After Reaching the Happy Ending, I Was Locked up by the Extremely Possessive Heroines I Had Conquered

Chapter 61: Afterstory – Christmas Eve with My Junior

“Senpai, today is Christmas Eve, you know?”

“Toa? Why are you here?”

“You can’t work on Christmas Eve. Santa will get mad at you.”

It happened during the company’s lunch break.

Since it was December 24, the streets were filled with Christmas spirit. I had just bought coffee at a convenience store when Toa suddenly called out to me.

She must have come straight from university, since she had a shoulder bag hanging from her shoulder.

That part was the same as always, but her hair was lightly curled, and her cheeks carried a faint flush. It somehow felt like she had dressed up a little more than usual.

“Santa works too, doesn’t he?”

“That’s not the point, Senpai.”

Toa let a scent of perfume drift toward me as she flashed a mischievous little smile. Then she leaned in close and whispered.

“Once work is over, won’t you go on a little date with me?”

“Sorry. I’m late.”

“You work overtime too much.”

After finishing work, I hurried to the meeting spot in front of Ochanomizu Station. Toa stood there with her cheeks puffed out in dissatisfaction.

“It’s good that you’re serious about your job, but if you’re on the last train every day, I get lonely because we can’t meet, you know?”

“Sorry, sorry. Work is fun, so I get carried away.”

“Today you finished earlier than usual, so I’ll forgive you.”

When she said that, I checked the time and saw it was already past six.

“Still, is this really okay?”

“Yes. Satori is still at work, and Mahiru didn’t wake up until noon, so it’s fine.”

“That sounds like the bad kind…”

“It’s okay. Really okay.”

Toa smiled brightly.

What I was confirming was whether it was all right to come home late.

Originally, since it was Christmas Eve, I had planned to go home early and eat chicken with everyone.

But because Toa invited me on a date, that plan got canceled. According to her, it wouldn’t be a problem even if I came home late today.

I didn’t know if that was true, but I decided not to think too deeply about it. That way I could enjoy the moment more.

“Senpai, let’s go.”

“By the way, did you decide on a place?”

“Yes! Let’s go see the illuminations!”

She took my arm and headed toward the station, bouncing happily.

As I watched her profile, the tiredness from the end of the workday seemed to melt away.

We boarded the Marunouchi Line at Ochanomizu Station and swayed with the train. Even though we got caught in the evening rush and the crowded car wore me out, I quietly asked Toa.

“Where are we headed?”

“Hehe, it’s a secret.”

The train passed Awajicho and Otemachi, then approached Tokyo Station. For a moment I wondered if she was taking me somewhere on the Shinkansen, but that turned out to be needless worry. We stayed on the train.

After passing Ginza, I completely lost track of where we were going. Before long, the train stopped at Kokkai-gijidomae.

At that moment, Toa tugged hard on my arm.

“Senpai, we’re getting off here.”

“Here!?”

“Yes. Hurry.”

“We’re going to the National Diet Building!?”

Confused, I stepped onto the platform anyway.

“Senpai, this way.”

“Wait, really the Diet Building? We’re supposed to see illuminations, right?”

Common sense told me it made no sense, but maybe it had something to do with the three great families.

With that uneasy thought, I passed through the ticket gate and found myself surrounded by buildings that had nothing to do with illuminations.

The orderly structures of the Parliamentary Press Club, the Cabinet Office, and others gave off a mysterious sense of pressure, but the force with which Toa pulled my arm was far stronger.

“Illuminations?”

“Don’t worry. I’ll take you to a hidden spot where the lights are beautiful and there aren’t many people.”

I see. When people around here think of illuminations, they think of Tokyo Station, but it’s way too crowded there. It’s hard to say you can enjoy quiet time together.

If there’s a moderately empty hidden spot, that would obviously be better.

Braving the cold wind between the buildings, we walked through the office district. Little by little the scenery changed, and after passing Akasaka-mitsuke, more restaurants started appearing.

But Toa paid them no attention and kept pulling me forward. Soon the area turned back into offices, and across a river, there it was.

“Hehe, what do you think? The illuminations are really there, right?”

“Yeah… this is definitely…”

It was truly an illumination display.

—Tokyo Garden Terrace.

The first thing that greeted us was a Christmas tree.

Made of glass, it sparkled with reflected pastel-colored lights. At the very top sat a star shining golden.

The surrounding trees were strung with soft pink bulbs, creating a scene that looked as if cherry blossoms were in bloom.

A Christmas tree glowing amid cherry blossoms.

I stood overwhelmed by the fantastical sight.

“…You know a good place.”

“I searched a lot for this day.”

Toa smiled a little proudly as she said that.

I never imagined the Christmas date had been planned so carefully. Even so, the fact that I still found it endearing was strange, I thought.

“It’s really beautiful.”

The lights reflected in Toa’s eyes, making them sparkle.

I couldn’t help staring at her captivating figure. Suddenly she turned toward me.

“Senpai, will you come here again with me next year, just the two of us?”

She asked slowly.

“I want to see the same view alone together next year too. Of course we’ll keep it secret from Satori and Mahiru, okay? I want time that’s just for us.”

“…Yeah.”

“—Will you promise?”

“Of course.”

I answered right away.

I wanted to share this view only with her. I wanted to keep it as a memory that belonged to just the two of us, a secret.

Because I felt that way, I nodded firmly and pulled her into a hug.

Maybe from the cold air outside, her body felt a little cool.

Even so, her lips were surprisingly warm when they touched, and I naturally felt my chest fill with warmth.

It became a special Christmas Eve I would always remember.

Later, when we got home, a storm was waiting for us, but that’s another story.