December 25th.
For Haizaki, out of the 365 days in a year, aside from the Spring Festival, all other holidays had nothing to do with him.
That included his own birthday.
Every year on his birthday, no one gave him gifts, and no one wished him well. He always lived that day no differently from any ordinary day.
Someone who didn't even celebrate his own birthday naturally wouldn't care about Christmas.
But this year's Christmas was different.
There was now a girl in his life.
With young girls from the Eastern Union celebrating Christmas these days, there was no need to mention Utaha, a Japanese girl.
Starting on December 20th, Haizaki occasionally received hints from her expressing her expectations for the holiday.
He realized that this year's Christmas would be different.
"Haizaki-kun, it's snowing outside—snowflakes!"
The girl's delighted voice suddenly rang out, drawing Haizaki's attention.
The first snowfall of the Lonely Apocalypse… So this world finally had snow.
"I'll be right there."
Putting down the spatula, Haizaki lowered the heat. Letting it simmer gently for another two minutes, the dish would be finished.
"Isn't it beautiful?"
When Haizaki arrived, the excited Utaha opened the window.
Cold wind carrying snowflakes swept into the room.
White, light, and pure.
Snowflakes drifted down slowly, eventually landing on the floor and melting into small puddles of water.
"It's very beautiful."
The girl's delicate face was filled with a blissful smile of pure enjoyment. She paid no heed to the cold wind, waving her hands freely as she tried to catch the spirits of winter.
"A perfect hexagon—this snowflake is a perfect hexagon…"
Noticing the shape of the snowflake in her hand, Utaha grew even more excited, her smile growing brighter.
Inspiration for the fourth volume of her new book had finally appeared.
She would use winter scenery as the theme.
Against a backdrop interwoven with white and black, Love Metronome 2 would come to its final conclusion.
"Mhm…"
Haizaki leaned closer. Under the indoor lighting, the white snowflake reflected tiny points of crystalline light. It really was a perfectly shaped hexagon.
This luck…
He didn't know whether it was the girl's luck or his timing.
In any case, Haizaki congratulated her.
"So, before it disappears, Haizaki-kun, could I trouble you with one thing?"
Haizaki had a bad feeling and instinctively took half a step back, but he was still half a beat too slow.
The girl's hands covered his face.
Cold, slightly damp, followed by a soft, elastic touch.
"Cold?"
"It won't be cold for long."
Utaha blinked and immediately understood what Haizaki meant.
Her teasing smile was instantly replaced by embarrassment.
She hurriedly withdrew her hands, looking flustered.
Haizaki's sudden innuendo always caught her off guard.
Just as she was about to retaliate and reassert her position, Utaha suddenly smelled something burnt.
"Did it… burn?"
Haizaki was startled and rushed back to the kitchen.
Watching his retreating figure, Utaha laughed.
"That's what happens when you don't turn off the heat before coming over…"
"Just a little—it's still edible…"
Haizaki's voice came from the kitchen.
"I'm not eating it!"
…
A Christmas belonging to just the two of them.
This was the first Christmas in Haizaki's life spent celebrating with a girl.
While he was happy, there was also a trace of melancholy mixed in.
After all, he could only spend this one and only Christmas with the girl before him.
"Here, Haizaki-kun. Thank you for taking care of me and looking after me for nearly nine months. Merry Christmas!"
Before dinner officially began, Utaha pulled out a wrapped box from behind her and handed it to Haizaki.
"Thank you…"
This was probably the first Christmas gift he had ever received from a girl.
"You can open it."
Seeing Haizaki about to place the gift on a nearby chair, Utaha spoke up.
At that moment, she rested her clasped hands together, her face full of eager anticipation.
"Alright."
Since she said so, not opening it would be disrespectful.
But what could be inside?
Damn.
This is intense.
The moment Haizaki saw what was inside, his hand trembled, and he almost dropped the box to the floor.
He hurriedly closed it.
The female trickster truly lived up to her reputation.
"You don't like it?"
Finally, Utaha—her face flushed red yet forcing herself to remain composed—spoke as calmly as possible, suppressing the tremor in her voice.
"No…"
"Then that means you like it!"
How was he supposed to answer that?
This gift was far too stimulating.
Even if she had asked him to guess, he would never have guessed it in a lifetime.
"Also no…"
"So Haizaki-kun doesn't like the… gift I gave him."
Women really were born actresses.
At that moment, Utaha vividly portrayed the sorrow of a girl whose gift had been rejected.
"How could that be! I like it. Thank you for this gift."
Having finally adjusted his mindset and calmed down, Haizaki returned to his usual composure.
His heart… couldn't waver.
This was merely Utaha's way of shaking his resolve.
"As long as you like it, that's better than anything. I hope you'll be able to use it soon."
Haizaki's mouth twitched.
That hint was far too obvious.
"I think that day will come."
Utaha looked slightly puzzled, unable to discern the true meaning behind his reply.
"Then I'll… wait for it."
"Merry Christmas, Kasumigaoka-san. This is for you."
Haizaki handed over the gift he had prepared.
"Call me… Utaha. This year's Christmas present is you changing how you address me!"
She had long wanted Haizaki to change the way he addressed her.
"..."
In the end, under the girl's gaze, Haizaki changed how he addressed her.
"Utaha, Merry Christmas!"
"Merry Christmas!"
…
In January, the temperatures in Wuhua City dropped even further.
However, all the necessary cold-weather preparations had already been completed.
When Wuhua City entered December, Haizaki had begun preparing for winter.
This included, but was not limited to, insulation modifications to the villa, installation of heating systems, and gathering cold-weather supplies.
Haizaki had even considered heading south to spend the winter.
But considering that if this was the world's trial for him, even going south would mean facing other natural disasters.
Perhaps not winter disasters like blizzards or freezing temperatures, but potentially even more dangerous ones.
Tsunamis, earthquakes, or falling meteors.
Haizaki felt those were far more dangerous than low temperatures.
So he chose to stay in Wuhua City.
As long as they handled insulation and heating properly, surviving the winter and making it to April would not be a problem.
And that was indeed the case.
The unusually low temperatures had no impact on the two people in the villa.
Aside from spending less time outside, their daily lives continued as usual.
…