Christmas Day. Snow had already piled up on the ground outside, drifting down since the night before. Shikime Natsu had the Barometer at his disposal, but he saw no reason to rob winter of the scene that belonged to it — the whole world wrapped in silver and white.
In the morning, Shikime Natsu was in the kitchen putting together a simple breakfast when the doorbell rang. He knew a fair number of people would be coming over today, and they had told him they'd arrive in shifts.
The order, though — nobody had breathed a word about that to him. A little secret of their own, apparently.
Shikime Natsu walked to the entrance and opened the door, and there in the hallway stood two figures: Sakura Airi and Hasebe Haruka, the pair equipped with the most lethal weapons. Both were bundled up in warm winter clothes at the moment, of course, so their figures stayed safely hidden.
Each of them carried a delicate little gift bag.
"Natsu, hehe… today, we're the first ones here~" Sakura Airi spoke up first, a note of triumph in her voice, and gave the bag in her hand a deliberate little shake.
"Merry Christmas!"
Hasebe Haruka spoke up too, her voice softer than usual, those eyes fixed on Shikime Natsu with a faint smile at the corner of her lips.
"Merry Christmas, Natsu."
Looking at the two of them, a smile tugged at his mouth.
"Merry Christmas."
He stepped aside, clearing the doorway.
"Come in first."
Sakura Airi and Hasebe Haruka nodded and walked into the dorm one after the other, and Shikime Natsu shut the door behind them.
The two changed into slippers, went through to the living room, and sat down at the table.
Sakura Airi set her bag on the tea table and lifted her head, those deep blue eyes looking straight at him.
"Natsu, this is your Christmas present~"
She nudged the bag toward him as she spoke.
"I picked it out really carefully! And I did the wrapping myself!"
There was a distinct fishing-for-praise tone to it, her small face full of expectation.
Hasebe Haruka set her own bag down on the tea table as well, then looked at him and said quietly, "Mine too… though it's probably not as nicely done as Airi's."
Shikime Natsu looked at them both and smiled.
"Then I'm really looking forward to this."
He reached out, took Sakura Airi's bag first, and eased the wrapping open.
Inside was a small gift box, and inside the box, lying quietly, was a deep blue scarf.
The fabric was soft to the touch and the stitching was fine — one look was enough to tell a lot of thought had gone into choosing it.
"Do you like it?"
Sakura Airi's eyes were shining, brimming with anticipation. This one she had picked out; as for handmade gifts, she was still learning, and she was saving that for Shikime Natsu's birthday.
"I like it."
Shikime Natsu nodded, then picked the scarf up and wound it gently around his own neck.
"Very warm."
"Yes!"
Seeing him put her scarf on right away, Sakura Airi's smile blazed even brighter.
Next Shikime Natsu picked up Hasebe Haruka's bag and opened the wrapping. Inside was a dark brown leather glove case.
Scarf and gloves — between them, the two had him fully outfitted.
"Thanks, Haruka."
At his answer, a smile surfaced on Hasebe Haruka's face as well.
Sakura Airi sat off to the side wearing a faint smile, a sly glint flickering through those deep blue eyes.
"Natsu, we've both given our presents… so… where's Natsu's present?"
"Natsu wouldn't have forgotten to get us Christmas presents, would he?"
A soft laugh escaped him at that.
"Of course not."
He stood, went over to the desk, pulled open a drawer and took out two boxes wrapped just as elegantly.
One box was tied with a pink ribbon, the other with a pale blue one.
He handed them to Sakura Airi and Hasebe Haruka respectively.
"Merry Christmas."
"Wow!"
Sakura Airi took her box, eyes lighting up in an instant, and tore the wrapping open without a shred of patience. Inside was a silver bracelet, its charm a tiny snowflake. Beautiful.
"So pretty…"
She lifted the bracelet out of the box and cradled it in her palms, those deep blue eyes full of delight.
Hasebe Haruka opened her box too. Inside was a matching bracelet, except the charm was shaped like a ginkgo leaf.
"I love it…"
Sakura Airi slipped her bracelet onto her wrist and held it up to the light, her face full of satisfaction.
"Thank you, Natsu!"
Hasebe Haruka fastened hers on as well, then lifted her head and said softly, looking at Shikime Natsu, "Thank you."
Two beautiful girls, both pleased with the gifts they'd given — naturally, that made him happy too.
"Well, since the present portion is over, then next up… it's time for the special portion."
With that, Sakura Airi smiled — and got the jump on everyone by throwing her arms around Shikime Natsu first.
…
Some time later, Sakura Airi and Hasebe Haruka left Shikime Natsu's dorm thoroughly satisfied, Christmas presents in hand.
They hadn't been gone long before three more figures came walking up — the gal trio. Karuizawa Kei stood at the front, her long blonde hair gathered into a high ponytail that swayed lightly behind her. She wore a red Christmas-style sweater paired with a white miniskirt, the whole look festive and adorable at once.
Satou Maya stood on her right, long light-brown hair spilling over her shoulders, the ends curling slightly. She had on a pale pink coat over a white turtleneck sweater, with a dark plaid skirt below.
Matsushita Chiaki stood on the left, her brown hair falling smoothly to her shoulders, the texture of it clearly well cared for. She wore a pale blue down jacket zipped all the way up, leaving only her delicate little face exposed.
All three carried beautifully wrapped gift bags.
"Natsu!"
Karuizawa Kei spoke first, those purple eyes brimming with joy.
"Merry Christmas!"
She shook the bag in her hand, then went on.
"We brought Christmas presents~"
Shikime Natsu smiled and let the three of them in, and once inside came the by-now very familiar gift-exchange portion. The girls had obviously coordinated on what to give — at the very least, their presents were different from what Sakura Airi and Hasebe Haruka had brought.
What Shikime Natsu gave was, essentially, bracelets — different charms on each, of course. Pretty things like that were something the girls simply could not tear their eyes away from, and they were thoroughly pleased.
After that, Karuizawa Kei was the first to leave her own mark on Shikime Natsu's lips, and the other two, unwilling to be outdone, joined the fray one after another. Three heroes against Lu Bu — though in the end Lu Bu still had the upper hand.
Once those three left, another three arrived. This time it was Ichinose Honami, Mako Amikura and Asahina Nazuna.
Honami Ichinose walked in front, her long pink hair loose over her shoulders. She wore a white down jacket with a pale pink long skirt, gentle and sweet from head to toe.
Mako Amikura walked on Honami Ichinose's right, her long purple hair tied up in a high ponytail with a white ribbon, wearing a dark purple coat.
As for Asahina Nazuna, she was swallowed up in an orange-red trench coat.
The three of them chatted happily as they came up.
Asahina Nazuna noticed Shikime Natsu's gaze and raised a hand to wave at him.
"Natsu! Merry Christmas!"
That was Asahina Nazuna's own special way of addressing him, and she was clearly in high spirits.
"I ran into Honami-chan and Mako-chan on the way, so we all came together~"
Honami Ichinose and Mako Amikura picked up their pace as well and were soon standing in front of him.
"Natsu, Merry Christmas~"
Shikime Natsu nodded at the three of them, and then came the standard sequence: give gifts, receive gifts, then fuck.
The time each round took stayed within a fairly stable range. By the time those three had left, Morishita Ai and Yamamura Miki had arrived on the scene.
Morishita Ai stood in front, a mysterious glint in those purple eyes. She wore a long black down coat zipped all the way to the top, which gave her a distinctly cool air.
Yamamura Miki stood behind her, her long dark teal hair falling over her shoulders, her fair little face carrying a mix of nerves and shyness. She wore a cream-white padded jacket with a pale blue long skirt, and looked thoroughly adorable.
When Morishita Ai saw Shikime Natsu, though, she was in no hurry to go inside. She turned around, planted both hands on her hips, and stared straight at Yamamura Miki behind her.
"Yamamura Miki, don't just stand there. Hurry up."
Yamamura Miki went stiff for a second. Color rose in her cheeks, and a flicker of panic crossed those slate-blue eyes.
"Ah… r-right…"
She said it under her breath, then hurried forward to Morishita Ai's side.
Only then did Morishita Ai nod, satisfied, and turn back to Shikime Natsu.
"Merry Christmas, Natsu."
There was a trace of laughter in her voice.
"Sorry to intrude."
Yamamura Miki spoke up too, very quietly.
"Merry Christmas… Natsu…"
"Um… sorry to intrude…"
Looking at how completely different the two of them were, a soft laugh escaped Shikime Natsu.
"Merry Christmas."
Once the gift-giving portion was done, Morishita Ai sat off to one side and said, perfectly deadpan, "I told you on the way here, didn't I? Yamamura Miki, that was only one of our purposes."
Before Yamamura Miki could get a word out, Morishita Ai laid her slender fingers on the buttons of her own top and started undoing them.
Yamamura Miki's brain overloaded. Hadn't they only said they were coming here to celebrate Christmas?
Since when was there a portion like this?
Her fair little face flushed scarlet in an instant, red enough that it looked ready to drip blood.
"M-Morishita-san?!"
There was outright alarm in her voice.
"W-what are you doing?!"
Morishita Ai turned her head, took in Yamamura Miki's flustered state, and the corner of her mouth curved into a smile loaded with meaning.
"Yamamura Miki, from here on… it's the adults' turn. If you can bring yourself to join in, then by all means give it a shot. And if you can't even manage that, well — I'd be very disappointed."
With that she tossed her removed outer layer aside and walked toward Shikime Natsu.
Yamamura Miki sat on the sofa with absolutely no idea what she was supposed to do, her face burning, her heart hammering ridiculously fast.
One thing led to another, and somehow Yamamura Miki ended up joining in too.
Her face was as red as an overripe apple, her whole body curled up in Shikime Natsu's arms, not daring to lift her head at all.
Morishita Ai stood to the side with her arms folded, those purple eyes glowing with satisfaction.
"I thought you had some moves in you, and in the end I still had to hand-deliver you."
Morishita Ai wasn't putting Yamamura Miki down by it — she was simply pleased with her own handiwork.
Hearing that, Yamamura Miki's face went even redder, but the corners of her lips lifted anyway. Yes… she was a little happy. It was the first time she'd ever been that close to Shikime Natsu. Still… choosing to join in on her own counted as working up her courage, didn't it?
After those two left, another wave arrived on their heels. This time it was Sakayanagi Arisu and Shiraishi Asuka.
Sakayanagi Arisu stood in front, her long silver-white hair loose over her shoulders, those purple eyes carrying an unhurried elegance. She wore a white coat with a pale purple long skirt.
Shiraishi Asuka stood beside her, her golden hair falling smoothly to her shoulders, in a pale pink down jacket and a white long skirt — sweet and gentle all over.
The moment Sakayanagi Arisu saw Shikime Natsu, a smile curved her lips.
"Ara~ darling, Merry Christmas. You've already enjoyed quite a lot today, haven't you?"
There was a teasing edge to her voice, and something distinctly loaded in those purple eyes.
"So — can you still hold up for what comes next?"
Sakayanagi Arisu's gaze drifted slightly downward.
Shiraishi Asuka, meanwhile, was extremely tense. It was Christmas, and this counted as a first for her — she'd never imagined that for her first time there would be someone else right there beside them. It was, she had to admit, an intensely embarrassing sort of thing.
"Whether I can or not, we'll find out soon enough, won't we?"
Shikime Natsu looked at Sakayanagi Arisu. This one always led with the taunt, same as ever. Time to teach Sakayanagi Arisu a proper lesson.
Some time later, evening had already arrived. Christmas really did go by fast.
And at that point, Kushida Kikyou and Mei-Yu Wang showed up together. With Mei-Yu Wang present, Kushida Kikyou didn't display anywhere near the vicious personality she showed when it was just her and Shikime Natsu alone.
Especially since the two of them were good friends — and now they'd grown a good deal closer than that.
By the time he'd seen those two off, it was already deep in the night, and Kamuro Masumi and Shiina Hiyori appeared in front of Shikime Natsu right on schedule.
Kamuro Masumi stood in front, her long purple hair loose over her shoulders, a hint of shyness on that delicate little face. She wore a black coat with a dark long skirt, the whole look quite mature.
Shiina Hiyori stood beside her, her long silver-white hair falling smoothly to her shoulders, gentleness in those pale purple eyes. She wore a white down jacket with a pale purple long skirt, serene from head to toe.
"Merry Christmas, Natsu."
Shikime Natsu looked at the two of them, and the smile at his lips deepened.
"Merry Christmas, Masumi, Hiyori."
"Mm, from here on it's just the two of us, so… we can stay until tomorrow morning, right?"
Beside her, Shiina Hiyori looked over at Shikime Natsu as well, waiting to hear his answer.
"Of course you can."
Shikime Natsu was still overflowing with energy, and his combat strength hadn't dropped in the slightest.
____
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