My stepmother's burden is my ex-girlfriend.

"mom……"

Jie Nu gently advised her mother while stealing a glance at me.

Is this a warning to me? I don't need you to remind me, and I won't say it anyway.

Aunt Ren smiled sarcastically, resting her cheek on her elbow on the table.

"Oh dear, I'm really looking forward to it. I wonder when Yume and Mizuto will finally go out for Christmas?"

"Yujin, why don't we try to be young again sometime?"

"Hehe, that's true, now there's one more thing to look forward to~ You two really need to work hard now."

...Dad and Aunt Youren don't know.

My relationship with Jie Nu actually only happened once, when we sneaked out of the house during Christmas.

Even my parents, who lived with me, didn't know. Only the two of us knew what had happened under that cold sky.

That was when I was in the second year of junior high school.

It was the first and last Christmas I spent with Yui Ayai.

◆

"—Daddy's home—! Mizuto—I'm back from buying a cake—!"

I'm Mizuto Irito, a second-year junior high school student with a girlfriend. On this Christmas Day, I'm one of those people who can unconditionally gain a relative advantage over the many men in the world.

But for some reason—I'm sitting down with my dad now, just like last year, eating a small piece of cake we bought from a random convenience store, just like last year.

If the idea that "Christmas should be spent with your lover" is a value that evolved in a Galapagos-like way in Japan, then my way of spending Christmas should be the proper way to celebrate it.

...But, I must say but.

I just can't understand it. Shouldn't a Christmas with a girlfriend be something even more special?

"How was the chocolate cake? Was it delicious?"

"……not bad."

"Give me a bite. I'll share a bite of my strawberry cake with you too."

This conversation... shouldn't it be with my girlfriend, Yui Ayai? How could this happen...?

No, I understand. I understand everything.

We are middle school students, and we are hiding the fact that we are dating from everyone around us, so it's impossible for us to go to a fashionable and romantic place at night to celebrate the holiday.

So, at least we did manage to meet during the day. We went to the place where the "Jingle Bells" music had been playing non-stop for about a month, and joined the large group of couples.

And then, just like that, everyone went home normally.

It's not special at all.

It's no different from going to and from school normally—and I understand why.

Very well, laugh at me then. Laugh all you want.

Laugh at me, this unparalleled coward, for being too timid to give her the gift I specially prepared for today!

The gift box I mustered up the courage to ask the shop assistant to wrap has now become a decoration on my desk.

I want to die.

"Hmm, what's wrong, Mizuto? Why are you so listless?... Ah, I know, you haven't given me a present yet! Here, I haven't forgotten to prepare one~! -- A library card!"

I want to die.

◇

"...I want to die..."

I, Ayai Yui, am alone, slumped over my desk in my room, consumed by thoughts of suicide.

Rather than wanting to die, it's more accurate to say I'm already dead. I am already dead. Thank you for your continued support, and please look forward to my next work.

"Why am I always like this... Every time... No matter how much preparation I put in, I can never do anything when it comes to the actual performance... I've had enough..."

There was a well-packaged box on the table.

This is a gift I prepared for today, to give to my classmate Irito.

I was planning to give it to you during our Christmas date, but it's still with me now. In other words, that's the situation.

The date itself was very enjoyable. We went to places we don't usually go on dates and fully enjoyed the belated feeling of "Wow! We're really dating!"

But perhaps that's precisely why.

If I accidentally do something wrong, I wonder if I'll ruin this wonderful atmosphere and spoil this happy mood... I had these thoughts all over my head, and in the end, I couldn't give him the gift.

"Uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu"

I feel like crying all the time.

I'm always like this; whatever I want to do, I almost never succeed. The only thing I ever succeeded at was confessing my feelings to Irito-san…

...If I keep doing this, will he ever stop liking me...?

"Yui--? I'm going to take a shower first~?"

Just when I was about to cry, I happened to hear my mother's voice.

...Oh right, I need to take a shower.

Every day after I finish showering, I talk to my classmate Irito on the phone.

Just tell him, "Actually, I prepared a gift. I'll give it to you next time!"

"...Okay...I can do it...!"

In that case, we should do good deeds as early as possible.

Just as I was about to tell my mom, "I want to take a shower first," the phone on the table started playing old Western songs.

“…………!”

This is the theme song of a movie that my friend Irito recommended to me before we even started dating.

So he only plays this song when he calls me.

I quickly grabbed my phone.

Then carefully slide the answer button to avoid accidentally hanging up the phone.

"Hello...?"

"...Ayai. 』

The sound I most wanted to hear came from my phone.

That alone is enough to make me happy, but then, Irito said something unexpected.

"Could you come out onto the balcony for a moment?"

◇

I looked up and watched the white breath dissipate into the air. Soon after, the window of Ayai's room opened.

Ayai leaned out from the balcony, and as soon as she saw me standing downstairs at the apartment building, she made a groaning sound into her phone.

"How...how...how could this be...?"

"No, well... after all, it's Christmas today."

I'm so embarrassed. I just want to make up some excuse to get by.

But I have to be patient. What's wrong with not being cool or making excuses today? ...Because it's Christmas.

I took a deep breath and suppressed the middle school boy's attempt to act cool.

"...I want to see you one more time."

"...Ugh! ~~~~ Ugh!"

On the other end of the phone, Ayai made a barely audible sound.

W-what's wrong? What happened? She looked as if she had sensed the presence of an Old One.

While I was still completely confused, the phone rang and hung up.

Afterwards, Ayai, who had been standing on the balcony, went back to her room.

"...Ahh..."

I knew she'd find me disgusting...

Come to think of it... even a boyfriend would be startled if someone suddenly showed up in the middle of the night...

Ugh, I want to die. I'm so sorry for being born.

"—I...Irito-san!"

Just as I was so desperate that I turned into Osamu Dazai, a petite figure came running out of the apartment door... Huh?

"Aya...Ayai?"

Ayai ran along the cold sidewalk, exhaling white mist to adjust her breathing.

She rested her hands on her knees, looked up at me, and smiled shyly.

"Ah... hahaha. I... I ran here?"

◇

"Uh...no...isn't this what I should be saying?"

Irito calmly retorted with this sentence.

But after he finished speaking, he didn't move at all... He was probably startled by me.

"...Aha."

I'm a little happy.

He startled me just now, and now he's gotten his revenge.

I couldn't calm down and wait for the elevator, so I ran down the stairs and it took me a while to catch my breath. I finally let go of my hands from my knees and smiled shyly again.

"Hehe... Mom is taking a shower right now, so... I took this opportunity to sneak out."

"Oh... I see. I see..."

"So, um... I can probably only stay with you for about half an hour...."

"Half an hour, right... I see."

We are naturally quiet people, but today we have become even more taciturn.

However, being able to have this kind of conversation with him, which is not humorous at all and is so slow that it makes you anxious, makes me incredibly happy.

Ah... So Irito-san also thinks today is a special day.

So he cherishes the time he spends with me so much...

Because he is not usually one to reveal his inner thoughts, the subtle emotions he inadvertently displays always fascinate me.

For example, at first glance he only thinks of himself, but in fact he is both considerate and gentle.

Or they may always appear calm and composed, but are actually secretly panicking inside.

Without realizing it, I began to notice these fleeting glimpses of Irito's true self, and I kept them all in my heart.

I carefully stored them in the album of my heart, and then savored them again and again—originally, reading was the only pleasure in my world, but these moments were so joyful that they overturned that notion.

So, I—

"Achoo!"

I shivered and sneezed.

Strange? ...Oh, right.

"...I forgot to wear my coat..."

I suddenly felt very cold as soon as I realized I wasn't wearing a coat.

I was too impatient... Waaaaah, why do I always fail at crucial moments and ruin precious time...?