The Christmas party was fun.
It was a lively space that made me feel like I had returned to my student days.
It was a moment that reaffirmed my childlike heart, filled with nostalgia and the realization that I could still get this excited.
With Kaido and Minami leading the charge, it was a feast of drinking and singing.
There was no one to stop them, and the venue grew more and more heated.
When was the last time I laughed this hard, holding my stomach?
“Cuckucku, you all are truly amusing.”
Such a fun time passed by in an instant.
Should I call it the quiet after the festival?
Compared to the boisterous time, it was quiet, and perhaps I felt a little lonely.
But, watching Kaido, who had been reveling and drunkenly collapsing until the very end, sprawled on the futon and snoring, I found something amusing, and a smile involuntarily escaped my lips.
The lingering feeling of joy in my heart dispelled that loneliness.
My body had drunk its fill, more than a single bottle could contain, but I felt only a slight warmth and a touch of cheerfulness, without stumbling or feeling nauseous.
When I drink with the instructors, I’ve become incomparably stronger against alcohol than I used to be.
That’s why I can be perfectly fine even when drinking at a high pace.
However, that’s probably because I’ve been tempered by drinking with races like demons and the undead, who possess an almost unfair strength against alcohol.
The ones who are stronger than ordinary people are now fast asleep.
The ones who were noisy during the Christmas party are all now sleeping together in the guest room.
Kaido, just a while ago, was drinking with me to the point of being completely drunk.
Knowing he’d have an awful hangover tomorrow, I tossed him into the same room as Katsu, who had already gone to bed, with them lying side by side.
Of course, they were separated by gender.
In the men’s room, Kaido and Katsu were sleeping next to each other, and they wouldn’t wake up until morning.
In the women’s room, Himik, who also has a strong liver, was putting the twin angels, who had tried to sleep with Kitamiya and Minami, to bed.
Just picturing that scene makes me chuckle, which probably means I cherish the time I spend with them.
I stood up and headed to my room from the guest room, then returned to the living room.
“You’re back?”
“Yeah, where’s Himik?”
“She’s making a light meal in the kitchen. Suella is helping her. She seems to want to move her body a little.”
“I see. Well, as long as Himik is there, it should be fine.”
“I’ve heard that worrying too much isn’t good for you.”
“…I know, but still. It’s her first child, and I don’t know how to approach it.”
“Fufu, I see, but I understand how you feel. Perhaps it’s because I’ve come to like the same man as you. There are times when I care about Suella’s child as if it were my own.”
“Is that so?”
“You’re so cold. I’m trying to overcome my embarrassment to say this!”
“Your kind words have left me speechless. Understanding a man’s feelings is also a condition of being a good woman, you know?”
“Is that so? Then, to see your embarrassed face, shall I be a little wicked for just a moment?”
There, with the remnants of the Christmas party somewhat tidied up, sat Memoria, drinking wine at a table.
The other two were not in the living room, so when I looked around to see where they had gone, Memoria, noticing my gaze, provided the answer.
And then, while giving a wry smile at my concern for Suella, Memoria chided me.
Overly worried, or rather, not knowing how much to worry, I gave a wry smile and scratched my cheek as I sat next to Memoria.
I placed my belongings aside.
“Would you like some?”
“Ah, I’ll have some.”
Memoria offered me a bottle of wine and a glass, which I accepted and had her pour.
Memoria is a vampire.
She usually adjusts her schedule to match ours, but this time of night is actually her active time.
Vampires are a race with quite a lot of stamina.
So, Memoria told me that she can manage without sleeping much.
But still, I feel like Memoria is more lively at this hour.
After pouring wine for me, the way she slowly sips her own wine is somehow different from humans, yet she seems so much like them.
She has a human form, yet she looks like a doll, and yet, undeniably, she seems alive.
Her body temperature is colder than normal, but it’s not like she lacks warmth.
As I gazed at her profile, possessing such contradictory elements,
“Fufu, were you captivated?”
She teased me, her eyes shifting playfully like a mischievous girl.
“Ah, I was just thinking my girlfriend is beautiful.”
Sensing the atmosphere, I’m not at an age to be embarrassed by such teasing.
Even if it’s hard to get drunk, it doesn’t mean I don’t get drunk at all.
Perhaps it’s because of that sensation, but I answered her words honestly.
“You’re so straightforward. I’m glad, but shouldn’t you be a little more embarrassed?”
“I’m embarrassed on the inside.”
“Is that so?”
When I honestly think she’s beautiful and express it in words, her expression, which usually doesn’t change much, suddenly softens into a happy one.
Seeing such an expression from Memoria makes me feel a little shy, but it also gives me a sense of satisfaction that I never felt in my previous life.
Just then, a delicious aroma wafted through the air.
“Sorry to keep you waiting, Master. I’ve brought some light snacks.”
“Looks delicious.”
Himik brought out dishes on plates, emitting a warm steam, with enough for four people to nibble on. Suella followed behind her, carrying a similar plate.
The date had already changed, and Santa Claus had passed, but this time from now on was our own Christmas party.
Himik, due to her naturally robust constitution, was unaffected by the alcohol, while Suella, being pregnant, wasn’t drinking at all.
Memoria was also pacing herself, and since this was her active time, she was actually becoming more energetic.
“Here, have some of this too.”
“Thank you.”
And so, with all four of us gathered, we began the second party, which was no different from usual.
I took the plate of food from Suella, and with Suella and Memoria to my sides and Himik in front of me, a quiet drinking party began.
“Fufu, the events of this world are also quite enjoyable. I heard it was a day to celebrate a foreign saint, but it wasn’t so different from our own.”
“We don’t do it quite so elaborately in Japan. If it were the real thing, it would be quite something, but for an average Japanese family, this is quite a lively celebration.”
“Is that so, Master? Is it rare to perform religious rituals in your world?”
We drank leisurely, making small talk and discussing the differences between this Christmas party and the celebrations in Suella’s world.
Except for families who are devoted to a particular religion, Christmas as celebrated in average Japanese households does not go beyond the realm of an event.
Indeed, some might even see it as merely a trigger to create some excitement.
As Himik said, offering prayers to the gods and giving thanks for daily sustenance is perhaps akin to farmers clasping their hands in prayer and saying “Itadakimasu.” Only devout Christians would give thanks for Christmas.
“It’s not absent, but rather on a different level. Priests, as you call them, exist in Japan, and there are also Shinto priests and Buddhist monks, though they belong to different religions. But generally, there are few places where ordinary people gather to offer prayers to something.”
“Is that so? If the residents of your world heard that, they might go mad.”
God exists.
In this day and age, saying such a thing would earn you the look one gives to a crazy person.
Should I call it being a realist?
In a world where everything can be explained by concepts like physics and science, believing in vague existences like gods has become so occult that it’s almost impossible to accept.
“Perhaps so.”
Lately, I’ve been caught up in so many supernatural events that I sometimes wonder if Japanese people who don’t know about them are suffering from tunnel vision.
Thinking that I too have been influenced, I agree with Himik’s words.
I recall that if it were the people related to that shrine I visited on a business trip some time ago, they would have caused a stir about heresy and initiated a purge.
“But hearing this, Himik doesn’t seem to think anything of it.”
“Faith is a personal choice. I have no need or intention to comment on it.”
The fact that Himik, who served a deity, so easily states that faith is a personal choice is, in a way, astonishing. It’s as if God were told that it’s up to humans whether or not to provide sustenance.
It must be unbearable for Him. I thought this to myself, continuing to drink, as if it were someone else’s problem.
“By the way, do Suella and the others have anything like this kind of event?”
“You mean events like Christmas, right?”
“Yeah, like spending time with a lover or exchanging presents.”
“If you mean spending time with a lover or family, the Harvest Festival might be comparable.”
“Harvest Festival? Is that the one held in autumn?”
“Yes, in some regions, it’s called a Thanksgiving Festival. It’s a festival to offer harvested goods to the gods. Generally, it’s spent with family and gives thanks for the year’s health, and for unmarried adults, it’s a place to meet a lover.”
“Haa, is that so? Suella and Memoria have participated in it, haven’t they? What was it like?”
“…”
At that moment, out of curiosity, I asked about the festivals and celebrations of their world. When I heard something similar to the Harvest Festival I knew, I wondered how it differed from ours and asked for details. However, Suella and Memoria, who should have had experience, didn’t react favorably.
Both of them were staring intently at their glasses, their expressions seeming reluctant to talk.
“No, you don’t have to force yourselves. I understand there might be things you can’t talk about.”
“No, it’s not that we can’t talk about it, but… well, it’s not relevant to me anymore.”
“Suella?”
I thought perhaps there was something difficult for her to say, and tried to change the subject, but she seemed to reconsidered and began to speak.
“Of course, our Dark Elf Harvest Festival has most of the content I mentioned… but, the elders, or rather, the elderly married people, tend to meddle unnecessarily with us youngsters.”
“Unnecessary meddling?”
“Yes.”
Suella spoke with her hand on her forehead, as if merely recalling it gave her a headache, which made me feel like she had gone through a lot.
“They’d talk about the men from the neighboring village, or the most successful men, and just keep meddling to get us married. Keiri and I entered the Demon Lord’s Army partly because we hated that.”
“That sounds tough.”
“Yes, it was fun when I was a child, but…”
Once one becomes an adult, one has to think about descendants.
Compared to Japan, in their world, this is felt much more strongly, and Suella’s expression clearly shows how seriously they think about marriage and children.
And the “unnecessary meddling” she speaks of is likely matchmaking.
I had heard that Dark Elves have characteristics that make it difficult for them to develop romantic relationships.
Perhaps that’s why, at such festivals, various men and women gather. They are surely practicing a “hit it hard and hope for the best” strategy for the future of their race.
Well, it must be unbearable for those on the receiving end…
“What about Memoria, by any chance?”
Does she have her own unique troubles as a vampire?
I heard they don’t have peculiar romantic feelings like Dark Elves, but there might be vampire circumstances I’m unaware of.
“For the trade association, the Harvest Festival is a peak season.”
“Is that so…?”
However, with my experience in my previous job, I understood everything from her single remark.
But in Memoria’s case, it seemed to be a work-related issue rather than a racial one.
Peak season refers to a period of intense business activity.
“Furthermore, during that time, various noble parties and events hosted by trading companies overlap, so I’ve never been able to enjoy the Harvest Festival even once.”
Perhaps it’s a problem unique to urban areas, or maybe it’s due to Memoria’s personality, which makes her dislike crowds, or perhaps it’s because she was born into a family that manages a large trading company.
“That’s why I was so happy to be able to enjoy it quietly like today.”
“Yes, just as Memoria said, Jiro-san.”
However, Memoria seemed to have covered for me, and the somber expression from earlier was apparently an act. Memoria offered a faint smile as usual, and Suella also had a relaxed smile.
I realized I had been teased a little and laughed, scratching my head. Then, I presented them with the Christmas presents I had prepared for them.
Tonight, I’ll stay up a little longer.
Today’s Word:
Whether the worlds are different or the cultures differ, the joy of receiving a gift remains the same.
This concludes this section.
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*The first volume of the book has been decided to be published by Hayakawa Bunko JA. It was released on October 18, 2018. An e-book version was released on October 31 of the same year. The second volume was released on December 19. The third volume was released on February 20, 2019. The content has been revised and expanded from the original web novel, with the addition of an unreleased interlude. Please also check out the new releases!
A comic adaptation has also been decided for Kodansha’s “Young Magazine The Third.”
