Princess Ibara and the Holy Night. Part 3

“Osmanthus… is that golden osmanthus? Lovely scent, isn’t it?”

“…Ah, yes…”

Shibuya-san said this while squeezing my hand and reading the text on the tube.
That’s right. I chose it because I thought it smelled nice, but honestly, that’s the last thing on my mind right now.

“Since we’re here, I’ll give you a massage. Apparently, gently rubbing the sides of your nails stimulates the parasympathetic nervous system and helps you relax.”

“Huh, really? Is that so…”

“I’ve been studying a little bit lately.”

She says it rather smugly.
Ah, come to think of it, this woman bought some books on that sort of thing! Books about hand, foot, and ear acupressure points.
　So all that was for me!
Really, that’s just like you, Shigure-san.
Shigure-san’s beautiful fingers pinched the base of my index fingernail.
Gently, carefully, kneading it out with a little twisting motion.
Stimulating each one in turn, then overlapping our hands like a handshake, this time stroking the whole palm. A wet, squelchy sound.

“…Hm, mmm…”

It felt good.
Slippery, smelling lovely, my heart wouldn’t stop racing.
The hand touching me felt hot, like it was soaked in hot water.
As if to finish me off, Shigure-san peered at my face and said.

“Ibara, how is it? Does your hand feel nice?”

Is this person actually a succubus or something???

Somehow managing to nod, Shigure-san gave a soft, floppy smile. Cute. This older sister is cute.
Pleased with my reaction, she grabs my other hand too.

“I’ll do this hand for you too.”

“N-no, I don’t need it!”

My rationality would just go pop again!

“Don’t be shy. Come on, give me your hand. Here, squishy squishy~”

“Hiiiiii…”

“Hehe. This feels nice, doesn’t it?”

“………………Hyaaah…”

　I should run away, but it feels too good to escape. Trouble. What if I develop another weird habit?

Ten minutes later.
After being thoroughly kneaded, stroked, and rubbed, both my hands were now glossy, warm, and slippery.
I braced myself with my unusually rosy palms pressed against the floor, my body weak at the knees.
Enough.
I get it.
I’d suspected it all along, but now I’m certain.
　Shigure-san is a bad adult.
She’s tempting me, getting me in a naughty mood, trying to get me to make a move.
If that’s what you’re after, I don’t care about the atmosphere anymore. That sort of thing probably comes later anyway.

“Shigure-san, I’m already—”

“Ibara, yes?”

“Huh?”

Suddenly, a large wrapped package appeared before my eyes.
Shigure-san said with a smile.

“Thank you for the present. From me too, Merry Christmas.”

“…………Eh?”

Wrapping paper printed with numerous trees on a bright red background.
A ribbon was neatly tied at the end, with a handwritten message card tucked inside.

‘Thank you for being here with me.’

Oh, bloody hell.
Caught off guard by this unexpected surprise, my nose stung.
　Such a commonplace phrase, yet it seeped in like water soaking into sand, reaching the very depths.
Thank you. Of all things, “thank you”.
That was always my line.
Why is this person so kind?
So kind and warm.

“Ibara, what’s wrong? Stomach ache?”

“…Can I open this?”

“Yes, go ahead.”

Somehow holding back my tears, I unwrapped the paper as carefully as I could and took out the contents.
What emerged was a red, lattice-patterned hanten coat.

“It’s getting colder, so wear that and keep warm.”

Oh, I can’t take it anymore.
This is impossible, obviously.
My vision slowly adjusts, and something threatens to spill from the corners of my eyes.
I press my face into my hanten to hide my genuine tears.
Above me, Shigure-san’s flustered voice reacts to my sudden odd behaviour. But sorry, I can’t lift my face now.

“Eh? Ah, sorry! Did you… not like it?”　Ugh, right. A high schooler doesn’t need a hanten, does she? Sorry, I’ve got absolutely no sense for this sort of thing.”

“…It’s not that.”

Still pressed against the coarse fabric, I mumbled.

“It’s not that. I’m just… I’m so happy, you see.”

No good. The words stuck in my throat, impossible to pull out.
What words could possibly express this feeling correctly?
　If only I were psychic and could transmit the state of my heart exactly as it is, like telepathy.
As if concerned for my inadequacy, Shigure-san spoke gently.

“…You like it?”

Nod, nod.
As I nodded with my face buried, Shigure-san’s voice said, “I see. That’s good.”
How long had I been like that?
　After the surge of emotion melted away softly, I finally lifted my face.
Since it was such a lovely present, I wanted to try it on now.
I unfolded the hanten in my arms and slipped my hands into the large sleeves.

“…It’s warm.”

It was my first time wearing it, but it really was warm.
It didn’t suit my utterly adorable, fluffy roomwear (pastel pink) at all, but it was incredibly warm.

“It’s warm, Shigure-san.”

“I see. Well, that’s good then.”

Shigure-san placed a palm on my head. Then stroked it once, twice, three times.
Even though I was clearly being treated like a child, strangely, I didn’t mind just this once.
The warmth bestowed upon me was so warm, too warm, and Christmas night slipped away without me becoming a little devil.
But, today is fine as it is.
　Christmas is a holy night, after all.
A night of purity. A day for good children. I’ll save my little devil antics for another time.

Santa probably won’t come to me since I can’t sleep, but even so, I felt confident in saying it was the most wonderful night.

Because the gift I wanted most was already right in front of me.
Right in front of me, peeling a tangerine.