LIGHTNOVELWORLD Chapter 243.2
Chapter 243.2. Christmas Eve
I had my doubts, but without giving up, I decided to make another shake. Karin, who was putting ice into the blender, looked up and explained to me.
“Oh yeah, now that you mention it, today’s Christmas Eve-nyan. Hard to believe a stray like me from the ruins knows that much about it.”
This time, she put the lid on tight, and as she started the blender, she told me casually, as if it were common knowledge, but I had never heard of it. What is it?
“Karin, what exactly is Christmas Eve?”
“It’s a day where people give gifts to someone important-nyan. Umm, I think it started with men giving combs, and women giving pocket watch chains. There was some meaning behind it, but I think it was something like that-nyan.”
“For Christmas, people eat cake and roast a turkey. It’s the one time of the year you make a roast turkey.”
Karin and Mei-chan explained, and I thought, oh, so that’s what the event is. Interesting. Basically, it’s about eating a feast and exchanging gifts with someone important. I learned something new.
“Drink up, drink up.”
The little girl handed me a shake as she spoke. Drool was dripping from the corner of her mouth, showing how much she wanted to drink it herself, but she was holding back.
The fact that she gave it to me, despite wanting it so badly, made me really happy. I decided to drink it all without hesitation and brought the cup to my mouth.
It tasted like a cross between a thick ice cream and a slushy. I had never had this texture before, and the sweetness spread in my mouth, filling me with happiness as I gulped it down.
Sweetness always brings happiness, but more than that, what made me happiest was that the little girl gave it to me.
Even though I drank a cold shake, my heart felt warm, and a smile naturally spread across my face. It was my first time receiving a gift. I had shared food with others before, but that wasn’t the same. That was just us dividing supplies to survive together.
“Oh, and I made dried flowers, too.”
She pulled out a small piece of paper from her pocket, blushing and squirming a little as she handed it to me. When I looked, I saw it was beautifully decorated with spring flowers.
“Thank you!”
I hugged the little girl, gently stroking her head, overflowing with happiness. It wasn’t just about receiving a gift—it was about being in a place where we could give each other things. Her kindness made me so happy.
Since the shake didn’t turn out, I decided to cut Karin and Mei’s dinner side dishes as punishment. But I also thought I should do something for them. What would be a good gift? A gift, a gift…
“I’ll make a roast of Seven Noodles as a feast! Umm, Karin, how do you make Seven Noodles? How much buckwheat flour do I need?”
“Oh, are you taking it to Sakimori, too? In that case, make sure to save some for me-nyan. It’s simple-nyan: you just get some quality buckwheat flour and bake it into a galette. The filling is up to you, but pizza-style might be good-nyan~. As long as it’s noodles, it’s Seven Noodles-nyanko.”
“I’ve made galettes before! Alright, little girl, let’s go buy some buckwheat flour together!”
As expected of Karin—she knows everything! Galettes are great for stretching portions, so I’ve made them plenty of times before.
“Oh, crepes could be good, too-nyan. A roast of Seven Noodles is just about baking any kind of dough-based dish-nyan.”
“Then okonomiyaki would work, too!”
Let’s make all kinds of dough-based dishes. This is getting exciting! It’s snowing outside and it looks cold, but I’m ready to give it my all.
“I’m gonna make gifts for Sakimori too!”
The little girl held up a bunch of bookmarks to show me. It looked like she had enough for everyone. As she said in her adorable lisp, “I’ll go give them out,” she ran through a small door in the wall. For some reason, I caught a glimpse of Sakimori’s living room through the door, but I decided not to think too much about it.
“So, Mei-chan, wanna come with me? If you do, I’ll let you off the hook for the small portion of dinner.”
“Understood. It’s better than staying near a cat girl who lies with a straight face. Oh, and there’s a bookmark in my pocket, too… I’m a little happy about that.”
Mei-chan smiled bashfully. Yeah, I know that feeling. I’ll make sure to cook something good. If dough-based dishes are okay, maybe takoyaki would work, too? Hehe, I’m starting to get really into this.
I’ll line up all the dishes on the table. Jun and the others are going to be so surprised. It’s kind of amazing how we’ve managed to build up enough resources to have a feast like this.
When Jun and the others returned and saw the table full of dough-based dishes, they were indeed shocked, but the reason behind that surprise—and the fact that I got angry at Karin—was a story for later.