It was the night of the 24th of the Month of Heavens—Christmas Eve. I had traveled to a specific corner of the Demon Realm.
Kuro stood before me, looking incredibly adorable in a fluffy red-and-white coat and a Santa hat instead of her usual black attire. The red shorts were a great touch, too; it was a look that appealed to me quite a bit. Call it a personal quirk, but I’ve always preferred shorts over skirts for a Santa outfit.
In that regard, Kuro’s outfit was perfect. She wore a slightly oversized coat over red half-pants. The coat mostly hid the shorts, but the occasional glimpse of her beautiful legs captured her energetic personality perfectly. Just looking at her made me happy.
Anyway, setting that aside, why exactly had I been called here?
"Alright, Kaito-kun! We are now beginning the Christmas Secret Mission!"
"Um... what?"
It had been a while, but Kuro was back to her usual nonsensical antics. A "Christmas Secret Mission"? It was a bit of a mouthful, but I understood she had some sort of plan in mind.
"Hehehe, the mission is this..."
"Ah, before that, Kuro... that outfit really suits you. You look cute."
"Eh? Really? Ehehe, thank you!"
Since it was a foregone conclusion that I would be swept along by her whims, I gave up on resisting immediately. I didn't know what was about to happen, so I figured I’d offer a sincere compliment while I still had the chance.
Hearing my words, Kuro smiled bashfully with joy, then cleared her throat to compose herself.
"Ahem! Right, about the mission... the objective is simple. We sneak into my house, head for the dining hall without being spotted, secure the target, and slip back out without a soul knowing we were ever there!"
"Why go through all that trouble...?"
"Hehehe, I know all about this! There’s a game where you sneak around called the Great Christmas Operation, right? Let’s do that!"
"..."
It was just as I expected—she had picked up some strange information from somewhere again. "The Great Christmas Operation"? Was that a movie title? And wasn't the "sneaking in" part just the story of Santa Claus?
Well, this was business as usual for her. I decided I’d clear up the misunderstanding later and just play along with her game for now.
The premise of sneaking into her own home was bizarre, but that didn't seem to bother Kuro. She moved along the wall of the wide corridor with infectious enthusiasm. Seeing her having so much fun made it hard to complain.
"But won't we be found out immediately?"
"It’s fine! I’m using Recognition Inhibition, Presence Concealment, and Soundproofing Magic. No one will notice us unless they get really close."
"But this hallway... if someone comes from the front, there’s nowhere to hide."
"Ah."
As I suspected, her excitement had outpaced her planning. She hadn't considered a "game over" scenario like that at all. Then again, since this was just a game to her, there was no need to overthink it.
"I-It’ll be fine! It’s true that this wing contains everyone’s private rooms, but everyone should be busy preparing for the Christmas party today..."
"..."
I was certain of it now. A flag had been raised. Someone was definitely going to show up.
As if to confirm my prediction, faint footsteps and muffled voices echoed through the quiet corridor.
"Awawa! Wh-what should we do?! Someone’s coming!"
"It’s exactly what I thought would happen... Wait, Kuro? What are you—?"
"This is an emergency! Sorry!"
Before I could finish, Kuro held her hand over the nearest door—the entrance to someone's private quarters. With a faint click, the lock disengaged, and Kuro grabbed my hand, pulling me inside.
"Hey, Kuro?"
"What is it, Kaito-kun?"
"By the rules of this kind of cliché... isn't this the part where the people actually come into this room?"
"N-No way..."
My uneasy premonition hit the mark yet again. The footsteps stopped directly in front of the door, followed by the unmistakable sound of a key sliding into the lock.
"Kaito-kun!"
"Eh? Whoa!"
The moment she heard the lock, Kuro moved with lightning speed. She scooped me up and dove into a nearby closet. Why did she keep making the situation worse? Now we were trapped in a classic "can't get out" scenario.
Crammed into the small space with Kuro, I peeked through the gap in the closet doors just as the room door opened. Acht and Eva walked in. Apparently, we had intruded into their bedroom.
We must have made a fair bit of noise diving into the closet, but Kuro’s Soundproofing Magic was apparently holding firm, as the two didn't seem to notice us.
"Man, I wonder where Chrome-sama disappeared to?"
"Isn't she with Kaito? I can't think of any other reason why Chrome-sama would ditch her own party."
I heard something unexpected. So, the Underworld King and master of this castle had actually abandoned her own Christmas party...
"Hey... Kuro?"
"Ehe."
"Don't 'ehe' me. What the hell are you doing?"
"I decided I wanted to spend Christmas with you, Kaito-kun! But then everyone started talking about a massive party... and before I knew it, the preparations were already finished..."
I had wondered why she was so intent on sneaking around, but it turned out she was essentially a runaway. But if she had already escaped, why on earth did she come back?
"Kuro, I never did get the details. What exactly are we here to get?"
"I... forgot to bring the new Baby Castellas..."
"I really think we could have done without those."
"No way! I made 'Fried Chicken-flavored' ones just for today!"
"Yeah, let’s definitely not go get them."
"Eh?"
No matter how I looked at it, that sounded like a culinary disaster. Knowing Kuro, she’d probably obsessed over the recipe and put actual chunks of fried chicken inside. I was definitely not eating that.
For now, the plan was to wait for Acht and Eva to leave so we could make our escape.
"Mmph... Geez, Acht, what’s gotten into you so suddenly...?"
"Well, you know, we’ve been so busy lately, and it’s been a while since we had time alone..."
"!?!?"
Are you serious? How many tropes were we going to trigger tonight? This was getting way too stereotypical.
Hearing the suggestive tone in their voices, I reflexively looked through the gap. I saw Acht and Eva locked in a passionate embrace, sharing a deep kiss.
"Awawa! Wh-what do we do?!"
"This is bad. At this rate, things are going to go even further..."
"K-Kaito-kun, you mustn't look!"
"Wait, Kuro! If you move in a space this small—whoa!"
Acht and Eva were clearly escalating the mood. The moment I realized it would be bad to keep watching, Kuro panicked and tried to cover my eyes. However, the closet was incredibly cramped, and we were already pressed together. When she shifted her weight, our bodies slid against each other, and my hand landed on something incredibly soft.
"Hyau?! K-K-Kaito-kun?!"
"Ah, um, this is... well..."
There I was, in a dark closet with my lovely girlfriend in a Santa outfit, my hand resting firmly against her chest. Even in the shadows, I could see her face turn a deep crimson. She looked impossibly cute.
This was... well, an opportunity. I mean, it wasn't like we could leave until Acht and Eva were gone anyway...
"Ah... K-K-Kaito-kun... mm... hmnn..."
"Kuro..."
"Y-You can't... ah... not in a place like this..."
"Sorry, I might not be able to stop myself..."
"Eeeh?! Ah..."
Each time my hand shifted against her chest, Kuro let out a faint, sultry gasp. Between her voice and the heat of our proximity, my head began to swim with a dizzying fever. This was getting dangerous. I had to get a grip on myself...
"Be... gentle... okay?"
"!?"
Why would she say that now?! It was over. I couldn't stop—
"Acht-kun! Eva-san! Where are you?! I need some help over here!"
"!?!?"
Right at that critical moment, Raz-san’s voice rang out. I jumped, and so did Kuro, Acht, and Eva. Apparently, the party preparations required their assistance.
Acht and Eva hurriedly straightened their clothes and called out to Raz-san as they rushed out of the room. Seizing the chance, Kuro and I scrambled out of the closet and fled the castle as fast as we could.
"Phew... that turned into quite the ordeal."
"I feel like this was mostly your fault, Kuro."
"Hmm, I can't really argue with that."
After managing to slip away from the castle, Kuro and I walked through the city, which was fully immersed in the Christmas spirit. We exchanged awkward smiles as we strolled.
Neither of us was in the mood to sneak back in for those Baby Castellas anymore. Kuro clearly preferred being with me over attending the official party, so we decided to spend the rest of the night exploring the city together.
"Well then, shall we go on a proper date?"
"Yeah!"
Kuro beamed and took my hand, snuggling close as we walked. Truly, being with her was always a whirlwind—life was never boring, and every day felt fresh. But that was exactly why I was so happy.
"Oh, that reminds me! Kaito-kun."
"Yeah?"
As I was soaking in the joy of being with her, Kuro spoke up as if she’d just remembered something. She blushed slightly and stood on her tiptoes to whisper in my ear.
"...Um... what we were doing earlier... let's finish it... after our date, okay?"
"...Ah, right. Yeah."
"Okay, let's go!"
"Whoa, Kuro! Don't pull so hard!"
As if trying to hide her embarrassment, my precious lover pulled me along with a smile as bright as the sun. I felt a profound sense of happiness to be spending Christmas with her, and an even deeper sense of anticipation for what the night still held as we walked through the festive streets.
"By the way, Kuro... regarding that situation in the closet... couldn't we have just used Teleportation Magic to get out instantly?"
"...Ah."