"Wow, this Christmas tree is huge."
After a short walk, Yukio and the other two arrived at Zelkova Mall, which was already brimming with holiday cheer.
Even though it was still daytime, there were lights and decorations everywhere. A specially made six-meter-tall Christmas tree stood out in spectacular fashion. Surrounding trees were adorned with strings of little lights, sparkling with enchanting colors. Their large synthetic branches held numerous gorgeous gift boxes, which—predictably—were all empty props, just for decoration.
The festive atmosphere was intense, and most students were out celebrating Christmas at Zelkova Mall. But rather than gazing at the Christmas trees, many people's eyes were on the trio—Yukio flanked by two girls, strolling about town.
Naturally, the male students were green with envy, silently cursing Yukio for hogging it all, going out with two distinctively beautiful girls on such a perfect holiday. Of course, nobody literally believed he was hogging them; if anyone asked around, they'd hear that he was just out with two classmates from his own class for Christmas.
As for the female students, their jealousy was at least as strong. Shiina and Ibuki got to spend the winter "Valentine's Day" with the guy recognized as the school's top talent across three grade levels. Girls generally love having something that others don't—some sense of uniqueness. Here, they were the have-nots, while Shiina and Ibuki were the haves.
Still, however sour or envious people felt, they had to admit that Yukio, with one girl on each side, didn't look out of place. The three of them actually looked quite fitting together.
All around, the businesses were booming—some staff wore Santa Claus suits to hand out flyers, while others went a step further, dressing up their female employees in rather skimpy Santa outfits to distribute flyers. Of course, in such cold weather, male students passing by—seeing how thinly those older sisters were dressed—felt bad for them, those bare shoulders and collarbones exposed to the chill. Acting chivalrous, a bunch of the guys accepted the flyers and even went inside to shop.
Shiina, apparently noticing this detail, made a rather mischievous comment loud enough for Ibuki to hear. "If you like that, Yukio, why not buy me one of those Santa outfits? I could try it on at home."
Yukio was genuinely tempted. He was about to ask where they sold them, when Ibuki's reaction came first—sunny turning stormy in an instant, her voice tense. "Y-you! Yukio! You've completely corrupted Shiina!"
Even if Ibuki originally had her own issues with Shiina, she couldn't deny that Shiina was precisely the type of sweet, well-behaved girl a guy would adore. Thus, she didn't want to criticize Shiina unfairly; instead, she concluded that Shiina must have been led astray by a perverted Yukio.
Shiina herself was blushing, a bit surprised at her own boldness. Normally, even if she entertained that sort of idea, she'd only say so to Yukio privately, back in the dorm. But here she was, talking about it in front of Ibuki. She sighed inwardly, Indeed, a girl in love can show her tigress side to guard her territory.
Facing Ibuki's claim that he had led Shiina astray, Yukio just retorted straightforwardly, "Corrupted? This is just a little fun between a couple. As long as we aren't bothering anyone else, how can you call it corrupt?"
"Li-little fun?" Ibuki's voice pitched higher, as if she'd guessed something, her eyes practically spinning. A faint flush showed on her cheeks. "So you two— you're at that stage already? H-how can that be?! You're only first-year students!"
At this accusation, Yukio blinked and glanced at Shiina. 'Huh, guess she had a point', if you thought about it, maybe they'd gone further than normal first-years. But Shiina—and Kushida, for that matter—didn't feel like first-years at all, so he might've overlooked that.
Meanwhile, Ibuki's anger and embarrassment morphed into something else. The veins on her forehead popped up again, forming a big angry mark. She could just tell from his expression that Yukio was thinking something rude. 'Shiina, please rein him in', she thought, shifting her gaze to Shiina.
But Shiina, face lowered, only twirled her fingers, as though Ibuki's guess were spot-on. That gave Ibuki a sinking feeling. The paint misunderstanding in the art classroom had been just that, a misunderstanding—but from Shiina's current demeanor, this looked far from a misunderstanding. Possibly those two really had done it, maybe even more than once.
At that realization, Ibuki felt as if even wearing these newly swapped long jeans wasn't enough to protect her from the cold. A biting wind whistled into her body, chilling her blood, draining the last of her warmth. She found herself recalling that moment on the school's art-room stairwell, collapsed in dismay. Indeed, it dawned on her that the emotional fortress between Yukio and Shiina was rock-solid.
No wonder Shiina didn't mind letting Ibuki join them for a Christmas date—nor did she mind talking about "I could try a Santa outfit" in front of Ibuki, with the obvious intention of rattling her to quit. Indeed, Ibuki once claimed she'd show them the samurai daughter's perseverance today. But now, faced with the knowledge of how far things had gone between them, she felt that her so-called tenacity was worthless.
Should she give up, then? Just leave?
Confused, Ibuki glanced at Yukio, memories flickering through her mind in an instant: how he'd so effortlessly subdued the class at the start of the school year; how his smarts led the class to repeated victories; their late-night chats on the uninhabited island, when he said it was great that she ended up in his class; that youthful rush of them doing the three-legged race together at the sports festival… the clueless moment during the Workplace Special Exam at the aquarium when she first realized her feelings…
She wanted to run, yet didn't want to run. She had no clue what to do.
"!"
In that haze, something very warm suddenly wrapped around her hand, snapping her out of her stupor. Looking down, she discovered it was Yukio's hand, openly grasping her slender fingers.
Like a beam of light illuminating the darkness, like a cool breeze clearing the fog, that simple gesture made Ibuki's heart surge. She felt the impulse to stand strong again.
"Huh, you…?" Ibuki stammered, words jumbling, making no sense.
Yukio casually lifted his left hand. It was already entwined with Shiina's right, and he lightly moved them forward so Ibuki could see. "It's cold and crowded out here," he said. "Holding hands keeps us warm and helps us stay together without getting separated."
How strange—it was so simple, but Ibuki reflexively tightened her grip on his right hand. She marveled at how unbelievably reassuring that small act felt. Moments ago, she'd grown uneasy just seeing him talk intimately with Shiina. Yet now, even while noticing that they were also holding hands, the feeling in her chest was… warm.
'Why was that? Is it because… at the same time he's holding her hand, he's also holding mine?' she wondered. 'Or… because he realized I was troubled and reached out to reassure me too? If that's the case…' Ibuki's lips curved into a haughty smile. Yes, if that's how things stood, then she wouldn't lose. She absolutely wouldn't lose!
***
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