The feeling of fullness often brings a sense of happiness, especially on such a cold and windy winter afternoon.
The two walked out of the small restaurant, and the world outside was still Keyaki Mall wrapped in cold.
Although cheerful Christmas songs are still playing on the streets, couples are still playing in pairs in front of the ornately decorated windows.
But for Shiina Hiyori and Kazehara Tetsu, their "reading date" gradually came to an end with the end of this belated lunch.
There was no special reluctance to stay, and there were no dramatic emergencies.
They slowly walked towards the Dormitory area.
"That...Tetsu-kun."
At a fork in the road with relatively few people, Shiina Hiyori stopped.
There is a huge decorated Christmas tree here, covered with Fairy Lights and golden bells.
Although it is not lit up during the day, the layer of real snow covering the green needles is more beautiful than any artificial decoration.
She turned around and faced Kazehara Tetsu.
The cold wind ruffled a strand of her silver hair, and she reached out to tuck it behind her ear.
"It's almost... right here."
She said softly, although there was still some nostalgia for this half-day in her eyes, but her reason told her that Kazehara Tetsu's time did not belong to her alone.
As a smart girl, she knows how to put a pause at the most appropriate time and let this memory stay in the best chapter.
"Yeah."
"Happy time always passes quickly. However, although the content of this half of the book is over, it is only the first volume."
"Hmm."
Shiina Hiyori nodded vigorously, a bright smile blooming at the corner of his mouth.
Then, she seemed to suddenly remember something important, and her hands that were hanging down naturally suddenly reached into the inside of her coat in a panic.
There seems to be something hidden there.
After a rustling sound, she carefully took out a heavy and large Paper Bag.
"Although... although it's not as valuable as those out-of-print books Tetsu-kun gave me before."
Her cheeks were slightly red, whether from the cold or from shyness.
Shiina Hiyori took out a tightly packed box from the Paper Bag.
Wrapping Paper is a calm dark green with a red ribbon tied on it, a very classic Christmas color scheme. It can be seen that the packaging method is a bit unfamiliar, and there are even some creases at the corners, but this reveals a kind of clumsy care.
"This is... a Christmas gift for Tetsu-kun."
She held the box in both hands and handed it to Kazehara Tetsu.
There is no need to open it at all, or even to weigh it.
Just look at the rectangular outline and that unique thickness.
There is no doubt that it is a book.
This is really in line with Shiina Hiyori's character.
For her, perhaps nothing in this world represents her heart more than a carefully selected book.
"Thank you."
Kazehara Tetsu stretched out his hand and solemnly accepted the gift.
"Although I haven't opened it yet, I have a hunch that this will be a very interesting book. Maybe... it's also the kind of book that I can hardly find elsewhere, right?"
"Hehe..."
Being guessed, Shiina Hiyori smiled a little sheepishly.
"It's a philosophical novel about... well, a relatively unpopular one. I think Tetsu-kun will like it."
"Then I have to study harder."
Kazehara Tetsu was not in a hurry to say goodbye.
Instead, he put his hand into his satchel.
In that bag, there were several boxes of different sizes.
He fumbled with his fingers, and then took out a pure white box.
"Here."
He handed over the box.
"Eh?"
Shiina Hiyori was stunned.
She looked at the white box and instinctively shrank her hands back, with a confused expression on her face.
"Again... again?"
Her eyes wandered between the direction of the used bookstore at the intersection and the box in front of her.
"But... Tetsu-kun obviously paid so much money for me to buy those out-of-print books before. Those books themselves are already very expensive gifts... If I accept this now..."
She shook her head, her insistence that she didn't want to take advantage or make the relationship too materialistic made her seem a bit protesting.
"This is not good... really."
"Hiyori."
Kazehara Tetsu did not take back his hand, nor was he unhappy because of her rejection.
"Those books are because we were browsing in the bookstore and saw something you liked, so I bought them for you. That was part of the 'date'."
"And this..."
He shook the white box in his hand.
"This is specially prepared for you as a formal Christmas gift from 'Kazehara Tetsu' to 'Shiina Hiyori'."
"The two are not in conflict."
"There is nothing wrong with it. Since it is a gift, it is the heart of the giver. Do you want me to take this heart back intact? In that case, this box will make you cry."
This kind of words with a bit of gangster logic but irrefutable, coupled with his extremely deceptive face, is simply a dimension-reducing blow to a kind-hearted girl like Shiina Hiyori.
"Well..."
In the end, Shiina Hiyori was defeated.
"Then... okay."
She stretched out her hands, as if holding something fragile, and took the white box.
"Thank you, Tetsu-kun. I... I will cherish it."
"Let's open it and take a look, but... it's best to go back and take a look."
Kazehara Tetsu blinked, leaving a trace of suspense.
"Then, let's get here first today. It's cold outside, so hurry back to Dormitory."
"Yeah!"
Shiina Hiyori carefully put the white box into his coat pocket and kept it close to his body.
"Tetsu-kun too, in the next time... you must be happy too."
She waved her hand one last time, and the white figure turned around, walking briskly in the direction of Dormitory.
Kazehara Tetsu stood in place.
He did not turn around and leave immediately, but quietly stared at Shiina Hiyori's back.
Until that figure passed through the crowd and was completely invisible.
Kazehara Tetsu didn't move.
He just slowly turned his head, looking across the flower bed a few meters away, and accurately aimed at a landscape bush not far away.
Cold-resistant trees are planted there, forming a natural visual blind spot under the thick snow cover.
To the average passerby, it's just a bunch of ordinary Green Belt.
But in the eyes of Kazehara Tetsu, who owns Superhuman Senses, it's a bit too "noisy" there.
"How long will you continue to hide?"
Kazehara Tetsu spoke to the air, his voice was not loud, but there was a sense of helplessness.
"Come out quickly."
He sighed, and the white mist he exhaled drifted away in front of his eyes.
"Aren't your legs numb after you've been squatting there? Or do you want to freeze yourself into a snowman so that I can dig you out?"
The voice fell.
The air was quiet for about two seconds.
Immediately afterwards.
"Susu..."
The seemingly calm bush shook violently a few times, and the snow on it fell rustlingly.
Then, the branch was roughly pushed away by a hand.
First, a foot wearing a fashionable short boot stepped out and stamped hard on the snow, as if venting some kind of resentment.
Immediately afterwards, a figure walked out of the shadows.
It was the iconic blond hair tied into a ponytail.
She was wearing a somewhat thin, fashionable short Down Jacket that looked particularly "beautiful and freezing" in this temperature. The lower body was a very short plaid pleated skirt.
Although my legs are wearing thickened bare-leg artifacts, squatting Snowfield in this temperature is still a cruel torture to my body.
Karuizawa Kei.
She clasped her hands in front of her chest and huddled up. Her little face, which usually had an arrogant expression only seen at the top of the class, was now pale from the cold.
"Hiss... it's cold, it's freezing to death..."
She was stamping her feet and sniffing, and her eyes that originally wanted to glare out with force, when looking at Kazehara Tetsu, inevitably brought a little guilt and annoyance after being caught.
"You guy... since you've discovered it a long time ago, why didn't you call me out earlier?!"
Her teeth were chattering and her voice was trembling, but she still maintained the tone of a hot girl with a bit of bravado.
"Do you have to wait until that woman leaves before you even look at me? She is really... a bad character to the extreme!"