Among the prizes Chisato had arranged through sponsorships, there were still some leftovers even after distributing them to students who placed in the sports festival events.
The student council president then asked the two club presidents what to do with the extras, and they went directly to Chisato for advice.
His solution was straightforward: since there were still a lot left, just hand them out to the students who helped organize the event.
The two presidents followed his advice, and the three members of the Service Club each received something they liked, which was why Yui brought it up.
"It wasn't much. I figured the presidents already had that in mind. I just said it out loud."
"Eh? Really?"
It had to be said—Yui's large, bright eyes and confused look were quite adorable.
"Besides, there wasn't a better way to handle it anyway."
"I see."
"Senpai, senpai!"
Iroha, seemingly not wanting to be left out, lightly nudged Chisato's side with her elbow, drawing his attention.
"Christmas is coming soon, senpai. Do you have any plans?"
"Christmas, huh..."
Chisato absentmindedly put down his chopsticks.
Come to think of it, the year really was winding down.
As for Christmas plans...
At the company, the new songs he'd written were already being practiced by the band, and a promotional teaser for the new album was set to be released online in early December.
He'd left all the promotional tasks to Seika, and had already informed the finance department that she could access the budget directly without going through him.
The night before Christmas, on Christmas Eve, was the scheduled release date for the songs.
After the release, the band "Kesshoku Band" had several live performances lined up.
Seika had also secured a magazine feature and a small television interview for them.
While neither was particularly well-known, it was still a great opportunity for a group just beginning to chase their dreams.
All in all, the Kesshoku Band would be very busy throughout December and into early January, leaving little time for anything else.
Since everything had been delegated to Seika, and she had managed the schedule well, Chisato hardly needed to be involved anymore.
The lyrics and compositions were already complete—the rest was up to them.
As for Eriri and Utaha, neither of them had brought up the matter.
So after a brief moment of thought, Chisato shook his head at Iroha.
"Just the same as usual. Nothing special planned."
He picked up his chopsticks again to grab more meat.
Having the three Service Club girls gathered near him had its perks—none of them ate much meat, which meant he could claim all the grilled meat on the hot plate for himself.
But Iroha looked a bit surprised after hearing his answer.
Chisato noticed her odd reaction, but before he could ask, Yui spoke up.
"How strange. Suzumiya-kun gave the same answer as Yukinon."
"..."
Chisato silently turned to look at Yukino. She was sipping from a cup.
At this distance, she should've easily noticed his gaze, but she made no move to look back at him.
His eyes lingered on her only briefly before he turned back to Iroha.
"So, was there a reason you asked that question?"
"What reason? I was just making casual conversation. Don't make it sound like I had some grand scheme in mind."
Iroha gave Chisato a light smack on the shoulder. It didn't hurt—clearly more playful than anything—but it did cause a bit of a mess.
Because just as she hit him, Chisato was lifting a piece of sauce-covered meat to his mouth.
The nudge made his chopsticks slip, and the meat fell onto the table, splashing sauce onto his clothes.
Chisato didn't seem to mind—clothes were meant to be washed anyway.
But Iroha panicked as if she had committed an unforgivable sin, quickly grabbing several napkins and frantically wiping his clothes while apologizing.
"I'm so sorry, senpai! I didn't mean to!"
"It's fine, it's fine. I can handle it myself."
His casual reassurance didn't seem to calm her. That was when Yukino spoke.
"It's okay, Isshiki. Barbecue sauce is easy to clean. Just use dish soap to scrub it first, then soak it in laundry detergent—it'll come right out."
"Really?"
"Yes. I've dealt with it myself and it worked, so there's no need to worry."
"Senpai, why don't you take off your jacket and let me take it home to wash? I'll return it clean."
"Do you even hear what you're saying? It's night, the temperature outside has dropped below ten degrees—you want me to catch a cold tomorrow?"
Eventually, they managed to calm the slightly panicked Iroha.
After that, the conversation shifted to worries about the final exams.
But when Iroha and Yui realized that the two honor students beside them couldn't relate to their concerns—and even seemed to have that annoying "just study and you'll be fine" attitude—they quickly dropped the topic to preserve their pride.
The rest of their conversation circled back to the topic of Christmas.
Iroha even checked the weather forecast, which predicted a chance of snowfall around Christmas.
Though it was only a possibility, both Iroha and Yui were visibly excited.
Unlike them, Chisato and Yukino had a completely different attitude, pointing out practical concerns like snowfall disrupting traffic and delaying trains.
Despite their differences, the conversation was pleasant.
Eventually, the two club presidents stood up together and announced that the celebration was about to wrap up.
Some of the more party-loving students suggested going to a second location, but with little support, the idea was dropped.
Everyone gathered their belongings and left the private room in small groups.
Fukube Satoshi had to send his girlfriend home, so Chisato was going to walk to the train station with the three members of the Service Club.
However, the sharp-eyed Yukino happened to spot a familiar car parked just a short distance from the store entrance right after stepping outside.
The others turned to look in the direction of her gaze due to her sudden stop.
The next moment, Haruno, wearing a bright red coat, stepped out of the car. First flashing a radiant smile, she then waved and leisurely walked over.
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Nah, fuck off.
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50 advanced chapters on p@t re on (.) com/SenatusTheta
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