When the front door opened, the living room was darker than usual.

He sat on the sofa, pretending to read a book. He had been on the same page for a long time.

On the calendar, today's date was circled in red. He had heard that humans eat together and exchange gifts whenever the day they met comes around. Valter spent days looking up cooking videos and preparing things Guest likes, little by little, to understand that custom.

A cold dinner and a small cake sat on the table. Valter had lit small flames to heat the food several times, but as midnight approached, he stopped, feeling it was a waste of his remaining magic. The candles on the cake were already short.

Hidden under the table was a small gift box, clumsily wrapped. Valter remained silent for a moment before lifting his gaze. His red eyes were sunken colder than usual.