I Became the Final Subjugation Target of That Era’s Light Novel

Giving a gift to someone is a joyful yet challenging task at the same time.

Once upon a time, as someone who lived an adult life, I sometimes feel like wishing for them to simply say, “Just tell me what you want.”

Well, after growing older, I often settled things with money. It seemed like my parents and siblings preferred it that way, and in Korea, I guess that’s not too weird, right?

But the problem is, I’m still a middle school student.

Kagami’s obsession with ‘normal’ is pretty intense. In Kagami’s mind, ‘normal’ means a situation where kids don’t have to work.

A child with caring parents doesn’t really need to have a part-time job.

It’s not a weird statement, but I think there might be students who work part-time because they want something…

But really, more high school students probably work part-time than middle school students.

So, the pocket money I have now is actually money earned by Kagami and Dad. Since coming here, Kagami has been taking a break from work on Dad’s suggestion, so technically, I could say it’s Dad’s money.

Trying to return that as ‘pocket money’ is totally unconvincing.

That’s why I’ve been stressing over this for about two weeks before Christmas.

“How about a tie?”

After pondering, I asked Yuka, and that was her response.

“A tie?”

“Yeah, it’s ordinary, right? It’s practical, too. Dad might wear it to work and show it off, saying his daughter gave it to him.”

That was a pretty plausible idea.

Even if I saved up pocket money, buying a watch or something felt unclear. Watches that can be worn as accessories are generally expensive, and just getting a cheap or digital one seems a bit awkward.

Even if I buy a tie, I can’t afford an expensive one, but ties are usually not overly priced and are worn casually, so it should be fine.

“Oh.”

When I gifted the tie I bought according to Yuka’s recommendation, Dad’s face lit up. It was just an ordinary navy tie, but Dad went out of his way to put it on over the t-shirt he was casually wearing at home.

…Even though we aren’t related by blood, after spending this long together, it’s inevitable to feel like family.

Kagami’s gift wasn’t that hard.

What I wanted to give to Kagami was a thin necklace. It didn’t have any special decorations, but it fit the concept of ‘wedded woman’ that Kagami has, so it’s something she could wear without it feeling out of place.

“Oh my.”

Well, choosing the type of gift wasn’t too difficult, but I did put some effort into picking a design to give to Kagami. In the end, I settled on a design that wouldn’t clash with her tastes.

Nevertheless, Kagami seemed so happy with just that and smiled brightly.

Seeing her wear the necklace and smile warmed my heart. Kagami isn’t even in her 30s yet. Perhaps, she’s just starting to find her place now.

Kagami opened her arms wide and embraced me tightly.

Since childhood, I’ve cuddled with Kagami every day, but it still feels nice no matter when I do it. I probably won’t ever get tired of it. It’s Mom’s embrace, after all.

And then there’s Koko.

This is my personal thought, but I feel like Koko would like whatever I give her. Honestly, I’m not even sure if she knows the concept of ‘disliking’ something. Kosuzu seemed to dislike things though.

So, I bought a neutral scarf.

Since it’s winter, I thought it wouldn’t be bad if Koko wore it when going outside. I do wonder if she easily catches a cold, though.

“Wow!”

When I wrapped the red scarf around Koko’s neck, she tilted her head.

“This is a scarf.”

“A scarf?”

“It’s something you wrap around your neck to keep warm.”

Koko tilted her head again.

Saying it like this is a bit odd, but it’s cute. Even though she looks just like me, I don’t feel any stress when she acts so innocently. Perhaps it’s because she knows nothing at all.

“Wuu?”

I must have tied the scarf too loosely, as one side ended up long.

Koko grabbed the end and looked at it, then…

“Koko?”

She wrapped the long part of the scarf around my neck. Even though it’s a scarf made for one person, it’s not really meant for two, so it was a bit short for both of us.

“Oh my, how cute!”

Kagami clapped her hands together and exclaimed.

“Hold on a moment.”

Then she dashed to her room.

…It seems she went to get the camera.

Dad laughed out loud at my silly expression while sitting still because I was stuck next to Koko.

“Okay, okay.”

Breathing heavily, Kagami came back down with the camera aimed at us and said, “Look this way and smile! One, two, cheese—!”

Well, at least I made a peace sign with my fingers toward the camera.

*

After giving gifts to my parents, we headed to Shii’s house together.

Even though I invited them, I felt like Koko wanted to try out her scarf quickly, and since we were already having fun at home, it seemed good to go pick them up.

“Oh my.”

Standing at the entrance, Shii blinked when she saw us side by side with Sasaki.

“How cute!”

“……”

That’s right.

Koko definitely thought this scarf was for two people.

We came out saying we should go together, and though Koko looked a bit droopy in the scarf, I hoped the remaining part wrapped on me would brighten her up, and it surely did.

…Just how much does she like me?

Well, having someone who likes you isn’t bad.

Ah, no, that’s not quite right. If she likes me in a weird way, that’s just a nuisance.

“Here.”

“Oh, is this a gift?”

“Yep. Save it at home and unwrap it tomorrow. Today is Christmas Eve.”

“Thank you!”

Shii’s face brightened up.

Though she has many friends at school, Shii also seems to like me. Every time I see her react like this, I have mixed feelings about it. Shii was also a pretty important character in the original work, after all.

For reference, the gift was a couple’s sweater for the Sasaki siblings. Though called a couple’s sweater, it just had matching colors. I figured Shii might like it, and Sota wouldn’t mind it much either.

I chose a present for Yuka as well, but since she decided to spend Christmas Eve with her family, we arranged to meet separately to deliver it tomorrow.

“Older brother!”

Shii shouted and rushed inside.

Carrying the gifts to the room, she came down with Sota from the second floor.

Sota had a somewhat tense expression. With three girls in the house and a dad who seems like a Yakuza (well, I guess he really is from the Yakuza, but officially, he’s not), it might be a bit awkward for him visiting their house.

Lately, Dad has eased off on scaring Sota, but it still must feel a bit uncomfortable.

Still, accepting the invitation seems to show that Sota enjoys such days in his own way.

“Oh.”

But that tense expression—

“Pfft.”

It broke when he saw me and Koko with our scarves. Sota looked a bit taken aback by our sudden attack.

But judging by the look on his face, it seemed he knew the attack wasn’t really intended.

“……”

I kept looking at Sota with a ‘go on, laugh’ expression, and he quickly turned around.

“Let’s go.”

“Yes, yes, right away!”

Shii shouted happily. Sota then stepped back and bumped his head into mine.

*

Although it wasn’t as spacious as when I played with Harumi or Yuuki, we still brought in a small tree to decorate together, which brought some atmosphere.

Sota and Shii played well together, and Dad didn’t glare at Sota today.

At first, I worried I had intruded on their chance to spend Christmas two-on-one, but Shii’s smiling face seemed genuine.

I wonder if they don’t mind having fun like this?

Sota’s expression looked like he didn’t care much, as long as he could see Shii smiling.

The highlight of the party was when Kagami took out a chocolate cake she had prepared in advance from the fridge.

“Wow!”

Koko literally raised her arms in celebration, shouting.

Though she has learned not to eat cake directly with her hands, as soon as it was on her plate, she quickly devoured it with a fork.

“…Do you want to eat mine too?”

As I pushed my portion of the cake toward Koko, she stared at me.

“What about Koto Ne?”

“I’m fine.”

“……”

Koko wore a look that clearly said she couldn’t believe it. No, really, I’m fine.

Does she think it’s unreasonable not to eat something delicious like cake?

“Alright then, let’s eat together.”

“Okay!”

Only after I said that, Koko carefully picked up her fork and started eating the cake bit by bit.

“……”

She really is a nice girl.

Or maybe Kagami put that much effort into it?

Either way, I was relieved that next year shouldn’t be a big problem while attending school together.

---