Natsukawa was starting to break a sweat now.
"N-No! How could I!"
"I was just thinking... whether I'd be able to get out of bed that day. You know, I've been quite tired lately."
"Is that so?"
Haruka sized him up suspiciously, clearly not entirely convinced.
"Then what time? What time are we meeting? How about ten in the morning?"
"Ten o'clock won't work!" Natsukawa blurted out.
"Huh? Why not?" Haruka's gaze became even sharper.
"B-Because... I want to sleep in!" Natsukawa talked nonsense through gritted teeth. "It's a rare holiday, I want to sleep until at least noon! So... let's make it the afternoon! One in the afternoon, after lunch, how about that?"
"One in the afternoon?" Haruka frowned. "If we do that, won't we have less time to play..."
"Um... Haruka-chan."
Just as Haruka was about to continue pressing for details, Sakura Airi, who was standing beside her, gently tugged on her sleeve.
"Since Sōsuke-kun wants to rest... let's let him sleep a bit longer."
Sakura looked at Natsukawa, her eyes full of consideration and tenderness.
"It's enough that Sōsuke-kun agreed. One in the afternoon is fine too."
Looking at her friend's spineless display, Haruka sighed in exasperation.
"Fine, fine, since Airi says so."
She turned her head and gave Natsukawa a warning glare.
"Then one in the afternoon, we'll meet at the first-floor plaza of the shopping center. If you dare to be late or stand us up..."
Haruka made a'slit throat' gesture.
"...I understand. I'll definitely be on time."
Natsukawa wiped the non-existent cold sweat from his forehead as he watched the two leave.
But... one in the afternoon, huh.
This meant his lunch with Ichinose had to end before twelve-thirty, and he also had to reserve time to move between locations.
'That's cutting it a bit close...'
...Lunch break.
The student cafeteria was bustling with noise.
Natsukawa Sosuke carried his tray and sat alone in a corner seat.
He was simulating the day's route in his mind, calculating every possible point where schedules might clash, trying to plan a perfect, non-interfering 'Time Management Master' route.
Just as he was fully focused on his thoughts, a shadow blocked the light in front of him.
"Natsukawa-kun."
A voice rang out, sounding somewhat conflicted and awkward.
Natsukawa quickly closed the guidebook and looked up.
He saw Karuizawa Kei standing opposite him with a tray, but her eyes seemed a bit restless.
"Ah, it's Kei. Have a seat."
Natsukawa calmly stuffed the guidebook into his pocket.
Karuizawa sat down and poked at the pasta on her plate with a fork, appearing somewhat distracted. After a good while, when they had both nearly finished eating, she seemed to summon her courage and asked as if casually:
"Um... the day after tomorrow is Christmas."
"Yeah, it is." Natsukawa took a sip of soup, his heart suddenly skipping a beat.
No way, right?
"Everyone is talking about where to go for fun..." Karuizawa looked up at him, then quickly looked away. "Natsukawa-kun... do you have any plans for that day?"
"..."
This script... why does it look so familiar?
"Kei."
He subconsciously remarked:
"You don't... also want to go on a date with me on Christmas, do you?"
The moment that word "also" left his mouth, Natsukawa realized he had slipped up.
Sure enough.
Karuizawa Kei's movements suddenly froze.
"Also?"
She snapped her head up, the faint blush of embarrassment on her face instantly fading, replaced by a resentful little glare.
"What do you mean by 'also'?!"
"Besides me... who else?"
A woman's intuition was always terrifyingly accurate at times like this.
"Is it... Sakura?"
Facing such a life-or-death question, lying was clearly useless.
Natsukawa could only bite the bullet and nod.
"I knew it!"
"Damn it, I was beaten to it..."
She had hesitated and struggled all morning before finally gathering the courage to invite him, only to find someone had already beaten her to the punch.
That sense of crisis, the feeling that "if I don't hurry, I'll lose out," made her both frustrated and aggrieved.
"I don't care! If she gets a date, I get a date too."
Karuizawa Kei suddenly reached out and grabbed Natsukawa's wrist, her beautiful eyes shimmering with tears as she entered spoiled-child mode.
"Sōsuke... you can't just spend time with her!"
"I've been so obedient this semester... helping you deliver documents, running errands for you, acting, even getting intimidated by that bastard Ryuuen... I've put in so much effort..."
The more she spoke, the more aggrieved she felt.
"On a day like Christmas, don't I even deserve a little bit of your time?"
"..."
Natsukawa now felt like the most miserable person in the world, as bitter as wild grass under a wheel or coptis root in a rock crevice... However, refusing was impossible. Natsukawa could see it now; if he neglected her on such a crucial holiday, the cost of soothing her later would be terrifyingly high.
He glanced at the schedule in his mind.
Meeting Airi and the others at one in the afternoon, shopping and eating would take about two or three hours.
"Fine."
Natsukawa sighed, turned his hand over to hold hers, and gave it a reassuring squeeze.
"Don't cry, your makeup will run."
"I promise you."
"Really?" Karuizawa immediately stopped her fake crying, her eyes sparkling as she looked at him.
"But the time might not be very long." Natsukawa calculated in his head. "Probably... after four-thirty, maybe five? I can squeeze out at least an hour to spend with you."
"One hour..."
Although it was a bit short, it was better than nothing. And since it was after he finished with Sakura, it restored some of her psychological balance.
"Fine, one hour it is."
Karuizawa Kei pouted, reluctantly accepting the proposal.
"Then it's a promise! Four-thirty, I'll wait for you at the boutique! If you dare to stand me up... I'll cry right in front of you!"
Having said that, she didn't give Natsukawa time to back out, picked up her tray, and left, leaving him with only her back... That night, in the dormitory.
Natsukawa Sosuke sat at his desk, with the messy guidebook and a schedule filled with time nodes spread out before him.
How was this a holiday? This was practically special forces training! He finally understood Shido's pain now.
Every segment was tightly locked, with only a few minutes for transitions. If even one part went wrong, the entire plan would collapse like a house of cards.
When that happened, it would be the 'much-anticipated' Shura Field scenario. While it might be entertaining for outsiders, Natsukawa didn't want to be the source of entertainment.
"This is way more exhausting... than fighting Ryuuen."
Natsukawa rubbed his temples, feeling his brain cells dying in droves.
*Ding-dong.*
Just then, his personal terminal on the side vibrated again.
Natsukawa's heart gave a violent leap.
Again?
Could there be someone else asking him out?
With a trembling hand, he picked up the terminal.
Sender: Kushida Kikyo.
Seeing this name, Natsukawa breathed a slight sigh of relief.
Fortunately, this little kitten was reasonable after all and probably wouldn't cause any trouble... However, the moment he clicked on the message, he froze completely.
Little Kikyo had sent a photo.
In the photo, Kushida Kikyo was wearing a set of... no, it couldn't even be called clothes.
It was just a few red ribbons, barely covering the vital parts, outlining her proud figure to the fullest. Around her neck, she wore that familiar silver bell, and on her head, a pair of reindeer antlers.
She posed provocatively for the camera, her eyes hazy.
Below the photo, a new message appeared:
[Master, your gift is packing itself... On Christmas Day, please feel free to unwrap your "Christmas gift."]
"Gwah—"
"I'm a dead man..."
.....
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