Chapter 1

……

President~ Good work at Starry Night Festival ♪

Hm? I thought I’d finally been welcomed by an angel at the pearly gates, but it’s only you, Hajime-kun.

Although—For a long time, you were the closest thing I had to an angel… You are Hajime-kun, correct?

? Yes, I’m Shino Hajime…?

Fufu, you really do look exhausted, President. I can make some tea or sweets to help lift your spirits if you’d like?

Mm, thank you, but shouldn’t we have tea after we’ve changed?

On the off-chance that we got our clothes dirty, it would be difficult to clean them…

Well, Starry Night Festival was a one-time event, so I’ll likely never wear this costume again.

It’s a shame, isn’t it? These costumes are so cute.

Look, they’re so frilly and fluttery around here~… ♪

Yes, they’re very cute. Do it again.

O–oh? Um, just shake my hips a little to make it sway?

Ehehe, it’s a little embarrassing to be asked to do it again. But look, flutter~ flutter~… ♪

Mm, I love how you try your best even in the face of such an unreasonable demand. Let me pat your head; you really are such a good boy… ♪

All right! Thank you~!

It’d be bad if Santa didn’t come, so I’m trying to be even better than usual~ ♪

Amazing! How could you be so cruel, Eichi? Playing with a toy that isn’t me…?!

I’ve never thought of you as a toy, Wataru. You will always and forever be my idol.

In any case, where have you been, Wataru? I haven’t seen you around for a while now.

Have you been rekindling an old flame with Shinkai-kun, now that you’ve performed in Starry Night Festival together?

Fufufu, Kanata is sensitive to the cold, so he’s planted himself in front of the furnace and refuses to move.

No matter what tricks I pull, he never responds. Oh, how frustrating!

But no matter. The reason I disappeared was to prepare a gift for you, Eichi.

It took some time because the gift put up quite the resistance.

The gift put up a resistance…? That’s a suspicious way to put it, but I generally see how this is going to end.

It seems your intuition has dulled recently, or rather you seem to be off your game in a way… Wataru?

Nn… Oh, I am ashamed! I haven’t had much time to polish my craft these days ♪

I can almost hear the “because of a certain someone” tacked onto the end of that.

I’m sorry I’ve made you put all your energy into fine, and therefore deprived you of the personal time you need to hone your craft, all right?

Oh, not at all! I only have myself to blame—Were I so inclined, I could even brush my teeth while I polished my technique!

I am simply too busy to do it, you see.

Well, if you’re the only one who keeps evolving and improving, it will certainly disrupt the harmony of fine…

Is that what you’re concerned about? Is that why you’ve come to a stop?

I’m sorry. We can’t keep up with your pace, so now we’re holding you back.

You are reading far too much into this—Or perhaps I should say you’re thinking too regressively? This winter is harsh, after all. Is the cold getting to you, by chance?

To that I say: I come bearing good news, Eichi! I’ve prepared a gift of the highest quality for you, one which will surely bring a smile to your face just by looking at it~!

Here, here—For you ♪

Fufu, it’s a little early for Christmas, isn’t it, Wataru?

Let’s see now… Oh my, that’s a big box. I’m sure you could even hide a corpse in there if you folded it up.

Oh, that’s too bad! It is not a corpse, but a living, breathing human~ ☆

…Fwah?!

Hey you! Rapunzel! Can you quit kidnapping me whenever you feel like it?!

I mean like, who the heck do you think I am, huh? You’ve got some nerve stuffing the great Himemiya Tori in a box!

Oh, Tori-kun… ♪

Ah! Hajime! Wheeee~ ☆ (takes Hajime’s hands and jumps around with him)

I saw you at Starry Night Festival! You did so well!

You really held your own even though you were in a unit full of more experienced members! You were sparkling so bright, and so beautiful~ ☆

Thank you! I tried my best! Nii~chan helped me train, since he used to be in a choir ♪

I’m so relieved we were able to get through it without any mishaps. Ehehe, it’s a Christmas miracle… ♪

Hmm, so my present was Tori-kun. Based on the hint you gave that it would make me smile, I assumed Keito might be inside the box.

The way you play around with him always makes me laugh… ♪

Ah, it brings me joy just thinking about it! I’ll give you that gift on Christmas itself, so please look forward to it… ☆