Chapter 4

It was four in the afternoon on December twenty-third.

Market Kanou (LLC)'s small truck came in through the school gate,

leaving ruts on the school grounds. It parked alongside the entrance to the

gym. In that moment, the guys waiting for it came running over and each

thanked the driver from the local neighborhood supermarket. The store had

been a large sponsor of the cultural festival and was owned by the previous

student council president's parents (in other words, the driver was Kanou

Sumire's father). They each bowed their heads to him as they climbed into

the truck bed. Then, they exclaimed in low, amazed voices at how large the

items in the truck were and at the beautiful flashes of color they could see

through the packing material, "Whoa…"

"This is amazing… If we put this up, it'll definitely be amazing!"

Ryuuji and the others untied the packing twine. Their eyes only grew

wider. Working from the mental image they got from the scattered parts, it

would probably be gigantic and magnificently gorgeous once it was put

together.

"All right! We'll split it up and carry it in!"

In response to Kitamura's strident command, which exposed his

sports background, Ryuuji and the dozen others from the prep committee

thrust their fists in the air. Right! Even though school and classes had

already ended, they were all excited. Of course they would be, because the

thing that had been packaged and delivered to them on the truck was the

symbol of the party—the Christmas tree. It was an extravagant one at that,

so the voltage among the prep committee members was naturally on the

rise.

But even though it was a tree, it wasn't a real Japanese fir, but a manmade imitation. The parts that filled the truck bed had a curious pearlescent

sheen as they glittered. It even came with several gold and silver sphere

ornaments that seemed like they might be as big as a person's head.

Someone exclaimed out loud, "Those are some giant gold balls!" He held

one and got a low kick from Kitamura to the back of the knees. Some other

guy stole the ball from that guy's hands but ended up thoughtlessly holding

two golden spheres, "Oh no…" Ryuuji, who had been watching,

accidentally blurted, "Bwah ha!" and felt somewhat resentful, as though he

had lost. The cardboard box he held in his hands was probably filled to the

brim with nothing but lights, cables, and other things.

He heard the first years laughing and talking amongst each other as

they passed behind him.

"Doesn't it kind of feel like it's really authentic?"

"Actually, will we even be able to put this thing up by ourselves?"

"Worrying isn't helping anyone. Anyway, let's do it! We'll put our

hearts into it!"

At those words, Ryuuji hurried, and his legs went faster. Right, let's

put our hearts into it! he thought in reply.

They had gone for a human wave attack strategy and each held as

many parts as they could as they brought them to the gym one after another.

That day, the committee members were working on a tight schedule. They

would put up the tree, which seemed like it would be time consuming, and

then would store it in the backstage space once it was complete. When the

ending ceremonies were over the next day, they would immediately pull it

out and set up the venue.

The tree was sure to look super realistic. The person who had brought

it in for them had been the old man from Market Kanou, but the leading star

in its acquisition was…

"Wow! ♥ It's finally here! Make sure you've got all the parts that go

with it~! If we're missing even one, it won't be complete! Fight on!"

…Kawashima Ami herself, who was in the middle of the gym with

the other girls preparing the decorations. The team of girls were also

incredibly excited at the appearance of the tree, and seeing the guys holding

the parts, they cheered in high voices and came over to help. Ami spotted

Ryuuji and stood.

"How does it look?! What do you think of this tree?! Do you see how

amazing I really am now?!"

She smiled proudly. Of course, Ryuuji bowed his head and spoke his

deep admiration to Ami-chan-sama.

"I really do get it now. It's an amazing tree! You really are amazing!

I'll acknowledge that!"

"Right, right?! When it's set up, it's super, super, super pretty!"

The tree was sourced from a certain new establishment in the middle

of the city that was the talk of the town. Some magazine companies

sponsored an early Christmas party for a pack of fashion industry bigwigs

there. A certain actor and actress were invited, and it had apparently been a

big enough party that even a talk show reporter crashed it.

Ami had been working at the fashion show that was the party's main

event and, right after it ended, she'd said to the organizers, "I really would

like this tree. ♥ It'd be great if you could give it to me for free, too. ♥" It

seemed because the magnificent tree that had been the center of the

gathering was set to be demolished after the party anyway, they were fine

with giving it to her in the spirit of mottainai. So, the next problem was how

to transport it.

Ami went with them when they pulled the tree apart so she could

collect all the dispersed parts, and, out of goodwill, one of the magazine

staff members who had also been working as a model brought the parts to a

nearby affiliated office warehouse by car. Since the staff member was

already doing her a favor, Ami couldn't ask the person to drive the tree all

the way to the school—that was just a little too far. The tree was also

slightly too big and hefty to have it delivered by post. Kitamura

immediately figured out Ami was about to pay for the expenses out of

pocket, and he wouldn't let her, saying, "That's too expensive for a high

school student to pay for a high school event." However, if they billed it to

the expense account, their already meager budget would be obliterated

immediately.

So the one who stepped up at that point was none other than the

owner of Market Kanou. He roared into the roads of the inner city with his

small truck on a weekday for the event at the school his daughter, the

former student council president, had literally reigned over. He went all the

way to Ami's warehouse and back to move the whole tree for free.

The sounds of passionate voices thanking him once again crossed

through the gym as Kanou came in lugging the parts with the other guys.

"Mister! Thank you so much!"

"Couldn't expect less from the patriarch's father. He's a man among

men! I love you!"

"I'm going to make sure my family shops at Market Kanou from now

on! I'll make sure to tell my mom!"

"I think your fish is the best around. You're thorough about showing

the processing facilities the vegetables come from, and you make sure the

producers' faces are visible, and you even have a full assortment of

Fauchon spices. Oh, right, the introduction to Kyoto veggies event from the

other day was really fun! I ended up buying the manganji togarashi peppers,

and I couldn't believe how good they were! I hope you get more stuff in!

Oh, and I'll definitely go to the annual end of the year tuna butcher show!

Can't wait for that tuna!"

There was one weirdo among them who knew a little too much about

Market Kanou, but Kanou seemed delighted. He was a little brusque as he

smiled, and with that, he turned his back to the boisterous children. At that

point…

"Uh. Ahh…thanks…"

"Don't mention it…"

…he bumped into Taiga, who was bringing other things in from the

classroom. Taiga awkwardly jerked her chin and gave him a small bow with

just her head. That must have been awkward, too, since Taiga had been in a

bloodbath fight with the Kanous' pride and joy—their eldest daughter. It

hadn't even been a month since Taiga had gone with the homeroom teacher

to apologize to the family.

However, old man Kanou was a man among men.

"Looks like you're doing well," he muttered in a low voice, nodding

a few times as he looked Taiga over. The wrinkles on his harshly sunburned

cheeks deepened as his eyes squinted. Then on that note, he left the gym for

real this time.

"Uwah, that scared me. Why's that bygone president's old man

here…"

As Taiga stood in place and blinked, Ryuuji told her the news he had

only learned about just the other day.

"There's a first-year girl in the student council, right? Apparently,

she's the patriarch's little sister."

"What?! Well, actually I have heard that before. I completely forgot

about it."

No waaay, ahaaa, what an amazing tree! They turned their eyes to a

girl who was squealing happily with her fellow first years. She seemed sort

of soft.

"…They don't look alike at all."

"…No resemblance."

The two of them nodded to each other. Someone behind them poked

their backs.

"Heeey, don't slack off! I just got an amazing tree, so go and put it

together!"

To finish it off, Ami pushed them hard enough to make their legs

buckle. If only they'd had time to complain about her roughhousing…but

they noticed that the others had already started to unpack, so Ryuuji and

Taiga hurriedly joined in on the work.

Ami distributed copies of the completed tree's diagram to them, and

several students looked over them together.

"This is…oh, it's the parts for the roots."

"What is this?"

"It might be the top?"

They turned over and messed with the dismantled parts. It almost felt

like one giant puzzle.

Ryuuji also grabbed one of the parts.

"Whoa, they're light. Is it made from Styrofoam?"

"The insides are. They're painted. Once it's put together, it looks

really pretty. It's lit up like this, and it's like super pearly and shimmery…

oh! Right, right, we need a spotlight! Yuusaku!"

Abandoned by Ami, Ryuuji lost track of what he was supposed to be

putting together. He searched around for someone who could show him a

copy of the diagram.

"Oh, Takasu-kuuun! That probably goes with this!"

"Which? Right! It does!"

Someone from another class called out to him, and he hurried over

holding the part. When they pressed the concave and convex pieces

together hard, they really did pop right into each other. It's perfect, he

smiled at them. Thank you! they smiled back at him. I'm sure I saw another

one that was the same shape, so I'll go get it. He started running off again.

He searched through the scattered parts one at a time, and as he did that, he

ended up having a strange thought, I couldn't use the Samurai Resurrection

plan again if something happens.

During the student council presidential election, he'd utilized his own

wicked face, which had given him a frightening reputation, in order to get

an unwilling Kitamura to run in the race. He entered the race with Taiga, the

Palmtop Tiger, and they had devised a Samurai Resurrection-style plan to

flawlessly take on the role of villains and lure Kitamura into their trap.

Their goal had just been to rile everyone up.

But before he noticed, he became friends with students from various

classes who joined the committee while working on the party. The same had

even happened to Taiga.

"Aisaka-san, you seem like you'd be lightweight, so could you get on

my shoulders and put this on there?"

"Huh, like with my slippers that have been all over the bathroom

floor?! Well, to each their own…"

"No, please take them off…"

A good way away from him, Taiga was talking and smiling with girls

whose names Ryuuji didn't know. Tiger-san's tights! Her feet! That's hot!

Here comes her foot! There were some maniacs who were getting carried

away with saying nonsensical things, but putting them aside…

Ahh, what a relief.

To be honest, Ryuuji believed that. His lips quivered with a faint

smile. Since the other day, after he listened to Taiga talk about her feelings

about Christmas, he felt like something was stuck in his throat. There was a

lot to it, like Taiga's solitude, and his own powerlessness—he had thought

about so many things without coming to any conclusion. He hadn't been

able to find an answer, and he felt like he couldn't even breathe easily. He

even left the house for the convenience store, looked up at the night sky to

search for stars, and walked in thought for an entire hour.

But now, he could finally breathe with relief as he looked at Taiga. It

was true that Taiga was standing in the depths of a solitude he could not

even imagine. He still felt like he would be eternally powerless in the face

of it.

But regardless of that, this year Taiga would spend time with new

friends she had just met, having fun and making a commotion like this. And

then, on the next day, Taiga would definitely be with everyone, including

Kitamura, happily enjoying the night. Of course, he would be there, too. He

hadn't given up on getting Minori to come, either.

Taiga wasn't alone—Ryuuji felt so happy and grateful about that that

he stopped and stood even in this busy time to look at Taiga while she

worked with everyone else to put up the tree. He even recalled the warmth

in Kanou's eyes. Plus, the bachelorette (age 30) was there, too. Not all the

adults had abandoned Taiga. Though they might not have protected her like

parents, she had adults on her side who were really thinking about her. What

a relief, he whispered in his mind.

Even if no one had been watching her for these past seventeen years,

on Christmas Eve, everyone would be there, and on Christmas he, Yasuko,

and Inko-chan would be there. They would make a mountain of a feast, and

the Takasus would welcome Taiga.

No matter how cruel the world was, this year, Taiga was smiling.

Taiga was also part of this sparkling, radiant, happy scene. She no longer

needed to wait under a tree by herself for someone who didn't exist. That

happy Christmas night she had seen in a dream would happen tomorrow

with everyone making a ruckus, being incredibly busy, and grinning

enormously.

And then, on the next day, when Christmas came, they would eat a

feast at the Takasus' and dash into the end of the next turbulent year. Ryuuji

would undertake a great task—end of the year cleaning—as the fireworks

burned. On New Year's Eve, they would watch some bad variety show late

into the night together and start a tranquil new year. The whole year would

be summed up in a night. The first day of the year would start with the gong

on New Year's Eve, and he planned on being there for it. Yes, in just one

week, it would be a new year. In this hectic time, he wouldn't let Taiga

spend another moment in solitude.

At first, Ryuuji wanted to work hard so that he and Minori could

spend Christmas Eve together. Even now, that was still the first priority in

his eyes. Ryuuji wanted to see Minori's smile, so he kept on moving. But

then, nearly as important, he wanted to make sure everyone would be

brightly smiling come Christmas Eve to happily welcome Taiga.

He wanted to be smiling. He wanted Ami and the student council

members, the prep committee guys, Noto, Haruta, and everyone—everyone

—everyone who was here and everyone who wasn't, to be smiling.

Unless everyone was happy, unless everyone was rewarded, it

wouldn't be complete. Ryuuji thought of it as like a circular relay. Someone

would wish for another person's happiness, and someone would receive

happiness from another, and smile. Then someone seeing that would smile.

Once started, the relay would persist as long as they could continue to pass

along the baton of happiness. If even one person stopped, the ring would be

broken. So Ryuuji also needed to keep passing along the baton as best he

could.

"Taiga! I think this probably goes over there, too!"

"Hey, hey…Ryuuji! What are you doing?! That's dangerous!"

While Taiga was being held up by another girl in order to put

together parts that were high up, Ryuuji tossed a matching part at them that

he had found. She tried to catch it, but lost her balance, and rising voices of

rebuke came from the girls.

"I can't believe you, Takasu-kun!"

"Seriously, why couldn't you just hand it to her like a normal

person?!"

Ehee hee. He had the face of a demi-god demon that had crawled out

of hell—of course, he had only been making a slight attempt at humor. His

recklessness was nothing to be scared about. From the opposite side, an

"Eek!" came from a boy who didn't know what was going on, but Ryuuji

was so happy he didn't realize that he recklessly knocked the wind out of

the boy.

Eventually, though a little too late, the student council came in

carrying stepladders, and the efficiency of their work went way up. The

parts they haphazardly started putting together according to what they could

figure out finally started to slowly come together.

"Uwah, it's huge!"

"It's seriously giant!"

Eventually, they started to reach a point no one could get to without a

stepladder. The tree was probably at least three meters tall. The patron saint

of broken hearts and student council president Kitamura took on the fearful

job of stooping on a stepladder that was set up to its max height. From

below, his childhood friend, who knew what the tree looked like when

complete, was giving him instructions.

"That's not right."

"Huh…"

"That's also wrong."

"Oh."

Slowly, the complex protrusions came together.

The lustrous, pearly white tree not only had height, but also width

that protruded out in a circle around its skirt. When put together, puzzle-like

parts of the tree formed cube-shaped deformations as big as fists that

seemed like places where things were supposed to be attached. Everyone

surrounded the tree, stuck the ornaments into it, and went around and

around to wrap the tree with the handmade ornaments, the light bulb

runners, the ribbons, and the line of bells. Though they were handmade, the

silver and blue decorations had been made to fit the theme and were sure to

go well with the pearl white tree. Once the large round ornaments that had

come with the tree (silver balls and gold balls!) were hung, the tree would

look even better. None of the girls made any stupid or crude jokes. (But

they're gold balls!)

Then Taiga yelled up from below at Kitamura, who had put together

the last part.

"Kitamura-kuuun! I brought this from home! It's from my tree at

home! Put this on the top!"

"Oh, hey now! Don't throw it! Don't! I'll come down to get it!"

Kitamura slipped his way down the ladder and peeked into the

cardboard box Taiga was holding in her hands.

"Are you sure?! You're okay with us using something as pretty as

this? How do I put this… It looks expensive."

At his wide eyes and raised voice, Taiga happily nodded.

"It's fine. I brought it from my parents' house, but it was a little too

big, and I can't put it on the tree in my condo right now."

What Kitamura pulled out with reverent hands was a star ornament

even larger than Taiga's head. It was intricately three-dimensional and

transparent, allowing the hard light to go through its form. Waah! The girls

raised their voices at how pretty it was. Waah! Ryuuji also casually joined

in with them. While lined up next to the girls, his evil eyes glinted.

"It's made from crystal. It's my favorite ornament, and it's a waste

not to use it, so it's okay. Could you put it up?"

"Okay! We'll keep it safe as we hang it up! We'll put your favorite

ornament on the top of the tree!"

Kitamura went up the stepladder and firmly placed the star on the

treetop. Checking that it was stable, he gently let go of it with both hands

and poked it with his fingertip. Then, as though he accepted its stability, he

nodded, shouted "Okay!" and pushed up his glasses. Ryuuji saw a smile

unfurl on Taiga's face. Their eyes met by chance, and Taiga's face shyly

crumpled. She was even wiggling with joy. That was okay, too—she could

be as shy and wiggly as she wanted.

Then they continued on.

"Extension cable, check!"

"Wall socket, check!"

"Okay, turn off the building lights!"

Following Kitamura's voice, starting from the ones closest to the

entrance, the lights went off one at a time. The gym that was already dark

because of the blackout curtains, and so cold their fingers were going numb,

slowly descended into total darkness.

Everyone stood without a word and looked up at the tree. Their

fatigue and their prayers that everything would go well stole the voices

from all of them.

"Power on."

They heard the sound of several power switches. Click click.

Eventually, there was light in the darkness—

It was like a vibrating current had run through Ryuuji's neck.

Taiga's raised eyes were radiant with delight.

A small voice came from Ami's lips.

"…We really did it."

Satisfied smiles bloomed all at once on the many faces bathed in the

light. For a while they were in silence, and then someone started clapping.

As though echoing in response, the applause grew.

"We…did it!"

"It's! A! Success!"

"Amazing! Amazing! Isn't it super pretty?!"

Here and there excited voices rose up. Delight and excitement,

applause and cheers, and smiles filled the room. Ryuuji whistled and

brought his hands enthusiastically together. Kitamura, who had come to be

beside him, also put up his right hand for a high five. We did it! Then they

simultaneously fist pumped. He smiled so much, his dry lips cracked. Even

Kitamura smiled so hard his glasses started to slip down.

The tree that glittered in the darkness was truly beautiful.

It was lit from below by a pure white light and sparkled a gorgeous

pearly color. The many bulbs blinked yellow and the hanging ornaments

reflected flashes of light. Taiga's ornament winked brilliantly like a real star

at the top. It was as if it were lighting up the whole world with the joy of

Christmas as it filled with the light and radiance of everything around it.

But then…

CRASH! They heard the sound of tremendous destruction. The

curtains fluttered and light from the outside invaded suddenly.

One of the girls shouted. They could hear what sounded like several

people falling over in surprise. With a terrific force, like a white shadow

leaping through the darkness, something barreled directly into the top of the

tree. It made a horrible sound. There was a shriek. All the lights

disappeared, and the gym blacked out.

The gigantic tree hadn't been fixed in place. They had just been about

to move it, after all. Helped along by its own great, unsettled weight, the

tree tilted and then with a terrific force, sounded as though it had fallen

right on its side. They could hear the ornaments scatter and the parts that

had been stuck together being blown away.

Ryuuji didn't understand what had happened. He didn't even want to

see how it had ended up. One of the fragments flew by his face, and he

reflexively closed his eyes.

Not a single one of them said anything.

"Th-the lights! Please, turn on the lights! Quick, quick, hurry!"

Only Kitamura's voice, which was hurried from his fluster, echoed

discordantly throughout the space. The lights turned on in the opposite

order they had turned off. Then the terrible spectacle became crystal clear.

The expressions disappeared from all of their faces.

The tree they just put up had collapsed.

All the ornaments had scattered onto the floor, and the cable for the

lights, which pulled free of the socket, was splayed out like a dead snake.

Fragments of Styrofoam lay scattered around. Several parts that were

necessary for holding the tree together were completely broken.

And then Taiga's star, which had been on the very top…

"Oh…no…it can't be! No way…"

Taiga ran over, kneeling down so she could reach out to it, but Ami

caught her elbow. "You idiot, it's dangerous!"

After falling three meters and hitting the gym's hard floor, the star

ornament made of crystal had shattered. The sharp fragments glittered

cruelly, and if Taiga had touched them, they would have easily cut through

her skin.

Just what had happened?

As though in answer, they could see the darkening sky beyond the

blackout curtains that they had put on the windows. The outside light was

coming through the glass because the window had been broken. There were

glass shards scattered a slight distance from the tree. Glad no one was

under that, Ryuuji thought, but he couldn't get the words out of his mouth.

At that point, the gym door was thrown open with a loud noise.

Immediately after it, the commotion of several people's footsteps followed.

"We're so sorry! Did anyone get hurt?!"

It was the clear and reaching voice of a girl.

They turned around. Ryuuji saw her. The owner of the voice was

Minori in her dirty uniform. Behind Minori, there were two girls wearing

the same uniform.

"…"

At the very front, Minori's mouth closed as though she had frozen

over. On the floor, all by itself, was a softball. That might have—no—that

definitely had broken the window, tipped over the tree, destroyed it, and

shattered Taiga's star.

Eventually Minori's lips trembled, mouthing I'm sorry. As she said it

again and again, her lips moved over and over, but her rasping voice didn't

reach anyone's ears in a way they could hear. Time couldn't be reversed.

They couldn't pretend that the stupid foul launched by the girls' softball

club hadn't happened.

***

"Minorin, it's okay now. It was just an accident, after all. You

couldn't help it."

"No… I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I'm really truly sorry…"

All of the girls' softball club members had gathered in the gym in

order to restore the tree Minori had destroyed.

"Misconduct by a leader is all of our misconduct! We're incredibly

sorry!"

The athletic girls formed a line and bowed passionately, then moved

under one command and secured a position in a corner, where they were

now sitting cramped together in a huddle with their feet folded under

themselves. They worked in silence, some taking on the challenge of

putting together the broken parts of the tree with adhesive as though it were

a three-dimensional puzzle. Others were pulling apart the tangled

ornaments, and still others were mending the ball ornaments. Then, in the

center of the gym, the prep committee and student council were putting the

tree together again. Relying on the softball club to do that work when they

hadn't seen the completed tree would have just taken more time, so when

Minori and the other girls lowered their heads and asked to fix everything,

Kitamura specifically refused that.

Away from the girls of the softball club, away from where they were

putting together the tree anew, Minori was sitting under the stage. She

looked up at Taiga and Ryuuji when they walked over and called out to her,

and then around at the faces of the softball club members.

"Please let me do what I can… Please. Don't worry about me, Taiga.

It's my fault… Ahh, ugh…I'm the worst…ugh…"

What am I doing, really? She bit her lip until it turned white.

In her hands, as she said those shameful words to herself, she gripped

the broken fragments of Taiga's star and quick-dry glue. Minori was trying

to restore the star, which had already been so intricate to begin with. Taiga

crouched beside Minori and looked desperately into her face, which was

hard and stiff.

"Minorin…you're not to blame. At all. This was just an unfortunate

accident."

"No, this is my responsibility. I think it must have happened because

my head was in the clouds. I can't believe I hit that kind of ball… It wasn't

an accident, I made a poor hit. I made a mistake. I couldn't focus and

missed. I'm really sorry about this star… I can't believe that out of all

things, I broke something so precious to you… I can't get it back to how it

was before, but…I'm sorry. I'm sorry…for everyone…I'm so sorry."

Minori wiped her face roughly with her uniform sleeve and hung her

head. Her back slowly rose and fell with her deep breaths, but she was also

faintly trembling.

Taiga looked worriedly up at Ryuuji's face where he stood beside her,

but he didn't know what to do either when things came to this.

The time to go home drew near and the situation, to be honest, was

terrible. Everyone knew that it was just an unfortunate accident and didn't

blame Minori, but that didn't change anything. The teachers had given them

strict orders to go home when the school shut down. If they weren't finished

with preparations, then the party was in jeopardy. He knew how hurt Minori

must have been. She must have been flustered, and though no one blamed

her, she must have really been hurting that the situation was so bad she had

to involve the softball club in picking up the pieces.

It actually might have been better for Minori if someone had gotten

angry, yelled at her, cried, and hit her. It must have been hard for her to be

the one who had to place the blame on herself. Until she forgave herself, the

circle of negativity, disgust, and blame would never end. The guilt would

never disappear.

Sitting on the freezing gym floor in her uniform with her legs folded

under her, Minori's eyes turned red at the rims. She still had her face turned

down as she sniffed, and it wasn't just because of the cold that her

fingertips shook.

Taiga reached out a hand to Minori, but she hesitated for a moment in

the air. As though she wasn't sure of herself, Taiga opened and closed her

hand several times and suddenly got up. She looked up at Ryuuji's face and

said, "Then, Ryuuji, could you help her? Please?"

Then she pushed at Ryuuji's back.

"NO!"

When faced with Minori's high voice, Ryuuji stood stick straight.

Taiga also froze. Minori's voice had echoed like a shriek.

"You can't! Please stop! Stop doing that!"

Then she continued.

With no one else coming near her, she once again turned her head

down to absorb herself in the endless puzzle of fixing the star.

There was no way she would smile. There would be no happy

Christmas or excitement. The heavy silence simply accumulated like

snowflakes in the frozen air.

It was unclear whether they would finish preparing in time. All they

knew was one thing—Minori had just one more reason not to go to the

party. Ryuuji looked down at Minori and closed his slightly tired eyes. It

was easy to endure the pain of his help being rejected, but just looking at

Minori, who was on edge to the point she had snapped at them, was

difficult.

With her mouth pinched closed, Taiga looked between Minori and

Ryuuji. She nibbled a little on her knuckles and then looked at Ryuuji's face

once more. Their eyes met, and Taiga jerked out her chin a little. It was

almost as though she were trying to say, "I leave this to you." With that, her

hair fluttering, Taiga turned around and left them to head to the ring where

they were reconstructing the tree.

Ryuuji watched her small back as she retreated. Then, unable to do

anything, he stood next to Minori and stayed there like that.

"Takasu-kun, you should go, too. Okay. I'm going to work on this by

myself right now."

Minori sniffled and knit her eyebrows together as she forced a smile

on her face. However, Ryuuji did not leave.

He was useless, but he had decided he wouldn't be going anywhere.

"It's okay, so just let me see. I'm good at these kinds of things."

"Takasu-kun…"

"You don't know what it looked like at the start. If you don't like it,

just ignore me."

Ryuuji practically forced his way in as he sat down beside Minori. He

preemptively glanced at the fragments and found two large pieces. "Right,

this is it." He immediately started putting them together with the glue. He

did it properly and carefully.

"Takasu-kun, stop. Let me take responsibility for this. If you…if you

help me like this then—"

"We don't have the time. You do what you can as best you can. I'll do

what I can. I'm not helping you, I'm doing this for myself."

For a moment, Minori's face scrunched up like she was about to start

crying, but she held out and bit her lip. As though she wasn't able to say

anything more, she dropped her gaze to the fragments in front of her eyes.

The two of them fell into silence as they absorbed themselves in

putting together the fragments of crystal. There wasn't any way they would

be having a conversation. Even though he was next to the girl who took his

breath away, it was cold and his heart didn't even thump. Regardless of that,

Ryuuji stayed by Minori's side. Even if she didn't want him there, he

remained sitting next to her.

They never had any real conversations while Taiga was suspended,

either. Don't you think Minori is avoiding you? Taiga had said at the family

restaurant while they were studying for the test. Ryuuji and Minori had only

seen each other in passing for quite a while. And then right now, in these

unfortunate circumstances, they were clearly separated, as if there were a

fissure between them. Even though he was right next to her, his eyes and his

voice didn't reach her.

In those recent days, he really had only felt the distance between

them.

But regardless of that—no, because of that, Ryuuji wanted to be

beside Minori. Because she was distant, because he didn't understand,

because she wouldn't understand. Because of that, he could only glue the

pieces together. If she were avoiding him, he would go after her. If there

were times they missed each other in passing, he could try to get back to

her. If the situation were terrible, he would do all in his power to recover it

—like this, forcing it, even if it didn't feel natural. He would sit and be

there and reach out to her distant heart.

Ryuuji thought that itself was love. Even if he were the only one

reaching out, that was a given, because it was unrequited love. Even if

Minori only showed him her hard profile, even if her lips were blue, even if

she still seemed like she might burst out crying blaming herself, Ryuuji

would still want to reach out with his powerless hands. All he wished for

was that he would eventually reach her. He felt that when he stopped

reaching out, that would be the end of this love.

Ryuuji picked up a fragment and then found another in the same

shape. After carefully matching and gluing the pieces, he pressed them

together for a while and then nodded to himself.

Because he really might have been in her way, because he really

didn't want her to hate him, Ryuuji tried to keep his breathing as quiet as

possible. It would be best if Minori, who was next to him right then, forgot

he was even there.

But right when he thought that, Minori said Ryuuji's name in a low

voice.

"Takasu-kun…"

"Yeah?"

She kept her head down and still didn't look at Ryuuji.

"Takasu-kun, Takasu-kun…"

"I'm listening."

"Takasu-kun…"

"I'm here."

Minori repeated it. She kept calling for Ryuuji.

When she did, Ryuuji replied. He didn't miss any one of her calls and

answered each one. If Minori were to call him, he would always respond to

her voice. If Minori were to reach her hand out to him, he would always

grab it.

He gently glued on another fragment. Slowly, Taiga's broken star

came back to its original shape. It wasn't the same as before it had broken,

but it still shone.

Ryuuji held up the partially put together star and let the lights from

the gym go through it. He focused his eyes on the brilliant light. He looked

at the star, which had been created to shine at the center of a happy

Christmas, and smiled. The light was the symbol of happiness itself. He

stretched out his arm so that Minori could see it too and gently said, "See.

Look, isn't it pretty? You can fix it even after it's been broken. So cheer

up."

"It'll never be back to what it originally was…"

"But it's shining like it's supposed to."

"I—"

Minori's voice wavered like she was sinking in water. He waited for

her next words, pretending like he hadn't noticed.

"I don't know…if it'll ever be the same…"

"It will."

Ryuuji answered firmly and looked up at the shining star. This was

light that emitted happiness. Minori must have seen it, too. If she couldn't

believe in it, then he wanted to show it to her more decisively, more firmly.

He wanted to put it out there right in front of her eyes.

No matter how badly it broke, no matter how many times it needed to

be put back together, even if it broke for a cheap reason like a

misunderstanding or over an assumption, even if it seemed like it had died,

it would heal and put itself back together over and over, being reborn again

with Minori's smile and her words. That was his love for Minori.

Even if it broke, it could be put back together.

That was why there was no reason for her to cry.

"It's fine. It'll be fixed, as many times as it needs to be."

The light held up in front of his eyes was the switch. The switch

flicked on, and in the back of his cowering heart, the lights from several

stars started to shine.

The Orion that winked inside of Ryuuji gave him infinite power.

He had the power to pass the baton along to Minori. He had already

started running and reached out with one hand in preparation to give it to

her. Time seemed to go faster for Ryuuji. His heart beat faster, and his eyes

lit up. He cast off his imminent limitations as he headed towards the bounds

of his overflowing love for her.

He didn't want to just wait with his hand stretched out. He wanted to

give her the baton, have her take it from him, and yell at her, Run! He

wanted to show Minori. From the bottom of his heart, Ryuuji wanted to

show Minori the limitless stars and the unbreakable things in the wide

world of his heart. That's why I want you to keep going and run this relay.

He'd spent more than a year and a half loving Kushieda Minori.

Ryuuji finally reached the point where he wanted to shout it out loud.

It took over an hour to get the tree looking like it had before. Minori

and Ryuuji put Taiga's star back together, but the glued fragments still

showed off its cracks. It looked almost like a mosaic ornament. Taiga

smiled, though.

"This is good," she said. "It looks cuter than before."

She didn't just hug Minori but embraced her and rubbed her back

several times. Minori buried her face in Taiga's hair for a moment. Then she

broke away. "I'm really sorry!" she said in a loud voice towards the prep

committee and student council. She lowered her head. Next, she turned to

the softball club sitting in a line and said once more, "I'm sorry you have to

have me as your captain!"

The girls' softball club all bowed and ran out of the gym in a display

of athleticism.

Ryuuji had, without hesitation, run after Minori.

He followed her out into the chilling breeze and tapped her back.

When Minori turned around as though she were surprised, he tried to say it

to her as brightly as possible.

"You should come tomorrow! To the party! It'll definitely be fun! I

want to spend it with you!"

"…Uh."

Minori sounded like she was choking up.

Ryuuji didn't withdraw. "Well, if you don't have any plans… I want

you to come, though!"

"…"

He waited for her to say his name one more time. He waited for a

raspy voice, a faint whisper to fall from her lips.

But.

"I can't… I can't go."

Minori didn't say his name. She stood still as she shook her head

decisively. Under the dim flicker of florescent lights, he could only see that

her face had turned pale.

"I caused so much trouble, I can't. I can't go."

"But I'll wait for you!"

"Don't wait for me… I'm not going."

"I'll wait!"

He was pushing to the point of almost being stalker-like. Without

caring what all the other softball club members thought, he yelled as he

faced Minori's back. Whether it was pitiful, or an embarrassment, or his

face was as red as the king of the realm of the dead, his love wouldn't stop

once it had started running. The switch that flipped on once could never be

turned off again.

***

It was December twenty-fourth, four in the afternoon.

The closing ceremony ended before noon. They filled their bellies

with the bento lunches they brought from home and went all out with the

party prep until they reached the current point in time. The members of the

student council and prep committee all gathered at the gym. They stood and

watched the instructor in charge of fire inspections, who held a manual in

one hand and was checking off various details. If we don't pass at this point

—it couldn't only have been Ryuuji whose heart was thumping a little.

"Okay, this is all good to go… Everything's in order. There are no

problems here."

At the voice they had been waiting for, voices of relief rang out here

and there.

"Yay!"

"We're done!"

Their smiles sprang to life.

"Now everyone, take great caution to make sure there are no

problems. In the one in a million chance that a student breaks the drinking

or smoking rules, that's a direct expulsion. You got that? And you, patron

saint! You had better be careful about managing and supervising as the

person in charge of everything."

"Understood!" Kitamura replied to the bachelorette (age 30)

Koigakubo Yuri (in the process of finding real estate) with a salute. She

wore a shiny, high-quality gray pantsuit and simple white gold accessories.

Her hair was prim and proper in a bun. She seemed a little more masculine

than usual. Possibly because they had just finished getting permission and

were in a lighter mood, the first-year girls talked to the bachelorette (age

30) casually and without restraint.

"Actually, Yuri-chan-sensei, you look super fashionable today!"

"Could it be that you're going on a date?!"

Kyaah! A Christmas Eve date with your boyfriend! With the excited

girls in the corners of their eyes, the upperclassmen remained composed.

Anyone who had known her for a while would know in their bones that the

thirty-year-old's love life game couldn't possibly be strong enough to get a

date for Christmas Eve. It was still fresh in their memories that Mercury's

passage into retrograde stole her most promising partner from her. Her reply

was exactly as the upperclassmen thought it would be.

"I don't have a date. I'm going to a real estate purchasing lecture for

single women. It cost one thousand five hundred yen… I'm going to buy a

condo, so…"

That's just like her—Ryuuji in particular, nodded. He tried to burn the

courage of the bachelorette (age 30) who had armed herself with dark

brown makeup, into his memory, but then ultimately averted his eyes. It just

made too strong of an impact on him.

"What?! R-real estate?"

"On Christmas Eve? Why?"

It seemed to be a truth that was too difficult for the fifteen and

sixteen-year-olds to take in. They couldn't believe that someone single and

in their prime would gather with others to think about real estate during

Christmas Eve and pay a fee for it to boot. It seemed that it was beyond

reason for them.

"The women who have dates for Christmas Eve just haven't prepared

themselves yet. They're not ready for reality to shake up their lives! In

other words, even though we are single, this course is tests our

qualifications for jumping our first hurdle…owning real estate. Do you get

it?"

"Huh…"

"Ummm…"

"I feel like interest rates have hit bottom, so I'm going now. Oh, there

will be other teachers in the staff room the whole time, so make sure you go

and check in with them before you start and before you end."

Somehow or other, they returned to their earlier mood and everyone

happily answered back, "Yes!" The bachelorette (age 30) might have felt

some of the youth return to her heart from her students' excited voices. Her

narrowed eyes relaxed. As she got up to leave, she whispered to Ryuuji with

a slight smile when she passed by him.

"It's great that the tree turned out well. Your grades went up, and I'm

pretty pleased. I'm sure you'll all be rewarded for the work you put into

this."

Ryuuji also grinned and returned a smile to the single homeroom

teacher.

"Thank you so much! I'm sure you'll find some great property!"

"Oh…yeah…thanks…"

I'll show you—I'll be rewarded!

Ryuuji held a secret but strong determination as he looked up at the

tree that even the bachelorette (age 30) praised. It was a little wobbly, but

the tree standing in the center of the gym was giant, magnificent, and

beautiful. It was really incredibly gorgeous. They had filed down the seams

in the parts that were facing the front so no one could figure out just by

looking that it collapsed once. And then at the top was Taiga's star. It was

complete.

It wasn't just the tree that was complete. There were white and blue

spotlights crossing through the air and lighting up the floor. If they turned

off the other lights and only used those to light up the place, it would

definitely be dramatic. The stool tests everyone had taken had also been

worthwhile. The fruit punch, sandwich, fruit, cracker and small dessert

tables were even lined up showily along the wall, though of course,

carrying around and serving the refreshments was the prep committee's

work. The food offered was from a catering company with a name for

themselves. With Ami's connections, they had compromised to get all the

rental utensils for free as long as the people who sampled the food shared

their opinion of it.

In the middle of the gathered people, Kitamura's voice rang out,

"Okay!"

"We had a lot of trouble getting here, but we're done with all the

preparations now! Thanks for your hard work, everyone! I'm really

thankful for how many people came to help out with the patron saint of

broken hearts' plan! We still have some more to do, but I hope that all of

you are also excited for today and enjoy yourselves fully! And Ami, thank

you for making arrangements for the tree and food."

In the applause that burst out all at once, Ami's eyes went wide, and

she acted flustered.

"No way," she said, "it wasn't a big deal~!"

"There it is. Dimhuahua is so…Ryuuji?"

"…"

"Hey. Are you okay?"

"Huh? Wh-what?"

At Taiga's voice, Ryuuji blinked his eyes. For her to ask if he was

okay, he must really have not looked okay. Those last few hours, he'd been

putting up with nonstop physical labor.

"It's like your eyes are wandering around… I can't tell where you're

looking. You're scary. What's wrong? Well, I get that you're worried about

Minorin from what happened yesterday, but you have to keep yourself

motivated—"

"No. It's the opposite. I'm super passionate right now. Look, the

party is perfect. Everything's prepared. We just need Kushieda to come! But

that's where the hurdle is, in the end. I was persistent about inviting her, but

all she said was 'Sorry.'"

Taiga hmm-ed and folded her arms.

"If that accident just hadn't happened yesterday, it would have been

easy to talk to her… No, but if you're that determined…it's okay. Don't

worry, you keep being determined and passionate. Just leave everything

else to me, angel Taiga-sama."

"What exactly are you planning on doing?"

Though he was motivated, it was going nowhere—Ryuuji was

slightly aware of that. Taiga looked up at him and gave him a peace sign.

"Don't worry about it. It'll be fine. I still have some tricks up my

sleeve."

Her whispered words disappeared for a moment in the cacophony

that started up around them. Kitamura had broken them up to use their time

for themselves before the party started. The ones who wanted to change

would go back home, the ones who had brought their own clothes from

home would change in class, and the ones who wanted to take a break

would slink to the classrooms or go to some café. All of them had started

walking and talking.

They wanted to begin at five in the afternoon. The plan was to start

letting the attendees into the place, have Kitamura's welcome at five-thirty,

and then the party would officially start! They could come late, leave early,

and have fun as they liked, and the closing ceremony would be at seventhirty. They would make sure to have everyone go home before eight, and

the prep committee and student council officials would gather again at eight

in the morning the next day. They would be responsible for cleaning the

place up.

And so they had an hour until it started. Well, what should I do?

Ryuuji thought. He stopped and stood, and then Kitamura poked him gently

in the elbow.

"Takasu, Aisaka, what are you doing now? I still need to set up the

welcome desk that the student council oversees. Maybe you could help?! If

you did, I would be suuuper grateful!"

"You would? I wouldn't mind."

At that point, Ami's face appeared. She rested her chin on Kitamura's

shoulder.

"You should say no. He has plenty of people. Kitamura's pretty rude

when it comes to using people for errands. He's really good at that stuff."

"Keep it down. What are you doing then, Ami? You want to help,

too?"

"You must be joking? I'm going home. And. Getting. Changed. ♥

Well, I'll see you when we start!"

In the hopes of following Ami's retreating back, Taiga pulled

Ryuuji's sleeve.

"Sorry, Kitamura-kun, we're also going home. Let's go, Ryuuji."

"Huh? What are we going to do at home? I'm probably going to stay

in my uniform and—"

"Just go home! Walk! Hurry! Well, see you later!"

Taiga pulled Ryuuji forcefully, so he gave up and went home. What

was supposed to be at home? Even when he asked, Taiga ignored his

questions and wouldn't answer. He wondered if she was okay with Santa

seeing her ignore him.

Then, once they finally made it to the entrance of Taiga's condo,

Taiga said, "Once you get in, open your bedroom window immediately."

"Why…"

"Just do it. Do exactly what I say."

Taiga put one hand on her hip, pointed at Ryuuji's nose with the

other, and gave him a self-justified order that he didn't understand the

meaning of. As he was thinking, What's going on?

"I'm home!"

"Oh. ♥ Welcome home, be-yotch~! How does your report card

look~?"

He threw his grade report Yasuko's way, where she was rolled up

carefreely under the kotatsu table.

"Kyaah! ☆"

Ryuuji didn't know if the shriek she gave was good or bad. Just as he

had been told, he got onto his bed and faithfully opened the south-facing

window. Beyond the window was Taiga's condo window, which opened up

right to her bedroom.

"Here!"

"Whoa?!"

Rattle. The window across from him opened and Taiga threw a box

as wide as her arms at Ryuuji. He quickly threw out his hands and caught it.

It wasn't as heavy as it looked, but it still surprised him quite a bit.

"Wh-what is this?! Seriously, that's dangerous! You're just doing

stuff the lazy way…"

"Open that right away. When you see it, you'll get it. Well, I'll head

over in thirty minutes."

At that, the window to Taiga's room closed. She even closed her

curtains and left Ryuuji alone by himself.

"What? What happened, yo? What's that?"

"Taiga kind of threw it at me… She said to open it…"

"It looks like one impressive box. I wonder if it's snacks or

something?"

Facing Yasuko, Ryuuji sat down on the floor to open up the mystery

box Taiga had thrown at him. The mother and son's hands grasped the box

top and lifted it open at the same time.

"Oh…owaah… ☆"

"Oh…Ohh… ☆"

Their chins dropped to the same degree. Their eyes snapped wide

open as they both became speechless at the same time. Yasuko and Ryuuji,

Takasu genes out in full force, looked exactly alike.

Ryuuji heard the sound of the door opening and the unusual sound of

high heels from the entryway. He heard footsteps continuing quickly and

marching straight into the living room.

"Huh? Ryuuji? Ya-chan? Where are you?"

"Over here! At the sink!" they replied, and Taiga came back to the

hallway from the living room and peeked into the door that had been left

open. Then they pointed at each other.

"Ah!"

"Whoa!"

They exclaimed briefly. Yasuko, who was crouched at Ryuuji's feet

as he looked into the mirror, was wrapping up the dryer cord. Once she

noticed, she also looked up at Taiga.

"Wow. ☆" She gave a shout of joy and grinned. "Looking great,

looking great. You look super cute, Taiga-chan!"

She gently fixed Taiga's fur collar. Ryuuji was robbed of the words

he should have said, and his eyes glinted suspiciously and dangerously.

In thirty minutes, Taiga had transformed from a petite high school

girl to a lady heading to a party. She had properly pinned her bangs to the

side and put her wavy hair up tightly. The paleness of her forehead stood

out, and her pitch-dark mascara increased the depth of her glittering eyes to

beautifully set off her crimson lips. Delicate Taiga, who was normally

comparable to a French doll, seemed to have evolved to become even more

beautiful. Her light makeup made her look even more feminine and put

together. The shape of her face, which already seemed as if it were sculpted,

looked even deeper and stood out all the more.

She had slightly transparent stockings, and her dress was little and

black—it was made from jet-black silk and created a simple, beautiful

silhouette that went down to her knees. Ryuuji didn't even need to be

troubled about her lacking chest because some layered draping covered it

up. She wore long black gloves that were slightly shiny and had short wings

on the end to make them look younger. On top of that, she was wearing a

short fox fur coat. She had a clutch with black fringe beads that rustled, and

her slender neck was adorned with a conspicuous pearl choker.

Taiga was exactly perfect. No matter how anyone looked at her, she

was beautiful, lovely, chic, and fashionable. She was so pretty it was a

waste to use this outfit at a school party. A faint and slow smile spread on

the beautiful girl's lips.

"What a relief, it's the perfect size."

On the other hand, Ryuuji was also dressed up in a way that was

wasted on a school party.

The box Taiga had thrown at him had contained a black suit set. On

Yasuko's advice, he had put on a necktie they had tied slightly loosely, and

stylishly only closed the middle button of the jacket. Unusually for him, his

bangs were smartly slicked up with hair wax. Ryuuji looked exactly like a

prince—like a noble prince from the underworld. It would have been fitting

to call him a young virtuoso yakuza leader or the young master of a

household. Those kinds of titles would have fit him perfectly.

It was just how Ryuuji's face looked, though. The narrow-shouldered

suit really was well made. It was a refined shade of black that couldn't be

mistaken for mourning clothes.

"A-a-are you sure about this?! I-I-Is it really okay if I borrow it?! I-II-I can't stop stuttering…"

It looked so expensive. He was licking and lapping at his dry lips as

he stuttered. Taiga, acting like it was nothing, shrugged her shoulders,

which were wrapped in real fur.

"I'm not letting you borrow it," she declared in a matter-of-fact tone.

"I'm giving it to you."

"You're giving it to me?! But the lining has R. Aisaka sewn into it!"

"When I left home, I told the movers to bring everything in the

closet, so they also brought this. But it's okay. He got that as a gift from

someone, but it was too big on him and fixing it was too much of a bother,

so he just left it behind. If it bothers you, you can just take out the

embroidery. Hide the evidence."

"Getting hand-me-downs from that guy isn't something I can joke

about, I—"

"It's Gucci."

"Gu…"

"If you won't wear it, then I'll have to get rid of it."

"M-m-m-mottainai—that's too wasteful! Here, get the thread

scissors! We're hiding the evidence!"

Okay, okay, even Yasuko got caught up into the mix and nodded

along. Snip! They cut the embroidery thread. He pulled it with his fingers

and it slipped right out, and with that, Ryuuji had formally gotten himself a

yakuza virtuoso suit. Taiga had gone out of her way to give it to him after

all, and if anything, not destroying it was really mottainai… He told himself

that. As he got carried away by the mood, he took another happy look into

the mirror. An enchanting, beautiful couple stared back. …He didn't go so

far as to think that, but, well, they looked something like that. He didn't

know what others would think, though.

Looking at him through the mirror, Taiga's cherry-colored lips

grinned.

"Now we're really done preparing, but do you know what the most

important thing is? You'll wear that tonight since you have something you

need to do. I won't get in your way at all today, okay? Anyway, trust me

and don't worry. And, this is the only day I'll say this to you, but today,

Takasu Ryuuji, you kind of look cooler than usual… You've got some

charm. So make sure you're dignified and stand up straight. Raise your

head high."

You look pretty good yourself tonight, too.

…But he wasn't able to say that. His lips trembled, and he suddenly

couldn't see Taiga's face properly. Even after she said that, he wanted to

lower his head. Don't go getting shy, you idiot, he grumbled low at the back

of his throat. Knowing that Ryuuji felt embarrassed, Taiga started giggling.

"Hee hee."

He knew what he needed to do.

He would enjoy this Christmas Eve and make sure that everyone

would be rewarded and would see the next day with a smile. He would

make sure the happiness relay was completed without anyone missing out.

He hadn't given up on Minori. He would send her a message. He would call

her. If Taiga said she had a plan, he would believe in the angel. He might

even be able to use the blessing from the patron saint of broken hearts.

He gripped his hands into fists in front of the shabby sink.

"Okay!"

He pumped himself up once again. Taiga might have been thinking of

Kitamura's face or of her dream with Santa, but the light in her eyes grew

stronger.

"Oh, I know. ☆ Ehee hee, I'll use some adult magic on you two~!"

Seeing the two of them like that, Yasuko broke out into a smile and

hummed as she skipped out of the small bathroom. She went into her own

room and came back with a small purple bottle and an old leather case

grasped in her hands.

"Pardon me~!"

"Waah!"

She sprayed liquid from the small bottle onto her fingertips and

waved her hands in the air several times before slowly pushing them right

into the bust of Taiga's dress. Ryuuji was so startled he couldn't make a

sound as, in front of his eyes, his mother's hands went through the area

between Taiga's chest, which was like a void continent. She did it twice.

After a while, he sensed something soft and mysteriously warm. It was a

gentle smell coming to his nose.

"Hee hee, that was perfume just now. ☆ It's a little stronger than a

toilette, but when you put a little on your stomach or your chest or

anywhere that's warm, you can't go wrong. ☆"

"Th-thank you… Wow, it's, like, a really good smell…wearing real

perfume is like really being an adult!"

Far from being adult-like, Taiga twitched her nose like a beast and

looked up at Yasuko with a smile. Yasuko also seemed happy.

"It should mix with your own smell, and when the party starts, you'll

get a really sliiight fragrance coming from you! So, Ryuu-chan, I'll let you

borrow this~! Open sesame~!"

She opened the case and showed it to Ryuuji. Inside was a domestic

maker's dignified men's watch. It wasn't gaudy, but it was solid, and there

was no rust or dirt to be seen on it. The second hand kept perfect time.

Though it looked old, it had been properly taken care of. Huh. Ryuuji was

led to think of a certain possibility.

"Could this be… Is this my dad's?"

"Not even close, yo. ☆"

Yasuko easily broke apart her son's romantic notion and gave him an

easygoing grin.

"A really long time ago, when I ran away from home, I ran away with

everything that had value that I could carry. Like kimono and obi ornaments

with jewels in them, and rings. I went around grabbing everything that

glittered. I also grabbed this when I did that, but the pawnshop said that it

wouldn't really get me a lot of money, so I didn't really want to sell it. I had

it left over until now."

"Wh-what about everything else…"

"It aaaalll disappeared and transformed into money before your third

birthday. ☆"

At the mother's overly difficult life, the children were immediately

speechless.

"It really would have been nice if we had your dad's Rolex, though.

I'm sure it would have looked great on you. It had diamonds on it and was

all dazzling, too…" Yasuko told them as she put the watch on Ryuuji's

wrist. The size was perfect, and the stainless steel was surprisingly cool. It

was enough to make his heart jump.

"In other words, this is my grandfather's… Actually…wait, isn't it

stolen?!"

"That's exactly right~! Wow! It looks perfect on you, Ryuu-chan! It

looks great~! Ahh, I'm glad I didn't sell it off for dirt cheap! I was really

split about it on that day."

He didn't know what day that day was, but Ryuuji was silent for a bit.

When he calmed down and returned to his senses, he looked down. The

things he was currently wearing were Taiga's detestable father's suit that

she'd walked off with, and his grandfather's watch that Yasuko stole as she

ran away from home.

He kind of felt like his whole body was decked out with things of

dubious origin—if "someone" really was watching, this might earn him

divine retribution. Feeling like that, his spine automatically quivered. He

even remembered something terrible.

"Dads don't get rewarded."

It was the ominous one-liner Ami had gifted him with. In the suit and

in the watch were the foolishness, regret, and deep grudges of the fathers

who had left behind their daughters and not been able to take care of them.

What if the items were cursed?

No way.

No, stop. It wasn't right to think about things like grudges and curses

when Christmas Eve had finally come.

It was December twenty-fourth and just a little before five.

For Taiga's sake, since she was in heels, Yasuko called a taxi driven

by one of her regulars to the front of the Takasu house.

They got into the taxi, which was luxurious considering they were

high schoolers, and told the driver their destination.

"Oh, is this a date?!" joked the old man, whom Ryuuji recognized,

and then the two of them answered back at once.

"No!"

In the butt pocket of Ryuuji's suit, which sunk into the cushions,

Ryuuji had securely stored a present that he had prepared to give to Minori.

Then, night came for the streets.

The Christmas lights shone like a glittering flood.

His heart beat faster.

His hopes and worries closed in on him in turn.

Ryuuji nervously fumbled with his necktie. Grabbing his sleeve to

stop him, Taiga told him in a low voice, "I told you that it'd be okay." Her

voice hinted at a smile.

The yakuza virtuoso in his Gucci suit and the lady who was still

petite in her nine-centimeter heels rode in the taxi that was now like a

magic carriage. It bore the two of them, different from their usual selves,

down the glittering streets of Christmas Eve at forty kilometers per hour in

the brilliant world that was also out of the ordinary