Before facing those troublesome matters that would only arrive tomorrow or in a dozen hours, he would have to deal with them.

She might as well call her own brother to show concern.

Tsurumi Lilu remembered that Akira Tsurumi had been in Italy for the past few days, and she had not contacted him.

Actually, he had only invaded her life for two or three days during the holidays.

Even if he had left some traces, they were quickly erased after he left.

She could not help but forget that she had a brother.

=

Since she remembered, she did it immediately.

Therefore, she made the call.

She waited for ten seconds.

After the call connected, he excitedly opened his mouth and said, "Hi hi hi hi hi.

What did you do today?

Was Italy fun? "

There was silence on the other end.

When the young man answered, his voice was strangely low, like it was brewing with agitation. "Sis, do you know that Italy is between 6 ° and 18 ° east longitude?"

"What?" Lilo Tsurumi was confused.

Akira Tsurumi said, "… It's midnight here."

Lilo Tsurumi said, "Oh.

Rome is so busy. Don't you want to go play?

Why are you sleeping? Wake up! "

So Tsuru Jianming simply hung up the phone.

…???

She had no choice but to call People From Mukugaku.

First, she added fuel to the fire about how Akira Tsurumi had coldly and heartlessly hung up on her … Halfway through, she was too ashamed to continue slandering her own brother.

But obviously, People From Mukugaku had gotten used to her running her mouth.

He didn't even listen to what she said just now.

Then, they talked about the promise that they had made in the past.

That Christmas Day, they were going to Atobe's Buckingham Palace together.

"I wonder if Riji will come," she murmured.

People From Mukugaku answered without hesitation, "He should come.

After all, this is the last time we'll get together. "As he spoke, his voice gradually lowered." Once this semester is over, we'll see each other again.

"After this semester, Atobe will leave Japan, and you will have to study in a place as far away as Kyoto. Even Yuji is not sure if he can stay in Shinjuku."

He said dejectedly, "Then I'll be alone."

"— Of course not!!" Lilo Tsurumi raised her voice to refute him.

"Even if I'm in the capital,

We can also contact each other by phone every day.

I'll come back to play with you when I'm free!

Even if the three of us go somewhere else,

That doesn't mean that I'll leave you alone. "

"And when you go to high school, you'll meet new people and make new friends. Isn't that good?" she continued.

Her friend on the other end of the phone just dragged out her tone and said noncommittally, "Eh …"

In the end, People From Mukugaku said, "Let's not talk about this anymore."

They talked about the next day's Christmas party. Since the location was set at Atobe's home, there was no need for them to worry about the preparation.

People From Mukugaku asked her if she wanted to go with him. Lilo Tsurumi thought about it and rejected the invitation.

"It's supposed to be an internal party for your tennis club, but since I was dating your club president at the time, I was included."

She pouted and said unhappily, "But I have a good relationship with everyone. If I miss the party just because I broke up with Jing Wu, it will be quite awkward."

After giving it some thought, she came to this decision. "I'll go later. I'll give you guys some space to talk about boys → _ →"

People From Mukugaku said, "Okay."

After hanging up, the girl spent the whole afternoon wrapping the Christmas presents.

There were too many people that needed to be gifted, so expensive and large items were the first to be eliminated.

It was reasonable to say that a gift had to be chosen or prepared a long time in advance in order to show sincerity and accurately hit the recipient's heart. However, the girl clearly lacked a sense of smell in this regard and didn't take the matter of giving gifts to heart.

She quickly made a decision. She sorted out the souvenirs and other trinkets that her mother occasionally sent back when she was traveling abroad. Even the packaging was untouched. It could be considered as a second use for her.

Even though after knowing the preparation process, one would think that the gifts were not very thoughtful, perhaps the group of boys did not even think about Christmas presents.

That night, she sent another email to Jijiro, asking if he would be at the party the next day.

This was because the latter did not like to join the tennis club, and he was a bit of a loner.

The girl had heard from her friend, Yue Ren, that even if they went to the party after the match, he would often give various reasons to be absent.

From this point of view, it did not sound like he was' sincere 'about competing for the position of the club president.

However, based on his thinking, perhaps he did not think it was necessary to build a good relationship with the seniors of the third grade.

Rijiro quickly replied and confirmed the answer. To the girl's surprise, he even asked, "What's the matter?

"Have you prepared a present for me?"

Lilo Tsurumi felt a little strange. From what she had always known, the teenager did not seem like someone who would say such things. However, before she answered, he sent another message:

"I don't mean to ask you for a Christmas present. I really like the model of the 'sword' you gave me on my birthday last time.

I just want to confirm that if you are not prepared to give me anything, I can leave empty-handed tomorrow. "

He was probably certain that no one other than the girl would give him a present.

Seeing this, the girl couldn't help but smile as she answered his question.

Later in the day, Lilo Tsurumi finished cleaning up the takeout boxes. As she walked around the house and passed by the window, she inadvertently caught a glimpse of a flickering light on the branches in the distance.

She focused and looked carefully.

It was snow.

The first snow in Tokyo this year happened on Christmas Eve.

The snowflakes falling from the sky were weak and small at first. One had to look very carefully to catch the traces of the snowflakes streaking across the sky.

But as the hour hand slowly ticked away, the snow continued until late at night. The falling sparkling white light grew larger and larger. Even when the girl fell asleep on the bed, it did not stop.

By the next morning, the ground was covered with a blanket of white snow that was neither thick nor thin.

The snowstorm came with great vigor. After a few hours of rest after daybreak, it immediately started again before noon and continued to rain until evening.

The air was cold and full of dampness.

Lilo Tsurumi went out to eat. Leaving the comfortable warmth of the house, when her thick cotton boots stepped on the soft snow, the chill seeped into her soles.

The streets were still lively.

The crowd was bustling. There were couples everywhere, and there was a family of three at the back. Stalls selling snacks, children's toys, and Christmas decorations lined the sides of the road. There were also young men and women about the same age as Lilo Tsurumi, holding a bunch of hydrogen balloons or fresh flowers to sell to the passersby.

She sat in the izakaya for a while to enjoy the festive atmosphere. When it was about time, she called a cab to go to Atobe's house.

While waiting for the bus on the side of the road, a little boy handed her a hydrogen balloon in the shape of a brown bear. She took it and paid for it without hesitation.

Just like that, she arrived at Atobe's house with the balloon.

Before following the uniformed servant into the corner of the spacious, open, and beautiful garden, the youths' lively and lively noises could be heard from the corner of the long stone corridor.

She walked in excitedly, and the first thing that greeted her eyes was the group sitting around the stone table covered with a tablecloth. They were laughing and joking, and there was someone who had just stood up and was preparing to climb onto the table.

Ryo Toho.

However, the table was filled with snacks, drinks, and cards, so he only gave it a try. In the end, he decided to stand on the stone bench.

When he stood firmly on the spot where he had been sitting, Rijiro, who was sitting a little straighter than the others on the other side of the stone table, also made a move. He put his hand on the edge of the stone table and slowly stood up. Then, he raised a hand, clenched it into a fist and shouted, "Turn around!

Use your butt to write your name! "

Following his yell, the people around him laughed again.

Lilo Tsurumi suspected that she was hallucinating or that Jijiro's soul had been taken over.

Beside Rijiro, Hyuga Yueren, who had never been on good terms with him, twisted his waist and maintained a crooked sitting posture that was close to Rijiro's body. He also excitedly raised his hands high and clapped his hands like a gorilla. Like a repeater, he repeatedly shouted, "Hurry up!

Faster!

Use your butt to write your name!

Use your butt to write your name! "

...?????

The girl's brain completely crashed.

What was worse was that before she could find a reasonable explanation for everything in front of her, she saw?

Ryo Toho turned around without any resistance. He bent down deeply, clamped his legs, and stuck out his butt.

She took a closer look. The jeans had a brand logo on it, and there were traces of twisting left and right on the butt. It seemed like there really were a few fake words written on it.

...??????

The people around them laughed even more because of this performance, especially Fengchang Taro. Because his actions were too exaggerated, he laughed and laughed, and then he rolled down from the stone bench and fell on the snowy ground with messy footprints.

While he was lying on the ground, his mouth was still making wheezing sounds.

Lilo Tsurumi was speechless.

She slowly approached them. At this time?

Ryo Toho had also finished writing his name.

After walking a certain distance, the mellow smell of alcohol entered her nostrils. As she walked closer, the smell became stronger and stronger until it was almost choking her nose.

There seemed to be beer and red wine in the smell of alcohol. Her gaze first carefully scanned the table and found that it was nothing more than that. Then, she swept her gaze across everyone's red and misty faces. With complicated feelings, she found that they were indeed very drunk. They were so drunk that they couldn't recognize anything other than their own names.

It would be strange if they didn't get drunk when drinking two types of alcohol together.

No, to be more precise, they still remembered who they were.

Ryo Toho climbed down from the stone bench and walked over to give her a bear hug. God knows, Lilo Tsurumi never thought that she would be able to hug him in her life.

At the side, the Sunward Yue person also chuckled and called her "Lily ~ Lily ~" as he pounced on her and hugged her again.

He hugged her.

Then, Fengchang Taro, who had stood up from the ground at some point, hugged her as well. He was tall and strong, so he managed to surround the three people inside.

Lilo Tsurumi was simply suffering.

Just as she was about to faint from the smell of alcohol, a hand suddenly reached in. With a strong posture and strength, it pulled the four people clinging onto her away and rescued her. It was Yuji Ninazhi.

When the girl saw the person who had pulled her away, she clearly heaved a sigh of relief.

She thought that she was the most sober one among the group of drunken minors.

After Yuji Ninazhi pulled her away from the crowd, he brought her to a slightly more empty area around the stone table where there weren't so many people.

He appeared to be very clear-headed. As he walked, he even reached out to adjust his glasses that hadn't slipped off at all.

After pulling her to the side of the stone table, he said, "You sit down as well." Then, he pressed down on her shoulders, wanting her to sit down – however, there was no seat at the place where Lilo Tsurumi was standing!

Thus, Yuji Ninazhi pressed down on her shoulders and pushed her down, causing her to fall on her buttocks. When her buttocks came into contact with the soft snow, a loud "dong" sound was heard.

Chonghiro Yanagi, who was beside them, witnessed the entire tragedy. He held his stomach and laughed loudly.

Lilo Tsurumi was speechless.

She grabbed onto Yuji Ninazhi's trousers and used it as leverage to stand up again – she felt an irritable urge to pull his trousers down. However, she managed to suppress it.

As for the culprit who caused her to fall on her buttocks, he didn't react at all. It was as if he didn't know that he was the one who had pushed her down.

As soon as she stood firmly on the ground, she saw a young man walking over from another small path that led to this open space. He had purple hair, white skin, and a handsome face. Even though he was just walking normally, his every movement exuded a kind of enchanting charm. He looked like he was taking a stroll in a courtyard, and there was a kind of dazzling aura lingering around him.

"A bunch of drunkards." Keigo Atobe walked over and glanced at her indifferently. "Are you going over there?"

Crane saw that Lilu nodded her head like a ghost.

She had followed Keigo Atobe through this path that would be filled with flowers in summer many times.

But in winter, it was covered with white snow. The delicate twigs were slightly bent due to the pressure. The snow melted into water on the twigs, like dewdrops sparkling softly. This was the first time she had seen such a scene.

In winter, the sky darkened quickly, and there were few stars in the night sky. As they walked through the courtyard, everything seemed to be covered with a layer of dark gauze. It looked gloomy and unclear.

Keigo Atobe didn't stop until they reached a corner where the light was slightly brighter.

He turned around and looked at her face. Then, he moved his gaze to the cartoon balloon with a cute smile hanging above her head.

Even though she had suffered before?

Ryo Toho and the other four people who were led by Yuji Ninazhi gave them a bear hug and fell down. Lilo Tsurumi didn't forget to hold on to the balloon in her hand.

After she stood up and followed the purple-haired young man, she even tied a knot around her wrist to prevent any accidents from happening.

As soon as Keigo Atobe's gaze fell on the balloon, she nervously moved her hand. With a slight movement of her wrist, the balloon began to sway in the air.

The youth's deep blue eyes looked at the balloon. His gaze looked very gentle.

Lilo Tsurumi could tell that he had drunk a lot. His body reeked of alcohol. His bright and white cheeks were flushed red. His eyes were more arrogant and sharp than usual, but he looked more gentle and affectionate. His eyes seemed to be filled with water, and his lips were abnormally bright red.

She observed him for two or three seconds. Then, she looked away in a fluster.

After glancing away, she deliberately pretended to look around and casually found a topic to talk about. "If I knew they were so drunk, I wouldn't have brought the gift in a hurry.

It would be a pity if I accidentally lost or broke it on the way back. "

Keigo Atobe narrowed his eyes and asked slowly, "What gift are you going to give me?"

"Hmm... Actually, it's nothing special. Everyone is about the same," she answered.

After saying that, she couldn't help but ask him, "Will you give me a Christmas gift?"

The youth didn't respond for a long time.

Lilo Tsurumi was a little confused. Finally, she secretly looked at him from the corner of her eyes.

Then, she saw Keigo Atobe smile at her. He answered crisply, "No."

Lilo Tsurumi: "... Oh."

The two of them didn't speak for a long time. They just stood there and felt the wind.

After standing for a long time, Lilo Tsurumi felt that her fingers were stiff from the cold. She quietly clasped her hands together to move her joints.

When she was about to go out, she saw that it was still snowing outside. However, she already had seven gifts in her backpack. She felt that it would be too heavy to carry an umbrella, so she changed into a down jacket with a big enough hat.

When she changed her clothes, she forgot to put on the gloves that she had stuffed in the pockets of her previous clothes.

Later, when she was sitting in the izakaya, she remembered this and was too lazy to go home to get it.

However, as soon as the girl's hands moved, Keigo Atobe acutely sensed it.

He approached her. "Are your hands cold?" At the same time, he naturally held her hands in his palms.

This was probably the difference between boys and girls.

Even though Tsurugi Lilu did not think that her skeleton was small, when her hands were placed in Atobe Keigo's hands, they were easily wrapped up by the latter.

This feeling of being wrapped by another person's hot body when her body was cold could actually be experienced by him from time to time. No matter when, his hands were always warm.

He warmed her hands for a long time until they slowly warmed up. Only then did he let go and touch her face.

Lilo Tsurumi knew that her face must be cold because his hands were very hot.

Thus, Keigo Atobe continued to hold her face with both hands. His fingers would occasionally move and caress her skin.

Lilo Tsurumi's hands, which had just warmed up, were in her pockets. She stood there obediently, allowing the youth to be very close to her.

She smelled the scent of red wine on his body and the faintly discernible scent of roses. She felt his hands caressing her face.

The youth knew that they shouldn't keep standing there. It was late at night and the wind was cold. If they walked another ten meters, they would reach a room full of heating. It would be much more efficient to go there than to stand there and warm her body with his hands.

Otherwise, they could return to where they were and join the others to play with them. It was also a good choice to get rid of the chill.

If they continued to not speak and let the silence ferment in the air, it would only make the atmosphere more uncomfortable.