Christmas Of Fire!-The Declaration

The voting for the “Best Couple” concluded. Each person had been given a single ballot upon entry, on which they were to rank the pairs they considered the “Best Couple” from first to third place.

“Alright, the tally is finished!” Kazumi-san took the microphone once again.

“I’ll start by announcing the fourth and fifth place winners. When your names are called, please come forward.”

“You’re starting from fifth?” a questioning voice rose from the crowd. I wondered about it too, but Kazumi-san didn’t pay it any mind.

“First, in fifth place: the couple of Yu Isshiki-kun and Karen Mitsumoto-san!”

Me? Karen and I came in fifth? Considering the prior “bad reputation” Karen had among the female members, I’m surprised we made it to fifth. Then again, with only twelve couples in total, it wasn’t that strange to be in the top half.

“Lately, Isshiki-kun has been quite popular with the female members~. It seems that influenced the vote. Your prize is a teddy bear plushie!”

Kazumi-san handed us the plushie. Karen took it, her expression clearly dissatisfied. After receiving the gift, we were made to stand in a line on the front right side of the stage.

Fourth place went to a sophomore couple. Their prize was a pair of mugs—apparently from a famous brand.

Kazumi-san’s announcements continued.

“Now for third place! Whoa, this is a major upset! Even I can’t believe what I’m seeing!” Kazumi-san held up the memo given to her by the counters. “It’s the pair of me and Ishida-kun!”

The venue erupted in laughter.

“Come on up, Ishida-kun. The prize is a 3,000 yen book voucher!”

Ishida came forward with a bashful grin. As Kazumi-san handed it over, she said, “Half of this is my cut, so don’t you dare keep the whole thing for yourself!” Everyone laughed again.

Second place went to a junior couple with a reputation for being the “stable couple of the circle.” It wouldn’t have been surprising if they had won the top spot.

“Now, for the much-anticipated first place…” Kazumi-san paused for dramatic effect. “It’s the pair of Tetsuya Kamokura-san and Toko Sakurajima!”

She pointed toward the two of them. From the surroundings, a mix of “I knew it” and
“Typical” could be heard—voices somewhere between resignation and admiration.

“The two of you, please come forward.”

Prompted by her words, Kamokura stepped up, followed by Toko-senpai, who kept her head slightly bowed.

“The prize for first place is a stay for tonight at the ‘Hotel Intercontinental Tokyo Bay,’ featuring a panoramic view of the Tokyo Bay night skyline!”

As Kazumi-san held the envelope containing the voucher high above her head, the room began to buzz.

“Wait, so…”

“They’re going straight to the hotel after this?”

“Whoa, that’s blatant.”

“Is it ‘Sex-mas’?”

“Ah, Toko-senpai is…”

“Damn it, go explode!”

“I’m so jealous.”

“Whoa, must be nice.”

“I want to spend Christmas in a hotel with a hottie, too.”

“Spending Eve together while looking at the night view. That’s the ideal.”

A variety of voices rang out. Kamokura, stepping forward with a “winner’s smirk,” reached out his hand to take the voucher from Kazumi-san. However, Kazumi-san flicked the envelope away, refusing to hand it over just yet.

“By the way, Kamokura-san. How are you planning to use this hotel stay?”

Kamokura looked a bit surprised but answered with a wry smile. “Well, I’m going to stay there with Toko.”

At that, Kazumi-san closed her eyes and wagged her index finger back and forth.

“Tsk, tsk, tsk! No good, Kamokura-san. That doesn’t sound like the number one hunk in this circle. Dragging your girlfriend to a hotel on Christmas Eve? That’s what any average guy would do. In front of your juniors, doesn’t that lack a bit of style?”

“Then what should I do?”

“Give both of these vouchers to Toko. Tonight is supposed to be a memorable night for you two. On a day like this, isn’t it fine to let her have the lead?”

Kamokura stared at Kazumi-san for a moment, then said, “Well, the result won’t change anyway. Fine, I’ll give them to Toko,” and stepped back. Toko-senpai stepped forward to take his place in front of Kazumi-san.

“As expected of Kamokura-san. You’re a real man!” Kazumi-san grinned. “So, it’s decided that both vouchers will be given to Toko. Everyone, a big round of applause!”

She handed the vouchers to Toko-senpai. Everyone gave a somewhat half-hearted round of applause.

“By the way, Toko, you had something you wanted to say in front of everyone, right?”

Kazumi-san handed the microphone to Toko-senpai. Toko-senpai accepted it in silence. Everyone watched her with interest, wondering what was about to happen. She kept her head down for a moment, but then looked up.

“There is something I want everyone to hear.”

Then, she looked toward me.

“Isshiki-kun, come over here.”

For a second, the atmosphere felt as if time had stopped. I caught a glimpse of Karen; she looked completely bewildered.

“Wh-why is Yu-kun…?”

Ignoring the shocked Karen, I walked over to Toko-senpai. I stood beside her in front of everyone. Toko-senpai spoke again.

“I, Toko Sakurajima, at this very moment, declare that I am breaking off my relationship with Tetsuya Kamokura.”