Gyaru Game: Christmas Edition
(Chiba x Hayami)

Disclaimer: I don't, and never will I, own Ansatsu Kyoushitsu/Assassination Classroom.

Stumped. That was Chiba found himself in currently: completely and utterly lost. He'd been wringing his brains out for at least 2 hours (probably) now for an idea on what to give as a Christmas present to his closest friend in the class, his sniper partner, Hayami Rinka.

His predicament started when Okajima not so subtly brought it up when they were just 15 minutes settling down into a comfortable conversation. Today was supposed to be just a simple hangout for them friends: him, Sugaya, Okajima, Kimura, and Mimura. They decided to just lounge about in Mimura's room doing nothing related to academics or assassination after a sem chock full of both.

As with any talks that involved Okajima, they always knew that easy conversations would soon delve into perverted territories, but he suddenly threw a curve ball on Chiba by decidedly singling him out with the question.

Of course somewhere in the back of Chiba's mind, he knew he should give something to the girl who inadvertently became the closest to him in class after working closely all the time. "Come on, it's gotta be something special, right?" but clearly Okajima was asking for a special gift, a gift he definitely had to give her not just because they were close or even best friends.

The other sensible 3 had also looked at him expectantly, and Chiba knew then that it was probably only him who thought lightly of such a gift. The focus totally turned to him for he was the only one among them who was supposed to have a love life. Ahh, the woes of being shipped by the class. "I haven't thought of it yet," well it was reasonable, he thought, given that until just yesterday they were too focused on their final exams for the semester.

"Our Christmas (and sem ender) party is in 2 days, Chiba! Hayami-san may be coolheaded but she's a girl too, she'd be really disappointed if you don't think of your gift carefully!" Okajima had exasperatedly lectured him. The other 3 nodded in agreement. As much as Chiba couldn't believe they should really be listening to Okajima of all people about girls (really, the guy was pretty much 0 in the relationship department much more than Kayano was in her loathed body part), he had to admit the resident class pervert was making sense.

Chiba had this vague feeling that Hayami wouldn't really mind if his gift was simple and thoughtless like a key chain you give everyone else. But it didn't feel right too, giving her something like that. After all they've been through in this class, their mutual trust and respect had strengthened their bonds enough that they might as well be best friends. Or probably something more than that, but they both preferred not to think about that for now. For one, there was assassination (that more often than not relied heavily on the two of them) to think about, not to mention future life and careers after graduation. Also the whole class (including their teacher) was already in their case as it was, it would be more troublesome if they try anything now. All in all, it led him to the conclusion that he should really be thinking more carefully about a meaningful Christmas gift for Hayami, and fast.

Chiba was admittedly one of the smartest and most skilled in class. Give him a complex math problem, a target at an insane distance, a complicated blueprint for either a house or a robot, he could do all those. However there was a reason he was in Class E in the first place: he was utterly hopeless in anything involving communication. He could barely talk, how the hell was he supposed to know what to give to a girl?

Cake (and any food) was quickly shot down by the four. "Not something that will run out, girls want something they could keep!" He briefly considered a CD but he realized he did not know Hayami's taste in music or if she even liked music that much. 'Ah, no, I haven't seen her wearing earphones ever. Music is out then,' he thought.

Some time later, he'd been too absorbed with thinking of the gift while the others had let go of the topic already. Okajima was now playing a dating sim game (a gyaru game) and the others were coaching him. "Ugh, how do you get this girl? Even Takebayashi hasn't figured her out!" Okajima yelled as he attempted to talk to said character again. It served to break Chiba out of his reverie.

"Shouldn't it be A?" Mimura suggested.

"That should be B. And choose to give her coffee instead," he said. All four looked at him in shock. Albeit doubtful, Okajima followed his suggestion. They were all in for a pleasant surprise when the character was pleased. "Choose A in that one."

"What the hell? I didn't know you play these games," Okajima blurted out.

"I don't," he stood up and straightened his clothes. "I have to go."

He tapped each guy on the shoulder and Mimura saw him out, reminding him once more about the Christmas gift.

The reason he had to go home early, the reason he knew what to choose in a dating sim, and the reason he was dropped to class E were all tied up together, and it wasn't a simple case of his eyes. "I'm home," he sighed before calling out. A loud rumble of footsteps answered him as he removed his shoes.

"Ryuu-nii-chan! Ryuu-nii-chan! Which is cuter?" the reason is because his daily life was pretty much not unlike a dating sim game. 1st sister: bubbly and innocent Kiyomi, the youngest sister. Her dark pigtails bobbed as she excitedly held up two frilly outfits.

A) The pink one

B) The blue one

C) Both are too frilly for his taste

"The blue one is cuter," Kiyomi was easy enough to deal with. Just use the word 'cute' and she would let you go. "Is Hiyori already here?"

Kiyomi nodded enthusiastically. "She's waiting for her dumplings." Chiba inwardly cringed. He silently prayed that Hiyori was in a good mood. "Hiyori-nee-"

"Kiyomi, if you were to receive a special Christmas present, what would you like?" he quickly cut her off before she started screaming for Hiyori. 'Damn, of all things, why did I blurt that out?'

"A big white plush bunny!" she excitedly answered. Nope, definitely not a good suggestion. 'That's what you get when you ask a grade schooler,' he sighed dejectedly as he continued upstairs. He stopped in front of a worn out looking door.

"Ryuu-nii! You're late!" 2nd sister: adventurous and determined Hiyori, the 3rd Chiba child. Chiba could swear the ends of her short dark hair were moving like serpents, accusing him.

A) Make an excuse

B) Say something about her hair

C) Give her the dumplings then run!

"Here's the dumplings, eat them while still warm," he made sure to keep an arm's length distance between them, an outstretched arm holding the bag in front of him. Hiyori was the most volatile sister and she happened to be short tempered too. He was just about to run for his room when he remembered something. He chanced a look at Hiyori's face and saw that she was smiling blissfully with her face stuffed with dumplings. Now's a good time. "Hiyori, if you're getting a special present for Christmas, what would it be?"

"Christmas present? I dunno, a new pair of jogging pants?" her words were a garbled mess because of her stuffed mouth. "Ah, I know, I want to go bungee jumping! Or maybe a lifetime supply of dumplings..."

Chiba sighed again as Hiyori stuffed her face with dumplings again. 'Why did I ask a tomboy again?' "Do you want to go bungee jumping with me, Ryuu-nii?" 'Shit, she's serious!'

"Uh, let's think about it when the weather's not cold," he gave a noncommittal answer as he tried to discreetly step out of her room. He let out a sigh of relief when he reached his own room. He had barely settled down when his phone lit up, a message on its screen. 'Ryuu, coffee, please,' it read. He groaned as he hurriedly went out of his room and downstairs to the kitchen. When Chie-nee-san says please, it means get it to her pronto.

He knocked politely on her door. She opened it and took the mug from him without a word, behind her were stacks of books and papers indicating her busy status. Last sister: intelligent and serious Chie, the eldest sibling. Her long dark hair was just as straightlaced as her personality. She was just about to close the door on him when he internally debated how to approach her with his question. Chie was the most sensible in his family but she also scared him. She was pretty much the 'last boss' in the family.

A) "Chie-nee-san, what gift should I give a girl?"

B) Go down again and get food as an offering first, then text her.

C) Don't interrupt her and move on with your life.

"Ah, Chie-nee-san, what Christmas gift is appropriate for a girl?" the years of trial and error with each of his sisters told him that straightforward was best with Chie; as long as she wasn't busy, that is. "I can go if you're too busy."

He kept his eyes on the floor as he crossed his fingers praying he chose the right option; he can handle Kiyomi's over the top wailing or Hiyori's violence but not Chie's wrath. He was surprised when he heard her chuckle amusedly. He looked up as she motioned for him to come inside. He timidly went in and sat on her bed while she turned around her chair to sit facing him.

"Who would have thought, Ryuu? So you're asking what I'd like to get from a boyfriend, huh," he didn't bother correcting her nor interrupt. Chie then reached for her laptop on her desk and flipped it so he can see the screen. He's seen crazy things ever since a yellow octopus became his homeroom teacher but this totally took the cake. The screen showed that his feared elder sister was watching the latest fashion show of that famous lingerie brand. And he only knew that because of Okajima. "Nothing's more meaningful than lingerie that says 'I would like to see you in these.'"

He didn't know how many times his mouth opened and closed again. He thought Chie was the best person to ask since she was a mature college student, seeing as Hayami's personality was that of an adult's. 'Way too mature, though,' he almost groaned. He thanked his sister for the advice and quickly left the room lest he overstay and take too much of her time. More importantly, he had to keep the new information about his sister for future reference in dealing with her.

He went back to his room feeling rather frustrated. He had asked 3 girls but still he had the vaguest of ideas as to what to give to Hayami. He almost felt like just asking her outright but he still hasn't completely lost his head to do that. His internal struggle could have been a funny sight, if only it actually showed on his face. A loud knock on his door and Kiyomi's cheerful declaration of dinner put a temporary halt to this battle.

Their father was already at the table when all four of them went down. They started dinner silently at first, that is until Hiyori told some ridiculous stories of her feats in the judo club and Kiyomi responding with an equally loud voice. Their parents amiably listened and allowed the two to go on. Chie barely took notice so long as her food wasn't being compromised. Ryuu kept silent as per usual. Their parents were normal enough people, he couldn't help but wonder how all four of them could be so different. Heck, he wasn't sure who he got his too sharp eyes from. He was sure at least one of them had got to be adopted, if only they didn't share the same dark hair of their mother.

Dinner ended without any of the 3 sisters exploding in their own ways, fortunately. He was on dishwashing duty today so he was left alone with their mother. It was when he heard her humming as she sorted the leftovers that he placed his attention on her. They weren't really close as his mother didn't really know how to respond to him, what with his inability to communicate. He sighed. "Okaa-san, what should I give as a Christmas gift to a girl?"

She turned to him in pleasant surprise. She then paused for just a second to think then smiled at him. "Anything will do, Ryuu-kun, as long as that girl knows you put your heart to it." He released a low grunt as he focused on the dishes, that still didn't help. "It would be better to start with finding out what she likes, Ryuu-kun."

His mother left it at that, giving him a motherly smile before joining his father at the living room. "What she likes, huh?" That was the problem, Chiba and Hayami were close but he still wasn't sure what she specifically liked. Which led to only one conclusion for him: Chiba Ryuunosuke is a man on a mission to find out tomorrow.

That resolve led to Chiba training his well-hidden eyes on Hayami all day. He was thankful for his bangs then, as they prevented anyone from catching him on stalker mode, however he failed to discount one thing: Hayami had been working with him closely for the whole school year and he's let her be close enough for her to figure most of him out.

"What's bothering you today?" she finally asked when they were walking home. "You seem unsettled."

He let out an inner sigh of relief that at least she hadn't caught on that he was stalker-ish today, which also turned out to be fruitless. Hayami preferred not to stand out so she merely observed and reacted to the events around her. He even tried eavesdropping on the girls' conversation over lunch but still he had no idea. He was beginning to feel helpless especially since he had to secure that gift today too. It was either ask her or just give her cookies or some key chain.

"Mee-yow!" a loud screech of a cat took their attention. They both turned to see a kitten on a dangerous perch on a tree branch. Below the tree were several more kittens who started wailing too and a mother cat who seemed frustrated. The mother cat was looking back and forth the kitten above and the rest of the litter with her, as if she didn't know which to take care of first.

He and Hayami looked at each other then back to the cats. Hayami seemed hesitant and fidgeted; he was just confused. Another loud scared screech from the kitten above seemed to have made Hayami make her mind. She huffed then gave him her bag, ran to the tree and scaled it carefully. Using her flexible body, she swiftly reached a branch near the one the kitten was on without shaking the tree. She took the kitten and tucked it in an arm. She climbed down and gently laid down the kitten next to its family.

She crouched down to pet the mother cat who leaned in to her touch in gratitude. He approached closer which made Hayami avert her eyes from him. Instead she cooed the kittens. "I'm sorry I don't have anything I could give you."

"Do you like cats?" he chanced asking. He wasn't aware Hayami could be a pet person.

She nodded as a blush crept up on her face, not daring to look at him. He almost blushed himself, 'being a cat person actually suits her,' he thought as her eyes reminded him of cats. "Do you have a cat at home?"

"Ah, no, though why I never got one I don't really know. My building does allow pets. Maybe I should adopt one," she said thoughtfully. She shrugged, gave a final pat to each feline then got up.

They continued on their walk until they had to separate in a certain street. It was when he was sure she was already out of earshot that he took out his mobile phone to ask Ritsu for help. 'Walking home with her instead of heading straight to the shopping district was a good idea.'

"So what did you get her?" was Okajima's greeting to him when he arrived the following day. He shrugged. He wondered how Okajima can make everything sound perverted.

As it was the last day of classes before the break, Korosensei didn't do any lessons and instead allowed it to be an 'assassinate all you want' day. He stayed with them the whole day and gave them the chance to execute assassination attempts left and right. In the afternoon they ended it with a Christmas party, which though normal at first with songs and games, still turned crazy with BB pellets and knives flying everywhere (he was pretty sure a tube of wasabi flew there and he darn knew who threw that).

Chiba found the opportunity to casually toss a small green and red box at Hayami without anyone noticing when everyone was busy exchanging gifts. Hayami understood the secrecy of his action and discreetly opened it. Confusion was evident in her usually stoic face when she opened it to see that all it contained was a slip of paper. He smirked knowingly and carried on with his conversation with Sugaya when Hayami turned to look at him.

"Why did you ask to meet here?" Hayami immediately asked when she arrived at the shooting range where he was waiting for her after the party ended. He tossed her a gun this time.

"One last practice before the sem ends?" he pointed up to a tall treetop where something was hanging. Due to the winds, the branch was mildly shaking. "Can you get that for me?"

Hayami let out a small smile, a mix of understanding and amusement in her expression. She aimed the gun, waited for the right timing, then shot 3 times, effectively hitting the object in the right spots for it to fall in the direction she wanted. She quickly leapt towards it and caught it squarely. One eyebrow rose when she realized what the object in her hands was. "A collar?" and then realization hit her and she looked at him quizzically. "I haven't gotten a cat yet."

He just smiled at her knowingly as he picked up their bags, motioning for them to go home now. Though confused, she followed his lead and they started the trek down the hill. As always their walk home was silent even though he knew Hayami had questions for him. He confused her even more when instead of the direction of their homes he led her towards the town. She still followed despite his nonreplies to her inquiries. By now her confusion was completely showing on her face.

He almost grinned. It wasn't his intention to crack her calm and neutral expression like this but he found he was somewhat enjoying the unusual show of emotions in her.

He finally stopped when they reached his intended destination where his real Christmas gift for her was waiting. "I need to pick up something here."

"No way," she uttered as her eyes turned wide in surprise. They were in front of a cat adoption center. They went inside where the person at the front desk immediately recognized him.

"Wow, right on the dot," the center worker said upon noticing that the two entered just as the clock struck 5:30. He went inside the fenced play area of the cats and came back with a cat, a red and green ribbon around its neck, in his arms.

"If you noticed the box earlier didn't have a ribbon," Chiba said, his face looking away. Now that he's giving the present to her he felt shy about it. "Not that he's meant to fit in that box..."

Hayami was, simply put, speechless. She couldn't even tear her eyes off the lovely cat as said cat was given to her. She gently carried it into her arms. The cat, a male, had orange-brown fur and emerald green eyes. "He's really pretty. Are you really giving him to me?"

Chiba nodded. "Not sure he'd like to be called pretty, though. Ah, the collar, you can put it on him."

Hayami fished the collar out of her pocket. She held it up to inspect it more closely before putting it on the cat. "It's perfect too. Is there a particular reason for the color?" she knew Chiba was so thorough, the cat's features' likeness to herself already a testament to that. She wasn't surprised when he nodded.

"My eyes," he said in a hushed voice. He's definitely feeling shy now, thanks the heavens he doesn't blush.

"You keep surprising me today," Hayami remarked, her eyes darting back and forth the deep russet-colored cat collar and his bang-covered eyes.

"What are you naming him?" he asked, glad to have come up quickly of a diversion.

She paused for a while after successfully putting on the collar. And then she smiled, "Ryou. I'm naming him Ryou." [Same kanji as Chiba's Ryuu meaning dragon, different reading]

It was when they were already out of the center and walking back towards the residential area that Hayami remembered to actually thank him, not that he needed her to voice it out. She looked at him with soft, appreciative eyes. "Thank you, Chiba. I'll take good care of him."

Chiba smiled a genuine smile and patted the cat before looking up to her again. "You be good to her, Ryou. Thank you for everything so far, let's work harder from here on. Merry Christmas, Hayami."

"That reminds me, I never got the chance to give you your gift," she took out a thin square box from her bag and gave it to him.

Chiba actually didn't notice at all that he did not get anything from her due to his multi-step surprise. He opened the box and there lay an army green knitted beanie. It was well-made but he knew it was handcrafted when he saw the gun crosshair detail at the bottom of the beanie. His mouth went agape and he knew the question was still evident in his face despite his bangs.

"Sniping isn't the only thing my fingers are good for," she gave him a smug smile. "Merry Christmas, Chiba."

Omake:

It was when they had taken several steps already that Chiba stopped again, a thought striking his mind when his hand swept through the new beanie he was now wearing. "Don't ever let Okajima hear you say that."

Shit, he did not just say that. 'I've been influenced by Okajima even if I keep avoiding his talks,' he thought morosely.

A/N: OMG, please don't kill me about that omake, I just couldn't help it. I think that was the romCOM writer in me kicking in, plus the fact that shonen series just influences your humor like that.

Anyway, MERRY CHRISTMAS everyone! I really enjoyed writing about Chiba's family that I almost forgot that this was supposed to be a ChibaHaya fic and not a Chiba-centric fic. When I read Chiba's family in his profile, I immediately felt like I understood his lack of communication skills. He's got 3 sisters that are too different that he probably had a hard time understanding how to interact with people. I imagine he really feels like playing a dating sim game every day because there are different ways to interact with each sister.

See you in my next stories, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year, everyone!