A Christmas Preview

"Everything's so ordinary—so ordinary it's unsettling. What have I overlooked? Is there some other unstable factor in the class?"

Early in the morning, Nagami sat on a rock, striking a pensive pose as he pondered the problem.

Was the long grace period designed to lull everyone into lowering their guard? Would they be made to wait for a deadly hour, then kill one another?

But there was no motive for that at all.

Jingle, jingle—the bells of Santa's reindeer rang out.

[Is you...]

[I don't want a lot for Christmas]

[There is just one thing I need]

[I don't care about the presents]

Mariah Carey's once-a-year Christmas song refreshed right on schedule on December 25.

The cold winter air carried a faint, sweet scent of hot chocolate. Colorful Christmas lights adorned both sides of the street, making it seem as though stars had been lit on every branch.

After turning down Sato's confession, Ayanokoji was walking side by side with Karuizawa along the bustling shopping street. White mist escaped her breath, but her steps were light, as if she were walking on clouds.

"Why did you turn down Sato's confession?"

Karuizawa asked.

"Because she can't take your place."

Ayanokoji's blunt answer made Karuizawa blush. For a moment, she didn't know what to say.

"Hey, that Santa Claus is hilarious!"

Karuizawa pointed at a shop window by the roadside and laughed so hard she could barely stand. Inside, a Santa Claus model danced and shook its head, clumsy but adorable.

"Oh, right. I have something for you."

"What is it? What is it?"

Karuizawa watched as Ayanokoji handed her a simply wrapped package. When she opened it, she found a box of ordinary cold medicine.

"Um, it's not exactly romantic, but thank you."

Karuizawa sighed helplessly, but she wasn't disappointed. She hadn't been looking forward to snow or presents, but to spending Christmas with him.

I've already received this present. At the thought, a smile crept onto her lips.

The hot cocoa in the paper cup warmed her, chasing the chill from her fingertips.

From a shop not far away came the sound of a guitar. The song "Last Christmas" struck a chord with the crowd in the street.

Karuizawa stopped and stood at the edge of the crowd, softly humming along. She was a little off-key.

"Kiyotaka, can we spend Christmas together again next year?"

"It'll be fine."

She stared wide-eyed at Ayanokoji for a long time, as if searching for signs of a lie.

Ding—a message notification. Karuizawa picked up her phone and opened the email.

"You have been selected as the anonymous Water Ghost for the Primeval Forest Special Exam. To protect your safety, we recommend that you do not reveal your identity to anyone before the exam ends."

After putting her phone away, Karuizawa hesitated and glanced at Ayanokoji.

Her gaze wandered between the ground and Ayanokoji. In the end, she confessed that she was the Water Ghost. She couldn't hide anything from him.

The cold wind still blew, but perhaps because of the secret couple and the festive atmosphere filling the street, it seemed especially warm.

They continued wandering without a destination. The little bells above shop entrances jingled, and the air was full of the scent of sweets.

After they left, only the melancholy tune of "Last Christmas" lingered in the air: "Last Christmas, I gave you my heart, but the very next day you gave it away."

Jingle, jingle...

Can't find the book by searching its title? Try searching the author instead. Maybe it just changed names!

"Stare~"

Kushida said nothing, only kept staring.

"Stare~"

"What's wrong, little Kikyo?"

"Nagami, even though you didn't do anything wrong, could you apologize to me?"

Wearing her signature fake smile, Kushida asked in a gentle voice.

"If you beg me, I might consider it."

"Temee! Don't underestimate me!"

Kushida's face reddened slightly.

"Want to compete at button mashing? I'd be happy to oblige."

"Huh? Why are you saying such incomprehensible things at a time like this? Baka! Baka!"

Kushida stomped back to the tent in a huff.

"Girls are such a pain. Imagine actually getting together with one."

Nagami silently admired his own cleverness.

Just as Nagami was congratulating himself, he suddenly heard a commotion. It turned out that a few boys in the class were arguing over who would be in charge of grilling food at the bonfire that evening.

"My grilling skills are the best, so obviously I should do it!"

Sudo thumped his chest as he spoke.

"No way. Sudo always burns some of the food, and the ingredients we bought with Class Points go to waste. I'll do it instead."

Ike summoned his courage and argued back. Ever since Nagami cooked on the first day, the others in the class had been eager to try their hand at it too, taking turns cooking.

Watching the monkeys argue until their faces turned red, Nagami couldn't help laughing. This was just too funny.

He wondered whether he should collect some protection money after the Special Exam ended. After all, he still had the leverage of those hidden-camera photos from the changing room.

He'd refrained before out of compassion, since his Class D classmates were poor and short on points. But things were different now. The school had suddenly shown great generosity and awarded them a huge number of points. It was time to make his move.

Just then, Hirata finally returned. As always, he was mediating the class's conflicts, and he never seemed to tire.

"Hirata's planning to hold a bonfire on the sixth day and use all the remaining points to buy supplies."

Karuizawa spoke excitedly, looking forward to the event. It seemed she could already see herself dancing around the bonfire with Kiyotaka. It was sure to become a wonderful memory.

"The bonfire's going to be so much fun!"

The group chimed in.

"Use the bonfire's cheerful atmosphere to ease everyone's anxiety about the final hour?"

"Like a super serial killer hiding from the police who gets a steaming bowl of noodles from a farmer's wife and is so moved that he reforms."

"Honestly, it's somewhat plausible, but not by much."

"After looking at everyone, I still can't think of anyone suspicious. There are only a few central figures in the class: Hirata, Ayanokoji, Kushida, Horikita, and Karuizawa."

"And none of them have any motive to betray us."

"Using a Water Ghost to drag someone down doesn't benefit you either. One class's Trust Points from the Special Exam are definitely going to exceed four million. And if the enemy class retaliates, you'll lose four million points too. They're bound to target central figures, so trading people for points won't work either."

"Ugh, this is such a headache. Forget it. I'll just slack off."

Yet Nagami felt a faint unease, and as time passed, it grew heavier.

When news of the bonfire spread like lightning across the sky, the students gathered in the distance burst into cheers, temporarily forgetting their arguments.

In their place came lively discussions, as the students eagerly anticipated the bonfire.

"Woohoo!" "Woohoo!" "Woohoo!"