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Special Delivery for Christmas Day!

[life_ethereal]

[A package arrives in the mail for Ragna from Harumasa! As well as a beautiful bouquet full of seasonal flowers resting on top. Each flower has been lovingly picked out to symbolize his feelings of love and gratitude for Luke's presence in his life. When he opens up the package, there'll be three perfectly wrapped gifts inside. All of them are the same shape and weight, so it's probably the same gift in three parts.

Unwrapping the first will reveal a scrapbook with a cover that's decorated in cutesy cookware and small dog stickers, and lovingly hand painted Reiki symbols and dragons. The cover is also embossed with gold ink in calligraphic numbers: 2017-2019. When he opens the front cover, there will be a note in Harumasa's handwriting on the front page. As the pages are flipped through, they're all photos mostly taken by him. It starts off very amateur and it's clear that when Harumasa's the subject, he's not quite comfortable in front of the camera. His smiles are awkward and don't really reach his eyes, looking more nervous or skittish than how he is now. Some are also very amateur landscapes and photos of the sky. However, as it progresses through his life, Ragna can see how Harumasa becomes more comfortable being photographed, how much more easily his smiles come to him and reach his eyes, and how his skill evolves. Every photo is dated and has a location underneath it, and every page is decorated to complement the photos on them.

The other two gifts are the same, but the numbers increase as they go through the years. 2020-2022, and finally 2023-2025. The final two pages of the 2025 book are dedicated to only two photos, one on each page. The one on the left is a Christmas photo of Harumasa with the siblings, their significant others, and Ragna. The one on the right is of the New Eridu crew. It's a candid photo that somehow captures all of them at the height of their joy during the Christmas party. Handwritten neatly at the top are the words: "Proof of the change your kindness brought to all of us."

As for the note at the beginning of the book, it says:]

Merry Christmas, Ragna!

Man, it's been a lot this year, huh? I never would've thought we'd see each other again after that fateful night eight years ago. But I'm glad we did. I'm glad I get to see the real you and not the you steeped in revenge.

Anyway, I hope we can travel again some time next year, too! There are some things that I've missed during my original wanderings and moving around. And maybe I missed those things because they're better experienced with people you care about, like Berlin's Christmas Market. Maybe you, Belle, and I can make a trip out of it for 2026! But even if that's not possible, just being able to spend this holiday with you has been enough. I can honestly say I'm really happy.

So, let's make the next year even more memorable together!

Forever yours,
Harumasa