A Christmas Party!!!
I was surprised by the unexpected words that came out, but I quickly nodded in agreement.
"Yeah! Let's have a Christmas party!"
"Then, is it okay if I come to your house on the 24th?"
I looked over at my mother at that point. I wanted to have the party, but I knew that it wouldn't happen unless my mother gave the OK.
She smiled at me and nodded.
"It's fine. Make sure to invite Aya-chan."
It seemed that my mother had overheard the conversation from the phone. Even though I hadn't said anything, my mother took the initiative and gave her approval.
"Aya-chan! It's okay!"
"Thank you! I'll be there!"
After saying that, Aya-chan handed the phone back to Momoka-san, so I gave the phone back to my mother as well.
A Christmas party! No way. Am I really going to participate in something like that? Is that okay? Seriously? Is it really okay for someone like me to go to a party!?
Thinking back, I never had any connection to Christmas in my previous life.
In fact, I was so uninterested in these kinds of events that I'd only realize it was Christmas when I saw a VTuber's livestream. That's how out of touch I was.
I never spent Christmas with a girlfriend, nor did I get together with guy friends. Only extroverts did that kind of thing. But to think that a girl would invite me to a party... This might be the happiest thing that's happened to me since I reincarnated.
Well, Aya-chan is 100% "child" in the "girl" department.
But whether Aya-chan is a girl or a boy, being invited to a party by a friend is a first for me, in both my past and present lives. How could I not be happy?
As I was getting excited about something that overshadowed even the success of my healing magic, my mother thanked Momoka-san and ended the call, then stood up.
"If we're having a party, we need to prepare."
"Prepare?"
"Yes, because it's the day after tomorrow, right?"
"...Yeah?"
I glanced at the calendar hanging in the corner of the living room.
...Oh, right, today is the 22nd.
And so, our magic practice was cut short, and we headed out for some shopping with my mother.
For the first time in several days, we got on the bus and headed to town for shopping.
"Party! Party!!"
Hina, who couldn't quite say "party" correctly, and my mother, who was carrying her, walked into a chain store. We were here to buy balloons. Specifically, the ones that inflate to spell out "Merry Xmas!" I had no idea such a thing even existed.
We also came to buy things like a Christmas tree, party poppers, and other party supplies. Not only had I never bought such things before, but this was also my first time ever entering a store like this. I couldn't contain my excitement.
I felt like I was becoming an extrovert!
Even as a kid in my previous life, I never had such a party-like Christmas. We would buy a cake, eat fried chicken as a substitute for a turkey, and that was it. My life as a "stamp rally" might have started back then.
But! That ends today!
I'm going to enjoy a Christmas party with Aya-chan and the others!!
After buying the party supplies at the store, we went to a cake shop to reserve a cake. I thought it might be difficult because of the season, but since we weren't at a department store and went to a local cake shop instead, we managed to get a reservation.
Even when we went to the bag shop, I noticed that my mother tends to prefer shopping at local stores rather than big department stores. Maybe she wants to live a community-focused lifestyle.
However, the Christmas party was scheduled to start in the afternoon.
Of course, that didn't mean we did nothing until then. We had to decorate!
"Itsuki! Put this up high!"
"Okay, I got it."
I used the "Silveit Thread" to stick the inflated balloons high up on the wall.
This is really handy.
I can reach high places without my mom's help.
While we were decorating, my mom was busy cooking.
Yes, she entrusted the decorating to us. This really motivated us to do a good job.
After finishing with the balloons, we moved on to setting up the Christmas tree.
This tree even lights up in rainbow colors when you plug it in.
When we tried it, it lit up in a rainbow of colors.
Hmm, it's like a gaming Christmas tree...
...Well, I guess that's just how Christmas trees are.
I shook off that silly thought and continued decorating the tree with cotton and other ornaments. Once everything was done, we were fully prepared.
Now all that was left was to welcome Aya-chan and the others.
As we waited, the doorbell rang.
Our house is a fairly old Japanese-style house, but of course, it's equipped with a doorbell.
"Coming!"
My mom answered the door and then looked at me with a smile.
"Itsuki, it seems Aya-chan and the others have arrived. Go greet them."
"Okay!"
Hina and I headed to the gate, and there, stepping out of a taxi, were Aya-chan and her mother, Momoka-san.
"Itsuki-kun! We're here!"
"Welcome! We've got everything ready!"
Aya-chan's excitement was contagious, and I found myself getting excited too.
"Oh, um! I have a present for you and Hina-chan!"
"Aya, maybe you should wait a little longer to give them the presents."
Momoka-san gently scolded Aya-chan, who was eagerly trying to hand out the gifts.
I chuckled at the scene and led them inside.
"Welcome! I've made some food, so Itsuki and Hina, help me set the table."
"Okay!"
Called by my mother, I set the table with bowls of stew.
I couldn't help but feel a bit nervous with anticipation for my first-ever Christmas party.
We had prepared so much, and I really wanted Aya-chan and Momoka-san to have a great time.
With that in mind, the Christmas party we were about to start— was abruptly brought to an end by a single clap of thunder.