22 December

"Here, Noll."

Noll looks at Madoka, and then at the folded piece of paper in her outstretched hand. Because of her rather long streak of getting him into hard-to-deal situations that catch him off his guard, he does not dare take it. He narrows his eyes at her, demanding further explanation.

She takes the hint. "Errands. Stop by the Grand Arcade for me, please," she elaborates insufficiently.

Every other person in the house would enjoy a stroll in shopping centers. To be exact, he is the only one who found it troublesome, and she knows this for a fact. Yet she still picks him for these errands of hers.

Noll raises his guard to its full extent. "Why should I?"

"Because it's my treat." When he still does not take the note, she slips it into his breast pocket and pats it for good measure.

"You can buy it yourself."

"Sure I can," she concedes, crossing her arms. "But I can't leave the shepherd's pie to you while I do that, can I?"

"So buy it later."

"And deprive your parents' guests of caffeine?"

"We have tea."

"Sometimes people can get tired of being too British."

He releases a breath, half sigh and half huff. Whether her reasoning makes sense or not, Madoka is another person Noll could hardly win against.

"Thank you~" Madoka waves him off. "Have a fun trip!"

As if.

He unfolds the note once he arrives at the center.

4 flat white (primo)

2 hot chocolate with cream and marshmallows (medio)

1 chai latte (medio)

2 Americano (primo)

1 specialty latte (medio)

1 dozen glazed donuts

1 dozen Christmas-themed donuts

5X Langton Close, Wren St., Gray's Inn Rd., London

Noll reads all the items, then rereads the last one again. What does Madoka want him to do with a London address? A quick search online reveals that it is a student residence hall. Of UCL.

He sighs. For someone so annoyingly straightforward, Madoka sure is being roundabout with her message.

A present for Mai, huh?

While he is secretly grateful for how Mai dispelled the grief that tended to follow his parents' recollection of Gene, Noll thinks that getting her a present himself is not necessary. Surely his mother has long since bought something for her. Besides, he is still of the notion that Mai's animosity has only ceased for the meantime because she is staying at his house. Giving her something now would only force them both to interact more than is strictly required.

It is bad enough that the roiling feeling of miscalculation has returned worse than ever; it now also plagues him even with just the thought of his former part-timer. He would prefer not to aggravate his condition by attempting to figure out what a twenty-two-year-old Mai would want for Christmas.

In any case, finding anything suitable that would not offend her at such a late time is—

Noll stops mid-stride as he passes in front of a store and does a double take. The item that caught his eye is by no means striking; it is not as remarkable as the ones displayed beside it, but it has an elegant simplicity that for him sets it apart. And now that he laid his eyes on it, he finds himself unable to look away.

He stares at it thoughtfully as he weighs his options. One, he could buy it to get this matter and this feeling over with quickly. Two, he could disregard Madoka's message and forget this whole matter altogether, saving effort and money as a result.

If he gets it now and makes a short stop at the Royal Mail delivery office, he would be able to accomplish Madoka's errands in time for brunch. But if he does not, he would only need to make sure Madoka does not find out lest he suffer from her incessant nagging. Whichever option he goes with, he knows that he must decide on it now.

He stares at the item for a few more beats.

And then he enters the store.

"Did you get everything?" Madoka asks when he gets back. From the knowing look she is giving him, it is clear that she expects some positive sign from him.

As such, Noll shrugs noncommittally as he deposits the drinks and donuts on the dining table. He will not give her the satisfaction of knowing what he did or did not do.

Author's Notes: I'm so sorry for the delay! DX I'd fallen into a mid-fic crisis. I couldn't write anything, and it got to the point where I didn't want to look at—much less open—my writing notebook out of frustration. :( Thanks for your patience.

Disclaimer: I don't own Ghost Hunt or any of its characters. The coffee drinks can be ordered in Costa Coffee. Donuts are from Krispy Kreme. These stores unfortunately did not sponsor this chapter.