Chapter 29 – Christmas Eve (Part 1)
Christmas Eve, Part 1
Novel Title: ツァイガルニクの恋の沼 (Zeigarnik’s Love Swamp)
Author：月村奎著 (Tsukimura Kei)
Illustrator：志水ゆき (Shimizu Yuki)
Translator: K (@kin0monogatari)
Protagonists: 市川春音 (Ichikawa Harune -MC) & 二ノ宮航輝 (Ninomiya Kouki -ML)
*Please read at novels.space, the original site of translation. TQ*
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Even the nearly desolate shopping street regained a bit of liveliness on Christmas Eve.
The street was bustling all day with customers coming to the butcher shop to buy roast chicken and hors d’oeuvres, and others picking up reserved cakes at the patisserie.
However, Ichikawa Thread Shop didn’t particularly benefit from the Christmas Eve rush. Apart from two high school girls who came to buy ribbons for gift wrapping, it was business as usual—no, there were even fewer customers than usual.
Since there were no scheduled workshops, the store closed at 7 p.m., and the shutters were brought down.
Since the morning, Harune had received four messages from Kouki on LINE:
Kouki: When do you think you’ll be able to come over today?
Kouki: I’ve already prepared dinner, cake, and drinks, so you don’t need to bring anything.
Kouki: I’m always waiting for you.
Kouki: Should I come pick you up?
It had only been two days since they had become a couple. Spending Christmas Eve with his first-ever boyfriend made Harune’s whole body tingle from head to toe.
Torn between wanting to go as soon as possible and feeling embarrassed about being so eager, Harune busied himself after closing the shop by rearranging the knitted items on the mannequins and shelves, or counting the stock of buttons—things that didn’t really need to be done at that moment.
Before he knew it, he had dressed a mannequin in a sweater backwards. The realisation that he was being overly fussy made him feel even more embarrassed.
Harune dimmed the shop’s lights and finally resolved to prepare to leave.
Even though it was only a 20-minute walk, he packed pyjamas and a change of underwear in his tote bag, thinking about possibly staying over. But the thought of staying the night made him acutely aware of the situation, and it suddenly felt too much, so he pulled everything out again.
After thinking for a moment, he settled on just packing a toothbrush, for precaution, and the wrapped Christmas present, then he put on his coat and left the house.
The sun had already completely set, and the crisp year-end air was sharp and biting, like a razor. But due to his excitement and nerves, Harune didn’t feel the cold at all.
Walking through the town, glancing at the occasional house decked out in full-on Christmas lights, he eventually reached Kouki’s studio, where the dim light shining through the trees made his heart race with anticipation.
When he pressed the intercom, the door opened within seconds.
Harune was suddenly nervous, wondering what he should say first, but the delicious aroma wafting from inside helped ease his tension.
“Wow, it smells amazing,” Harune said, closing his eyes in delight.
Kouki raised his eyebrows proudly. “Right?”
“It’s like a combination of sweet, savoury, and refreshing scents all mixed together.”
“It’s just chicken and cake that I baked.”
“Just that? That’s more than impressive.”
On the tray that Kouki pulled from the wood stove’s oven, not only was there chicken, but also baked potatoes, pumpkin, and cherry tomatoes—all roasted to perfection.
“Wow, this looks like it was made by a genius!”
“Me having a boyfriend who doesn’t cook is great, huh? Even something as simple as roasting a few things on one tray makes you this happy.”
“I bet getting the cooking time just right is the hard part for something like this.”
The casual use of the word ‘boyfriend’ made Harune suddenly feel hot and sweaty inside his turtleneck sweater. To avoid showing his flustered reaction, he deliberately ignored it.
“I don’t have any champagne, but is beer okay?”
“Of course, of course.”
They placed the tray directly on an iron trivet on the table, and Kouki served the food with a wooden spatula.
They toasted with canned beer.
Kouki looked a bit surprised as Harune downed almost an entire can in one go.
“You really can drink, huh?”
“I was thirsty.”
In truth, it was more of a way to calm his nerves. The realisation that his childhood friend, the man he had loved unrequitedly for so many years, was now his boyfriend made him incredibly nervous. He couldn’t even look Kouki in the face properly.
When Kouki sliced into the chicken, clear juices flowed out. Even the sight alone was enough to make Harune’s mouth water, but when he took a bite of the portion Kouki served him, his eyes instantly softened.
“This is amazing!”
The skin was perfectly crispy, and the meat was tender and juicy. The simple seasoning of salt brought out the full flavour and made him crave more.
“I’m glad you like it,” Kouki smiled with satisfaction.
“These potatoes are delicious too. They might be the best I’ve ever had.”
The roasted potatoes, slightly charred from the chicken’s fat, were so good they could have been the main dish.
“You’re exaggerating.”
“No, seriously. This is definitely hall-of-fame-worthy. Let’s call it the ‘Potato Hall of Fame.’”
The beer, which Harune had downed on an empty stomach, quickly took effect, making him feel more relaxed and talkative.
Could anything be more wonderful than this? Spending Christmas Eve, gazing at the flames of a wood stove, and enjoying a warm meal prepared by his boyfriend—it seemed almost too perfect.
Harune had never really cared much for events like Christmas. That was probably true for most single men. Sure, he’d been involved in event-related work in the apparel industry, but that was purely business. For him, Christmas Eve was usually just another day when he might silently cheer on the convenience store staff wearing Santa hats as they sold cakes in front of the store.
But now, being in love, events like this felt so much more enjoyable.
He found his own simple delight both ridiculous and endearing. But, if enjoying life meant embracing the simple things, then why not?
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Next update: 2026.07.07
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