That’s How I Went On Two Christmas Dates - II (Karou)

December 24, also known as Christmas Eve. I was waiting for Karou to get ready for our date, but she was taking quite a while.

“Karou, are you okay?”

“Y-yeah! I’m fine.”

Little did she know that I could hear her panicking about what to wear.

“Karou, I’m coming in!”

“Wait!”

I opened the door and found her still in her pyjamas, her eyes darting back and forth between her collection of clothes. It seemed like she was seriously trying to pick the perfect outfit for our date. I walked up to her closet and looked through her clothes.

“Hey! What are you doing?”

“You’re taking too long.”

“I want to pick a good outfit.”

“Why didn’t you do it last night?”

“Because I fell asleep…”

I carefully selected an outfit and handed it to her. “Wear this.”

“Why that dress?”

“Because I like it.”

“You do? Well, if that’s the case, then I guess I’ll wear it.”

“You shouldn’t worry about what outfit to choose; you look good in anything.”

“Huh?” Karou’s face transformed into a canvas of genuine surprise, her face bright red.

Before leaving, Karou presented me with a small box.

“Sozen, please accept this.”

I took the box from her hand; it was quite light. I slowly unwrapped it and opened it. Inside was a silver necklace with a star on it.

“Karou… I don’t know what to say.”

“A thank-you is good enough for me.”

“Thank you. May I try it on?”

“Of course. Let me help you.”

Karou took the necklace and placed it around my neck. I admired the detail of the sparkling star pendant; its ethereal shine captured the essence of the night sky.

“How does it look?”

“It looks good on you.”

“Thank you.” I took out a small box from my pocket as well. “Take this.”

Karou took the box from my hand and opened it. Inside were some earrings resembling stars.

“I guess we had a similar idea as to what to get each other.”

“Wow! I love them! Can I try them on?”

“Of course.”

Karou wore the earrings, which matched well with her outfit.

“Thank you, Sozen!”

After exchanging our presents, we left the house and headed to town. Today, our town had set up the Christmas market in the centre of the town, and there was going to be a viewing of the Christmas lights being turned on later in the evening. The last time we went to the viewing was with our parents, so it had been a while since we watched the lights turn on together.

The marketplace was adorned with Christmas-themed decorations, lit by bright lanterns. Vendors offered a variety of seasonal treats and warm foods. Some of them also sold handmade ornaments and Christmas-related items. This year’s market included a stage where live performances were being held. With the temperature at its lowest this year, we bought some hot chocolate to warm ourselves.

As we strolled through the market, we came across a stall run by a familiar face. It was Inaba-chan.

“Inaba-chan!”

“So-kun!” She rushed out of her stall and hugged me tightly. “It’s so good to see you! I need your help!”

Inaba-chan explained to us that her co-worker had fallen ill, and now she was the only one taking care of the stall. She begged us to help her, and we eventually agreed. For the remainder of our date, we helped her sell her products to intrigued customers; at one point, I had to hold a sign promoting the stall, which made Karou chuckle a lot.

As the sun dipped below the horizon, everyone was gathered in the centre of the market. Inaba-chan allowed us to join the viewing party, so we were able to continue with the original plan for our date. Night fell upon the world like a cloak. A festive anticipation filled the air, and a soft murmur rippled through the crowd as the moment drew near. The countdown began. Then, in a mesmerising crescendo, the lights began to awaken. It surged through the market, painting it with a kaleidoscope of colours. The lights danced and twinkled, casting a warm and enchanting glow and turning the surroundings into a magical place. A chorus of joy celebrating its completion erupted from the crowd.

I looked at Karou, who had an expression of amazement on her face. The lights’ reflection sparkled in her eyes. Our eyes suddenly met. Karou opened her mouth as if she were about to say something, but she was interrupted by Yoshi unexpectedly jumping in and surprising us.

“Surprise!”

This resulted in Karou’s fist embedding itself into his face. After Yoshi woke up, he forced us to go through the marketplace again, making us revisit places we had already been to. I could tell Karou was a bit annoyed that the Christmas date she had planned wasn’t going as well as she had hoped. However, she eventually cheered up after we arrived at an ice skating ring; she knew how to ice skate, but I didn’t. I thought that she saw this as a perfect opportunity to fix our date, as she offered to teach me how to ice skate. Step by step, she taught me the basics of ice skating. I fell multiple times, but she was always there to pick me up.

“Here. Give me your hand.”

Holding hands, we helped balance each other out, allowing us to skate for a longer period of time without falling over.

After saying goodbye to Yoshi, we began our journey home. The stars looked beautiful that night; it reminded me of the time we spent by the river looking at the stars. Karou suddenly stopped in her tracks.

“Karou? Are you okay?”

“The date…”

She was probably worried that I didn’t enjoy it. I walked up to her and held her hand.

“I enjoyed it, so don’t feel sad. Okay?”

She looked up at me with her sweet eyes.

“You enjoyed it?”

“Yes, I did. It might not have gone to plan, but I still had a lot of time hanging out with you.”

Karou wiped a tear from her eye and hugged me.

“Oh, yeah. You were going to say something to me before Yoshi came. What was it?”

“Ah. I think I’ll tell you another day.”

“Oh, okay.”

Under the dreamy night sky, we continued walking home, our hands still connected.

It was midnight when we arrived home. As we went to our separate rooms, we glanced at each other one last time.

“Merry Christmas, Karou.”

“Merry Christmas, Sozen.”