“I had no idea Kirihouji Nagisa was such a wild child… Ugh, ugh. Fufu… I never wanted to know this for my entire life… Nope, not at all.”
A familiar mirror came into view. Beyond it, Misono Mika was hugging her knees with half-dead eyes, mumbling to herself.
“…Hey, Mika?”
“Oh, you’re here…? Happy birthday…”
“Uh, um. Thanks.”
I said thanks since I got a birthday wish, but there was hardly any sign of genuine congratulations on that gloomy face.
“So… did you like it? No, that can’t be. You must have liked it. Yeah, you must have, with how wild you and Nagisa-chan were. I asked something weird, huh? Ahaha.”
Seeing Mika after such a long time filled me with a bit of joy, but it was sad to realize she didn’t feel the same.
She’d said she disliked me, and watched everything Nagisa and I did… I could understand her feelings.
“You know? You’re such a funny guy.”
“Suddenly?”
“I said I wouldn’t take back that dirty body even if you offered it. Did that sound like a joke? It’s completely, 100% true. But since it’s a body I might have to give back to Mika someday, I want to keep it pure. Are you kidding me? If I were Nagisa-chan, I’d have slapped you. Seriously.”
“…So being dirty was about the kids from Gehenna?”
“What did you think I was talking about? Huh? Ugh, seriously. It’s frustrating as hell. What does Nagisa-chan see in a guy like this…?”
“Wait a second. Mika, you…?”
A single tear rolled down Mika’s cheek. Soon, a stream of tears flowed down, soaking her face.
Seeing this, I unconsciously reached my hand up to the mirror, but of course, my touch couldn’t reach beyond it. My favorite character right in front of me was genuinely crying with a sorrowful face, and I couldn’t even comfort her.
If it were any other time, I’d jokingly comment on how crying makes someone look beautiful. But Mika’s current appearance was such a mess that I couldn’t even utter those words.
“That shushu is mine. It was the most precious thing gifted to me by Nagisa-chan. But if you get the same thing, it feels like Nagisa-chan is trying to erase my existence… Huh. Meanwhile, you’re over here talking about returning your body to me…”
“Mika…”
“It’s annoying. I don’t like it. I don’t like any of this. My place is already gone, so what are you trying to return to me? What for?”
“For you, Mika. I want you to be happy——”
“…No, I don’t need it. After today, I won’t be looking for you anymore. Yeah, it’s time to accept it.”
“Accept it? What nonsense is that…?”
“The real Mika is you. Not some nobody witch like me, who’s unworthy of anyone’s attention.”
In reaction to Mika’s declaration, I was momentarily speechless. Once Mika, who craved affection, completely lost someone to be there for her, this situation was likely bound to happen.
I wasn’t enough. I had never been enough.
In the mismatched timeline between me and Nagisa, Mika’s heart was already rotting from the inside out.
“Ahaha… This is the last, really the last warning. No, it might be advice. You need to doubt everything. I don’t think you’ll listen to anything I say, but at least stop saying you’ll return that body. I absolutely, positively will not accept it.”
Why does that sound like Mika’s saying, “Please doubt me.”
…Was she truly the Mika I knew?
“Mika, what are you hiding?”
“Fool. A girl’s secret is most beautiful when kept a secret.”
With a bittersweet smile, Mika waved her hand lightly. I had seen faces similar to hers many times before.
It felt like we shouldn’t part like this. At the very least, there was still one story I had to tell her.
“Wait a second. Mika! Nagisa——”
“Bye-bye.”
“Nagisa prepared your gift today too. You know she’s that kind of person. You must know that much.”
“How could I know that? We’re strangers.”
Only then did it feel like I was starting to get a grasp of the situation.
Mika, you…
*
When I woke up, I first glanced down, then quickly shut my eyes tight.
A bathrobe lay carelessly draped over the edge of the bed, and the other one was probably on the floor.
A wing slightly jutted out between my side and the bed, which was annoying. I chuckled at how, entangled with Nagisa, I had slept so well.
Memories from last night and dreams tumbled chaotically in my mind. It felt like thoughts had exploded like a bomb.
As I attempted to nudge the blanket aside, I was met with the cold air against my skin, making me inadvertently pull the blanket back over me.
Both Nana and Nagisa are important figures in Trinity, so we’re supposed to attend Mass, but looking at my body, it was a whole disaster. Even though Nagisa, whose smooth back I could see, might not be in as dire a state as me, according to my memory, she’d be in a similar situation.
I didn’t even need to look at the bedspread—it must be a mess. How could it not be?
Meanwhile, why was I so concerned about how Nagisa, slightly taller than me, was burying her head in my neck while sleeping? Was I really that insecure about my height? It made me somewhat upset.
Slowly embracing Nagisa, I pondered what time it could be. Though my mind was protesting sleepiness, my body felt unusually fresh, causing confusion.
I hadn’t dried my hair properly before sleeping. My body was a mess from our dried saliva; I definitely needed a shower. Thankfully, most of these blatant kiss marks were hidden by my clothes, but I was still worried about areas that weren’t covered. Could I possibly hide them with makeup?
Lick. Peck.
“…Eek.”
Come on, while someone is fretting over kiss marks, someone else is trying to add another one as soon as they wake up.
“Nagisa-chan, I told you not to leave any where it can’t be covered by clothes…”
“…It’s the lovely Archimedes, Misono Mika.”
“Ugh. Ah, this is troublesome so early in the morning.”
Nagisa raised her body slightly while playfully nibbling on my skin to say good morning. Her brown eyes were looking down at me, and her caramel hair flowed down like a waterfall, tickling me.
When Nagisa smiled, I could feel the heat rising to my face. This angle of Nagisa during the morning was truly divine, to the point where she could be called a goddess. And then she leaned down and gave my lips a gentle kiss.
“It was incredible.”
“Ugh, ugh. I might be a little happy about that.”
“Shall we go wash up together?”
“…Just washing up, right? We don’t have that much time to spare.”
“Who knows…? Whatever happens while we’re in the shower, we’ll only know, right? Fufu.”
It was clear that thanks to Christmas, the relationship between me and Nagisa had reached a turning point.
*
Afterwards, Christmas passed by more ordinarily than I expected.
Before entering the bathroom, I checked that it was still less than 6 o’clock, and I couldn’t help but feel bewildered. How many hours had I actually slept?
The kiss marks left exposed without clothing had first been covered with makeup, and then a scarf made by Nagisa was wrapped around them. While I understood that she intended to leave her marks even in such daring places, asking me to wear a scarf all day seemed a bit excessive.
After spending time in the cathedral, the next stop was my office. Even though everyone else was enjoying the holiday freely, I was one of the few who couldn’t.
Unfortunately, I was one of those people.
It’s an unchangeable law that if I take a break today, tomorrow’s me will have twice the trouble.
The fortunate point was that the workload was significantly lighter than usual. With Nagisa sitting across from me as I worked on documents, lunchtime was upon us before I knew it.
I couldn’t skip mentioning the noble sacrifice of our ETO’s President Shichido Yukino. The members of ETO subduing the troublemaking kids in Gehenna and Trinity on Christmas were probably those who would suffer the most today.
After enjoying a lunch course at a French restaurant I had reserved in advance, Nagisa led me straight home.
“…Ahaha, Nagisa-chan. Didn’t you have a special date course planned?”
“Of course I did. Yes, there was definitely something like that. But it’s going to be discarded.”
Saying that, Nagisa interlocked her fingers with mine.
“What we need right now is a nap, isn’t it? No matter what kind of date I plan, the important part is that Misono Mika has to be by my side. Just being able to have you beside me is more than enough happiness.”
“…Hey, are we really just taking a nap this time? Right?”
“Huh? I wonder what you believe I am. You can’t possibly think I’m the kind of vulgar woman who would jump at the chance to do something embarrassing in broad daylight?”
My honest answer was yes, but beyond that, my body chose no.
Fortunately, it appeared Nagisa genuinely wanted to have an innocent nap. Dressed lightly, she soon nestled into my arms and fell asleep.
Feeling her hair softly cascade through my fingers, I too drifted into slumber.
Today was undoubtedly the worst Christmas, but on the other hand, it was also the best Christmas.
