Greetings.

If my MC acts like a Mary Sue in any way or if there are any mistakes (grammar, story plot holes, etc.), TELL ME IMMEDIATELY! Thank you!

"" - speech

italics - memory

[ ] - thoughts

Disclaimer: I do not own Diamond no Ace.

First Christmas Party

"Here's your Christmas present, Kazuya." Nami smiled brightly at him as she handed him a gift bag.

"Can I open it right now?" He held the present in his hands.

"Of course, it's yours now." At her words, he took out the colored tissue paper and pulled out a nice white cap, along with a black colored sports wrap headband. "I thought that they would be useful for you when the days become sunny and hot again…" She shyly explained, watching his eyes shine with appreciation.

"Thanks." He placed them back into the bag carefully and stuffed the tissue paper as well. "I also have a present for you. It's not much, but I hope you like it." He took out a tiny gift bag.

"Thank you." She looked at him for permission to open. When he nodded, she happily took out the present from the bag. "Wow, this is a really pretty hair tie…" She gazed at it in awe. It was bobble hair tie with a dark green bow and a pearly white bell. "I'll use this well. My hair has been getting too long these days." She tugged at the ends of her hair.

"I want my present too!" Himon jumped into their conversation.

"I have yours right here." Nami pulled out a gift wrapped box. "You can open it."

He ripped it open aggressively as if he could not wait any longer. His eyes immediately brightened as he praised it. "Wow~! It's a baseball mitt! A mitt! I can be like Kazuya-nii now!" However, his face fell. "But… But I don't have a baseball…"

Kazuya placed a smaller box in the seven year old's hand. "Open it. It's a present from me."

Himon's face brightened once more. After tearing it apart, a beautifully new baseball appeared from the box. "A baseball! Kazuya-nii gave me a baseball, Nami-nee!"

"He did. Now you truly can be like Kazuya." She laughed as she ruffled his hair.

"This is best Christmas ever!" He ignored the two immediately when he touched and stared at the two presents as if they were treasures.

"Himon, we're going to bake apple pie together. Do you want to join?" Nami stood up with Kazuya. She quickly used the new hair tie to keep her hair from going all over the place.

"No… It's okay. I'm going to stay here with my baseball." He lifted the ball in the air.

She stifled her laughter. "Of course." They then walked into the kitchen.

"Nami-sama, the dough is all ready to be used."

"Thank you, Maria." The two gathered at the table as they worked on the apples together in comforting silence. After a couple of minutes, Nami stretched out her arms. "I'm done with my batch. What about you?"

"This is my last one." Kazuya muttered before finishing the last apple. Nami stood up and grabbed the tray that had the dough laid out on it.

"Kazuya, can you grab the spices for me?" She motioned to the cabinet.

"Already on it." He brought a couple of bottles to the table. They speedily proceeded to mix the apples with the spices. "I'll get the egg wash prepared." He walked off to the refrigerator.

"Then I'll lay out the apples and then cover it with the dough." She did just that with effort. "I'm done."

"Here's the egg wash." He brought a small bowl with a brush. Nami carefully brushed the top with the egg wash before standing aside to look at their almost complete masterpiece. "Should we put it in the oven now?"

"The oven should be done preheating by now." She checked. "Yeah, let's put it in." Once she opened it, Kazuya slipped the tray into the oven. "All we have to do is wait for the timer to stop and then let it cool before eating."

"I'm not fond of sweets, but it does smell nice." Kazuya sniffed the air.

"Although we're both not fond of sweets, do you want some hot cocoa to get into the holiday mood?" She pulled out three mugs.

He smirked. "Why not?" He took out the milk and heated it up as she prepared the rest of the ingredients. In a separate bowl, she mixed honey, a pinch of sea salt, raw cacao powder, vanilla extract, and some cinnamon.

"Is it ready, Kazuya?"

"Yeah."

"Then I'll stir it in." She used a big spoon to scoop up all of the paste and then used chopsticks to help dissolve it in the hot milk as if she was making miso soup.

"Nami-nee! Is it done?" Himon popped into the kitchen with a huge smile on his face.

"Yes. Can you hand me the mug, Kazuya?" He wordlessly held it before placing it near her. "I'm going to pour it now." She used a ladle to carefully put the hot cocoa in each mug. "There. Now we can enjoy some hot cocoa." Himon cheered as he grabbed his cup. "It's still really hot, so wait for it to cool, okay?" She noted to Himon, who nodded in response. They walked over to the kotatsu and sat down together.

"Why don't we complete the puzzle while drinking this?" Kazuya motioned to the box that was filled with a large puzzle.

"Sounds good to me." She stood up and grabbed the box, bringing it over to the table of the kotatsu. "Let's see if we can get it done before Maria and Sebastian bring over the fried chicken and sparkling apple cider."

"Is that a challenge I hear?" Kazuya grinned.

"Why yes it is. Do you think you can do it?" She teased.

"Of course I can." Together, they struggled to complete the puzzle while Himon watched over the two with a content smile on his face.

After a few hours, Nami and Kazuya leaned against each other in exhaustion. "We finally finished…"

"Nami-sama. Kazuya-sama. Himon-sama. It's time to eat dinner." Sebastian and Maria brought in boxes of freshly fried chicken, along with a cold bottle of sparking apple cider.

"Smells so good!" Himon opened one box for himself as he devoured one leg.

Nami grabbed another box and placed it in between Kazuya and herself. He pried it open and pulled out a leg. "Here, eat it." He handed the leg to Nami.

"Are you sure? It's the best part of the chicken."

"There's always more." His eyes softened.

"Okay. Thank you." She nibbled on the soft meat. Once she saw Kazuya finish his piece of meat, she handed him a chicken leg. "This is yours." He wordlessly took it and smiled. She also smiled before returning to her chicken.

Maria and Sebastian also took their seats and devoured their chicken after pouring everyone a glass of sparking apple cider.

After everyone ate the chicken and drank the entire bottle of cider, Maria and Sebastian began cleaning up the mess while Himon, Nami, and Kazuya washed their hands.

"Nami-nee. I'm sleepy." He rubbed his eyes.

"You can take a nap after you brush your teeth." She handed him his toothbrush as she also began brushing her tooth. Kazuya soon helped Himon brush his teeth, since he was too sleepy, before brushing his own. Once Himon was ready for a good nap, she led him to his bedroom and tucked him in bed. As the seven year old fell into a deep sleep, she quietly left the room.

"Is he asleep?" Kazuya asked. She nodded to him in response.

"Since Maria and Sebastian are cleaning downstairs, let's head to my room." She suggested.

"Fine by me." He casually headed to her room and opened the door. "I was expecting a messy room."

"Hey, I'm not that bad... My room is more along the lines of being almost empty and simple." She pouted slightly before reverting back to her neutral expression.

He smirked. "Or you could have been-"

"Don't you dare finish that sentence, Miyuki Kazuya." She covered his mouth with her hand as he took a step back and into her room. "Or else you will surely regret it."

He pulled her hand down. "Really? I'll regret it?"

"I'll…" She contemplated for a minute.

"Yes?"

"I'll tickle you!" She tried to look menacing to him before laughing out loud. They then jumped on the bed as they struggled with each other. "Are you ticklish, Kazuya?"

"I think not." He huffed when he managed to get a hold of her. "Now, you can't do anything to me." She stuck her tongue out to him childishly. "Never thought that I would see that from you." He lifted his eyebrow.

"Well there is a time for everything." She chuckled under her breath. He soon laid down next to her on top of the bed. "Want to take a nap?" She then suggested.

"Already on it." He whispered to her sleepily.

She scooted closer to him and grabbed his arm while leaning her forehead against him. "Night, Kazuya."

"Night, Nami." He used his other arm to pull her closer to him as he closed his eyes in a relaxed manner.

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