We Are Similar

Merry Christmas!

That night, they all got into their formal outfits. They had all agreed to meet up at Tiny Orbit by 6 pm. Eva had just finished preparing and is currently waiting for Niara. They were the only two left in the dorms.

"Are you done yet?" The blonde asked.

"Hang on, damnit!" The Russian replied. "You just got back and you're already so eager to see your boyfriend again."

"I-It's not that! I just don't want to be late!"

"Right~."

"I-I'll be at the front door..."

"Okay then. I'm nearly done anyway."

Eva turned to the watch on her wrist. "You don't have to come if you don't want to."

Immediately, Mizel changed into his humanoid form and sighed in relief. "I was hoping you'd say that." He really didn't want to be in the middle of the mushy stuff.

"I'll bring you back a present."

"You coming back alive and unscratched would be enough for me."

"It's a party, Mizel. Not a cage fight."

"Right, right. If you need me, I'm a call away."

That was meant to be taken literally. Despite having a solid form, his mind was still just packets of data. If she needed anything at all, she could just call and he'd travel through the net in an instant to reach her.

Ten minutes later, the two girls were in their coats, walking towards Tiny Orbit. The party had just begun and they were all happily mingled with one another.

"Aww, look at Yuuya." Niara started grinning deviously. "That's adorable."

Eva turned to where the Russian was looking and giggled. "That's Alice. His partner in the BC Extras. Apparently, he and Hiro got into a bit of an argument and they switched members."

"I saw that on TV. The taller girl is Shirley, right? The one that cosplayed as Senshigirl?"

"Mmhm. But it's nice to see Yuuya happy."

"Yeah... I ship it."

"Yuuya and Alice?"

"Yup. Now, excuse me while I make Kazu and Ami kiss under a mistletoe in front of their parents."

"Niara, you shouldn't-"

"It's either them, or you and Jin in front of the whole crowd."

"... I-I..."

"See? I'm a nice friend. See you!" And the Russian took off.

~~~~~

The adults were all mingling with each other with the help of their children. Some were talking about their lives as parents, others were sharing about common interests at work. Overall, everyone was enjoying the party.

Well, almost everyone.

"Hey, Eva! Hugo-san's still not here?" Ban asked when the blonde passed by with a tray of food.

She smiled wryly. "No. I don't think he'll join the party. He's been busy since- well, not that he wasn't busy before this, but- ever since he got the box from our old house, he's just been working. I don't want to bother him, but I thought I'd at least bring him something to eat."

"He gets like that at times." Prof. Yamano smiled. "When he gets absorbed in work, it's like the rest of the world just vanishes from him."

"That might have been because of my influence..." Prof. Oozora said, joining the conversation. "But I'm sure if you ask, he'll come."