Shiina's gift turned out to be a black tie with silver edging, decorated with not-too-noticeable, understated silver cloud patterns, giving off the feeling of a "midnight noble" from some storybook. Yukio loved it on the spot and immediately swapped it onto his white shirt. Paired with the lapel pin Karuizawa had given him before, it made him feel that girls, with their delicate attention to detail, could really pick out the perfect accessories.
After hugging Shiina for a while, Yukio set her down and turned to Ibuki. Shiina's happy expression began to fade as both of them noticed Ibuki wasn't acting right.
"Sorry…" Ibuki said, bowing her head low. She didn't make any excuses. Her voice carried a bitter edge. "I didn't realize… obviously Yukio prepared a gift for me, yet… I didn't get anything for you."
You could see the guilt on Ibuki's face. Her expression told the story of her heavy mood. Shiina anxiously approached. She'd never seen Ibuki looking so fragile. The girl who was always so arrogant and confident now looked like a frightened cat that had suffered at human hands. When had Ibuki ever shown such an expression?
Shiina felt bad. She clasped Ibuki's hand, trying to comfort her. "It's okay, really."
But Ibuki didn't respond to Shiina's reassurance. She kept lamenting about not preparing a gift. "I've spent all my time practicing at the family dojo. Always the same routine. Every day after school, home to train. I never learned about giving holiday presents. So… I'm truly sorry."
Yukio first tucked away the tie Shiina gave him, then gently placed a hand on Ibuki's lowered head. "Why stress over it? If you missed out this time, you can just make it up to me later, right?"
Yukio understood people's minds well. Telling someone "It's okay" in a gentle tone might only make Ibuki feel more guilty. It wouldn't truly remove her sadness. The real solution was to address the root cause: she was upset because she had no gift to give, so telling her to bring it another day was the most effective approach to easing her regret.
"Huh?" Ibuki blinked. Her mind lagged behind his logic. Holiday presents are supposed to be for the day of the holiday; what good's a gift if given after the holiday? Doesn't that lose half its meaning?
Perhaps reading her thoughts, Yukio went on, stroking her short blue hair without a care. "What are you thinking? We only give gifts because it's a holiday? If there's no genuine feeling behind it, you might buy something just because it's the holiday and hand it over. That kind of empty present, I wouldn't even want. I'd rather not receive it at all."
Hence why he treasured Karuizawa's lapel pin or Shiina's tie – neither especially pricey, but perfect for him because he sensed the feeling behind them. That emotional weight meant far more to him than any purely material item.
"Genuine… feeling?" Ibuki murmured, eyes still overshadowed by Yukio's hand. She lifted her gaze to him. "It's all about the feeling inside the gift?"
"Exactly." Shiina chimed in. "For instance, this tie I gave him might not be super expensive, but I know him well, so in his eyes, it's probably more precious than any handmade custom tie from some famous brand."
"Shiina really gets me," Yukio teased. The old married couple synergy between them managed to coax Ibuki out of her funk. That was another thing he liked about Ibuki: though she looked tough, her heart was quite delicate, even oversensitive at times. If something wasn't relevant to her, she wouldn't care at all. But if it involved people she cared about, every word and action became magnified a thousand times in her mind.
As soon as Ibuki began calming down, Yukio retrieved the small gift box, popped it open for her, and revealed a slim necklace in deep ocean blue—matching her hair color. A gorgeous accessory could often strike a chord with a girl's heart, and indeed, Ibuki's hand flew to her mouth the moment she saw it, instantly loving how it matched her blue hair like an extension of herself.
But she hesitated. 'Surely this doesn't suit me,' she thought. 'Why would he give me such a cute accessory?'
"Is that weird?" Yukio asked as he took out the necklace. Circling behind her, he gently fastened it around her neck. "At the end of the day, Ibuki, you talk tough and dress a bit tomboyish, but it's not like I'm going to treat you like a guy."
"!!!" It was an ordinary statement, yet Ibuki felt her heart pound uncontrollably. Its beating seemed to intensify, pumping blood throughout her body, making her face burn with heat. Because of her strict household, she'd never experienced the normal girly things: going shopping, wearing stylish clothes, meeting friends for tea, or enjoying a sweet romance after school. That life was just a fantasy in her dreams – but the moment she woke, she'd be back at the dojo, continuing her austere training.
But all that had been overturned by Yukio. Feeling the cool metal of the necklace at her collarbones, Ibuki felt an even warmer intangible necklace linking her heart to his. Slowly, she raised one hand and pressed it to the new adornment. "Genuine feeling…? Yukio, Shiina, could you both come with me for a moment?"
Yukio hadn't even had the chance to say "That necklace really suits you" before Ibuki grabbed his hand, pulling him along, Shiina as well, looking a bit mystified. But Shiina was delighted to see Ibuki acting more open. "Sure, wherever you want. We'll join you."
Soon they discovered Ibuki's destination: a little gift shop they had just passed. Ibuki dashed in, made a quick purchase, then tugged them away from Keyaki Mall to a deserted path on campus. Blushing faintly, she took a moment to steady herself. Then, with resolute eyes, she walked up to Yukio, took out a silver tie clip from the bag, and silently attached it to fix Shiina's tie in place.
Yukio almost laughed inwardly. 'So for this year's Christmas, you all must have planned it, huh?' The synergy is real. He had a sense that over the coming decades, these girls might end up giving him every possible men's accessory, piece by piece.
He was lost in that thought until he felt a sudden force on his tie, yanking him downward—straight into Ibuki's ambush. She sealed his lips with hers, making Shiina gasp, eyes wide at the boldness. Indeed, only Ibuki could do such a thing—pulling a guy down by his tie for an inverted stealing kiss moment.
By the time Yukio realized what was happening, he was about to demonstrate his own experience in that area, but Ibuki's face went bright red and she pulled away. "That… that's my genuine feeling!" she declared.
***
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