ALMOST A WEEK HAD PASSED SINCE Tamaki and y/n set up flyers. They raised about 93,000 yen, almost a quarter of their goal. But...not enough.
It was now two days before Christmas Eve, the shop busier than ever. Tamaki knocked on y/n's office door, slowly opening it. "Y/n?"
"Hey Amajiki! What's up?" She peeked over her desktop to see her employee. His face started to turned a light pink as he approached her desk. "I...I have a Christmas gift for you."
Y/n's eyes widened at the words "christmas gift". "A gift? B-But why?"
Tamaki held out a red envelope, saying nothing. Y/n took the envelope, ripping open the top. Her heart dropped as she stared at a lump of cash sitting inside. She quickly closed the it as if she just saw a load of drugs, at looked up at Tamaki. "Where did you get this?"
"I-It's some money I had saved up, along with some of Mirio and Nejire's savings."
"Savings!? Huh?! Why are you-"
"To save the shop." Tamaki interrupted, y/n hitching back. "...I know you really care about this shop, as it was important to your parents...so please take it."
"Tamaki, I can't accept this-"
"Why not-"
"I can't take money that you worked hard for! It feels wrong-"
"But...But I can't let the shop that you worked so hard for be taken away from you." He muttered, staring at his feet.
Y/n felt her heart tighten. She slowly stood up from her chair, stepping out from behind her desk. She suddenly fell into Tamaki, wrapping her arms around his neck.
Tamaki gasped, her body hugging his. She buried her face into his chest. "...Thank you...so much...Tamaki."
Tamaki felt his heart skip a beat as y/n hugged him tighter. He slowly lifted his hands to her back, lightly patting her. "I-It's um...really no big deal..." He whispered.
"...I'm sorry that I'm putting you through this...you and Hailey and Ginger..."
"W-We don't blame you...please don't take all the responsibility."
"...Yeah...okay..."
Y/n quickly pushed herself off Tamaki, wiping tears from her eyes. She...was crying?
"I should probably go check on Hailey. She's working register today and...well, we know how she can scare away the customers." Y/n chuckled, brushing past him and out the office.
Tamaki watched as she jogged into the hall and out the curtain to the main area. ...A part of me wishes...
I could help her more...
"Psssst!" Ginger waved Tamaki over as him and Hailey stood near the back of the counter. Tamaki glanced around to make sure no more customers were coming, before approaching his coworkers. "H-Hey guys-"
"You are coming with us to surprise y/n tomorrow." Hailey demanded blankly. Ginger slapped his forehead. "Ask him if he's busy first!" He hissed, chopping her head.
"Ooowwwww." She whined, bending down to the floor and holding the top of her skull in pain.
Ginger turned back to Tamaki. "Anyway, are you busy tomorrow? On Christmas Eve?"
"Uh...no, not particularly. Why?"
"Hailey and I wanted to come surprise y/n at her apartment. She's a big holiday person, but ever since her parents passed, she doesn't have anyone to celebrate with besides Hailey and I. We think she would love it if you stopped by!"
"You can bring those friends of yours too. The one with the weird eyes and the girl with oodly blue hair-OW!" Hailey swore as Ginger pinched her forearm.
Tamaki tilted his head. "O-Oh, Nejire and Mirio?"
"Yeah, those two! So what do you say? We wanted to bring cookies and food and drinks. Can you bring the games?"
Tamaki looked down at the ground. Maybe this will help lift y/n's spirits...
"Sure. I'll be there."
"No way! I'm not going!" Nejire huffed, plopping down on Mirio's couch. "Huh? W-Why not?" Tamaki stuttered.
"You already pitched in for her gift. It's obvious you don't hate her anymore-"
"Don't speak for me, Mirio!" She stuck out her tongue, crossing her arms and facing in the opposite direction. "I just don't wanna go!"
"Nejire, please? Y/n would really like it if you came."
"I doubt that."
Tamaki sighed. "...She's going through a lot. I just...want her to take her mind off of things...I think you'd help with that."
Nejire let out a low grumble. "...No!"
"Why did I give in!?" Nejire whined as her, Tamaki, and Mirio stood outside of y/n's apartment complex.
"Great! You guys made it!"
The three friends turned to see Ginger and Hailey approaching them on the sidewalk, their hands filled with bags and gifts. "Woah, what's all that?" Mirio pointed to the goodies.
"Some food and a few presents that we brought!" Ginger smiled.
"I heard you guys gave y/n a lump of cash. I'm surprised she even accepted it." Hailey recalled. Tamaki stuck his hands in his pocket. "Y-Yeah, she didn't want to but...eventually she gave in."
"Well, let's not waste anymore time! Let's go surprise y/n!" Ginger cheered, marching up the stairs. "It's not really a surprise if we do it every year. If anything, she's probably expecting us-"
"Shush Hailey!" Ginger seethed.
"So how long have you guys known y/n?" Mirio questioned, following behind Hailey and Ginger.
"I've know her for about 3 years now. I met her in the shop a customer!" Ginger reminisced.
"I've known her for about 10." Hailey murmured.
"Ten!?" Mirio and Nejire repeated, shocked. Even Tamaki was surprised.
"Yeah, we didn't go to the same high school, but we were neighbors..." Hailey smiled to herself. "She was really outgoing...it annoyed me."
Nejire and Mirio turned back to Tamaki. "Sounds familiar." Mirio chuckled, Tamaki's cheeks turning a light pink.
hailey's memories
"How come you always play with bugs?"
Hailey looked up to see a short, tanned girl towering over her as she sat in the dirt during recess. Haileys' first thought was that y/n didn't look Japanese at all. She even talked funny. Mainly because y/n was raised in a Cherokee household in America for most of her life.
"...What?"
"I see you playing with bugs a lot. And it freaks the other kids out. They say you're a masochist."
"..."
"...I'll be honest, I don't know what that word means, but it sounds fun!"
Hailey hitched. "N-Not something you should want to be."
Y/n giggled, sitting in front of Hailey on the dirt. "Your skirt. You'll get it dirty-"
"You're sitting in the dirt too, so what's the problem?"
Hailey looked down at the ground, picking at the grass. "Pretty girls like you shouldn't get your clothes dirty."
Y/n blinked in confusion. "But...you're pretty too. So why are you getting your clothes dirty?"
Hailey gazed up at y/n, her cheeks warming up. "My name is y/n! We should be friends!"
"...But the other kids make fun of me. Don't you think I'm weird?"
"Weird? ...No, not really. Besides the part that your sitting in the dirt." Y/n chuckled. "Now, what's your name?"
end of memories
"When kids made fun of her for being friends with the 'weird kid', she didn't care...She was my first friend. And she helped me a lot." Hailey smiled as they arrived to the front of y/n's apartment door.
"...Too bad you're still a weird little masochist-OW!" Ginger shouted as Hailey dug her fingers into the side of his stomach.
Nejire and Mirio burst out laughing. Tamaki felt a smile form on his face.
So y/n's always been like that;
ambitious.