Dear Diary

A Christmas Special

*Even though this technically follows the storyline, it will act like it would've never happened in the next chapters*

"What do you mean Karma's birthday is tomorrow?" Nagisa stared at her teacher in shock.

Normally she shouldn't have seen her teacher on Christmas Eve, but she managed to bump into him on her way back from the store. Her mother asked her to pick up some eggnog to drink as a way to celebrate. She had to leave a lot earlier than a regular day since it was Christmas Eve and most stores would've been closing soon—only if they hadn't closed already.

Koro-sensei screeched in horror at his student's response. "You mean you don't even know the date of your own boyfriend's birthday?" When he put it that way, it sounded a bit embarrassing.

"I guess you could say I don't know him as well as I think I do," Nagisa said meekly, yet honestly.

Koro-sensei didn't reply as quickly as Nagisa thought he would, causing her to grow nervous in anticipation of his next words. "Let me give you some advice," he said finally, causing the girl to look up at him. "I think Karma didn't want to tell you it was his birthday because, underneath his whole scary demeanor, he actually cares. Since it's both Christmas and his birthday, you should show him the same respect."

Nagisa could feel her eyes widen at those words. She wanted to believe it was true with all of her heart, but how does blackmailing her fall under caring? Before she could think about it for too long, she looked up at her teacher. "Thank you Koro-sensei," she said happily, thankful for his advice. Before he could walk away, she got his attention again. "Hey, Koro-sensei, how did you know it was Karma's birthday tomorrow?" she asked in curiosity.

"Kufufufu," he giggled. "It's my job to know everything about my students," he answered vaguely before he walked away, sparking more questions into the young girl's mind instead of answers.

Nagisa shook her head to rid herself of her thoughts before continuing her walk back to her house. It was cold enough to see your own breath turn white and linger in the air. Although the weather was cold enough for it, there was no chance of snow this year. It was quite disappointing if you asked the girl for her opinion.

She was quite thankful when she reached her home and rushed inside to escape the cold. "I'm home," she called out, hoping for her mom to hear as she took off her shoes and coat and placed the eggnog in the fridge.

Her mom immediately appeared around the corner. She was dressed and was currently in the process of putting on a jacket. "Thank goodness you're back," her mother said as she kissed the side of her cheek quickly. "Work just called and they asked for me to come in because they are low on staff right now.

Those words created a knot in the poor girl's stomach. "You mean you're going to work now?" she asked softly as if she was afraid to hear the answer. "On Christmas Eve?"

Her mother slipped on her boots before turning to look at her. "I couldn't just say no, sweetie. My job needs me."

Nagisa chocked up as she tried to hold back her tears. "But I need you," she said as her voice cracked. "They're probably low on staff because most of them are spending time with their families."

Hiromi paused for a moment to look back at her child as she tucked back a piece of her dark blue hair which was starting to show some gray. "I know you were looking forward to spending time together this Christmas, but you know that if I keep working, I'll be able to get promoted. You have to remember that I'm a single mother and I'm trying my best to support the both of us."

Nagisa took a breath before turning away from her mother. In just a whisper that only she could hear, she mumbled, "The greatest lies are the lies we tell ourselves." She held that saying to be true for so long. She told herself that her father was going to come back. He didn't. Her mother keeps talking about she could get promoted soon. She still hasn't. She told herself that her mother and she would finally get to spend some time together. They still haven't.