Volume 9 Chapter 21 Christmas Party!
On December 24th, even in the evening, dark clouds covered the sky.
The weather forecast said it might snow because it was very cold.
Despite these conditions, preparations for the Christmas party were happening at the Yamamoto house, led by Hinata.
"Senpai, you wanted us to prepare the Christmas tree, right?"
"Yes, that's why we're preparing it like this. Look, it's almost done, we just need to put the stars on it."
"Really, you want to decorate it like that?"
Yuusuke looked at Hinata's surprised face and then at the tree he had decorated.
When Kagami Ayaka mentioned having a Christmas party, she brought out a very big tree from the Seijo branch.
Ignoring the charms on the trunk, Yuusuke was decorating it with ornaments he had bought.
"The reindeer, why is its body buried like that?"
"Why is it buried like that? The reindeer looks cool with only its head sticking out, like a stuffed animal."
"Are you joking? Have you completely lost your sense?"
Faced with Hinata's serious expression, Yuusuke reluctantly removes all the ornaments and puts them back on.
"Yuusuke, I'm done with my tasks, so I'll help too."
"I'm sorry, Lisha. I'll just put up the stars."
Having finished cleaning the entire room, Lisha assists Yuusuke.
Kanami and Hinata are in charge of cooking. The oven is always busy, and the delicious smell spreads into the living room.
Tsukiko, Nest, and Bertina are working together to decorate the room.
Sharla remains sitting on the sofa, watching TV.
The participants in today's Yamamoto family Christmas party are Yuusuke, Lisha, Tsukiko, Kanami, Hinata, Sharla, Nest, and Bertina – a total of eight people.
Kogarou didn't want to join because he didn't find it fun to drink with a woman he can't touch. Irial and Yunea also said no.
Ayaka wanted to participate until the end, but the members of the Seijo branch told her, saying, "Why are you saying such foolish things? Christmas is about the difference between happiness and unhappiness, and it's a 'Mystery' parade."
Eris also said she wouldn't join. Yuusuke respected her decision and didn't push her.
Even though any lingering resentment had disappeared, they were no longer children who could ignore the time they spent apart.
So, the usual Yamamoto family members, Nest and Bertina, joined for a Christmas party.
By the time it was truly nighttime outside, they finished cooking.
Inside the room, Tsukiko and the others had decorated it with origami rings and decorations, sparkling with lights. In the middle, there was a Christmas tree standing solemnly.
The table had fancy dishes on it. As Yuusuke said, there was not only a whole roasted chicken, but also other special dishes like roast beef and shrimp fry.
Needless to say, Kanami was an amazing cook, and Hinata's help without Noire made the dishes even more impressive.
"Yuusuke, be careful with the lid."
"Don't worry, I won't let it fly away."
"Who are you talking to? And even if it does fly, I can catch it."
"Do you realize how silly that sounds?"
Hinata's words made Tsukiko stop reaching out her hand.
While Tsukiko and Hinata were worried, Yuusuke opened the champagne bottle with a cheerful "Pop!" sound.
The adults drank champagne, while the younger ones had non-alcoholic drinks.
And so, with Yuusuke's words, the Christmas party began.
"Cheers!"
Yuusuke and Sharla touched their glasses together, as a way to celebrate.
"Yuusuke, I want some meat."
"Yes, yes. Do you want chicken?"
"I also want beef."
Following Sharla's request, Yuusuke brought a whole roasted chicken and roast beef. It was said that it's difficult to cut the whole roasted chicken when eating it normally, but because of his job, Yuusuke easily prepared it.
Feeling a bit unsure, he cut it in a way that everyone could easily eat.
"Senpai, please take it for me too."
"Hinata, please serve yourself."
"Why does Sharla-san get special treatment?"
"Because she doesn't listen even when I tell her."
It's just a waste of energy to argue.
Sharla, sinking into the sofa, began eating the dish given to her by Yuusuke.
Upon hearing this, Hinata, with heart-shaped eyes, whispered,
"In that case, I'll take your share."
"Wait, Noire. Don't take away Hinata's body without permission."
"Hmm, how did you know? I didn't use any magic power."
"It's easy to tell if it's Hinata or you."
"Mmm."
When Yuusuke said this, both Noire and Hinata, who was protesting internally, felt their chests tighten.
Their facial expressions seemed to demand something obvious, which felt unfair.
"Well, I'll give you a compliment, Senpai."
"What are you talking about..."
As he said that, Yuusuke started serving the food and began eating. The roast chicken, of course, was the most anticipated dish.
Although he was happy with the purchase, he was worried about whether he would be able to cook it at home, but Kanami was reliable.
The skin was golden and crispy, while the inside was juicy and moist.
She had also prepared various types of sauce, making it hard to decide which one to use.
Yuusuke thought for a bit, then decided to try the dish just as it was made. He put a piece in his mouth.
"Wow, this tastes amazing!"
He got surprised by how good it was. Honestly, he didn't expect much from roasted chicken; he thought it was more about how it looked than how it tasted. But the meat was much tastier than he imagined, even though it was a lean part of the chicken.
He wondered if it was because of how it was cooked or because of the chef's skills. Thinking it was probably the chef's skill, he called Kanami.
"Kanami, this is really tasty."
"Oh, I'm glad you think so. Thank you."
"I didn't think it would be this good. I should have eaten it properly at the place where it was made."
"The oven's performance here is much better and easier to use than the ones in my country, you know. It's an amazing invention. I'd love to take one apart if I could."
"Ask Ayaka-san about that...
Because Ayaka is the one who arranged all the furniture in this house, he can't just say it's fine.
"Bertina, have you eaten this? Do you want more to drink? I can go get it for you."
"Noisy. I can get it myself. Seriously, you're bothering me."
"This roast beef is really delicious too. I've had raw meat and seared meat before, but I've never had something cooked like this."
"That's why I'm eating it. Why do you have to be so nosy?"
Nest and Bertina are also sitting together, eating.
Since Bertina woke up, Nest has been trying to take care of everything and anything. It must have made him very happy that she came back to life.
After enjoying the feast for a while, Hinata said happily,
"Well, it's time for the main event. Let's exchange presents!!"
A loud noise came from the kitchen. Everyone looked at the sound, and Lisha looked surprised at the glass she dropped.
The glass that fell on the floor broke into pieces.
"Oh, sorry. I dropped it."
"It's okay. Are you okay?"
"I'll clean it up."
When Yuusuke and Tsukiko got up to go clean up, someone stopped them.
"I'll do it."
"Bertina."
"It's okay, Nest. They saved my life. I want to help."
Bertina walked to the broken glass, held her hand over it, and used her magic.
In the next moment, something amazing happened.
The broken glass started moving and coming together on its own.
In just five seconds, a perfect glass appeared on the ground.
Tsukiko looked at it and whispered,
"Fixed?"
""No, it's not the same.""
Yuusuke and Hinata—Noire disagreed.
They both had serious faces.
It makes sense. The magic Bertina used wasn't supposed to exist.
"Did you turn time backward?"
"Yes. This is my magic, 'New Moon.'"
"Using magic to control time, isn't that a legendary idea?"
Noire said, sounding surprised.
Even the Lord, the demon closest to the magic abyss, was amazed.
It's not unreasonable.
Among humans, manipulating time with magic is a legendary concept.
Bertina talked while picking up the glass from the floor.
“I learned that from my mom while growing up. That's why I rarely went to the city and never used magic in public.”
“Did your parents pass it down to you?”
“No, it's different. In our family, some people are born with this power. I can't use it on living things, and I can only manipulate the time of small objects.”
“Still, that's cool. I feel like your mom tried to keep it a secret.”
People chosen as 'keys' to use special magic have qualities like a Saint, and tshe control time, something that has never happened before.
The conclusions from this idea aren't nice.
Messing with time has a big impact. It seems like these 'key' magicians only have two options: finding someone to protect them or living away from normal life.
So, Yuusuke decided not to talk about it more.
“Thanks, Bertina-san. But you don't have to use magic forcefully now.”
"I-I'm sorry. thank you very much."
Lisha was surprised and quickly nodded her head.
"No, it's fine. I just wanted you to see it."
Bertina said that and went back to her seat next to the nest.
To reset the situation, Hinata, who had recovered her body from Noire, spoke loudly.
"S-So, let's calm down and continue with the gift exchange—"
Suddenly, the doorbell rang, indicating that a visitor had arrived.
"—Senpai."
"Yes?"
"Please go."
"Why me...? Okay, I'll go."
Yuusuke stood up and put his hand on Lisha's shoulder, who was still standing.
"Come on, Lisha, sit down."
"Yes, thank you."
Yuusuke let Lisha, who seemed more absent-minded than usual, sit down and opened the door.
"Excuse me, who is it?"
Outside, the wind was stronger than expected, and as soon as the door opened, a gust of white wind blew in.
At the same time, Yuusuke felt a strong red impact.
"Ayaka told me to go somewhere, and now that I'm done with work—"
A woman in a black coat stood there, making even the winter feel warm with her red charm.
Eris, with rosy cheeks from the cold, was there.
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