As usual, I received no reply. The house was empty because I lived alone. This was one of those moments when I felt the most lonely.
Even though the campus was not too far from my parents’ house, I had moved out because I wanted to live independently and not rely on my parents. I had also wanted to invite friends over to have fun. But now, living alone seems to have more cons than pros. The most painful one: not being able to eat warm food fresh from the kitchen.
I hung up the favorite coat I was wearing and threw my phone on top of the laundry piled up on the carpet.
Suddenly, my phone screen flashed, and I saw the green icon notifying me of new messages. I looked through them and found a text from Ayaka.
“I’m organizing a joint party on Christmas. You should come,” it read.
“On Christmas?” I couldn’t help but read the words aloud.
Tomorrow was Christmas Eve, and the day after was Christmas Day.
This was a very sudden invitation, but I’m already meeting Shinohara tomorrow, and I didn’t want to leave my room these two days for any other reason.
I typed, “I can’t. I have my own plans,” and tapped the send button.
Two seconds later, the screen flashed with an incoming call. Unsurprisingly, the caller was Ayaka.
“What?”
“That’s my line. What are you lying about?”
“Lie?”
Apparently Ayaka didn’t believe that I had any plans going on. She would’ve been right about that if I hadn’t actually met the Santa girl. Thinking about this annoyed me even more.
“We’re short on people. Come on, I could fetch you.”
“No, I can’t go.”
I had looked at the number of men and women who would be at the party, and they did not match. It was unusual for the popular Ayaka to bustle around, trying to get enough people to attend. If she were to announce it on the streets, people would surely come running to join.
“I mean, leave the number of men to the men’s side. Why are you even taking that responsibility?”
“I’m going to introduce a few of my best friends to the best dates they have ever seen.”
“Oh, that’s good.”
“So you’ve been selected! Congratulations!”
“I gotta go.”
“Wait, I’m sorry, wait!”
Hearing Ayaka’s panicked voice, I felt like she was in a very tight spot.
“What the hell! Just enjoy the party. You’d get a date too!”
“It’s not like that,” I shouted, thinking up an excuse in the heat of the moment. “I…like you a lot?”
“Wh-what’s wrong with you? Did you hit your head? Wait…are you embarrassed? You’re totally embarrassed! Are you sure you’re not lying just so you could skip the party?”
“You…”
I shut up, knowing that I’ve upset her.
“…Santa asked me out.”
“Oh… Santa? What are you talking about?”
“A younger girl dressed as Santa. Well, it’s a long story.”
I then explained to her what had happened in the evening. Ayaka groaned after hearing the entire story.
“…You’re being tricked, aren’t you?” she asked in a suspicious tone.
“Gee. You think so?”
“Well, you are acting as the king of Nanpa , messing up your first meeting with a cute girl by scattering leaflets.”
[T/N: “Nanpa” in Japanese culture is a type of flirting and seduction popular among teenagers and people in their twenties and thirties. I kept the word same as it keeps the Japanese flavor hehe]
I began to protest, “Wait a minute, I’ve never — ”
“Don’t interrupt me,” she cut in.
I guess she didn’t think it was wrong to interrupt me …
“Also, I think it’s sketchy of her to ask out an older guy she’s never met. What if, on the date, another guy comes over and asks you for money…?”
A badger game. This didn’t seem like it.
[T/N: A badger game is an extortion scheme where a man and woman trick another man into a compromising situation to blackmail for money. For more info: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Badger_game?oldid=465428707 ]
“I don’t know, but I’m glad. You just said that your appointment is tomorrow on Christmas Eve.”
“Huh?”
“Well, I’ll see you the day after tomorrow at 6:00 p.m., in front of the station. Bye.”
The call ended. I stared at my phone screen in astonishment.
I had been lenient on her since high school, but now I wondered if she was getting more and more demanding of me recently.
◇ ◆ ◇ ◆
“I’m sorry to keep you waiting.”
It was Christmas Eve, the day of my appointment with Shinohara.
Former Santa, Shinohara, looked perfect for the meeting.
“You’re right on time; I didn’t wait long.”
“I was actually planning to board the train earlier, but there were so many people on the…train that I missed it.”
She nodded as if understanding my hidden thoughts:
‘There were twice as many couples on that train as compared to usual.’
“Shall we get going?”
“I’ll show you the way,” Shinohara offered.
I spotted the boyfriend of a couple opposite stealing a glance at Shinohara.
She was wearing more make-up than yesterday, and she didn’t have the air of a younger woman. She looked so cute that it tugged at my heartstrings.
The main street was filled with couples. We ducked under the overpass and went down a lane that branched off the road.
The lane wasn’t exactly deserted, but at least the number of people here was significantly less than on the main street. And unlike the main street that was lined with ten-story buildings, this lane had mostly two-story buildings. All of them were overdecorated with Christmas colors, giving a festive vibe. I could tell at a glance that many of the stores here were frequented by couples.
“Here we are,” said Shinohara, pointing to the stairs that led to a basement. It wasn’t part of a two-story building. Seeing her go down without looking back at me, I recalled Ayaka’s words of suspicion yesterday.
“What’s wrong?” she stopped in her tracks and looked at me with a puzzled expression.
“No, it’s nothing.”
I shook Ayaka out of my mind and followed Shinohara down the stairs. We came across a door and Shinohara reached for the doorknob. I could tell that the door was heavy, so I pulled at the doorknob from behind her.
Ching!
A Christmas-like bell chimed the moment we opened the door. A waiter greeted us with a respectful bow, something that rarely happened at chain restaurants. My back stiffened unconsciously.
“I have a reservation at 6.30p.m. under the name of Shinohara.”
At her words, the waiter bowed again and walked to the back of the restaurant.
The restaurant was dimly lit, and not a single seat could be seen from where we stood at the door. Instead, there were private rooms partitioned by barriers.
The waiter led us to a room that had a two-seater sofa. There were drink glasses prepared on the table, shimmering under the soft light that lit the room.
This was clearly a…
“This is obviously a place for couples only,” I said.
“That’s because it’s a Christmas course,” Shinohara replied simply and sat down on the sofa. She looked at me, her gaze urging me to sit down as well.
“Well…”
“This is supposed to be an apology, right?”
“…That’s right. My bad…”
With that one word, I remembered that this was something I had started. I reminded myself to keep my cool. It was hard not to be self-conscious, suddenly being in a restaurant like this. After all, we had only met yesterday.
“It’s a meal course, but you can order drinks. I can’t drink, but senpai can order something.”
With that, Shinohara passed me the beverage menu. All of the drinks were about three times the price of those available at most izakaya , so I had to consult my trusty wallet before ordering.
[T/N: An izakaya is a restaurant or a bar-like place in Japan where people go to unwind, drink and have fun.]
“Is this place really worth 8,000 yen?”
“Yes, it is! It’s just not known well enough,” she said proudly, puffing out her chest.
“So…why did you bring me here again?”
“I’m glad you asked!”
Shinohara’s eyes twinkled, making it look like she really didn’t need another man to help her in a badger game.