117. Christmas Eve with Two Former Lovers.

December 24th.

Tsukuyomi Jinguji woke up early. As he headed downstairs to wash up, his mother was already in the kitchen preparing breakfast.

"Tsukuyomi, hurry it up."
"Got it."

After breakfast, he went out with his mother. The December chill was truly biting, feeling as if someone were applying polishing paste to his skin and scrubbing it incessantly. His breath turned into a plume of white mist that rose slowly. He pulled up his scarf, burying half his face in it, and tucked his hands deep into the pockets of his coat.

They weren't taking the train today; his mother was driving. However, she was not a skilled driver, and usually, it was his father who took the wheel. Sitting in the passenger seat, the young man stared blankly out the window at the warm winter sun hanging high in the sky.

The car stopped outside a shopping street. Tsukuyomi got out and walked toward a shop filled with plants and flowers. As he pushed the door open, the owner, a woman in her thirties, greeted him warmly.

"Good morning, Tsukuyomi-kun."
"Hello, Ms. Kanzaki."
"Here for the flowers? I've already got them wrapped for you," the owner said, offering a gentle smile as she handed over the bouquet.
"Thank you."

After collecting the flowers, he left without much small talk. Back in the car, he drifted into a daze again. As they drove through the city center, surrounded by towering skyscrapers, his mother asked about his life at school—a rarity. Perhaps it was because his grades were stable, or maybe it was due to his suspension last year; since then, she rarely asked about school, or perhaps she simply knew he would only give her vague, evasive answers.

But today was a special day. Yuko Jinguji understood her son’s temperament well; this was the one day he would act like the good boy everyone expected him to be. When she heard he had become the student council president, Yuko was visibly stunned, her expression momentarily lost in thought.

"Is that so? Just like your sister."
"…Yeah."

Looking at the high-rises outside, Tsukuyomi replied softly.

Upon reaching their destination, his mother went to buy incense while Tsukuyomi fetched a bucket of water from the side of the temple. In previous years, his father had always done this while Tsukuyomi watched from behind. With his father away this year, the task fell to him. He had visited this cemetery many times; the rows of tombstones felt like the high-rise buildings in the city center.

He and his mother arrived at a spot in the cemetery before a monument inscribed with "The Jinguji Family Grave." Three people were buried there: his father’s younger brother and sister-in-law, who had died in a traffic accident when Tsukuyomi was in the sixth grade. Their daughter—his cousin—had survived the accident and was eventually adopted by his parents. To this day, Tsukuyomi still didn't know if his cousin had ever truly accepted them as her real family.

After offering incense, he and his mother took turns pouring water over the gravestones to clean them. Visiting a grave on Christmas Eve was indeed unusual, but for the Jinguji family, it had become a matter of routine. Tsukuyomi still couldn't forget that night. Every time he realized that every Christmas Eve for the rest of his life would be haunted by the memory of that evening, he felt the girl in question had been truly cruel.

***

By the time they finished, it was nearly noon. His mother asked what he wanted to eat, but Tsukuyomi said he already had plans with Sakura Sakurakoji, missing out on a grand meal. He didn't return to Jiyugaoka but met Sakura at their destination. Because it was Christmas Eve, the streets were filled with young couples.

Since the grave visit had gone faster than expected, Tsukuyomi waited at the station for nearly twenty minutes before finally spotting Sakura.

"Huh? You haven't been waiting long, have you?"
"About that long."
"Have you already been?" Sakura asked.
"Yeah."
"Is your mood cleared up?"
"What do you mean?"
"What else could I mean? Every other Christmas Eve, you’ve always been so gloomy I was afraid to even talk to you."
"Was I?"
"Think about it."

Tsukuyomi looked back on his past self. Back then, he was far from "healthy"; he had been dangerously close to a complete breakdown.

"Hmm… maybe."

Yet today, on the way to the cemetery, he had been thinking about school, the student council, and his art—all the mundane things that a normal high school student would think about. Was Tsukuyomi a normal high school student? At least, he hadn't been in the past. But it seemed he was gradually blending in, not just in his actions, but in his thoughts as well. Otherwise, why would his mind be filled with the rose-colored fantasies of youth on a day that was supposed to be etched in his heart with sorrow?

He began to doubt himself again—wondering if he had forgotten his important family members. Yet, he quickly reached a conclusion: he hadn't forgotten; it was precisely because they were important that he had chosen to treasure those memories. In the past, it would have taken him forever to reach that answer.

"Tsukuyomi, you really have changed."

The girl from his childhood stood before him, tilting her head to look at him. Her beautiful eyes narrowed into slits, and her amber irises shimmered with an emotion warmer than the winter sun.

"Is that bad?"
"I didn't say it was bad."
"Then?"
"I both want you to be braver and fear that you might become too brave."

Tsukuyomi sighed helplessly. "Can we stop with the riddles? I thought you hated 'riddle-mongers'?"

Sakura giggled—a bit affected, but quite cute. "Hey, I'm hungry. Let's go grab something to eat."
"What do you want?"
"Hmm… can I pick the place?"

Though a bit puzzled, Tsukuyomi nodded. He followed Sakura to a family restaurant. From the outside, it looked unremarkable, showing nothing special. He had expected her to choose somewhere flashy. Inside, they sat in a corner, and a waitress brought them menus.

"Welcome, what would you like to order?"

As Sakura began looking at the menu, Tsukuyomi froze. The waitress's voice sounded incredibly familiar. He looked up, and as expected, she looked exactly like the former student council president of Shin-Sakura High.

"President Hoshinomori…"

The girl in the restaurant uniform wagged her finger. "Tsk, tsk, tsk! Customer, I’m not a president."

Tsukuyomi looked at her in shock, then at Sakura. His childhood friend showed no surprise, instead wearing an expression of amusement at his reaction. Clearly, she knew Hoshinomori Hino worked here.

Hoshinomori flashed a playful smile. "Are you two on a Christmas date?"
Sakura snorted. "Who would want to date this guy?"
"That's not what's happening," Tsukuyomi said, then added, "But… President, what are you doing here?"
"Huh? Can't you tell from my outfit? Part-time work… or, if you don't like that term, 'experiencing society.' Look, I'm about to graduate."

Well… that was a somewhat acceptable answer, but working at a family restaurant? And would her parents agree to this? If Tsukuyomi remembered correctly, Hoshinomori’s upbringing was quite strict; she didn't seem the type to be allowed to work part-time.

Overall, Tsukuyomi was still a bit bewildered, mainly because Sakura and Hoshinomori seemed suspiciously close. It was possible Sakura had been here many times before. He suddenly remembered that during the school festival, Hoshinomori would always disappear after school, and for a while, she had appeared in the student council room with dark circles under her eyes.

"President… if I may ask, how long have you been working here?"
"This? Hmm… today is my third day."
"It sounds like there are other places too," Tsukuyomi noted, sensing a deeper meaning.
"Convenience store, izakaya, telephone customer service, and newspaper delivery."
"A part-time work superhero?!" Tsukuyomi was thoroughly shocked.
"Hehe… impressive, right?"
"I'm not complimenting you!"

Tsukuyomi held his forehead. So, all that exhaustion during the school festival, including taking on Hoshinomori’s workload, had been so she could work these shifts?

"President…"
"Hmm?"
"Give me half your wages," he said.
"Ha? Why? No way!"

Well… he was just joking; he didn't really want her money. After all, knowing Hoshinomori, she surely had her reasons for working so many jobs. For some reason, whenever Hoshinomori Hino was involved, no matter how baffling things seemed, Tsukuyomi instinctively assumed she had her own thoughts and insights. If it were Sakura working those jobs, he would have immediately assumed she had blown all her allowance. That was likely just his own bias.

After Hoshinomori left, Tsukuyomi looked at Sakura, full of confusion. "Why is she here?" he couldn't help but ask.
"She just told you, didn't she? Part-time work."
"I mean, why *here*?"
"How should I know?"
"Aren't you two close?"
"Ha? Why would I be close to my childhood friend's ex-girlfriend?"

Fine, never mind. Seeing his speechless expression, Sakura burst into laughter.

"How is it? Do you want to thank me?"
"Thank you for what?"
"You usually don't get to see an ex-girlfriend dressed as a waitress."
"Yes, yes, you got a laugh out of me."

After lunch, Sakura suddenly pulled a manga from her bag. Tsukuyomi assumed she was too full to move and needed a break. It wasn't until Hoshinomori, now in her casual clothes, walked over and said with a smile, "Let's go," that Tsukuyomi realized something was off.

"Wait! Does that 'let's' include me?"

Sakura and Hoshinomori exchanged a glance, giggled, and walked out of the shop arm-in-arm. Tsukuyomi suddenly began to suspect he was just a prop in some strange game played by these two ex-girlfriends.

***

Tsukuyomi had expected today to be just the two of them, but Sakura seemed to prefer a trio. He didn't have any complaints, though; since Sakura was the one who had initiated the outing, he wouldn't object if she wanted Hoshinomori there. But it did leave him with a lingering doubt: how exactly did Sakura view him?

He thought the answer to whether she still saw him as a boy she liked was undoubtedly yes. Yet, her feelings and her behavior didn't seem to align, and her strange closeness with Hoshinomori was proof of that. Walking behind them, watching his two ex-girlfriends walking side-by-side, that was what he thought.

Sakura seemed to be the core of the three, as she was the one with the most experience in going out. Hoshinomori was like a sheltered young lady—she hadn't even been to a family restaurant much before, yet now she had evolved into a restaurant employee. Tsukuyomi, though he often chatted up girls, had little experience hanging out with friends; at most, he had played in the park with boys back in elementary school.

Naturally, Sakura was the "normie" of the group, and she led them to a karaoke parlor.

"One guy and two girls in a dim, private room… isn't that a bit extreme?" Hoshinomori muttered to herself before they entered the room.

A passing waiter happened to hear this, giving them a suspicious look, as if he suspected they were up to something. As expected, the former student council president had never been to karaoke before. Sakura, unfazed, dragged her to the machine to pick songs while Tsukuyomi retreated to the corner, silently acting as the audience.

*I really am just a prop for them, aren't I?*

As the accompaniment began to play, Tsukuyomi glanced at the screen. It was Aya Hirano’s "Koi no Mikuru Densetsu." It was a song suited for winter, but the atmosphere felt entirely off. Sakura sang with gusto, while Hoshinomori played the role of the enthusiastic cheerleader.

After the song, it was Hoshinomori’s turn. She was shy, clearly unaccustomed to the karaoke vibe. Usually, this would be the time for a simple, popular song. However, the music that began to play was Nana Mizuki’s "Glass-like Vanity."

*These two are doing this on purpose.*

Tsukuyomi thought with a sigh of resignation.