落とし穴３０掘：くりすます
Pitfall 30: Christmas
Christmas
Side: Aslin
"Whew, it’s snowing again today!!"
I woke up this morning and immediately pulled back the curtains. Lately, I’ve been looking forward to seeing if the ground is covered in snow.
"Unyu, Aslin, you're noisy."
"Firia, don't say that! Look, the snow has piled up outside again!!"
"Oh, you're right! We can have a snowball fight today!"
Since we had never seen snow before, we’ve been having fun playing with the snowball fights, snowmen, and igloos that Yuki taught us about. My hands get cold and itchy, but I don't really mind. After all, it’s just that much fun. Plus, it’s a bonus because Yuki holds my hands to warm them up.
"…You two are energetic from the morning, aren't you?"
"Labyris-chan, look outside! The snow has piled up."
"Oh my, so it has. I suppose we can get warm inside Yuki again today."
Labyris-chan plays with us, but she always ends up snuggling inside Yuki’s *hanten* (padded jacket) to get warm. I’m a little jealous, but since playing in the snow is so fun, I don't mind too much. Besides, if I ask Yuki, he’ll do the same for me.
"Hey, are you three awake? Well, obviously you are."
"Oh, Yuki!"
"Brother."
"Yuki."
Yuki came to wake us up, so we all rushed over to him. We don't sleep with Yuki as often as we used to, but I don't really mind because it’s fun staying up late in our rooms chatting with Shera-chan, Kirue-san, and the others. Yuki falls asleep right away, so we can’t really stay up that late anyway.
"Hmm, what shall we play today?"
"Let's see. Instead of an igloo, why don't we try building a snow castle?"
"Oh, a castle?! That makes me motivated!"
"That sounds quite authentic and very difficult, doesn't it?"
"Is Yuki off today?"
I asked about his plans while being carried in his arms.
"Yeah. I don't have any errands in the morning, so I'll help you all build the snow castle."
"Yay!!"
"If Brother is here, we can make a grand castle!"
"That’s good. But if you say 'morning,' does that mean you have errands in the afternoon? You’re supposed to be off today, right?"
Labyris-chan knows Yuki’s work schedule. It’s strange, since he’s usually with us all day on his days off.
"Hey, Yuki, what are you going to do?"
"Hmm. Christmas is coming up soon, you know. I’m preparing for that."
"Christmas?"
We all tilted our heads. It was a word we’d never heard before. What could it be?
"It’s an event from my hometown, as usual. I thought I’d try to recreate it."
"I see, then it can't be helped."
"We should let Brother do what he wants to do."
"That’s true. I’m looking forward to Christmas."
"Alright. Well, for now, let's wash our faces, eat breakfast, and go play in the snow."
And so, just like always, we washed our faces, ate breakfast, and played in the snow.
"…Yeah. This is something else."
"I suppose one should call it 'impressive'."
Yuki and Labyris-chan were making complicated expressions. I wonder why? Under Firia-chan’s direction, we had built a proper snow castle.
"Man, I didn't know you could craft things this precisely with snow. I’ve seen images of snow festivals, but I didn't think it was actually possible."
"Firia’s talent is truly amazing."
"It really is a snow castle…"
I don't really get it. We were building a snow castle, so of course, we would build a proper one.
"Brother, how is it?!"
"Oh, it's amazing! Anyway, I’m going to go prepare now. I’ll be handling the cooking for Christmas too, so leave it to me."
"Okay!"
After that, we played for a while, took a bath, relaxed, and then headed to the banquet hall. And then…
"Wow, amazing!!"
"The tree is glowing!"
"My, is this what Christmas is?"
In the corner of the banquet hall stood a tree decorated with various ornaments, and it was glowing.
"Oh, Labyris and the others are here too. What is this?"
Ratz-onesan and the others seemed to have arrived earlier, and they were staring at the tree in surprise and wonder.
"Yes, this is…"
"A Christmas tree."
"Oh, Yuki?"
Yuki had walked in, but for some reason, he was wearing red clothes and a red hat.
"What is that outfit?"
Seraria-onesan tilted her head in confusion.
"I guess there’s no similar custom here… Well, it originally comes from a 'Holy Birth Festival,' so it might have too much of a religious connotation. The form it has today came about through many twists and turns."
"Um, you seem to be troubled, but this is called a Christmas tree, right? Since you decorate it like this, is it for some kind of celebration?"
Ratz-onesan asked Yuki, who was deep in thought.
"Yeah, it’s a celebration. It’s said to be the day a hero or a god descended to the earth, similar to the legends here. On this day, families celebrate together. Well, back where I’m from, the religious aspect has faded, and it’s just like a festival day. We decorate the tree like this, eat food suited for Christmas, and then…"
Saying that, Yuki took a large white bag out of his item box.
"There’s also a custom of giving presents to your loved ones on Christmas. Here."
He handed everyone a box wrapped in beautiful paper with a ribbon.
"The contents are a surprise."
"Um, now that you say that, I really want to open it, Yuki-san."
"By all means, feel free to open it right away."
As soon as Yuki said that, everyone tore open their packages to see what was inside.
"This is…"
"A muffler!"
Yes, inside was a beautiful, patterned muffler, perfect for the cold weather we’ve been having.
"Normally, I should have asked what everyone wanted and picked gifts accordingly, but I thought of this suddenly, so I chose mufflers that I thought would suit each of you. My sense of style is my own, so I’m sorry if you don't like them."
"Not at all! We’ll treasure them!"
Everyone said in unison. Of course we would! There’s no way we wouldn't like a muffler that Yuki chose for us!
"Well, it’s fine to treasure them, but please actually use them. I’d be happy if you used them for their intended purpose, and the mufflers would be happy too. Now, the only thing left is to eat the Christmas food! Well, it’s pizza, cake, and chicken, but let’s just say it’s a bit of everything."
That was how we spent our first Christmas. Outside, the snow was falling, painting the world white.
"The muffler is warm."
"It smells like Brother."
"Fufu, I must take good care of it."
And the snow castle we built today had been rigged by Yuki, and it was glowing in various colors in the night, looking beautiful.
We have to do this again!
Merry Christmas!