Not every family is happy. Some families thrive on toxicity among members, leaving little room for happy occasions, like celebrating the holidays. And the Hiiragi family was no exception. But that was going to change.
Yuu scanned the room, making sure there wasn't a single speck of dirt left. "Don't tell me this party is going to be ruined just because you're a neat freak", said Shiho. "I'm not a neat freak!", growled Yuu. "I just... don't want anything to look bad." "Leave him be", said Yoichi. "He wants to make this special for Shinoa." Shiho sighed. "Fine. Whatever. You do you then, Yuu." The said man stood up. "Okay. Everything looks good."
At that moment, he heard the door open, and turned around. "Shinoa! You're here!" "Aww. Miss me already?", the lavender haired girl teased. "Guess this means he doesn't have to be a neat freak anymore", grumbled Shiho. "I heard that, Telephone Pole!", growled Yuu. "Now now boys", said Shinoa, putting her hand on her boyfriend's shoulder. "Don't fight on Christmas. This is a time to be jolly remember?"
Yuu chuckled in embarrassment. "Yeah." Shinoa rubbed her hands together. "So... where do I start at this party?" "Maybe we could do the secret Santa!", said Mitsuba. "I really wanna know what I got!" "We're only doing that later", said Yuu. "Just let her open her gift. I'd rather not have her throw a fit just because she couldn't get what she wanted", said Shiho. "Only. Later", said Yuu, throwing a glare at his comrade.
"M-maybe you could try some of the snacks first!", said Yoichi, trying to clear the tension. "Only if Mitsuba wasn't the one who did the cooking", said Shinoa, making the aforementioned girl pout. Just then, the door opened, and Guren walked in, followed by his squad. "We're not late, are we?", he asked. "Not at all. We just got started", Yoichi reassured.
Guren walked over to the table where the presents were, and placed his down. The rest of his squad did the same. "Why are they here?", Mitsuba whispered to Shinoa. "Well, we are young. Who knows what trouble we could get into without adult supervision", said Shinoa. "Us? Adult supervision? Shinoa, you're the most mature out of all of us here!" "You flatter me, Mitsuba."
"Here, Shinoa", said Yuu, handing his girlfriend a plate with a slice of fruitcake and a little gingerbread man, with a fork on the side. "Thank you", said Shinoa. "You know, I've never actually had fruitcake before." She picked up the fork and took a piece of the fruitcake, inserting it into her mouth. "Mm! It's good!" "Glad you like it!", said Yuu. Shiho then turned to him with a glare.
"You're glad? I'm the one who made it!" "And I'm the one who told you to, so what do you think that tells you?", Yuu said back. Shinoa looked at the two young men with concern. "Is it just me, or is Yuu a little more... tense than he normally is?", she asked Yoichi. "Really? I-I haven't noticed", he chuckled nervously. Shinoa looked back at Yuu, feeling even more concerned.
"So when's the secret Santa?", asked Guren. "Later. For now, just enjoy the rest of the party", said Yuu. The man looked at him with a raised eyebrow. "Something's different about you." "I took a shower before the party", said Yuu. "You're probably smelling the shampoo." "Riiight", said Guren, still unsure.
Meanwhile, Shinoa approached Shiho. "What's up?", he asked. "What's up with me? You should really be asking what's up with Yuu", said Shinoa. Shiho sighed. "So you've noticed huh? Thank goodness for that."
"So? What's Yuu's deal?" "This", said Shiho, referring to the party. "And you." "Me? What did I do?", asked Shinoa. Shiho replied with a shrug. "Who knows. Yuu's the one who started this party. Why he's acting like an overly control freak mother, that's something you're gonna have to find out yourself."
Shinoa didn't feel sure about doing that. On the one hand, she wanted to have a fun time and enjoy Christmas. On the other hand, she wanted to know what was wrong with her boyfriend and try to help him.
