Mori Aoi was the first to wake up, with Shae Harris sound asleep beside her.

  Due to an ingrained habit, she found herself walking out the door and stealthily making it to the kitchen.

  As she passed the boys’ room, a head poked out.

  Wei Zhi looked at her with tired, questioning eyes.

  Mori Aoi made a shushing gesture and motioned for him to walk over.

  Wei Zhi nodded and quietly closed the door.

  Mori Aoi looked left and right before grabbing his hand and leading him downstairs.

  Once they were within the walls of the kitchen, she released his hand.

  Wei Zhi reluctantly looked away, silently wishing he had the courage to take hold of that hand once more.

  “Are you listening?” Mori Aoi waved a hand in his face.

  Wei Zhi honestly shook his head, making her explain again.

  Basically, she was used to waking up early on Christmas to prepare food, and now she couldn’t stop the habit.

  “What do you usually do on Christmas Day?” Mori Aoi asked curiously.

  “Stand at the front of the slums to beg hypocritical nobles for food. Sometimes the noble might want to put on a particularly generous face and I’d snag a biscuit,” Wei Zhi said, looking around curiously at what she was going to make.

  Mori Aoi looked at Wei Zhi with distress and worry.

  “What’s wrong?” he asked, startled by the emotions in her eyes.

  “Nothing.” She gave him a gentle look before proceeding to bring out ingredients.

  Wei Zhi shrugged it off and got busy.

  After some time, Noi Karn came down, rubbing his eyes.

  “Good morning,” Mori Aoi poked her head out and called to Noi Karn.

  The young man greeted her back and came over to the kitchen to help.

  “Why don’t you just sit there and relax?” Wei Zhi shooed him away.

  Noi Karn opened his mouth to argue when he felt a hand on his head.

  “Just relax, okay,” Mori Aoi said, rubbing his head.

  “Okay,” Noi Karn pursed his lips and reluctantly agreed.

  He sat at the dining table opposite the kitchen and watched them work.

  Not long after, Ming Jun came down with his chubby body.

  “Good morning. Isn’t it a bit early?” he said, pulling up his sleeves and joining the cooking.

  Shae Harris was the last to wake up and rushed down the stairs.

  Then she screamed that it was Christmas.

  “We get it already,” Wei Zhi glared at her.

  “So come help us,” Ming Jun added.

  Mori Aoi giggled and felt the excitement start to creep in.

  “Sure.” Shae Harris was then put in charge of washing the dishes.

  They quickly got done just as they heard the sound of a door opening upstairs.

  “I thought he’d sleep in longer,” Shae Harris whispered.

  “You woke up late,” Ming Jun retorted.

  “It’s not early at all,” Wei Zhi rolled his eyes.

  “Maybe he likes the Christmas season,” Mori Aoi said.

  “Why don’t we just ask him?” Shae Harris shrugged.

  “What are you guys whispering about?” Yi Zheng, wearing comfortable clothes, stood in front of them.

  “Why are you up so early?” Shae Harris said.

  The two boys gave her a side glance, and Mori Aoi chuckled awkwardly.

  “None of your business,” Yi Zheng replied, taking a seat beside Noi Karn.

  “Come on, don’t be like that. It’s a jolly season,” Shae Harris said.

  “And a season I usually spend alone until you guys came along,” Yi Zheng rolled his eyes at them.

  “So you’re saying we made it better?” Shae Harris put on a touched look.

  Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  “That you’ll miss us when we leave?” Ming Jun joined in.

  “And don’t want us to ever be apart,” Wei Zhi wiped a fake tear.

  “So we’re staying,” Mori Aoi said excitedly.

  Yi Zheng looked at them putting on an act with a deadpan face.

  “Youngest, we’re staying,” Shae Harris went to Noi Karn and shook his hands.

  “You were never invited in the first place,” Yi Zheng grumbled.

  “That’s why we snuck out and hid in your truck,” Shae Harris said.

  Noi Karn looked at their charade calmly and stood up to set the table.

  “Food’s ready,” Mori Aoi said.

  They joined hands to set the table while Yi Zheng supervised.

  The conversation continued as they ate.

  “You snuck into his trunk. I used an excuse that he forgot something and hopped in before he could speak,” Ming Jun said, taking a break to chew first.

  “Then I told him my sob story, but he didn’t care, so I threatened to scream,” Ming Jun finished.

  “You guys are really amazing,” Wei Zhi said sarcastically.

  “How did you get him to take you then?” Shae Harris retorted.

  “Simple. I held onto his legs tightly and didn’t let go until I saw his apartment,” Wei Zhi said proudly.

  “Then you’re the most shameless one,” Shae Harris and Ming Jun shouted.

  “Um… I just got invited here though,” Mori Aoi said.

  “Yi Zheng, is that true?” Shae Harris gasped in betrayal and turned to him.

  “Unlike you all, I wouldn’t have been able to get anything useful from her as long as she was in that house,” Yi Zheng replied.

  The others understood immediately.

  Mori Aoi was too soft for her own good and didn’t know how to refuse anyone.

  So she probably refused to talk about her family, and Yi Zheng had to take her out of that environment to relax her guard.

  “I used the information I had to buy a way out,” Noi Karn said.

  “As expected, our youngest is the smartest,” Shae Harris smiled at him.

  “What do you even need information about the major noble families and the slums for?” Wei Zhi asked.

  “None of your business,” Yi Zheng replied.

  “Maybe he’s a revolutionary leader who wants to stop the rule of the nobles,” Ming Jun thought about countless main characters with that background.

  Yi Zheng didn’t reply and focused on eating.

  He had tried to kick them out from the first person—Shae Harris.

  But they just kept increasing until they became five.

  They somehow quickly united to prevent him from kicking them out and were now best of friends.

  Yi Zheng gave up on it mainly because they cooked and cleaned the place for free.

  He didn’t have to pay someone for that.

  “I’m stuffed,” Shae Harris slouched on the couch, rubbing her stomach after clearing the dining table.

  “What now?” Mori Aoi asked.

  “Let’s go play in the snow.” Shae Harris jumped up, rejuvenated, and rushed outside.

  “You forgot your coat,” Ming Jun hollered from the door.

  Shae Harris, shivering, rushed back in and stood in front of the heater.

  “And you were still wearing pyjamas,” Wei Zhi snickered.

  “Luckily Yi Zheng’s apartment is isolated, so no one saw,” Mori hummed while helping Shae Harris by wrapping a blanket around her.

  They each went to shower and change into large coats and mittens.

  Shae Harris sat in the snow, rolling a ball of snow.

  Then she sneakily glanced at Wei Zhi and threw it straight at his face.

  It landed smack on his face, and Wei Zhi glared at the culprit.

  “Snowball fight!” Shae Harris bellowed, throwing another one at Ming Jun.

  Wei Zhi dodged and threw one back.

  The fight turned into a two-by-two competition.

  Ming Jun and Wei Zhi versus Shae Harris and Noi Karn.

  Mori Aoi watched from the side.

  Shae Harris took all the hits, mainly because she was the one they were really attacking.

  “I’m exhausted,” Shae Harris said, lying down on the ground.

  “Honestly, I still don’t believe you were terminally ill a while ago,” Ming Jun plopped down beside her and looked at her suspiciously.

  “Yeah, I’m surprised too. But Yi Zheng can attest for me because he came to visit me,” Shae Harris said, trying to make a snow angel.

  “And I can see a bit more too,” Noi Karn said, lying beside Shae Harris on the other side.

  Mori Aoi lay beside him.

  “Isn’t it a good thing that we all miraculously got better one day?” Mori Aoi said, raising a hand to see her pale skin.

  Compared to before, the blood vessels weren’t so prominent, so now she just looked pasty.

  “And also escaped from each of our homes,” Wei Zhi lay beside Mori Aoi and smiled.

  “Then you latched onto me,” Yi Zheng sat a distance away.

  “The sky looks nice,” Ming Jun changed the topic.

  “What are you going to do from now on?” Yi Zheng ignored his diversion and asked them.

  They were silent for a moment.

  “Lose weight,” Ming Jun said, pinching his stomach.

  “Go skydiving,” Shae Harris said.

  “Learn to paint,” Noi Karn said.

  “Make clothes,” Mori Aoi smiled.

  “Read books,” Wei Zhi said.

  “Most importantly, have fun together,” Shae Harris ended.

  “What about you?” Mori Aoi asked Yi Zheng.

  “Escape from work and live an unemployed life,” Yi Zheng replied immediately.

  “I know what I want to do today—make snow angels,” Shae Harris said.

  “Your round body made you a natural winner,” Shae Harris argued with Ming Jun as they went back inside.

  “You’re just angry that I won,” Ming Jun retorted.

  “No, I’d really be angry if that green tea won,” Shae Harris pointed at Wei Zhi.

  He rolled his eyes and helped Mori Aoi take off her hat, wiping the snow off her hair.

  “You guys, what’s that?” Noi Karn interrupted them.

  They turned and saw a Christmas tree, fully decorated, with presents underneath.

  “We all got one,” Shae Harris was on her knees, holding a box with green wrapping paper and her name on it.

  Just then, two cats appeared from behind the presents.

  One was black as night, with dark holes for eyes.

  The second was a pure blue color, with golden holes for eyes.

  Mori Aoi went over to stroke the two cats, smiling happily.

  “I’ve seen this cat once before,” Ming Jun frowned, thinking.

  “It was on the day that I miraculously got better,” Shae Harris said excitedly.

  “They were just standing there,” Noi Karn said.

  “I almost peed my pants because of how they looked,” Wei Zhi chuckled.

  “They are so cute,” Mori Aoi said.

  Yi Zheng came in after them and glanced at the two cats.

  Then he shook his head and took a seat on the couch.

  They all opened the presents one by one.

  Shae Harris got a key and was amazed when she saw the bike appear in front of the apartment.

  It was black with green streaks, and she was in love with it.

  Ming Jun got a rare edition of a manga that he always wanted.

  He carefully hid it in a safe place to preserve it.

  Noi Karn got a painting that he liked, and they helped him nail it to his bedroom wall.

  Mori Aoi got a beautiful dress that she couldn’t stop touching and a novel that she carefully hid in her room.

  Wei Zhi got a book that could tell him any knowledge he wanted to know.

  The book operated like magic, and the words would be written by an invisible hand in response to a question he thought of.

  Lastly, Yi Zheng was given a black card with a lot of money in it and a flash drive.

  He smiled at the card, but the others couldn’t read his expression when he saw the flash drive.

  “Do you like it?” Shae Harris asked tentatively.

  “Yeah. It’s just that I might be busy for a while after today,” Yi Zheng said, keeping the flash drive in his pocket.

  “Okay,” Shae Harris nodded.

  “This was the best Christmas ever,” Mori Aoi said.

  “Yeah,” the others exclaimed in agreement.

  This was their first Christmas where they celebrated, and not watched in loneliness as those around them celebrated.

  In a way, this was their first Christmas, and they hoped to have many more days like this.