“Wow, I can’t believe”, Nero pouted. “To think he was, once again, late with his update. What sort of Christmas-countdown is this supposed to be if the countdown isn’t even on time?”
“Well, this time we can’t really fault that mongrel. He’s trapped in a place with no internet connection after all. Blame the countryside and family Christmases”, Gilgamesh sighed. “Well, at least there was this local library’s computer.”
“……….Well, in any case, how about we start moving to today’s short stories? We have only two remaining, don’t we?” Nero asked, and Gilgamesh nodded. “Which reminds me. It seems that the actual Christmas special has been re-scheduled to 25th of December for various reasons.”
“Various reasons?”
“Yeah, adult reasons”, Nero nodded. “Things we don’t have to know, I suppose. Plus it’ll be the last thing the author will be posting for some time, as after that, Japan awaits.”
“I see, I see. Then let’s get this thing going, shall we?” Gilgamesh asked, apparently in hurry to finish the countdown so he could finally say goodbye to the whole thing.
“By the way, sensei….” Nero suddenly said and leaned in closer to Gilgamesh, who, in turn, tried to lean away from her. “There’s something little special with the second story. I hope you will prepare yourself.”
“Eh? What?”
“Well, with that said, let’s move on the first short story. The name of the story is…”
“Hey! What did you just say?? That sounded pretty ominous to me!!”
Twelve Days of Saturnalia
Day 11
Bottle of Warmth
“…….This job is even worse during the winter.”
Sasaki Kojirou sighed like this during the Christmas Eve, staring up at the grey sky from which the snow fell. He was sitting near the gate that led to the Ryuudouji, warming himself next to a portable stove, where he was cooking himself some very basic Christmas food. Thanks to his “Master” he was bound to stay at the gate, no matter what.
This meant that Kojirou had no business at the Christmas party held in the temple at this very moment.
“I must admit, it does sting a little. To think what kind of foods they are eating there”, Kojirou mumbled to himself. “Even though those foods are made by that fox, I wouldn’t mind tasting them a little, at least.”
Shivering a bit in the cold, Kojirou pulled the jacket he had gotten tighter around him. The son of the temple, Issei, had given that to him as a Christmas gift. It was the only Christmas gift that he had gotten, but it was not that bad. He hadn’t really expected that fox or her husband to give him anything.
But still, Kojirou had to admit that it was a bit of a depressing Christmas. Alone, with only one gift and food that he had to make over a portable stove. That wasn’t the type of Christmas anyone should have to experience. Yet here was, experiencing a Christmas just like that, even though his LCK stat was supposed to be good!
And so, the hours passed. With nothing to do and with nothing else to watch but the falling snow. Last time Kojirou was as bored as now, he had perfected a way to strike a swallow with his sword. Unfortunately, it did not seem like same kind of epiphany would be coming this time.
Instead, the only thing that happened was that Kojirou’s roasted yam was roasted a bit too much, and became rather inedible.
“……………………….”
Kojirou did not even have words for his situation. After all, not only was he now bored, but his food had been gone to waste too. The bad luck just seemed to be piling up, and the Yule-time, which usually involved merriment and happiness, was seeming rather bleak at that moment. At least to Kojirou.
These kind of thoughts were probably the reason that Kojirou did not sense the persona approaching him until she opened her mouth.
“Oh? Are you all alone here, Sasaki-san?” Saegusa Yukika asked. The Servant also known as Assassin jerked his head up.
Saegusa Yukika was standing there, dressed in a jacket so large that she nearly drowned in it. It must have been a hand-me-down of someone else, as the style of the jacket was clearly from the 80’s. On her head, Yukika had a bright yellow beanie, from under which her disheveled hair framed her face. Her cheeks were red from the cold, but there was a smile on her face. Yukika was also carrying a large bag, seemingly full of all sorts of stuff.
“Ah, Saegusa-san. Now ain’t this a surprise. Whatever might you be doing here?” he asked, feeling strangely warm inside. After all, this was the first person he had seen the whole day.
“M-me? Well, nothing special, I just…” Saegusa Yukika laughed while scratching the back of her head. “Well, to be honest, I had heard from Emiya-kun that you were stuck here on duty, even on the Christmas Eve. That’s why I thought I’d come to invite you to the Christmas dinner he’s holding.”
Kojirou smiled. This girl had lots of good points, but the major one must have been how kind she was. Her kindness knew no bounds, going to the point where she would actually come to invite a man she barely knew to a Christmas dinner. That kind of attitude was like a balsam to the mental wounds that Kojirou had to suffer from the fox that had appointed herself as his “Master”.
For that reason, it made Kojirou feel sad that he had to turn down her offer.
“I am ashamed to say this, but there are reasons that make it impossible for leave my post here as the guardian of this gate”, Kojirou said. “For that reason, I cannot accept your offer. As said, I apologize for this, and for the fact that you had to come all the way here for nothing.”
Yukika nodded, seemingly little downcast.
“I-I see…….It can’t be helped then.”
She turned around to leave, but before she could take even a single step down towards the long stairs, Yukika stopped. She stood there for a moment, clearly thinking about something. And then, with newfound determination in her eyes, she turned around, walked over to where Kojirou was sitting, and sat beside him.
“S-Saegusa-san?” Kojirou asked, somewhat confused.
“Well, if it is something so important you cannot even celebrate Christmas somewhere else because of, we’ll just have to celebrate Christmas here”, Yukika said, with a smile on her face. “That way you won’t be left out, right?”
And as Kojirou watched in shock, Yukika shoved her hand into her bag and brought out all sorts of Christmas-related things. Food, some decorations (which she decorated Assassin with), a small CD-player and a Christmas-song CD which she put on playing, gifts, and lastly, a Santa-hat which she gave to Assassin, who put it on.
-------------- In other words, there had been lots of stuff inside that bag.
“There! It’s now much better, isn’t it?” Yukika asked while beaming. Kojirou looked around him and gave an amazed chuckle.
“I must admit, it truly is”, he answered. “You were very well prepared, Saegusa-san.”
“Oh, just call me Yukiko. After all, we’re enjoying Yule-time together now, right?”
“Well…” Kojirou smiled. “Yukika-san it is.”
“Yep!”
By turning the dial on the portable stove, the two were able to produce some more heat, keeping both of them nice and cozy even though they were surrounded by snow. On that same heat, they were able to heat up the food Yukika had brought. Thanks to the cooking skills of Yukika, the food was not wasted this time, and so the two of them enjoyed a small but filling Christmas lunch.
After they had finished with the food, Yukika brought her hand once again into the bag, and came up with a small bottle of brandy. According to her, Kaede was the one who had originally stolen it from Emiya, who in turn had gotten it from the owner of Copenhagen. Yukika had intended to return the bottle to Hotaruzuka-san, but instead opted to share it with Kojirou, since the said brandy was bound to warm them both up inside.
And so, they shared a toast for the Christmas.
The hours passed by as the two of them enjoyed each others’ company. While neither of them very talkative, Yukika had the habit of saying things from the bottom of the heart, and Kojirou always thought his words through before speaking aloud. In other words, the two of them were able to communicate lot more than most people could have with that sparse conversation they had.
But still, Kojirou could not bring himself to ask that one question he wanted to ask.
But he did not have to. After all, he was with Saegusa Yukika.
“I guess you’re still curious as to why I decided to spend the Christmas eve with you”, she said suddenly, after a long silence.
Kojirou could not help but to nod.
“Yes. I would like to inquire the reason…..if that is alright with you?” he asked. Yukika giggled and nodded.
“Well, it isn’t that grand reason, to be honest”, she said. “Simply put….I always see you here, alone, and I’m always thinking that is a shame that you won’t get to know other people better. That was why, when the chance arises, I opt to spend time with you. Like today.”
Kojirou looked a bit surprised. And before he could react, Yukika leaned to the right and hit his shoulder, resting her head on it. It was a strange sensation. For the first time in quite a while, the self-proclaimed charmer amongst the Servants, Sasaki Kojirou, found that he had no idea how to react to the actions of an opposite gender.
“In other words…….I’d like to talk to you more. Get to know you better. Is that bad?” Yukika asked. Kojirou was silent for a moment, but then he let out a slight chuckle.
“No. In fact, that is more than I could have asked for. In truth, I would, too, want to learn more about you, Saegusa Yukika. The completely ordinary girl who can actually see me”, he said. Yukika tilted her head.
“What do you mean?”
“Oh, nothing at all. Nothing important.”
…………..
The two of them stayed like that for a long time, with Yukika leaning on Kojirou, and the latter letting her do so. It was strange kind of harmony, with two completely normal, yet very special, people. In a way, these two were, after all, pretty similar to each other.
“…….Yukika-san?” Kojirou, after a while, asked.
“Mm~m?” Yukika answered, her eyes closed. It seemed that she was planning on falling asleep there, resting against Kojirou.
“Is there still some brandy in the bottle?”
Yukika chuckled.
“Sure. Here, let me pour you.”
And so, the Christmas Eve continued.The End
“Well, that was a nice atmosphere, was it not, sensei?” Nero asked, turning to Gilgamesh. The latter yawned.
“Bah, it was boring. I almost fell asleep.”
“But moments like that, moments where nothing really happens, are great too, aren’t they? Moments where two people, who are in complete harmony, can just be together……..they are special, are they not?” Nero inquired and leaned closer to Gilgamesh, who, in turn, tried to escape.
“How should I know? More than that, shouldn’t we get to the next and the last short story?” he asked. Nero’s head jerked up, as if she had just remembered it.
“Ah, that’s right!” she said and pointed at the silver screen. “Then, here it is! The last of the short stories….! This time, the name of the story will be…”
Twelve Days of Saturnalia
Day 12
Red is the Color
“……………………..”
“………………………………….Nothing’s happening”, Gilgamesh finally said.
“No, no. You’re mistaken, sensei”, Nero waved her finger. “The short story has already begun. It is going on all the time, letter by letter, word by word.”
“Huh? Then why can’t we see it?” Gilgamesh asked, confused. “Is there something wrong with the projector? Or with the NEKO Spirits?”
“Not that either. Are you still having trouble figuring it out, sensei?” Nero asked, clearly holding back a laughter.
“…………I don’t get it.”
The Golden King finally admitted it.
“Then allow me to explain”, Nero said with pride and put her hands to her hips. “This short story is actually what we are going through. The short story that has been going all this time, between the other short stories. The short story featuring us two! And this is the final scene of it.”
Gilgamesh, after hearing that, nodded.
“Aah, I see, I see…………Wait, WHAT?!”
“That’s right. It is the final scene of our short story”, Nero repeated. Gilgamesh shook his head, as if trying to make sense into all of it.
“No, no, no…! Wait a minute! If what you are saying is true, then does that mean that we also have to do some kind of fluffy, doki-doki, waku-waku ending for this short story?” he asked, sounding a bit desperate.
…………………….
After some silence, Nero nodded, seemingly serious even though she was blushing a bit.
“That was the general idea, yes.”
“Gimme a break! As if something like that is happening!” Gilgamesh complained. Nero frowned little sadly.
“…Sensei, are you saying that you don’t want to have an ending like that with me?”
That expression, along with those words, was like a Gae Bolg to Gilgamesh’s heart.
“Hnngggghh!!” Gilgamesh groaned.
“…….Really? I guess that if the truth is that…”, Nero spoke, downcast. She looked like a kid who found out that Christmas had been cancelled. “Then there’s no helping it…..is there.”
Nero turned around, her shoulders slumped. She began walking away from the stage of the Domus Aurea, leaving Gilgamesh behind. Meanwhile, the King of Heroes was having an inner battle with himself. The sight of Nero at that moment was eating away his pride, something that had not happened in a long while. It reminded him of the times that he had been with Enkidu, since he had acted in a very similar way to the red-clad Empress.
------------ But she’s not Saber-chan!
This was the number 1 complaint in Gilgamesh’s brains.
Yes, the woman before him, no matter how much she looked like her, was not his beloved Saber-chan. How could he show any kind of interest into someone else? After all, he had devoted himself completely to worshipping his goddess, Saber-chan! Why, he had even collected dozens and dozens of Saber-figurines, not to mention his huge collection of Saber-chan-dakimakuras. There was no way, after such display of devotion, that he could think about any other women.
But still……………..his heart was sinking as he looked at Nero’s distant back.
A slumped back that made him feel bad. It would have, even if it had not resembled the back of Saber-chan.
……!! Damn it all to hell!
And so, Gilgamesh made a decision.
“W-wait a minute….!!” he yelled, getting Nero to stop.
For a moment or two, the two stared at each other. And then Gilgamesh, red as Nero’s clothes, yelled the following words while pointing at the girl.
“I-I’ll do it! I’ll see this thing to an end! I’ll have a fluff-ending!” he shouted. “B-but……But only if it’s not shown in public!!”
Silence.
Utter silence.
Then……..
“Senseiiiiiiiiii!!!”
A red arrow shot through the room and tackled Gilgamesh. Before he realized, he was caught in a hug that was stronger than what even Berserker could have given him. Someone was also snuggling her face against his chest, something that he had not expected.
“H-hey! Wait a minute! They are still showing everything!” he complained. “A-and remember, I’m doing this just so that we get this final short story to an ending! It’s not like I d-doing this f-f-for you or anything!! Idiot!”
Well, that was it.
So came to end the twelve countdown days to Christmas. To honor the clause set by Gilgamesh, we refrain from showing what happened after that. Suffice to say, both Gilgamesh and Nero had never had happier Christmas.
The only thing that now remains is the ending, and the true Christmas.
Yes, on the 25th of December, for the second time, it’s time for….
Verg Avesta Christmas Special
Just from Me, to All of You
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