As the end of the semester approached—one that had so many AN High School students lamenting the extra classes they'd been forced to attend—the end finally came. With the Workplace Special Exam having replaced the usual finals, there was no written test this time. Classes continued up until the evening of December 23rd, and as the students finished their last day of lessons, a frigid winter wind swept in, signaling the beginning of winter break for both students and staff.
Japan's winter break was quite peculiar, lasting only two weeks—spanning from Christmas Eve to a few days after New Year's, after which the third semester started. As for why the holiday began precisely on Christmas Eve, an originally foreign celebration, one would have to delve into local history for an explanation.
Perhaps the students, burdened with intense makeup sessions, felt the need to blow off steam. Even though classes ran late into the night, many departed the school building only to head straight for the Keyaki Mall to party. Yukio was among them; after a barrage of requests from his classmates, he ended up staying out until nearly midnight, then dragged himself back to his dorm to rest.
On the morning of the 24th, his internal clock dutifully woke him, and he forced himself out into the cold for his daily exercise. But as soon as he finished, he promptly crawled back into bed and slept until the afternoon—making him swear that next time Ishizaki and the rest suggested staying out all night, he would definitely pass.
Christmas Eve in Japan didn't involve the custom of gifting apples, given that "Peaceful Night" wasn't a linguistic match for "apple." Instead, the day was just a holiday. After rousing himself and having what was either a late lunch or an early afternoon snack, he headed out to buy some Christmas presents. (T/N: In China, gifting apples on Christmas is a way to wish a loved one a safe life—one replete with calm and peace).
Only then did he realize that while he'd been enjoying his extra sleep, a light snowfall had dusted the campus. A soft, pristine layer of white blanketed everything, transforming the scene into a wintry wonderland. One could only sigh in admiration—a white Christmas had arrived.
Originally, Yukio planned on quickly purchasing his gifts and heading back. But enchanted by the snow's beauty, he wandered aimlessly for a while, eventually spotting Karuizawa by the small wooded area near the first-year dorms.
He had arranged to spend Christmas Eve with Karuizawa—this was a decision he arrived at after some thought. At present, he had firm relationships only with her, plus plans tomorrow on Christmas Day with Shiina and Kushida.
Kushida was extremely busy, her heightened social skills and recent entry into the Student Council granting her more acquaintances among her older schoolmates. For the last couple of days, her schedule had been packed with countless invitations from other girls. Even upperclassmen wanted to hang out with her, leaving her with zero free time.
As for Shiina, she was anticipating tomorrow's holiday date, so she had gone out with Sakura today, allowing Yukio to secretly arrange this meeting with Karuizawa.
Karuizawa wore her usual school outfit: a blue shirt, an orange sweater, a pleated skirt, and black knee-high stockings—though her signature red uniform jacket had been swapped for a thick, navy-blue duffle coat. The coat's deep color stood out against the snowy ground, highlighting how her fair skin shone white as fresh powder, as delicate as porcelain.
The moment she noticed Yukio, her face, already lit with a slight smile, blossomed into the brightest grin. She left a trail of footprints in the snow as she half-ran, half-skipped toward him.
Initially, she'd been prepared to spend these two days with her girlfriends, since Yukio had already explained things about Shiina to her. Although she felt a pang of envy, she stifled it, telling herself not to bother him. So it was an unexpected delight when he called asking to spend Christmas Eve together. Even if it wasn't the "main event" of Christmas Day, she was perfectly content.
She wasn't greedy by nature. The life she had now was already more than she could have hoped for.
Seeing that pure, winter-sunshine smile on her face, even Yukio felt a hint of guilt. "Sorry we have to meet in a place like this."
Because of their covert arrangement—Karuizawa was technically still an "undercover helper" for his class—it was hard for them to date openly in front of everyone. He'd once mentioned that his classmates could clear out part of the Mall for a private date, but she had immediately refused. She definitely didn't want trouble with the wilder members of his class, especially during the holidays.
"Seriously, it's fine!" Karuizawa exclaimed, so excited that she paused right in front of him, balancing on one foot and spinning around like a little girl seeing snow for the first time. "This alone makes me really happy, truly!"
"I absolutely do not want your classmates—those scary guys—to cause a scene," she added wryly, recalling how the idea of them shutting down a whole space in the Mall had alarmed her.
There was something about this small grove that she loved: it felt nostalgic—returning to the same place as lovers. After all, it was here, partly thanks to her friends Satou and Shinohara, that she finally cut ties with her fake boyfriend, Hirata, which opened the door to her genuine relationship with Yukio. Thinking back, it had been nearly three months since then. She flushed slightly, unconsciously reaching a hand behind her, recalling the time he'd spanked her here, fulfilling that odd half-joking promise.
Seeing Karuizawa's cheeks redden as she tried to guard against a similar "attack," Yukio couldn't help but laugh inwardly. 'No matter what you do, if I want to smack you again, I'll find a way.'
"All right—Merry Christmas!" he said, offering a bright smile. "Well, one day early, but let's call it a little head start." He handed her a stylish Gucci gift bag. Karuizawa froze, then broke into unstoppable laughter that quickly turned into tears.
Startled, Yukio fumbled, blowing into his hands to warm them before using them to wipe away her tears. "Huh? What's wrong?"
"S-sorry," she murmured, voice quivering from the tears. "I'm just…so happy." She scrunched up her red eyes, trying to hold back the flood of emotion but failing. "I've never had anyone give me a Christmas present before." She half-choked on the words, but it was undeniably pure joy.
"Right…" Yukio remembered how she had been viciously bullied in the past, leaving little chance for her to receive gifts. Thinking of those tormentors, a surge of rage flickered inside him. But since he had already dealt with those bullies, he suppressed that anger so it wouldn't mar this holiday moment.
He recalled each of their miserable downfalls and forced himself to refocus. It's over now, he told himself, and pulled Karuizawa into a tight embrace, placing one hand gently on the back of her head, guiding her closer. "I promise you," he whispered, "the gifts I give you in the future will be so many, you probably won't have the space to store them all."
Still pressed against his chest, Karuizawa's voice trembled happily, tears subsiding. "Then I'll… I'll sleep in the living room, turning my bedroom into a gift storage, if that's what it takes!"
"Hey now," Yukio teased, relieved she was already joking again. His hand slid from the back of her head down to the center of her back, gently patting to help ease away her tears. "You don't have to go that far. You'll be staying in my room, obviously."
Flushing at his remark, Karuizawa's renewed shyness replaced the tears, though she said nothing to refute him. In fact, she curled herself even more snugly into his arms, letting his reassuring pats calm her lingering sniffles. Right now, she felt truly, profoundly happy.
***
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