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Christmas is a special holiday where everyone gets their time off, either to spend with their friends or family. However, for businessman, it’s a busy season and an opportunity.
Strings of sparking lights and varieties of Christmas decorations were hung everywhere, from small shops to large malls, and even on people’s houses; everywhere was full of life. One can hear chatter and laughter from almost every corner of the city.
Inside a mansion, a voice was heard over the phone, “Himeko, Merry Christmas!!” Holding the phone with her shoulder, Himeko answered the call while in the midst of cooking dinner. Hearing a familiar voice brought a smile to her face.
“Merry Christmas, March. Is Stelle with you?”
“Yes, she’s right here! Stelle, come say hi!”
“Hello! Have a fun Christmas, Himeko!”
Answering from afar made it hard to hear what she said, however, Himeko could still make out the general idea.
“You too, Stelle.”
Himeko answered as she continued stirring the bowl. Once again, March’s cheerful voice came back.
“Himeko, who are you celebrating Christmas with this year? If I remember correctly, your parents are still abroad.”
“Yeah, they are, but that’s fine. I have someone to celebrate Christmas with.”
“Oh! Oh! Let me guess! It’s Mr. Welt?”
Himeko chuckled, “No, it’s not. Welt is busy somewhere else so he cannot come over.”
“Hmmmm… Serval?”
“That’s also wrong. Serval is out with her girlfriend today.” She stopped before added, “I did invite her, but having made her plan with Cocolia, she apologized and told me she could not come.”
“That’s hard.” March answered as she was in deep thought.
“It’s easy! Why can’t you guess it, March?!” Stelle’s voice was heard, much clearer than before now that she had gone closer to March.
“Huh!? What do you mean? I’ve guessed every possible person!”
“There’s one more person that you haven’t guessed.”
“Really? Who??”
Even through the phone, Himeko could see Stelle’s smug face.
“It’s Kafka.”
“WHAT?!” March shouted in shock; it was so loud that Himeko had to move the phone away from her ear a bit. Flabbergasted, March decided to question Himeko again for clarifications.
“Is it right, Himeko?! You’re celebrating with Kafka?!”
“Y-Yes. What’s wrong?”
Surprised at her exclamation, Himeko’s words did not come out of her mouth the way she wanted it.
“Nothing! I was just… surprised. I didn’t think it would be her.”
“Hmm? You don’t sound very happy about it.”
Sighing, March answered Himeko truthfully.
“Well, Kafka doesn’t have the best reputation, you know?”
“Yes, I know that.” Himeko answered in a calm voice.
“I’m just worried about your well-being. What if she does something to you?”
Himeko could see worries in her voice, so she decided to reassure her.
“I’ll be fine, don’t worry. I know how to defend myself. Anyway, shouldn’t you be celebrating Christmas with Stelle and others? Don’t keep them waiting!”
March was a bit reluctant, but she finally agreed and hung up. Silence returned, and Himeko once again diverted her focus to the cooking of food.
Within an hour, it was all done. After finishing displaying all the dishes on the table, she took a step back and admired her work. Satisfied, Himeko turned her head to look at the clock, 8:30pm. ‘Kafka should be here soon…’ she thought.
To pass the time, Himeko decided to brew herself a cup of coffee and turned on the television, switching to a random channel.
Tick… Tock… Tick… Tock…
The sound of the clock kept ticking, but the opening of the door was not yet heard. 9:45pm, Himeko sighed.
She wouldn’t just ghost me, would she?
Himeko chose to put faith in her and waited a while more. It was late, and her sleepiness was catching up with her. Himeko could not keep her eyes open any longer and drifted to sleep.
Clack Clack…
The front door to her house opened, and Himeko, in her deep sleep, could not hear it. A tall figure walked into the house, her wine-colored hair visible under the shining light of the road. However, everything turned pitch dark the moment she closed the door. Too familiar with the arrangement of the house, she had no difficulty navigating around. Kafka took off her boots and changed into indoor slippers.
With tipping toes, she quietly walked towards the kitchen, only to see the lights were still on. Curious, she went to check if the other was still there but found no one. Looking around, she found carefully arranged dishes on the table, none was touched.
She hadn’t eaten… Was she waiting for me?
The thought made her heart ache. Sighing, she continued towards the living room.
The lights were off, but the TV was still on. She could smell the distinct scent of coffee even before entering the room.
A figure was seen lying on the couch, her crimson red hair spreading on the sofa. Her face was that of an angel, it made her heart skip a beat. It always did, no matter how many times she had seen it.
“You shouldn’t sleep here…”
She mumbled to herself, small enough so that it would not disturb the other party. Kafka went to turn off the television then walked towards the sleeping beauty on the couch. Bending down, she tried to pick Himeko up in a bridal carry. It surely was not comfortable sleeping on the couch like this. Kafka was more than familiar with the feeling so she knew it well. For a more proper sleep, it was best to take her to the bed.
The sensation of someone touching her woke Himeko up from her deep slumber. Normally, she would have panicked and pushed the other person out, but the sensation was too familiar, bonus the scent. It reminds her of a certain someone…
“…Kafka?”
She opened her eyes and saw amethyst ones gazing back at her; a gentle smile on her face.
“Awake?”
Rubbing her eyes sleepily, Himeko answered, “Yeah…”
Kafka retrieved her arms, letting Himeko sit up properly. She then proceeded to sit down next to her. Himeko turned to look at Kafka, curiosity in her eyes.
“What made you so late? It’s…” Himeko glanced at the clock then at Kafka, “12:45am.”
“I met some difficulties while negotiating with the other party, it took a while, but all ended well—”
Just as Kafka finished her sentence, her stomach grumbled. Eyes were staring at each other before Himeko giggled and got up, leading Kafka to the kitchen. Kafka did not say anything, only followed along.
“Let’s eat, shall we?” Himeko asked before she realized that all the foods had turned cold. Kafka looked at her, sadness in her eyes.
“I’m sorry-”
Himeko turned and looked at her, an eyebrow raised.
“What are you sorry about?”
Scratching her head, Kafka answered, “I- Well- You spent so much of your precious time making this meal, and I ruined it all.”
Himeko stood still, taking in Kafka’s words. Afterwards, she smiled and took some of the plates to the microwave.
“Don’t worry about that, we can always microwave them. And, it’s not ruined, it’s just a bit cold.”
Kafka looked at her, guilt filled her whole.
“But it won’t be as good.”
Himeko walked up to her and gave her a gentle kiss on the lips before saying, “Well, then all the more reasons for you not to come home late next time.”
Kafka was stunned. Himeko was not usually one to take the initiative... Nothing would come out of her mouth then, so she just nodded.
Kafka’s mood had improved a lot after the kiss. She ran up to Himeko happily and hugged her from behind.
“Can I have another?”
Himeko’s face turned bright red and she pushed Kafka aside.
“Go get those plates!”
Kafka smiled, ‘ Yup, this is definitely my usual Himeko.’ She then went back to the table and brought some more plates for microwaving.
After some time, the scent of food filled the room.
“What a great smell!”
Kafka commented while bringing the last dish to the table.
“Yeah, it would be even better if someone came home a little earlier.” Himeko replied with a sarcastic voice.
“Hey now! It was not entirely my fault! They were just being difficult.”
Himeko walked towards the table and pulled a chair out, to which Kafka did the same.
“So? What was the problem that you came across?”
Kafka began telling Himeko about the business deal she had been doing before getting home. Himeko was not as adept as Kafka in handling businesses, so she couldn’t do anything even if Kafka told her everything. However, she just loved the look on Kafka’s face whenever she was focused on something.
“…Well, that’s all there is to it. What matters is all ended well.”
Kafka had finished telling her story, but Himeko was still staring at her.
“Himeko?” She asked, concerns in her voice.
“You know? This really takes me back.” Himeko told her.
“How?”
Kafka asked, expecting an immediate answer. However, Himeko was just closing her eyes, seemingly reminiscing about something. Kafka did not interrupt but simply waited patiently for her. Before she spoke, Himeko fed Kafka a spoonful of food.
“Someone I know once ghosted me during Christmas…” She stopped, before continuing, “I also waited for them until this late. However, they did not appear, even a single text was not delivered.”
“What?! Who could be so rude? Especially to a beauty like you.” Kafka spoke up after she had finished all the food in her mouth.
Himeko remained silent. She was just sitting and looking at her, smiling.
After a while, she finally spoke up.
“Yeah, so rude. I wonder who it was?”
Kafka opened her mouth, attempting to say something but stopped. She remembered she had ghosted someone during her undergraduate years...
Cold sweat started to fall down her spine, and Kafka diverted her eyes away from Himeko.
“Y-Yeah... I wonder...?”
Under the pressure of her gaze, Kafka gave up trying and decided to explain for herself.
“I’m sorry- It was entirely my fault…”
Kafka’s eyes were filled with guilt, and she dared not to look up at Himeko.
Not wanting to ruin the mood, Himeko cast aside the matter.
“Kafka.”
Kafka looked up and was met with amber eyes. She said nothing, only stayed silent.
“Let’s not ruin the mood right now. It’s Christmas, and we’re supposed to have fun, don’t you agree?”
The smile on her face was gentle and genuine. However, it made Kafka’s heart sank. She didn’t deserve such a gentle and caring girl. She was a dark soul, drowned in the mud of this world while Himeko was a shining star, a person loved by many.
“Kafka? What’s the matter?”
Kafka smiled at her, trying to hide the bitterness that was eating up her insides. Himeko, as sharp as she was, sensed the uncomfortable shift in the atmosphere between them.
Having known Kafka for long enough, she could make out, even if vaguely, what the other was thinking.
Sighing, Himeko stood up and walked towards Kafka. The latter sat still, not moving an inch.
All of a sudden, Himeko’s hands got to Kafka’s face and pulled her cheeks. It startled her.
“W-Wha?! Himeko?!”
Himeko did not retrieve her hands and kept pulling her cheeks. Kafka felt if it continued for any longer, both her cheeks would fall out.
“I know what you’re thinking.” She said.
Kafka’s eyebrows went up, “What?”
Himeko gave her a peck on the cheeks before saying, “Let’s save the story for another occasion, shall we? There are still a lot of foods for you to taste.”
Finally, Kafka’s mood lightened up and she cracked a sly smile. Without notice, Kafka pulled Himeko down to sit on her lap. Startled, Himeko let out a small yelp.
Kafka looked at her, a smirk on her face.
“Shall I start with this one, then?”
Himeko took a second to process what she meant and upon realization, her entire face burnt. She tried to break free from Kafka’s firm grasp but failed desperately.
After some thought, Kafka released Himeko. She then looked at the time and back at Himeko, now walking back to her sit opposite from hers.
“We should eat.”
Although she had calmed down, there was still a shade of pink on Himeko’s face as she nodded, agreeing with Kafka.
“Yeah.”
3:25…
Himeko looked at the clock as she brought the dishes to the sink. Noticing Himeko’s gaze, Kafka also glanced at the hanging clock.
“It’s pretty late, isn’t it?”
“You mean early?”
Himeko answered in a sarcastic tone, earning a chuckle from the other girl.
“Here, let me help you.”
Kafka spoke as she went up to Himeko.
“Don’t you have work to do?”
“I do, but let’s forget about those right now. Merry Christmas, Himeko.”
Himeko, frozen for a second as she looked at Kafka’s genuine and gentle smile. She felt butterflies in her stomach, a feeling she thought she would never feel again.
Himeko smiled back, “Merry Christmas, Kafka."