The Gift / Snow and Family Love

Compared to cookies, green tea isn't known for its sweetness, but it also rarely has a bitter taste. Rather than bitterness, it's more about having a strong aroma. The lingering cookie residue in your mouth, mixed with the fragrance of tea, gradually develops a hint of sweetness.

It was a wonderful experience; the combination of green tea and cookies instantly won over Hua's taste buds. Perhaps the only slight disappointment was that the portion of cookies and green tea was a little small for her.

"Ka Yue - ] Yi Ling Yi Ni Si Wu (Nine) Cu Ba Zi."

Hua sipped his green tea, while Yuria picked up a cookie and ate it in small bites. Her expression wasn't as exaggerated as Hua's; she just chewed slowly and nodded after finishing the whole cookie.

"It was delicious."

"Right?"

The television also started playing at just the right moment. Miko gripped the remote and switched channels several times before finally settling on a variety show, a relatively popular one recently. This show had recently made a song—"White Bird"—a hit.

More moving than the song itself is the story behind its creator.

It was in an extremely tragic situation that the song "White Bird" was born. After this song was created, the composer's career took a turn for the better, moving from misfortune to the success he had been striving for.

"Although I really wanted to say that we should do something, I couldn't think of any good ideas at all."

Miko had put down the remote control, glanced at the TV presenter speaking, and then shrugged at her friend who was eating cookies and drinking green tea beside her.

"So, this is all we can do."

"In fact, this is great."

Hua ate her cookies, not disappointed by the arrangement. She glanced at Yuria and Miko beside her; her thoughts were simple.

"As long as I'm with Miko and Yuria, many things become more interesting, because the three of us being together is what makes me happiest."

Finally, he suddenly added a sentence.

"Of course, having delicious food makes me very happy."

"Yes, I'm also enjoying the current situation."

Yuria nodded, her feelings were somewhat complicated. This complexity prevented her from putting on a carefree expression like Hua, a quality she greatly admired in Hua.

The events at the cultural festival concert were still affecting her thoughts, making her worry about Miko in front of her. But she had no idea what would happen, or what had happened to Miko.

For some reason, she suddenly felt that today would be exceptionally unusual.

Chapter 304 Gift

"Oh, I almost forgot about the gift."

Halfway through the meal, Hua patted his forehead and took a small box out of his bag.

"Ta-da! This is a gift for you, Miko! Open it later and see, it's a surprise!"

"Then I'll have to look forward to it."

Yotsuya Miko smiled as she accepted the small box, without using her cheating-like Spiritual Sense to look at it beforehand.

"Of course, Kyosuke is included too."

As he spoke, he took out a plastic box from his bag.

"Look what your sister bought for you!"

When he heard that he would get a share, the little kid was still eating cookies and drinking juice with his head down. But when he looked up and saw the plastic box that Hua was holding, and saw the items inside through the plastic, he froze for a moment, then jumped up with a "bang," his face full of "want" written all over his face.

"That's it!"

Do you like it?

"Uh-huh!"

Kyosuke quickly, overjoyed, and took the plastic box, which was only slightly smaller than his chest, from Hua's hands. He couldn't wait to open the box and take out the toys inside.

However, after glancing at Yotsuya Miko beside him who was drinking green tea, he ultimately didn't dare to do it.

In different cultures, the forms of expression vary, and so do the customs associated with gifts. Although it is Christmas, in this country, it is considered impolite to open a gift given by a guest in front of them.

So he had no choice but to obediently put the toy behind him for the time being, and then—he began to hope that his two older sisters would leave quickly so that he could open the box sooner.

Although such a thought is quite impolite, that's really what he thought.

"Thank you, Sister Hua!"

While thinking this behind the scenes, he outwardly wore a sweet smile. All notions of boyish pride and dignity paled in comparison to this amazing toy. The little brat called out Hua's name without a care in the world, expressing his affection.

Incidentally, he cast an eager glance at Yuria beside him, almost asking Yuria for a gift.

However, he didn't speak, and Yuria noticed his gaze.

Banishing the thought of ruining the atmosphere from her mind, Yuria took out the gift she and Hua had bought together from her bag.

"I hope you like it, Miko."

A long, narrow box was handed to Yotsuya Miko, followed by a wrapped book.

"And this is for Kyosuke."

What's this?

Kyosuke blinked, glanced at the title on the unopened book, and quickly gave up on it. Although he didn't know what the book was, he wasn't particularly interested in books.

"Sister Yuria."

The storyteller's voice was much more perfunctory than when he was facing Hua, but Yuria didn't care much. She just looked at Miko to the side.

"I'm not as picky as him."

Miko had accepted the box from Yuria and placed it aside along with Hua's box, she glanced at the book Yuria had chosen for Kyosuke, but didn't find it strange.

"Compared to the toys Hua gave him, this book is far more helpful."

She patted Kyosuke's head, glanced at Hana who was still eating cookies, and said with a hint of helplessness in her voice.

"You can't spoil this kid. He'll have to stand on his own two feet someday. His grades in school aren't that great anyway. Besides, those toys are expensive, aren't they? You should learn from Yuria and buy him some homework; that would be much better."

"I could never do something like that."

Hua shook his head, looking at Kyosuke, whose head was being rubbed but who dared not speak Kyosuke in anger, and a slight smile appeared on his lips.

"Wouldn't it be better to be happier? Anyway, with Miko here, Kyosuke's life will be very happy from now on. After all, with such a strong older sister, things can't get too bad."

"Well, that's true, but if this kid doesn't put in the effort, I'm too lazy to help him. I really hate trouble."

As she said this, she glanced back at the amulet Kyosuke around Kyosuke's neck before letting go of his head.

"Next, it's time for my gift to you."

As she spoke, she casually took out two small items from her pocket.

"While being able to eat is a good thing, getting hungry too easily is a real problem. So, I'd like to give you this Ram Rabbit, Hua."

The little bunny with its chin tilted back is still undeniably cute, though it's hard to pinpoint exactly what's so adorable about it. Hua really likes this kind of bunny.

"Wearing this Ram Rabbit will make you less likely to feel hungry. Of course, you can take the rabbit off if you want to have a big meal. I hope that you can enjoy delicious food every day from now on, because food makes people feel satisfied and comfortable. I also hope that you won't suffer from hunger. After all, if we don't stop you from eating bread in class, even Mr. Tono Zen will have a headache."

"That's not what I wanted either."

Hua reached out and took the small rabbit ornament, holding it in her hand. She could feel a warm current flowing into her stomach, slowing down the onset of hunger. However, just as Miko had said, the ornament wouldn't affect her eating.

"A very useful little trinket, I'm very happy."

As she spoke, she hung the Ram Rabbit on the side of her bag, which already had several other Ram Rabbit on top. The Ram Rabbit quickly blended in with the other rabbit ornaments, becoming indistinguishable.

"Then, next up is Yuria."

Kyosuke glanced up at his older sister, who was still smiling. He then looked at Hana, who also smiled and, after receiving her gift, lowered her head to continue eating cookies, almost finishing the entire plate. Then, he looked at Yuria, who was receiving her gift, and she was also smiling.

"Amanita Muscaria Charm Mushroom, Yuria, you always liked wearing this style of accessory. So I made some for you before, but unfortunately they've all been used up. Come to think of it, the things I give you don't seem to last very long, I'm really sorry about that. So this time, I hope this Amanita Muscaria Charm accessory can stay with you forever, in my place by your side."

"... Thank you, I like it very much."

Like it? No, it's obvious to everyone that you don't, right?

Yotsuya Kyosuke glanced at the book behind him and suddenly realized that his sister had probably given him the wrong gift. Otherwise, Hana and Yuria wouldn't be smiling so awkwardly.

They're clearly friends, how could they give the wrong gift?

He was somewhat confused, and the atmosphere suddenly became a little quieter until Yuria put the Amanita Muscaria Charm ornament into her pocket.

"It's so cold today, it's almost snowing."

Yotsuya Miko picked up the cup of green tea in front of her, and suddenly the only sounds in the room were her voice and the songs coming from the variety show on TV.

A white bird soars through the sky, drifting away with the current, never to return.

"That's wonderful."

She sipped her tea, her voice calm and even.

Although things didn't turn out quite as she had imagined, it didn't matter anymore.

Chapter 305 Snow and Family

It snowed.

The first snow of the year came exceptionally early, falling on Christmas night and almost completely disappearing by morning.

It was just a light snowfall, but because of this sudden snow, the weather turned several degrees colder.

"It's so cold..."

Yurikawa Hana reluctantly peeked out from under the covers, her exposed skin turning red as soon as it touched the cold air. The chill made her drowsy eyes jolted awake, completely dispelling her sleepiness.

I picked up my phone from the bedside table and saw that it was almost time for school.

"I really don't want to go to school, especially in this weather."

He muttered something, hesitated a few times, but finally struggled out of bed, quickly changed into his school uniform, and wrapped himself in a thick coat.

Then comes brushing teeth, washing up, and tidying up hair and appearance.

Hua's hair is very short, which saves her a lot of trouble compared to many girls. After all, long hair that is loosened up will be a mess by the time you wake up, and you can't show your face without taking care of it. Taking care of long hair takes as much time as washing up.

She couldn't remember why she cut her hair; maybe she just didn't want the hassle of styling it?

Looking at her short orange hair, she suddenly had an idea, and then spat mouthwash into the pool.

As I stepped out of the bathroom, my mother had already prepared breakfast, a hearty meal as usual.

Hua has a very good appetite and can eat a lot more than the average person.

Hua's mother once thought it was a strange illness, but after going to the hospital, she learned that it was not a strange symptom at all; on the contrary, he had a very good appetite.

Is that enough to eat?

Despite preparing such a substantial breakfast, the mother still felt somewhat worried as she watched Hua sit down and start eating.

"You can't go hungry at school if it's not enough."

Such things have happened before. Sometimes, Hua would eat less because she was about to be late, and she would be starving at school. She would be listless all day until she got home and had a big meal to make up for it.

"No problem, this amount is just right."

Hua replied while eating breakfast, and quickly finished her meal.

After finishing eating, I took my schoolbag from my mother, slung it over my shoulder, walked towards the porch, changed my shoes, and went out.

The moment she stepped out the door, a cold wind blew in, brushing against Hua's cheeks—the only part of her face that wasn't tightly covered.

From head to toe, he was covered in thick clothes, and even had a scarf wrapped around his neck.

The wind brushed against her cheek, but it was much milder than she had imagined, not as cold as when she got out of bed.

Is it because the body starts to heat up to keep warm after eating?

Hua blinked, not thinking about it further. She walked towards the street with her head down, greeting familiar faces who were up early, and then silently continued towards school.

Like any high school girl, Hua's life was extremely ordinary, except for a slight difference in her hobbies—on her schoolbag hung several small rabbit ornaments with upturned chins. These ornaments, called "Ram Rabbit," were her favorite little items.

Following Hua's steps, these ornaments swayed gently, with a very slight curve.

(Divider)

When Yuria got out of bed, she was still a little groggy. When she was fully awake, she touched her head and felt her messy hair.

I changed my clothes in the room. Although it was cold, it didn't affect my day too much.

After cleaning herself up, she went to the kitchen to make herself breakfast, only to find that someone was already there.

"Is this how noodles are made?"