Interlude – Christmas Special Original Short Story
“Merry Christmas! Ryusuke!”
The moment I opened the front door to Mashiro’s house, a loud pop rang out, and confetti and ribbons fluttered around me.
Startled by the sudden event, my eyes widened, but upon seeing Mashiro holding a party cracker, I immediately understood.
Wearing a red Santa hat for the occasion, a charming skirt with fluffy white trim, and a red coat like a poncho, Mashiro looked every bit the part of Santa Claus.
She had invited me over earlier, saying she wanted me to come for a Christmas party tonight, so I should’ve expected something like this...
Still, it was hard not to be surprised.
I had assumed we’d just spend time eating delicious fried chicken and cake, playing games, and having fun together—but I never imagined she’d go so far as to prepare a Santa costume.
“S-Seriously, you really went all out... That caught me off guard.”
“Ehehe, I wanted to surprise you, Ryusuke! Hey hey, does it suit me? My Santa outfit!”
Mashiro placed her hands on her hips with a proud expression.
She looked up at me in her Santa outfit, puffing out her chest with a spirited hmph, clearly in high spirits. It seemed she was quite confident in her costume. And honestly, Mashiro looked even cuter than usual dressed as Santa.
“Yeah, I think it suits you really well. Where’d you get it?”
“Ugh, I’d rather you didn’t ask that... I went to a cosplay shop and picked it out.”
“You actually went to a store... You were seriously looking forward to today’s Christmas party, huh?”
“Of course! I’ve always wanted to do something Christmas-y with Ryusuke. I put my whole heart into preparing for today. Even the cake is handmade—I worked really hard on it!”
Mashiro smiled with a proud little giggle, puffing out her chest. Just from a glance into the entryway, I could tell the room was beautifully decorated. She must’ve been preparing for this day for quite some time.
As I let out a breath of admiration at the festive atmosphere inside, Mashiro suddenly hugged my arm tightly. The soft sensation made my heart skip a beat. She looked up at me with a mischievous smile, her clear blue eyes peeking up at me.
“Ahaha, Ryuusuke, you’re blushing. So cute!”
“...Y-You’re being unusually bold today.”
“Well, it’s Christmas! It’s okay to be like this once in a while, right?”
“W-Well... yeah.”
“Come on, Ryuusuke. Come in, come in~! If you don’t hurry, the food’s gonna get cold. On Christmas, we eat dinner together, then have cake!”
“O-Okay, okay. Just stop pulling me—I need to take off my shoes. And if you keep bouncing around like that, Mashiro’s chest is...”
“Fufuun, your face is all red. You really are a boy, huh?”
“S-Shut up. That’s just... beyond my control.”
I quickly retorted to Mashiro’s teasing smile. Seriously, what a troublesome Santa-san. There’s no way I could stay calm with such a cute girl clinging to me like this.
Then Mashiro grabbed my arm and led me toward the living room. As we walked down the hallway, she kept turning back to smile at me, looking absolutely delighted.
The living room was already set up for the party, with a table full of dishes laid out.
The indoor Christmas tree was adorned with colorful ornaments, the walls decorated with sparkling party streamers, and snowman drawings sprayed onto the glass windows with snow spray.
Mashiro had prepared all of it herself. Just for the sake of enjoying Christmas with me, she had gone to such lengths. Her earnestness was so endearing, I couldn’t help but feel overwhelmed with affection for her.
“This is amazing. You made all of this yourself, right?”
“Yup! I might’ve gone a little overboard though.”
“No way, it’s perfect. Knowing this party is filled with Mashiro’s feelings... it’s kind of moving.”
“Fufu, thank you. I’m really happy you said that.”
Mashiro smiled sweetly beside me.
Her smile was as bright as a sunflower, and just seeing it made me feel warm and happy inside.
“Let’s get started right away! First, dinner together. I made everything myself, so savor it, okay?”
“Of course. If it’s Mashiro’s cooking, I know it’ll be delicious. I’ll dig in without hesitation.”
“Fufu, eat up lots and lots!”
We laughed together as we sat down at the table.
Spread out before me was Mashiro’s special, extravagant dinner. Fried chicken, French fries, minestrone soup, salad—an array of colorful dishes that looked absolutely delicious.
“Ah, I’ll pour the drinks first.”
Mashiro picked up a glass and began pouring some champagne-style soda.
With a fizzy sound, bubbles popped like tiny snowflakes. The Christmas-like presentation made my heart flutter.
“Okay then, Ryusuke. Merry Christmas!”
“Yeah, Mashiro. Merry Christmas.”
Mashiro and I looked at each other and gently clinked our glasses.
Clink—a pleasant sound echoed, and our private Christmas party began.
I brought the glass to my lips and took a sip. The refreshing fizz and sweet fruit aroma spread through my mouth.
Yeah, yeah. Nothing says Christmas like champagne soda.
Thinking that, I glanced over at Mashiro, who was happily watching me.
“It’s delicious, Ryuusuke. Drinking champagne soda like this really makes it feel like Christmas.”
“Feels like Christmas, huh. Yeah, just doing this makes me realize today really is Christmas.”
“There’s tons of Christmas-y food too, so eat up! Oh, should I feed you? Say ‘aah’?”
“W-Wait a sec. That’s a bit much... I can eat on my own!”
“It’s fine, it’s fine. Come on, if you don’t hurry, the food’ll get cold. And just for today, can’t you be a little honest?”
“Ugh... F-Fine...”
“Fufu, good boy~”
In the end, I gave in to Mashiro. She held out a fork with a piece of fried chicken, and I took a bite, trying to hide my embarrassment.
The chicken was perfectly seasoned, juicy, and spiced just right. The flavor made me want more... Yeah, it was insanely good.
“I just fed Ryusuke. Ehehe, this is kinda fun.”
“But it’s... pretty embarrassing, you know?”
“But you’re happy, right?”
“Well... I can’t deny that.”
“Okay, next is a French fry! Here you go, aah~”
“Ugh...”
Mashiro kept feeding me one bite after another.
It felt like I was being pampered, but with such a cute Santa as my feeder, I didn’t mind one bit. Not that I could say that out loud.
After this, we’d eat cake together, exchange presents, and have a game tournament late into the night.
No doubt about it—this year’s Christmas would be the happiest one yet.
With that certainty in my heart, I continued enjoying the dinner Mashiro had prepared. Everything was delicious, filling both my stomach and my soul.
As I brought the champagne soda to my lips again—Mashiro looked toward the window and murmured.
“Wow... it’s snowing.”
I followed her gaze and saw snow gently falling outside.
White crystals drifted down from the pitch-black sky, sparkling under the streetlights and house lights.
Captivated by the magical scene, we both stared at it for a while.
“A white Christmas, huh.”
“Yeah, it’s so beautiful.”
Mashiro gazed at the snow outside the window, her expression soft and serene.
I smiled the same way and looked at her profile.
Her face seemed more mature, more beautiful—like an angel.
Then, with the silver world reflected in her eyes, she spoke.
“Do you think it’ll pile up tomorrow?”
“If it does, wanna build a snowman?”
“Yeah. Let’s make a cute one together.”
“Leave it to me. I’ll make the best snowman ever.”
“Fufu, I’m counting on you.”
And so, we laughed together.
It was a truly happy moment.
A precious, irreplaceable memory.
Mashiro and I spent our Christmas slowly, like the falling snow.