Chapter 334 Christmas Eve, Maki's Return
Although the plan to buy a house has been put on the agenda, the actual purchase is not as fast as expected.
Sawayama Haruno himself was not particularly anxious, so he focused all his energy on writing in the next few days.
Just like that, time passed quickly and it was Christmas Eve.
As one of the many holidays in the island nation, Christmas is celebrated on a much larger scale than any other holiday.
Two days before Christmas Eve, the streets were already filled with LED light tubes to celebrate the festival, and small Christmas trees were moved outside the stores. Even the weather was cooperative with two consecutive light snowfalls that did not affect traffic, further pushing the festive atmosphere here to a climax.
Walking on the crowded street, Ezaki Suguha couldn't help but cover his mouth with his hands and breathed softly.
The condensed white mist playfully escaped from the gaps between her fingertips. She stared in a daze at the way the white mist dissipated into the air, and the corners of her mouth could not help but slightly raise a pretty arc.
"Cold?"
Sawayama Haruno walked out of the convenience store and subconsciously expressed concern when he saw her like this.
"No, I'm wearing a warm sweater inside, so it won't be too cold."
Ezaki Suguha touched his collar, then looked at Sawayama Haruno who was wearing obviously thinner clothes, and couldn't help but say, "Haruno is the one. Aren't you cold wearing just a thin coat?"
"I don't feel anything."
Sawayama Haruno took out a bottle of hot coffee from a plastic bag and handed it to the other person, saying with a smile: "If it's cold, drink something. We still have to walk for a while to get to Maki's house."
The hot coffee in his hand was one of the drinks that the convenience stores in the island country would sell on special in winter. Considering that he had to take Suguha to pick up Maki today, and the three of them would go out to eat together, Sawayama Haruno was very considerate and went to the convenience store to buy some hot drinks when they were halfway there.
"Thank you."
Suguha Ezaki carefully took the coffee that the other party brought to her.
The warm feeling continued to come from the tin can, and the temperature of Ezaki Suguha's palm also began to rise. She took off the glove on one hand, opened the pull ring, and kept holding it in the palm of her hand, occasionally taking a sip or two while following Sawayama Haruno up the stairs.
If it were in the past, Suguha Ezaki might have felt that such behavior was a little unladylike, after all, few people here would drink while walking.
But after living with Sawayama Haruno and Miyazawa Maki for a long time, she gradually got used to it. After all, Miyazawa Maki was the kind of person who would immediately stuff the snacks she bought on the street into her mouth. After a long time, even Ezaki Suguha, who had strict family education, became the carefree person she is now.
Although it was a little unladylike, she felt that it didn't matter whether she was ladylike or not since she could drink hot coffee on such a cold street.
“There are a lot of people here today.”
Zeshan Haruno looked at the number of people on the opposite street and couldn't help but exclaimed: "It feels like there are more people than last year, and there seem to be many foreign tourists."
"There were about the same number of people last year. To be more precise, the number has suddenly increased in the past two years."
Ezaki Suguha smiled slightly and said, "Maybe there will be more people tomorrow?"
"tomorrow"
Sawayama Haruno stroked his chin and said with a smile: "I won't go out tomorrow. I'll just eat Sukiyaki at home."
The streets are full of tourists on Christmas Eve, not to mention Christmas Day. I'm afraid all the restaurants outside have been fully booked in advance.
You should know that Sawayama Haruno made a reservation for tonight's restaurant almost a week in advance.
Of course, there is another reason for not going out tomorrow. That is that Miyazawa Maki hates crowded environments. If she sees people everywhere, she might feel uncomfortable.
Even now, Sawayama Haruno was still a little worried that the other party would feel uncomfortable after coming out of the house.
"It seems to be almost there."
Suguha Ezaki, who was walking beside him, suddenly spoke.
She looked at the residential area not far away and said thoughtfully, "Haruno, go up. I'll wait for you guys on the street below."
"Well, come back soon."
Haruno Sawayama did not reject the other party's proposal, but handed the bag of hot milk drink in his hand to Suguha Ezaki and asked her to help him hold it.
I continued walking towards the residential area.
Although the purpose of tonight is to take Maki out for dinner and bring her home to stay, since I'm here, I must say hello to Maki's parents.
By then, the greetings would probably take a while, and it would obviously be inappropriate to let Ezaki Suguha stand by and wait, so he could only go up alone.
Continuing up the wet asphalt road, there are small snow piles on both ends of the road that have been cleared in advance by nearby residents. From time to time, residual frost and snow on the withered branches along the way melt and fall to the ground. Along with the people who pass by carelessly, they turn into black snow marks on the road in an instant, which makes people feel a little regretful.
What were you doing at this time last year?
For some reason, this thought suddenly popped up in Sawayama Haruno's mind.
At this time last year, he had not yet entered university, but he had already broken up with Mana.
If I remember correctly, I seemed to be studying very hard in November and December, but I would still give myself a chance to rest for a day or two during holidays.
As far as he could remember, he seemed to have spent Christmas Eve and Christmas alone. Even when other classmates in the school invited him to go out for parties, he politely declined.
"Not sociable"
Sawayama Haruno patted the snow that accidentally stained his coat and smiled helplessly.
I spent Christmas alone in my third year, and the same in my second year. Although I was already dating Mana at the time, they seemed to have gone out traveling during Christmas. And Mana and I hadn't developed into a romantic relationship in my first year, so it was naturally impossible for us to spend the holiday together.
During junior high school, I spent Christmas with Ayano Yui twice, but it felt no different from my normal daily life. This kind of holiday gradually lost its original "weight" in Haruno Sawayama's mind.
But maybe things will change now, he thought.
——We have arrived at the Miyazawa family.
The two-story duplex villa is brightly lit, and the snow from the night before is still on the sloping roof. Its stubborn and strong appearance makes people smile knowingly, as if they are reminded of a girl with the same personality.
Just as Sawayama Haruno was about to step forward and press the doorbell, the door was opened from the inside.
A warm current instantly blew out from the room, and Sawayama Haruno couldn't help but squint slightly, but after seeing the girl jumping towards him with his hazy vision, he widened his eyes again and hurriedly reached out to catch her.
"Hey!"
Miyazawa Maki jumped firmly into his arms.
With a smug look on her face, she immediately turned around and shouted, "I told you, he will definitely come."
"Yes." Miyazawa Mana was also standing at the door, looking at her sister helplessly.
Her slightly furrowed brows seemed to express her worry about her sister's dangerous behavior, and also seemed like she was trying hard to suppress her envy of her sister being caught firmly by Haruno. Her expression was so sorrowful that it was hard to look away from her.
Fortunately, there is a more powerful guy who will forcibly pry your head open and transfer it to her face.
"Did you miss me?" Miyazawa Maki asked with a smile.
She put her arms around her boyfriend's neck and wrapped her legs tightly around his waist. She hugged him tightly like an octopus.
"Think about it."
Sawayama Haruno subconsciously held Miyazawa Maki and showed a somewhat doting smile.
Although he was frightened by the other party's bold act of opening the door and jumping out, fortunately he was safe. And seeing Miyazawa Maki so energetic, Sawayama Haruno, who was originally a little worried about the other party's actual situation, was completely relieved.
What? Isn't this a very happy life? He thought to himself.
She had been complaining on the phone from time to time before, but now when I saw her, she had a happy and proud expression. Eh. Could it be because she could show off her close relationship with Mana in front of her?
Sawayama Haruno smiled apologetically at Miyazawa Mana, and the latter waved her hand slightly at an angle where her sister couldn't see.
"Haruno."
Miyazawa's father also appeared behind the door.
This future father-in-law is as rigid as ever, yet also has a hint of humor.
He wore a pair of red-rimmed glasses for the first time. It was unknown whether it was Maki's or her mother's creation. In short, the father-in-law, who was wearing glasses that were extremely inconsistent with his temperament, looked at Sawayama Haruno and said, "Would you like to come in and sit for a while?"
"Why are you sitting here? I'm in a hurry to eat."
Miyazawa Maki was the first to jump out to object. She rolled her eyes and protested vigorously.
After all, she also knew that Ezaki Suguha was waiting not far away. If Sawayama Haruno really went in and sat for a while, wouldn't Ezaki Suguha be left waiting for the two of them alone on the street in the cold weather?
Compared to Miyazawa Maki's sassiness, Sawayama Haruno seemed much gentler. He looked at his future father-in-law and explained in a dignified manner, "Maybe there isn't much time left. The restaurant reservation tonight is almost up. I'll ask my uncle and aunt to come to Osaka to treat us well after Christmas."
"Really? That's right."
Miyazawa's father pushed up his red-rimmed glasses and said seriously, "There's no rush for this moment anyway. In this case, you and Maki should enjoy it. We'll see you later."
"be careful on the road."
Miyazawa Mana spoke with a smile on her face, as if the slightly frown on her face just now had never appeared.
I don't know what kind of mood she is in, but Sawayama Haruno is now holding his girlfriend, so he doesn't have the extra energy to pay attention to her. He can only put off making up for her later.
He smiled and nodded at the two people at the door, then walked the same way he had come, holding Miyazawa Maki in his arms.
The brightly lit villa disappeared behind them. Miyazawa Maki hugged Sawayama Haruno tightly and looked at him with a smile.
"how?"
Sawayama Haruno held up her thighs to prevent her from slipping, and seeing that she was staring at him, he couldn't help but smile.
"Have you missed me during this time?"
Miyazawa Maki shook his neck and chattered, "I've been thinking about it these past few days. I wanted to come back early, but it doesn't seem right to come back so soon. After all, I still have to go to Osaka with them later."
"Anyway, we'll live together when we return to Osaka."
Sawayama Haruno comforted her.
Although the time is not very long, we haven't seen each other for more than a week, and now I do have an urge to spend some time together.
As if she had noticed Sawayama Haruno's little thoughts, Miyazawa Maki blinked and suddenly took the initiative to kiss him.
"Wait. Suguha is still down there."
"Just a kiss. It won't take too long."
Maki Miyazawa struggled to climb down from Sawayama Haruno's body. Seeing the helpless expression on his face, she smiled and kissed him twice.
Seeing this, Sawayama Haruno had no choice but to let her do whatever she wanted.
After gently holding the other person in his arms, Sawayama Haruno also lowered his head and demanded each other's affection for a while.
After they were almost close to each other, Miyazawa Maki reluctantly separated from each other.
"Okay, let's go!" she said with a chuckle.
Although it couldn't alleviate her longing for these days, the secret kiss still made her regain her energy quickly.
Plus, they were going to have a big dinner together, which made her feel a little uncontrollable.
"Slower."
Seeing that Miyazawa Maki was walking so fast, Sawayama Haruno had to quicken his pace. After holding her hand, the two of them walked slowly down the Shibai Road they had come up from.
Suguha Esaki had been waiting at the intersection for a long time.
When she saw a familiar figure appearing not far away, she quickly smiled knowingly.
"Maki."
She was the first to say hello to the other person, and Miyazawa Maki came up and gave her a warm hug.
"Suguha, I miss you so much. I'm telling you, I've been super bored these past few days. Although there are video games to play, they don't feel as fun as at home, and I don't really want to ask Mana to play games with me. So I'd better ask you to do it."
Miyazawa Maki began to complain.
But perhaps only she herself knows that the reason she doesn't play with Mana is because the other party's gaming level is also very high, and she can only bully a novice like Suguha Ezaki.
Suguha Ezaki, who still doesn't understand that she is a gaming rookie in the other person's mind, is still trying her best to comfort the other person.
Sawayama Haruno appeared behind the two of them in time and started to smooth things over.
"It's almost time to set off."
Zeshan Haruno said helplessly: "Let's go to the restaurant to eat early. After eating, we can go shopping all the way home from the commercial street."
(End of this chapter)
