19 Christmas, Family, and Reality (End)

A month has passed since the school festival, and my locker is full with love letters. Seriously, I don't know what is wrong with these fangirls. I have rejected some of them more than twice. I don't even know why they did it.

Anyway, I take all of the love letters in my locker, and keep it in my bag. There are 23 letters, and I will read them later at lunchtime. Seriously, why would you give love letters to someone whose locker is full with them?

I don't understand. Do they think it is lottery or something? There is no such thing as the higher you bet, the higher the chance to win in this shit.

"As popular as usual, Hachiman!" Someone exclaimed from the back.

I turn my head, and find it is Kaori. Ever since the school festival, she starts calling me Hachiman. Also, she keeps trying her best to strike a conversation with me, despite how many times I have cut it short. She is so eager to mend our broken relationship, it seems.

"Well, my sister told me I wasn't popular before. So, you just said something wrong."

"W-well, that is... Aha-ha-ha..."

Squirm in guilt, and entertain me, woman!

"Well, chill out. I was just messing with you."

"O-oh, is that so? That's so funny!"

I nod my head slightly, and pass her to go to the classroom. She follows me from behind, but I don't pay any attention to her. I am thinking about the purpose of me going to school.

I have already finished the entire curriculum, and not even the teachers know what to teach me anymore. Everytime I go to school, I will either close my eyes and do a profound thinking, or making a new trading algorithm.

Aside from doing that, I am wasting my time at school. Luckily, I still have Saki who can really engage herself in our conversation, as he knows many things.

Well, aside from the naughty ones.

"Good morning, Hikigaya-kun!"

"Yo, morning, Hikigaya!"

"Ossu, Hachiman!"

Upon entering the classroom, everyone greets me. These bastards have finally thought of me as their friend. Surely, I don't think they are my friend.

Who are they joking? I can't even recall when I ever talked with them properly.

When I have sat myself down, I look to my side. Saki hasn't come yet. She comes later than usual for this past month. Although she doesn't tell me anything, I know she is late because she is working out.

She must have pushed herself too much that she needs to sleep longer than usual. I will talk about this to her later. Although working out is good, pushing one's body too much is not.

That being said, I don't know what her reason of working out though. Well, I will ask her later.

Speaking of the devil, here she comes.

"Yo, Saki!"

"Good morning, Hachiman-kun!"

She sits on her chair, and smiles at me. Even though she is pushing herself, I think it's not that bad of a thing. She smiles more often lately, and it is pleasant to see it.

...

It is already lunchtime, and we are on the rooftop eating our lunch. I have sent those weird-ass chinpira away so they won't bother me, and it's time to ask Saki about her workout.

"How many hours do you spend working out, Saki?"

"Y-yes?" She asked nervously.

"You don't need to hide such thing from me. It's not an embarrassing thing."

"W-well..." She sighs. "I think it is around two hours a day?"

"You are really pushing yourself, aren't you?"

"Hm."

"Why are you working out now, though?"

"That is..." She is hesitating. At this, I am sure it must be because of her weight. When I am about to tell her she doesn't need to say it, she speaks. "I read that working out can raise one's attractiveness. So, I'm doing it for that."

I am shooketh!

That reason is unexpected to say the least. Although what she has said is right, she doesn't need it. She's already beautiful.

"Listen, Saki. How many times have I told you to be confident on yourself." I pause, and stare into her eyes deeply. "You are beautiful." She instantly blushes.

I can't help it. Messing with her is also one of my source of amusement.

"T-thank you, Hachiman-kun."

"I'm sure you don't believe me, do you?" She tries to deny it, but I interject her even before she says a thing. "Let me show you something."

I take her hairbands off, and undo her braids. Then, I spread her soft hair. Saki is too bewildered at my action, she doesn't know how to react. I take out my phone, and take a picture of her.

Click!

"Here, see for yourself." I give her my phone.

She takes it in her hand, and stares at the screen intently. Then, her mouth gapes in disbelief.

"Th-this is me?!"

"Yes, that's you. Beautiful, don't you think?"

"Y-yes..."

I chuckle at her reaction. This girl is quite something. How does she not know of her own face? Maybe, it's because of her bad eyes?

"Also, you will be absolutely gorgeous, if you take off your glasses."

"R-really?"

Instead of answering, I take off her glasses, and take a photo of her using my phone again.

"Here." I give her my phone.

She can't even take my phone. Her eyes are that bad. I put back the glasses on her, and only then she can see normally again.

"W-what? A-am I seeing it right?"

"Yes, you ARE beautiful, Saki."

She looks at me emotionally. I can see tears are accumulating in the corner of her eyes. I smile softly, not because I'm moved, but because I don't know how to react. Things got emotional real quick in this world, apparently.

"So, you don't have to push yourself too much. You are already beautiful."

"I.. I guess so." Saki wipes the accumulating tears of her face. "But, I will keep working out. I find that I like working out. So, I will keep doing it."

That's the spirit!

"I have a suggestion of a good gym for you. It's the gym I am enrolling myself into."

"Oh, really? I will like to go there!"

"Sure, let's go together after school."

Kuhahaha! This is my chance. With Saki around, that pervert of a woman, Asako, will never be able to molest me any longer!

Surely, it is just my imagination. Asako still finds her way to separate our schedule, and continues to harass me.

...

Time quickly passed, and Christmas has come. The air outside is cold, and bits of snowflakes have started to fall from the sky.

Surely, I don't feel cold, since I am inside the house. Maiko is preparing the food, while Komachi is helping her. We are going to celebrate Christmas as a family.

"Seriously, Hachiman? Are you still working even in Christmas? You are rich already. Why do you keep working?"

Surely, I am not alone in the kotatsu. Shizuka who is invited to join us is also with me. As the only feminine point of her is only her physic, she can't help Maiko to cook. Therefore, she is here sitting with me in the kotatsu.

"I am not working. I am creating a new trading bot."

"That's what I call working, idiot."

"Working makes money. I am not making money currently, so I'm not working."

"You and your smart ass."

I keep tapping on keyboard of my high specs laptop, and ignore Shizuka completely. Surely, she doesn't like to be ignored. Therefore, her feet inside the kotatsu keep bothering me.

I sigh, and look at her. "Very well. Let's have a talk."

"Now, that's what I mean!"

This woman!

"Have you got any girlfriend?"

"Well, have you got any boyfriend?"

"You damned brat! We've talked about this!" She is raging, but she holds herself back from smacking me. She's in my house.

"I have talked about that too. I have you as my future wife, so I don't need a girlfriend."

"S-shut up, bastard!" She blushes. It works everytime.

I keep messing with her, until Komachi and Maiko tell the food is ready. Quickly lifting our assess, we head to the kitchen and help them to set the food on the table.

"My, my. You two are really close with each other. I think it won't be long until Hachiman is no more mine." Maiko said.

"M-Maiko-san, what are you talking about?"

"Fu-fu-fu. I will be waiting for the time you call me mother-in-law."

"Maiko-san!"

I nod my head at my mother in appreciation. She has mastered the art of Shizuka Teasing even without me teaching her. I guess, it runs in our blood.

Still, why are you making the face of a jealous wife, Maiko?

Attributing it to the weather, I sit myself down. On the table, lays many kinds of Japanese delicacies. Although they forbade me to help them, the food they make are delicious. I can tell it even from the smell.

"Well then, let's eat, shall we?"

We dig in our food, while talking about random things. The scene reminds of the time I spent with Christine during Christmas.

Now that I think about it, she has never spent Christmas with her husband.

Well, her husband is pretty much a shadow. Even Christine herself admitted she rarely saw her husband. Despite that, that bastard still had managed to drag her down.

I should have killed him earlier.

"Hachiman?" Shizuka asked me.

"Yes?"

"Are you okay?"

"I am okay. Why are you asking?"

"You are crying, Hachiman." Maiko said worriedly.

I'm perplexed. This is already the third time I cry without knowing it, ever since I came to this world. I think my past mistake takes a really big impact on me.

"I accidentally bit my tongue. It's a biological reaction."

All of them stare at me in doubt. But upon seeing my smirk, they sigh in relief and slight annoyance.

Nothing can beat my bullsh— reasoning!

I sigh softly to myself. Regretting means living in the past. Worrying means trying to live in the future. I am living in the present, and anything that has happened is all in the past.

I did make a mistake, and therefore I am repenting. Not by mourning over it, but cherishing the chance I have been given.

Time will eventually past, and wounds will eventually heal. I just have to accept my mistake, and live with it. It is bitter, and cold. But, that is life.

It is the reality.