Angel and Christmas Present

　Although there was a situation in which the angel seemed to be sulking halfway through, it seems that the angel completely lost his mind while playing the game and returned to his earnest expression.

　Maybe I've gotten used to the game itself, even though it's stuttering, I'm still able to play it, and I'm somehow keeping up.

　This is probably because the concept of this game is that you control a car, unlike the first game you played.

　I've been straying off course into dirt and bumping into walls, but I'm still making headway.

　Since this happened in the middle of the day when I wasn't very good at gaming, I was worried that I might end up running backwards, but I was relieved that things were going better than I expected.

　As a side note, Zhou also split the screen and played together, but midday unconsciously interfered and it was a bit painful.

　As expected, she seems to have a habit of leaning her body naturally, and occasionally her head leans against his upper arm and then moves away.

　Every time there was a soft and pleasant smell, Zhou was restless.

　Well, it's still against the weakest CPU, so I'm on my own.

"...Why are you so fast?"

"Time and Habit"

　If you play many times, you will memorize the course and your cornering will naturally become better. Once you get used to it, you can prevent interference from your opponent to some extent by making full use of camera work and shielding.

　I returned a wry smile to Midday, who was looking unconvinced, and gently returned him to play alone.

　Since she doesn't have enough experience, I think they should let her practice on a big screen first. It's better for her to get used to the CPU than to look at her surroundings and be disappointed in her own.

　Fortunately, she seemed to be motivated and continued to stare intently at the screen when she returned to solo play.

　At this rate, I'm sure I'll be able to stand up against CPU opponents somehow.

　His hard-working side could be seen even in places like this, and Mahiru, who seemed to be able to tell by his presence when he let out a quiet laugh, patted his knee in disapproval.

　If it was funny and he laughed extra, Mahiru raised his eyebrows and then whispered, "You're an idiot, Zhou-kun."

"I won."

　More than two hours of hard work.

　Midday, who reached the goal while getting the number one character shining brightly at the edge of the screen, looked at the lap with a slight pride.

　The first place I finally got after fighting for a long time in front of the TV.

　I'm sure he was very impressed because he experienced failures over and over again, but he didn't give up and kept running, gradually climbing the ranks, and finally taking first place.

　Seeing the sense of accomplishment on his face, as if saying he had accomplished something, Zhou obediently gave him a round of applause.

"Good for you. I saw you did your best."

"Yes"

　Perhaps he was happy to be praised, his usual expression relaxed a little with embarrassment.

　Instead of an easy-to-understand smile like a smiling face, the light shyness that seemed to be happy and relaxed was so sweet that it was unthinkable from her usual coolness.

　Midday has been showing a girly side of her age in between her usual coolness, but today's midday was showing a face appropriate for her age more than usual, and she was absurdly cute.

　Her innocent, almost innocent smile makes me want to loosen the strings of Zhou's rationality and pat her on the head.

　The urge to pet a cat, similar to the desire to pet it, sent a command to my arm...my hand instinctively lifted up and I hurriedly brought it down.

"What's happen?"

"Oh no, it's nothing. I think it's gotten better."

"Have you improved?"

"I did it. It's a lot better than when I first started."

"Thank you. It was fun, and I did my best"

　Hehe, unable to see Mahiru smiling again, Shu took out a small box that he had put in a basket on a shelf in his room, trying to disguise it.

"Let's do this as a reward for first place."

"Eh, um, nothing like that."

"If you don't like the reward, it's a gift from a stout old man with a white beard."

　Yes, it was a Christmas present that I accidentally forgot to give yesterday.

　Since my birthday and Christmas are not too far apart, I once again had trouble finding a present, but this time I had a plan, so it wasn't as difficult as it was for my birthday.

　At the word "Christmas present", Mahiru blinked as if he was reminded once again that it was Christmas, but he accepted it timidly.

　When I told her it was okay to open it, she carefully unwrapped it again.

(well, not a big deal)

　I opened the box and slowly pulled out a leather key case.

　I'd probably be put off by something too expensive, so I chose something that was not a brand name item, but one that seemed to go well with midday due to its pure design.

　It's a simple design with a flower and ivy pattern engraved on it, so it's not a problem for everyday use. I don't know much about flowers, so I don't know what's engraved on it, but I chose it because I thought its delicate shape would look good in the middle of the day.

"Well, I gave you a duplicate key. Well, if you don't use it, that's fine."

"No, thank you for letting me use it.

"It's more than I thought."

"No, I usually only wear sweatshirts or jerseys…If it's just about clothes, it's a matter of taste…"

"There are no other clothes that are this functional."

　In the middle of the day, I don't have a chance to show myself fully dressed, and I want to avoid that kind of thing as much as possible, so I only show my school uniform or loose loungewear.

　That's why I think I have the impression that I'm sloppy in front of my sense. Well, it's true that I'm lazy, so I don't think I can dispel it.

"... If you do it properly, it might be cool, right? Zhou-kun, a junior high school student, did you do it properly?"

"My mother forced me to do that...wait, how do you know that?"

"Shihoko-san posted a photo and said, ``This is what it would look like if it was done right.''

"Annyaro"

　She had no idea that the photos of her mother, who had been forced to attend work and had to dress up to go out, would have been leaked, and Shu secretly complained a lot to her mother, who wasn't here. I kept it.

"...That kind of thing doesn't suit me."

"I see. Shuu-kun, I think his features are fine, just by avoiding making eye contact with others and hiding it with his hairstyle..."

　A small hand reached out to Zhou's face.

　A white palm touched my forehead as if brushing back my long bangs, and my field of vision became wider than usual.

　When I looked at Mahiru with an open field of vision for the first time in a long time outside of the bath, I saw Mahiru with a slightly surprised expression on his face.

　There's nothing surprising about her, she probably has a normal face, neither ugly nor beautiful, but I can't help but wonder at Mahiru as she stares at me.

"...what is it"

"No. I think your eyes are more lively than before."

　Mahiru said, very rudely but undeniably, that his eyes were dead a few months ago, and then he looked up at Shu.

　It probably wasn't much fun to look at, but he just stared at me quietly.

　For some reason, it's embarrassing to be stared at by someone of the opposite sex, such as an incredibly beautiful girl.

　However, it's boring to be constantly attacked, so as if to return the favor, she touches Mahiru's hair that falls on her cheek and reveals her beautiful face.

　She was hesitant to touch him, but since Mahiru casually touched Shu's hair, she would be forgiven. I'd like to think it's safe because I'm not patting her on the head.

(But hey, she's really beautiful.)

　If you look at it again, you can see how amazing Midday's beauty is.

　She is much more beautiful and attractive than the beautiful woman who appeared in the magazine that had fallen into Shu's room.

　First of all, photos are not very reliable.

　Because it can cut out a moment and process it, it can capture the truth as it is, highlight its beauty, and disguise it.

　The midday that is in front of me is cute and beautiful even if it is unprocessed.

　If you stare at the neat features that don't seem to get tired, midday gradually begins to wander your gaze.

　At the moment I wondered what it was, midday released his hand from Zhou's hair and lowered his eyes.

　Mahiru, who was looking uncomfortable, completely let go of the controller and hugged the cushion next to him.

"Um. Um... that's right. I have a Christmas present for you, too."

"Oh, thank you."

　I was about to ask what that was all about, but Mahiru interrupted me by taking out a wrapped bag from the bag next to me and pushing it towards Shu.

"Well then, I'll prepare dinner."

"Huh? I-I see...?"

　In the middle of the day, when I left my seat after saying that much, Zhou had no choice but to be puzzled by the development that was too fast.