"Do you think I'll prepare a Christmas present for you?" Kanade Natsukawa asked teasingly.
"Do you think I'll prepare one for you?" Kasumigaoka Utaha countered, reclining on the bed with a bunch of grapes resting on her chest. Every now and then, she'd lower her head to pluck a grape with her lips.
"I think you will," Kanade replied with a confident nod.
Years had passed, and Kanade had lost track of how many Christmases he had spent with them. He used to dismiss holidays like this, brushing them off as marketing schemes or "taxes on intelligence." But after falling in love, he realized it wasn't about logic or boredom—it was simply about finding an excuse to spend time with the people closest to you.
Sometimes, life needed a little ritual to feel special.
"Hmph." Kasumigaoka snorted lightly, but the sweetness in her expression was impossible to hide.
Kanade, however, was still at a loss.
He was wondering what kind of gifts to prepare for the girls tomorrow. Ever since inheriting the family business, the problem wasn't finding something to give—it was that he could afford almost anything. The sheer number of options made choosing difficult.
One thing he was sure of: no matter what he chose, they would love it. That made it even more important to find something unique and thoughtful. But thinking up new ideas every year was exhausting. His brain felt like it was on the verge of giving out.
This year, he had planned for all of them to go out and have fun together. Yet for some reason, Mahiru and Eriri had conspired to push him into Kasumigaoka's room tonight.
Mahiru had even smiled happily, while Eriri had worn an expression that looked like she'd lost a bet. Megumi, on the other hand, seemed slightly wistful as she tied on her apron and focused on preparing dinner without a word of protest.
After graduating from university, the group had moved in together. Over the years, Kanade had found himself in plenty of awkward situations.
In their first year of university, for example, his dating multiple girls was exposed. He'd made no effort to hide it while arranging dates with them. Once the rumors spread, people began labeling him as the ultimate "scumbag."
But this wasn't just ordinary "scum behavior." He was crowned a master of time management.
Fortunately, these rumors didn't affect his relationships with the girls. Their arrangements had been agreed upon back in high school, and Kanade had never hidden anything from them. If they asked, he always answered truthfully.
While the gossip painted him poorly in terms of romance, his character in other aspects was above reproach. Most girls were simply curious about this peculiar man and occasionally came to see him out of sheer fascination.
For the boys, though… Well, as long as he wasn't tricking women for money or leading them on only to abandon them, many secretly envied him.
In a way, the notoriety even worked to his advantage. Girls who recognized him tended to steer clear, sparing his girlfriends from unnecessary jealousy.
After finishing university and leaving behind the "ivory tower," Kanade found himself at a crossroads. It was supposed to be time to shoulder life's responsibilities, but he spent six idle months at home, accomplishing nothing.
It wasn't entirely his fault—Kaguya, the workaholic, had taken over running the family business. Every time Kanade tried to get involved, he discovered there was no need for him to do anything. So, he gave up trying.
Now, his daily concerns boiled down to deciding which girl to spend time with, how long to spend with her, and what activities would make her happiest.
Of course, love wasn't supposed to be this calculative. But given his circumstances, he couldn't help but think carefully to avoid any sense of unfairness. Even if the girls didn't mind, Kanade himself wouldn't be able to tolerate it.
In the meantime, they'd traveled to countless places together, led by Chika, the most adventurous of the group. Skiing, skydiving, domestic and international trips—whatever they could think of, they did.
Tonight was Christmas Eve, December 24th. They had planned to lay out a massive futon and sleep together. But Mahiru and the others had pushed Kanade into Kasumigaoka's room instead.
Naturally, Kanade climbed onto her bed, only to be swiftly kicked off by a dainty foot.
"Crawl."
"Eh? A new position?"
"It means crawl away."
"Then how about we just sleep? Let me hold you while we do." Kanade climbed back onto the bed and gently wrapped his arms around Kasumigaoka.
She turned to face him, her wine-red eyes shimmering—bright yet slightly elusive. Her expression hinted at both drowsiness and thoughtfulness.
They chatted for a while before Kasumigaoka suddenly asked, "Do you like children?"
"…Not really. They seem like a lot of trouble," Kanade replied honestly.
"Why's that?"
"They cry and throw tantrums, you have to raise them, and even after all that, you can't be sure you'll raise them right. It just sounds like a headache…" Kanade admitted hesitantly.
What he didn't say was his fear of raising a child poorly. His early life had been dominated by pressure and solitude, forcing him to grow up on his own. He doubted he'd know how to parent effectively.
"Oh, then just go die."
Kasumigaoka rolled her eyes at him.
"What? What's wrong?" Kanade noticed a flicker of nervousness in her gaze. Having spent so much time with her, he could easily pick up on her subtle emotions.
"Check under your pillow," she said quietly.
Kanade froze, then lifted the pillow to find a report.
His eyes widened.
"You… you…"
"Me?" Kasumigaoka stared at him calmly.
Kanade sat stunned for several seconds before leaning in to plant a kiss on her cheek.
"So… do you like children?" he asked softly.
"I… think I like them now," Kasumigaoka said hesitantly. "I used to hate kids—especially the rowdy ones who were always causing trouble. They'd remind me of those annoying boys from my childhood who loved to draw attention to themselves. But… when I saw the report, I spent the whole day overthinking. And then I thought… maybe having a child wouldn't be so bad. Even a mischievous one might actually be kind of cute."
"That… might be true," Kanade said, attempting to imagine it.
"Do you prefer boys or girls?" Kasumigaoka asked.
"Mm… probably a girl. Girls seem more obedient. If it's a boy and he rebels against his parents… just thinking about it makes my head hurt," Kanade admitted, his mind flashing to his own rebellious streak.
"That's just because you lack confidence in your parenting skills. Still… you're in luck," Kasumigaoka said, wrapping an arm around his neck.
"I consulted a fortune teller. It's a girl."
"Uh… isn't that kind of thing unreliable? It's not exactly scientific…"
"It's the same fortune teller who predicted we'd all end up together," Kasumigaoka said with an unimpressed look.
"Oh… in that case… that's great! She'll probably take after you, and she'll definitely be beautiful."
"I wasn't even thinking about that. I was just worried that if it were a boy… what if he turns out like you and goes around charming every girl he meets?"
Kanade fell silent.
Even after all this time, Kasumigaoka clearly still harbored some lingering feelings about that.
"What are you thinking? I'm just worried he'd end up being chased around by angry girls. Not everyone is as forgiving as we are," she added with a smirk.
"…" Kanade said nothing, simply pulling her into a tight embrace. They stayed like that in silence for a while.
The room was dimly lit, the soft light casting gentle shadows. Their eyes met, and for several minutes, nothing was said. Then, in a whisper by her ear, Kanade finally spoke:
"But we'll still have the baby, right? Even if it's a boy?"
"Of course." Kasumigaoka smiled. She hadn't been worried about the baby's gender to begin with.
Hearing Kanade's words, her heart melted. A tender smile spread across her face as she buried her cheek against his chest. In a quiet, teasing voice, she muttered, "Hmph. Eriri is so jealous of me… and so are Megumi and the others."
"That's true," Kanade agreed with a chuckle.
"Chika was excited all day, like she's the one who's going to be a mom," Kasumigaoka added.
"No wonder she kept looking like she wanted to say something during dinner. Even eating couldn't shut her up," Kanade said, laughing at the memory.
"I'm nervous… my mind's all over the place," Kasumigaoka murmured.
"I'm nervous too. But I think it'll get easier, little by little," Kanade said softly, stroking her belly as he spoke. Even though it had just been a simple conversation, the idea of a little life growing there filled him with awe.
"Yeah."
"And… I've read up on this. Once you're pregnant, I can't… touch you, you know."
"I know."
"Just reminding you."
"I know," Kanade said with an exasperated laugh.
Kasumigaoka gave him a playful look, her hand circling behind his neck. "Even so, you have to stay by my side and take care of me properly."
"Of course… silly."
"You just called me silly!"
"That's called affection," Kanade said, shaking his head with a smile. He already knew that for the next several days—probably even weeks—he wouldn't be sleeping anywhere but here.
"What's this? Do you think you're some kind of domineering CEO now?"
"…" Kanade didn't answer, instead staring at her for a long moment before leaning in to kiss her.
"Mm…"
They stayed like that, cuddled together, for a while longer.
"I'm sleepy," Kasumigaoka finally said.
"Then sleep," Kanade replied.
"Goodnight," she said, lifting her face from his chest to look at him.
Kanade leaned down to give her a soft kiss on the lips.
Closing her eyes, Kasumigaoka nestled against him and peacefully drifted off to sleep.