Christmas is a day full of joy celebrated in every corner of the world, separate from its religious significance. Of course, there are a few exceptions, but the places that don’t celebrate Christmas are overwhelmingly few, so who cares?
The same goes for Kivotos; considering that the founding background of Trinity and the essence of the religion they believe in practically share the same roots as Christianity, it’s not surprising at all.
With Christmas approaching, I found myself falling into a serious dilemma.
The relationships I’ve built over the past eight months are by no means trivial. I don’t expect everyone to give me gifts, but I do wish to give a gift to each of the kids I’ve developed some bonds with.
So, I started preparing the gifts once it shifted to late November on the calendar, but with the people I had to prepare for exceeding dozens and reaching hundreds, I was almost losing my mind!
Among them, I thought long and hard about what gifts to give to my closest friends and those with whom I maintain a decent relationship. However, for the gifts to Pater, Arius, and the kids from T-party, I had no choice but to keep them uniform.
Honestly, I hadn’t planned to go this far, but a girl named Chiyo, who had made a deep impression on me during the summer festival, kept popping into my mind. I realized it would be better to care for everyone in Pater rather than showing favoritism by just caring for her.
Once that realization hit me, I couldn’t help but consider Arius as well, and after a bit more contemplation, I felt the need to prepare something for the kids working hard as attendants in T-party too.
For the kids in Pater and Arius, I decided to give each of them a brooch engraved with the emblem of their respective factions.
Since I had to go through custom orders and compromise on prices considering the number of people from Pater and Arius, well… the heart is what matters, right?
I included a slightly embarrassing note with the gifts, but writing each one by hand was a hassle. I had ample preparation time, so I thought it would be better to just print them nicely next year.
“Sigh, I can’t believe the day has come when I have to prepare gifts for this little brat.”
It turned out to be easier than expected to prepare gifts for the kids on the Gehenna side, but I had no idea what to give to Makoto.
In the end, I decided to gift him a gold nameplate with my handwriting. I just pray this kid doesn’t mess things up with the Eden Treaty.
I carefully placed a note on the wrapped gift box indicating who it was for and pushed it into a corner. My attendants will work hard to ensure it gets shipped out safely.
Upon checking delivery addresses separately, I was surprised to learn that Heungsinso 68 is operating with a decent office thanks to the funds obtained from Makoto. This means my prepared gifts will be safely delivered to him.
Surprisingly, I hadn’t yet built any substantial relationship with Hakgwiyaeng, but I thought, “Do I really need to?” I was aware of some hints involving a student named Kuzunoha connected to that, but it’s not like I need to reach out first since Hakgwiyaeng isn’t exactly in a pivotal position, nor does it seem that an unfortunate future is on the horizon.
Millennium. Abydos. Sanhaegyeong. And our hard-working FOX Squad from ETO.
I thought about how many relationships I’d built so far, only to realize I had forgotten others, leading me back into pondering what gifts to give them.
Based on faint memories, I figured high-quality coffee beans would be a good fit for Kaya. However, I had no clue what to give to Rin or the Student Council President.
In the end, I decided to gift Rin a famous perfume called The Beyond, but for the Student Council President…
What’s the point of giving a gift to someone who’s about to bail out anyway?
Giving a gift to our Student Council President, who is busy preparing to escape, feels ridiculous. But then again, not giving anything seems too heartless.
Still, since she’s been working hard up till the moment she disappears, I thought a nice pillow would be a good gift to tease her with. After all, she’s probably not going to get much sleep.
But as soon as I remembered that esteemed person’s impending escape, a problem I had totally forgotten popped up.
There’s the significant issue that the administration across Kivotos will temporarily paralyze from the moment the Student Council President goes missing.
While the public security issues can be somewhat managed within Trinity, practically, I’ve concluded that it would be difficult for me to intervene in this matter.
If I show any movement before the Student Council President goes missing, the arrows might be aimed right at me.
How on earth did she figure out that she was going to go missing in advance?
Is there any correlation between her disappearance and me in some way?
This could lead to an attack directed at me, and it could also be an event that ends in temporary confusion. Making any politically suspicious movements in the meantime wouldn’t be a wise choice.
Anyway, that’s that. The most significant dilemma I faced was preparing gifts for the two people most precious to me… Well, realistically, it’s for three people.
At least for Nagisa, I had some idea from a while back, but the gifts for Hina and Haruna were something I kept mulling over even after deciding for many others.
After all the ups and downs, I managed to finish preparing the gifts just a week before Christmas, so I suppose that’s something to be glad about.
…Ah. By the way, I still haven’t written short letters for the two of them.
T-party work. Studies. Idol training. Gift preparations.
“Wow——.”
Today, Hina’s feelings hit me hard.
I’m just so tired of it all…! Argh!!!
*
Time flew by like snowflakes dancing in a strong wind, and finally, December 24th, Christmas Eve morning had arrived.
In Trinity, both Christmas Day and Eve are considered holidays, but unfortunately, that’s not the case for Gehenna. Consequently, while Hina got to have her Christmas Eve, the originally limited time we could spend together was still restricted…
“Akko said she’d handle all the work for today and told me not to even dream of returning to the office…”
“Heueng. I guess I have to tell Akko thanks a bit.”
Thanks to Akko’s noble sacrifice, Hina could spend the whole day with me.
Well, without a doubt, Akko would have made it a point to say something like, “Head, you must spend Christmas Day with me! Please!” dictating her desires. Although she had a considerable goofy side, she had shed any brakes on her desires for Hina long ago.
It would be a lie to say I’m completely unconcerned about the relationship between Hina and Akko…
Hmm, I’m not sure. This is definitely a part I need to think about a bit more.
“Hina-chan, have you thought about where you want to go?”
“…How about karaoke?”
“Hmm?”
I was expecting Hina to say she hadn’t thought about it at all, so I was prepared to lead us according to my preset plans, but this was somewhat unexpected.
“W-Well, you need to practice singing regularly, so I’ve researched a few good songs for practice.”
“…Hina-chan, I’m sorry.”
“Huh? What are you sorry about?”
Even on a date, thinking about that stuff… I’ve definitely made a mistake suggesting an idol project.
It’s strange how her singing skills seem to be improving tremendously each time I hear her, but I never realized that Hina was being silently driven by her workaholic tendencies.
“Um, Mika? Don’t get me wrong. Practice is just an excuse. The real reason is that I really want to hear you sing.”
“…Ah.”
I really don’t know many songs in this area…
But I think there were quite a few songs similar to the carols I know. Maybe if I steer it in that direction, we can manage to make something work…?
“…What if it doesn’t work out? If you think it’s not good enough, we can go wherever you’ve thought of, Mika.”
“Ah, no! Let’s go! Yes, if Hina-chan wants to go, how could I not listen? I’ll give it my all to sing as many songs as you want ☆”
Once Hina’s adorably cute demeanor erased any option of refusing, I found myself utterly helpless to escape from this position.
In that moment, how many people can outright refuse a cute girl dressed in an oversized sweater, pleated skirt, and plaid scarf who’s nervously fidgeting with her hands? I certainly can’t be included among them.
…Alright, if I just have the sheet music handy, I can work something out. As I always emphasize, the heart is what truly matters. The heart.
