Volume 13 Chapter 365 Tsukimachi Ayana, Aqua Santa’s Presents
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
December 24th. I arrived at the studio early in the morning for our Christmas special.
When I entered, I found Yukari-senpai, who had arrived first, lounging around in a Santa outfit. With less than a minute until the start of the broadcast, she was sitting in a kotatsu set up in the studio, relaxing as if she were in her own home. I could only give a wry smile at the sight.
”Yukari-senpai, sorry to keep you waiting,” I said.
”Ayana-chan, let’s do our best for today’s live broadcast. Oh, do you want a mikan?” Yukari asked.
Haha… Usually, things placed in a studio are just props, and people don’t actually eat them. But that kind of common sense does not apply to Yukari-senpai. I crawled into the kotatsu and ate the half of the mikan she shared with me.
”By the way, did you get ready for tomorrow’s girls-only Christmas gift exchange?” Yukari asked.
”Yes. Since I didn’t know who would get it, choosing something that would work for anyone was hard,” I replied.
There are many girls living in Shirogane Kingdom¹, so an exchange with everyone would be a mess. That is why Kanon-san came up with the idea of a girls-only Christmas present swap.
”You should watch out for Kaede and Emily-chan. You never know what those two will bring,” Yukari warned.
”Haha…” I laughed.
It was true; you really don’t know what those two might bring… Yukari-senpai started peeling a second mikan.
”Surprisingly, Inko and Iria bring normal things. But Maron sometimes brings something crazy because of a weird misunderstanding, so you have to be careful,” Yukari said.
”Ah, I get that. Maron-senpai is such an airhead that she occasionally does outrageous things,” I agreed.
Come to think of it, has the show not started yet? I turned my gaze forward while talking to Yukari-senpai. Then, I saw the ‘On Air’ light was already on.
”Wait, it’s already started! Yukari-senpai, this is no time to be relaxing. We’re live!!” I cried out.
”Ngh-gock!” Yukari choked.
I patted Yukari-senpai on the back as she nearly choked on a mikan. Feeling something strange, I looked around. Comments were scrolling across the monitor behind us.
[Ah, they finally noticed lol]
[I’ve been watching since they started eating the mikans. Hehe!]
[Hoh, a girls-only Christmas gift swap. Nice~]
[They’re totally at home lol]
[Seeing Ayana-chan’s mini-skirt peeking out while she’s off-guard like this makes my heart race!!]
[Lol, just casually eating mikans]
[Don’t mind us, you two. Please just act like you usually do]
[Yeah, we’re just part of the wall LOL]
Eh? What is this? Are they streaming social media comments from viewers in real-time!? You must be kidding… My face turned red with embarrassment.
”Hey! You should have said something like that before!” Yukari yelled at the producer.
”Wait, Yukari-senpai! We’re on air!!” I said.
Even though we were live, Yukari-senpai ignored the camera and went after the producer. Ugh, it has only just started and the show is already a mess.
’Kohina-senpai—! Can you hear me—! It’s me. Me, me!’
”Huh!? Which ‘me’ are you!? Is this some new scam!?” Yukari snapped.
Yukari-senpai, I can tell just by the voice that there is only one person who would say that. Though I cannot deny that Aqua’s existence itself feels like some kind of fraud.
’It’s me. It’s Aqua!’
”Hey, you! Where are you!? You’re late! The show has already started, so get here fast!!” Yukari shouted.
I nodded along with Yukari-senpai’s words. It is rare for Aqua to be late, but I wondered if he ran into a terrorist while walking down the street again. Normally that would not happen, but with Aqua, it is possible.
’Kohina-senpai, right now, I’m in the middle of a residential town!’
”Ah, look! Ayana-chan, the monitor in the back!” Yukari said.
Looking at the monitor where the comments had been scrolling, I saw Aqua dressed as Santa, waving his hand. I can tell it is a residential area, but where is he!?
”Listen, you. It’s seven in the morning, so tell the staff not to be too loud! You’ll be a nuisance!” Yukari scolded.
’Right. That is why today, as an apology to everyone, I thought I’d hand out Christmas presents.’
Aqua lifted a large white bag that looked full of gifts, then rang the doorbell of a nearby house. Wait, wait, wait, is that okay!?
’Yes?’ a voice asked.
’Sorry for being so early! Thank you for always supporting me. I’m Shirogane Aqua from BERYL²!’
From the other side of the intercom, I heard a rattling sound like something falling over. Hello? Are you okay—?
’Aqua-kun… Aqua-sama!?’
’That’s right. It’s your Shirogane Aqua. Today, as an apology for always making everyone worry, I’ve brought a Christmas present!!’
After a while, the door opened halfway and only a woman’s voice could be heard.
’I’m sorry. I… well, I’m not wearing any makeup…’
’Ah, it’s okay. I won’t show you on camera.’
Saying that, Aqua moved toward the door. Hey, stop it, Aqua! If she has no makeup on, having Aqua see her will make her feel awkward!!
’Ma’am… you’re beautiful enough as you are. So you should not be shown on TV. Let’s keep you just for me.’
’A-Ah, thank you.’
Yukari-senpai, standing next to me, threw in a retort: “Hey, that’s not an apology, you’re just hitting on her!!” I couldn’t help but laugh at Yukari-senpai’s perfect retort.
’Ah, and for you, ma’am, I have this lotion I chose myself.’
’Eh? Really? Is it really okay!?’
Wow, I’m jealous. Since Aqua actually helps plan the show, I am sure this was not a prop from the staff, but a lotion he actually chose and bought himself.
’Actually, this is unisex, so I use it too. And look, doesn’t it have a really nice scent?’
’Eh? Ah… it smells… really good…’
Wait!? What are you doing where the camera can’t see!? Ugh, I at least want to know what brand it is. Just then, a staff member from the BERYL crew placed a bottle of lotion next to the mikans and left.
”What’s this? Is this the one Aqua actually gave as a gift?” Yukari asked.
”Wow! It’s Corolle’s³ newest release!” I said.
As usual, Aqua never misses the mark on presents. Yukari-senpai and I immediately dropped some lotion onto our palms.
”Mm, it smells really good!!” I said.
”Whoa… this scent. It’s so seductive. Even though he’s a high schooler, he’s using lotion with such an erotic scent?” Yukari muttered.
Hey! Yukari-senpai! Don’t say ‘erotic’ this early in the morning! Gosh, if you say that, it makes me look like a naughty girl for saying it smells good!!
[So Ayana-chan has been frustrated since morning]
[Aqua-santa-sama~, there’s a girl here who wants a white Christmas too]
[I feel like Ayana-chan’s humidity has been a bit high since she started dating Aqua-tan]
[↑ That is the best part!!]
[Maron-san is high-humidity too, the only pure one is Fran-chan]
[Somehow I’m starting to feel a bit restless this morning too]
Hey!? Because of Yukari-senpai, everyone is getting the wrong idea. I waved my hands to hide the comment section on the other monitor.
’Ah, if you’d like, please give this to your family too.’
’Thank you very much!’
Aqua, having finished his delivery, returned to the staff.
’And so, I’m going to go around giving presents to neighbors for a while. See you later!’
”Wait! What do you mean ‘later’!! What are we supposed to do in the studio!!” Yukari yelled.
The audio feed from Aqua cut off. Eh? What are we supposed to do, left behind in the studio? Are we supposed to take gift bags and go hand them out too? Yukari-senpai and I looked at each other and then turned toward the staff.
”Um, while Aqua-kun is giving out presents, we would like you two to handle this,” a staff member said.
Several crew members came onto the set. One set a phone on the desk, while others went behind us to put a sign on the backdrop. I squinted to read the words.
[Beryl＆Beryl, Emergency Complaint Handling Room]
Eh? What? What is this!? Yukari-senpai and I looked at the producer again.
”Actually, Beryl＆Beryl was one of the top two shows with the most complaints this year. So, yeah. Putting a boy in the line of fire wouldn’t look good, so we’d like you two to run a consultation room today,” the producer explained.
”Hey!? You guys should do that!! Don’t make the talent do it!!” Yukari protested.
A staff member held up a chart instead of a cue card.
”Actually, the person with the most complaints on Beryl＆Beryl was… beating even me, the producer… our very own Kohina Yukari-san! She won by a lot. Let’s clap!!”
”Th-Thank you… Wait, NOOOOOO!! That is not something to celebrate!!” Yukari screamed.
I tried my best to hold Yukari-senpai back as she tried to charge at the producer. Um, was I called here just for this?
”Ah, by the way. The complaints against Ayana-chan were very few,” the staff added.
I see… I felt a bit curious, wondering what the complaints against me were.
”An example of feedback for Ayana-chan… Person A from Tokyo said, ‘You should have more segments with just Shirogane Aqua-san and her.’ RamenHagetoru-san said, ‘I want to see more segments where Ayana-chan gets into naughty accidents.’ We received positive complaints like those. Actually, those were almost the only ones!!”
”Wait! That Person A is clearly him!! He’s pulling strings behind our backs!? And that second guy is practically a regular. Those aren’t complaints, they’re just Aqua-harassment and Hagetoru-harassment!! You should have filtered these out!” Yukari yelled.
I covered my face with both hands, shaking my head. Gosh, seriously! I’m going to talk to Kanon-san about both of them later!!
[Good news: Hagetoru is the best]
[What is Hagetoru even doing lol]
[There must be many Person As in Tokyo, but am I the only one who can see through this?]
[↑ Me too. I think I’ve awakened to my powers]
[Seeing Ayana-chan’s embarrassed face in the morning is great. Hehe!]
[↑ Hey, it’s this guy! This one right here!!]
[Ayana-cha~n! One of the culprits is in the chat!]
I was about to look at the comments when the phone on our table rang. Yukari-senpai picked it up at once.
”Hello?”
’Huff… huff… Ayana-chan, what color are your panties today?’
Kohina-senpai hung up within a second.
[And we have a broadcast accident right away!]
[That was probably Hagetoru lol!]
[↑ Idiot, if it were me, I’d ask for Kohina-paisen’s color too]
[↑ As expected, the real ones are just on another level!!]
[Is this where the fake Hagetorus are?]
[Live TV is the best!!]
[I heard there’s a show that makes new complaints while trying to solve old ones]
[A show that fights the Ethics Committee… they have guts]
The phone rang again barely a few seconds after she’d hung up. Yukari-senpai answered again, looking wary.
”Yes, hello.”
’Ah, hello.’
Is it okay this time? Yukari-senpai and I sat back down and put our legs into the kotatsu.
”So, what’s your problem?” Yukari asked.
’Ah, er, well… Because you’re airing Aqua-kun’s show this early, I don’t want to go to work. Please do this at night!!’
That is a fair point. The time slot from 7 AM to 6 PM is a bit awkward. They should have recorded it for the night…
”Exactly. They should have recorded it. Think of me, I’ve been here since 5 AM. Hey, can I just pull the phone cord and take a nap?” Yukari grumbled.
”Haha… Yukari-senpai, I think that would be bad in its own way,” I said.
A staff member tapped a cue card. Let’s see… if the consultation is okay, I have to draw a lot and pick a Christmas gift? I see.
”Apparently, we’re giving out gifts. What do you want?” Yukari asked the caller.
’Eh? Honestly, I want that lotion from before too…’
Hey!? Think about me, I’m the one who has to draw the lot!! I wondered if that same lotion was even in there. As I was worrying, a crew member tapped a cue card. Ah, it is in there. I have to do this! I rolled up my sleeves and put my hand in the box.
”Alright, this one!!” I cried.
I pulled out a slip and saw the number. Number 17? While I was standing there confused, a staff member brought over a chart with stickers. I see. I just have to peel off the sticker for that number.
”Okay, here I go~” I said.
”Lotion! Lotion!” Yukari cheered.
I slowly started to peel the sticker.
[Corolle’s]
Here we go, here we go!! Yukari-senpai and I looked at each other and ripped the rest off at once.
[Corolle’s Beauty Serum]
Eh? A beauty serum instead of the lotion!? No way~, we were so close!!
”Sorry about that. It was a beauty serum, not the lotion,” Yukari told the caller.
’No, I’m very happy! Lotion and serum are almost the same anyway!!’
Actually, they are different. Oh, look, they have samples of that too. A bottle of the serum was placed on our table.
”This is also something Shirogane Aqua-san uses,” the staff noted.
””Heeh~””
Yukari-senpai and I popped the cap and smelled the fragrance.
”Mm. It’s a vanilla amberwood. I think I like this…” I said.
”Seriously, why does this kid use nothing but these seductive-smelling things when he’s just a high schooler!?” Yukari exclaimed.
Gosh, I just said I liked it, so please stop calling it seductive!! Even if it does smell erotic!!
[I’m glad that the super-naughty Ayana-chan is finally being exposed]
[Aqua-sama~, please hurry and embrace the frustrated Ayana-chan]
[There’s no way Maron-san’s little sister-figure isn’t erotic!!]
[Actually, the only pure one in Eau De Cologne is Fran-chan]
[↑ There are no pure ones in Eau De Cologne. Just three super-naughty sisters]
[Is the product okay? Won’t there be lines at the stores today?]
I keep telling you, I’m not erotic!! Sure, I’m at that age, so it’s not like I don’t have those feelings… but I’m just a normal girl!! I turned away from the comment monitor with a pout.
’Kohina-senpai—! Ayana—! It’s me—!!’
Ah, that’s Aqua’s voice! What is he doing? I looked at the monitor again. Wait, which school is that!? Aqua, what are you doing!?
’Good morning, everyone!’
’Ah, it’s Aqua-sama!’
’Kyaa—!’
’No way! It’s my first time seeing him for real!!’
’Eh? Why is Aqua-sama at our school!?’
’He’s much more handsome in person than on TV…’
Aqua was surrounded by high school girls. Heh, he looks pretty pleased with the attention. Not that I care. Really.
’Here, for all of you who work hard at your studies and sports. A Christmas gift from me.’
””’Kyaa—!!””’
Aqua started handing out gifts. Suddenly, he paused in front of one girl.
’Your lip is split. Does it hurt?’
’Ah, yes. It’s okay. It hurts a bit, but I was in a rush for practice and I forgot my lip balm.’
Ah, lips really do get dry this time of year. Aqua pulled a tube of lip cream from his Santa pocket.
’Want to use mine?’
’Eh…? Eh!? I-Is that really okay?’
Wait! What!? Aqua, that’s an indirect kiss! Is he really okay with that!? The girl’s face turned bright red.
’It’s fine. I’ll put it on for you. Here, tilt your head up.’
””’Kyaa—!!””’
Aqua placed his hand on the girl’s chin and applied the lip cream to her lips. Ugh, because Aqua is so good at it and it looks so erotic, just watching is making me blush.
”Seriously, why does everything this guy does have to be so seductive!!” Yukari complained.
”Yukari-senpai, shh!” I whispered.
It’s getting to the good part, so please be quiet!!
’How is it?’
’Ah, well… it tastes like sweet and sour lemon.’
The girl touched her lips, looking very embarrassed. All the girls around her screamed. I… I’m so jealous. Maybe I’ll let my lips dry out next time so Aqua has to do that for me.
’Then, for you, I’ll give you this lip balm our Ayana uses in commercials—the kind that makes people want to kiss. By the way, the effect has been confirmed by me and Ayana, so you can use it.’
”Hey!!” I shouted.
I jumped up from the kotatsu to retort. There was no reason to bring my name into this, was there!? Gosh!!!
[Heeh, can we get more details on that?]
[Question for Ayana-chan! Exactly how did you two ‘confirm’ it!?]
[↑ I thought that was the perv from before, but it’s just Hagetoru again]
[These two have definitely been kissing a lot!!]
[Ayana-chan, you can do that stuff where we can see it too]
[I’m going to tell the company I want a real kiss scene, so Ayana-chan should film a video]
[↑ That’s it!!]
I crawled back into the kotatsu to pout. Hmph. Fine then. I’ll just sleep instead of Kohina-senpai!!
”Hey, Aqua!! Because of you, Ayana-chan is in a bad mood! Fix it!!” Yukari yelled at the lens.
’Eh!? Ayana, what’s wrong!? Could it be… did Ayana want lip cream too!? If that’s the case, I’ll put as much on you as you want later, so please don’t be mad!!’
…Well, if he puts it that way.
I sat up and puffed out my cheeks a little as I turned away. Then, the phone on the kotatsu rang again.
”Yes, hello? If this is another boring call, I’m going to lose it,” Yukari threatened.
’Scary! But wait, your school sign is on screen, so you should leave before a crowd forms!’
Eh? Ah… he’s right. Since he was at the gate, everyone knows where Aqua is. People are going to start swarming the place.
”Aqua! Get out of there right now! You’re going to get pinned down!!” Yukari shouted into the phone.
’Understood!!’
Aqua handed the sack of presents to a teacher, waved to the girls, and hopped into the van. Phew, I’m glad a helpful person called.
”Hey, thanks for that. What kind of gift would make you happy?” Yukari asked.
’Eh? Then… Aqua-kun’s used lip… no, I want the lip balm Ayana-chan uses!’
Ah, yeah. I get it. I’d want the one Aqua used, too. I rolled up my sleeves and reached into the box.
”Please let this be it!” I prayed.
The slip I pulled said number 34. I grabbed the edge of the sticker marked 34 and slowly peeled it away.
[Lip]
This is it!! Yukari-senpai and I high-fived and then ripped off the rest.
[Lip Tint]
Eh? A tint!? I felt my shoulders slump.
”I’m so sorry. This isn’t the one I use,” I said, bowing to the camera.
Yukari-senpai turned to the producer.
”Hey, Aqua picked this one too, right? Is there a story?” Yukari asked.
”Yes. This is the one Aqua-san gave to Kanon-san. And we have samples. Aqua-san chose colors that suit both of you, so please try them,” the producer replied.
Eh? So this is what Kanon-san uses!? And he even picked colors for me and Yukari-senpai. Yay!!
[Uooooooooooo!]
[That’s basically a jackpot too!!]
[Ayana-chan’s is nice, but the one Kanon-sama uses is great too!!]
[Hehe, this lip tint looks incredibly naughty!]
[↑ Hagetoru, I’m… allowed to hope for something?]
Yukari-senpai and I picked up the lip tints. Ah, thank you for the mirror too. We wiped off our current colors and applied the tint together.
”Ah, this might be really nice. The color is beautiful. Yukari-senpai, your lips look stunning,” I said.
”Your lips look great too, Ayana-chan. Though they do look… quite seductive…” Yukari said.
Gosh! Yukari-senpai, please drop the ‘seductive’ talk!! You’re the one who is more frustrated than me!!
[This is gonna sell out instantly]
[Kohina Yukari’s shade is calm and classy. Aqua-kun really has good taste]
[Ayana-chan’s lips look so erotic lol]
[Hehe! I’m gonna go put on the Tashinami one for a bit]
[↑ Hey!?]
[Hagetoru, post a photo later of which color Tashinami got lol]
I touched my fingertips to my lips and gazed into the mirror. My heart started racing a little. Wait, what am I thinking during a live broadcast!! Just because it’s the holy night doesn’t mean I should have thoughts like that! I shook my head and focused back on the show.”
—
Summary:
Ayana and Yukari host a chaotic Christmas special while Aqua distributes presents as ‘Aqua Santa’ in a residential area. Aqua’s seductive aura causes a stir among the audience and the girls he meets, including a high schooler he helps with lip balm. The show transitions into a complaint-handling segment where Ayana and Yukari are forced to deal with viewer requests and prank calls. The segment turns into a gift giveaway where viewers win cosmetics used by Aqua and other idols.
—
Character Insight:
Ayana shows her growing jealousy and possessiveness toward Aqua, especially when he interacts intimately with other girls on camera. Despite her embarrassment, she finds herself drawn to the ‘seductive’ scents and products Aqua chooses, highlighting her deepening romantic feelings. Yukari acts as the chaotic comic relief, bridging the gap between the professional broadcast and her own lazy, senior-colleague personality.
—
Behind the Scene:
This chapter leans heavily into the ‘Beryl＆Beryl’ variety show setting, utilizing real-time viewer comments to simulate a live streaming experience. The author uses the Christmas theme to showcase Aqua’s ‘natural seducer’ traits and the strong reactions they elicit from his inner circle.
—
T/L:
Please bookmark this series and rate ☆☆☆☆☆ on here!
Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
Thanks for reading.
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