Chapter 9: Chapter 48 – Christmas Gift

Ange and Ines returned a few days later in the morning, both of them glowing with more energy than when they left. It seemed the distance between them had also shortened, entering the dorm laughing over each other and holding hands.

I didn't need to imagine what they did and could pretty much fish out the right answer from a few guesses. Letting Ines and a succubus be alone together narrowed down the list. Whatever they did, it made me really happy to see them a lot brighter. As far as I was concerned, losing a night to make sure their date went off without a hitch was completely worth it.

"Don't really have to ask if you guys had fun, huh?" I inquired of them as they took off their shoes at the foyer.

The two of them traded glances and smiled.

"I'm sure Ange will tell you all about it. As for me, I'm ready to lock myself in my room for the next couple of days to knock out all that coursework." Ines cracked her neck and headed upstairs.

The succubus flew in and embraced me with a hug, nestling her head into the pocket of my neck.

"We had fun. Thank you," she simply said.

Just as I thought Ange was going to let go, she looked me in the eye and shoved her tongue down my throat. I nearly suffocate from her intense kiss. When we parted from the embrace, she went towards the living room with her tail whipping happily back and forth.

"W-What was that for?" I asked, catching my breath.

"To remind you that nothing has changed between us." Ange looked over her shoulder and winked, before disappearing into the living room.

I rolled my eyes.

Tomorrow was Christmas Eve. While the two of them were gone, I had taken the liberties of buying some gifts for the tenants. My long awaited confession to Ange was also fast approaching, and while my answer hadn't changed, it didn't make me any less nervous.

When I entered the living room, Ange was kneeling by the Christmas tree. She placed a neatly wrapped, palm-sized box alongside a dozen other presents underneath it.

"I see you have been busy while Ines and I were gone." Ange rose to her feet.

"It's about time you guys got these anyway. Won't say what it is, only for you guys to look forward to it on Christmas," I said, thumbing my own personal gift for her in my pocket,

And so, the anticipated day had come. 

December 25th, Christmas.

For many, this day was their favorite holiday for a number of reasons: gifts, family, days off school, a break from slaving away at a job. Although understandable that not all my tenants might share the same excitement because they were not originally from this world, I hoped they would come to find joy that so many humans like myself do.

I was the first one up as usual, dressed in a knitted sweater with the image of a reindeer on it and a santa hat on. Because of how early it was, the sun hadn't come up yet. The living room would have been dark were it not intensely illuminated by the Christmas tree.

Breakfast was the first thing on my mind. But just as I was about to get cooking, Cresta raced downstairs.

"MERRY CHRISTMAS!" she screamed, barreling downstairs and rolling into the living room.

The others were much more sluggish coming down, but their light footsteps could be heard descending the stairs. Fed up by how long they were taking, Cresta raced out of the living room and came back with Ines and Tamara under her arms. Both of them had trouble opening their eyes.

"What about Ange and Remmy?" I asked her.

"Remmy kept slipping through my fingers, and Ange was flying. Come on! I wanna open the presents!" she shouted.

"Man… I pulled two all-nighters in a row… please, kill me…" Ines groaned, crawling into the kotatsu.

I brought her a cup of coffee in the meantime, and Tamara went to let Rakka in.

"Does this world have a lot of holidays where people go around giving presents?" Tamara asked, hopping onto the couch with Rakka in her arms.

"Now that I think about it… Yeah," I replied, a little mind blown.

Cresta sat cross-legged by the tree, impatiently swaying back and forth until the remaining two entered the living room a few minutes later.

"You guys are too slow!" the cat scolded her roommates.

"Why must you yell first thing in the morning?" Ange asked with a frown.

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"I wasn't sleeping… just finishing up a game that couldn't be paused," Remmy said.

With everyone sitting around the living room, sipping on the sweet eggnog I had made beforehand, their liveliness grew as the holiday spirit began to set in. Despite the size of the room, an electric fireplace showing a digital screen of burning logs and the heater unit kept us comfortable and toasty.

My first tenant, seconds away from springing to her feet, looked at me for permission to open her presents.

"We're all here, so don't hold back. Go ahead and open your presents!" I urged them.

Everyone leapt from their seats, but no one was faster than Cresta who was already next to the tree. Shredding into the box and wrapping paper in an instant, she pulled out a smartphone and quickly realized what it was. The others were quick to follow suit, staring in awe at the device in their hands.

"Oooh! This is the thing I always see people put up to their ears!" Cresta exclaimed.

"I've made sure to put everyone's contact numbers in. You'll be going to work soon. Tamara has school. I thought it'd be a good idea if we all stayed connected. Watch." I pulled out my phone and called Cresta. She nearly lost hold of her phone when it vibrated, took a second to recompose herself, and answered the call.

"I see it doesn't ring like your phone does when you get a call," she said into the phone and smiled.

"What kind of caretaker would I be if I wasn't looking after you?" I remarked.

For Cresta specifically, I had set it to vibrate instead of ringing like the rest of us. If she was carrying it around all the time, I'd rather she not be surprised with a high-pitched ringtone.

They then started opening presents from each other.

"Ange, what the hell is this...?" Ines gawked at her box which I couldn't see from where I was.

"I was inspired by the bad dragons of your world. Weyera had something similar I thought you might like," the succubus said.

"As if this could ever fit inside me!" she retorted.

"Remmy! Cresta and I bought this together for you!" Tamara pushed a box into the slime girl's hands.

She opened it to a gray pajama onesie with floppy ears on the hood and stared blankly at it.

"Thank… you?"

"Put it on!" Cresta insisted.

Remmy reformed herself inside the onesies which fit her like a glove. The hood was a little too large and its ears fell over her eyes. Now the trio looked like a petting zoo.

While everyone was trading presents and having a good time, my heart slowly picked up speed. I searched the room for Ange, but she was nowhere to be seen. The small present she had gotten for me, however, was all that was left under the tree. I went to open it, but was puzzled to find a letter inside which told me to go to my room.

I left the tenants in the living room to find Ange, who was waiting for me at the threshold to my room. As I got up to her, she raised a mistletoe between us. Frankly, I was almost too impressed to say anything.

"Now where did you learn something like that?" I folded my arms across my chest.

"A certain therapist in training said this would surprise you. I believe this is the part where we kiss." The succubus grinned.

"Wait!" I put a hand up between our faces as she leaned in. "Are you really okay with someone like me?"

She pulled back in astonishment and tilted her head. "If anything, that should be my line. Despite all I have done in the past, the atrocities I've committed, more than you can ever know… you have accepted me nonetheless. Though I have considered that it may just be your youthful male instincts that seeks sex as to why you want me."

"That's not it at all!"

"I know." Ange giggled. "You cherish me for even my faults. I wish to cherish you as well."

Swallowing my hesitation, I seized the initiative to kiss her. My sudden action caught her by surprise. The mistletoe dropped from her hand, her lips tensed up, and a cute squeak slipped out from her.

"I don't know what the future has in store for us. I only know that I want you in my life for that future," I said, breathing determination into each word. Then I pulled out a pair of onyx rings I had ordered from the otherworld catalogue. They were said to connect two beings with each other's magic once worn. Cresta, Tamara, and Remmy had suggested I buy something like this for Ange.

I was rewarded by a blushing and embarrassed expression when I looked up. We put the rings on our index fingers, and it was like I felt Ange's faint heartbeat through the metal band. She stared at the piece of jewelry on her finger, on the verge of tears.

"You don't know how glad I am to have met you," Ange whispered, voice trembling. She then pulled me into the room and nudged the door closed behind me. "I suppose I have no other choice but to show you."

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