落とし穴１５８堀：クリスマスプレゼントは？ (Part2)
"In that sense, it’s a good choice."
Seeing that, I briefly wondered if I should go with accessories, but...
"I don't have the confidence to find suitable accessories for over twenty people. Plus, I want to avoid any price discrepancies as much as possible..."
"Ah, that’s true."
"Accessories vary wildly in quality and price. Women are quite sensitive to those kinds of differences."
"You're right. If there's a gap in the value of the gifts, it's better to refrain from giving them."
Everyone agreed with my sentiment.
That’s right—when it comes to gifts, having the price tag become apparent is a recipe for disaster.
Moreover, when you have multiple recipients, price differences bring all sorts of problems.
In my case, if I were careless, it could be interpreted as a declaration of who I value most among my wives.
If that happened, Weed could end up fractured from within.
"If that's the case, we need something where the price is roughly the same, so no one feels dissatisfied..."
"The difficulty level keeps going up, doesn't it?"
"Thinking about it like this, it's surprisingly difficult."
"Indeed. I never imagined I'd have to send gifts to dozens of people."
Ah, I struggled with the same thing last year, but I managed to pull it off back then.
Please, let a brilliant idea strike me!
Just as I prayed to the heavens...
"Hm? Isn't that Yuki and the others? What are you all doing?"
I turned around at the voice to find...
"Oh, Nina. What are you doing here?"
Standing there was Nina, the Holy Sword User.
She was holding bags, perhaps on her way back from shopping.
"What do you mean 'what'? You know we run a shop, right? Well, Ratz is the manager, but still."
"A shop? Oh, come to think of it, was it a toy store?"
Now that she mentioned it, I recalled hearing that Ratz was running a toy store as a personal project and had the Holy Sword Users helping her out.
The Holy Sword Users, who were originally orphans, apparently had an unexpected talent for making children's playthings.
Or perhaps it wasn't so unexpected?
As I was thinking that, Taiki-kun spoke up.
"Ah! I just had a great idea! Nina, do you have stuffed animals at the shop?"
"Eh? Well, even if we call it a toy store, it's essentially a stuffed animal shop, so yes, we have them."
"Those are all handmade, one-of-a-kind items, right?"
"They're handmade, but they aren't necessarily 'one-of-a-kind.' We’re actually a fairly popular shop, you know. We make plenty of the popular designs. Of course, we have unique ones too."
"That means you have a large stock, right?"
"Well, it's not like they sell out that easily, but what is this about?"
Hearing Taiki-kun’s line of questioning, there was no way I could miss his intent.
They aren't widely available, there isn't much price fluctuation, and there are many varieties for everyone to choose from.
And above all, they are handmade.
"Nina. I want to use stuffed animals as Christmas presents. You have enough in stock, right?"
"Huh? Christmas presents? Oh, I see. It’s rare for you to be this unprepared."
"I’ve been busy with work."
"Well, I understand the situation. Considering you need them for your wives and children, it might be cutting it close, but we’re still making them, so let’s go check."
When we arrived at the shop...
"Oh. Isn't that Yuki? What are you doing here?"
"No, I’m just choosing Christmas presents. What about you? Why are you here, Comet?"
For some reason, Comet was manning the shop.
And she was holding a stuffed animal, too.
"Ah, I see. As you can see, I’m making stuffed animals. Nina and the others invited me. Well, I’m good at making them, so it’s not a burden at all."
"Um, Comet-san. I appreciate the help, but I’m not sure about the monster-themed stuffed animals."
"Oh? Is that a no?"
And so, having secured enough gifts—including some rather unique stuffed animals—I managed to successfully procure my Christmas presents. It was a doubly grateful Christmas, as I also got to confirm the success of Ratz’s shop and Comet’s surprising dexterity.
"So, Yuki-san. What will you do for next year's Christmas?"
"That’s true. We probably can't use the 'stuffed animal strategy' again."
"Well, I’ll think about that next year."
Christmas presents are such a headache.
Honestly, as a snowman, I think the best method is to just take the person you're gifting directly to the store and let them choose.
But some people say that’s a no-go.
What a hassle.