"Mother…" Tooru thought to herself unhappily as she walked to the store, "I don't know what I
should do. Everyone is being so kind…"
Tooru sighed and went over the other conversation she'd had that day.
Sitting in home Economics with Uo-chan and Hana-chan she'd been happily dicing carrots,
showing off the techniques she'd practiced at home. "I think for Christmas I'll try a Western dish.
Shigure-san is fond of western dishes. I want to try some desserts too. I don't know what Yuki-
kun or Kyou-kun likes for that kind of thing though. They don't seem to eat much sweet
stuff…maybe a cake…"
"Eh," Arisa raised her eyebrow, and lounged back eating one of the carrots. "You're going to be
celebrating Christmas with the Soumas?"
"Yes," Tooru beamed, "Aunt and Uncle are going to be visiting their son in school and
Grandfather is going to go with them. I want to thank the Soumas for taking care of me, so I want
to make a really special Christmas dinner." She looked up in surprise. "Ah! I have to go shopping
for their Christmas gifts! Do you want to go shopping with me after school tomorrow?" She slid
the chopped vegetables into the bubbling pot, and started to stir them.
"Tooru-chan…" Hana-chan appeared behind her shoulder a dark cloud of concern wavering
behind her; electricity flashing, "You weren't planning to spend all of your part-time money on
gifts…" sparks flew in mad abandon in her eyes, "…were you?"
Tooru felt her face go blank, and her eyes became huge, she held a forgotten ladle in her hand.
Uo-chan let her chair's front legs slam to the floor, and slapped her knee. "Aaaaah…" She stood
and leaned in to peer into Tooru's eyes. "You were! Tooru, you're so sweet!" She hugged her
close wrapping her arms around and laying her cheek across the crown of her head completely
ignoring the wet ladle. "You can't afford to do that! You'll work yourself to death and Kyoko-san
would never forgive us."
"Eh?" Tooru's ladle dripped on the floor, "Eh?"
"Tooru-chan…" Hana-chan laid a hand on her shoulder, "You'll remember not to buy us gifts…"
glimmers of light flit about her hair, "…won't you?"
"Right!" Uo-chan pushed Tooru back and away from her, holding onto her shoulders so she could
peer into her eyes again. She glared at the girl in her arms, one-eyed behind her hair, "Promise
that you won't spend your money on us!"
Tooru looked back and forth between her two best friends in surprise. "Eh?!"
"To-ru! To-ru!"
Tooru blinked and woke up out of her reverie to see Momiji. He was dressed in a flouncy jacket
with lace at the sleeves and collar. He wore a hat with bunny ears that flopped around as he
turned his head from side to side. He had a small package under his arm and was looking up at
her with curious eyes and a big smile on his face.
"Are you going to market? Why aren't Kyou or Yuki with you?"
"Ah-ah!" She stammered, ashamed to say she'd wanted to be by herself, "I just needed a couple of
things. I'm fine by myself!"
The younger boy frowned. He was exceedingly good at reading other people and knew that
wasn't the whole story. He suspected he knew what it was. "To-ru...did Shigure talk to you
today…about Christmas?"
"Eh?" Tooru felt herself go white-faced. Was everyone talking about her?
"He did, didn't he?" Momiji looked concerned.
Tooru tried to compose herself, but felt a little sweat dot her brow, "Y-yes, he did, I understand
that I'm not supposed to buy Shigure-san, Yuki-kun or Kyou-kun any presents for Christmas."
Momiji's eyes widened, "To-ru…you shouldn't be buying gifts for any of us. Shigure was
supposed to make sure you knew that." He smiled, "We all know how hard you work. None of us
want to make things any harder on you! Hari would've have put a "doctor-stop" on you to keep
you from wasting your money on us if he could!"
Tooru blushed and tried to smile. "The Souma's are so kind to me." She looked at her watch, "Ah!
It's getting so late! I've got to get to market so that dinner will be on time. Please visit for
Christmas, I'm making a special dinner!" She ran off before her voice or her face could betray her
further.
Momiji looked after her, brow furrowed. He decided to make a stop before he went home.
* * *
"Mother, everyone is being too kind." Tooru thought to herself as she looked desolately at the
meats in the freezer. Every year she and her mother had exchanged gifts, and it had been so much
fun to search and find that perfect thing that would make her mother's eyes light. When Uo-chan
and Hana-chan had become her friends, she'd come to enjoy seeing the expression of surprise and
pleasure that would come with finding the gift that was just right. This year…She unhappily
placed a package into her basket…this year she had planned to see all the wonderful expressions
of the Souma family. She had looked forward to seeing Kyou-kun, and Yuki-kun, and all the rest,
in all their many styles. "Mother…" she wandered up the isle to pay for her purchases, "I want to
repay them all for being so kind…But now I don't know what to do."
She stood in line, staring off into space, pondering.
"So I made him a scarf...but I don't know if I can give it to him...it's so old-fashioned!"
Tooru's blinked and focused on the conversation in front of her. Two young women were chatting
as they waited in line.
"No, no, you should give it to him, handmade is the best. He'll really know how much you care."
"That's what I'm afraid of!"
The second woman laughed as she paid for her groceries, looking over her shoulder, "You
coward." The two left laughing and chattering.
The clerk looked at Tooru, "Paper or Plastic?"
Struck by an idea, Tooru held her fist up in determination and her eyebrows came down to stare
determinedly at the clerk, "PAPER! Definitely PAPER!"
"Y-yes ma'am!" the clerk said, white-faced as he bagged her groceries, double bagging it just in
case.
As she flew out of the store, Tooru sent a happy thought out to the heavens, "Mother, I can't wait
for Christmas! I'll work hard, I promise!"
should do. Everyone is being so kind…"
Tooru sighed and went over the other conversation she'd had that day.
Sitting in home Economics with Uo-chan and Hana-chan she'd been happily dicing carrots,
showing off the techniques she'd practiced at home. "I think for Christmas I'll try a Western dish.
Shigure-san is fond of western dishes. I want to try some desserts too. I don't know what Yuki-
kun or Kyou-kun likes for that kind of thing though. They don't seem to eat much sweet
stuff…maybe a cake…"
"Eh," Arisa raised her eyebrow, and lounged back eating one of the carrots. "You're going to be
celebrating Christmas with the Soumas?"
"Yes," Tooru beamed, "Aunt and Uncle are going to be visiting their son in school and
Grandfather is going to go with them. I want to thank the Soumas for taking care of me, so I want
to make a really special Christmas dinner." She looked up in surprise. "Ah! I have to go shopping
for their Christmas gifts! Do you want to go shopping with me after school tomorrow?" She slid
the chopped vegetables into the bubbling pot, and started to stir them.
"Tooru-chan…" Hana-chan appeared behind her shoulder a dark cloud of concern wavering
behind her; electricity flashing, "You weren't planning to spend all of your part-time money on
gifts…" sparks flew in mad abandon in her eyes, "…were you?"
Tooru felt her face go blank, and her eyes became huge, she held a forgotten ladle in her hand.
Uo-chan let her chair's front legs slam to the floor, and slapped her knee. "Aaaaah…" She stood
and leaned in to peer into Tooru's eyes. "You were! Tooru, you're so sweet!" She hugged her
close wrapping her arms around and laying her cheek across the crown of her head completely
ignoring the wet ladle. "You can't afford to do that! You'll work yourself to death and Kyoko-san
would never forgive us."
"Eh?" Tooru's ladle dripped on the floor, "Eh?"
"Tooru-chan…" Hana-chan laid a hand on her shoulder, "You'll remember not to buy us gifts…"
glimmers of light flit about her hair, "…won't you?"
"Right!" Uo-chan pushed Tooru back and away from her, holding onto her shoulders so she could
peer into her eyes again. She glared at the girl in her arms, one-eyed behind her hair, "Promise
that you won't spend your money on us!"
Tooru looked back and forth between her two best friends in surprise. "Eh?!"
"To-ru! To-ru!"
Tooru blinked and woke up out of her reverie to see Momiji. He was dressed in a flouncy jacket
with lace at the sleeves and collar. He wore a hat with bunny ears that flopped around as he
turned his head from side to side. He had a small package under his arm and was looking up at
her with curious eyes and a big smile on his face.
"Are you going to market? Why aren't Kyou or Yuki with you?"
"Ah-ah!" She stammered, ashamed to say she'd wanted to be by herself, "I just needed a couple of
things. I'm fine by myself!"
The younger boy frowned. He was exceedingly good at reading other people and knew that
wasn't the whole story. He suspected he knew what it was. "To-ru...did Shigure talk to you
today…about Christmas?"
"Eh?" Tooru felt herself go white-faced. Was everyone talking about her?
"He did, didn't he?" Momiji looked concerned.
Tooru tried to compose herself, but felt a little sweat dot her brow, "Y-yes, he did, I understand
that I'm not supposed to buy Shigure-san, Yuki-kun or Kyou-kun any presents for Christmas."
Momiji's eyes widened, "To-ru…you shouldn't be buying gifts for any of us. Shigure was
supposed to make sure you knew that." He smiled, "We all know how hard you work. None of us
want to make things any harder on you! Hari would've have put a "doctor-stop" on you to keep
you from wasting your money on us if he could!"
Tooru blushed and tried to smile. "The Souma's are so kind to me." She looked at her watch, "Ah!
It's getting so late! I've got to get to market so that dinner will be on time. Please visit for
Christmas, I'm making a special dinner!" She ran off before her voice or her face could betray her
further.
Momiji looked after her, brow furrowed. He decided to make a stop before he went home.
* * *
"Mother, everyone is being too kind." Tooru thought to herself as she looked desolately at the
meats in the freezer. Every year she and her mother had exchanged gifts, and it had been so much
fun to search and find that perfect thing that would make her mother's eyes light. When Uo-chan
and Hana-chan had become her friends, she'd come to enjoy seeing the expression of surprise and
pleasure that would come with finding the gift that was just right. This year…She unhappily
placed a package into her basket…this year she had planned to see all the wonderful expressions
of the Souma family. She had looked forward to seeing Kyou-kun, and Yuki-kun, and all the rest,
in all their many styles. "Mother…" she wandered up the isle to pay for her purchases, "I want to
repay them all for being so kind…But now I don't know what to do."
She stood in line, staring off into space, pondering.
"So I made him a scarf...but I don't know if I can give it to him...it's so old-fashioned!"
Tooru's blinked and focused on the conversation in front of her. Two young women were chatting
as they waited in line.
"No, no, you should give it to him, handmade is the best. He'll really know how much you care."
"That's what I'm afraid of!"
The second woman laughed as she paid for her groceries, looking over her shoulder, "You
coward." The two left laughing and chattering.
The clerk looked at Tooru, "Paper or Plastic?"
Struck by an idea, Tooru held her fist up in determination and her eyebrows came down to stare
determinedly at the clerk, "PAPER! Definitely PAPER!"
"Y-yes ma'am!" the clerk said, white-faced as he bagged her groceries, double bagging it just in
case.
As she flew out of the store, Tooru sent a happy thought out to the heavens, "Mother, I can't wait
for Christmas! I'll work hard, I promise!"