Christmas Eve arrived as scheduled. The snow was held back in the sky, not falling yet, leaving only biting, cold air. In the distance, the faint sound of bells could be heard—the sound of sincere prayers for the arrival of Christmas Eve.
"Nozawa, I'm happy you invited me to spend Christmas Eve together, but... why did you have to call her too?! "
The elegant, mature woman was laughing and chatting with the girls not far away. She was too far to hear Li Shijia's panicked shriek.
"It's a long story. Just come inside first." I knew she would react this way, so I signaled her not to lose her composure in front of the professor, or her credits would be at risk.
"Behave yourself later. She saw you at the party last time and remembers you."
"What?! She remembers me? It's over." Li Shijia's expression was tragic. "I've been terrified of being around teachers since I was a kid. This lingering shadow of being tested or questioned at any moment is a major childhood trauma. Do you understand?"
"I understand." I dragged her into the living room and told her to stand up straight. "So you need to learn to face your fears. You'll be sitting next to the professor later. Good luck."
"I hate you." Li Shijia agreed, teary-eyed.
Mori Reiko, sitting in the center of the girls, spoke with a light tone. Her black wavy hair paired with red lips looked exceptionally sexy.
"Nozawa, thank you for inviting me to spend Christmas Eve here, and for letting me meet such lovely girls."
Momozawa was truly an expert at setting the mood. She and Mori Reiko traded topic after topic, seemingly without any generation gap, chatting very harmoniously.
"I'm the one who's even happier to have met such a beautiful lady~"
"Thank you. You really are both cute and well-behaved." Mori Reiko's smile carried a touch of maternal warmth.
"Senior, is this tea to your liking?" Kusanagi sat next to Mori Reiko. Ever since she learned she was my professor, she had changed her attitude, setting aside her icy indifference and pouring tea quite obediently.
"It's overflowing with a mellow fragrance. If I'm not mistaken, this tea has the aroma of Gyokuro and Bancha blended together. The taste is quite unique; it's high-quality matcha."
"Senior has a sharp eye." Kusanagi nodded coldly.
She was quite skilled at taking charge. Meanwhile, Li Shijia and I just stared at each other, not knowing how to host her.
"Everyone is gathered for Christmas Eve, so today is all about having fun. Professor, you too—please make yourself at home." After I finished speaking, I quickly stepped on Li Shijia's foot. She yelped in pain, her expression shifting unpredictably for a moment, before she finally forced a difficult smile: "...We are all looking forward to spending a wonderful Christmas Eve with you."
Mori Reiko took a sip of coffee and smiled.
"Li Shijia? I remember you quite well." The woman drank leisurely, seemingly very satisfied with the tea.
Li Shijia's smile froze on her face, and her hair stood on end.
"After all, the weight of 5 credits is quite heavy."
"..."
I pushed the soul-departed Li Shijia toward the kotatsu. Now everyone was gathered: Momozawa sat next to Kusanagi, while Kusanagi and Li Shijia surrounded Mori Reiko, filling the warm four corners.
"You all chat slowly; I'm going to serve the food."
"I hate you." Li Shijia pouted and cried at me again.
Don't blame me, Shijia. I really had no choice but to invite her. I'll explain it to you later!!
Closing the kitchen door, I let out a breath. An older female senior really had an intimidating presence that commanded respect without anger. It seemed Christmas Eve was destined to be restless.
Why did I invite Mori Reiko for Christmas Eve?
Just a few hours ago, to prepare for the Christmas Eve dinner, I went to the supermarket just in time to do some shopping. As I was about to check out, a commotion suddenly broke out ahead of the crowd. Out of curiosity, I went to see what was happening. It was a good thing I did, because I got to witness some major drama.
I saw Mori Reiko standing far away at the checkout counter, talking to a strange young girl, when suddenly she was slapped in the face.
My eyes widened. What was going on?!
It was clear that the young girl regretted it the moment she slapped her. She immediately stepped forward to check Mori Reiko's face, but was coldly rejected by Mori Reiko. Being quite far away, I couldn't hear what they were saying, only that she replied faintly: "Think it through yourself."
The girl ignored the gazes of the crowd and kept tugging at her. Seeing that Mori Reiko remained unmoved, she ran out crying. Mori Reiko didn't chase after her, but quickly returned to her normal, gentle smile and said to the cashier: "Please ring this up."
What kind of scumbag scene was this?
Why did I subconsciously assume the heartbreaker was Mori Reiko? It was clearly her who got slapped.
At this moment, her gaze happened to glance to the left, locking eyes with mine. There was no escaping it. Ugh, my habit of feeling embarrassed for others started acting up. Should I pretend not to know her and just walk away, or go up and comfort her?
I spent a second thinking and quickly chose the former.
"You saw that just now, didn't you?" After checking out and walking out of the supermarket, Mori Reiko was actually smoking and waiting for me. I didn't even have a chance to sneak away.
Since I had been caught, I had to brace myself and greet her: "What a coincidence, Professor."
The woman smoked for a while, her tone a bit unstable. "I'm sorry you had to see that as a student. I beg you not to mention it to anyone; it was just a small accident."
I saw that half of her face was showing signs of swelling, so I waved my hands hurriedly: "It's your private business, no one has the right to ask, it's just your face... are you okay?"
The woman turned her face away awkwardly. "I'm fine." She sounded a bit powerless when she said this; that slap clearly wasn't light. I could hear that crisp sound from so far away.
"Professor, which way are you heading later?"
"I haven't settled on a permanent residence yet, so I'm heading back to the school first."
The teachers' dormitory building was almost empty, cold, and desolate in winter, and occasionally even lost power. Logically, someone of Mori Reiko's level should be living in a high-end apartment. Why would she go to a place like that?
"Japanese apartments have such strict fire safety regulations that you can't smoke. However, I believe I will find a suitable place soon. Tokyo is so big, there must be a place that meets my criteria."
So that was it.
"Did you come out to buy things for the holiday?" The woman pointed to my plastic bag, which was filled with ingredients for the Christmas Eve dinner, with a small, cute Christmas tree printed on the packaging.
"Yes, these are all for tonight's dinner. I'm getting together with a few friends to spend Christmas Eve." I lowered my head and pondered for a few seconds. So, should I leave now or not? Leaving her alone here didn't feel quite right.
"Professor, I have Yunnan Baiyao in my bag. It's a type of Chinese herbal medicine for reducing inflammation and relieving pain."
The woman's expression stiffened imperceptibly.
"It's quite effective for soothing redness and pain."
"..." Talk about bringing up the wrong topic. It would have been better to just walk away and save the trouble. The current situation was truly toe-curlingly awkward.
The temperature difference between day and night was large, and the evening wind was howling. Her cigarette butt glowed red in the wind, and our hair was scattered in a mess.
Time ticked by second by second. Should I take out the Yunnan Baiyao from my bag or not? After hesitating for a while, I handed it to her, signaling her to apply some ointment to soothe it.
The woman did as instructed. Her fair, translucent skin looked red and sensitive, appearing particularly fragile in the misty winter. She wrapped her cashmere scarf around her neck, breathed out a puff of white mist, and suddenly said: "Spending Christmas Eve with friends is nice."
I was stunned. Her tone carried envy, and a touch of loneliness.
"You haven't been in Japan for long, so your friends must be abroad, right?"
"I don't have any friends." The woman answered quite crisply and clearly.
My expression became subtle. I paused and said: "Then the person just now, was she your...?"
No friends—was that a roundabout admission that the girl just now was her... girlfriend? It seems Li Shijia's gossip wasn't entirely false; at least she got one thing right about Mori Reiko.
Mori Reiko realized she had said the wrong thing, but she couldn't take it back now. Perhaps she was rendered speechless by her own act of coming out, and she smiled bitterly, quite troubled: "Fine, it's just as you think."
"Please keep it a secret for me."
I blinked, not surprised by this. "Alright, Professor."
"But it's already over, just as you saw earlier." Mori Reiko shrugged, looking somewhat indifferent.
Tsk, a scumbag after all.
"Then I'll be going now. Thank you for the medicine." Mori Reiko stood up straight. She wasn't wearing high heels today, but she was still half a head taller than me. "Merry Christmas Eve."
"Merry Christmas Eve, Professor."
The woman waved her hand, wrapped her coat tightly around herself, took a long stride, and walked in the direction where there were more cars on the road. The cold wind was biting; this place was very far from the school's dormitory building, and it would take more than 40 minutes just to get a taxi.
"Professor." My mind buzzed, and I called out to her, running up to her, breathless while carrying the bag: "Would you like to spend Christmas Eve with us?"
That is how it all happened.
I had intended to ask for Kusanagi's opinion, but to my surprise, she agreed readily, even saying, "I will treat Miss Nozawa's senior well," and specially ordered an elaborate Osechi ryori.
Thinking back to her past attitude toward Alex, I had been sweating bullets, but I didn't expect that simply changing the senior's gender would make such a world of difference in her attitude, leaving me feeling a bit overwhelmed.
The mind of an underage girl is impossible to guess, no matter how hard you try.
"The dishes are all served. The sukiyaki still needs a moment to heat up, but we can start eating soon."
All the ingredients were laid out neatly, covering the large kotatsu table with a variety of delicious foods. Besides the sukiyaki and sushi, there was fresh tuna, caviar eel rice, and various types of fresh seafood.
The blue-orange cantaloupe was skewered with toothpicks, its glossy, succulent flesh looking very tempting. One bite was refreshing and sweet, and paired with the piping hot sukiyaki, it truly felt like a festive New Year atmosphere.
Worried that the portions wouldn't be enough, I also prepared Wagyu beef for grilling. The grill was plugged in, and a large platter of enticing red meat was spread out, appealing in color, aroma, and taste.
Momozawa's eyes darted around, finding it hard to choose between any of them: "Holy cow, this is too lavish. Won't we burst from eating all this?"
"You should eat more. If you burst, you've got three medical students to save you—sounds pretty cool, right?"
This remark made the three women present burst into laughter.
"...You've learned to tell dad jokes." Momozawa glared at Kusanagi, but quickly changed the subject, her tone implying something more: "Does someone still want my help or not?"
"..."
"That's not the right attitude to have when you're asking for a favor." Momozawa curled her lips into a wicked smile, ignoring the confused looks from everyone else, and kept poking the bear: "Christmas Eve is such a great opportunity. What was it that someone said earlier? What did you want me to do?"
Kusanagi's cold face remained expressionless, but her gaze shifted toward her, red lips slightly pursed—a reaction showing she had been cornered.
"What do you want to eat? I'll pick it up for you." The black-haired girl tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, long lashes lowered, and respectfully brought over the eel that Momozawa loved.
"Cantaloupe." It felt absolutely heavenly; being able to order Kusanagi around to serve her food was truly an eye-opening experience. She decided to enjoy it while the other was in need of her help. "I want this too! Sushi!"
"..." Kusanagi complied, picking up the sushi and the cantaloupe.
"So sweet, so plump." Momozawa took a bite, her smile reaching her ears.
"Don't choke," Kusanagi said with a smile.
"I won't choke. I'll eat as much as you serve—you can even feed me~"
Kusanagi gently set down her chopsticks, her tone chillingly cold. "Sure. Open up."
"...Never mind." Momozawa backed away, feeling guilty; she shouldn't push it too far, lest she meet a miserable end tomorrow.
Mori Reiko took a sip of tea, smiling as she watched them bicker openly and covertly.
Young girls are bursting with energy, fresh and simple—truly adorable. She hadn't interacted with high school-aged children in a long time; just chatting like this for a while made her feel healed by their youth.
The owner of the house was a beautiful child, with stunning features that clearly showed the makings of a beauty. She was poised and gracious in her manner, possessing a calm and steady demeanor that didn't belong to an underage girl.
The other girl was lively and cheerful, possessing the spiritedness of a teenager. She also had the pampered nature of a rich young lady, but it wasn't annoying; instead, it was rather endearing.
As for the one beside her, that glimpse at the banquet was fleeting. She belonged to the type who knew she was beautiful and knew how to dress well—a standard oval face, foxy eyes, and a delicate, pretty appearance that surely made her popular with the opposite sex. She was just suffering right now, because of the credits.
Li Shijia was indeed suffering internally. If Mori Reiko discovered she had truly skipped class and then cancelled five of her credits, she would really perform an on-the-spot death, and then die with regrets. So, she decided to keep her mouth shut tonight, say nothing, deceive everyone, and play dead until the end.
"Everyone, have some fruit first." I plugged in the induction cooker, attached the grill pan, brushed on a thin layer of oil, and then went to get bowls and chopsticks, giving one set to each of the four people.
"Stop fussing and come sit down to eat." The girl called to me softly, taking the bowls and chopsticks from my hands and gesturing for me to sit down.
Momozawa also said, "Stop working, Miss Nozawa, hurry up and come sit with us!"
"Come on, come on." Li Shijia pulled me over. "The hostess has been busy running around for so long, have a drink."
"What hostess?" I nudged her with my elbow, chiding with a smile.
"Come, come, let's all toast the hostess for working so hard to prepare such a lavish dinner~" After saying this, everyone raised their drinks, while Mori Reiko and Li Shijia raised their red wine. I couldn't refuse their kindness.
Looking at the people at the table, a sense of happiness and joy welled up from within me. Since I was little, my family was small, I didn't have many relatives, and we couldn't even gather enough people for a mahjong table during the New Year. I rarely experienced the atmosphere of a bunch of people gathering together for the holidays, and this lively, bustling feeling was truly wonderful.
"I wish everyone a happy Christmas Eve, and may everyone stay safe and sound."
"Happy Christmas Eve!!" Everyone clinked their glasses. The sound of glass cups and milk bottles colliding was crisp yet dull—a mix of the different flavors of women and young girls.
After clinking glasses, I was just about to sit down when I suddenly realized a problem. The kotatsu was square. Kusanagi and Momozawa were sitting on one side, Li Shijia and Mori Reiko were sitting on the other side, and there were no empty seats left.
"Is this table too small?" Momozawa was the first to notice the problem. She pointed at the kotatsu and said, "There are five of us in total, and there are four corners here. Where is Miss Nozawa going to sit?"
"You're right. How about you squeeze in with me? It's still quite spacious over here." Li Shijia made room, but the cord for the grill was on her side, and if she moved any further, she'd be sitting on the plug.
"It seems there isn't enough space; this grill takes up too much room."
"Why not just bring over a small stool?"
"Oh, no need for such trouble. Miss Nozawa can just sit with Kusanagi." Momozawa lifted the kotatsu blanket on Kusanagi's side, revealing that the girl's slender white legs took up less than a third of the space, and there was indeed plenty of room left.
"Miss Nozawa, you can let Kusanagi sit on your lap; she's super light."
Sit... sit on my lap? It's not like an adult carrying a child; is it really necessary to sit on a lap?
The person in question pursed her lips, not objecting. She glanced at Momozawa, and then her dark, bright eyes fixed on me, as if she were very concerned about my choice.
"It really is. It's very empty over there." Li Shijia raised an eyebrow and looked at me. "You choose for yourself. Which side are you going to sit on?"
On one side is Li Shijia, on the other is Kusanagi. Which side should I choose?
It was clearly a very simple question, but I was unexpectedly conflicted. Sitting on Li Shijia's side was closer to the grill, making it convenient to serve food to everyone, but it was too crowded, and too close to the power strip. If I sat with Kusanagi, I would inevitably touch her arms, thighs, or some other part, which would certainly be awkward.
What should I do? Which side should I pick?
Seeing that I was standing there, unable to decide, Kusanagi couldn't hold back anymore. She simply pulled me down to the floor and sat on my lap.
"Just sit with me. Like this. Let's eat."
I hadn't reacted at all, and after my butt hit the floor with a hard thud, the girl's fair, hot thighs were suddenly sitting on my legs.
After hesitating for so long, it ended up being a disaster anyway.
"Right, let's eat, let's eat~" Momozawa started eating, giggling. She picked up a mushroom from the sukiyaki pot for Kusanagi and said, speaking very slowly: "Look, the shape of this mushroom is very 'great', huh."
"...Yeah." Kusanagi murmured in agreement. She was sitting with her back to me, so I couldn't see her expression.
I took a deep breath and adjusted my posture, trying my best not to touch her body. The young lady, however, treated me like a backrest, leaning back comfortably, resting her head against my chin, her black hair tickling me.
Fine, I'll just treat her like a soft, fragrant pillow. If I touch her, I touch her.
I had no choice but to wrap my arms around her, enveloping her with my long limbs, and asked her helplessly: "What do you want to eat?"
"Shrimp, tofu, cantaloupe." I could tell her voice was suppressing a smile that was about to overflow.
I picked it up, she ate it; I picked up more, she ate that too. It seemed her mood wasn't just generally pleasant—it was extremely pleasant.
Even her slender white toes were stepping on my feet, curling and stretching from time to time, and her bare, soft calves didn't escape either.
"Nozawa, you and the landlady are really close, like sisters." Mori Reiko looked through the billowing steam, her gaze lingering on Kusanagi and me.
I nodded embarrassedly. "This child is young, and I promised her parents that I would take good care of her."
Hearing me say she was young, the person in my arms squirmed with dissatisfaction. It was improper to fidget while eating, so I pinched her waist. Being young was a fact that didn't need to be debated; she should be more obedient with elders present.
The girl who had been pinched trembled suddenly, slowly curled her legs, and nestled into my arms, staying still.