Tsuna leaned back lazily, "Aren't scarves good? They're both pretty and warm."
"Good…" Ajitani nodded, but then suddenly changed the subject, "But! You've given me one for four years straight, the one you gave me in my first year of junior high is still hanging in my closet!"
"+1," Takagi raised her hand in agreement, "The one you gave me is still brand new."
"+1," Nishikata followed closely.
Shouko, who was standing nearby, quietly bit her straw, flattening it, but she couldn't suppress a smile that she was trying hard to hold back.
She lowered her eyelashes, her thoughts drifting back to her first year of junior high.
That time, before Christmas, when they went out, she had merely casually mentioned, " Ajitani and the others must be very happy to receive this gift, right?"
Unexpectedly, this casual thought became the wellspring of his laziness.
Since then, he even saved himself the trouble of picking gifts; for four years, it was all about convenience!
Only his own gift was different every year, always unique.
"Alright, alright," Tsuna met their gazes and quickly gave in, waving his hand, "I'll pay attention next year."
"Actually… scarves are quite practical," Takagi suddenly spoke, her fingertip lightly tapping the blue-ribboned gift box in front of her.
Everyone's eyes focused on her, but she curved her lips, "It's just that Miyamura, you always give the same color…"
"If nothing unexpected happens, I guess mine should still be navy blue, right?"
As she spoke, Takagi looked up and met his gaze.
She just smiled faintly and then looked away.
"Let's go, let's go! It's not too late yet, let's go shopping first! We have school tomorrow…"
Ajitani sighed deeply, "Shouko-chan, you really didn't have to say that last hurtful sentence."
Shouko smiled and waved her hand, being the first to break the slightly teasing atmosphere, and deftly gathered the small gifts on the table back into her bag.
With her leading the way, the others quickly understood and followed suit, and amidst the zipping sounds of zippers, the gift boxes in front of each of them vanished into their backpacks in the blink of an eye.
All the surprises were left to be slowly unwrapped after returning home.
… … …
Futaba Commercial Street was completely immersed in the Christmas Eve revelry.
Neon signs intertwined with Christmas decorations hanging on the streets, brightly dazzling, and the clamor of the crowd surged louder and louder.
Occasionally, a loud burst of laughter would erupt, only to be instantly swallowed by the booming human voices.
The vendors' faces were illuminated by warm yellow lights, sweaty yet full of smiles, their hands moving quickly.
Tsuna and Nishikata walked shoulder to shoulder, a few steps behind the three girls, Shouko, who were excitedly browsing shops and stalls.
The two were discussing the ending of a newly released hot-blooded manga, their steps occasionally pausing when the girls stopped in front of a certain stall.
Shouko was holding a box of freshly made takoyaki, still steaming hot.
"Tsuna~ Come~ Ah…"
She picked up a bamboo skewer, unhesitatingly poked the first golden, glistening ball, and suddenly turned to offer it to the lips of the person waiting behind her.
Tsuna obediently opened his mouth and took a bite, then, because it was hot, exhaled several puffs of white mist.
Ajitani took the portion handed to her by the vendor, and not to be outdone, poked one and offered it to Takagi, who was paying.
Takagi didn't even need her to speak; she instinctively opened her mouth and took a bite, and like Tsuna, almost spit it out because it was too hot.
"…"
Nishikata, who was quietly eating his own portion nearby, felt utterly speechless and couldn't bear to watch.
"Hurry, hurry! There's goldfish scooping over there!"
Ajitani's clear voice rang out, her small hand pointing to the crowd not far away.
Seeing that everyone had a snack in hand, she immediately activated her 'transfer' skill, bouncing over first, while Shouko unhesitatingly hurried to catch up.
At this point, Tsuna already had three snacks in his hands, and before he could even digest them, he had to obediently follow their sweeping pace.
Seeing that Nishikata and the other person hadn't caught up, he looked back in confusion and met Takagi's gaze; he instantly understood and nodded, quickening his steps to catch up with Shouko and the other person ahead.
Seeing Miyamura tactfully turn to chase after the figures ahead, a hint of satisfaction flashed in Takagi's eyes.
She lightly stepped forward, perfectly blocking Nishikata's path as he was about to speed up, her lips naturally curving into a smile:
"Nishikata Tongxue~"
Nishikata's steps paused, "Wh-what's wrong?"
"I ate a bit too much at home just now, and I can't finish these few; can you help me with them?"
As she spoke, she even deliberately gave him a quick wink with her left eye, that cunning and lively glint flashing and disappearing in the warm glow of the streetlights.
"…"
As Nishikata was stared at and winked at by her, he felt a wave of heat subtly creep up from his neck to his earlobes.
He instinctively nodded, but a strange thought bubbled up in his mind: 'This sweater… did I wear one that's too thick before going out? Why do I feel… suddenly a little hot?'
Nishikata reached out to take the box of takoyaki from her hand, but Takagi's fingertips cleverly flipped.
The bamboo skewer had already accurately poked one, and with a gentle flick of her wrist, it hovered less than two centimeters in front of his nose:
"Here… ah~?"
"…"
Nishikata looked at her playful smiling face, his Adam's apple uncontrollably bobbed, and his heartbeat was louder than the surrounding noise.
Seeing him standing there in a daze, Takagi tilted her head in confusion, a few strands of soft hair falling and brushing against her trembling eyelashes.
Nishikata, as if his soul was hooked, leaned in to bite, his teeth almost grazing the hot, crispy surface… But the next second!
Takagi slyly laughed, her wrist deftly twisted and pulled back! The takoyaki on the skewer accurately went into her own curved lips and teeth.
She puffed out one cheek, with a hint of triumph and satisfaction, chewing, and didn't forget to flash a bright smile at the dumbfounded Nishikata:
"I'm suddenly a little hungry again~"
Before her voice faded, she lightly turned and chased after her frolicking companions ahead.
… … … …
"Where's Nishikata?" Tsuna's gaze swept over the empty spot behind Takagi, asking in confusion.
"He's behind, he'll be here in a moment."
Takagi pursed her lips and smiled; her steps didn't stop, she lightly passed Tsuna in a few steps, then squatted down by the goldfish scooping stall.
She settled right next to Shouko, who was fully focused, her brows slightly furrowed, staring at the movement on the water's surface.
The warm yellow light shone down, and shimmering specks of light on the water danced on their lowered eyelashes.
Tsuna retracted his gaze, looked back through the bustling crowd, and saw Nishikata standing there with a foolish smile, a few meters away by the takoyaki stall.
As if he were possessed…
He was too lazy to go call him, so he pulled out his phone and called, only to see Nishikata jolt and frantically pull out his phone to answer.
"Mi… Miyamura? What's wrong?"
"Come back to your senses! Look around you."
As soon as his voice fell, Nishikata first looked around, and only after realizing he didn't see Tsuna and the others did he hurriedly ask:
"Where are you guys now? I'll come find you."
"The goldfish scooping stall on the left."