Chapter 33 – Christmas Eve (Part 5)
Christmas Eve, Part 5
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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Harune was dragged from his deep, mud-like sleep by the sound of his phone ringing.
As he blinked his eyes open groggily, he found himself staring at an unfamiliar ceiling in a sunlit room.
Confused for a moment, Harune rolled over, feeling an odd discomfort in various parts of his body. It was the kind of soreness you’d feel the day after a sports festival—exhaustion and muscle pain, along with a mysterious stinging sensation in his ass.
As his eyes adjusted to the brightness, Harune glanced at the wide bed. In an instant, the memories of last night flooded back.
He was at Kouki’s house, where they had spent a night of heated passion.
Bolting upright, he glanced at his still-ringing phone. The screen displayed a call from Yuuichi and the time: 9:10 a.m.
“What? Nine o’clock? Oh no!”
In his panic, he accidentally accepted the video call from Yuuichi.
“Harune! Morning!” Yuuichi’s overly cheerful greeting blared through the phone. But as soon as he saw Harune’s face, his eyes widened, and he leaned closer to the screen.
“Whoa, you look like you just woke up. Do you have the day off today?”
“Uh… no…”
“Also, what’s up with that post-hookup look?”
It wasn’t just the look—it was literally post-hookup.
Harune quickly wrapped the blanket around his naked body.
“Sorry, I’ll call you back later,” Harune tried to end the call, but Yuuichi quickly interrupted.
“Wait, wait, wait! Just give me one minute, you’ve got to hear this. So, guess what?”
Yuuichi thrust his hand toward the screen.
“Ta-da! Thanks to you, I officially registered my marriage yesterday!”
He waved his hand enthusiastically, showing off a brand-new wedding ring.
“Whoa, that was fast!”
“Yeah, Maki’s parents finally, though reluctantly, gave their blessing. So we rushed to seal the deal before they could change their minds. We still have to plan the ceremony and find a new place, but hey, you’re definitely coming to the wedding, right?”
“Wow, that’s a big surprise, but congratulations! That’s great news.”
“Thanks! Sorry for all the trouble I caused you. But really, it’s all thanks to you. Maki has been wanting to see you, so let’s grab drinks sometime soon. Do you have any reason to come over here? Or we could come to you?”
“Uh… well…”
Harune was already overwhelmed from last night’s events and the rush to get back and prepare for work, but cutting off the conversation during such a happy moment felt wrong.
“I’d love to congratulate you properly, so I’ll let you know when I’m free.”
“Awesome! I’ll be waiting. I actually wanted you to sign as a witness on our marriage certificate, too. It’s just a single sheet of paper, but it felt so nerve-wracking, you know? Maki was so nervous that she even misspelt her own name. Can you believe that? Messing up your own name?”
Though he wanted to say they could talk about this later, Yuuichi’s wedding high was endearing, making it hard for Harune to interrupt.
Suddenly, the door behind Harune creaked open.
“Harune, shouldn’t you be getting up? You’re going to be late for work,” Kouki said as he entered the room, drying his hair with a towel.
Hearing his voice and catching a glimpse of Kouki’s with his damp hair on the screen, Yuuichi’s eyes widened, leaning in to get a better look.
“Wait, what’s going on? Is this seriously post-hookup?”
“No, I mean, uh… I’ll call you back tonight,” Harune stammered, reaching for the screen to end the call. But Kouki grabbed his hand from behind.
“Ah, this is the guy who stayed over at Harune’s place before, right?” Kouki said, peeking over Harune’s shoulder at the screen.
“Yeah, yeah! Hello there! Wait, are you two, um… like that?”
Before Harune could respond, Kouki confidently answered with a smug look.
“Yep, we’re exactly like that.”
“Hey, come on!” Harune protested, but the two of them kept chatting happily without him.
“Wow, Harune! You could’ve told me! I’ve been hearing rumours about you pining for your handsome childhood friend for ages.”
“Yuuichi!”
“So, it all worked out, huh? Double congratulations! I was just telling Harune about my marriage, too.”
“Oh, is that so? Congratulations.”
“Thanks! We should totally grab drinks together sometime.”
“That sounds great.”
Harune finally managed to squeeze himself into the conversation.
“Sorry, Yuuichi, I really have to get ready for work. I’ll call you later.”
“Okay, okay. But next time, I want to hear all the juicy details!”
Harune quickly tapped the screen to end the call, cutting off Yuuichi’s teasing grin.
“Good morning,” Kouki said casually, planting a soft kiss on Harune’s cheek, making his drowsy eyes snap wide open.
With a bright, cheerful smile, Kouki leaned in close, peering into Harune’s face.
“Why are you blushing now just from a kiss? Last night, we did things way more intense than this.”
Harune shoved a pillow into Kouki’s face as if to tell him to shut up.
Kouki brushed the pillow away with a laugh, but then suddenly his expression grew serious.
“I’m really sorry for misunderstanding things with your friend and getting jealous like that.”
“You know now it was completely a misunderstanding, right? He just registered his marriage with his girlfriend from our vocational school days yesterday.”
“Is that so? What a great guy.”
What’s with this sudden change of heart? Harune tilted his head, wondering how Kouki could change his mind so fast, but then—
“In love with your handsome childhood friend, huh?”
As Kouki muttered this with satisfaction, Harune’s face grew even hotter. So that’s why his mood suddenly improved.
“I never once said he was handsome. That’s totally Yuuichi’s fabrication!”
Feeling embarrassed, Harune tried to argue back. But Kouki simply brushed a strand of hair off Harune’s face with his fingertip and chuckled softly.
“That part doesn’t matter. What matters is that you like me enough to talk about it with your friends. That makes me so happy, I can’t stop grinning.”
“…Idiot.”
“Well, to be honest, I’ve liked you a hundred times more than that.” Kouki suddenly pushed Harune down and kissed him.
“Mmm…”
With just a kiss, Harune could feel something strange being triggered in the body that had been thoroughly fucked last night. Panicking, he pushed Kouki away.
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Next update: 2026.07.10
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