Christmas: The Season of Joy and Giving.
The question in mind is... How do I give back to her?
As he let the question linger on his mind, Ren stared blankly at the pile of notes with his messy scribbles on, hoping to attain enlightenment that way.
Of course that wouldn't work and Ren decided to slam his head on the table and bury himself under the papers to blend in with his surroundings. This grated on the nerves of his housemate, Yuuta, who had kept the place clean.
"Oi!" Yuuta snapped, unable to take Ren's nonsense anymore.
"What the heck are you doing?"
"Yuuuttaa! What should I doooo?" Ren didn't look at the annoyed expression on Yuuta's face.
"I think she hates me."
"Who?" Yuuta frowned, anger replaced by confusion. "If you're talking about Minami, you know if she gets pissed at the two of us she'll kick us out--"
"No, not her. Sayu!"
"Huh? Don't tell me... Did you do something weird again?"
"N-no! I just..." Ren mumbled, trying to search for the right word.
"Thought it would be nice to arrange an assignation with her?"
"What?" Yuuta stared blankly at Ren, who had taken a sudden interest in the floor.
"Umm, I mean... She would be delighted with the idea of a rendezvous or a tryst. Okay, definitely not an affair but--"
"So, you're saying you asked Sayu out on a date?"
"Yea..." Ren nodded, looking uncomfortable when Yuuta said the word 'date'.
"I kept asking her but she said she can't make it or she's busy. She probably had enough and told me I was bothering her. She must hate me by now..."
"You..." Yuuta sighed, guessing what's the problem was. He then snatched up Ren's phone and scrolled past the messages.
"Are you an idiot? 78 messages to her and not one with the words "GO OUT ON A DATE WITH ME"."
"Ahahahah..."
"Don't laugh! You of all people should know that Sayu can be clueless at times, especially when it involves her. Why can't you get straight to the point?!
Stop beating around the bush!
"What assignment? What rendezvous or tryitshiet? Just tell her you want to go on a date with her!" Yuuta lashed out at Ren, who backed away meekly.
"Now, get out this instant and don't you come back till you tell her!"
As soon as those words were uttered, the door slammed shut and Ren found himself standing outside. Ren rolled his eyes at the closed door; he turned around and broke into a run, smiling as he was secretly glad for his friend's help.
*~*~*~*
A delicious sweet smell is emanating from a café. At this time of the day, the place was filled with customers and among the chattering, a voice called out.
"Sayu?"
"Yes?" The girl with pink hair looked up from her phone, hearing her name called.
"What's the matter?" The redhead with her hair in a neat ponytail, Jace (JCWine) asked, for her friend seemed a little glum.
"Nothing much really!" Sayu smiled at Jace, putting away her phone. She then looked to the bespectacled girl seated on the opposite of the table.
"Shuppet. You're close to Ren, aren't you?"
"Yup~" Shuppet nodded, watching the tea in her cup swirl as she stirred it with a spoon. The girls were having a 'girls' day' and were resting at the Café for tea.
"Can you tell me about him?" Sayu asked.
"Ren huh? Let's see, he's a pretty cheery and energetic guy but deep inside, Ren's actually quite sensitive," Shuppet said, before turning to Red, a girl with ruby hair like her name and the fun, blue haired Stormy (RainingStorms).
"I believe the two of you know firsthand how some boys are more sensitive and sweeter than they seem, right Red?~"
"Ooh~ You mean, Snow?" Storm grinned.
Red blushed at the sound of her partner before she smiled, recalling a fond memory.
"Yes, he is a lot sweeter than his actual appearance as a king."
"You two lovebirds should just get a room!" Sayu pouted, pretending to be angry as she placed her hands on her hip.
"I'm jelly!"
"... ..?" Zora lifted her plate of fruit jellies, tilting her head as her white fringe covered her eyes.
"No not that jelly, Zora," Jace laughed, gently pushing the plate down onto the table.
"... Sayu... Likes Ren..?" Zora said suddenly, staring at the pink haired girl in question. Sayu blushed and stood up, waving her hands in a flustered manner.
"N-no! It's not like that!"
"Ohoho~"
"Why are all of you looking at me with that face? It's not--" Just as Sayu was denying, the door of the Café opened and Ren rushed in, panting. It looked like he had ran all the way to the Café and Sayu stood there, staring at him in surprise.
"Sorry, do you mind if I borrow Sayu for a while?" Ren asked the other girls, putting both his hands together. Jace regained her composure and agreed readily, watching Ren and Sayu head out of the Café, holding hands.
"Well girls, looks like our Sayu's all grown up," Jace joked but widened her eyes when she notice Zora glaring at the door with a murderous look.
"Hey Zora, don't be like that? No, don't use the fork as a weapon!"
(Whee~ ⛄❄)
*~*~*~*
Ren glanced at Sayu who's walking quietly beside him, feeling awkward with the weird silence. Did he interrupt something just now?
Both of them then stopped at the back of the Café. Sayu seemed a little uneasy as they both glanced at each other before looking away.
"Ren, umm..."
"Sayu, I- Huh?" Realising that they both had spoken at the same time, Ren and Sayu stared at each other, bewildered. Sayu burst out giggling and Ren cracked a sheepish smile, rubbing his head shyly.
"You go first," Sayu decided and Ren nodded, looking serious.
"Sayu, are you free on Christmas Eve?"
"I told you, I'm a bit busy on-"
"What about the last two hours of that day? I want to be with you, on a date. Would that be okay?"
Sayu blinked at Ren's sudden outburst and bowed her head, looking down. Ren coughed, looking away while mentally ripping out his hair. Stupid Ren! Dummy Ren! Why can't you wait until she finished?!
"Actually, 10 o' clock is past my curfew time when Billy expects me to be home..."
Ren's heart sank as he waited for Sayu to reject him and he tried to look nonchalant about it.
"But! I suppose it can't be helped if Sayu gets kidnapped by an elf when Santa visits her house, right?~" Sayu beamed, putting her finger on her lips and then she winked at Ren.
"No, that going to make Santa sound like a bad guy! What about Sayu helping to save the enchanted lands from the mean rats with a wooden Soldier that's actually a prince?" Ren joked, playing along with Sayu.
"Not bad! That's the Nutcracker, isn't it?"
"Yup, so I'll see you outside your house at ten?" Ren asked, needing to confirm that this was reality as he pinched himself behind his back.
"We'll see each other on the night of the 24th, at 10pm."
And with that, Sayu returned back to the others, leaving Ren smiling as he watched her leave. Maybe, it wasn't so bad to be straightforward sometimes.
*~*~*~*
[Christmas Eve, 10:05pm]
Sayu was surprised when she saw the black motorbike parked right outside her house. Especially when its user lifted his helmet to reveal Ren smiling at her.
"Hop on! But let's not forget your helmet, princess~" Ren passed a grey helmet and helped Sayu to fit into it.
"My, you must have the smallest head in the whole kingdom princess!" Ren said jokingly and Sayu smacked his shoulder, pretending to be annoyed.
"Hurry up! We'll be in trouble if Billy realised we're gone!"
"Yes, ma'am!" Ren saluted and he suddenly grabbed Sayu's hands and wrapped them around his waist.
"Hang on tight! Else you might fall ?~"
"Huh?! Wait, Reeen!!" Sayu squealed as Ren revved up the bike at full speed, whisking them away into the night.
Sayu was so nervous at first that she kept clinging onto Ren, hugging him tightly for all that she could. After a while, she realised it wasn't that scary and even begin to enjoy the ride.
Ren was silent the whole ride, seeming to be concentrating on the journey. Sayu then realised that they were ascending a hill or a mountain and the temperature dropped the higher they went.
"Close your eyes," Ren's voice sounded a bit muffled under the helmet and Sayu heeded his words, shutting her eyes tightly.
It was only until Sayu felt that they had slowed down to a stop then Ren said. "Open your eyes."
As light filled her eyes, Sayu gasped in awe at the scene in front of her. Sheets of endless white covered the hills and under the glow of street lamps. The chilling wind seemed even colder, making it feel like an enchanted Winter Wonderland.
"It's snow! It's real actual snow!" Sayu removed the helmet and got off of the bike, letting her boots sink into the snow.
Ren smiled at Sayu's excitement as he watched her pick up the snow and feel it melt and how she struggled to walk in the thick banks of the white crystals.
"Wow..." Sayu gazed at the edge of the cliff and Ren stepped towards her. From the cliff, the city looked like a miniature model, with the Christmas lights out on display. The mixture of red, green and gold that decorated the buildings were just gorgeous even from a distance.
"It's pretty..!" Sayu sighed and Ren smiled beside her, nodding in agreement. That was when he reached out to hold her hand, looking at her seriously.
"You know, I think you're prettier. Even though there's so many beautiful scenes, I wonder why I can't take my eyes off you?~"
"Geez, that's so cheesy even for my taste!" Sayu laughed, leaning on Ren's shoulder.
So his body is actually this warm... There's still so much she didn't know about him yet.
What's his favourite food? Hobbies? Even, his type? So much to learn but the rate that they're going is so slow that Sayu felt a little impatient. When is he going to notice her feelings?
"... Seriously, what's kind of girl is your type..?"
"Huh? Why that kind of question--?"
"That's because... I don't want to misunderstand anything, okay?" Sayu declared, pointing at Ren with her finger.
"I don't get you at all! You're really such a confusing guy and I really can't tell if you're joking, playing about or being serious! What do you want with me, Sonozaki Ren?"
"Pft- Ahaha!" Ren covered his mouth and tried to muffle his laughter. He calmed down and reached out to ruffle Sayu's hair.
"Never thought you'll say that. You've got me beat, being so cute. But yeah, you're right.
Maybe I don't have very pure intentions of just spending time with you by being on this date."
"What do you mean?" Sayu got confused, unable to think what Ren meant this time.
"Did you forget?" Ren grinned cheekily, leaning closer to Sayu. He whispered into her ear, knowing that his breathing tickle her.
"I'm a guy. And I can do naughty things if you're not careful, miss~"
"You cheek!" Sayu squealed, pushing Ren away as he laughed. She pouted angrily, her cheeks flushed red not just from the cold.
Sayu then bend over and grabbed a fist full of snow with her hands, packing it tightly into a round solid before flinging it at Ren.
The snowball whizzed in the air and landed smack into Ren's face, making him yelp in surprise.
"Hah! Take that!"
"Why you little-! Come here!"
"No way! Don't wanna!!"
As a snowball fight broke out between the two, Time unknowingly passed and the numbers on Ren's watch changed to 0:00.
Bliss, fun and joy. These sweet tastes on Christmas day would definitely be etched in the hearts of those two as unforgettable memories.
~Fin~
A/N:
There will be a 'secret bonus' to this one-shot!~
(＞ ψψ＜)
I won't be satisfied without some spiciness!~~ >:33