Daiki was having dinner with his father.

He had been seeing his father more and more often, and they had become like a father and son who were really friends.

They would contact each other once in a while.

“Maybe we can go out for dinner sometime?”

His father would contact him and

“I have a place I’d like to go sometime, would you like to come?”

They had a good relationship, with Daiki contacting him and so on.

Daiki was very happy about that.

Since he was not that hungry after the Christmas party that day, he decided to have a light meal and go home.

He gave Daiki a ride back to the neighborhood.

“Daiki, here’s a Christmas present for you!”

He was getting out of the car when it was suddenly handed to him.

He was surprised, but very happy.

“Thank you!

Dad!

Can I open it?”

He asked, and immediately opened it.

The present was an outdoor brand backpack.

“I wanted to go play with Daiki in various places!”

He said embarrassingly.

“Thank you so much!

Dad!

I’ll use it from now on!”

He looked really happy with his backpack.

He got out of the car and walked home.

Wakaba had sent him a message.

She wrote about what happened at the family restaurant.

It made him feel a little bothered.

But he was happy that she had contacted him.

Thinking about that, he was walking along the street.

When he passed by Wakaba’s house, the light in her room was on.

“She is already home.

Should I give her my Christmas present today?

…

After all, I should give it to her today!

I better go get my Christmas present!”

He was happy to get a Christmas present from his father earlier and was actually planning to give it to her tomorrow, but he wanted to give it to Wakaba right now, too.

With the same momentum, he hurried to the house.

“I’m home!”

And rushed to his room with the present in his hand and said

“I’m off!”

And then he went out.

He called Wakaba, but the phone was on the line and he couldn’t get through.

When he arrived at Wakaba’s house, he tried to call her again, but the line was still active and he could not get through.

The light in Wakaba’s room was on.

“She must be on the phone with someone.”

So he decided to leave a message and wait for a while.

After waiting for about 30 minutes, there was no call.

“Still on the phone…”

He waited a little longer, but did not return his call.

He left a Christmas present in front of Wakaba’s door, sent her a message, and went home.

“I couldn’t give it to her in person after all…”

He let out a deep sigh.

After arriving home, he took a quick shower and decided to go to bed right away.

But he could not sleep.

Having been able to control his emotions by seeing his father, he was reminded of today’s events again.

Wakaba had not called him back, so it was even more difficult to sleep.

“I wondered if she was on the phone with Shiraishi….

They were closer than usual today…”

He was in agony.

After that, there was no word back from Wakaba.

Daiki must have fallen asleep before he knew it.

When he woke up, it was 6:00 in the morning.

Since he had club activities only in the morning today, he ate breakfast, got ready, and headed for club activities.

After waking up, he checked his cell phone, but there was no word from Wakaba.

Feeling disappointed and lonely.

As he was walking to his club activities, he received a phone call from his father.

“What’s wrong?”

He asked.

Daiki, why don’t you come over to my house at the end of the year?”

He suddenly said,

“What’s going on?”

He asked him.

“Your mother is getting remarried after the new year, right?

I thought that would make it harder to ask you out!

I don’t want to bother Tojo-san…”

He said,

Daiki wanted to visit more places with his father, so he said yes.

“I’ll tell mother about it, so please meet me at the station in the afternoon!”

he told him happily.

Daiki was feeling down about Wakaba, so it was just as well.

He was looking forward to the afternoon.

After the club activities were over, he decided to hurry home.

He thought about checking his cell phone, but decided not to because he was afraid he would sound depressed again if he hadn’t heard from her.

When he arrived home, he put the things he needed into the backpack he got yesterday and hurried to get ready.

His mother had prepared a change of underwear and clothes in a Boston bag for him, so he decided to go out right away.

Daiki cheerfully said

“I’m off!”

and opened the front door.

“Have a safe trip!

Have fun!”

His mother happily saw him off.

He ran past Wakaba’s house, trying not to look at the house too much.

He hurried straight to the station.

When he got near the station, he looked at his cell phone to call his father.

He found that Wakaba had called him.

He had been at a club activity, so he did not notice it, but he had received both a call and a message.

Looking at the message, he read

“Sorry that you came yesterday.

I was on the phone with Ren-kun and didn’t notice and went straight to bed.

I’m really sorry.

Thanks for the Christmas present!

As expected of Daiki!

You know what I like!

I’m so happy!”

It said

“I have a Christmas present for you too, and I’d like to give it to you today.

Can I see you soon?”

There was also one more person included.

“Ren-kun? Oh, you mean Shiraishi?

you’ve become so close that you call him by his first name…”

At once, his chest tightened.

He struggled to suppress his feelings.

Without replying to Wakaba, he called his father.

His father was already at the station, so he ran toward the station.

Daiki got into his father’s car and his father drove him to his house.

The run calmed him down a little.

In the car, he typed a message in reply to Wakaba.

“I’m going to stay with my father from today until the end of the year.”

He sent it ahead to her.

“I could only give it to you in person yesterday, so I went to your place after I got home, but I couldn’t get through to you on the phone, so I left it at your door.

Sorry.”

That’s all he said.

He put his cell phone in his bag so that he wouldn’t see it.

“Now I won’t be able to see Wakaba until the new year…”

Daiki was also thinking about this as he stared out the window.

The two gradually crossed paths.