I woke up this morning and immediately opened the curtains on the window. Lately, I've been really excited to see how much snow has piled up.
"Unyu... Aslin, you're being too loud."
"Filia-chan, don't say that! Look, the snow piled up outside again!!"
"Ah, it really did! We can have a snowball fight today!!"
Since we had never seen snow before, Onii-chan taught us how to play snowball fights, make snowmen, build igloos, and all sorts of fun things.
Our hands get cold and itchy, but we don't really mind. It's just that much fun!
Plus, Onii-chan holds our hands and warms them up, so it's a great deal.
"...You two are so energetic from the morning."
"Labyris-chan, look outside! The snow is piling up!"
"Ara? It really is. I suppose I'll have to warm up inside Yuki again today."
Labyris-chan plays with us, but she quickly slips into Onii-chan's coat to warm herself. I'm a little jealous, but playing in the snow is so fun that I don't mind too much. If I ask Onii-chan, he'll warm me up right away too.
"Hey, are you three awake? ...Well, looks like you are."
"Ah, Onii-chan!"
"Anii-sama!"
"Yuki."
Onii-chan came to wake us, so we all ran over to him immediately.
Lately we haven't been sleeping with Onii-chan as often, but chatting late into the night with Sheila-chan, Killue-san, and the three of us in our own room is really fun, so I don't mind much. Onii-chan falls asleep quickly, so we can't stay up too late with him anyway.
"Onii-chan, what should we play today?"
"Let's see. Instead of an igloo, how about we make a snow castle?"
"Ooh, a castle?! I'm getting motivated!!"
"...That sounds quite elaborate and difficult."
"Onii-chan, are you off today?"
While being carried in Onii-chan's arms, I try asking him about his schedule for today.
"Yeah. I don't have anything to do this morning, so I'll help everyone build the snow castle."
"Yay!!"
"With Anii-sama helping, we can make a huge castle!!"
"That's wonderful. But if you're only free in the morning, does that mean you have plans this afternoon? I thought today was your day off."
Labyris-chan knows Onii-chan's work schedule.
He's usually with us all day on his days off, so it seemed strange.
"Onii-chan, what are your plans for this afternoon?"
"Mmm... Christmas is coming up soon. I need to prepare for that."
"""Christmas?"""
We all tilted our heads.
It was the first time we'd heard that word.
"It's another custom from my homeland. I thought I'd try recreating it here."
"I see~ Then it can't be helped."
"Anii-sama should do what he wants to do."
"That's right. I'm looking forward to this ‘Christmas'."
"Alright. For now, let's wash our faces, eat breakfast, and then play in the snow."
And so, just like usual, we washed our faces, ate breakfast, and played in the snow.
And so, as usual, we washed our faces, ate breakfast, and spent the morning playing in the snow.
* * *
"...Yeah. This is pretty amazing."
"It really is impressive."
Onii-chan and Labyris-chan were making slightly complicated faces.
Why? We followed Filia-chan's instructions and made a proper snow castle.
"Snow can actually be used to make such detailed things… I've seen pictures of snow festivals, but I didn't think we could actually do it."
"Filia's talent is incredible."
"It really is a snow castle..."
I don't really understand. We were making a snow castle, so of course we made a proper one.
"Anii-sama, how is it~!!"
"Yeah, it's amazing!! Alright, I need to go prepare now. I'll be making dinner to match Christmas too, so leave it to me."
"""Okaaay!"""
* * *
After playing for a while longer, we took a bath, relaxed, and then headed to the banquet hall.
And when we got there...
"Whoaaa, amazing!!"
"The tree is glowing!!"
"Heh, so this is Christmas?"
In the corner of the banquet hall stood a tree, glowing beautifully with all sorts of decorations hanging from its branches.
"Oh, Labyris and the others are here. And, what is this?"
Ratz-oneechan and the others had arrived earlier. They were surprised by the tree or staring at it because it was so pretty.
"Umm, this is..."
"—A Christmas tree."
"Ah, Onii-chan?"
Onii-chan came in wearing a red outfit and a red hat.
"What exactly is that outfit?"
Seraria-oneechan also tilted her head curiously.
"I guess there aren't any similar customs around here... Well, it originally started out as a nativity festival, so the religious connotations were way too strong. It only took on its current form after a whole lot of twists and turns."
"Let's see, you look like you're pondering something complicated, but this is called a Christmas tree, right? Since you decorate it like this, is it some kind of celebration?"
Ratz-oneechan called out to Onii-chan, who was lost in thought.
"Yeah, it's a celebration. Originally, where I'm from, it's said to be the day a Hero or a God descended to the earth. People usually celebrate it together with their families. Well, back in my hometown, those religious aspects have mostly faded away, so it's basically just a big festival day. You decorate a Christmas tree like this, eat food made specifically for Christmas, and then..."
Saying that, Onii-chan pulled out a massive white sack from his Item Box.
"On Christmas, there's also a custom where you give presents to the people who are important to you. Here."
With those words, he reached into the white sack and handed everyone a box beautifully wrapped in paper and tied with a ribbon.
"You can open them later, but feel free to open them now if you want."
As soon as Onii-chan said that, everyone quickly tore open the wrapping.
"This is..."
"A scarf!!"
Inside were beautiful patterned scarves — perfect for the cold weather we've been having lately.
"Normally, I should have subtly figured out what you all wanted and picked out presents based on that. But since I hit upon the idea so suddenly, I just used my own judgment to choose a scarf that I thought would look great on each of you. I picked them all based on my own taste, so I'm sorry if it's not quite what you like."
"""No way!! We love them! We'll cherish them forever!!"""
Everyone shouted out in unison.
Of course! There's no way we wouldn't like something Onii-chan chose for us!!
"Well, treasuring them is fine, but please use them too. I'd be happier if you actually wear them, and the scarf would probably prefer that as well. Now then, time to eat Christmas dinner!! We've got pizza, cake, chicken, and all sorts of stuff."
And so, we spent our very first Christmas together.
Outside, snow continued to fall, painting the world white.
"The scarf is so warm..."
"It smells like Anii-sama."
"Fufu, we have to take good care of them."
Later that night, the snow castle we built during the day lit up in all kinds of beautiful, vibrant colors because of a special mechanism Onii-chan had set up for us. It was incredibly pretty.
