This is not the date I wanted.

"Brother Guan Meng! Merry Christmas!"

When the young man returned to his rented apartment, he accidentally met a little boy from his next-door neighbor's house.

"Well, Merry Christmas. You look very happy. What good things happened to you?"

"Oh? You figured it out, you really are Brother Guan Meng. Haha, actually mom and dad bought me a new toy that I've always wanted as a birthday present!"

"Oh, this is really enviable."

The young man rubbed the child's head and said with a smile.

"Oh, isn't this Guan Meng? Merry Christmas."

The child's mother came out of the house and greeted the young man in a friendly manner.

"Well, hello Auntie. Merry Christmas."

"Hey, Brother Guan Meng! We're having a Christmas party tonight! Do you want to join us?"

"That's true. You've taken good care of this child. If you're interested, come in and have a seat."

Faced with the other party's kind invitation, Guan Meng just shook her head and answered tactfully.

"Sorry, I still have some work to do today, so I have to hurry and finish it."

……

Returning to his room and locking the door, the idle young man began to cook, wash clothes, sweep the floor, and give the house a thorough cleaning.

"Ha... never mind, let's just play games to kill time."

At night, the slightly tired young man turned on his mobile phone and stared at the update interface on the screen in a daze.

(I’m really awkward…)

Thinking back to what happened today, the young man couldn't help but feel speechless about his own abnormality.

Guan Meng is a very well-behaved and sensible child. I don’t know when people around him gave him such an evaluation.

Reliable, capable, and never a nuisance. Everyone thought so, and he responded to these expectations as a matter of course.

But sometimes, he also wants to be a different "self" from usual at some point in time, and wants to have someone who can accept everything about him, to be rebellious, to act like a spoiled child, to be willful and mischievous, to let go of all burdens and enjoy himself.

He once opened his heart to his father, but when his father left and learned everything about him, he hid his feelings deep inside again, carefully not letting others touch them.

This may be a little bit of inferiority, or perhaps a kind of stubbornness.

He didn't want chance acquaintances to touch the memories that belonged only to him and his family; nor did he want these memories to be diluted and faded under the influence of "Christmas" and "time".

[Dear XX, happy birthday. Thank you for meeting you. Please accept this gift. ]

When you open the game, a blessing email from a cartoon character pops up on the screen.

Although he knew that this was just a task program triggered by the system detecting the personal information he filled in, Guan Meng still felt a little touched.

"Just like what dad said... the second dimension is really great. I'll learn some Japanese when I have time."

———————————————I am the dividing line between dream and awakening——————————————

"Woo..."

The slight shaking of the seat made Shidou open his eyes in confusion.

"Huh...where is this?"

The hazy scenery gradually became clear, and in the small and enclosed space, one could see the slowly rotating snow scene outside the window.

(Oh yeah… I rode the Ferris wheel with Meng Yue?)

The pleasant touch on his cheek and the gentle caressing of his hair by slender fingers made Shidou feel safe and comfortable.

Shidou raised his head and saw Mengyue quietly looking at his sleeping face with a gentle smile on her face.

"Are you awake, Shidou?"

"...Ah, I'm sorry."

Realizing that he was resting his head on Mengyue's thighs, Shidou quickly stood up, his face flushed with embarrassment.

"I accidentally fell asleep..."

Mengyue shook her head, indicating that she didn't mind.

"It's okay. After all, you must be very tired after running around. It's just right to take a rest."

"How long have I slept?"

"Not long, just a few minutes."

Hearing Meng Yue's answer, Shidao turned his head and looked out the window. As expected, they had passed the highest peak of the Ferris wheel and began to descend towards the ground.

"Ah...what a failure."

Shidao couldn't help but droop his shoulders in frustration. He had originally planned to deliver the items when the Ferris wheel reached the top and the atmosphere was just right, but he didn't expect to fall asleep accidentally.

"What failed?"

Meng Yue asked curiously.

"Ah... that's what I meant. We were planning to enjoy the night view together, but I ended up falling asleep. It's a bit embarrassing."

Shidou scratched his face and answered a little embarrassedly.

"Ah, you're talking about that." Hearing this, Meng Yue couldn't help but smile knowingly and said, "Don't worry, I didn't pay much attention to the night view, so you have nothing to be embarrassed about."

"Eh? Mengyue, what do you mean..."

Shidou was stunned. However, before he could ask, the Ferris wheel had completed a circle and returned to the ground.

"Okay, now we have all the stamps. Let's go see what the prize is, shall we?"

"Hmm... ok."

Shidou nodded in agreement, stood up and followed Mengyue's steps.

When they arrived at the prize redemption counter, staff dressed in Santa Claus uniforms greeted them warmly and exchanged their prizes.

A set of Christmas accessories, a limited discount coupon for the cafe, and a photo of the two taken at the stamping facility.

"Hmm... it's okay. Although I'm not too impressed with the first two. But the last prize is really good. Shidou, your desperate expression... Tsk tsk, it's a good shot."

"...Mengyue, as long as you are happy."

Looking at Mengyue who was admiring the photos with relish, Shidao couldn't help but frown.

"But... we've already taken it, Mengyue. Do you want to go to the cafe and eat something before going back?"

After glancing at the time, Shidou proposed to Mengyue.

"Well... I have a bad feeling about this, but it's okay to take a break."

……

"I'm very sorry! The store is full right now. If you don't mind, there are still vacancies in the outdoor area. This is our small apology!"

Sitting on a seat in the open-air venue, Shidou lowered his head in shame.

“…I’m sorry Mengyue, I didn’t expect it to turn out like this.”

"Well, that's to be expected. The discount coupon was originally a promotional event between this store and the amusement park, so it's not difficult to get it, and it happens to be meal time now."

Meng Yue complained without any surprise.

Of course, the original open-air venue is not a bad location. The view here is very good, and you can have a clear view of the night view of the amusement park. The neon Christmas trees placed next to the seats also create a very romantic atmosphere.

But it is still snowing lightly now.

"Will it be cold?"

"Phew... a little bit, no big problem."

Having said that, Shidou still felt a little guilty when he saw Mengyue breathing hot air into her palms.

(Now is not the time to worry about the atmosphere...)

After warning himself in his heart, Shidou took a deep breath and made up his mind to take out the gift bag that had been in his bag for a long time.

"Mengyue, if you're cold, use this."

"Ok?"

Mengyue curiously opened the bag that Shidao handed to her, and inside was a pure white scarf embroidered with blue edelweiss.

"This... is it for me?" Meng Yue asked in surprise.

"Ah."

"I don't see any trademark or label... Could it be that you knitted it yourself?"

"Y-yeah, what's the problem?"

Although he knew that Mengyue had always been very observant, when Mengyue exposed him, Shidao couldn't help but look away in embarrassment and responded in a low voice.

"How could that be? Thank you, Shidou. I accept it gratefully."

Mengyue smiled and shrugged, wrapping the scarf around her neck, then exhaled a sigh of relief.

"Phew...it's much warmer."

"I'm glad you're satisfied." Shidao felt relieved at first, then he suddenly seemed to think of something and quickly added, "Oh, and! This is the birthday present I prepared for you, not a Christmas present!"

“…Why do you want to emphasize this?”

Meng Yue asked speechlessly.

"Ah... that..." Shidou hesitated for a moment before speaking, "After all, today is your birthday. And... you don't seem to like Christmas very much."

"Ah... So you care about this." Meng Yue sighed, closed her eyes for a moment as if thinking, and then answered, "Well... Indeed. I didn't like Christmas before. However, I didn't hate Christmas itself, I just couldn't accept it for some personal reasons. Now, Christmas and I... have reconciled."

"Reconciled?"

"...Yeah, we reconciled."

Looking at Shidao who seemed a little confused, Mengyue couldn't help but smile.

"So don't worry, it's just a Christmas or birthday gift. As long as it's from you, it's the most precious gift to me."

The world is cold. If no one wants to work hard, it will be difficult for both oneself and others to gain warmth.

At the same time, if you don't know how to cherish and repay the efforts of others, no matter how warm the heart is, it will one day lose its temperature in the cold wind.

Liangyi Mengyue understands this better than anyone else.

Suddenly, Mengyue took out a Christmas hat from the prize and hung it on her head.

"...Meng Yue?"

Shidao looked at Mengyue in confusion.

The slowly falling snowflakes brought a hint of coolness, and the soft orange light set off the girl's transparent red face, warm yet gentle.

Holding the scarf close to her dimple for warmth, the girl slowly stretched out her left hand, took Shidou's right hand, and interlocked their fingers tightly.

[img=700,933]https://rss.sfacg.com/web/novel/images/UploadPic/2021/02/544f41fa-55fe-4529-9b09-26dd1e8486ad.jpg[/img]

"Today is my birthday, but not Shidao's. So, I can only give you a return gift as Santa Claus."

As she spoke, Meng Yue stood up slightly from her seat and leaned forward slowly.

"Thank you, I am very happy now."

As the colorful lights of the Christmas tree flowed, Shidou felt the soft touch on his lips, and his mind went blank.

……

"Ah—finally home."

When they reached the door of the Gokawa family, Mengyue stopped and turned to look at Shidao.

"Shidou."

"……………………"

"Shidou?"

Looking at Shidou who looked as if he was daydreaming about space, Mengyue frowned and shouted while waving her hands in front of him.