her and Wang Bao, who stiffened like a statue.
“...I’m not doing that.”
“Very well…”
And with a single sentence, Santa was heartlessly cut out from the present-giving process altogether, leaving Yuuji as the only one who experienced the true Santa's grotto experience.
From then on, each person was called forward to receive their gift one by one. Ji-Hye had received a ferret-themed desk mat with an accompanying wrist rest from some thoughtful gifter, and even though it was still supposed to be ‘secret’, Elis immediately approached her to explain that it could still be returned if it wasn’t needed.
On Hibiki’s turn, she opened the largest box of all - a heavy wooden chest containing a wide metal heater shield. While the entire crowd wore stiff expressions (except Gale), the girl herself was all smiles, and flapped the unwieldy hunk of metal around gleefully as she loudly exclaimed how amazing she thought it was.
Finally, the last present to be received was for Mitra, who unwrapped his gift to find a slender case which contained two gleaming armguards. They were a deep red that matched his combat attire, but the metal plating was beautifully engraved with the visage of Lord Rama in combat; his bow drawn taut and arrow nocked.
The quality of the item was exceptional, and he traced the silvery metal with his fingers in awe as he held them. It perhaps wasn’t the time to try them on, but he stood blankly in front of the crowd who waited for him to come up with some stupid comment or joke. For a moment, the man who never stopped talking was taken aback, and as he looked out at them, his mouth flapped but no words came out. Seeing him flounder, his sister gracefully swooped in to take charge as she thanked everyone for taking part while he stepped out of the way.
Looking a little dazed, he wandered over towards Yuuji, who greeted him with a warm smile. Mitra blinked for a moment before his gaze focused on his friend, and he tilted his head.
“Are these… from you?”
“You figured that out pretty quick, huh? Last we fought together it looked like your current armguards had taken quite the beating. Wouldn’t have thought that a spirit bow would still have such a whip on the bowstring, but I guess even the legendary archers need to stay well-protected.”
“Yuuji… Thank you. Seriously, this means a lot to me.”
There were no jokes, no ironic quips or guarded wisecracks. There was only genuine appreciation between two friends as they faced each other.
“Merry Christmas, Mitra.”
Mitra stepped forward, and the two of them hugged, giving a firm few pats on the back before releasing each other, and each letting out hearty laughs.
“Ahh shit. Well, now I feel extra bad about giving Leona those Groucho glasses.”
“As you probably should.”
“I thought it would be funny!”
“It was. But not for her.”
“Next year we’re definitely making a clear spending limit…”
As Mitra muttered to himself quietly, praying that Leona wouldn’t find a way to trace her low-quality present back to him, his sister made another announcement.
“And with that out of the way, we’re taking a short break before setting up the final entertainment for the night: Karaoke! Mitra, get the hell up here!”
“Oop-! Sorry Yuuji, got to go!”
“No worries, speak to you soon.”
As the duo of hosts began setting up their next attraction, Yuuji glanced around again. Wang Bao and Akil had both joined the crowd once the gift-giving had finished, and even though they stood out in their festive costumes, it wasn’t them that he was looking for.
Ji-Hye seemed to be in deep conversation with Claire, while Ayumi was sat playing with Pajeon’s fur next to her, doing her best to listen in. Everyone else was making idle chatter together, but there was one figure missing - Hibiki.
With a quick look around, he couldn’t find her anywhere inside the room, so he quietly stepped outside into the brisk winter air. Though the party had started quite early, various delays and distractions had caused it to extend far longer than he expected, and the full moon was hanging in the beautiful starry sky above.
As they were using Hema’s dorm room, they were on the first floor rather than the ground floor, so immediately after leaving he had a good view of his surroundings. Standing on a nearby outcrop which overlooked the main city of Helios was a solitary figure who watched the dazzling flickering lights of the streets below.
He quickly made his way down, and as he approached her, he called out.
“Hey. Are you feeling alright?”
“Hnn? Oh, Yuuji! Isn’t tonight just wonderful!?”
As she turned towards him, her face lit up, and she gave a stunning smile. She dashed over in a blink and gave him a big hug, giggling all the while.
“What are you doing out here? Everyone else is inside.”
“I just wanted to step outside for a little while. I was going to ask if you wanted to come… but you were having a really nice conversation with Mitra, so I slipped away by myself.”
From what she had said, she couldn’t have been out for long, which made him feel relieved. She had her thick winter clothes on, but even without a harsh wind blowing it was unpleasantly cold.
“I just… It’s hard to think this is real. Isn’t it strange?”
“...Not at all. I feel the same.”
For the first 17 years of her life, ‘Christmas’ was spent inside the same dark little room as every other day. There were no holidays, no festive spirit or joy, and after losing her mother at such a young age, she spent all of it alone.
For the first time ever, she had a chance to enjoy an event that brought everyone together, with a group of people who cared for her. She gave and received presents. She laughed and joked with her friends. And above all, she was side by side with the person she loved. It all felt like a dream from which she’d one day have to wake up from.
“When I see the sky like this… I remember how little of the world I could see before. Even on a clear, beautiful night, the only stars I could see were the ones that shone through the shutters on my window.”
“...”
Yuuji remained silent, but he placed her palm in his and intertwined their fingers. Though he had been physically free, his thoughts and emotions were similarly chained, and the girl had rescued him just as much as he had for her.
“Yuuji…”
Her glossy eyes met his, and he pulled her close and kissed her lips gently. She had only been outside for a few minutes, but her lips were cold and as he warmed them with his own, he didn’t want to let go. Eventually, he tore himself away from her, and after a tender moment, pulled her into his embrace once again. They both had a messy concoction of emotions swirling around inside them, but one thing was clear - together, they could face any obstacle.
“Boo~! Yuu, no fair!”
“Ahh, Ji-Hye. I was about to come find you.”
He felt a little guilty for sharing such a sweet moment with only one of his beloved girlfriends, and the other had discovered them just as he thought of calling for her. She pouted as she approached, and he smiled wryly before holding his hand out so she could join them.
“Sorry, Ji-Hye. I didn’t mean to steal him away.”
“We have to share!”
“It’s not Hibiki’s fault, it’s mine. I noticed she wasn’t with the others, but after finding her I got a little carried away.”
He gave a sheepish smirk as Ji-Hye puffed up her cheeks and turned away. She lingered within his reach, so he gently tugged her waist and pulled her into a loving hug, wrapping his arms around her shoulders.
“...Don’t leave me alone.”
“I would never. We would never.”
“Un! You’re special to us too!”
Her honey-brown eyes looked up into his, and he gave her a sweet kiss as well. Her soft lips parted as she leaned into him, and in a cheeky moment of rebellion, she playfully stuck her tongue into his mouth as she tugged at his clothes.
By the time they had finished, both of their faces were flush red, and she bashfully averted her gaze but clung to him all the while. Hibiki giggled softly beside them, and he moved his arms around both of the girls he loved as they looked out upon the cityscape.
*bzzt.*
“Hn?”
“Yuu?”
“Haha, my bad - one second.”
Yuuji took a quick glance at his phone, before smiling to himself and sliding it back into his pocket.
“What was it?”
“Something good?”
“...Yeah.”
Wide lilac eyes blinked curiously on his right, and honey-brown eyes peered slyly from his left. Their stares made his heart beat furiously within his chest, but he had to fight the urge to answer them, and instead, he redirected their attention.
“...It’s a beautiful view, isn’t it? You can see nearly everything on the island from here.”
“Un!! It’s amazing…”
“Hnn~... It’s good.”
Hibiki was happy enough to return to her overlook, but Ji-Hye gave him another inquisitive glance, so he provided one final push.
“Even the coffee shop we first hung out together in - Le Nid D'Oiseau. Over there.”
“Oh! You’re right!”
“Ah! I remember, they make great coffee!”
Right on cue.
*whoosh*
*BOOM*
In the night sky filled with stars, a giant multi-coloured flower blossomed, sending shimmering flecks of light dancing across the heavens. The whistling noise grabbed their attention immediately, but as they had already been watching the perfect spot, they saw the faint mote of light as it rocketed up into the sky before bursting.
*whoosh*
*BOOM*
Once again, another firework exploded, lighting the sky with a thousand tiny torches. Hibiki watched them, deeply entranced, but Ji-Hye turned back to her boyfriend for a moment, as a smirk spread across his face.
*whoosh* *whoosh* *whoosh*
*KABOOM*
Different coloured rockets sparkled as they burst, some launching sparkles, and others releasing grand cascades of shooting stars in every colour of the rainbow. The three exchanged no words as they watched the spectacle, but as their bodies pulled closer, their warmth became one under the cold of the night.
For Yuuji, this was more than perfect. It didn’t matter to him that his grandly planned date night had fallen by the wayside as the group party stretched ever longer - as long as he could spend time with the girls he loved, that was all he needed.
Walks through the city, a tour of the local Christmas lights, a reserved fancy meal at a high-end restaurant; he didn’t need any of it if they weren’t with him. Of course, he would still love to do those things with them if he could, but seeing their faces as they chatted and laughed with their friends at Phoenix was priceless, and ruining that simply because he had other plans would be putting the cart before the horse.
That said, they had still ended up in a perfect place to witness his grand finale. Though they no longer had the ‘optimal location’ he planned, there was a charm to the distant beauty of the fireworks regardless, as the whole island looked to watch.
Perhaps he was causing trouble for Owner at the coffee shop, but he had spared no expense for tonight, and the stoic man seemed eager to help. It was possibly because of the passion with which he bowed his head, or it may have been with Conrad’s assistance as the man had originally put forward the idea, but it had all worked out in the end nonetheless.
“...Huh? I’m sure there were fireworks a minute ago, was I hearing things?”
As a loud voice called out from back towards the dorm, the three of them instinctively ducked behind the tree they were next to. They weren’t doing anything wrong, but they each knew that Mitra’s addition would only come to ruin the moment, and they wanted to be alone in their little world for as long as they could.
They remained motionless for a few seconds longer, silently hoping that their friend would head back inside without investigating further. Huddled closely together, their faces were only inches apart, and it was impossible not to look deeply into each other's eyes.
“Yuuji…”
“Yuu…”
“..?”
To that point, the two girls looked up at him once again. They shared a glance together, before quietly facing him with a passionate gaze, and their lips parted gently.
“Yuu… It’s cold outside. Can we go indoors?”
“...Right, sorry. I’m sure the others are wondering where we are-”
“N-No. Yuuji, could we… go back to your room?”
He gulped, as they each tugged on his clothing softly. Their eyes were glossy, and their breathing was becoming heavy as their cheeks reddened - as did his own. His mouth trembled slightly, and he felt as if his heart would burst out from his chest, but as their soft bodies pressed against him, he felt a deep longing that he couldn’t ignore.
“Y-Yes. Let’s go… together.”
“Nnn…”
“Yes…”
That night, under the frosty full moon of Christmas Eve, the depths of their passion sprung forth, and the three became united as lovers long into the morning hours.
