By the time the Christmas party that had taken place in Rakuen was over, and by the time they were done with the cleaning, it was nearing midnight. Akira looked like he was about to fall asleep where he stood, so Mizoguchi took him home; Maya was at least in condition to get home by her own, even if Kazuki and Soushi insisted on walking with her there. She tried adamantly to decline, but she gave in after a while, agreeing to them taking her part-way.

She told them goodnight and left the two to head home on their own after a while. "This whole thing took longer than expected," Kazuki said, suppressing a yawn as they walked. "I think I want to just pass out right after getting home."

"Nobody stopping you from doing so," Soushi said with a hint of a smile. He then stopped and looked at Kazuki. "I should at least hand you the gift I got you before I head off."

Kazuki gave him a questioning stare then folded his arms and stared at him. "You're not planning on going to your room in Alvis, alone, on Christmas night, are you? I thought this was supposed to be a holiday for couples? You're coming home with me."

There was no way of changing Kazuki's mind, Soushi knew. He could've protested, but Kazuki would've probably just dragged him along anyway. "All right, fine. I guess I wouldn't mind sleeping in your room for a change," he agreed. "Don't you want your gift, though?"

"Oh, yeah, that." Kazuki looked at him with a smile. "Sure?"

Soushi took a neatly wrapped soft package from under his coat. "Merry Christmas."

He got a quick kiss in return, then Kazuki took the package and carefully removed the paper. "You just probably got me a scarf or something," Kazuki said, smiling brightly.

How'd he guess, anyway? Soushi raised his hand to his forehead. "...Am I that obvious?"

"Mmm. Sometimes," Kazuki said, finishing opening the package - to find exactly what he had guessed. "Or maybe more often than not. This looks like a nice scarf though, and it's chilly here, so it's quite nice to have." He wrapped the long scarf around his neck. "Really, thank you. ...This is really long," he noted, holding up one end. "Should be nice and warm. Actually..." He stepped closer and wrapped the end of the scarf around Soushi's neck. "Yes, this is perfect. It'll keep us both warm!"

This was kind of embarrassing, Soushi thought as Kazuki started dragging him towards his house again. But on the other hand, he figured, it was near midnight and there was a low chance anyone would see them.

On the other hand, this was also kind of nice.