The next day.
Winter vacation had officially begun.
After escorting Karuizawa back to her dormitory the previous evening, Hikigaya and she had exchanged contact details. She had used the excuse of returning the borrowed uniform, but it was obviously just a pretext. Hikigaya wasn’t dense enough not to realize that.
Upon returning to his own dorm room, he had crashed onto his bed and fallen asleep without even changing clothes. The fatigue from the term, combined with the emotional exhaustion of recent events, had drained him more than expected.
And now, in the early morning hours, he lay cocooned in his blanket like a burrito, scrolling through his phone with just one hand poking out. He wasn’t about to get up. Not now, not anyti soon.
"Winter break really is the strongest ti of the year," he thought. "Maybe second only to sumr break."
Just then, his phone buzzed—a notification from LN.
He groaned.
Of course it was LN.
He was already familiar with this cursed application and its cursed read-receipt function. It was the kind of app that revealed whether or not soone had read a ssage. There was no backing out once you opened it. It was the digital version of stepping on a landmine. The mont you clicked, there was no retreat.
He sighed.
After ntally preparing himself for the social consequences, he tapped the notification.
It was from Ichinose.
Of course.
[Ichinose: Hikigaya-kun, are you free in the next two days?]
Tomorrow was Christmas Eve. The day after was Christmas Day.
This type of ssage typically had only two possible intentions—either soone wanted to make plans, or they were inviting you to work on so kind of project. But it was Christmas, so clearly the forr.
There was no need to think too deeply.
[Hikigaya: These next two days... might be a bit busy...]
A vague reply, carefully worded.
Technically, it was a lie. He wasn’t busy. But it was Christmas, and on principle, he refused to participate in the collective illusion that it was a magical ti for couples and candlelight dates. In truth, Christmas had religious roots—it was a ti for family gatherings, to celebrate traditions and, in so cultures, feast on turkey.
Now, however, it had devolved into a loud, flashy consur trap.
Everyone was rushing around, pretending to be happy, going on dates, posting selfies with overpriced lattes under fairy lights. It was all just noise.
And he wanted no part in it.
Ichinose’s reply ca instantly.
[Ichinose: Ah, I see! Hikigaya-kun must already have a date for Christmas, right?]
[Hikigaya: Hmm... you could say that.]
He averted his gaze awkwardly.
What kind of "date" did he an? Well, he had already made a ntal note to swing by KFC and pick up one of their Christmas buckets. In Japan, this had beco a bizarrely standard tradition. Families—or single loners—would line up at KFC for fried chicken as if it were sacred.
"So yeah," he mumbled to himself, "I’ve already got an appointnt... with Colonel Sanders."
Ichinose ssaged again.
[Ichinose: Oh, sorry! I ant to say I’d made a karaoke plan with Hikigaya-kun. How about we go together after Christmas instead?]
"Wait, what?"
Hikigaya blinked.
When did that happen? He didn’t rember agreeing to any such thing.
He tried to recall. Maybe she had ntioned it in passing before the final exams. He had been busy preparing for the class matching test, so it was entirely possible he had nodded along to sothing without fully listening.
Still, it was hard to imagine he’d willingly agree to karaoke of all things.
But Ichinose seed confident. She was probably right. There might have been so unavoidable circumstance—maybe she had cornered him in that energetic way of hers, and he hadn’t managed to escape.
[Hikigaya: Let’s talk about it later.]
There. That was the escape route. Delay it long enough, and maybe it would be forgotten altogether.
As soon as he ended the conversation with Ichinose, another ssage popped up.
This ti, it was from nlai.
[nlai: Hey, do you have any plans for Christmas, Small Business?]
"Wow..."
Hikigaya leaned back dramatically, distancing himself from the screen like soone trying to dodge an incoming punch.
He had seen this coming.
nlai was always more direct than Ichinose. She didn’t beat around the bush—she aid straight for the heart. That made things more complicated. A vague answer wouldn’t cut it with her.
If he lied and said he had plans, she might call his bluff.
Still, she didn’t seem like the type to trap soone with a trick question.
[Hikigaya: Maybe... not sure yet.]
He went with ambiguity. That way, she couldn’t accuse him of lying, nor would he be committed to anything.
anwhile, in the girls’ dormitory...
nlai and her close friend Juke were lying on nlai’s bed, their legs swinging lazily while they both stared at the sa phone screen.
"Hmm... what does he an by ’maybe’?" Juke frowned. "That guy... is he seriously pretending to be mysterious?"
Her voice was casual, but she sounded vaguely annoyed. In truth, she was already ntally cursing Hikigaya for being difficult.
"Does he not want to hang out with us?" she thought bitterly.
That would be infuriating.
He was supposed to be the socially awkward loner. He wasn’t supposed to be in high demand. Where did he get off acting like a catch?
nlai, on the other hand, just grinned confidently and flashed a peace sign.
"He’s just being careful," she said. "Small Business is surprisingly popular, you know. Maybe soone else already made plans with him."
Juke raised an eyebrow. She wasn’t convinced.
"Popular? That guy?"
But nlai remained firm.
"Seriously. Think about it—Sakura-san and Kushida-san are both possibilities. They might’ve invited him already."
"Even if they did," Juke muttered, "wouldn’t he just say no?"
"Not necessarily."
nlai rested her chin in her hands, deep in thought. "If it’s soone like Kushida, he might not refuse. He’s been trying to be more sociable lately, right? He’s even tead up with Huko a few tis. People have started noticing him more."
Juke scowled.
That was the problem.
People had started noticing him.
"What are we supposed to do then?" she asked, frustration creeping into her voice. "You’re acting like he’s so kind of celebrity."
nlai didn’t reply right away. Her gaze lingered on the phone.
"...He didn’t give a solid yes or no," she said slowly. "That ans he’s the kind of person who won’t make empty promises. He won’t say yes unless he really ans it."
"So?"
"So we just need to leave a good impression on him now," nlai said firmly. "We’re already ahead—we talk to him more than most girls do. That’s our advantage."
She paused, smirking confidently.
"And if other girls invite him too, he’ll think of us first."
Juke sighed and flopped back onto the bed. "You sound like you’re strategizing for war."
"This is war, in a way," nlai said with a laugh. "A Christmas war."
—
Back in his dorm, Hikigaya was still staring at his phone, completely unaware of the scheming happening in the girls’ dormitory.
He tossed the device aside and pulled the blanket over his head.
"Why is Christmas always so damn complicated..."
Maybe next year he’d unplug everything and disappear to a temple in the mountains. No LN, no notifications, no karaoke invitations.
Just him, fried chicken, and absolute silence.
The perfect holiday.
------------------------------------------------------
Get mbership in patreon to read more Chapters
Extra Chapters available in patreon
patreon/Dragonscribe31
-----------------------------------------------------
Reviews
All reviews (0)