"I'm home."
It had become a habit, Azlan uttered that sentence as soon as he opened the door, the pine tree still slung over his shoulder.
"Welcome back~ Come in quickly, Azlan-kun, it's very cold outside, don't catch a cold."
Akane's cheerful voice greeted him from inside. But when Azlan took off his shoes and looked up, his breath nearly caught.
"Akane, you..."
Before him stood Akane in a mini Santa costume that left him stunned. The short red skirt showed off her smooth thighs, while the tight corset on her body presented a cleavage that seemed like it could come loose at any moment. Her red-and-white striped socks perfected the revealing appearance.
"What does Azlan-kun think?"
Her cheeks flushed slightly, Akane turned slowly, giving Azlan a full view of every angle of her costume.
"Mm. Good."
Azlan tried to keep his voice neutral, although he felt this girl was getting bolder at teasing him.
Akane approached, her small hands cleaning the snowflakes still clinging to Azlan's hair. Her expression was adorably pouty.
"Oh my, Azlan-kun isn't good at praising girls. I'm also a woman, I want to hear more touching praise once in a while~"
"Maybe next time."
"That's a promise. I'm looking forward to the day you praise my charm."
Akane's eyes sparkled before she placed a red Christmas hat on Azlan's head.
"Nice tree. Your taste in choosing things is very good, Azlan-kun." She praised while examining the pine tree Azlan brought.
They both walked to the living room. The room was now filled with an unfinished Christmas atmosphere. There were strands of blinking lights stretching across the walls, several wreaths hanging, and red and green fur blankets scattered on the sofa.
Azlan placed the pine tree in an empty corner. Then, he and Akane began decorating it with the trinkets they had collected: glass balls, silver tinsel, and small angel-shaped ornaments.
While their hands were busy hanging decorations, a warm atmosphere was created between them—a striking contrast with the frozen and dangerous world outside the house. In the midst of the zombie apocalypse and wandering Titans.
◆━⊰✧⊱━◆
As night grew late, the dining table had been set with dishes far more luxurious than usual. Akane truly deployed all her abilities.
There was pizza with cheese and a surface still warm, soft Potato Salad, large portions of spaghetti with rich-tasting bolognese sauce, a large pot of steaming Cream Stew, and the main dish was crispy golden fried chicken, piled high on a plate.
To prepare all this, Akane had spent her entire day in the kitchen. She even specifically asked Azlan to look for chicken outside.
After all, in this apocalyptic world, animals weren't affected by the virus or whatever destroyed humanity. They continued to roam, free, while humans might have gone extinct, or maybe some still remained, hiding somewhere that even Azlan himself didn't know.
In short, since Akane's arrival at his side, Azlan no longer needed to rely on boring canned food every day. Now, he occasionally fished in the river, or slaughtered cows and chickens he found after exploring Tokyo. Life that was once only about survival now had a glimmer of pleasure.
Thanks to balanced nutritional intake, Azlan's body slowly recovered. His skin that was once pale and dull now began to brighten, and traces of malnutrition from his past began to fade. Akane truly pampered him, and Azlan—although he didn't say it—greatly appreciated everything she did.
Removing her Christmas-themed apron, Akane without hesitation sat beside Azlan at the dining table.
"Everything's ready. Let's start eating."
"This is too much, Akane." Azlan complained, his eyes still fixed on the dining table filled with delicious food, things he had always longed for in the past.
"It's okay. Azlan-kun's Senjutsu training drains stamina, the best way to refill it is by eating. Haven't you noticed your food portions have gotten bigger over time?"
"Really?"
"See, Azlan-kun didn't realize it."
Azlan's confused response verified her speculation. Akane, who always cooked for him, had noticed that the man never seemed truly full. So, secretly, she began increasing his food portions little by little, without Azlan's own knowledge.
"I see. Indeed, the best method of self-assessment isn't done by oneself, but by others who judge."
"Come on, don't think too much, Azlan-kun. Let's eat before the food gets cold. Say ah~"
Akane took a fried chicken wing, holding it in front of Azlan, waiting for him to open his mouth.
"No need. I can eat by myself."
"..."
Although Azlan had said so, Akane didn't back down at all, her hand remained extended in the same pose, a small smile playing on her lips.
"Ah..."
In the end, Azlan gave in. With a bit of embarrassment, he opened his mouth and let Akane feed him. The perfectly absorbed spices and crispy chicken skin immediately filled his senses.
"How does it taste?"
"Delicious as always."
That wasn't just empty flattery. Azlan was truly serious about what he said. In this apocalyptic world, every bite of Akane's cooking felt like a blessing.
"Good that you like it. Eat more."
Akane nodded satisfied, only then beginning to enjoy her own food.
In the comfortable silence between them, the sound of spoons and forks occasionally clinked. As they both were enjoying their food, Azlan remembered a topic that made him curious.
"As I know, Christmas is a big celebration for Christians. This is the core of Christmas celebration, where Christians remember and celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ of Nazareth who is believed to be the Savior or promised Messiah."
"But from the way you celebrate Christmas, the tradition is very different from what I know."
Akane smiled, chewing a piece of potato salad.
"You're absolutely right, Azlan-kun. Christmas celebration in Japan indeed has a uniqueness very different from Western or Christian traditions because Christmas in Japan is more a cultural and commercial phenomenon than a religious celebration."
Akane paused to drink.
"For example, eating fried chicken like this is a tradition that can't be missed on Christmas day in Japan. Strange, right? How could fried chicken be related to Christmas?" She giggled softly. "This tradition began in the 1970s from the first KFC manager in Japan. Reportedly, he heard a foreign customer complaining because they couldn't get turkey to celebrate Christmas. From there he got the brilliant idea to market fried chicken as a turkey substitute for a 'Western-style' Christmas feast."
"KFC then launched a very successful national campaign called Kentucky for Christmas." Akane continued in a calm tone. "Their advertisements featured Japanese families gathering around a bucket of fried chicken which at that time was considered a luxury."
"Because Christianity is a small minority in Japan, there was no deeply rooted Christmas tradition. This campaign filled that void and created a new tradition that was easy, delicious, and had a modern 'Western' aroma."
"Until now, millions of Japanese families are still willing to queue long or order far in advance just to get the special KFC Christmas bucket."
"So there's such a history, huh..." Azlan nodded slowly. "There are many things I don't know."
Hearing Akane's explanation with such broad insights, he again realized how limited his knowledge was. In a country destroyed by war, his education didn't even reach elementary school graduation.
(Sorry, Azlan-kun, I didn't tell you everything.)
In her heart, Akane apologized silently while looking at Azlan who was enjoying cream stew.
There was another part of Christmas culture in Japan she didn't tell him, namely the fact that Christmas Eve in Japan was a very romantic day, equivalent to Valentine's Day.
How could Akane explain that without making the atmosphere awkward?
Christmas in Japan wasn't a national holiday and didn't have strong religious meaning for the majority of the population. Instead, this allowed it to evolve into a secular holiday that completely focused on love. Retailers and mass media vigorously promoted the image of Christmas Eve as a magical and romantic time, complete with beautiful light illuminations decorating the entire city, sweet strawberry Christmas cakes, and luxurious dinner for two.
Christmas celebration had transformed into a golden opportunity for couples to date, exchange small gifts, and spend the night together in places with the most beautiful views.
And because Christmas Eve was the most popular date day of the year...
Many couples wanted to spend that night in an intimate and special place. Hotels often experienced a large surge in bookings on December 24th and 25th. For many couples, booking a room at a regular hotel or love hotel became part of the luxurious dating tradition on Christmas Eve.
Akane felt her cheeks reddening remembering this part.
"Is something wrong, Akane?" Azlan asked, noticing her somewhat odd expression.
"No, nothing!" Akane replied quickly, taking a deep breath. "I just... remembered how different Christmas used to be from now. It used to be lively, full of lights and people rejoicing."
Azlan nodded, his eyes distant. "It must have been beautiful. But..." He looked at her gently, "Christmas like this, just the two of us with good food and someone who matters, is also equally special."
Akane smiled, her heart warm hearing that. It was enough for tonight to be their first romantic night.