/
(Interlude 6) Merry Christmas, Part 2
His Christmas present was a necklace.
“Ufufuâ™Ș Kotaro-kun, it’s very nice of you to give me an accessory as a present. ‘Wear it all the time so you don’t forget about me, okay?’ Oh my, don’t say such embarrassing things.”
“
 I didn’t say that.”
He is sitting on a park bench, smiling wryly and scratching his cheek.
I wish I had been embarrassed, but unfortunately, the line I just said was a fabrication of mine, and he was genuinely troubled.
“You’re the one who said you wanted the necklace
”
“Because I wanted to feel Kotaro-kun all the timeâ™Ș. Isn’t it wonderful that I can always think, ‘Oh, Kotaro-kun gave me this present!”
“
 It’s just a little heavy.”
I don’t think I’m going to lighten it up, even if you say it’s too heavy.
Because my love is still well under control, so it’s impossible for me to make it any lighter.
“But is this what you wanted? A necklace with just a chain seems a little plain to me.”
Saying this, he was gazing at the necklace around my neck.
Usually, necklaces also come with accessories called ‘charms’. There are a lot of common accessories like ‘hearts’ or ‘crosses’ or something like that.
But the one I begged for this time was a necklace without charms, just a chain.
“I’m fine with this. It was reasonably priced, wasn’t it?　I’m the kind of person who is heavy on love, but considerate, so I’m not too selfish. What do you think? I think I’m a nice girl, yes, but am I cute?”
“Yes, yes, I know you’re cute.”
I want compliments whenever I get a chance, so I never fail to urge him to do so.
I was honestly happy to hear Kotaro-kun’s compliments.
“Ehehe~. I’d be embarrassed if someone calls me cuteâ™Ș”
“You made me say it yourself, and now you’re embarrassed 
”
I think I’m an easy girl, but I can’t hide my feelings.
I grinned and clutched the necklace tightly.
“I’m okay, this makes me happy. Besides, you see, 
 I can beg for some cute charms next year, can’t I?”
Of course, there were many other things I wanted.
By the way, what I wanted most were Kotaro-kun’s personal belongings such as chopsticks, cups, and shirts, but I thought he would be disappointed if I begged him for these things first, so I restrained myself.
Kotaro said, “It’s a little heavy.” but I hope he will forgive me for putting up with this.
“If I could get a charm for my next birthday, or anniversary, or Christmas, or whatever, the charms would grow in variety along with the memories, wouldn’t they? Wouldn’t that be wonderful?”
My strategy is to beg for charms every year.
I think this is wonderful because it allows me to change accessories depending on my mood.
I also fantasized about eventually putting an engagement ring on 
, although I can’t talk about that.
I would wear my wedding ring on my finger and my engagement ring around my neck and live as a housewife
 That’s my dream.
“So please give me a present for my next birthday as wellâ™Ș”
For starters, I begged him for a necklace without any ornaments.
I don’t think Kotaro-kun noticed my intention, of course.
“Yeah, leave it to me.”
He lightly agreed to do so.
Ufufuâ™Ș Now I’ve got his word
 After that, I hope I can do my best to get a wedding ring, as promised.
I dream of a future where that happens.
For that reason, I want to get to know him better, so I gave him a Christmas present as well.
“Then, I’ll give you 
 this.”
What I offered was a notebook-sized photo album.
It was filled with photos of my childhood and my growth up to the present.
“What do you think? Do you think I was cute when I was little???”
I ask him as he sits down next to me.
I leaned in close and asked him, and Kotaro-kun chuckled and patted my head.
“Shiho
”
Then he laughed, as if he had no choice.
With my most favorite expression on his face, he said something like this.
“Love is heavy.”
“Ehehe~â™Ș”
Please accept this too heavy love.
I hope you won’t be crushed by my love for you.
I believe that one day I will be able to give you everything I have.
I’ll be waiting for that time to come