Tailing You Like an Ezo Red Fox (Part 1)
A Christmas 2024 Event Side Story
A Gift Before Christmas
Kokona: Guess I should act more like a reindeer… Maybe make reindeer noises? Come to think of it, what kind of noises do reindeer even make?
Kathrina: Practicing for the charity performance? You’ve been eager since you got up.
Kokona: Ah, Kathrina-chan! Ehehe… Since Yae-chan has offered me to participate, I want to make sure to put on a memorable play.
Kathrina: I see. Hope you haven’t forgotten about cooking for the Christmas party despite being so absorbed in it, have you?
Kokona: Ah! R-right, the party!!
Kathrina: So you have…
Kathrina: (But there’s nothing you can do. She’s agreed to participate to find out what Shizuka wants for a present.)
Kathrina: (On the other hand, I, Panda and Sasuga should be free at that time. Well, then, I guess…)
Kathrina: Um, Kokona. Actually, I have an idea…
Panda: Oh well~ The forecast for the Christmas day is sunny.
Chisa: You don’t want it to be sunny?
Panda: You see, when it’s snowing, you can take some nice photos with a Christmas vibe.
Panda: Like “Cute Panda-chan plays with snow on the Christmas day ♪” Or something of sorts.
Chisa: I see… Snow… Makes you think of Xue, huh?
Panda: Don’t say Panda should ask Xue-san to join.
Chisa: Right, why didn’t you think of that?
Panda: Panda’s just told you she’s not doing that!
Kathrina: What’s the fuss all about?
Panda: Ahaha, don’t worry, it’s nothing important.
Kathrina: I see… Look, there’s something I wanted to discuss.
Panda and Chisa: Discuss?
Panda: So you’re saying you want the three of us to arrange a meal for the Christmas party?
Kathrina: Kokona’s going to the charity event with Shizuka and Niizuma, right? I thought we could at least do this much in the meantime.
Panda: That’s a great idea! Party preparations are sure to get a lot of views!
Kathrina: I hoped you would say that. How about you, Sasuga?
Chisa: Ha! I’ve been waiting for you to suggest that. We'll prepare the ultimate Christmas dinner.
Kathrina: When you say it like that, I’m starting to worry… But thanks for agreeing to help.
Panda: Well then, firstly, let's gather some ideas for the menu. Speaking of iconic Christmas dishes--
Panda: It’s definitely chicken.
Chisa: Chicken.
Kathrina: Huh, chicken is a staple dish in Japan? I guess Christmas dishes vary a lot from country to country.
Panda: Well, turkey is hard to come by here~ And what dishes do you usually serve in Germany?
Kathrina: It depends on the region, but generally it’s carp or goose. Turkey was never served in my family, and I had the impression people only ate it in fiction.
Panda: Panda gets that! Makes you wanna try it at least once!
Kathrina: What else… Right, we also decorate homemade cookies. Give me a sec… Umm… Ah, here, look.
Panda, Chisa: Uh-huh… Wow!~
Chisa: Lebkuchen, Plätzchen… Looking at these intricate designs brings me enormous inspiration.
Panda: Coming from you it sounds kind of ominous. That said, they do look cute and make perfect content for social media!
Panda: (Besides, the shots of Kathrin making sweets are sure to go viral!)
Kathrina: Come to think of it, back at Sternlicht Mona-san and the others used to make sweets with junior members.
Chisa: What about you?
Kathrina: I… I just kept practicing all the time and thought I had no time for such things. Though looking back now, I kind of regret not joining in.
Panda: Then you should make up for that now with Sirius! Let’s make some lovely Lebkuchen together!
Kathrina: Sure! …Wait. You mean, we’ll be cooking ourselves?
Panda: Well, of course. That’s what we’ve been talking about. Aren’t we planning to make a meal for the Christmas party?
Kathrina: Right… But I ain’t good at cooking. I thought we would order something, no?
Chisa: Kathrina, what are you saying? Nothing beats homemade food prepared with love, you know.
Panda: Exactly. If you have trouble with something, we’ll help you out! Putting effort into the things you’re struggling with will surely pay off!
Chisa: Prepare to witness my stunning knife skills that took Niizuma’s breath away. I’ll show you how to neatly cut a shortcake into three even pieces.
Kathrina: But it isn’t much different from cutting a sponge cake…
Panda: No, no, a clean horizontal cut really requires some skill! Anyway, Sassu’s a good cook, so we should manage!
Chisa: Kathrina, I heard you pleasantly smacking your lips when we went fishing. That sound was filled with joy of tasting freshly-made sashimi by the sea.
Panda: Besides, don’t you remember how we all enjoyed the homemade cake when celebrating Oshizu-chan’s debut?
Kathrina: Back then Shizuka looked so happy… I get it. If you promise to help, I think I can do it.
Panda: Yay! This is sure to get a lot of buzz!
Kathrina: But can we really make a cake? Panda, do you know any channels explaining how to make a cake in a way that’s easy to follow--
Chisa: That won’t be necessary. I, the solitary genius patissier, will take it upon myself to make the cake for you.
Kathrina and Panda: Huh…?