Chapter 399: Time Flies, Arriving at New Year's Eve.
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Time flew by, and a few days passed in a flash.
During these few days, Seito and the others started getting things ready for the New Year. Buying holiday food and treats was a must, and everyone also bought brand-new clothes for the occasion. Even though they didn't really need them, they just wanted to enjoy the festive holiday feeling.
Over the past few days, Seito also spent plenty of time bonding with the girls, leaving a very deep and meaningful impression in all of their hearts.
Finally, New Year's Eve arrived.
Right now, outside the front door of Seito's apartment.
"Time really flies," Seito murmured with a sigh of emotion as he finished taping up the traditional red couplets around the door.
Standing around him were the Yukinoshita sisters and the Sora-Shiro siblings. The gamer siblings usually spent all their time over on Game Star, but for a massive occasion like the New Year, they had naturally come back home to help out with the chores.
"Seito, how many people are actually coming tomorrow?" Sora suddenly asked.
He and Shiro had gotten a lot better with their social anxiety lately, but they were still quite timid around crowds, so he wanted to check the final headcount.
"Probably a bit over a hundred people," Seito thought it over and replied.
He really wasn't bragging either. The anime protagonists and supporting characters from every single first-year class at Sobu High were all dropping by. On top of that, they were bringing their family members along. There were also a few students from the upper classes joining in.
And that wasn't all! Teachers like Hiyako Minami, Shizuka Hiratsuka, Sae Chabashira, Mafuyu Kirisu, and Chie Hoshinomiya were coming too.
Even the top leaders of the Beast-Race and the Plant-Race were making an appearance, along with the various deities from Game Star! With everyone gathering in one place, one could easily imagine just how massive and grand this party was going to be!
Hearing the sheer number of guests, the gamer siblings jumped in shock. The two of them could already visualize a massive, packed crowd of people, which made their social anxiety act up, making them feel completely uncomfortable.
The Yukinoshita sisters looked at each other after hearing the headcount.
"If there are really that many people coming, we'll have to use all three floors of our building," Yukino's older sister, Haruno, said as she rested her chin in her hand.
"Yeah," Seito nodded. "That's exactly what I was thinking."
Right now, the Doma family, the Takanashi family, and the Nishimiya family had already completely cleaned up the entire third floor. Meanwhile, Kirukiru Amou, Kaguya, and their group were in charge of organizing the first floor.
As for whether there were any other regular tenants living on these floors? The answer was a flat no! Every single one of these apartment units had already been bought out by their group long ago. If they hadn't felt that buying above the third floor was a bit pointless, they probably would have bought out the entire apartment building. Having a whole building to themselves would have been amazing.
"Why didn't you just buy a large manor out in the countryside?" Yukino asked Seito, looking a bit puzzled. Even though they could make use of all three floors, it still wasn't very convenient. A spacious countryside estate felt much more practical for a grand gathering.
"Do you think I didn't want to?" Seito replied with a strange look on his face. "The housing market here in Chiba City is completely maxed out; there are basically zero vacant properties left."
"???" Yukino froze. She really hadn't paid attention to this piece of news.
"Little Yukino, it's clear you haven't been watching the news lately. The housing prices in Chiba City have risen to an absolutely crazy level!" Haruno teased with a giggle.
The reason for the massive price spike was incredibly simple: it was all because Seito and the other powerful deities lived here.
The apartments that Sora and the Yukinoshita sisters had bought in the past could easily be sold for ten million right now! Even the prices of houses out in the suburbs had completely doubled. It was plain to see how crazy the property market in Chiba City had become, and the prices were still creeping up day by day. Anyone who owned land or a house had zero desire to sell their properties.
Yukino pulled out her phone to search for the local real estate news, a look of realization quickly washing over her face. But in the next moment, she changed the subject and said, "My family happens to have an extra estate sitting empty. Should we bring it out to prepare for tomorrow's party?"
Hearing her offer, Seito shook his head.
"Let's skip it. Even though this apartment isn't as spacious, it's the place where we've all lived together for a long time. Compared to a massive estate, this place feels much more like a real home."
While a countryside manor was definitely huge, when it came to enjoying the traditional, warm holiday mood, nothing beat an ordinary apartment building where everyone lived close together. If they moved the party to a massive, empty manor, the cozy holiday feeling would completely change.
Hearing his explanation, Yukino didn't argue any further.
After wrapping up their chores outside, the group walked back into Seito's apartment together. Seito brewed a fresh pot of tea and poured a cup for everyone to enjoy.
Tap, tap, tap~~
Right at that moment, the group that had been busy working on the first floor walked back inside the apartment.
"Finally finished with the work!" Hestia cheered loudly, throwing herself straight onto the couch to lie down flat.
"Lord Hestia, everyone is watching you right now," Lili sighed helplessly, reminding her lazy goddess to behave herself.
"It's fine, it's fine, none of them are strangers anyway," Hestia waved her hand, not caring in the slightest.
After spending the last few days together, everyone had already become close friends, so there was no need to act stiff and polite like before.
Kirukiru Amou and the other girls also sat down nearby to take a break.
"I need to go pick up Ako tomorrow morning," Kirukiru Amou spoke up first. Ako was also joining them for the New Year celebration this year. But since she suffered from severe social anxiety, Kirukiru planned to go pick her up in person.
"Mhm," Seito nodded. Ako's fear of crowds was currently at the exact same level as Sora and Shiro's. Having someone she knew go pick her up was definitely the right choice.
Following that, the group shared a relaxed, casual chat.
Before long, the clock struck four in the afternoon. Seito, Kirukiru Amou, and Haruno walked into the kitchen together to start preparing dinner. Inside the kitchen, Seito was busy slicing up meat.
"The Doma family, the Takanashi family, and the Nishimiya family are coming over to join us for the New Year's Eve dinner in a bit," Seito told the two girls, and they both nodded in understanding. Having these three neighboring families join them for the holiday dinner was completely natural.
"What kind of dishes are you planning to cook tonight?" Kirukiru Amou asked curiously, looking over at Seito.
"I'll make some spicy Sichuan dishes, and then we'll set up a hot pot," Seito replied.
Sichuan food was a favorite not just for him and Kanade, but the Sora-Shiro siblings loved it as well. After all, those two had practically grown up right alongside Seito, so their tastes in food were very similar to his.
"In that case, I'll just whip up some simple, traditional Japanese side dishes~" Haruno said with a bright smile.
Since the main courses were completely taken care of by Seito, she only intended to make a few simple, tasty appetizers to go along with the meal.
"I'll stay here and help Seito with the cooking," Kirukiru Amou said after thinking for a moment.
With their plan set, the three of them began working busily in the kitchen to prepare the grand holiday feast.
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Thank you for reading.