13 chapters in and I'm still writing for free ( ͡° ʖ̯ ͡°)

It's been a shit week, and can't even find fun in GoT because it became a fanfiction of a fanfiction

I updated chap 3 – Sliver of Peace btw. Just some general typo-fixing, nothing major, but go ahead and re-read it since it's actually my personal fav chap so far

Anyway,

E-word ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

Everyday Life with Supernatural Girls

Chapter 12

||Christmas Is Beautiful Today||

Christmas had finally arrived to the small peaceful town somewhere in Japan. Many spends this holiday with their families and friends, their loved ones, or by themselves for those who were away from their families and friends. Such was Issei's Christmas last year. Not because he didn't want to spend it with his family and shun himself off, but because he overslept.

Apparently overworking during Christmas Eve was not a good idea. The pay was nice though, and plus, he didn't have to spend his Christmas staring at other couples doing couple things. And he realized, missing out a Christmas wasn't that big of a deal as he grew older.

This Christmas, however, Issei was currently spending it with his two best of friends.

One problem though.

"Not gonna lie, I never thought a day like this would ever happen in my life." He said, as bitterly as possible as he watched the two girls giddying over some overpriced apparels.

"What's that supposed to mean you dick?" Complained the bald Matsuda.

"Oh- I'm the dick here. Dude, I'm third-wheeling! And for both of you guys! What do you even call that?!"

"Heh, that makes you double the third-wheel." Motohama cackled. "C'mon man, don't be like that! You should be happy that we got ourselves a girlfriend before you do. And hey, maybe in some other universe, you're the one who got lucky first."

"Might even be a harem too. Then you get another and another girl and then you left us two in the dust for good without ever looking back."

Issei recoiled at the thought of leaving his two best friends who had stuck with him through bad times and worse because he had gotten a girl or attained a harem. What kind of an ungrateful prick would do that?

"Well, this isn't that universe and I am still third-wheeling!"

"Double, third-wheeling." Motohama corrected.

"Shaddup you four-eyes!"

In truth, it could be worse. He knew it could be worse. They could have just invited him only to left him behind as they walked around with their girlfriend. In fact, Issei was enjoying his time, and so did the M&M.

"Geez, guys, you shouldn't bully Issei like that." Katase chided. She was the most compassionate girl among the kendo club, though her hit hurts as much. "You can't do that, that's not nice."

"Of course it's not!" Matsuda defended. "This is what guys do, see? No hard feelings. We make fun of each other because if we go 'aww, hello Ise-kun, are you doing okay? How is your feelings today uwu?', we'd puke."

Both Issei and Motohama agreed. "I can't believe he outright said 'uwu' but other than that; he's right you know."

"Boys will be boys." Murayama said with a defeated sigh. "You and your 'manliness'."

"It's not about being manly. Dude, Ise, if I say that to you what would you do?"

"If you say 'uwu' again? Blast your face."

Matsuda made a face, the kind that most people make when they got their point proven. "See? We don't say nice things because it'll be weird. We know we're just fucking around anyway."

"But why though?" Katase asked. She was mystified by a cute woolen hat a bit earlier ago, but found the 'complexity' of her boyfriend was a more interesting topic. "It's kinda weird. Are guys just a bunch of tsun?"

"Wha—hell no!" the trio chided.

"Look," Motohama continued, "we don't because it's not our norm. It's just things we just kinda do. We can stare at something and think about nothing – doing absolutely nothing. Not spacing out, not daydreaming – just plain nothing. Am I right?"

Issei and Matsuda nodded.

"That's just silly." Murayama chuckled, shrugging it off. "How do you do nothing?"

"You do nothing." Motohama simply said. "Even I who are intellectually superior than these two do nothing sometimes."

Issei and Matsuda hit their friend in the head, surprising the girls.

What surprised them even more was Motohama's nonchalant reaction as he continued his little explanation. "Like I said, just things we do. Not to all the guys, but just guys in general. Here's another example; you see a puppy. A real cute puppy. Maybe a chihuahua-"

"Chihuahuas aren't cute." Issei interjected, because he saw chihuahua as noisy little bastards and had always wondered how far he could punt it. Not that he would do it.

Motohama sighed. What a pain in the ass. "Fine, a corgi then." He said before the girls came to the defense of the tiny dog species.

"Aww~ I love corgis!" Squealed Murayama. "I like it when they lie on the floor and spread their short legs so they look like a rug."

"Yes, yes. Cute little cretin that just have that 'if you don't pet me, I'll cry' kind of look. What would you do? You'd pet it, right?"

"Yeah! Of course!" Murayama cheerily said, not sure where this was going, but she won't say no to a puppy. "It's not like you guys won't do the same though."

"But we won't go overboard with it." Issei added, already knowing the direction his glassed friend was heading. "Wait, no. We can't go overboard with it. We'd pet it, sure. Give it a stroke or two, tell him "who's the good boy or girl?" but we won't squee over it or cuddle it to death."

"Why not?" Katase asked innocently.

"Try picturing Matsu doing all of that. Imagine him asking us guys to go into a toilet with him or saying cutesy words like 'thankies'." Motohama chimed, and already Issei looked as though he was going to puke.

"What? Why me?"

"Okay, fair point. That's disgusting." Now both girls saw from their perspective. Matsuda felt saddened at their quick conclusion, though. "Yeah. I guess it'd be kinda weird."

"Exactly." Matsuda affirmed. "And we're cool with it being that way. We just look at each other and say 'hey, fuck you' and get a 'fuck you too' in reply, but at the end of the day; we know they have our back, and to be honest, it's not a bad thing."

Katase melted. "Aww, that's adorable. I guess you guys really are tsun to other guys."

"What?! What the- no! Aaagh—go away and go look at some clothes!" Matsuda scrambled about, his face getting red as the other two boys facepalmed, disappointed. The girls giggled as they scuttled away. "I shouldn't have said anything. Screw you, Ise. You did this."

"Whatever you say, Matsundere. You could've left it at 'fuck you too'." Issei scoffed as he and Motohama continued after the girls.

"That'll stick."

Matsuda slumped down, the light snow cushioning his knees as he became mentally lifeless.

Break

The famed trio strutted ahead towards a furniture store as Issei had his mind set on an item. Murayama and Katase was trapped by the entice of 40% off Christmas sale discount sign earlier, and had told the boys to go ahead.

Issei didn't feel exactly great about it, since he was surprisingly considerate. "You sure you're tagging along? The store's not that close y'know."

"Yeah man, don't sweat it. You've no idea how long they can just stare at two clothes that look the same, mull about buying one of them, but then buying something else. It's nuts. Literally, nuts."

"To be fair, they think more than we do." Reasoned Motohama. Though, he didn't sound any sympathetic towards the idea of walking laps around an entire department store. "Just looking nice isn't enough apparently. Well, at least that's what Katase said."

"Didn't expect her to like shopping." Issei muttered. The way she dressed was rather modest. A pink sweater underneath a thick jacket, coupled with a nice skirt and a fluffy pink hat that he hadn't the slightest clue what its name is. Murayama was slightly flashier and girlier than her doe-eyed friend.

Those two had good fashion sense – Issei knew this since high school when he had to hide from them in public to prevent any attacks. As for their boyfriends? Not so much. Matsuda always wore what he thought is more comfortable, while Motohama always preferred to wear something that would make him less noticeable in a crowd.

"She is when there's a discount. Or if Murayama's with her."

"Yeaahh… fair enough. I won't say 'no' to discount quality meat either." Issei admitted. Maybe he should buy some for the Nekoshou plus Kunou. "But damn. I never thought you guys hooked up with them – or anyone, really." The two smiled sheepishly, disregarding Issei's quip. "Don't smile you fuckers."

Matsuda was the first to contain the smile. "Me neither man. Dude, first thing I thought when I found out Murayama was going to be the soccer team's manager was; 'ah shit, here we go again."

"Heh. Same."

Issei frowned. "Wh—don't 'same' me, you ass! Elaborate! You're even in the same major as her, what's it like when you two met again?"

"I told you, it's the same like Matsu's but less exciting. We got into different cliques, never really hung out together - we didn't even talk aside from some awkward hi's and cya's."

"Huh. That so? How the hell did you two set off then."

"Simple; I aced every test, she flunked some. Normally she asked her friends for help, but this one time, the smartest of her friends failed as well. It was a pretty hard subject – you guys won't get it-"
"True but you're still a cunt."

"-so the prof had us split into study groups. She got in my group, and the rest just kinda happens."

Issei nodded, acknowledging as well as giving Motohama the 'not bad' look of approval. There was jealousy – obviously – but not to the point he would condemn two of his best friends and never hang out with them again for he is not a one-dimensional character with a personality lesser than a plank.

He noticed Matsuda didn't look surprised. "You knew?"

"Yeah. Katase told Murayama and then Murayama told me." The baldy with the beanie said. "Now my turn. Ask me. Go on."

His expectation killed Issei's excitement. "Yeah. Nah."

"Ha, lol." Motohama lol'ed audibly.

"Screw you I'm telling you anyway. So my story begins in this one afternoon…"

His unneeded gushiness was cut short as not one, but two pair of violet eyes set upon him, and one of the owners called his name.

"Issei?"

The trio stopped their walk almost in sync as they turned their head around towards the source of that light feminine voice, which was directly in front of them. Issei stopped and looked because it was his name that was called, and in midst of the chatters of the few crowds, it was rather loud. The M&M stopped and looked because they were hoping it was just only in their imagination.

Unless they were imagining the two girls walking towards them, it wasn't in their imagination.

A stylishly-dressed Raynare lit up as she and the other girl stopped at a comfortable talking distance. "It's you! Ah- it would've been embarrassing if you were someone else… good thing you're not." She giggled.

Neither of the M&M could stop looking at this new specimen that had graced them with her presence. Issei was a bit lost too, as Raynare was a girl of good looks and good body and as it had just been established at this very moment; a good taste of fashion. That slim-fit black sweater certainly emphasized her chest and curves. The wool-knitted newsboy cap was a nice touch too.

However, the surprise did not end there. Beside the Fallen Angel stood the pretty lady who had hot chocolate and buttermilk waffle topped with vanilla ice cream and glazed with chocolate syrup at a fast food restaurant at Christmas Eve. She was a bit like Katase with her clothes; nothing fancy but still pretty, except looking more dignified and mature.

Her breast power was off the chart too.

But aside from that, the 'Onee-san' vibe was strong in this one. Issei could practically hear the ara-ara's and the ufufufu's.

Before he could settle in his wildly imaginative mind and his unbendable attraction towards good boobs, Raynare led the conversation.

"Are these your friends? Hello, I'm Amano Yuuma. Nice to meet you."

'Yuuma?' No she wasn't a Yuuma. Unless Issei forgot her name or she lied to him, which was unlikely. But Issei remembered 'Raynare' wasn't exactly the most Japanese of names, and supposed she would rather avoid attention.

He wondered if she had thought of her fake name prior to meeting. Probably had with all the people she met daily.

"Uh… we're… the M&M." No, that wasn't right. Matsuda the Bald quickly recovered. "I'm Matsuda, he's Motohama."

Motohama only nodded along, mouth slightly ajar, awkwardly fixing his glasses, not yet recovered from the shock that Issei knew another beautiful girl that was beyond their combined league.

"M&M? Fufu, like that candy." Raynare [for the sake of simplicity and lesser names, shall be referred to as Raynare instead of Yuuma] tittered as she looked at Issei. "How nice for you and your friends to spend Christmas together."

That was a tease. A cruel one that hits home. One that Issei would look back happily in the next couple of sentences.

"Oh, no, no, no," Matsuda was quick to shoot down the notion of three stooges spending Christmas together. "our girlfriends are shopping some clothes. We're helping him look for something."

"Girlfriends?" Raynare squinted, and as she worked the pieces, smiled teasingly at Issei who lacked a girlfriend. "Aww, you're double third-wheeling?"

Issei pulled a frown and nodded a very sad nod. He wasn't an actor, but he was good at acting in a way that would annoy his friends.

"Aww… it must be torturous for you to walk around and see couples everywhere, isn't it? If only they could disappear all of a sudden…"

Raynare was genuinely sulking. Matsuda and Motohama laughed nervously, but Issei laughed lively. "So I'm not the only one thinking that."

"Honestly I just wanna laze at home… days like this are awful for us single ladies. Buuut she wanted a tour, so…" Raynare gestured to the girl beside her who smiled shamelessly. During that, Raynare gave Issei a meaningful look.

Because he knew there was zero chance she was hitting on him, Issei caught onto the hint; the girl's a Supernatural.

"Hello, good afternoon." she bowed courteously. Her voice was as soft and light as it was last night. Not as soft as Katase but was also lighter, as if the words she said floated the instant it left her mouth. "Himejima Akeno, pleased to meet you."

"Woah. Your voice's real nice." Was Matsuda's words of awe.

"Ara~, thank you, ufufu~." Akeno smiled the same smile she gave to Issei. Natural or not, it was undeniably pretty.

Beautiful, she was, but it wasn't her beauty that blew away the minds of the three idiots. It was the a-word and what they deemed to be the 'trademark giggles of all onee-san'. None of them thought a day like this would come where they encounter such fairytale individual out in the wild.

"Hmmn…? Ara, have I seen you somewhere?"

"Ah, you might not remember it, but I was the guy at the JFC last night. Waffles and hot chocolate, right?"

"Hmmn…?" Thinking for a moment, Akeno clapped her hands in delight a few seconds later as she scrutinized Issei's face. He was nervous during then – being stared at wasn't his favorite activity. "Oh my, yes, I do remember. Ufufu, it's funny how we would meet again."

He would say 'this might be fate' if he believed in such thing. "I'm Issei. You can find me at the nearest JFC."

"Ufufu, I'll keep that in mind. Pleased to meet you, Issei-kun." She smiled the exact same smile she gave him last night. It was refreshing.

Not long later, Raynare dragged Akeno along to continue their small tour. The trio, too, continued their way to the furniture store, and not without discussing their recent event.

"Dude, dude. DUUUDE. She said it." Matsuda jumpstarted the discussion, a palm on his forehead.

"Oh man—an actual ara-ara onee-san." Motohama continued with no less exhilaration. "They exist. In a 3d mortal plane even!"

Issei couldn't believe it either. "I didn't think it would bother me, but man, this is something else. It's like… it's like… I don't even know what it's like."

"It's like meeting an anime character." Motohama concluded, and the rest nodded in agreement.

"And her tits." Matsuda continued in a more whispered voice. "Dude. Those were some serious bazoongas."

The rest nodded in agreement.

"A big tiddy ara-ara onee-san. We finally met one. Now what's left is a big tiddy goth girlfriend…"

It was an unemotional emotional moment.

"Alright." Matsuda suddenly said, ruining the moment. "Let's put this aside for a second… and ask Issei how the hell does he keep meeting pretty girls." Only Motohama seconded him. "So, Issei, what the fuck?"

"I work at a fast food restaurant! You see people there!"

"Uh-huh, yeah, sure." Matsuda would not accept that as an argument, not even if his hair grew back, "What kind of a fast-food restaurant employee gets remembered by two pretty girls huh? I can understand if they're fellow employees – but, the thing, is, they're not. I've never seen them before. Are you a harem main character or something?"

"As if!" Issei chided, but then he thought for a moment. And as he thought about it, he fairly resembled one. "…Well actually…"

"NO! WE REFUSE."

"What?! Why?! You'd get to meet them too!"

Matsuda walked ahead and then placed his hand on Issei's shoulders, looking straight at him with a grim expression.

"Ise… don't you remember what kind of characters we hate more than sparkling bishie?"

Ah. Yes. "Dense and generic harem main characters."

"Exactly." Motohama followed as he stood beside Issei. "And what do we say to them?"

"Fucking pieces of shit, go die."

"Indeed. Do you want to be one of them?"

"Hell no."

And thus, Issei was brainwashed for the better good. That said, he still wondered what would happen if in the off-chance, he was some kind of a main character of a harem thing. He wondered if things like a harem could happen in his part of the world without money or doing bad stuffs.

"But wait a minute, aren't you guys closer to a harem than me?" Issei reraised the topic as they were nearing their destination.

"HAH! Murayama will murder me."

"Same."

"Oh. Right."

Well, so much for a polyamorous relationship.

"You should focus on getting one first dude. You can't even get a hold of one, why bother yourself with a harem?"

Motohama blasted laughing, and Matsuda did too after he failed his poker face.

"Fuck you. A man can dream." Issei replied, upset, but laughed along anyway.

He just hoped, regardless if he ever attained his harem or not, these two would be there to make fun of him or be deathly jealous of him.

Half an hour later, Issei bid his best friends goodbye as he didn't want to annoy them any further, and as much as he wanted to be a dick, he just couldn't. He wasn't a dick.

"Come on, you guys have your girlfriends. It's Christmas. Fuck off and spend time with them."

"Bro."

"Bro."

Matsuda and Motohama stared at their bro for quite a while until Issei decided it had become weird.

"Go away. You're creeping me out now."

"Alright, fine, fine." Matsuda laughed. "Merry Christmas man."

"Merry Christmas dude. Say hi to Yasaka-san for us if you see her."

"Yeah. No." Issei said with a grin, "Merry Christmas."

Thus, the trio parted ways for the day. Item bought and his wallet lighter, Issei headed straight to his next destination. Would the sacrifice be worth it? Was it a good thing to buy? Issei supposed he could only wait and see. It had a month refund guarantee so what the hell, he thought.

However, now that he was walking alone, the 'being alone in Christmas' became painfully annoying the more he walked, and more and more couples suddenly became more noticeable. He tried his best to ignore it, but it wasn't as easy. Issei was fine with being single, but that didn't mean he wanted to stay that way forever.

Aside from that, he got over it pretty soon as a busty woman walked past him. He thanked the Boob Goddess briefly then.

He saw Kiba during his way to a bakery. He was with Asia and two other – one a blonde woman who was catching gazes, and one a girl of his age with peculiar hairstyle and color. Issei didn't get to say hi to him as they had entered a sushi restaurant. He made a mental note to text him some Merry Christmas.

As he went on, he wondered when he could take the group out for lunch or dinner. The idea alone had him excited, but he knew it would be quite some time before he could do that. But still, that was certainly a day to look forward to.

But for now, it was time face his fear and enter a bakery. It was like when he first entered a coffee house by himself, having next to no idea on what to order. Strange times, it was.

Break

Just a little after noon, Issei had bought all he wanted to buy, and he could hear the cry of his wallet. He dismissed it because it was Christmas, and everything he bought wasn't exactly for himself. Suddenly, his wallet stopped crying.

Thinking how Kunou would react to everything etched a smile on his face. Actually, he wondered how everyone else would react, and it got him a little bit anxious. It was a gift, essentially, and who didn't want their gift to impress?

'Here goes.' Issei thought, mentally as he opened his front door. "I'm home."

The essence of vanilla invaded his nose, and the crusty smell was a delightful welcome. The house smelled like a bakery. Before he could ditch his shoes and hang his coat, already Kunou's hasty footstomps resonated through the house.

"NIITAN. WELCOME." The Kunou fiercely welcomed, her cheeks splattered with white flour, evidence of Yasaka's cake making and Kunou's helping. "What did you buy for Kunou? What is it, what is it?"

She was eyeing the box in the plastic bag, and probably could tell it was something sweet since she had better nose. Issei was fine with it because her tail was wagging hard.

"I got you some cakes and donuts– but you can't eat it yet." Immediately her wagging stop, and Kunou opened her mouth with a surprised look that reminded him of a yellow cretin with red dots on its cheek. "It tastes better cold," he promised, "and aren't you helping your mother just now?"

"AH! You're right… Wow, Niitan's smarter than he looks! MOOOoom Niitan's home!" And Kunou ditched him with a jape a 10-year-old shouldn't know to make.

And so Issei entered the house. Walking past the countertops where he got clear view to the kitchen, he saw Yasaka wiping her daughter's cheeks and Shirone looking mildly annoyed as she kneaded a small dough. Which was odd because Issei didn't know you need a dough to bake a cake. Her white tail was swinging side to side and that meant the opposite of Kunou's tail wag since she was part cat.

Kuroka was, as expected, slouching in the living room.

"Welcome home Ise." Yasaka greeted as she watched Kunou struggling to knead properly, but nonetheless having as much fun she could get.

"Welcome back, Ise-san." Was Shirone's brief greetings. Quiet as ever but Issei's ears had grown used to it – somehow.

"Thanks." Issei replied, storing the boxes of cake inside the fridge for whatever good it may be to the grubby hands of Kunou's. "Are you guys making bread? Not a cake?"

"Oh no, the cake is in the oven. We're making bread because there were some spare ingredients left." Yasaka answered with a smile. She had an apron on her. Once white now mucked up by flours and butter, a splatter of chocolate here and there, and a handprint most likely belonged to her daughter.

Issei couldn't describe it, but it was a different kind of beautiful. It wasn't beautiful. Yasaka is beautiful, but it wasn't that. He felt odd, too. Issei had yet to understand it was a similar feeling his father would experience after returning home and see his wife.

Either way, he saved the thought for another day. "I didn't know you can bake bread too, Yasaka-san."

"I'm still learning, Ise-san. Kuroka told me how and it sounded… quite simple." Yasaka was slightly embarrassed.

That was a surprise. "Kuroka?"

"Yeah-yeah, Nekonee googled how to! Kunou would do it if she knows how." The young Kitsune said as she built a snowman out of the dough. It was immediately destroyed as it didn't turn out like she thought it would. Reality is often disappointing indeed.

"So that's how." Issei paused as he peered towards the living room. The TV was off, so the girl in question was likely in the middle of her afternoon nap. As his gaze returned to the busy girls, Issei decided it was best to leave them be, and headed to his room to change his clothes.

A pair of fresh clothes later, Issei had settled by the living room. Kuroka was resting on the couch he used to sleep at, snuggling with two layers of blankets. Her eyes were closed but Issei felt she could tell if he was staring at her or her ears. And, it was a creepy thing to do anyway so he minded his own business.

He recalled his earlier note and texted Kiba, giving the standard, aloof and a very-guy-thing version of Merry Christmas, which was 'Merry Christmas man'. Because, as he believed, any more than that would cross the weird territory, especially since he wasn't that close to the guy either.

Now that it was done, Issei didn't have to feel guilty for not saying a thing. Although, once he thought about how many girls would text Kiba during these kinds of holidays, he started to regret it.

But to hell with that. Plenty of times to be jealous but now was not the time.

He turned on the TV, coincidentally waking Kuroka in the process since Kunou did not lower the volume. He tuned it down but it was too late.

Kuroka always had a particular way of waking up. First, she would open one of her eyes without moving, check her surrounding and then sitting up straight, before then she would lift her arms and stretch her arms and legs and back, shivering a little, before letting out a very innocent moan that Issei couldn't help but find to be erotic as hell.

He found it somewhat ironic that the things she did unintentionally was more enticing that the things she did intentionally to provoke his healthy male mind.

"Oh, you're back nyan." Kuroka idly said as she lied back down, laying her cheek on her arms and covering herself with the blanket. She was a bit upset that some of the warmth had left. "Thanks for waking me up. And why does it smell like a bakery here…?"

"I'd say sorry if I am."

"Mnh… sorry won't cut it y'know?" She yawned, missing his sarcasm. "I want compensation. Nyan. Did you get something for me?"

"I bought some cake and donuts."

Kuroka pouted. "Eww… sweets. Are you trying to get me high on sugar?"

Of course, Issei expected this. She shared the same palate as his after all, though hers leaned more towards seafood rather than red meat.

"There's a meat bread in the bread box if you wanna."

"I wanna."

"Ok, sure."

For a while, only the TV spoke.

"Well?"

"…Well what?"

"Get it for me nyan."

Issei rotated his head, stared at this sleaze, and creased his brows. "No."

Kuroka whined. "Awww… Isseeeee."

Issei didn't budge.

"Issseeeeeeei. Isssssseeeeeeeiiii." No response. The man had gone deaf. Kuroka cursed, this worked the last few times. The effect it had must had deteriorate. "…As someone who is older, bring me the bread."

"We're both 21."

"Oh~? I'm a few months older than you then nyan. You're born on November, don't you? Well mine's on October so hah."

Issei gave her a weird look. "What? No. That's your sister. My birthday's in April."

"…" Kuroka was not amused. "Liar."

"You can ask my mom."

"…Mmmph." Huffing, she yielded at last – but not giving up on getting that bread without moving just yet. "Kunooou~"

"Yeeess~!" Came a reply with the same tune from the kitchenette.

"Can you get Neesama a bread please~?"

"Okaaay~!"

Issei, who had been watching, was given a smug look from Kuroka as though she just won something. Few moments later, Kunou arrived.

"Here you go!" Kunou said as she presented cheerily.

"Thank y-" her brow furrowed as the 'bread' was unusually toy-clay-like. "this isn't a bread!"

"Not yet!" The girl said, still smiling. "Mom said it'll turn to one in the oven."

Issei 'heh'ed and did the snort-laugh – not the one where he laughed hysterically and snorted like a pig, but the one where he blew air through his nostrils. That kind of snort-laugh. The kind that most people do the older they are.

It took a smart vixen to get the cat to move; was what Issei learned as Kuroka groaned and stood up. Maybe if he was witty enough, he could make a joke out of it. Making it funny was the harder part though, and getting people to laugh would be even harder.

What was he on again?

"What're you thinking nyan?"

Kuroka's question popped him off his 'thoughts'. He looked at her, now happily eating her well-earned meat bread.

"Nothing." Issei said, and it brought him back to his earlier conversation with his friends regarding The Nothing. Weird how it showed up again.

Break

Day had swayed and nighttime came. It was a night of Christmas, and it was a snowy one. A White Christmas, many said, as many thought the falling snows made it all the more beautiful or romantic. A family holiday, a time for cozy and warm gatherings and mingling. A beautiful time for joy and cheers.

But Issei knew Christmas was only beautiful if he wasn't alone. When he wasn't shunning the outside world behind closed curtains, eating a cake he bought to treat himself, empty cans of beers on the side. When he wasn't doubting himself if this really was what he wanted, if he should had waited a few years before he moved out to brave the world on his own. Because it was when so much of the world was enjoying lovely company of their own, he felt truly alone.

Thankfully, this Christmas was much better.

Issei thoughtfully glanced outside the glass pane door, at the clear dusky skies. He noted the stars were easier to spot during winter even amidst the falling snow. He didn't know why, but he felt unusually pensive that day. Maybe he overdrank a bit. Just a bit, because he couldn't tell if he was tipsy.

"Hee~ whatcha doin' still up nyan?"

"Hm?" Issei turned his head around, still lodged in his newly bought and installed kotatsu – the best invention for wintertime but less so for summertime. He saw Kuroka in the dark, wearing her favorite thick pajama and a loose comfy cotton pajama bottom. "Uh… nothing. Just watching the sky."

"The sky?" Kuroka giggled as she walked towards him. It surprised him that she was the only one of the girls that wasn't asleep. But then again, she did nothing the most out of them. "You don't look like the kind of guy to watch the sky, Ise-nyan."

"Yeah. I lied." Issei snort-laughed, "Actually, I was watching the window."

"Now that's something I'd buy." She hummed as she shifted into the kotatsu, tucking her tails inside the thick futon and settling in quickly as she disliked the cold night air – be it White Christmas or yellow. "So. Why're you up nyan? Fufu, or are you wasted right now?"

"Gods I hope not." He said as he stared at his fourth beer can. Maybe. "..." he drank it anyway.

Kuroka sniffed. "You're drunk."

"No I'm not." Issei insisted. He didn't feel drunk. But… that might be what drunk people thought of themselves. Great, now he was second-guessing himself. "Why're you up then. I stay up late pretty often y'know."

"Can't sleep." She shrugged. The only light was from the moon – the living room was nearly dark, but Issei could see her playful/challenging stare. Staring at her a bit more, particularly the pupil in her amber eyes that were broader than they were during the day.

"Staring is rude, ya know."

"I have pretty eyes."

Kuroka paused. "Huh?"

"…Wait I said that wrong. Maybe I am drunk."

She burst into laughter. A contained one. "Wow, you're wasted!" she gasped quietly, scooting a bit closer to Issei's tableside. "Go on nyan~ you were saying my eyes are pretty. They are, aren't they - ugh, you smell like beer."

He did the snort-laugh again, then smiling wryly afterwards. "Yeah. Your pupils are rounder."

"Well yeh. Cats n' all." Kuroka held her hand above her eye, blocking the dim light of the moon, causing her pupil to dilate, and then spreading her fingers to make a 'V'. Her pupils thinned then, but not nearlt to a slit.

The alcohol could play a part but he found it amusing. The difference was so stark compared to his own eyes. "You're so cool." He said as dry as his drink, reenacting her act for whatever reason. He didn't know why he copied her; he wouldn't know if his pupils did anything.

Kuroka slouched forward and rested her cheek against the warm table top. "Nee~ do you do these kinds of things often nyan? Like Christmases n' stuffs?"

"Nah. Not really." Issei pondered a bit. That wasn't quite right. "Well, I eat out with my parents or visit my grandparents sometimes."

"So you do these things often nyan."

"Yeah but… yeah." He chuckled. "What about you? Do you or your people do anything special?"

"Hmmnn~ I dunno. We're not exactly the socialite kind ya know. We're very good at minding our own business nyan."

"Well that explains why you're endangered."

Her face lit up. "Hah! You're right!" Kuroka laughed. She, too, would rather laugh at misery rather than be miserable. "It's true though~. Pretty sure it's the same with Yasaka-nya too."

Issei nodded, entering to another thought as he took a gulp. A little bit more and the can would be emptied. Would he dare challenge his liver for the fifth?

"What's it like, Ise-nyan?"

"Hm? What's it like, what?"

"Living by yourself."

That was unexpected. But judging from her looks, she was curious and not trying to get into a deep conversation. Either way, Issei replied, "It's… pretty fun. I get to do more things, see what it's like. Feel freer, but also more responsible since no one's going to complain to me about the dishes." He got her to giggle at that. "And… hmm… what else?"

"You ever feel alone nyan?"

"Yea of course."

"Aww. How cute."

He didn't like being called cute. It made him feel cute which he completely was not. Being called 'cute' goes against his principal – but this time, he made an exception for it, since it felt kinda nice too, and that his friends weren't there to laugh at him.

"You ever spent Christmases alone?"

"Oh yeah." He took another gulp. "Definitely. Two years ago, actually."

"Oh?" Kuroka shifted. "Why're you alone nyan?"

"The snow's too thick so I can't take the train home."

"What's it like?"

"Depressing. Lonely. Sad." Issei said while laughing.

"Mmmn." Kuroka nodded repeatedly, not exactly laughing. "Mkay, what about last year."

"Last year… Yeah. The snow's thick too, but I wasn't alone." Issei fixed his posture a little bit so that he sat straighter. Slightly straighter. "I didn't feel like being cooped up inside, so I went out and ended up and one of the few open bars. An izakaya, I mean. Met a ton of people of my age who had just moved there and couldn't go back home too. It was pretty fun. We sang and got drunk and stuffs. It's probably the most fun Christmas I had, with just a bunch of strangers."

"You didn't get their names?"

"Maybe I did, but I can't remember the next day." Issei laughed again, and this time, Kuroka joined in. "It was nice though. Really was."

"Mmmn, I bet."

"What about you? Do you do anything, Kuroka?"

"Well I-"

"Aside from sleeping."

Kuroka pouted. "Sleeping is a fun activity nyan." She defended. To further her point, she huddled herself further into the kotatsu. "And anyway, it's too cold to do anything. This here is already the best thing ever nyan."

"You're welcome."

"Aren't you smug. Kunou's affecting you."

"Or I affected her."

"Mmn…nah."

"Well that was quick."

"I know a smug guy when I see one; you're not smug, you're just drunk." Kuroka tittered as she got out. "Imma sleep now~" she said as she stretched her body, propping up her chest as they challenged her pajama's buttons. "Now come give me a hug nyan."

Issei was in the middle of finishing his beer when he had to put it on pause to look at her. "What?"

Her hands were outstretched at him. "What I said. Nyan."

Time felt slower – or faster; he wasn't sure. His heart did beat faster though. The only women in his life who had ever asked him for a hug were his mother and his grandmothers, but they were extremely different to this one. This one also had an impressive set of Kurokas.

Kuroka narrowed her eyes. "I'm getting cold Issei-nyan."

Impulses or not, Issei stood up, and before he could ask if he was dreaming, Kuroka slinked to him. Her arms wrapped around his neck and she pressed herself to him, giving him a nice squeeze. He fumbled a bit, but he replied in the end, awkward as it was.

"I haven't thanked you soo~ thanks for everything nyan. This is the best Christmas me and Shirone-nyan ever had." She whispered as she ended the hug. She yawned as she walked away. "Welp. Night-night, Ise-nyan. Don't get too drunk."

Issei wasn't able to say a word. It was a hug so genial he didn't feel her breasts squeezing against his chest or their softness. When was the last time he received this kind of affection and gratitude he wondered? And since when was he so starved for a touch?

He emptied his drink, and wiped the tear in his eye. He never knew a hug could get him emotional, but otherwise, Christmas was beautiful today.

The Kuroka Gang send their regards.

I read this and my reaction was "shit, is this too meta?" but ehhh. what happens, happens. The last bit, especially. We've all been there. Probably. It's a bit touchy, but what's so bad a little bit of touchy every now and then?

Anyway. I really, really enjoyed writing the M&M's and their interactions with their grillfriends. They remind me a lot of my friends I used to can't see

Some Akeno cameo here. Not really establishing her character, just a general outlook on what you can expect from her in this story

I could've gone for a tsun Kuroka, but I think I've done that enough, so straightforward Kuroka it is. And whaddya know, I like it. Hope you will too

these are all my 'subtle nudges' so you'll review me btw ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

-jk it's just a short chapter summary-

Ok bbye cya