落とし穴１５８堀：クリスマスプレゼントは？ (Part1)
Pit 158: What About Christmas Presents?
What about Christmas presents?
Side: Yuki
Today is December 23rd. Christmas is almost upon us.
Normally, I’d be feeling excited for the holiday, but I couldn’t afford that luxury.
Because…
“Christmas presents… I haven’t prepared a single thing. What should I do?”
“When you say ‘what should I do,’ can’t you just go and prepare them now?”
“Well, I suppose you’re right.”
“Indeed.”
I had gathered the other Japanese residents to ask for advice, but their reactions were rather lukewarm.
Well, Taizo-san is from the wartime era, and Sota-san is already an old man; perhaps they aren’t all that interested in such major events.
However…
“Setting you two aside, I didn’t expect Taiki-kun to be clueless too. Or have you already finished your preparations?”
“Eh? What do you mean? We gathered today specifically to buy those Christmas presents, didn’t we? Why are you so worried?”
“No, no… Taiki-kun. You’re giving Christmas presents to Airi-san and Soel, right?”
“Yes. Well, I suppose so.”
“And we’re having a group Christmas party. That means you’ll be giving something to the children, right? Taizo-san, Sota-san?”
“Well, I suppose so.”
“That’s true. It would be sad for Yuki-kun’s children to have no presents.”
“Indeed. Well, back in Japan, there were so many of them that a bag of snacks was the best we could do, but with our current income, we can buy everyone proper gifts.”
Exactly.
None of us are in a position where we lack money.
We are all leaders or key figures of our respective nations, earning more than enough.
There is no such thing as not having a budget for presents.
“So, the first thing we need to consider is whether it’s okay for us to give the children a mountain of gifts individually. The same goes for Airi-san and Soel.”
“Ah… I see. You’re worried about the gifts you’re giving to Airi and Soel too, right, Yuki-san?”
““Of course.””
Taizo-san and Sota-san replied as if it were obvious.
Well, that’s the mature way to handle it.
“However, there’s a problem here. The wives will obviously be buying presents for the children, too. And for all of you as well.”
“I see. I’m starting to understand what Yuki-kun is getting at. We have to choose one gift that can stand out among the pile of presents everyone else will be bringing.”
“Indeed, when you put it that way, it’s a hassle. And we shouldn’t be giving the children an excessive amount of gifts, either…”
“Oh, I see. That’s true, isn’t it? It’s not great if they just get used to receiving mountains of presents. And with Seraria-san and the others giving them tons of gifts… that’s a challenge in itself. Wait, Yuki-san, you have to buy presents for all your wives, right? That must be incredibly difficult.”
He caught on quickly.
I don’t know how it happened, but my number of wives keeps increasing every year.
Even so, I can’t just cancel Christmas now.
I don’t want my wives or children to have a sad Christmas.
“If it were just us men, a simple game tournament would suffice.”
“Indeed. That would be more than enough.”
“There’s nothing wrong with just having fun.”
“However, women don’t quite share that sensibility.”
*Hmm.* We all fell into a slump.
It’s a real headache when you have to account for so many conditions.
“For now, let’s hear the wives’ opinions for reference.”
When I said that, everyone nodded.
I reached out to Seraria, the head of the wives, and…
*“Christmas presents? Now? Well, you have been busy. Still, the children are looking forward to it, and we are, too, in our own way. Especially since there are new wives in the family.”*
It’s my fault for not preparing, I know.
…I feel like the difficulty level just spiked because I carelessly asked.
*“Oh, Taiki, Taizo, and Sota don’t need to worry. The children will be happy with a variety pack of snacks. If you want to give them something that lasts, just buy a party game everyone can play together. You don’t need to give us individual presents. Just bring one for the gift exchange. Anyway, I’m working, so goodbye.”*
With that, she heartlessly ended the call.
“Somehow, the difficulty level is sky-high only for you, Yuki-san. Well, I was told simple gifts are fine, so let’s go with that.”
“Indeed. It’s a thoughtful gesture to not push ourselves. Well, I’ll bring some food, but you’re right—excessive gifts are a problem.”
“When you say party games, do you mean something like a Switch? Or board games?”
“Ah, why not both? I’ll handle the game console, Taizo-san can bring something brainy like Shogi, and Sota-san can bring something like The Game of Life.”
““Let’s do that.””
And just like that, Taiki-kun and the others had their gifts sorted. Since my dilemma remained unsolved, they agreed to keep helping me, but…
“Man, it’s impossible to prepare something original from scratch with less than two days left.”
“True. There’s really nothing to be done about that.”
“I understand the desire to give your wives a wonderful gift, but the time is…”
Still, there’s no way to buy more time.
The seconds were ticking away even as we spoke.
“*Sigh.* So, Taiki-kun, are you suggesting I give up on the idea of an original gift?”
“I suppose so. I had completely forgotten about it until today, too. But in the end, it’s the thought that counts, right? Seraria-san and the others know you’ve been busy, so they’ll be happy if they see you tried your best to choose something.”
“Ah, you’re right. We’ll help you, so why don’t we start by heading to the commercial district?”
“Indeed. Once we’re there, you might find something good.”
“……I suppose so. Shall we go?”
Since thinking here wasn’t getting us anywhere, we headed out to the commercial district to pick out Christmas presents as originally planned, but…
“……This is bad. Every gift I see starts to feel like a bad choice.”
Once I saw other people buying gifts, I started to feel like choosing the same thing would just make me a copycat.
“Let’s calm down. If you start thinking like that, it implies that anyone who buys the same thing lacks sincerity. Look, I just picked out some decent-looking accessories. Simple is fine.”
Saying that, Taiki-kun showed me the accessory he had chosen.
Yeah. It was beautiful. The price wasn’t anything astronomical, but it was a one-of-a-kind piece crafted earnestly by an artisan.