落とし穴１３０堀：プレゼント交換 (Part1)

### Pitfall 130: Gift Exchange

**Side: Enora Hylen**

"..."

I knew from past experience that leaving things to Lady Hylen always led to something unexpected, but I never imagined it would go this far. We stood frozen in front of Yuki-dono’s inn, unable to utter a single word.

Deep snow had piled up, painting the surroundings in pure white. We just stood there, motionless. When the cold finally became unbearable, Mikos finally broke the silence.

"...Um, I was told this was a Christmas party... Why are we at Yuki-sensei’s house?"

Exactly. We had left the arrangements to Lady Hylen, but for some reason, the venue ended up being Yuki-dono’s main residence. How did we go from planning a party to holding it at the Weed main residence—which, in any other country, would be equivalent to a royal castle—in just a few days?

"I... I honestly thought we were renting out a shop somewhere."

"Same here. I was under the impression we had rented a room... Well, I suppose 'renting' isn't technically wrong, but this is..."

As Solo said, we expected something small and cozy. Princess Stasia, I know we are technically guests, but this is just too much.

"...I only brought one gift," Kagura muttered.

"..."

Her words left us speechless again. Being invited to Yuki-dono’s main residence and bringing only one gift felt incredibly rude. Yuki-dono and his people probably wouldn't mind, but if this reached the ears of my mother or the other higher-ups, I would undoubtedly face a severe reprimand.

Still, there was no turning back now. We were the ones who asked Lady Hylen to organize this; backing out now would be a professional—and perhaps literal—death sentence. As we stood paralyzed in front of the entrance, a figure appeared.

"What are you guys doing, Kagura?"

"Yuki!?"

Yuki-dono had stepped out from the entrance.

"H-how did you know Mikos and the others were here..."

"What do you mean how? This is inside the dungeon. You know I monitor the call screens, right?"

"Ah, that’s right."

As Solo noted, we had forgotten. Yuki-dono was a Dungeon Master; he had the ability to grasp the situation within his dungeon at all times.

"You were taking so long, I thought there might be some trouble, so I checked. Then I saw you all just standing in front of the door. I thought something had happened."

Well, I suppose if you saw acquaintances standing motionless in front of your door, you’d be concerned.

"Um, well..."

"What’s wrong? Are you in some kind of trouble?"

"It’s just... Lady Hylen has, once again, caused you... trouble..."

Kagura’s voice, speaking on our behalf, was filled with sorrow. I never imagined Lady Hylen would go so far as to involve Yuki-dono’s private residence in her reckless plans. *I’m sorry for making you say that, Kagura. I’ll make it up to you later.*

"Ah, don't worry about Hylen. Though, I guess telling you that is useless. Well, if you think you're causing trouble, just enjoy yourselves today. Hylen’s proposal was sudden, but we were preparing for this anyway. It’s just a side event, really."

"B-but we only brought one gift..."

"Hm? Oh, that’s for the gift exchange. It’s a game where you don't know whose gift you’ll end up with. That’s perfectly fine."

"Oh. I’ve never heard of such a game before, Mikos-chan."

"It’s a form of entertainment. Oh, speaking of Hylen, she asked me to handle the notifications, so I’ve already cleared your participation with Princess Carrie, King Haiden, King Findall, and Archbishop Enol. Don't worry about it."

*Oh, so it wasn't Lady Hylen who handled it, but Yuki-dono.* It might be rude to say this, but knowing he was the one in charge was a huge relief. I really hate the constant chaos Lady Hylen causes!

"Now, hurry up and get inside. You must be cold, right?"

"Ah, yes. Thank you."

"Pardon the intrusion."

"Excuse us."

"Pardon me."

"Excuse us."

With our minds at ease, we entered the inn, only to run into Princess Age, who was carrying dishes.

"Oh, Sister, you’re late. Everyone else, too."

"Age!? Why are you here!?"

"Why? Sister, it’s Christmas today, isn't it? I was invited from the very beginning."

"W-why didn't you invite me..."

"Well, my affiliation is with Weed, but you are the Ambassador of Findall, Sister. I couldn't just tell someone from another country to take a day off. But thanks to Lady Hylen, let’s have a wonderful time today."

"I-I see. Lady Hylen, thank you! And I’m sorry for thinking you were a nuisance!"

"...Sister. I understand your feelings, but please, keep those thoughts inside your head. We are at the inn, after all."

...I truly understand that feeling, Princess Stasia.

"But if Princess Age is here, does that mean a lot of people have gathered?"

"Yes. As Bishop Enora says, we have quite a luxurious lineup, including Lord Enol, Lord Sota, Lord Taizo, Lady Hifie, and many others."

"Well, they’re all like family, so don't worry about it. Though I’m sure you will anyway."

"..."

Just hearing that list of names left us stunned. This was supposed to be a casual Christmas gathering for women to chat and have fun, but it had turned into a dinner with the world’s most powerful figures! Yuki-dono, that’s impossible! How can you be so calm all the time!?

Ignoring our distress, we reached the banquet hall.

"Oh, Yuki~! Is the food ready yet? Can I eat the chicken?"

"That’s right~! It looks so delicious, can I have the gratin~?"

"Um, Lady Luna, Liliche... please, show some restraint..."

"That’s right. Kagura and the others just arrived."

"Come on, take your seats. Over here, over here!"

Lady Hylen beckoned us over while the goddesses led by Lady Luna made a fuss. My face was twitching from the tension, but I couldn't cause a scene, so I sat down quietly. Our gifts were placed at the base of the Christmas tree, looking pitifully small compared to the others.

Yuki-dono, who surely knew how we felt, ignored it as if nothing were wrong and stepped onto the stage at the back of the hall. Well, it’s not like he could do anything about it.

"Thank you all for coming. We will now begin the Christmas party. First, please enjoy the meal. After a while, we’ll move on to the Christmas games. Now, everyone, raise your glasses."

We picked up the wine glasses in front of us...

"Merry Christmas!!"

And so, our first Christmas party began.

"Wow, this is delicious."

"It really is. Weed’s food is always good, but as expected of Yuki-sensei’s place, it’s on a completely different level! Mikos-chan is moved to tears!!"

"Yes. It’s truly exquisite."

Beside me, Kagura and the others were devouring the food. Naturally, I was doing the same.

*Nom, munch, gulp...*

I was eating with single-minded focus. Usually, I followed the teachings of the Hylen faith and ate simple meals. Well, since visiting Weed, I’ve been eating delicious food as part of social obligations. Yes, today is just another social obligation, so it can’t be helped.

Besides, above all else...

"It’s truly delicious!! Kirue, refill please!"

"Yes, certainly."

"You should show a little more restraint..."

"What are you saying? You’re eating mountains of food yourself, Sota. Oh, I’ll take a refill too."

"Yes."