HALT,READ THIS BEFORE YOU BEGIN WITH THE STORY!

This is just a random chapter I came up with for Christmas. It has nothing to do with the main story, but I just wanted to write this because this my Christmas present to the readers. Merry Christmas, Chanukah or whatever you celebrate and a happy New Year.

December. The last month of the year, the month where snow starts falling and it has an event that a lot of people think as one of the best of the year . Christmas.

This might be the result of me being five years cut off from the outer world, but what the hell is so special about it? People buy expensive food to brag with the family. What's wrong with a simple, well prepared steak? Presents are bought for no apparent reason. Couples doing clichés like going on a date and watching some lights in a tree on a square while it's freezing. Most of those guys are either whipped or are hoping to get laid and I really hope for them it's the second one.. But I'm wandering off. Some genius just had to put up mistletoe around the WHOLE FRIGGIN ACADEMY! Which idiot from 2.000 years ago came with the idea "Oh hey, let's hang a plant here and if a guy and girl cross paths under it, they have to kiss. Seems like fun, MWAHAHA" … Not. Especially since one hung right in front of my room. Which brings me to the start of our story.

It was the 21th December and since it's too cold in December to go jogging outside, I pass most of my nights in the gym at the punching bags and weights. Seems my muscles are wonderfully developed because of the remodeling my body went through thanks to the IS Core. And I've learned a few nice techniques from Chi-sensei to practice. When I returned to my room I saw a girl waiting at my door.

"Can I help you with something?" I asked her.

"No, but you have to give me a kiss." She said with a wink. I looked at her confused. Maybe she has a fever? I pressed my own forehead against her. The girl closed her eyes, actually expecting a kiss.

"Nope, you don't have a fever, so could you please explain why I should kiss you?" I asked her.

"Because of the mistletoe." She said like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

…

…

…

"… the what?" she just pointed at a little green plant that hung above us and right in front of my door… and we both just happen to stand under it. now that I think of it, there were a lot of those plants hung up everywhere.

"So, if two persons stand under that little plant, they have to give each other a kiss?"

"Yeah, it's a Christmas tradition. Don't you know about it?"

"I haven't celebrated Christmas for the past seven years due to certain circumstances." I said carefully. The girl put her hands before her mouth in shock. Oh come on, it's not like it's an capital offence or something. Right? Apparently it is by the look in her eyes. What other crazy laws have been passed while I was locked up there?

'There aren't any laws regarding Christmas, but there has been a law passed three years ago that states that dogs aren't allowed to wear sunglasses.'

Okaaay, aside from that weird one there aren't any official laws regarding this kind of stuff.

"You haven't celebrated Christmas for seven years?" she asked me surprised.

"Yep."

"No Christmas dinner with the family?"

"No."

"You never hung any decoration?"

"Nope."

"Never had any presents?"

"No."

"You never sang any Christmas carols?"

"No and that's maybe for the best since I can't sing."

"Did you ever receive any Christmas cards from family or friends?"

"No, my parents lived pretty isolated and all the kids stayed away from me for some reason. I still wonder why."

The girl had teary eyes. Was it really that bad that I haven't celebrated Christmas for that long? Well, they do say ignorance is bliss. I'd like to stay in ignorance with this one.

"Are you alright?" I asked her. She really was on the verge of crying.

"Y-yeah. I've got to go, I still have some things I need to do." She stammered before running away. Cecilia came around the corner and she saw the girl running.

"What did you do this time?" she asked me. How cruel, this time I wasn't consciously rude.

"I only admitted that I haven't celebrated Christmas for the last seven years."

"YOU HAVEN'T CELEBRATED CHRISTMAS FOR SEVEN YEARS?" she shouted. I cringed from the sudden increase in volume. Could you please yell a bit louder, I don't think they heard you three floors above us.

"That was her reaction as well, only she didn't yell. Then she said that she had some things to do and just ran off."

" In what direction?" a girl asked.

"That way." I pointed at the staircase where she just disappeared in. Around 15 girls ran that way immediately. At least change clothes first, it's not propDAMN she got some curves. Focus Haru, Cecilia stands here with you. Wait, where is she? Watching closely, I can see that's she's being dragged along with the horde. Let's have a moment of silence for this fallen maiden… Moment's over, let's go take a shower.

After I finished my shower, I got dressed for school and opened my

"STOP HARU-DONO!" Superstes yelled. I froze right before my door.

"What's wrong to make you yell like that?" I asked him.

"Don't you feel that dreadful aura outside your door?"

"We're not one of those Buddhist monks or martial artists who can do that."

"you don't have to be one of those to feel this."

I just sighed, focused… and felt what Superstes was talking about. A dreadful sense of danger and bloodlust washed over me. It was like a bloody war would start the moment I opened that door. I was getting nervous. What the hell is happening out there? I steeled my nerves and opened the door. The reason I felt like that was because… there stood a horde of girls in front of my room. Why the hell are they emitting that kind of aura? Maybe because of the, nah that's not possible.

"Oh yes it IS because of the mistletoe." G told me.

Great, I don't have the time, patience and mindset to kiss 25 random girls.

"At least 25 girls."

You're not helping G! the girls kept staring at me waiting until I came outside and stood under the mistletoe. Let's see, there is no way that I can become invisible and just sneak my way out, I'm not going to kiss every girl here and the only paths they let open all led towards other mistletoes. Which leaves only one exit. I made a small bow towards the girls before I slammed my door shut and locked it. I closed my uniform jacket and put a scarf on. I materialized the boots and gauntlets of my IS form and opened the glass door to the terrace. I closed it when I was outside and look down. Five floors, each around eight or nine feet high which gives me a free fall of around 40-45 feet. Will the shields and armor be able to reduce the shock when I fall?

"they will, but I advise to roll the moment you land to minimize the damage and strain on your limbs."

I took a deep breath. Even with the shields and armor that guarantee my safety this still is quite scary to jump. Don't think about it, just jump. Do a leap of faith like those assassins. If they can do it, then you can do it certainly. There's even around 10 feet of snow on the ground, which will hopefully soften the fall as well. Taking a final breath I jumped of the railing. when I hit the floor, I instantly rolled like Superstes said and ended on my back.

…

THE ADRENALINE RUSH FELT FUCKING GREAT! That one moment everything seemed to go into slow motion was an entirely new experience. I might get addicted to this kind of stuff if I'm not careful. I got up after a few seconds of enjoying the after effects and walked towards the school entrance. Wait, not a good idea. There's mistletoe hung up there as well and the lessons start within 5 minutes, so there'll be a lot of girls there. You don't just walk into that kind of situation without a plan, that's borderline Ichika's level of denseness with girls. The fastest and easiest way will be if I just activate my stealth system and walk inside. So let's go with that one, I don't feel like scaling the walls and waiting until someone is nice enough to open the window.

I calmly walked and slid between the groups of chatting students with my Stealth System , and into the classroom, checking for mistletoe. When it was clear, I came out of the shadows and sat calmly down on my seat, enjoying the few minutes of peace. A few minutes later, I saw an weary Ichika and an angry Houki entering the room… oh no they didn't.

"You guys have to kiss." I told them with a grin.

"What was that?" Houki asked while emitting her killing intent. Maybe I learned how to pick the others their killing aura as well thanks to Houki.

"You two are standing under mistletoe, so you have to kiss." I told them. I'm pretty sure my grin rivals the one of the Cheshire Cat at the moment. Ichika and Houki looked up and Houki started blushing. You're welcome for giving you this chance. Ichika looked nervously at Houki before he closed the distance between the two of them. He's not going to actually kiss her, is he? If he does that, then that'll mean that Houki's feelings will be returned. This going to be decisive for how they will progress! He was a few inches away from her face and… only gave her a quick peck on the cheek. Dude, I'm really starting to doubt which team you're on. Houki looked like she was ready to blow and Ichika just stood there with his usual clueless look, wondering if he did something wrong.

"Just let it out Houki-chan." I told her calmly. She walked towards me and threw a punch with all her anger in it towards me. I'm kinda glad she's venting her stress on my shields, it's unhealthy if you keep it all bottled up. Cecilia joined us just s Houki hit me.

"What did I miss?" she asked me.

"Ichika and Houki stood under the mistletoe and he gave her a peck on the cheek."

"What's wrong with… oooooh." she exclaimed. Girls really are much better in reading the subtle hints with topics like these. Then again, compared to Ichika it isn't that hard.

"By the way, how did you get past those girls in front of your room? You didn't kiss them did you?" Cecilia asked me. what the hell is up with that killing aura behind that friendly tone? Ichika looked expectantly at me to share my secrets.

"I jumped off my balcony, activated my Stealth System and walked to the class."

""YOU JUMPED OFF YOUR BALCONY?"" Houki and Cecilia yelled at the same time. Ichika looked at me with a slight hint of pity. I don't need pity , I NEED A FRIGGIN WINGMAN!

"Relax, the shields and armor of my IS absorbed most of the shock and I used the proper techniques to negate whatever there was left of the shock. But Ichika, how did you get past the girls which probably were in your room?" I asked calmly.

Before he could response, Chi-sensei and Yama-chi walked in and started the lesson.

Lunch break

Me, Ichika, Houki and Cecilia sat at a table, talking casually.

"So, Cecilia, what are you going to do with Christmas?" I asked her. I saw her face showing sadness and loneliness for a moment before she smiled like a minute ago. It was a look I recognized all too well.

"I haven't planned anything yet. Why do you ask?" She's feigning her cheerfulness. Something must have happened with these holidays to make her like that. I don't know much about Christmas, so let's use the clichés.

"Then, how about we go on a date on Christmas Eve?" I asked her. Ichika choke on his food while Houki just let her chopsticks fall. Cecilia looked at me with a blush.

"N-no, I don't want to keep you away from other plans you might have." She stammered.

"This is the only plan I have right now." I told her. Houki stared at me before she took me by the collar and dragged me out of the cafeteria.

"Call the cops if we're not back within 10 minutes!" I yelled to Ichika.

Houki threw me against a wall before she grabbed my collar from the front this time.

"What the hell are you thinking, suddenly making plans like that? You could've just celebrated it with us." She snarled at me.

"She had the same look as I used to have." I said softly. Houki lessened her grip on my collar.

"For a moment I could see the loneliness on her face, so there must be something between her and her family that makes her unable to see them again and having her to spend Christmas alone. I thought I could at least celebrate it with her." I had my rare serious expression on my face, so Houki understood how bad it was. She let go of me. I flashed her my signature grin.

"Let's get back inside, I still want to finish lunch."

I went back to my seat inside and sat down. Ichika and Cecilia looked worried at me. to be honest, it's kinda annoying.

"so Cecilia, what's your answer?" I asked her.

"If it's okay with you, then yes." She said with a small smile. This time a real one.

The next three days passed quietly, except for the mistletoe that mysteriously disappeared. I confirm or deny nothing. the 24th December everybody went home. The representative candidates who lived in another continent already left on a plane the 23th. The only ones that left behind were me and Cecilia, the rest went to celebrate somewhere else with friends or family. It's really weird to walk through an empty academy like this. Since we had to leave today as well, Cecilia insisted that we stayed in a hotel somewhere in town. She said that is was the best she could find. How did she pay for it?

"You ready to go as well?" I asked her. She nodded and we left to meet up with someone from the staff who'll drop us off at the hotel. I was surprised when I saw that it was Yamada-sensei who'll drop us off.

"Yama-chi, you're the driver?" I asked her cheerfully.

"yes, the town lies on my way so it's not a problem to drop you off." She said with a smile. I put our baggage in the trunk of the car and we left to where we'd spend our Christmas.

"Holy shit." Was all I could say when I saw the hotel we would be staying in. it was a grand five star hotel where only rich people would stay. And we have room here? That's really impressive. A butler lookalike came and took our baggage to our room and a man came to greet Cecilia.

"Welcome miss Alcott, I do hope that you'll enjoy your stay here. And who might this young man here be?" why do people's voices always get colder when they ask who I am?

"He's a friend of the Alcott family, so expect you treat him with respect as well." Cecilia said in her royal tone. The man just nodded, gave me a final glare and showed us our room.

The room we were showed to could easily have been a high class apartment. There was a sofa that stood before a flat screen, a bathroom with a huge bath and shower, a desk and… only one queen sized bed? Aaawkwwaaaard.

"Well, I thought you wouldn't mind since we already slept together." She said with a blush. I walked up to her and held her in my arms. She relaxed and laid her head on my shoulder. We stood like that for a few minutes until we heard the door opening. In a split second we had a distance of two feet between us and stood at our suitcases.

"Miss Alcott, there has been a package for your… friend. " the man said coldly before he put the package on a table and left.

"What's Grumpy Pants' problem?" I asked out loud. Cecilia just shrugged and unpacked her things. I opened the package and looked what was in it. in it was a dark red dressing shirt, black satin pants and a black vest together with a small card.

For your first date

I crumbled the card in my hand. Damn that bastard! I told him I had good enough clothes for occasions like this. I didn't know that Cecilia was reading along over my shoulder.

"He has a good taste though."

"That's beside the point."

"It's not. I expect you to wear that tonight.

"Make me."

Bad move. She used the most dreaded attack that people know and very hard to successfully pull off. The puppy eyes, and she's an expert in them. Her eyes got a bit watery and she pouted in a cute way. Must…resist…eyes.

"That doesn't work on me."

*stare*

"Oh come on, are you really that confident in your puppy eyes?"

*stare*

"…"

*stare*

"Fine, you win."

She just smiled innocently while I got dressed in the next room. They should make that look illegal, it's way too unfair for the people who can't use it. I got dressed and I entered the room again. I saw Cecilia struggling with the zipper on the back of her dress. her back was completely exposed and don't look like she'll finish anytime soon. I pulled her zipper slowly up and snaked my arms around her waist.

"You ready to go?" I asked her softly.

"I still have to put on my make-up." she whined.

"You don't need that stuff, you're a natural beauty." I saw a faint smile crossing her lips when she looked at me. I closed the distance and kissed her gently. She put her hands around my neck and pulled my hairband out, letting my hair fall down and reaching just under my shoulders.

"You look a lot better when your hair is down." She told me. I wanted to kiss her again, but my cellphone rang.

"Hello?" I asked with contained anger.

"Is that the way to talk to your old man?" I heard Genki joke on the other side of the line.

"This better be important enough old man." I shot back.

"Let me guess, I interrupted your time with your girl?"

"If you know it, why do you call?"

"Because I want to ask her something, so hand her the phone."

I sighed before giving the phone to Cecilia.

"Genki wants to speak with you." She took the phone confused and started talking with him.

" yes… I know… what?... no no, I don't want to impose… really? Then dark blue… okay, until then." She hung up with a smile.

"What was that about?" I asked her.

"We're going to spend New Year with your 'family', since Genki-san wants to meet me." She said. Wait, she's going to be with us with New Year, so she's coming along with the first shrine visit of the year and that means that Cecilia will wear a yukata… Old man, once again you pulled the amazing off.

"That means that we'll have less time for ourselves." I whined. She laughed at that.

"Don't worry, I'll make it up during the next week."

"I'll keep you on that one. Well then, shall we go to the square? They're going to turn on the lights within 10 minutes." I told her. The square was about five minutes walking from the hotel, so we should arrive there in time. She grabbed my arm and we left towards the square.

The square was filled with couples who had the same idea as us. Still we had a pretty nice view on the tree who would be lit any minute now. We stood there waiting in silence, just enjoying each other's company. My mind wandered off. If I was never experimented on, I would've never met Cecilia and I would've probably become a gang boss or something like that. In a way, there's a silver lining around my screwed up childhood. The lights lit up in a way they seemed to crawl up the tree, changing colors from time to time. When it reached the star on top, the lights on the square lit up in a wave. Everybody looked amazed at the show that was displayed and a lot of couples held each other lovingly and stood a bit closer to each other. I held Cecilia closer to me before I whispered the three most important words.

"I love you."

She looked at me with wide eyes. Crap, did I do something wrong?

"W-what did you say?" she asked me.

"Well, I've never said properly how I felt towards you and the mood here seemed right, so I… kinda blurted my feelings out without thinking."

She kept staring at me. Great, I probably screwed it up big time. What she said next surprised me.

"I love you too." She said with a blush on her face. We stared in each other's eyes before we shared a blissful kiss.

"Aww, how romantic."

"Why won't you do something like that, Kei-kun?"

"That girl is really lucky."

The couples around us probably heard and saw the whole thing. Great, I'm honest with my feelings and it turns into a show for the people around us. Cecilia hid her embarrassed face in my chest. I just patted her back and held her.

"According to the legend, they'll stay together for the rest of their lives now." I heard a random girl say.

"Excuse me, but what legend are you talking about?" I asked her.

"Don't you know? This town is famous for its legend that if couples are honest with each other about their feelings when the lights are lit, they'll have a long life together." The girl explained to me. Cecilia and me looked at the girl and then at each other.

"Normally I don't believe in that kind of story, but I really hope that this one is true." I said with a small smile.

"If it really is true, then you better take good care of me." Cecilia huffed.

"Don't I do that already?" I whispered in her ear. Yep, that's definitely her weak spot, she starts blushing again. We both remained quiet after that, enjoying each other's company and looking at the lights. I don't understand much of Christmas yet, but if it's supposed to give a person a warm feeling like he is in the place where he belongs and is loved… then it might not be that bad after all.

"Say it again." Cecilia said softly.

"I love you."