| Sakuya | Haah… |
| |
| Cat | Meow~. |
| Sakuya | Good evening. |
| Sakuya | Where did you come from? Lots of cats come here to play, but you feel more like a house cat rather than a stray cat. |
| Sakuya | Also, I feel like I’ve seen this fur color somewhere before… What species are you called… if I’m not wrong… |
| Hisoka | …Russian Blue. Probably. |
| Sakuya | Aah, that’s it! …oh, Hisoka-san! |
| Hisoka | Recently, that cat’s been coming here to play occasionally. I think it belongs to one of the houses nearby. |
| Sakuya | I see. |
| Hisoka | …Do you eat dried sardines? |
| Cat | Meow~. |
| Sakuya | It’s eating them like they’re delicious. …Somehow, it kind of reminds me of you, Hisoka-san. |
| Hisoka | …? Did you say something? |
| Sakuya | No! |
| Hisoka | …Sakuya, what are you doing at this time of the day? It’s rare to see you here. |
| Sakuya | Ah—… I was thinking about something, or something like that… |
| Sakuya | …To be honest, I do have one. A memory of Christmas. |
| Hisoka | Is that so. |
| Sakuya | It definitely not a significant memory, but… to my younger self, it was a huge shock. |
| Sakuya | It’s not exactly something traumatizing, but it’s something I don’t really want to remember… |
| Sakuya | But I was thinking that maybe it would’ve been better if I had just talked about it properly during the meeting. |
| Sakuya | But at that moment, I accidentally said that I didn’t have a memory and lied to everyone… |
| Hisoka | You’re feeling guilty? |
| Sakuya | …Yes. |
| Hisoka | …I’m sure everyone, no matter who they are, has a past they don’t want to remember. That’s why you don’t have to be so worried about it, Sakuya. |
| Hisoka | But if you’re feeling remorseful for not talking about it, then it would be better for you to talk about it. …That’s what I think. |
| Sakuya | …You’re right. |
| Sakuya | Thank you, Hisoka-san. I think I’ll talk about it during tomorrow’s meeting! |
| Hisoka | …Mm. |
| Cat | Meow~. |
| Hisoka | “Good luck,” is what it’s saying. |
| Sakuya | Ahaha. Thank you for your support. |
| |
| Tsumugi | Then for today’s meeting, shall we start thinking about the contents of the play and the cast? |
| Sakuya | Um! Before that, can I say something? |
| Juza | What’s up? |
| Sakuya | I’m sorry. Yesterday, I said that I didn’t have a memory of Christmas, but… truthfully, I do. |
| Sakuya | If it’s okay with you, would you listen to me? |
| Masumi | Got it. |
| Tsumugi | Of course. |
| Misumi | I’ll listen, I’ll listen~! |
| Sakuya | Thank you! |
| |
| It happened when I was younger, on a day when Christmas was just around the corner. |
| “Santa Claus will only visit good children.” |
| “That’s why let’s help out a lot.” |
| That’s what the educational program I was watching said. |
| I could see the warm, shining form of Santa, who was delivering presents and dreams to children with a gentle smile on his face. |
| I wanted the Santa-san I admired so much to visit me too, so I started helping out a lot from that day onwards. |
| I washed plates, and swept the yard. |
| But I was unsatisfied with just that, and also picked up litter that I saw on my way to school. |
| “I’m sure Santa-san will come.” |
| Believing that, on Christmas morning, I excitedly looked at my bedside—— |
| But there were no presents to be seen. |
| |
| Hisoka | … |
| Sakuya | I still remember the shock I felt when I woke up and realized that there was nothing there… |
| Sakuya | Ever since that incident, Santa-san hasn’t come to visit me even once |
| Juza | I see… That isn’t really something you’d want to remember, huh. |
| Misumi | ——If that’s the case! For this play, let’s do a story where I act as Santa-san and give Sakuya presents! |
| Sakuya | Huh? |
| Tsumugi | Yeah, that sounds good. |
| Hisoka | I think that sounds good, too. |
| Masumi | If we’re doing that, then the rest of the cast can do this… Also, something like this is good too. |
| Juza | Yeah. Then, the costumes and backgrounds are… |
| Misumi | Ehehe, I’m sure it’ll be a good play~! I’m looking forward to it, Sakuya! |
| Sakuya | Yes…! |
