My second life is a bit strange?

"Is it really okay for us to bother you so late at night?" Eriri asked, somewhat conflicted.

Fujiwara Chika waved her hand dismissively: "No, that's not true. There's no one at my house. The bed is quite big. I can sleep when I'm tired of playing. It's no problem."

"How do we get there? By bus?" Feng searched for Fujiwara Chika's address on his phone and found that bus number 404 could go nearby, and then it was just a few hundred meters away on foot.

There were so many people on the bus on Christmas Eve. Once on the bus, Kaguya couldn't find the QR code, so she pulled out a pen and paper with 10,000 yen in it and tried to put it in the fare box.

The driver was startled and quickly stopped them, but Eriri and Chika had already squeezed to the back and grabbed seats.

Kaede's student card can only be used to pay for one person's bill. It was Kaguya's first time using it, and Kaede helped her activate the account.

"Driver, you go ahead and I'll help her with this."

The bus moved slowly. There were too many people at this stop, which caused some delays. The driver tried to speed up to catch a green light, but he didn't make it in time. The sudden braking caused Kaguya to crash into Kaede's arms.

The space Kaguya had just created was immediately pushed forward by others. With so many people in the car, physical contact was unavoidable. Kaguya blushed and lowered her head, the scent of Kaede irresistibly filling her nostrils.

The taste of mint...

Not wanting him to see her in such an embarrassing state, she kept her head down, but unfortunately, her red ears betrayed her.

The car swayed back and forth, and Kaguya's hand couldn't reach the railing, so she had to go through Kaede's waist and lean against the wall behind her. From the side, it looked like she was embracing him and they were a couple snuggling together.

【Thump thump thump~】

Kaguya no longer knew whether it was her own heartbeat or the other person's.

They arrived at the station in a daze, and the driver opened the front door so that the two of them could squeeze off the bus and successfully reunite with Eriri and the others.

Eriri, Chika, and the other two walked ahead, while Kaguya silently followed behind. She needed to catch her breath; even the biting wind felt gentle on her face.

By the time Kaede and the others arrived at Fujiwara Chika's house, they were too exhausted to even complain. A jumble of random elements had been mixed together, and Kaede didn't even know where to begin.

The combination of pine trees and Christmas trees, lion dances, reindeer, and other wonders made everyone feel like their DNA was about to go haywire.

"Wait a minute."

Fujiwara Chika ran to her room and came out dressed as Santa Claus, but wearing a Namahage mask, which completely ruined the Christmas atmosphere!

Even festive holidays have turned into horrors. You're something else.

With a thud, the red ball in the lion's mouth fell to the ground. Feng reached out and picked it up, intending to put the ball back, but found that the lion's mouth had closed.

"Is the lion dance performance moving?"

"I also remember it having its mouth open." Eriri was quite frightened and took a step back in fear.

Feng cautiously stepped forward to check, when suddenly the lion dance came to life, leaning forward and opening its mouth wide: "Surprise!"

The person hiding inside the lion dance costume accidentally stepped on their clothes, tripped, and their headgear flew off, revealing pink hair. They then fell to the ground.

Feng quickly helped her up.

"Ouch~"

"Is this your sister?" he asked, noticing the resemblance between the girl in the clothes and Chika.

"Mengye, what are you doing at home? Didn't you go on vacation with your sister?" Qianhua quickly took her younger sister out of the lion dance costume.

"Grandpa's house is so boring, I don't want to go, so I'm hiding."

The little leaf is so cute that it reminds Feng of Xiao Gui.

"Let's play together then." Feng took out a candy and placed it in Mengye's palm.

Mengye's feelings towards this older brother immediately improved significantly.

After playing card games for a while, the five of them made sukiyaki at home. Girls' stomachs are amazing; even though they had just finished dinner, Chika brought out a cake.

As Feng finished eating, he burped, and a lingering taste remained in his mouth.

Finally, the moment everyone had been waiting for arrived: the gift-giving segment. Kaguya gave the girls expensive cosmetics as gifts.

Eriri bought four plush toys, one for each of them, as a symbol of their friendship. She looked apologetically at Moeha and said, "I'm sorry, I didn't expect Moeha to be home this time."

"Well, well, don't worry about me."

Everyone looked expectantly at Feng, but his gift hadn't been given yet.

Kaede placed the gifts in front of Chika and Eriri, gesturing for them to open them.

Fujiwara Chika had been looking forward to it for a long time, but the packaging was torn to shreds: "Why is it a hat?"

The hat is the same style as Sherlock Holmes's, a brown deerstalker hat with a mesh pattern.

“I saw this hat in the mall and thought it would suit you well. Wearing it would make you look smart.”

"Thank you, I love it!" Fujiwara Chika couldn't wait to put it on.

Eriri's scarf is blue with many four-leaf clover patterns, a style that a boy would choose.

"You're afraid of the cold, so I hope this will warm you up. I was a little worried when the temperature started to rise, but this snow is really wonderful."

"Thank you." Hearing these gentle words, Eriri's ears turned red, and her heart felt as sweet as if she had eaten honey.

"Little Mengye, I also have a gift for you~ although it was a bit rushed."

"Hey?"

Feng took out a handkerchief from his pocket: "I really like this handkerchief. I embroidered the flowers on it myself. I hope you like it."

Mengye took the handkerchief and saw the crooked flower. She looked up and saw the smile on the other person's face. Mengye carefully put the handkerchief into her pocket, as if it were a treasure.

"I will cherish it for the rest of my life."

"It only realizes its value when used. I won't forget your gift next Christmas." Feng patted her little head, then realized his rudeness and quickly withdrew his hand: "Sorry."

“It’s okay, if it’s my brother…” Mengye was looking forward to the next Christmas present: “It’s a promise, pinky swear.”

Seeing Mengye's outstretched little hand, Feng's smile deepened. The two hands, one big and one small, hooked together, making a promise for next year.

"Kaguya, let's run away together. I have something to say to you."

"Huh?!?!" (x2)

Eriri was a little nervous. Was there something she couldn't say in front of everyone? A man and a woman alone on Christmas Day... what was she going to say?!

"Don't overthink it, it's just a few things."

Eriri finally breathed a sigh of relief.

【Very good. 】

Chapter Twenty-Two: The Person in the Song

"Will you come for a walk with me?"

As Feng said this, Kaguya nodded without saying anything. The two of them walked silently and aimlessly, like snowflakes falling from the sky.

Floating, floating~

It drifted off to some unknown distant place.

They walked for a long time, through deserted streets, across a white-painted overpass, and when they passed the park, Feng stopped.

"How long do you think it will take for this snow to melt?"

They didn't realize how far they had walked, so they grabbed a handful of snow and rolled it into a ball.

The snowball melted quickly, and water dripped through my fingers.

"Based on the average temperature predicted by the weather forecast, it will probably take..." Kaguya thought for a moment before answering.

“That’s not what I meant, this is.” Feng pointed to his heart.

"Did you know that after snow melts, it turns into even harder ice inside? The harder you try, the more piercing your palms will become?" Kaguya stared directly into the other person's eyes, as if warning her or reminding herself.

"Then keep covering it. I believe it will melt eventually. No one can be alone forever." Feng gripped the ice puck even tighter, not letting go even though his palms were freezing.

The two remained silent until all the snow in their hands melted, and Feng opened his hands to look at the other person.

Kaguya casually grabbed a handful of snow, rolled it into a ball, and placed it in his palm: "No one likes loneliness; they just don't like disappointment."

A bench in the park was placed under a tree, and the outstretched branches and leaves just happened to shield it from the snow.

The two sat on chairs, feeling each other's body heat, and looked up at the bright moon in the sky.

"Feng, would you like to hear a story?"

"of course."

He listened silently as the other person recounted a very dark story: a child born to a mistress and a wealthy man, whose mother died of heart disease shortly after giving birth to her.

Because of her identity, she was ridiculed. Her sixty-year-old father entrusted her to the care of his third son. From a young age, she was instilled with elitist ideas and molded into an egoist.

This poor girl's life at school was miserable; she was betrayed by her friends and surrounded by suspicion.

Kaguya is no longer cold; she is emotional, her eyes red and tears welling up: "Looking back now, it's funny. What did a child know about betrayal? I was always thinking that others were wrong."

"Kaguya Shinomiya..."

"Shinomiya..."

Kaguya softly murmured her name: "What an absurd name. You know, when you were helping me blow on my clothes, I doubted your kindness. At that time, I felt that you approached me with an ulterior motive, and your smile was fake."

Kaguya turned to look at him, a smile on her face, tears streaming down her cheeks: "Later I realized that you are truly true to yourself."

"I'm not being kind, I'm just taking everything seriously. God gave me a chance, and I can't let it go to waste."

"what?"

"Merry Christmas." Maple took a gift from his pocket and gave it to Kaguya.

Kaguya took it; she could still feel the warmth in her hand. She opened the package and found a red headscarf.

"You'll look much cuter if you tie your hair up."

"Thank you, I also prepared a gift for you." Kaguya opened her wallet, and the dozens of bank cards and a thick stack of 100,000 yen notes and pens in the inner pocket were really eye-catching.

She took out a white receipt; it was a Bechstein piano receipt, still from the C series.

"This is too valuable, I can't accept it." Feng quickly returned the receipt.

Kaguya shook her head: "This money is nothing to me, you know? I've watched so many of your matches, and I think this is the best gift I can think of."