Chapter 35 – Operation : Christmas market

Saturday mornings are for sleeping in.
That’s a rule. A law. A sacred human right.

So naturally, at 8:17 a.m., my phone decided to ruin everything.

Airi:
Yuuji-kun~! (≧▽≦)✧ Let’s meet at the station at 10 okay?? We’re gonna have sooo much fun! (ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ:･ﾟ✧ Don’t be late or I’ll cryyy 💖💖💖

I stared at the screen.
Then stared some more.

The message was… wrong.
Not grammatically, Not even in spelling.
Just… wrong.

Airi doesn’t do tildes, Or kaomoji, Or fifteen sparkles in a single sentence.

There was only one possible culprit.

I typed back slowly.
Me: Usagi, is that you?

The reply came instantly.
Airi: Ehhh? Nooo, it’s Airi-chan! (๑>◡<๑) Now hurry hurry hurry!

Suspicion level: 100%.
Paranoia level: slightly above that.

By 9:55, I was at the station, coffee in hand, prepared for anything.

Anything except the blur of pastel pink that came running at me, beaming like the sun.

“Yuuji-kun~! You came!” Usagi chirped, sliding to a stop in front of me.
Same voice, Same energy, Same outfit choices that could blind a bat.

“…You didn’t even try to hide it,” I said flatly.

She tilted her head. “Hide what?”

“The fact that you hijacked Airi’s phone to send me… whatever that was.”

Her grin was unapologetic. “Mission accomplished. Now, come on! We have shopping to do!”

The Christmas market was full of energy with brass band music, the smell of cinnamon and grilled food drifting between stalls, and strings of lights swaying gently overhead. Snowflakes had started to fall soft and lazy, like even they didn’t want to rush today.

Usagi immediately pulled me toward a stall selling knit hats shaped like animals.

“Pick one,” she said.

“No.”

She was already holding a reindeer one up to my head. “Yes.”

“No.”

“Hold still—”

I backed away, She chased me, The vendor was laughing. Somewhere, a little kid cheered her on.

By the time she gave up, I’d somehow ended up wearing it anyway.

We zigzagged through the stalls, Usagi narrating the entire process like a hyperactive tour guide.

“This guy makes gingerbread shaped like local landmarks!”

“Yuuji, look, they have roasted chestnuts—wait, I’m buying those."

“Do you think Airi would like this? No, don’t answer, you’re too obvious.”

At one point she bought a giant bag of caramel popcorn “to share” except “sharing”

apparently meant giving me two pieces every five minutes like she was rationing food during a famine.

“This one’s for you,” she said, handing me a burnt, slightly sad looking one.

“You just gave me the worst one.”

She gasped, clutching the bag like I’d accused her of something terrible. “The burnt ones are gourmet! They have… extra flavor.”

“They taste like regret.”

“Exactly! That’s the depth!” she declared, immediately popping a perfectly golden one into her own mouth.

I gave her a flat look.

She froze mid bite, then sighed dramatically and dug through the bag before pressing one of the biggest, fluffiest pieces into my palm.

“There,” she said with a grin. “For the poor, oppressed victim of my snack tyranny.”

It tasted like sugar, butter, and the tiniest bit of apology.

Halfway through the day, I spotted Daiki and Hina in the crowd.

They were pretending to look at candles shop but were clearly watching us.

Hina caught my eye and smiled just enough for me to noticed like she knew exactly what she was doing.

Before I could point it out, Usagi hooked her arm through mine and dragged me toward a hot chocolate stand. “Come on, slowpoke. You’re ruining the holiday energy.”

Holiday energy... Sure.

In a tiny boutique, Usagi went quiet for the first time all day.

She was looking at a silver bookmark with a tiny star charm.

“This one,” she said softly.

“For your gift draw?”

Her mouth curved in a small, unreadable smile. “Maybe. Maybe not.”

I didn’t press. With Usagi, sometimes the fun was in not knowing.

When we left, it was evening, and the market glowed just like the bookmark I ended up buying.
Falling snow, the sound of carolers somewhere in the distance.

We passed the centerpiece of the market, A huge Christmas tree strung with gold and red ribbons, every branch filled with glass ornaments that shines brightly but not as much as the pink furball besides me.

Usagi stopped and looked up, the glow reflecting in her eyes.
“It’s huge,” she said quietly. “Feels like it’s watching you.”

“That’s... not creepy at all.”

She laughed, but didn’t look away.

For a moment she just stood there, like she wanted to memorize the whole thing.
Then she tugged my sleeve. “Come on, You’ll freeze if you keep standing around being poetic.”

At the station gates, she said, “Thanks for coming today, I know I dragged you around a lot.”

“You always drag me around a lot.”

“And you always follow,” she said, smiling before turning away.

I watched her go, and only then did I notice something in my coat pocket a folded note.

One week until Christmas. Don’t fall behind.

Yuuji’s Mental Diary – Day 35
Usagi Status: A pink furball with unlimited energy.
Market Purchases: One bookmark. One reindeer hat (against my will).
Suspicion Level: Moderate. Definitely saw Hina lurking.
Emotional Status: Mixed signals and popcorn crumbs.
Game Plan: One week to figure this out... Probably doomed.