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December was a bit of a mixed bag for Teruteru.
On one hand, he liked snow and the general peaceful atmosphere. He always looked forward to seeing the first snowflakes falling from the sky. Even if the days were shorter and the overwhelming darkness could be even scary at times, Teruteru still prevailed. As long as he could return to his humble dormitory and bundle up, everything was going to be okay.
Though, December was almost synonymous with Christmas. But no amount of chicken or cake could make him forget that he’d spend this time alone. After all, this holiday was more geared towards couples than family. Maybe it was just his jealousy talking, but at least he’d have someone to cherish during this time.
“Okay, guys. Now that you’ve finished the course sheets, I have an exciting announcement!” The assistant language teacher declared in English, looking particularly cheery today. “Does anybody know what ‘Secret Santa’ is?”
Oh, this coincidentally happened to be the answer to the crossword they had to complete among other tasks. Sonia’s hand shot up immediately, which prompted the blond man to chuckle. Whenever Mr. Chris asked a question, she was the first one to respond. Even if others knew the answer, they were rather timid and avoided speaking up.
“Let’s give others a chance, okay Sonia?” he said. “Come on, don’t be shy. I can give you a little hint—it has something to do with giving gifts… Oh, Nagito—the floor is yours!”
Nagito lowered his arm, looking rather flustered that the teacher noticed him so quickly. “Is it like oseibo?”
“Yes, that is correct. Good job, Nagito,” Mr. Chris smiled. “So, now that you know what Secret Santa is, I’ll go ahead and write down the rules!”
Their primary English teacher let Mr. Chris do his thing as the students began to exchange worried looks between each other. Their assistant language teacher, albeit incredibly dedicated to his job, was more of a hands-on type of guy. The collective trauma of tasting Marmite was fresh on their minds. At least other, much tastier snacks helped wash away the terrible taste.
Mr. Chris pulled out a small bowl with little papers inside. “Right, now it’s the best part. Please pick one paper piece as I go around, okay?”
While he walked between the tables with the bowl, Mr. Eigo explained the rules in Japanese. Obviously, you couldn’t tell anyone who you drew, since it wouldn’t be a secret anymore. The spending limit was ¥3,000, but may be exceeded slightly. While there was technically no minimum, common sense dictated that the giftee should receive something worthwhile.
“Teruteru, now it’s your turn to pick someone!”
There were only two papers left, and he picked the one closer to him. After making sure no one was going to peek, Teruteru opened it to see who he got. His eyes looked to his right and saw the white puff of hair move behind Mahiru.
Nagito Komaeda.
The bell rang, signalling the class was over.
“Class dismissed,” Mr. Eigo said. “You have two weeks to prepare the gifts. And remember—”
“Did you get Miss Sonia?!”
“—not to solicit or swap the person who you’re Secret Santa for.”
For some reason, Nagito kept staring at him, but Teruteru ignored it. Must’ve been a coincidence, he probably got someone other than him.
Thankfully, once the initial shock was gone, Teruteru was able to think about a potential gift for Nagito. His e-book student profile stated that he liked pretty things. It was also common knowledge that anything which would inspire hope would be to his liking. Hopeful and pretty things… What could it possibly be? How can they be combined into one thing?
Wagashi was the first thing that came to Teruteru’s mind.
Adjacent to his talent and looked beautiful. Though, how was he going to keep this confectionery fresh and tasty? Making them a day before the deadline was possible, but risky. He’d need to seek Ruruka on this matter, as she was the Ultimate Confectioner. In the worst case scenario, Teruteru could prioritise non-perishable gifts. Like some cute stationery he saw at a 100-yen shop the last time.
Either way, Teruteru was going to make sure that Nagito was going to be happy with his gift!
Over the course of the next two weeks, he collected various hope-inspiring goodies. Then, everything was packed into a rather large gift bag. All that was left was to bring it to tomorrow's English class.
Once the number of bags underneath the comically small Christmas tree was equal to the number of students, it was time for the long-awaited gift exchange. Much to Teruteru’s surprise, his bag was one of the biggest. Though, size wasn’t all—a small package could still contain something valuable.
“Ho-ho-ho!” Mr. Chris, now donning a Santa hat and a fake beard, laughed as he picked another bag. “Would you look at that! Hmmm, who could this gift go to, I wonder…”
Miraculously, nothing awry happened and Teruteru’s peers were generally happy with their presents. He received a gift card, which had its charms. Yet, Teruteru had secretly hoped for something more personalised.
“A-Ah, it must be a mistake.” Nagito let out an airy laugh. “This bag can’t be mine.”
“Nope,” Mr. Chris said, “it’s signed ‘Nagito’ right here. See?”
Even though he wasn’t fully convinced, Nagito took the gift bag, and sat in his seat. Teruteru tried not to stare, but he couldn’t help it. Was there something wrong with the present? He only peeked inside before looking away. Maybe Nagito secretly hated it, and didn’t want to show it?! He suddenly got up, which made Teruteru look away.
“I cannot believe an Ultimate would spend so much money on trash like me.” Nagito’s eyes sparkled in admiration as he took Teruteru’s hands into his own. “I don’t deserve your generosity! I’ll make sure to cherish this present forever.”
Nagito’s hands were clammy, but Teruteru wasn’t put off by it in the slightest. When their skin touched, his cheeks warmed up considerably.
“Nonsense, of course you deserve a nice present!”
Teruteru’s throat felt a bit hoarse. Being so close to Nagito made him nervous.
Nagito furrowed his brows. “I’m so ashamed of the present I gifted to you. I don’t know much about fine cuisine, so I thought it would be best for you to pick your favourite ingredients yourself. How foolish of me.”
A dramatic sigh followed the little rant.
“I have an idea! I’ll try to be useful to you! How about I’ll be your personal assistant for the rest of the year? You can make me do anything you want.”
Instead of being crushed by the prospect of having to serve Teruteru, Nagito’s eyes had a slightly creepy hint of craving in them. Teruteru stared at Nagito for a moment. His first instinct was to deny the offer, but it was close to Christmas.
He replied, “I might need some help in preparing a lavish Christmas dinner~”
Nagito let go of Teruteru’s smaller hands and clapped his own together twice. “Splendid! I shall be the best assistant you ever had!”
Teruteru smiled sheepishly. Maybe he wouldn’t have to spend Christmas alone after all…