NeophyteTL

   I’d been studying a lot lately, so maybe that's why my body had gotten weaker, as I was recovering at a considerably slow rate. I finally started feeling better the day before the end-of-term ceremony. “I should be able to go to school tomorrow at this rate.” As I lounged in the living room that evening, my mother, who had finished her work early, arrived home and gave me her permission as well. I was relieved to know that, at the very least, I’d be able to show up on the very last day of school, since it’d be quite sad if I started my winter vacation like this. To be honest, I was getting tired of staying at home for so long. “Ah, that’s right.” My mother briefly muttered before leaving the living room. Not long after, she returned with a white paper bag in her hand. “Here you go.” “What’s this?” My mother answered me with a straight face. “It’s a little early, but that’s your Christmas present. I think your father went out to buy it yesterday.” “The sooner the better, right?”

   The calendar had changed, and it was now the last month of the year. As I was leaving school to head to the station as usual, Katsuya, who was walking right next to me, suddenly spoke up. “Ah, come to think of it.” “What’s up?” “I have something to do tomorrow, so Yassan, you can go home without me.” “Well, alright. Out of curiosity, what are you doing tomorrow?” I wondered what kind of business he had at a time when the year was about to end and exams were imminent. “I’m glad you asked!" Katsuya said as he smiled proudly. “You know Christmas is coming soon, right? I thought I'd go buy a present for Asuka-chan.” “Oh… I see.” I immediately regretted asking that question. “Asuka-chan” referred to the girl that Katsuya started going out with right before summer ended. The two of them have been lovers for more than three months now, but they still seemed to have the same energy and excitement they had at the beginning of their relationship, and Katsuya would always brag to me a