#Romance MD Always on Call

[sterkeyra]

Voltage Chara Cafe Chibis 2024

Voltage once again claimed my heart by announcing the new merch for their upcoming character cafe. Weak as i am for chibis they just had to release animal hoodie acrylics of some of our best boys.

Kasumi tries to wriggle himself into my heart more and more by now also dressing up as a red panda! It almost feels like Kurosawa stole the penguin hoodie of him :D

Of course Tsugaru just had to have something bunny themed in the picture. Nomura has to watch out not to end up in Tsugaru's bunny merch collection at this point.

Kaga and Ishigami have their signature food and just had to have matching poses. Coincidence? xD

I wonder what the animals say about our characters. They are all so very adorable! It's difficult to decide!

Anyways, if you would like to buy some chibi merch too, @lydskisses organises a group order for the event. If you are curious just contact her ;)

Who is your favorite?

[kamyru]

I like a bunch of Voltage Inc guys. They are fantastic men, and their biggest flaw is that they are fictional.

However, every time they say that MC has a part of the guilt when being harassed by other men, it ticks me off. And nearly all of them have scenes like this.

Was it my fault that my ex who was twice my size and older couldn't take no as an answer and respect my boundaries and this caused my hatred towards being touched and sex?

Was is my fault for being harassed as a kid in the public transportation? Or for being spied on in the bathroom of a hospital? Or for being told by a random man in the night train that my place is in his home?

What have girls who were sexually assaulted and raped done wrong?

I do want a man in real life to protect me, be bigger than me, and give the best hugs. Not because I can't take care of myself. But because men take seriously only other men. And I lived for long enough to be afraid of them.

I refuse to think that Voltage Inc men who tell MC that she has to be more aware of her surroundings instead of asking her if she is okay are canon. And I intend to rewrite the scenes where something like this happens. Because it's not MC fault, like it's not mine, or any other victim's.

[lys-lilac]

I have to say, how pretty are the skies portrayed in the stories! It's yet another reason I love RMD. They manage to capture the readers' attention, not only through their topnotch writing and BGMs, but also the symbolism of skies, flowers, and nature.

Let's not forget the CGs too ^^

[jubilantgamer27]

I can’t believe she still wrote that down 😂

[hamhamki]

Some pf my favorite lines from Romance MD featuring mostly Sentaro because the dynamic between him and MC are iconic

"You're saying you're keeping a fake me somewhere"

"I tasted it myself and didn't get indigestion"

Me too Sen. Me too.

Takado has to be the funniest with his clap backs for sure too

[anayai]

My first RMD fanart.

I've been following this novel ever since Voltage gave out LC coupons for Matsunaga's route. I'd never dared to spend money on any game... until I got my SHE with him once and for all! I'm in love

[sweet-pinkitty]

Koi100+ | General Election 2023 My boyfriend No.1

Result Announcement

The top 30 people who made it through, the preliminary rounds and will participate in the final round are:

[neerons]

Who are your Top 5 Love 365 characters? Or top 10 if you have ten.

Hi!

I’ve never really thought about ranking them before because sometimes I like the character but not especially the universe, or I started reading a route and didn’t get to finish it, but if I really had to pick a Top 5 or 10 I’d say:

1) Kazuomi Shido (MK)

2) Boss (MK)

3) Kaga Hyogo (HLITF)

4) Takaomi Tsugaru (HLITF)

5) Ayato Hidaka (MLFK)

6) Takamune Kitami (MLFK)

7) Togo Daimon (OISY)

8) Ayumu Shinonome (HLITF)

9) Eisuke Ichinomiya (KBTBB)

10) Toshiki Kasumi (RMD)

I want to read more about Kasumi soon. I didn’t include Kei and Yuzuru to be fair to other titles as well, but I love them too and they’re part of my must read. I’d love to read other titles as well and continue the routes I didn’t get to finish yet, because I tend to only read stories from titles I love for sure haha

I need to start exploring more titles now that I think about it. If anyone has any recommendations I’ll take them

Thank you for the ask!

[voltageapps]

September 29 is the birthday of Munechika Takado from Romance MD: Always On Call 👩‍⚕️

Happy belated birthday Takado!

PS: His birthday is on August 29 based on his EN introduction but after some thoughts, we decide to use his birthday in his JP introduction.

Kinda ironic that as a doctor his birth date is not listed correctly 🥲

[sterkeyra]

Side Character Election - Story Prompts

As the Side Character election is over we are already aware of the winners and the 10 stories that we are going to get. However, among the election options, there were quite a few interesting plot prompts! Some are a bit like fanfictions, others feel like trolling, but some are also interesting because the plot prompt alone tells us more about some characters. So I thought I'll combine all the stories that we will get and those that we could have gotten

Top 10

These are the character prompts that will get a story! You can look forward to their stories soon!

Takeru Momose Her Love in the Force "What if you fell in love with Momose instead of Tsugaru?"

Hayato Miyayama Her Love in the Force "What if you didn't date any of the instructors and started to fall in love with Miyayama?"

Toru Kyobashi Metro PD "What if I became Chief Kyobashi's secretary for a limited time?"

Daisuke Chiba Her Love in the Force "Will Chiba's love finally be returned!? Or…? A bittersweet unrequited love story of his youth."

Mitsuharu Kyogoku Romance MD "Unpublished story about Kasumi and Mitsuharu during their medical student days"

Ryosuke Inui Kissed by the Baddest Bidder "What if you and Inui fall in love?"

Zack Thompson Masquerade Kiss "xx Year ago. When Zack was still young, he actually got to work together with a CERTAIN person?! A hidden story from Zacks past. (Story without MC)

Takatomi Jinguji When Destiny Comes Knocking "Upon receiving a revelation from the Moeki Shrine, you decide to play pretend lovers with Jinguji. Every date with this hidden high-spec guy is a first-time experience. Could this person indicated by the gods possibly be your destined partner?"

Daisuke Agasa Metro PD "Story about falling in love with the master of Monkey Station"

Eito Ichinomiya Kissed by the Baddest Bidder "What if Eito met the child of another bidder? The next generation will have a spectacular crossover"

Not-Elected Story Prompts

These are the characters that haven't been chosen, so they sadly won't get a story. I'll still list the prompts because some are quite interesting and tell us more about the characters, or the routes if they would have ever gotten one.

Also it might inspire someone to write fanfiction, and maybe just maybe they will be more popular if Voltage did another side story election. I will group the prompts by title and have a miscellaneous section at the bottom.

Robosuke (Meguros Robot) Oops I Said Yes "I am alone at home with Robosuke (?!). I'm trying to get Robosuke to tell me Meguros secret"

Ryo Hayase Oops I Said Yes "What did he think of your as he developped feelings for you in Togo's Main Story Season 2? Experience it from His Pov"

Tadashi Daimon (Togo's brother) Oops I Said Yes "While Togo is away, his older brother Tadashi suddenly comes over for a visit. He tells you stories about the time when Togo was still a child"

Mamoru Yushima (MCs Junior Colleague) Oops I Said Yes "What kind of life would await you, if you accidentally got married to Yushima, who always wished to get married?"

Kaito Ichinomiya Kissed by the Baddest Bidder "Kaito, the middle child, is not as cute as he looks but also... What if you spend a day alone with Kaito?"

Yu Ichinomiya Kissed by the Baddest Bidder "Yu is just like Eisuke, he even looks like him?! What if you spend a day alone with Yu?"

Koichi Samejima Kissed by the Baddest Bidder "What if you and Samejima fall in love?"

Erika Matsuda Kissed by the Baddest Bidder "Erika actually worked for a different companies hotel before she changed to Tres Spade a long time ago. Find out about her unknown surprising past."

HUGO Masquerade Kiss "The story "HUGO's Secret" will explore the father-son conflict between HUGO and Shigematsu"

Caleb Townsend Masquerade Kiss "A secret story about Calebs past when he met Chad."

Josh White Masquerade Kiss "A story about how the members of the Garden of Eden (GoE) try to stop Kazuomi from being taught a bad habit"

Theo Maria Bertolucci Masquerade Kiss "Theo hosts a party for Kei that is limited to MCs ex-boyfriends" (Kei's route)

Louis St. Alfans Masquerade Kiss "A story about Louis becoming "family" with Kei and Kai by visiting the amusement park together." (Story without MC)

Takumi Shiba Masquerade Kiss "This is a story about Takumi Shiba vs. Kei Soejima where Takumi is struggling with all his might to defeat Kei."

Kai Soejima Masquerade Kiss A story about going on a mock date with Kai, because he never had a proper date. He ends up getting a little nervous (Kei's route)

Kengo Katayama Masquerade Kiss "A story of the past when Yuzuru, the founder of SHIBA, scouted Katayama." (Story without MC)

Tamotsu Suwa Romance MD "What if you get injured and have to do rehabilitation with Dr. Suwa?"

Kappei Maekawa Romance MD "A story about being indebted to Dr. Maekawa for a day" Taku Tsuchiya Romance MD "What if you had decided on cardiac surgery instead of joining the ICU?"

Mizumi Shirayuki Romance MD "Why does Shirayuki-chan love being kind? A close-up documentary story."

Theo Wilson Romance MD "What if you were Theo's assistant in a hospital in Thailand?"

Asuka Shinozaki Romance MD "A story about how the friendship with your classmate developed during your college days"

Noa (future Tsugaru?) Her Love in the Force "How does Noah feel about Tsugaru and you? A story about a little boy's first love (?)" Shirogane Her Love in the Force "What is the relationship between Gin and Noah? The story reveals the surprising contrasts of the iron-faced man."

Taketo Oishi Her Love in the Force "A love story where you are approached by Oishi, who has fallen in love with you as his senior"

Chaen Her Love in the Force "A story about Chaen being obsessed with you as a public safety detective, and him trying to make you his own in every way possible".

Blood Moon Kings of Paradise "Blood Moon kidnaps you when you got divorced and are heartbroken. During our escape, he gives me the love life I had dreamed of. A story of a wanted man and a love that defies the world."

Kasatsubaki Satsuriki Kings of Paradise "A romance between two divorcees, where love and physical relationships are kept separate. Tsubaki's overwhelming love fills your void, but with the appearance of your ex-boyfriend Taki, a love triangle emerges… Which man will you choose?"

Tomohiro Fuyuki Kings of Paradise "A story about two people who once drifted apart. Despite numerous difficult times, I can't forget his smile. A story of a remarried couple where the former husband had a change of heart and transforms from the worst to once again being your beloved."

Sydney (Tenshi Sakuto) Kings of Paradise "You used to really dislike reptiles. However, after living with Taki, you start hearing Sydney's voice?! You'll hear her true feelings for the first time… A story of female friendship."

Akito Sakamaki Metro PD "What if I had a fateful encounter with Mr. Sakamaki?"

Koichi Minase Metro PD "A story about his date with Tomomi Minase"

Tomomi Minase Metro PD "A story about her date with Koichi Minase"

X PLUST "After falling for the bold fanservice of the flashy and somewhat dangerous X, you wake up in his bed the next morning…?! A forbidden love story between him and you begins with a XXX relationship."

Ys PLUST "Ys is reliable enough to lead ThrONE, that consists of very skilled musicians. However, you witness his true nature. A story about saving YS's past and heart through love."

Zeus PLUST "An unexpected day-zero marriage with your crush?! You start a pretend-newlywed life with Zeus for the sake of him composing music. As Zeus's doting intensifies, the fate of this limited romance becomes uncertain."

PLUST Manager PLUST "The manager of PLUST is always working hard. You work together with him on a marketing plan for PLUST, but when you see his true self for the first time it sparks romantic feelings."

Shizuo Furuya Liar "What if I had forgiven my ex boyfriend for cheating on me back then? The story of an eventful date with my boyfriend when we got back together"

Mr. Takuro Irresistible Mistakes "Researching the unknown ecology, daily life, and his past… Shall we explore the true face of Takuro-san, who quietly supports and cheers on your love from beside you?"

Fuzzy Pirates in Love "Fuzzy's matchmaking story?! While watching the happy MC, Fuzzy realizes it's her turn to have a happy ending and she travels around the world to find her soulmate."

Natsuo Umesaki Bad Boys do it Better "Natsuo is a beautiful, tall dormitory leader with a loud voice. Ume-chan is like an oasis in a dormitory filled with rough boys, however when you catch a glimpse of his "Natsuo" side, you unexpectedly fall in love for the first time."

Yuki Tsukishiro Our Private Homeroom "What if you fell in love with your classmate? A sweet and sour story unique to high school classmates.

Tatsunoshin Uzuki Loves Hella Punk "Love Story with Uzuki" (Separate Setting from Tengokus)

Momogo Sato Dreamy Days in West Tokyo "A story about Momogo watching over the love life between you and Ichigo"

Bianchi Our Two Bedroom Story "A story in which you, a new editor at Seasonelle, start to fall in love with Bianchi at Jinbuono."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ My thoughts

The Masquerade Kiss stories are quite interesting and some seem to tease more about the story or relation to other characters! You can tell by the amount of context of Blood Moon and Kasatsubaki, that this is most likely how their routes would have been like if they weren't cancelled. Especially Blood Moon sounded interesting to me. Together with Chaen they might be one of the few Yandere types in the app. Chaens prompt holy moly. I would have been very intrigued how that would have played out. I'm curious what else they have planned for him. Also why can't Chiba just be happy. He got a story but it looks like he is STILL in the unrequited love dilemma :') Also happy to see more content about Mitsuharu! Though i wish it was a what if story with MC or maybe a story with Sen, as we already know a bunch about Kasumi and Mitsuharu, but that's complaining on a high level. Any Mitsuharu content is good content! Speaking of Plust, i was surprised by the sudden amount of steam when you jump to X (gosh he sounds like twitter)! Almost like MC became a groupie ohmy! I can only imagine the drama. The manager being a place short of Tomohiro is almost insulting xD It seems like PLUST or Throne in that matter did not appeal as much as hoped. I still hope we get to see more of it! It's even funnier that Furuya of Liar is that popular even though he is just as much cheating scum like Tomohiro. I guess people actually wanted to see a redemption arc for him?

Another story I would have loved to see is Fuzzys? Because I love her a lot and i want her to be happy as well. It would have been so funny to see how she hunts for men! Also Tatsunoshin! OHMYGOD There were so many good options!!

Now onto the winner I COULDNT BE HAPPIER IT'S MOMO. Sure a CG would have been nice but i keep my hopes, up that we might get one with Tsugaru together eventually or maybe we would even get his own route! But... BUT... they just had to have Tsugaru comment on his win. And he says he's pleased, so Momo is also happy that he entered. PLEASE he's about to get your girl haha Agh. This will be a very interesting story. I really wonder how they'll handle his girlfriend and Momo connection to Tsugaru. I GOT WAY TOO EXCITED ABOUT THIS ELECTION. I am a side character afficionado. Also Miyayamaaaa!!! Last but not least: Where's Tokyo Love Hustle at :') I'm not sure if I'm happy that the rest of the cast is not listed as side characters (would mean their routes got cancelled) or if i'm sad because we might have been able to get some more content with it if they were?

[kamyru]

A summary to the family relationships in Voltage Inc stories

I once posted about how the MCs from Voltage Inc are mostly mentally healthy girls from complete families, with both parents being more than adequate and usually with siblings. The statistics for the games I am writing for are like this:

Her Love in the Force: Two alive parents that are good at parenting and an alive sibling good at "siblinging"

Irresistible Mistakes: Two alive parents that are good at parenting and an alive sibling that briefly mentioned

Oops! I Said Yes?!: Two alive parents that are adequate at parenting

Plust: Love U So True: Two alive parents that seem to be good at parenting

Romance MD: Always on Call: ... She is the one whose family status can be compared to the LIs

Tokyo Love Hustle: I don't remember, but I'm not sure both her parents are alive

So, out of 7 MCs, only one and a half (if anyone remembers TLH's MC's backstory, tell me what's up with her) have a tragic backstory regarding their families, which makes up around 80% of MCs with no family trauma. If we take more MCs, then it probably is 85%. Now, let's see how we are with the boys. (I don't remember or know all their stories, so correct me if I wrote something wrong).

Alive parents with alive siblings (if they have any): Seiji Goto, Toshiaki Kijima, Toma Kiriya, Natsume Asaoka, Kuranosuke Kiba, Shu Hasunuma, Munechika Takado

Alive parents with dead siblings: Shusuke Soma

Alive parents with dead siblings and questionable love for them: Eiji Takao, Tetsuya Hosho, Sentaro Kyogoku

Alive parents with questionable love for their children: Yukihisa Maki, Shunichiro Tachibana, Ukyo Senkawa, Kunihiro Kasai, Sui Claude Saigu, Mikoto Amamitsu, Kaede Ekuni

Another fatherless child with his dad away: Hyogo Kaga (he can fall in the previous category too), Taku Hayama

Adopted orphan: Ayumu Shinonome, Rei Kamiki, Keita Mitsuura, Go Okubo, Daimon Togo, Toshiki Kasumi, Suzumu Mado

Adopted orphan with dead siblings: Takaomi Tsugaru

Adopted orphan with dead siblings and questionable relationship with the parents whose at least one adopted parent died: Hideki Ishigami

Not adopted orphan: Jun Araki, Taro Akuchi

Characters about whom I don't remember/know anything (please, tell me in the comments what's up with them): Jin Namba, Toru Kurosawa, Eiichi Matsunaga

Status unknown (please, tell me if you know anything): Ryoga Buto

So, here we have 35 characters. The ones about whom I don't know anything don't fall into the first category, from what I remember. And even if we put the last one in the first category, we still have a rate of 23% with no family trauma. By games, it looks like this:

Her Love in the Force: No trauma = 12,5% (1/8)

Irresistible Mistakes: No trauma = 30% (3/10)

Oops! I Said Yes?!: No trauma = 33,3% (2/6)

Plust: Loving U So True: No trauma = 66,6% (2/3)

Romance MD: Always on Call: No trauma = 16,6% (1/6)

Tokyo Love Hustle: No trauma = 0% (0/2)

Besides the fact that we don't have information about Ryoga yet, these are still not accurate because Kuranosuke theoretically falls into the "No family trauma" category, even if this man has trauma regarding his family and his entire personality can be explained by his family's behavior towards him. 

Even the story with the "happiest" families (Plust with 66,6%) isn't close to MCs' 80%. 

I want MCs with traumas who went through something and overcame it. And if Voltage Inc likes to make it hard from the beginning, using their families, then there it be. I don't want men characters who went through hell and back to come to MC so that she could fix them. I want MC to have her struggles that don't involve her man. Women's lives don't revolve around their men. They can have struggles outside their relationship. 

Don't get me wrong, I understand that it is important to support your partner and everything. I like how the LIs have character development. But if you look at these games, MCs' lives seem so good and careless before meeting their SO. Their problems begin after men appear in their lives. They go through problems that aren't as serious as their partners, while the men save the day and are named heroes. 

The family thing is only ONE aspect of the traumas that Voltage gives to MEN in their stories. There are so many struggles that a woman can go through: toxic exes, physically present but morally absent parents (especially fathers), high expectations, double standards, and sexual harassment. 

I have had a pretty normal life compared to Voltage Inc men's. But I still can't identify myself with the MCs in here. I'm only 21, and I have seen more sh*t than the MC from "Her Love in the Force" when she entered the Academy. It makes me uncomfortable when I play for a plant from a greenhouse whose strongest personality trait at 23+ is naivety. 

I want to live in a world with parents that love me nonetheless, there's no depression, sexual harassment, toxic relationships, messy breakups, divorces, bad relationships with siblings, mental illnesses, double standards, or high expectations. But it's not possible right now, and I want to see problems depicted in fiction to know that I am not alone. 

I want to see a LI who goes out of his way to help MC with her problems, at least sometimes. I don't live on this earth to save men from themselves. I also want to have support to overcome my problems. 

[lys-lilac]

[RMD] Whispers of Yuletide Promises: Kasumi X MC

[A/N]: Hey there it's been a while! This work of me was lying in my folders for so so long, something which I worked upon last Christmas haha. Thanking my lovely @sterkeyra for taking so much of her time not only to proofread, but also suggest corrections to make it much better. So I will share half the credits with her, hehe. (Jenjen I love you!) Anyway, enjoy and let me know your thoughts!

(The characters in this work are fictional and from the title Romance MD: Always on Call by Voltage Inc. No copyrights intended.)

(out of context cute pic cause idk but I love them :p)

It was another day in the Seimei University Hospital as the subtle chill of the air was evident, hinting at the upcoming Christmas season. A sigh leaves MC's lips, as she stretches her body after work, looking at the spark of festivity in the staff's and patients' faces, sipping her coffee. Toshiki notices how she is looking around the Christmas celebration in the hospital, with a cup of coffee in his hand as well. The children, the cards they are making and the people wearing the red hats... He can see the glimmer in her eyes as she is looking all around. So he whispers to her.

"I am glad to see you so happy. Is Christmas your favorite holiday?"

A gentle pat lands on her head, which makes her snap out of her thoughts as she looks up towards the source of these sweet words.

"Ah, Dr. Kasumi, good work."

"Thank you. I am grateful that we both did a good job today. And, it is really nice to see the Christmas celebrations in our hospital. I can't wait to see what the New Year celebrations as well. But I have more important things on my mind right now."

"Yeah? What's that?"

He whispers softly, so only she can hear him.

"I keep thinking about hugging and kissing you. Could I perhaps ask you to give me one kiss before we go home? I'm not sure how long I can control myself otherwise."

"?!"

Her face flushes instantly as she looks at him with wide eyes and mouth hanging open.

"Uh... do you realize where we are?"

He laughs and whispers to her.

"What's on my mind right now is way more important than the fact that we are in front of our colleagues. So, is it too much to ask for a quick kiss? Or am I going to be punished if I do this? I don't really mind the punishment, if I can get to kiss you. And, by the look on your face, it seems you might have similar ideas in mind as well. So just let me go ahead with my plan."

"Since when did you become like this... Just three days ago I heard a certain someone, chewing off Dr. Hosho's ears for flouting public morals…"

"That was in the past. You can't blame me for the way I am behaving today. This is all your influence. You are just way too cute and your beautiful eyes are too distracting. It's driving me wild and making me want to kiss you again and again."

"D-Don't say such things in workplace." She covers his lips with her hands, to which he laughs softly, removes her hands from his lips, and whispers in a playful tone.

"See, there you go again with your sweet and cute shyness. Who knows how much of it would I be able to handle before I just snap?”

"S-Snap? What…"

"It means I might just grab your jaw and sneak a kiss right here and now. But, I won’t  make you uncomfortable at work.

"I understand that, you dummy!"

"Does that mean I can go ahead and kiss you one more time?"

"No. We have so much work, we have to buy a Christmas tree too, so. Bye." His suggestive words had taken a toll on her and she could just run away to hide her loudly beating heart from him. He laughs softly and goes after her.

"You can't really get away from me. I will keep on chasing you until you accept my kisses. I don't care how many things are on our to-do list today, as my top priority is to wrap my arms around you and make you all mine. So come back here, MC."

*A few hours later, she signs off work, and soon enough, she's out of the hospital, and waits for him at the hospital entrance. Shortly after, he takes his leave from the hospital as well. He takes his car out of the parking lot and brings it over to the entrance, where she was waiting for him.

"Get in."

She nods and gets inside, as he shuts the door watching out so that she doesn’t hit her head, and soon starts driving. But in his mind, all that was swirling was a kiss from her. He behaved at the hospital, so he deserved it as a reward. At least that’s what he thought.

"Toshiki."

Hearing her voice, he snaps out of his thoughts and looks at her, as the car comes to a halt at the redlight.

“Mm, I am listening.”

" I have something to discuss with you. Come closer, it's confidential." She gestures with her hand lightly. He laughs softly at her cute gestures and responds. He leans towards her and gets very close to her,  her breath practically tickling his ears. But he is waiting for her to share what she wanted to secretly tell him. She smiles seeing he fell into her trap, as she uses her thumb and index finger to hold his face by his cheeks, and pecks him.

Her sudden peck flusters him, as he gets all red and embarrassed. He feels like hugging her tightly, but at the same time, was too stunned to move at all. It was rare for her to actually initiate affectionate gestures like this

"That's definitely a cruel prank. Just remember that I will take my revenge on you for this tonight."

"Ahem. The light's green." She looks ahead as she pulls away, as if nothing happened. He smiles lightly, and they drive away.

"It's getting a little hard to keep my mind off you right now. Your kiss from earlier is still stuck in my mind, so can I tell you one last thing before we begin shopping for that Christmas tree?"

"What."

"If you keep on acting so shy and cute like this, then you should prepare yourself to live with the consequences of an overly romantic and love sick Toshiki Kasumi. And trust me, you don't want to live with that kind of me. I am definitely going to pester you and annoy you by being all cute, playful, affectionate, flirty, teasing and passionate."

"...!"

She tries her best to not blush and runs to the mall as a method of escape, as he parks the car. He chuckles and follows her.

The mall was decorated beautifully as it was Christmas season. Every inch and corner was worth stopping and gazing for. Whether it was apparel shops, bakery or even festive décor shops, everything was adorned with lights, elucidating a cozy atmosphere, serving as a source of warmth for the winter. As MC looks around, a shop catches her eye, selling Christmas trees and other festive items.

"Hm, this one is cute… it's not that big, and will look good on the table beside the TV. What do you say?"

He stops to take a look at the Christmas tree she is pointing out. He checks its height and tries to envision it in his living room.

"That truly looks like the perfect Christmas tree. Yes, I think we should go ahead and get this."

"Okay, I will purchase it right away." She smiles, and goes in the direction of the cash counter, but stops midway. Her eyes land on something and she runs to examine it. He notices her running now towards something, and follows her.

"Did something catch your eye? I can make a guess that it's probably a decoration item or something related to the festive mood. Did I get that right?"

She smiles hearing his hunch and nods vigorously.

"Correct! There is Christmas themed cutlery?! I am sold."

"I Knew it. There is nothing that can attract your attention more than something cute and Christmas themed. So are we going to add this cutlery set to the cart too? You seem to be obsessed with this."

"I- I will do some deliberations, wait."

His shoulders tremble seeing how she was just waddling here and there, almost sparkling from joy.

"So now you want to do some deliberations? You are just obsessed with everything here."

"Yes! Okay, I am taking this mug, that cutlery set, and this set of plates too..."

"I have a feeling you are just going to end up buying everything here at this point. I'm really curious about how much of your shopping is left. I mean, you have already bought the Christmas tree, Christmas themed decorations and now this as well. This is too much. You are even making plans about the decoration of the dinner table aren't you?"

"To be honest, I am a bit too much into the festive mood this year. Don't mind me." She rubs the back of her head in embarrassment and looks at him. His gaze softens seeing her and he answers.

“I don't mind you. In fact I think this is the cutest thing ever. As long as you are having fun, it's all good. By the way, you are not the only one feeling excited about Christmas this year. You are infecting me as well, heh.”

"Thank you." She feels relieved yet happy to be spending her time with him like that, and gives their intertwined hands a squeeze.

“Let's go home. I fear I might get into a Christmas coma now if I see any other decorations.

He laughs hearing her and answers, as he takes the bags from her hands.

"You mean a Christmas fever right? It seems like your Christmas fever is reaching its limit and it's about to make you ill."

"Hmph. Do you think I am that crazy? You know what... Maybe I should just wrap you up in a gift wrapper and parcel it to Dr. Sen. He will be over the moon for that."

He couldn’t help but chuckle and decides to give a taste of her own medicine a bit. He looks at her with a devilish smile on his face.

"Then I also have another idea. Maybe I should tie you up with a ribbon and place you under the Christmas tree as a gift to myself this year. Let's see which one of us is crazier."

"?!"

She was about to say something when his phone rings, and looking at the caller ID, his expression turns serious. He notices her expression but before she can say anything he holds a finger to his lips telling her to be quiet and he picks up the call.

"Yes, this is me. What’s the emergency?"

As he listens to the caller's voice from the other end, a serious expression settles on his face. She looks at him as she thinks they might be called in due to an emergency, so she switches to her professional self as well.

But soon after, he sighs as he frowns a bit, talking, making her worried. His face seems troubled as he talks on the phone still. She can clearly tell from his expression that whatever the doctor on the other end is saying, it's making Kasumi worry. His eyebrows are knitted together.

"What is it..?" She holds his hand to calm him down.

"...I have to go London now."

She just blinks at him with a blank expression, as she wasn't able to process the news. Why so suddenly?

"What... what do you mean you have to go London now?"

He looks at her and nods with a somber expression on his face. She can see his lips drawn into a tight line, and his gaze away from her.

"I got a call from the hospital asking me to come to London. A high risk patient came in and they need me there urgently. I have to catch a flight right now, and can’t be back until tomorrow."

"..."

Realizing the gravity of the situation, she nods in understanding.

"Don't worry. You will save the patient. I am sure."

*He can see the concern in her eyes and notices that she is also starting to worry for the patient. Seeing her change in expression when she was bubbling with joy just moments ago, makes him sad.

"Thank you. I will see what I can do. But I'm sorry to have just rushed you like this. I thought we would have more time today but it's a sudden emergency situation and I can't afford to let the patient down. I'm sorry."

"You don't have to be sorry. I understand…”

She thinks about asking to join and assist him in the surgery, but since it was on a short call, and she also had a surgery to perform the next day, she stops herself and smiles.

"Have a safe journey."

He looks at her and notices how she is holding herself back for his and the patients’ sake as well and smiles*

"I really appreciate how thoughtful and caring you are being right now. Please take care of yourself until I come back home. That is my order, understand? You can't miss your surgery just because of some emergency case of mine.”

"Don't worry. I will save the patient too. Leave it to me, and go."

"I trust you. Go ahead and make sure the patient is saved. Don't worry about me. You take care of yourself and the patient, okay?"

"Yup."

He can tell she is slightly upset with him going suddenly and it is making him feel bad. So he wraps his arms around her and whispers softly.

"I will be back as early as possible, don't worry. I will also call you as soon as I reach home so that you know I am back and safe. In the meanwhile, please take care of yourself. You are the only one I have my hopes set on for your patient's care. You will be the only one to see this through now."

Her hold on him tightens a bit, as she hugs him back, and then lets him go. She couldn’t let him get bothered with her emotions when there were serious matters to take care of at present.

"Mm. Let's go home. You have to pack up too."

They return home, and after some time, she sees him off to the airport. When she comes to his apartment, she sees the Christmas decor lying on the table, and sighs. The reason why she was so pumped for Christmas was because she was getting to spend it together with someone for the first time after so many years. But oh well, their job was important. She shakes her head to dispel away the negative thoughts, but can feel her heart ache as she starts to miss him already. The silence around her seems so cold, that she wants to call him just to hear his voice. But she doesn't as she knows how crucial his surgery would be, and he needed to be focused as well. So she forces herself to focus on decorating the tree perfectly.

The moment the lights illuminate the room, she can feel the magical and mystical atmosphere of Christmas surrounding her. She looks up, closes her eyes and prays for him to have a smooth and safe journey to London and hoping that his surgery would go well. Soon, she goes to sleep.

[Next morning]

She starts to wake up from her deep sleep. As she opens her eyes and looks around, the first thing she realizes is the glow of the Christmas lights. All the decorations from yesterday were still there on the tree. She feels happy and relieved to see the decorations in the morning. Her eyes flit towards the clock, making her think if he already had reached or not. So, she keeps her phone there, waiting for his call and goes to get ready for work in the meanwhile. Soon after, she reaches the hospital, and tries to make her busy with work.

As the time keeps flying by, a visible frown starts to appear on her face, seeing there was not a single call or text from him. Every type of thought riles up her mind. What if something terrible had happened? She keeps trying to suppress these thoughts and tries to be positive about everything.

As she knew how closed off he gets when he loses a patient, she can feel her worry increasing now. She keeps trying to suppress these thoughts and tries to be positive about everything. She couldn’t work properly the whole day, let alone noticing the banters of the peanut gallery trying to cheer her up.

[That evening]

As she completes her tasks for the day, she signs off work. She feels the anxiousness rising in her, as she realizes that the day has passed again without a call from him, so she decides to call him. She feels a little hesitant at first, but calls him anyway. Soon, it gets picked up. She can feel the tension lifting off her chest, as she sighs out of relief, hearing a familiar voice from the other end.

"Toshiki…"

The other end of the line was silent for a moment, followed by a soft chuckle.

"I guess I am just as anxious as you were."

"...why are you sounding like this? What happened?"

She knew he was hiding something, so she waits for him to answer. From the way she seemed to have held her breath she seemed worried. He smiles softly, thinking how worried he made her, and answers honestly.

"Nothing much. I guess the surgery is just taking much more time than I expected, due to some unforeseen complications that appeared.”

"You got me scared... Don't worry, everything will be okay. Are you alright?"

He feels relieved when she believes him and is able to calm herself down. He smiles and whispers softly.

"I am just a bit tired and exhausted. I am trying my best to make sure the surgery turns out okay. But I have to admit, I was getting a little worried too. The surgery is taking a lot more time than I thought it would. Hopefully you are right and everything will be alright. And don't worry. I'm not going to let down the patient or myself. I will do what I can to make the surgery go well. You take care as well okay? I will definitely call you as soon as the surgery is over."

"Sure..."

She stops herself from probing him more and ends the call. He also ends the call and sits for a bit, trying to collect his thoughts. He feels happy that he managed to pacify her concern without having to flat out lie to her. But he also knows that he probably just smudged the truth to someone who is very smart and aware of things. He knows he can't fool her for long. But he also thinks this was necessary for her to not worry too much, so that she focuses on her work properly. He takes a deep breath before he goes back to his work.

As he faces the sterile hospital surroundings, a palpable sense of loneliness settles in. The faint jingles of distant carols only amplify the stark contrast between the festive spirit outside and the clinical reality within. Each patient becomes a reminder of the distance from loved ones, as the weight of duty on Christmas Eve hangs on his shoulders. The soft glow of a desk lamp casts long shadows, emphasizing the solitude that accompanies him. He can feel the emptiness inside. The loneliness is not just limited to the empty hallways and rooms of this hospital but has seeped into him as well. He feels a profound sense of emptiness and longing for some company on this festive Christmas Eve. The loneliness was killing his heart.

Meanwhile, MC reaches home as her mind was occupied with only Toshiki. Seeing an empty apartment on a festive season doesn't fail to make her remember how she is used to always stay cooped up in her room with either work or spending time with herself. She grapples with the bittersweet struggle of preparing a festive meal for two, the missing half haunting every joyful decoration. An unopened gift waits beneath the tree, a symbol of shared moments postponed. Her phone buzzes with holiday wishes from family and friends, yet each cheerful message accentuates the void of the absence of him. Amid the laughter and festivities, an unspoken ache lingers, a connection strained by the miles that separate them on this Christmas night.

She gets lost in her thoughts as she sees the festive nightscape. The Christmas lights were the only things that welcomed her home that night. Everything looks perfect, almost too perfect, yet empty as it couldn’t replace the warm and cheerful presence that she is missing beside her, with him being far away in London. As she looks down from the window of his apartment, she feels a sense of longing for her beloved that holy night.

[3 hours later, same night]

Back in London, almost several hours pass as the surgery gets over. It's successful, as he comes out of the operation theatre, and it's already midnight. He couldn't help but be reminded of how he used to work himself to death during the festive seasons so as to not feel lonely. He couldn't help but reminded of his nagging friend Mitsuharu, who made sure he enjoys every day and is not left out.

In the quiet moments, his mind involuntarily drifts back to a time when Christmas was a tapestry of warmth and joy. He recalls the comforting scent of freshly baked cookies, the twinkling lights adorning the family tree, and the contagious laughter echoing through the cozy living room. Each memory becomes a sepia-toned vignette, a stark contrast to the antiseptic hum of the hospital. In those brief reveries, nostalgia dances with the harsh reality of the present, creating a poignant symphony of longing for the holiday magic of yesteryears.

The memory of his mother planting different flowers for him in winter and the snowdrops blooming around their home brings a smile to his lips. He remembers the memories of snow falling and he and his mother enjoying the snow together. He realizes how these good memories of his childhood were something which is missing on Christmas, and how his adulthood was, missing those memories. As he walks out of the hospital, he feels the warmth and the magic of Christmas in his life missing.

[Next morning]

Toshiki's eyes flutter open feeling the sunlight hitting his visage. He feels a little relieved when he realizes the surgery is over and he did not have to lose a patient. He was worried about that. But he realizes how he is missing every small moment in the morning after a Christmas night with her. The empty spot next to him in bed, the small moments of having a Christmas morning coffee with her, the feeling of her hand in his hand as he would wish her a Merry Christmas, the small gestures of love in the morning... All these small things were missing.

"MC…”

His fingertips graze over the spot next to him in bed. As he was deep in his thoughts, he suddenly remembers a conversation he had with his friend Mitsuharu about Christmas. They were talking about the meaning of Christmas and as always, Mitsuharu was not able to understand or appreciate much of what he was saying. He always felt that Mitsuharu could never truly understand the real essence of Christmas.

Soon, he gets ready to board the plane. Kasumi’s thoughts were all about Christmas and about the missing pieces of it inside him. He begins questioning the meaning of Christmas in his mind. He was deeply troubled by the thoughts of so many people suffering, so many missing out on the joy and happiness of Christmas. A time meant for happiness and togetherness is becoming a time of despair and loneliness for so many. How could he possibly feel happy in a world where such a condition was the reality?

[13 hours later, that evening]

As the plane lands in Tokyo, he can now feel the darkness of reality seeping in him as he proceeds towards the airport exit. He is worried that this darkness may affect his meeting with her. But, he keeps his emotions hidden behind a mask of his calm and composed self.

*He reaches his apartment soon, as his hand is now over the door handle. Maybe a hug from his beloved would calm him down? Toshiki muses, as he unlocks the door. The sight of the beautifully illuminated Christmas tree and the living room makes him pause, as he feels a little surprised by the scene. For a second, he feels happy to see how well she has kept the house decorated, only to realize that the person that he wanted to be welcomed by the most was missing.

"MC?"

Maybe she is outside? His thoughts seem to linger on her absence from the scene, as he walks about the living room, looking around at how beautifully everything has been set up. He even checks the kitchen in case she is there, but it was in vain. The feeling of her missing seems to be pervading the whole scene. The Christmas decoration seems to not be able to bring the warmth it used to bring when she was there. The beautiful scene lacks her presence. She should've at least let him know that she would go out, he wonders.

He takes his phone to look for text messages from her, and is surprised to find none. Maybe she went somewhere to do something? Maybe she got called in by the hospital? Or maybe she wanted to surprise him by showing him the decorations? This was becoming more and more disturbing and troubling for him, as the time ticked by.

As he was lost in his thoughts and worries and was about to call Takado to ask about her, a text message arrives for him, making a small ding sound. He looks at it quickly, thinking it could be from her, but to his disappointment, it was from Matsunaga - a patient has requested to meet him at the nearby amusement park, and he has to go as the patient is very important.

Kasumi was surprised at the news of such a patient request. How was he supposed to go and see some patient when she was missing? But maybe, she went to Asuka's or Missy's and forgot to tell him? He settles on this thought, and sends her a quick text, as he steps outside his apartment.

[That night, amusement park]

He reaches the amusement park and is amazed to see the colorful illuminations everywhere. There is so much to see and so many places to explore. It is like the park has turned into a fairy land. He is surprised by how much the park has been transformed. But instead of being lost in the beauty of it, he starts to wonder why the patient has asked him to come here. Maybe the patient wanted him to see this? But whatever the reason is that the patient has called him here, was unable to distract him from thinking about her.

He sees people with their families, friends and loved ones everywhere. Everyone was enjoying the festivity. This sight brings a sense of loneliness inside him. Everyone was enjoying the day with their loved ones around them. And here he was, all alone. No family with him, no close friend by his side, no MC by his side. His isolation seems to be making the festival a bit difficult for him to bear. He was trying to stop his negative thoughts looking at the illuminations, but the feeling of loneliness was only making it more difficult.

"Isn't that pretty?"

He snaps out of his thoughts, as hears a familiar voice, and feels a familiar presence near him. Was he hallucinating? Probably... cause he heard her voice. He slowly turns to find the owner of the voice. His heart skips a beat finding that it was indeed his beloved, his MC, looking so beautiful with her gaze on him, that she could be the most beautiful ornament in that entire festivity. She was all covered up in a fluffy jacket and was wearing a scarf around her neck, as she smiles at him.

"Welcome back, Toshiki."

For once, the dark emperor had no words. His face lights up to her beautiful greeting. He is unable to reply back, as they both look at each other with a feeling of happiness. The moment was like a spell of kindness that they both are casting over each other, making them both drown in a strange euphoria where there were no words to describe the feeling. Nothing felt like moving, But it just felt perfect. He felt an almost unbelievable sense of love and closeness between them.

"MC, you-"

"Ah, that's right. It's late, but belated merry Christmas."

Kasumi smiles as she gives him a small box. He takes the box in his hands, observing it a bit. He feels a little hesitant to open it but after a few seconds, he decides to open it. Soon, he sees something shining brightly with its beautiful brilliance... a promise ring. He is amazed at how well crafted it looked. He looks up at her, with a feeling of gratitude and appreciation in his eyes. She laughs awkwardly seeing him, as she caresses her hair.

"Well, I know that this might seem cringe, as we are not allowed to wear rings at work, but- I just wanted to give you something which reminds you that you always have me by your side."

"..."

"Um... are you angry, as I orchestrated all this, and didn't inform you? You haven't said a word to me."

He only smiles hearing that, shakes his head and holds her hands more tightly. Instead of answering, he wraps his arms around her, capturing her attention with a mischievous glint in his eyes. Gently, he places a warm kiss on the tip of her nose, the laughter in his voice painting the moment with affection.

"Your nose is red and rosy like a reindeer's..."

"Mm?"

She blinks in surprise as she feels a soft sensation on her nose, not knowing exactly what happened. At her startled expression, he couldn't resist any longer. He pulls her close to him and kisses her nose, her cheeks, and her eyes. Her reaction to his moves is making him go all out. Soon, he pulls away, looking at her, and hugs her.

His thoughts begin to wander with a sort of peace. He realizes that it's not selfish to want things for him. He was a human, after all. But who made him human, was her. Instead of overthinking about the people who meet with tragic incidents and don't get to spend their holidays with loved ones, it's far better to focus on working so that they get better soon. And at the same time, it's okay to desire for happiness, for a loved one. It doesn't make him selfish. He begins to realize the importance of enjoying the happy moments of life. It was only when he had met her that he realized that there was no harm in wanting things for him. A love like hers, like a pure ray of sunlight, has a way to make his thoughts brighter and better. Meeting her made him realize that there’s nothing wrong to be wanting things for himself. It showed him that true love wouldn’t make him selfish; and that it would be okay to ask selfish for your beloved. It was okay to desire for happiness with her.

Maybe this was the intention of his friend Mitsuharu too. He didn't want Toshiki to spend Christmas all alone by himself, so he pretended to not like Christmas parties and all, and instead hung out with him by dragging him to his home.

As his thoughts continue to wander through this idea, he realizes that all this time he was overthinking and overanalyzing things. Instead of enjoying his life and letting happiness happen to him, he was worried about thinking too much on things that didn't matter. Now he is realizing that he doesn't have to be so self-critical. Instead of being so cautious and strict towards him, he can let his guard down and let happiness happen; he too can be a little selfish and desire to have a little happiness for himself. Maybe that's the way to enjoy life more and fully.

She looks at him as she finds him delved in thoughts.

"Toshiki? You okay?"

"Yes, I am fine. Don't worry about me. I was just going through some thoughts but now I realized how pointless these thoughts are. It is pointless to overthink about things and always think that things will be bad. Instead, one can sit back and enjoy things sometimes. That is a far better thing to do."

"Is that so? That's good..."

He can feel her uneasiness about him. She is still feeling concerned for him. So, he thinks of something to make her feel better. He has had his realization, he has had his moment of introspection, now is time to bring her back from her uneasiness.

"But, before I let myself chill out and relax, there is something I wanna do."

"Mm?"

He smiles shyly and brings her close. He brings his forehead to her forehead and speaks quietly to her.

"You know, I haven't thanked you for the promise ring that you gave me. But I wanted to thank you. I don't have words to describe its beautiful craftsmanship, but I can tell you that this ring holds a special meaning to me. So, thank you very much. I will be keeping this with me always, and I will always have you by my side."

"Oh... I am happy if you liked it. No need to thank me."

 She smiles and extends her hand to him.

"Let's go home and make up for the Christmas time we missed yesterday."

He smiles and takes her hand, intertwining his fingers in hers. To him, she is the warmth of his heart. All the worries and stress melt away to make way for a sense of peace and love that has taken over him. He feels like he has found the ultimate happiness in his life, as he walks with her hand in hand. The rings shine on their fingers; the beauty around them is just an added bonus, for he does not need anything to look beautiful with her beside him. Her presence alone makes everything beautiful and magical for him.

--------------

[jubilantgamer27]

I’m all in favor of Kyogoku’s idea 😂

[annicaax]

little sen and mitsuharu from toshi's memories,

[hamhamki]

I feel like we've been robbed on the English app because the MC sprite for Romance MD is literally a gem 😭💙🩷

I love this MC so so much because she's such a fresh breath of air and she needs more hype around her. I don't talk about Romance MD a lot but it is my top 3 for sure the humor I great from it is hilarious 😭

PLUS

They even give her a different hair style like I NEED HER TO COME TO THE ENGLISH APP ASAP 😭😭

[kasumisnowdrop]

he’s so funny i love himmm 😭