Outside the window, the night was already thick. The fragrant medicinal broth bubbled and steamed in the pot.
Though they said they'd continue the conversation while eating, during the process of picking ingredients, putting them in the pot, waiting for them to cook, dipping them in sauce, and eating with rice, neither spoke first. They ate in silence, as if fully focused on the act of eating.
The sounds inside the pot, the clinking of plates and chopsticks, and the chewing noises seemed isolated in another world. Only an overly quiet silence bound them both. A faint humming silence rang in their ears.
"..."
Swallowing a three-second-boiled wagyu piece with rice, the fat felt refreshing after being absorbed by the starch. As the rich meat flavor spread in the mouth, pores all over the body suddenly opened. Every hot breath carried a satisfied sigh.
Enjoying the flavor bomb-like deliciousness with eyes closed in silence, Yuu pursed his lips. He secretly opened his eyes and gazed at Yukino.
Yukino ate elegantly and calmly. Faced with the delicacy, she remained composed and unhurried. She skillfully and quickly took meat slices from the pot.
Then, her small lips parted slightly. Her glossy lips were adorned with a tempting bit of oil. Her finger tucked a fallen strand of hair behind her ear. Her moist red oral cavity approached the rice and meat slice on her chopsticks.
She put it in and swallowed. While covering her mouth with her small hand, a mysterious red tint appeared on her face. Her whole body slightly trembled as if electrified. After being swept away for a long time, she finally relaxed. She narrowed her eyes and showed a relieved smile.
It seemed the taste suited her perfectly. Though only the broth part was truly made by her, at least she successfully produced a S〇ma-level dish effect…
(No, now's not the time to worry about this!)
Yuu had no idea what Yukino was thinking right now.
Though he was the one interrupted by the timer to continue the topic, after starting dinner, he realized all the questions he wanted to ask could be answered from his understanding of the girl.
Why did Yukino think Asuna who remembered would be harder to face than Haruno?
Because Asuna became a Sobu High student. If she wanted, she could meet Yuu every day. They were also classmates. If they interacted as love rivals, much awkwardness would surely occur.
Why did Yukino say those words to him?
It was to make Yuu realize and deeply understand how great a determination Yukino had made to enact such change.
Yukino hoped Yuu would no longer ignore them after losing memories, like several times before. Yuu said it was for their good, but actually he just lacked the courage to turn back and admit he was a coward afraid to face his ex-girlfriends.
As for the main goal, perhaps to make him strive against God and keep loving her even after the mission ended…
Anyway, Yukino—or anyone else—didn't know.
The decision to retract feelings was a proposal Yuu himself made to the System.
Sighing soundlessly, Yuu lowered his gaze. He scooped a spoonful of oil-floating broth from the pot and ate it with rice, crunching in his mouth.
The two-person hot pot quickly finished.
Yukino, who ate more than usual, was currently rubbing her slightly bulging stomach and walking around the living room to digest. Occasionally, her eyes glanced at the yoga mat in the wall corner. But not knowing what she thought, in the end she only relied on that little movement to fight the surging fullness in her throat.
As for Yuu, who finished seventy percent of the remaining hot pot alone, he casually washed the dishes as if nothing happened. He dried his hands and returned to the living room. Then, he crouched and hugged Yukino's not-very-meaty but very elastic buttocks.
Don't misunderstand. He wasn't the type seeking sexual satisfaction after full. He didn't want to eat his girlfriend sexually after just finishing a meal.
"Hearing this sound, seeing the fat… about four months?" Through the sleepwear, Yuu pressed his ear to Yukino's stomach. He commented with a serious expression as if he really knew.
Yukino gazed at him. She didn't immediately get angry. Instead, she stroked his head with warm affectionate eyes. Her face showed a smile full of maternal instinct.
"You want to die? I also once thought of dying together with you and using lover suicide to perfectly end our relationship, you know?"
"Really? Don't scare me…"
Yukino's tone was very gentle: "Relax, my dear. The second half of that sentence is a lie. I'm not that sick yet."
That meant the first half was very serious.
Yuu laughed awkwardly. He stood, looping his arm around her slim back. Then, he casually walked around the living room like a child hugging a doll. Occasionally, he lifted her feet off the ground and spun her in the air like dancing.
"…I really can't do anything with you."
The cold flicker in her eyes gradually melted, turning into intoxicating gentleness. Yukino also extended her slim white arm, looping around his neck. She let him lead the dance steps, calmly and comfortably enjoying this childish yet warm contact.
Moments hugging him—even breathing became rare happiness.
The familiar but slightly different living room was soon filled with this couple's footprints.
Yuu released her. He lowered his head and met a calm pleasant small laugh.
"Still angry?"
"I'll forgive you this time, Mr. Trouble Maker who's unaware." Yukino powerlessly rolled her eyes at him, and her hand unintentionally stroked her flat stomach. Then, she slightly puffed her cheeks and raised her gaze as warning.
"From now on, don't cook food that delicious except for major holidays… And, as I said before, I don't want to get pregnant before graduating college. We both must use precautions."
"I really didn't expect these two things could be connected…"
Yuu couldn't hold his laughter. He saw her ears-red face but still honest and serious, and secretly felt relieved.
An experienced handsome/bastard man knows—when a girl is angry but doesn't stay silent—instead putting a fake smile on her face—that means the situation is already serious to near explosion.
At this time—don't talk. Your voice will only add fuel to her anger fire. Better shut up and show your love with intimate actions.
Like smothering fire with a blanket to extinguish it—even if she fights and tells you to go—you must ignore the pain and comfort her with a broad chest.
Above, taken from New Good Man Self-Cultivation—I also don't know where it's sold.
To tease his girlfriend more safely, Yuu had learned a lot. He ensured important points like safe production, standardized operation, and long-term sustainability were applied—and if he could make her angry and laugh at the same time—that was success.
And, honestly…
Compared to the previous heavy, sad, or silent atmosphere—he preferred now: making her angry, making her happy, hugging her without burden, and sharing understanding smiles without words—knowing they loved each other.
It felt like holding a never-melting candy in the mouth—where every second he could taste the never-boring sweetness.
It was natural to want moments like this to continue…
When this thought appeared in his mind, Yuu couldn't hold the familiar sigh accompanying it.
"Tenkuji-kun."
Hearing Yukino call his name, Yuu thought his wild thoughts were caught and immediately fixed his slightly dimmed expression.
But when he turned, he found Yukino wasn't looking at him at all. She stood before the floor-to-ceiling glass window, looking up at the view outside the balcony.
"It seems it's snowing."
Yuu walked to her side. His gaze followed to the pitch-black sky where no color was visible.
At first, it was unnoticeable snowflakes. Needed to fall on the railing to see a few melting water drops.
But slowly, light white cotton feathers swayed and fell—landing on roofs, wall corners, window frames. Snow began knitting a shimmering silver blanket over this city.
"Did the weather forecast finally come true? White Christmas, huh…" Yuu murmured. Then, he lowered his head and gazed at Yukino childishly breathing on the glass window.
Yukino extended her pale finger. She seemed to want to write in the fog but didn't know what to write for a while. She pursed her thin soft lips and pondered a moment.
Soon after, her soft fingertip erased the cold glass fog. A simple facing umbrella quickly formed. Below it were two characters: Yuu and Yukino.
After pausing, Yukino slowly retracted her unconsciously wanting-to-continue-writing finger. She gazed at the childlike elementary school doodle with slight daze.
"Though I feel a bit bad for Yui, let me be selfish again now…"
Lowering her eyes. Her lip corners had just curved slightly when she saw the man's shadow beside her in the glass. The man peeked at her with a smile on his face.
"Ahem ahem!"
She immediately erased the umbrella and names. Yukino held her expression and coughed twice as if trying to cover.
"By the way, Tenkuji-kun, have you prepared a Christmas gift?"
Yuu kindly didn't expose it: "Of course."
Placing the back of her hand on her beautiful small chin, Yukino slightly tilted her head. Her waterfall-like long hair cascaded.
"Then… want to exchange gifts?"
Facing those bright gentle azure eyes, Yuu smiled and nodded: "Sure."
For his girlfriend's Christmas gift, he certainly didn't intend to play around. He prepared good things of the same type but different models for Yukino and Yuigahama.
Since getting the Magical Exchange status, Yuu actually exchanged items with the System every day—though most were junk not worth mentioning. Extraordinary treasures like Life Potion never appeared again.
But occasionally, he could still exchange some rarely seen items—or even nonexistent in the real world.
"Here, this is for you."
Taking a rectangular box wrapped in snowflake patterns from his bag, Yuu gestured for Yukino to open it now.
Yukino's eyes were sharp. She could see a pink box with cuter wrapping in his school bag. She smiled for some reason feeling calm. Then, she gently tore the tape on the wrapping.
It was a necklace.
Under the shimmering silver chain hung a clear, transparent, pure white snowflake. In the center was embedded a flawless shining azure blue gem.
Surprisingly, though the necklace was placed in a plain gift box with no mechanism inside, there was still an almost invisible thin mist enveloping the entire snowflake. The mist condensed into clearly visible marks on the plastic box lid.
"This… where did you buy it?"
Carefully taking out the necklace, Yukino touched the snowflake hesitantly. It felt warm like jade when touched—completely not cold and piercing as it looked.
"I made it myself. The materials… I can't mention the source. Consider the rest a fantasy story."
Yuu took the necklace. Yukino cooperated by gathering her long hair to the front of her chest, exposing her white slim neck.
While putting the necklace on her, he casually explained: "Ice dragon eggs will turn all surrounding stones into Snow Gallstones. Since it's material born to hatch eggs, it has the magical function of converting cold air into heat."
"After getting it by chance, I carved it into a snowflake shape and embedded a Blue Star Stone in the center—also obtained by chance. As long as this stone is there, you can use mana to release the cold air converted by the Snow Gallstone at once to freeze enemies… But in this world there's no Mana. Consider it decoration. The entire necklace only has anti-cold function—don't expect too much."
"..."
Forget expecting—Yukino currently very much wanted to send her boyfriend to a mental hospital to check his brain.
(Ice dragons and mana. Has he read too many other-world light novels?)
(There should be a limit to how unreasonable it is!)
Yukino gently held the chain on her chest. Seeing her reflection in the window, her expression became increasingly complicated. From initial surprise, disbelief, and helplessness—it slowly turned into hesitant wanting-to-speak but holding back.
She didn't even know whether to confirm the doubt in her heart—fearing her unintentional question would get him punished by God with a speech ban again.
…However, listening to his tone, Yuu wasn't joking or teasing her at all.
Besides, the mist on the box lid earlier—and her body somehow starting to warm after wearing the necklace—seemed to prove her common sense limit still wasn't big enough. Perhaps in another world, things beyond reality truly existed…
As for how Yuu obtained it—God was already enough reason to explain everything. No need to ask further.
Drawing a deep breath, Yukino decided not to probe deeper truth. She smiled and said to him: "Thank you—I really like this gift."
Though Yuu was actually from another world—and perhaps a great powerful wizard in his previous life.
The him who was intimate with her on the sofa—currently only had the identity of Sobu High's top student—and her lifelong lover.
The rest—wasn't important to Yukino.
"Hmm, good if you like it."
Admiring the girl who became even more charming after wearing the necklace, Yuu couldn't hold the emerging urge. He suddenly pulled Yukino into his embrace.
Mimicking a vampire position, he lowered his head and bit her white soft smooth neck. He licked and sucked it. After leaving another pink mark there—he finally released the girl who bit her lips tightly—with flushed face and panting breaths.
Facing Yukino's embarrassed angry gaze, Yuu innocently winked: "Merry Christmas. Where's my Christmas gift?"