Kirihara never used to hate Christmas. In fact, as a child, she loved it. She loved the presents, the decorations, the whole "celebrating something even though it's super-cold" thing. But when she hit high school, Christmas became less about fun and presents, and more about boys, and, well, boys, and it hasn't changed since. Sure, the stores are decorated with the gaudiest lights and trees and whatever fake snow-related things they can come up with, but it's not quite the same. And while she does appreciate the extra desserts people make just for the holiday, it doesn't quite hit the same spot as greasy food does. Or perhaps it's the way Japan so easily borrowed this Western holiday for its own commercial purposes that has her on edge these days.

Ah, who is she kidding? She hates Christmas because of the whole romance aspect. If it was just about gifts, she wouldn't care, it would be like a second birthday, which is how she treated the holiday when she was a child. But now that she's older, old enough to hear the "Christmas cake" jokes more often, she's ready to punch out anyone who asks about her Christmas Eve plans. Like I have any time for romance, she grumbles inside, seeing how the contractor cases have piled up since Halloween. Why winter brings out the crazies, whether in the regular world or hers, is a mystery she has yet to fathom, but it does. Sighing, she glares dully at the still-large amount of pending cases in her inbox, and for a few seconds, wonders if yanking the plug out of the socket will magically make the contractors disappear. Yeah, right. And the false sky will suddenly fill with real stars.

She sighed again, then rolled her head to crack her neck. Even if her caseload suddenly disappeared, with all the contractors taken care of, there was no way she'd have anything romantic lined up for the holiday. At best, she'd spend the day with her father, who hadn't found anyone new since her mother passed away. While she understood his reluctance to get involved with anyone new, she couldn't help but feel pressured every time they spent time together, as he would not-so-subtly ask about any prospects in the romantic department. A few years ago, she joked that she was thinking about having someone new move in with her, he'd seemed so happy that she had to burst his bubble and say she was thinking about getting a cat or dog. She learned never to joke like that again, and kept things cordial, but straightforward with him ever since.

Oh well, another day, another crazy contractor with powers to defy science and rational thought. It was a bit ironic, then, that contractors would be coldly rational, wasn't it? Oh well, she thought, she'd heard the same thing being applied to herself, but it came naturally, even before she chose a field that was male-dominated. She finished typing her report on the last case her team had solved, with a contractor who controlled wind and whose remuneration was practically drowning his face in water. Saitou had pulled the man out of the water fountain, thinking the contractor was trying to kill himself, but that "saving" act turned out to have negative results for the contractor, resulting in a rare arrest for Saitou. Dumb luck, yes, but for once, Saitou was on the receiving end of it, and she had found herself smiling a rare smile at her subordinate. While Saitou wrote a brief summary of his actions, Kirihara still had to write out the entire report, beginning to end, and dig up the file that Saitou had, in his usual manner, misfiled in his computer. "One would think, after all this time, he would know where to file them," she muttered under her breath, then shook her head. No, that would be asking for another miracle, and she hated pushing it, even if it was touted to be the season for miracles. Oh well, at least writing the report excused her from Saitou's celebration party with the rest of the section, which was a small reprieve from forced socialization with drunk people, a.k.a. her coworkers.

Her cell phone rang, startling her from her unpleasant reveries. "Hello, Kanami," she said when she saw the name on her phone, relaxing her tone somewhat.

"Hey, Misaki," her friend said brightly. "Guess what?"

"I shudder to think," Kirihara said, only half-joking.

"We're going bar-hopping for Christmas Eve!" Kanami shouted. "Isn't that great?"

Kirihara pinched the bridge of her nose over the bridge of her glasses. "You do realize that tomorrow's Christmas Eve, right?"

"Yeah, so? I know you don't have any plans, Misaki, and contractor activity can wait unless it's an emergency. Hence, we're going out tomorrow and getting totally wasted."

"And I have to see my father Christmas Day," Kirihara reminded her friend, unconsciously straightening her posture as she spoke.

"So do I, and my mom, too," her friend said, and Kirihara could almost see Kanami shrugging before tossing her brown ponytailed head. "I'll pick you up after work tomorrow. Don't forget to wear something cute!"

A flat smile crawled across Kirihara's face. "What if I forget?"

"I've got a dress or two you could wear, and I'll make you change clothes in the car," her friend said evilly. Dammit. "Got it?"

"Got it," Kirihara sighed, "I'll see you tomorrow."

"I swear, you make it sound like I'm dragging you in front of a firing squad," Kanami pouted, "I promise, we're gonna have fun! See ya!"

"See you," Kirihara nodded, and hung up. Then she looked up at the featureless ceiling. She really didn't have much in the way of party clothes, and her casual clothes were sporty more than dressy. She'd have to go shopping, which meant she'd have to spend money with her friend who seemed intent on going for high-price name brands. Great.