On Christmas Eve, Ichin and Utaha didn't go out for a romantic date, nor did they prepare a candlelit dinner at home. Instead, they went to Utaha's parents' place, where the four of them enjoyed a hearty meal together.
Since both Ichin and Utaha were already adults now, her father no longer held back—he immediately dragged Ichin along to drink with him.
Normally, Utaha didn't allow Ichin to drink much, but since it was Christmas Eve, she let it slide. Besides, Ichin handled alcohol well, so she didn't need to worry.
Drinking warm sake, Utaha's father laughed and said,
"You're both almost done with your third year now. Once April comes, you'll be in your senior year. Time really flies."
Utaha's mother, who was eating dessert with her daughter, nodded.
"Exactly. Almost five years now, right? Since Ichin moved here."
Ichin finished the sake in his cup, ate a few bites, and said,
"Yeah, I moved here in my second year of high school. Nearly five years already. I never imagined so many things in my life would change after coming here."
Utaha's mother glanced at Ichin, then at her daughter, and asked,
"Ichin, after you graduate from university, what are your plans for work? Are you going back home?"
Hearing that, Ichin instantly understood what she was really asking.
Smiling, he replied,
"Utaha and I have already discussed this. In the future, I plan to run the company in both China and Japan at the same time. As for returning home—it's my hometown, so of course I'll go back. But because of Utaha, we plan to divide our time between both places every year. With how easy it is to fly nowadays, and with no housing problems on either side, it'll be really convenient. Once you two retire, Auntie and Uncle, you're welcome to come stay with us for a while, or even travel with my parents and go sightseeing together."
Utaha's mother's eyes lit up.
"That really does sound wonderful. Both of you already have stable careers—we parents can finally relax early. Traveling, huh… once you two graduate, we should definitely think seriously about that."
Utaha's father, already tipsy, laughed with a red face.
"Yes, yes, sounds great. Work has been tiring all these years—time to enjoy life for once. Right, so when are you two planning to have children? We can help take care of them!"
Most girls would be shy to death hearing a question like that, but Utaha didn't show even a hint of embarrassment. She answered calmly,
"Oh, that? No rush. We haven't even graduated yet. We'll talk about that after Ichin and I finish university. I'll still be writing novels afterward anyway, so I can choose whenever I want."
Ichin added right after,
"Exactly. No need to rush. And before that, we need to take care of the wedding first."
From there, the four began an extended discussion about marriage, children, and whether they preferred boys or girls.
Dinner didn't end until a little past 9 p.m. By then, Utaha's father had happily drunk himself under the table, so Ichin hauled him to the bedroom to sleep.
When he came back out, Utaha looked at his flushed face and asked with a smile,
"Are you okay, Ichin?"
Ichin nodded.
"Don't worry, just a little dizzy. Nothing serious. Come on, let's go home."
"Mm."
But right after they left the house, they ran into the approaching sisters—Haruno and Yukino.
"Huh?"
Ichin stared in surprise.
"Weren't you two back in Chiba? Why are you here?"
Haruno waved cheerfully.
"Haha, surprise! We just went back to attend a Christmas party with some people my family knows. Our family doesn't really celebrate Christmas, so we just came right back. We'll only return before New Year's. Ichin, have you been drinking?"
Ichin nodded.
"Yeah, had some with Utaha's dad."
As he said that, he unlocked the door to his home—only for Haruno to walk right in as well.
Watching Haruno change her shoes at the entrance, Ichin turned to Yukino, who was also opening her door next door.
"Yukino, are you coming over too?"
Yukino replied,
"I need to check on the cats first. I'll be there in a moment."
…Alright then. Looks like an early night's sleep was not happening.
Once inside, Utaha immediately made a cup of sobering tea for Ichin. He sat down to drink, and within minutes Yukino arrived as well. Utaha handed both sisters a cup of hot cocoa.
Sitting together on the sofa, Ichin asked,
"How was the Christmas party?"
Haruno shrugged with a lazy smile.
"Nothing special. Not many interesting people. We just accompanied our parents, socialized a bit, ate some snacks, and left. Oh—but someone did try to hit on Yukino. She rejected him though."
"Oh? Someone hit on you?"
Utaha asked curiously. "Which family's young master?"
Expressionless, Yukino answered,
"A kid from a business family in Chiba. I met him once back in elementary school. If my memory wasn't so good, I wouldn't even remember his name. He's an annoying person."
Ichin chuckled at her tone.
"For Yukino to describe him like that, he really must've been terrible."
Haruno raised her hand.
"Exactly! He only has a wealthy background going for him. He's even shorter than Yukino. And when he came to the party, he wore insoles in his shoes! He denied it at first, but I got it out of him with just a few words. Pretty dumb, honestly!"
No—if Haruno seriously tries to expose someone, even a proper Casanova wouldn't survive, let alone some random NPC.
Though… it's also possible that guy really was just dumb.
After finishing his sobering tea, Ichin stretched.
"Alright, enough depressing topics. Since you two came back at this hour, I'm guessing you're not sleepy yet. Want to do something tonight?"
"Ichin, shouldn't you rest? You drank."
Ichin waved it off.
"I'm fine. Didn't drink that much."
Utaha tapped her chin thoughtfully.
"Then… why don't we play mahjong?"
Haruno's eyes sparkled instantly.
"Oh! Yes, I'm in!"
Yukino looked intrigued as well.
"I don't mind. Let's do that."
With all three agreeing, Ichin naturally had no objections.
He brought out the mahjong set, and the four sat around the table to begin.
While shuffling the tiles, Haruno glanced around at them and grinned.
"Say, why don't we add a little wager? Just to make things fun!"
…He had a bad feeling.
But it was a rare chance to play mahjong together, so no one objected. They set the rules—and the game officially began.
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