Christmas Special (Megumi)

(Long live Karuizawa Kei!)

(Friendly reminder: this is a special bonus chapter.)

It started to snow...

Before I knew it, December—the month that signals the end of the year—came howling toward us, accompanied by a biting, frigid wind.

Christmas Eve and Christmas Day happened to fall on the weekend, and for the past sixteen years, I had spent every holiday alone.

But this year, by chance, marked the beginning of an exception.

Because, I had fallen in love.

She is a cute, if slightly stubborn, girl. I had originally assumed she would remain tsundere for a long time when it came to the matter of a confession.

The girl holding a steaming cup of milk tea, reflecting the golden afterglow of the setting sun.

No, it would be more accurate to say that the afterglow was dazzling because of her.

Karuizawa Kei.

"Seisuke."

"I like you."

"Let's go out."

At the time, I was caught off guard by such a sudden, direct approach.

I even had thoughts like, Maybe I was distracted and misheard her? Kei gets shy even when our fingers accidentally touch—this must be a delusion I've cooked up in my own head.

But as if she had seen through my thoughts, seeing that I hadn't spoken, Kei took my hand with unexpected boldness.

Her small, cool, and seemingly boneless hand gripped mine tightly.

I turned my head in surprise, catching a glimpse of her flushed face.

Even so, she kept her face red and repeated it to me with absolute sincerity.

I could understand just how much courage it took for a girl to say those words.

I am the person who understands her best, aside from herself, which is why I could grasp the immense weight those words carried.

Even for a Kei who had been reborn, there were many things she couldn't be this frank about.

Let alone a Kei who, in the past, would never speak of piercing through that thin layer of paper, no matter how ambiguous things became.

"I understand."

I could clearly feel the small hand in my palm trembling involuntarily.

I opened my arms and embraced the girl before me.

"I like you too, Kei."

In that moment, my mind held nothing but the image of us embracing.

With this as the beginning, I would strive to write this story called "love" for the rest of my life.

"I learned a poem in foreign language class today."

"If the two hearts are one, does it matter if they are apart?"

Kei said softly, buried against my shoulder.

"That's right. If it's true love, it will bear fruit no matter how long it takes. I actually think that makes a lot of sense."

"But, whether it's high school life or life in general, it's all a bit too short."

"I'm afraid that in the blink of an eye, high school will be over. I don't want to end up like Secretary Tachibana, silently guarding a love from afar."

"If one doesn't even have the courage to express themselves, then calling it love feels like putting the cart before the horse."

"I'm afraid this life is too short, and I don't want to hesitate anymore. If I'm with you, I feel like no matter how much time passes, it will never be enough."

The girl named Karuizawa Kei, Is as white and clean as a canvas that has never been painted upon.

Just like the swirling snowflakes right now, pure and flawless.

I want to use the brush of love to add a soft touch of color to that white canvas.

----Separator----

Christmas, also known as White Day; this day is likely a time for couples to go on dates and pour out their hearts to one another.

As for the me of the past, I never imagined that I would one day welcome such a life.

Or rather, I hadn't realized this day would come so quickly.

Because I, who had never even celebrated the holidays before, was suddenly faced with the challenge of spending the day with a girlfriend.

But if it were with Kei, I wouldn't feel any pressure at all.

The first floor of the dormitory was already covered in Christmas decorations, with a lush Christmas tree standing right in the center.

I had only ever seen such magnificently decorated holiday scenes in the books back at the White House.

I had arranged to meet Karuizawa Kei at the main gate, so I stood there quietly, gazing out at the snow-white world beyond.

Suddenly, a pair of mischievous hands wrapped around my neck.

Her entire body leaned against me, and the soft sensation against my back couldn't help but make my mind wander.

"Seisuke, you've been waiting here a long time, haven't you? I told you to come up and wait."

I turned my head slightly, and she gave me a "good grief" look.

"Even your ears are frozen red."

As she spoke, she blew a breath against my ear.

It was light and airy, yet it seemed to possess some kind of magic.

It was just a breath against my ear, but my heart began to race uncontrollably.

As if suddenly remembering something, Kei began rummaging through her bag.

"Bingo."

She pulled out a pair of rabbit-ear earmuffs, stood on her tiptoes, and placed them on my head.

Do girls always carry such strange things in their bags? Besides, this definitely didn't seem like something one would bring on a date.

"This is what I gave you before, right?"

I touched the plush fabric and inadvertently caught Kei stifling a laugh.

"Seisuke, you look so cute like that!"

Kei reached up and patted the rabbit ears on my head.

"What is that? You can't use 'cute' to describe a guy."

"But then again..."

"Eh?"

Kei leaned in, looking curious.

"But what?"

I chuckled and pinched her adorable little cheek.

"In my heart, Karuizawa Kei is the cutest in the universe!"

"What is that? There's no such thing as... the cutest in the universe or whatever."

"That kind of cheesy line won't work on me."

"Hmph."

She crossed her arms adorably, pretending not to care as she looked away.

Even as she said that, her pretty face grew increasingly flushed.

"You really are as dishonest as ever."

"W-who's being dishonest?"

I watched Kei, whose gaze was darting everywhere, and the corners of my mouth curled up involuntarily.