127 – Side Story. After Stories (6)
The Christmas party that followed was simple and clear.
People chattered around the tree adorned with bulbs.
Since the kitchen staff deserved a break, they mainly enjoyed outside food like fried chicken, pizza, and hamburgers. Those who had time to prepare gifts participated in the gift exchange.
“What?! There was such a thing?!”
Eris, who heard the news belatedly, hurriedly prepared gifts with a grim expression and headed to the mansion.
Although there was no need for her to participate urgently, she rushed out in a great hurry.
On the other hand, Sawako Tachibana hesitated for a moment before deciding to stay at the mansion.
Taking the seat next to her that Eris vacated, she murmured cautiously,
“…Competition seems fiercer than before.”
I refrained from asking the clueless question of what competition she was referring to.
I wasn’t that much of a fool.
I simply breathed out a sigh and stealthily exhaled deeply along with Sawako.
As I exhaled, Sento, who was holding onto my right arm, squeezed my forearm tighter.
Hey, Sento-san, is Lin staring at us from afar?
Gaja Sehei Lin, with narrowed eyes, continued to progress the event, looking in our direction.
It was something for the children in the mansion, like recreational activities or raffle draws.
That rascal Kenichi, who said he wouldn’t participate in the gift exchange, casually joined the raffle draw.
“Yayyy!!”
Each time the prizes decreased, the boy trembled with excitement until he finally won a double-door fridge.
Well, better than nothing, but seeing the joy of a fool made me briefly wonder,
“You don’t even use a fridge.”
Always training diligently in the mansion, what good would a fridge do for him?
If he was just happy to have won, then I had nothing to say.
Considering Kenichi’s bewildered expression upon receiving the fridge, it seemed like he was simply happy without any particular thoughts.
That brat still seems like a fool.
With a satisfied nod at his unchanged demeanor, I realized that it was time for the much-anticipated gift exchange.
It had already reached the last part of the scheduled events.
Eris, who had submitted her gift promptly, nervously nibbled on her fingernails and whispered,
“…Please, let me win, let me win…!”
Eris, this is all just a gift exchange, so there’s no such thing as winning, right?
I didn’t say anything since I wasn’t completely clueless, simply keeping my mouth shut.
Not only Eris seemed anxious, but also the person next to her, Sento, Shihei Rin, and Tokomo, all staring at the pile of gifts.
“……Uh, shall we start the exchange?”
The gift exchange process was entrusted to Ichinose Hotaru for fairness.
Hotaru, taken aback by suddenly being in charge, distributed the gifts diligently.
“Well, this big blue-wrapped gift box goes back to number 32. Who’s that?”
“aaah!”
Eris, now receiving her own gift back, screamed with her head wrapped.
What did she buy to get such a big box?
Nevertheless, with funny reactions often occurring during gift exchanges like this, Hotaru, with an excited expression, rummaged through the lottery box and pulled out a number tag.
Since I had personally made the magic-blocking box, it was impossible to manipulate it.
In the situation where most of the gifts had disappeared from the pile, Hotaru casually lifted one of the gifts.
“This time, it’s a small white gift box. Hmm, what could this be?”
It was the gift box I had prepared.
Sento, Rin, and Tokomo all eyed that box.
Even Eris, who had not yet exchanged her gift, focused intently, with a frown on her face.
Sawako didn’t participate, but she eagerly eyed the box.
“Well, we’re running out of paper, so this time… what number will it be!”
Ichinose Hotaru drew a number from the black box and announced.
“Lucky number 7!”
Sento widened her eyes to check her number tag.
The number written on the white paper had nothing to do with 7.
She narrowed her eyes, as did Tokomo and Rin, all with displeased expressions.
It seemed like they weren’t winners this time either.
They scanned the room as if looking for the winner, but no one raised their hand.
In the moment of silence, Ichinose Hotaru blinked a few times, then laughed heartily, rummaging through the box and pulled out her number tag.
“Ahahahaha! Right, it was number 7! I don’t know whose gift it is, but I’ll gladly take it!”
“….”
“….”
From Sawamura Sento and Tachibana Sawako to Eris, Rin, and Tokomo.
It was a moment when everyone’s expressions sharpened.
It was an unexpected turn of events, a look of targeting a new competitor.
Feeling unusually quiet today, I desperately avoided their occasional glances towards me.
xd