As the lengthy movie concluded, Kaoru exited the theater and leaned against the railing while waiting for Ichinose.
His gaze inadvertently fell upon some distinctive figures downstairs.
Amidst the crowd of ordinary passersby, their outfits were far too eye-catching—especially the incessantly chattering girl who hadn't stopped talking.
"Wow! Mitoma-kun!"
Having spotted Kaoru, Kobashi Yume excitedly waved at him from three floors below, her voice noticeably loud.
Kaoru watched as she dragged Hirano Rin and Amikura Mako upstairs, practically bouncing with each step.
"What a coincidence running into you here!" Kobashi's eyes sparkled blindingly. "If you're here, Honami-chan must be too, right? Right?"
"Idiot, they're obviously on a date," Hirano adjusted her glasses with composed detachment.
"Meaning your excitement is making us intrude on Honami-chan's romantic time."
"Ah! I got too carried away and forgot!" Kobashi's face fell with remorse.
"No, it's fine. You're Honami's friends—there's no intrusion. She's just in the restroom now. Would you like to wait?" Kaoru harbored no resentment toward them.
"Eh? Really? I thought I'd be bothering you!" Kobashi clasped her hands. "Though it's too bad we missed Honami-chan today!"
Shiranami Chihiro stared intently at Kaoru, but averted her gaze the moment he looked her way.
"Did you just finish watching a movie?" Amikura suddenly asked.
Kaoru nodded, then inquired curiously, "More importantly, what's with these outfits?"
As mentioned earlier, their costumes made them impossible to ignore.
For some reason, Kobashi and Shiranami were both wearing full reindeer mascot suits—complete with adorable antler headbands and jingling bells around their necks.
Hirano, meanwhile, was dressed as an Elf, holding a peculiar magic wand.
Her typically expressionless face now bore a painted red star, with tiny wings sprouting from her back like a snow fairy.
Amikura Mako was dressed as Santa Claus, wearing a red off-the-shoulder dress.
Probably afraid of the cold, she had thoughtfully added a small shawl that only revealed a section of her snow-white arms.
Her hands were clad in gloves, exuding an elegant and intellectual aura.
A black belt cinched her slender waist, further accentuating the delicate curves of her youthful figure—the slight swell of her chest, the collar and bell hanging around her neck, the dress hem stopping just above her thighs.
Her legs were wrapped in white thigh-high socks, leaving a small stretch of pristine thigh skin faintly visible beneath the swaying skirt, tantalizing the imagination.
Her dainty feet were tucked into small leather shoes, giving her a slightly taller and more refined appearance—clearly the result of careful preparation.
Of course, the Santa hat on her head didn't make her look overly sexy but instead added to her cuteness.
"Nn-hmm, Mitoma-kun, do you think it looks good?" Kobashi Yume twirled in front of him a few times.
"This is the cutest Christmas reindeer, Santa's most capable helper!"
"It's adorable and suits you well," Kaoru replied, though slightly puzzled.
"But don't reindeer pull sleighs? Where's yours?"
"Right here," Hirano Rin said, pulling a small toy from her pocket and holding it up for him to see.
"This is our little sleigh."
"Yep, yep! This is our sleigh—isn't it cute?" Kobashi Yume nodded eagerly.
A toy sleigh? Were they trying to fool a child?
"How many gifts can fit on it?" Kaoru asked with genuine interest.
Kobashi Yume and Hirano Rin froze for a moment while exchanging glances.
Oh no—they hadn't thought of that question at all.
What a failure!
Watching the two of them deflate, Amikura Mako's lips twitched slightly.
She couldn't help feeling like she was babysitting two kids.
"Strange, aren't you going to ask where we got these outfits from?"
Amikura Mako decided to take the initiative.
His reaction was too bland—after all, she had put so much effort into looking cute today, even styling her hair carefully.
"I saw posters outside. These outfits are available for rent, right? You got them from the shop on the first floor?" Kaoru was referring to the usual fashion boutique.
Although the school's stores had performance caps—more symbolic than practical, mainly to meet students' basic needs—holidays were still holidays.
There were bound to be special events.
So today, students could rent Christmas costumes from the boutique, though supplies were limited.
The fact that these three managed to get them was probably due to good luck.
"They said the rentals were time-slot based. We just happened to snag the afternoon slot—any later and they'd be gone," Kobashi Yume said, looking relieved before breaking into a grin.
"We're planning to go build a snowman and take photos!"
For the girls, outfits like these were practically made for photo ops.
Kaoru patted his pockets.
Since he'd run into them here, he might as well give them their Christmas gifts.
Of course, his pockets couldn't possibly hold that many presents—this was just for show.
In reality, he was redeeming rewards.
"Eh, everyone's here?"
Ichinose Honami finally emerged from the restroom and was surprised to see Kaoru with Amikura Mako and the others.
"Honami-chan!"
"Perfect, you actually managed to rent the outfits!"
"Don't they look cute?"
"Super adorable!"
"Honami-chan not coming is such a pity. We even had a reindeer costume prepared!"
"Wuu..."
Seeing their excited expressions, Kaoru had to pause his reward redemption action.
The atmosphere wasn't quite right—he'd have to wait until they finished chatting.
"What were you doing just now?" Mako Amikura inexplicably moved closer.
Her attention had been fixed on Kaoru the whole time, so she naturally noticed his small movements.
"Checking my phone." Kaoru took out his phone and glanced at the weather forecast.
"It shouldn't snow later, but it's still very cold. Aren't you freezing dressed like that?"
"How rude to say that now! Girls who wear outfits like this have obviously considered that already." Mako shot him a sidelong glance.
Even if she said she was cold, could he magically make the weather warmer?
"Freezing on Christmas reminds me of the Little Match Girl." Kaoru checked a few messages before putting his phone away.
"That's because everyone was indifferent to the little girl, which led to the tragedy in the end," Mako countered.
"Besides, we don't have partners—what else can we do except hang out with friends?"
As soon as the words left her mouth, she realized her statement carried strange implications.
Her face flushed slightly—did having a partner mean you wouldn't need to go out anymore?
Kaoru looked at her with an amused expression, making her blush even harder, until Ichinose's voice interrupted them.
"Kaoru, do you want to build a snowman?"