It’s been a while since I’ve been mistaken for a ghost.
Having spent about two years at this school, there are at least no kids in my grade who are scared of me.
On the contrary, thanks to always being with the lively and cute Koko, my atmosphere seems even more diluted.
However, there are still many who don’t know me who sometimes look surprised when they see my appearance.
Still, it’s been quite a while this time. I guess being stuck in a dark corner made it easier for them to misunderstand.
“…What are you doing here?”
As I looked up at the voice coming from above, Kagami was peering down at me from the open window.
“…I just went to the bathroom for a moment.”
“Did you crawl your way back from the bathroom to your room?”
“….”
I had no words in response to Kagami’s question.
I slowly stood up from my seat.
And then, I looked at the Yakuza uncle, who had still been fidgeting until that moment.
I wonder what kind of position I hold in this household? Of course, I’m not part of some Yakuza rank story, but I am the boss’s niece here.
And also the daughter of the leader of the religion that people inside this Yakuza organization believe in the most.
But I don’t think my position is one that would make me need to be flustered.
When Kagami signaled to the uncle with her eyes, he quickly turned around and hurriedly left the room.
Did they think that Kagami and Fukuda were having some secret rendezvous?
Well, Kagami would definitely be scarier than I am.
“So, why were you hiding there? You could have just comfortably said hello.”
Uh…
It seems like Kagami has no intention of saying “let’s go back to the room quickly.”
“Were you eavesdropping on our conversation?”
Kagami asked with a bright smile.
Is she perhaps angry?
Hmm, I don’t think so. Even like this, I can somewhat read Kagami’s smiling face.
At least that expression isn’t one of anger. It’s more like she’s teasing me.
Her usual mischievous smile seemed even more mischievous.
“Why didn’t you go back right away and instead eavesdrop? Were you worried about how the conversation might unfold? That something might happen between me and Fukuda…?”
“No, not like that.”
I tried to sound as firm as possible, but Kagami didn’t believe me at all.
That’s right. Just as I can read emotions from Kagami’s face, she knows how to read emotions from mine as well.
“Were you worried that mom might be dating someone?”
“….”
No.
No…
How should I explain this?
If anything, I was just worried about the tangled relationships that might ensue.
However, before I could answer, Kagami had already hugged me tightly, pulling me in from the window.
“You don’t need to worry about that. Mom will always be mom.”
“…No, if she wants to date, I wouldn’t have a say in that anyway.”
But even with my excuse-like words, Kagami didn’t respond; she merely held me tight.
After a while, Kagami, who was holding me tightly, let go with a bit of a disappointed expression.
The cold winter wind blew where we had been in contact, making it feel a bit chilly.
“It’s cold, so hurry inside.”
“Yeah.”
I slightly turned my gaze to Fukuda.
Fukuda waved at me with a bitter smile.
I gave a slight nod to both of them and awkwardly turned my body as if to escape.
*
Having spent quite a while in the open corridor with the window open and without an outer coat, I was trembling.
As soon as I dove under the blanket,
“Why are you so late?”
Harumi asked.
What a coincidence indeed.
“…I just happened to take a bit longer.”
As I replied, slightly blushing, the kids accepted my story without any words.
Since I had dragged out my bathroom trip, it seems the kids imagined I must have had an extremely unfair situation.
Fortunately, no one asked me, “Are you okay?” so I was relieved.
If they had, I might not have been able to hold back the unfairness and could have spilled the conversation I had been eavesdropping on with Kagami and Fukuda. Harumi would probably have been very embarrassed.
Normally, one wouldn’t want their dad to be dating anyone. Regardless of how good or bad the family relationship is, any changes in that family connection aren’t exactly pleasant.
Even if they were independent, it wouldn’t matter who lived with who in that house, but as a high school student, isn’t this still an age to live with parents?
It wouldn’t be particularly pleasant to have some other adult, whom I’m not close to, come live with us.
“….”
The kids, who had been chatting happily until I went to the bathroom, were now a bit quiet.
It’s not so much that the atmosphere became serious; it’s just that everyone was a little tired and their energy had dwindled. Well, considering we had been talking enthusiastically for almost several hours until just a moment ago, it was about time to feel sleepy.
We had already exchanged gifts, and it seemed like it was time to sleep.
After all, we wouldn’t be parting ways in the morning and would surely hang out for a while longer before that.
There was no need for greetings when falling asleep.
Each person, wrapped in blankets, began to murmur with the kids next to them, one by one falling silent. Soon, regular breathing noises could be heard, and with the rhythm of that breathing, the kids’ whispers grew quieter.
“Today was fun.”
Tsuneda said very softly.
“Yes, it really was fun….”
Shii added in a slightly sleepy voice. Well, normally Shii would lead a regular lifestyle, so it was only natural for her to feel sleepy.
“Wow….”
Even Koko, who usually lives a regular life, was affected by Kagami’s influence.
And so was I.
“Yuka, Merry Christmas.”
I said quietly to Yuka, who was next to me.
Yuka, who was lying with her eyes closed, let out a small giggle.
*
Waking up in the middle of the night was probably because I heard footsteps.
Usually, I’m not particularly sensitive to sounds while sleeping. Maybe it’s because my sleeping situation was slightly changed, and there were many people sleeping around me that made me a bit more sensitive.
But that didn’t bother me much. Well, I could just fall back asleep. After all, I wasn’t going to work tomorrow.
Could the footsteps… be Santa? Did that Yakuza Santa Claus come again today?
Feeling a bit curious about that, I turned over and raised my head to check.
It was indeed a figure in a red Santa suit, but the silhouette was different from that uncle.
Much slimmer and a bit shorter.
Instead of a middle-aged man, it looked like a young woman.
“……Kagami?”
I called out her name without thinking.
Kagami, hearing my slightly raspy voice, turned to me and smiled while putting a finger to her lips.
She had a large bag slung over her shoulder that looked like something Santa Claus would usually carry.
From that bag, Kagami began to take out gift boxes, placing one beside each child’s head.
Honestly, seeing that scene woke me up a bit.
Christmas presents? From Kagami?
Oh, of course, I was already expecting her to give something to me and Koko.
But I never thought she would give something to the other kids too.
After placing gifts next to each of the children’s heads, Kagami walked towards Koko and me.
Then she placed gifts by our heads as well.
“Open them tomorrow morning.”
She said in a very soft voice, and I almost let out a laugh.
“You didn’t need to say that….”
Kagami gave me a slight smile and then did something unexpected.
She bent down and lightly kissed my forehead.
“Uh.”
Then she did the same to the sleeping Koko.
“Merry Christmas.”
Kagami whispered softly, gently touching my cheek before carefully walking out of the room.
“….”
For a while, I lay there in a daze.
Kagami’s gaze towards the two of us seemed to have changed a bit since around last Christmas.
To be precise, it seems to have changed more clearly after that; the atmosphere felt strangely different back then.
It was when I gave a Christmas present to Kagami.
And today was exactly one year later.
Oh, I see.
It’s already been a year.
No, has it only been a year?
Is it because I’m still a teenager? Do I feel like the days ahead of me here are still long, making it feel like just a short time?
Perhaps it’s not just that.
It’s probably because the past year really was enjoyable.
Simply spending fun times with the kids. Commuting to school together, exploring different routes on the way home, planning meetups on the weekends, participating in club activities, enjoying festivals…
All of those moments were so pleasurable that I must have completely forgotten about the passing time.
I closed my eyes again.
When I open them, it will be Christmas. Winter vacation.
And five days after that will be next year.
Even if I’m a student preparing for exams—I know it.
Surely, time next year will also flow by quickly.
That time will surely be spent with these kids.
Feeling the corners of my mouth gradually rising, I drifted back into a deep sleep.
My site has received a lot of DMCA notices, lol. From now on, I will update the MTL on https://darkmtl.com/.
The site is fast and lightweight because there are no ads yet. However, the theme is different from Cybor-TL, so take some time to familiarize yourself.
Support me by donating at least $10, and you'll have the right to request any novel from Novelpia (excluding 19+ content) using a newly developed tool.