After skating for a while, we took the subway back to our original district before it got too late. Then, we had an intimate steak dinner at the restaurant I had reserved in advance. I feel this every time, but it's a shame there's no alcohol... My face is so recognizable now that getting caught frequenting the Black Market would immediately become a scandal, so I can't even get my hands on any.
Come to think of it, it probably wasn't easy for Nagisa to give up our Christmas Eve dinner date, especially since we had decided to have a small party on Christmas Day itself. Is this the grace of the main wife? From now on, I must serve and honor her so she never feels any regret.
We walked along the same promenade the three of us had strolled down not long ago, enjoying the scenery fully decorated for the Christmas season. Just as we stopped in front of a small, lavishly adorned Christmas tree, Hina spoke up.
"Originally, I was planning to ask if I could kiss you when we parted ways here... if you could give me a proper kiss, just like you do with Nagisa."
"I see... Yes, I agree the atmosphere here is much better. But earlier, it was honestly hard to resist."
"...Actually, I was grateful that you initiated it. It means I can ask for you again here, right?"
"Whoa... Our Hina-chan is being awfully assertive today, isn't she? Ahaha, but I like it! This has its own charm!"
The sight of Hina and me standing face-to-face in front of the Christmas tree... Hmm, from a third-person perspective, wouldn't it be a picture-perfect scene?
...Let's set aside how strange it might look for an angel and a devil to be doing this on Christmas Eve.
"Mika, I had a little talk with Nagisa recently..."
"Hm? With Nagisa-chan?"
"Nagisa said it'll probably be difficult to divide our time so neatly next year. And I feel the same way."
"...Ah."
That... was hard to deny. But love is inherently a two-way street, and while there are several girls who like me, the only one who has managed to not just shake but completely turn my heart upside down is still Haruna.
The problem was that this one person was likely Nagisa's biggest concern.
"...Why don't you take this chance to have an honest talk with Nagisa? It seems like as long as you're happy, she doesn't mind anything else."
"What about you, Hina-chan?"
I never thought Nagisa and Hina would become close enough to speak so openly, but thinking about it, Hina's personality would have made it hard for Nagisa to be too harsh on her. She's just that kind of person.
At the very least, Haruna was the only one who had gotten on Nagisa's nerves enough to create direct confrontation. Even that had subsided recently, but honestly, I think it's closer to resignation. I mean, when we first went to Shanhaijing, Nagisa let out a sigh filled with all sorts of emotions just from hearing that Haruna was accompanying me. That says it all.
"I'm, umm. In a way, I'm the stone that rolled in, aren't I...? So even if you just treat me as you do now, I don't really have any complaints... In fact, I'm happier now than I could have ever imagined at the beginning." (TN: "The stone that rolled in" (굴러들어온 돌) is a Korean idiom for an outsider who disrupts an existing group or dynamic.)
"Even if it means less time for you when I embrace Haruna-chan as well?"
"...I'd dislike that a little. But we can't just keep ignoring a problem that's right in front of us. Neither I nor Nagisa can win against you, Mika. And since we know better than anyone how much you're struggling, we don't want to see you suffer."
"..."
Ironically, what Hina said didn't make me focus on my relationships. Rather, hearing that we couldn't just keep ignoring an obvious problem made me think.
But where and how should I even begin to approach it? The fact that I came from outside Kivotos... that I, an utter stranger, had taken over Mika's body, albeit not by choice. How do I tell them I plan to return the original Mika someday? And if I do, who do I tell?
I should rightfully tell Hina, with whom I'm in a relationship, but I haven't even told Nagisa that I intend to return the body to the original Mika. Entangled with Gematria's machinations and with Mika hiding secrets I don't even know, cleanly revealing the whole truth is no easy task.
Nagisa affirmed that she would see me as my own person, but how much of the affection the other girls have for me is due to Mika's appearance?
In the first place, there's no guarantee that the body Gematria is preparing is even a living being. Golconde referred to it as an "artificial angel," which could mean they're planning to craft a Total Assault boss like Hieronymus into a human form.
In this situation, it's not desirable for my relationships with the other girls to continue deepening. If I were to suddenly accept Haruna just because I got Hina and Nagisa's permission, it would only make an already complicated situation even more chaotic.
It's difficult. It was an excessively difficult problem for someone like me to solve on the spot.
At the very least, it wasn't something I could come up with a solution for right now.
"About that... I'll talk to Nagisa-chan first. Yes, and thank you for being honest with me."
After saying that to Hina, I fumbled around in my handbag and took out the gift I had set aside. I was originally supposed to give it to her later, but since we live apart, I had brought it with me to give it to her in person.
"Hina-chan, this is my Christmas present for you. You can wait until Boxing Day, or you can open it right now if you want."
"Then I'll wait. It seems like a gift that would be a little too much to open right now."
...Huh. The box is on the smaller side, but surely she didn't mistake it for a ring, did she? It's not that...
Hina carefully tucked away my gift and, in turn, pulled out an elegantly wrapped present and offered it to me. The way she clutched it with both hands, her face blushing, was a sight I wanted to capture in a photograph... but perhaps it's better to just engrave it in my memory.
"I didn't prepare a very expensive gift, but... I hope you like it."
I carefully took the box, a little longer than the span of my hand, and placed it gently in my handbag. Since Hina said she'd wait, I decided I'd open all my presents on Boxing Day too.
"Thank you, Hina-chan."
Without another word, I stepped forward and kissed her on the forehead as I usually did. But seeing the somewhat disappointed look on her face, it seemed that now that the floodgates were open, this was no longer enough to satisfy her.
"Ahaha! That's a farewell kiss. Is it okay to receive it now?"
"...Then, please give it to me a little later."
"Yes, I like your honesty☆"
After exchanging gifts, Hina and I held each other for a while, sharing our warmth. Listening to her say things like she was grateful to spend such a wonderful day with me was enough to make my own face burn.
In the end, overcome by the atmosphere, we stood there kissing for nearly half an hour. So, I guess you could say Hina's wish came true.
***
"...Fufu. You cruel person. Don't you think it's too much to leave a fish thrashing in the net without even pulling it out?"
After making sure Hina was on her way, I was about to head to the subway platform bound for Trinity when a familiar voice came from behind me.
Haruna greeted me with the same confident smile as always.
She was in her usual outfit, but perhaps because of the cold weather, she was wearing her coat properly for once.
"Haruna-chan? How did you..."
"Why, Hina-ssi told me, of course. You can spare a little time for me as well, can't you? See, I even bought some warm bungeoppang to share."
As I watched Haruna cheerfully waving the bag of fish-shaped pastries, various thoughts crossed my mind. If I had known things would turn out like this, I would have brought the gift I prepared for Haruna to give to her in person. It felt like a wasted opportunity.
"You don't need to stay with me for too long. You have to be home before the day changes, don't you?"
"Yeah. That's the plan."
"Then that gives us... about 30 minutes, I suppose. Fufut. Then, this way for a moment."
Haruna took my hand and led me to a nearby bench. It was an unexpected meeting with one of the very people I had been agonizing over, but honestly, I was very happy to see her. We would have seen each other at the practice room after Christmas anyway, but meeting up personally always felt a little different.
"Mika-ssi, would you mind closing your eyes for a moment?"
"...Hey, Haruna-chan. We decided not to do that anymore, remember?"
"Fufu. Now that you mention it, I believe we did. I have half a mind to kidnap you and spend all day tomorrow with you, but Nagisa-ssi might get quite angry if I did... It won't be easy, but perhaps I shall try to restrain myself this year."
I accepted the bungeoppang Haruna offered me. Looking at her now, Haruna had changed a lot compared to when we first met. Her habit of blowing up restaurants hadn't disappeared, but perhaps because she was conscious of me, the reasons for her recent explosions were all things I couldn't help but nod in agreement with.
Her my-pace personality was still there, but it seemed she could hold back about half the time when she needed to. Getting close to Noa seemed to have had a really positive effect. Should I say the title of "critic" now suited her better than "gourmet terrorist"?
...Apart from that, it's not like she'd stopped causing trouble with the Gourmet Research Society kids. But still.
"I heard cream-filled bungeoppang is popular these days, but unfortunately, the place I stopped by only had red bean paste... Mmm! Delicious..."
The sight of Haruna smiling after taking a bite of the pastry was so charming that I couldn't help but stare. Besides re-confirming that I was an *eol-ppa*, it was just nice to see Haruna shining most beautifully when she was enjoying fine food.
As I sat right next to Haruna, eating the bungeoppang, I felt like I could understand the "ultimate gastronomy" she was always talking about.
It was just an ordinary bungeoppang, nothing special, but the fact that it tasted exceptionally sweet... well. Maybe this was Haruna's special gift.
After we each ate two, only one bungeoppang was left in the bag. Haruna took it out, split it in half, and offered me the head part, which was visibly larger.
"Mika-ssi, I don't think I can be satisfied with just a simple friendship."
"...Yeah."
"However, I can't just push forward when you have such a worried look on your face... so for today, I will let the warmth of this bungeoppang convey my feelings instead."
Was it that obvious on my face? If Haruna could tell, maybe I needed to work on my poker face.
"What is your idea of the ultimate gastronomy?"
"That's a bit of a sudden question. Hmm, I've never thought about it deeply, but..."
"Ah, you don't need to think too hard about it. To be honest, your answer right now isn't that important."
"...Hey, then why did you ask?"
"Because... this is my declaration that when I ask this question again someday, your answer will be me, Kurodate Haruna."
"Whoa...?"
Haruna stood up, and her tail swayed, catching my eye. In that moment, she took a gift box from her handbag and held it out to me.
"Fufu. This year, Mika-ssi is a naughty girl who won't even deliver a gift in person. May I look forward to a different story next year?"
"...We'll see."
After handing me the gift, Haruna coolly walked away. Just like that day in the past when she had confessed her feelings so confidently before leaving.
If one thing was certain, it was that Haruna was extremely satisfied with my answer. And that Nagisa would try to shove a roll cake down my throat when she heard about this.
***