Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays, fair readers! Sorry this chapter was so short. I was kind of pressed for time and this chapter isn't entirely relevant to the main plot. But I try to make sure that the chapter is as excellent as possible. The same about the last chapter, too. Anyway, please enjoy and hope you have a wonderful Christmas.

*Tokyo University Duel Academy, Classroom*

It was December 23rd and it was snowing all over the city of Tokyo. The campus in particular was covered in so much snow that people had to trudge through it. Aura looked outside and seemed to have spaced out while looking at the snow.

"I just love snow." Aura expressed. "It's so pretty and you can have so much fun in it. Oh, that reminds me. When do we have Christmas Break?"

"… Christmas Break?" Naoto seemed confused. "… Oh, that's what they call Winter Break in other countries. Well, it starts tomorrow and goes through January 7."

"Oh! Why don't we see if Etsuko wants to play with us in the snow with us after school?" Aura suggested.

"Yeah, I'm sure she'd like that." Spiral agreed. "What are you guys planning to do for Christmas?"

"I think I'm just gonna do whatever Spiral's gonna do." Momo stated. "He's the only family I've got left, after all."

"Oh… right." Spiral looked down in sadness. "I guess Shroud's gonna have to come along with us too since his folks aren't around either."

"What are you doing Naoto?" Aura asked.

"I'm heading back home tomorrow." Naoto answered. "I probably won't be back on campus until New Year's Eve. What about you, Hikari?"

"Well… I'd probably put myself in the same boat as Momo." Hikari responded. "I'm just going to do whatever Spiral is going to do."

"Speaking of which, what IS Spiral doing for Christmas?" Naoto realized.

"Well… I'm not exactly sure." Spiral began to scratch his head. "I'm either going to stay here with my mother and Etsuko or I'm doing whatever Aura's gonna do. I mean, her parents looked after me for the last two years."

"… Spiral, how about I go back home for the holidays while you stay here with everyone else?" Aura suggested. "Christmas is all about spending time with your family and those you care about. Your family's here… my family's there…"

"Are you sure about this?" Spiral asked.

"… Yes." Aura answered.

"We're heading back home, too." Chan said.

"And I know what I want to ask Santa!" Chun smiled. "I'm gonna wish to be even cuter than I already am!"

Everyone just seemed to stare at Chun.

"… Just kidding." Chun chuckled. "Not even Santa can make me cuter than I already am!"

"… The girls on K-ON are way cuter than you." Spiral said. "And they're REEEAALLY cute."

"…" Chun glared at Spiral.

Chun then pulled out a bottle of holy water and started to sprits it over Spiral's face.

"The power of cute compels you!" Chun started chanting loudly.

"AAHH! AHH!" Spiral exclaimed as he got sprinkled with holy water.

"The power of cute compels you!"

When classes finally ended and winter break officially began, most of the students went outside in their coats and started to play in the snow. A little later, while Spiral and Etsuko were sledding down the hill, Naoto threw a snowball at Shroud, who was covered in so much winterwear that it was incredibly difficult for him to move, and Shroud fell over face-first into the snow.

"SNOWBALL FIGHT!" Naoto yelled in a war cry.

The teams were Naoto, Camaru, Lee and Aura on one side and Asuka, Hikari, Chan and Chun on the other. It appeared that Naoto's team was winning as the only people on the opposing team that seemed to be doing anything were the twins and Hikari.

"Asuka, what are you doing? !" Chan asked angrily. "We're completely pinned down! If we as so much poke our heads out of the trench, we're done for!"

"I'm just preparing some heavy artillery." Asuka informed.

"We've got 'em on the ropes!" Naoto shouted like a commanding officer. "Just keep the pressure on 'em and don't stop firing!"

From the other encampment, a giant snowball the size of a boulder rose up, being held up by Asuka. Asuka then hurls the snowball right at them and Naoto's team couldn't help but feel like they were staring death in the face.

"… Haha." Naoto muttered in a high pitch. (Translation: "… Mommy.")

The snowball then hit all four of them like an atomic bomb. It even left a mushroom cloud made of snow. When the cloud subsided, Naoto's entire team was buried in the snow.

"YEAH! WE WON!" Asuka shouted in victory.

"Sorry we assumed you weren't doing anything." Hikari apologized.

While everyone was having fun in the snow, the principal looked out the window and saw the students all having fun. She couldn't help but notice how happy Spiral and Etsuko were and paid more attention to them than anyone else.

"… They look so happy together…" Pulse mumbled under her breath.

As the principal was walking down the hall, she noticed Aura, still covered in snow, walking in the opposite direction.

"Oh. Miss Aura, do you mind if I ask you something?" Pulse asked.

"Uh, sure." Aura responded. "Go right ahead."

"That young girl playing with Spiral… do you know who she is?"

"She's a girl from an orphanage Spiral and I have been volunteering at. Ever since the first day of our volunteer work, Spiral and her have been getting along real well. She looks up to Spiral like an older brother."

"She's an orphan?"

"Yeah, it's a sad story actually."

"What happened?"

"Her uncle's wife died giving birth to their child and their child died as well. He was jealous of Etsuko's parents because they had a healthy family while he lost his. The grief and anger must have made him go insane because he murdered her parents and she was to be placed under his custody as a godparent. However, the police caught on and you can guess the rest."

"That is a sad story."

"Yeah, but it hasn't been all bad for her. I mean, Spiral is practically family to her now."

"Really…"

The next day, Christmas Eve, Spiral and Etsuko were making snow angels out in the school courtyard.

"How does mine look?" Etsuko asked.

"A heck lot better than mine." Spiral pointed to his.

"Yours looks good, too." Etsuko complimented.

"Aw, thanks, Etsuko." Spiral said as she rubbed her head.

"HEY!"

Spiral and Etsuko looked toward the school where the voice was being heard. Momo was by the door calling to them.

"Come inside, we're about to celebrate!" Momo continued to shout at them so they could hear.

Spiral, Etsuko and Momo gathered in the student lounge, which was empty because most of the students went home for the holidays. The only other people in the lounge were Pulse, Hikari, Shroud and Lee. There was also a huge cake on the table.

"Wow! This cake looks yummy!" Etsuko exclaimed in cheer.

"Who made it?" Spiral asked.

"I did." Pulse raised her hand. "It's a chocolate cake covered in white frosting."

"That's my favorite!" Etsuko smiled in cheer again.

"Are we the only ones left here?" Lee asked.

"Yeah, Aura, the twins, Naoto, Asuka and Camaru all went home for the holidays." Spiral answered. "They said they'd be back by New Year's Eve, though."

"I think we should celebrate Christmas in the most logical way." Shroud suggested.

"This'll be fun." Lee said sarcastically.

Shroud then pulled out a small bust of Isaac Newton. Actaully, it was an ornament that was a bust of Isaac Newton.

"Christmas Day is actually Isaac Newton's birthday." Shroud informed. "The only reason people think Jesus was born on Christmas was to coincide with the traditional Pagan holiday where we get most of the Christmas traditions such as decorating trees, giving gifts and having dinners that come close to what's expected of Thanksgiving."

"… OR we could celebrate Christmas the way it's supposed to be celebrated?" Spiral offered another suggestion. "All in favor of my Christmas idea?"

Everyone except the principal, Etsuko and Shroud raised their hands in favor of Spiral's idea.

"As long as I can spend time with you, I doesn't matter how we celebrate it." Etsuko said to Spiral.

"I agree with her." Pulse said.

"All in favor of celebrating the man who could first describe gravity and the three laws of motion?" Shroud raised his hand.

… But no one else raised their hand.

"Traditional Christmas it is then." Lee said.

"Oh, before we begin, I have a present for you Etsuko." Pulse went to the tree and sifted through the wrapped gifts.

She came back with a wrapped box with a bow on it. Etsuko opened it and all that was in there were a bunch of papers.

"What's this?" Etsuko asked in confusion.

Spiral took a look at the papers. "Wait… these are… adoption papers?"

"Yes, Merry Christmas, Etsuko." Pulse said. "And you, too, Spiral."

"Me?" Spiral was confused now.

"I adopted Etsuko." Pulse clarified. "You're officially brother and sister now."

Both Spiral and Etsuko smiled and Etsuko gave Spiral a big hug. Then Etsuko gave her new mother a big hug.

"Thank you!" Etsuko said. "This is the best Christmas ever!"

After the party was over, Spiral and Shroud were heading back to their dorm room while everyone else went to their respective rooms. Etsuko went with Momo to her dorm room since they were girls. As soon as Shroud and Spiral went into their rooms, Spiral felt something in his pocket. As Shroud went into the bathroom, Spiral dug into his pocket and found another gift-wrapped present. Reading the tag, it said 'To: Spiral, From: Momo'. Spiral went onto his bunk and opened the present. There was something in there like pictures and when Spiral looked at the pictures, his face became red.

*S… S… Se… xy… San… ta!* Spiral thought as he sifted through the pictures.

Spiral looked around to make sure Shroud wasn't in his sights and hid the present under his pillow.

*Sheesh! Momo's become so kinky ever since we saved her!* Spiral continued to think. *I just wish I had the answer to my dilemma! I can't choose between any of them and if I end up choosing one, the others are gonna be heartbroken! What should I do?*

Spiral then got off his bunk and looked outside at the snow-filled city.

*… It's Christmas. Now's not the time for that. I think that I'll just try to solve this problem before Valentine's Day. Yeah, I'll just leave it at that for now.*

Spiral continued to stare at the falling snow on this fine Christmas Eve.

(Merry Christmas! And Happy Holidays!)

English Voice Cast

Todd Haberkorn Spiral

Stephanie Sheh Etsuko

Kate Higgins Pulse

Yuri Lowenthal Naoto

Maxey Whitehead Shroud

Alexis Tipton Aura

Caitlin Glass Asuka

Alison Viktorin Chan/Chun

Laura Bailey Hikari

Tom Gibis Lee