Duran-kun and Kiyo-chan's Omake Theater
(featuring the Kuga-Fujino family pets)
The winter wind howled shrilly outside the windows of Shizuru and Natsuki's house, pelting the windows with fat flakes of falling snow. It was an unseasonable storm, more suited to the northern reaches of Hokkaido in mid-January than Fuuka on December the 23rd.
Natsuki was content, though. She wasn't out in the storm, but inside, curled up on the living-room floor, her game controller in her hands, her head laying up against Shizuru's thigh while her girlfriend lay on the couch reading, and if it was a little too cold inside even given the heating system, well, she had a hand-knit sweater with green Christmas trees and prancing red reindeer to keep her snuggly. All, in short, was right with the world.
The pounding on the door was almost inevitable.
"Uhhhh," Natsuki groaned, hitting the pause button. "What lunatic would be out in this weather?"
Duran helpfully got up from his rug, padded over to the door, took the knob between his teeth, and turned.
"Ara, while that is a very useful skill, I am not sure it makes me comfortable while leaving the pets at home in our absence," Shizuru said.
Natsuki was a bit more focused on the figure that staggered into the foyer along with a blast of cold air.
"Nao, what are you doing out tonight?"
The slim redhead tried to pull the door shut behind her, only to be stopped by a blast of wind. Duran put his shoulder against the door and together the two of them managed to force it shut.
"Me!?" she exclaimed. "The question is, what are you doing here, Kuga? We were supposed to meet at the chapel to go Christmas shopping!"
Natsuki blinked.
"In this weather? I barely made it home!"
"What does that have to do with anything?"
"Any sane person would assume that you were going to stay in and do your shopping tomorrow!"
"Natsuki does have a point," Shizuru said. "It is such a fierce night that Kiyohime made hot cocoa." She gestured to where her hydra was curled up on her purple pillow, a sixteen-ounce porcelain mug with six straws sitting in front of her. Kiyohime's second head poked up and hissed a polite hello to Nao.
"It's good cocoa, too," Natsuki said, taking a slurp from her own half-empty mug in illustration.
It was Nao's turn to blink dumbfoundedly.
"I still can't believe Fujino's CHILD cooks."
"Julia probably could, too," Natsuki said. "It's just that Aoi would go into full maid mode and take a broom to her if she found Julia in the kitchen. Well, that and she's too lazy to bother."
"Lazy?"
Behind Natsuki, Shizuru sighed, as if to lament at how her girlfriend had somehow, once again, managed to botch a basic social task. At least this time Natsuki didn't have to wait in suspense; Nao made it clear right away where her error lay.
"It takes a lot of gall for you to call someone else lazy while sitting on your butt, slurping cocoa and snuggling your sweetheart!"
"Nao, it's twenty below out. Take off your coat and boots, come in, and have some cocoa."
Nao did not take this invitation with good grace. Instead, she scowled at Natsuki and ground her teeth.
"Dammit, Kuga, it has to be tonight. The chapel is going to be doing its annual Christmas Eve charity kitchen tomorrow—lunch and dinner. There'll be no time to shop. It's tonight or nothing."
"…Sounds like bad planning."
The idea that Nao would undergo personal inconvenience because of her job as a novice at the Fuuka Academy chapel was actually quite astonishing. The girl Natsuki had met during the HiME Festival would never have considered it.
Outside, the wind shrilled, reminding Natsuki that just because it was generous didn't make it stupid to be out and about in this weather.
"You owe me. If it wasn't for my help, you'd be the one out there, scrambling around trying to find a gift for Fujino."
"She does have a valid point," Shizuru noted. "You had to be bailed out of jail by Mai after that incident, so I can only imagine what would have happened had Nao not been there to assist you."
Natsuki folded her arms across her chest. Good arguments were being made, but she wasn't breaking down.
"And I will be more than happy to return the favor at the post-Christmas sales, whether they turn out to be the usual rugby scrum or an all-out minor land war. But that doesn't extend to going out in a near-blizzard and having to knock icicles off my eyelids just to see the shop doors!"
"That's your final word?"
"That's my final word."
"Well, I guess that's that. We'll just have to wait until after Christmas." She turned to Shizuru and added, "Thanks for supporting me, at least, especially since it would have meant giving up some of your lovey-snuggly time with Kuga in the name of fairness."
"Thank you."
"I'll have to get you a present as thanks. In fact, I know just the thing. How about a red satin and lace merrywidow with matching stockings—"
"Hey!" Natsuki yelped. "Where do you get off buying lingerie for my girlfriend!"
"—in Kuga's size."
"Ara, ara, such generosity and compassion is truly suited to a Sister of the Church," Shizuru purred. She let her fingers dip and begin to play idly with Natsuki's hair.
"…I'll get my coat," Natsuki surrendered.
"Ikezu."