December 25th—The day had arrived.
It was around 5 PM when Manabu stood before his mirror, trying on different outfits. After much deliberation, he finally settled on a white sweater and a black leather jacket.
As he slipped on his shoes, a notification popped up on his mobile. So many messages from Taiju. He quickly picked up the phone and scrolled through them:
"Be there by six for the Christmas event," Taiju reminded. "I'll be coming with my parents. You bring Mion and Naomi."
"Got it!" Manabu replied. He grabbed the keys, combed his hair, and took his wallet. He locked all the rooms, twirling the key around his finger, and stepped out.
While walking down the street, he texted Mion: "Meet me in front of the station."
Manabu was pretty excited to meet Mr. and Mrs. Hiroshi too (Taiju's parents). It had been a long time since he'd last talked to them. Both were busy with their businesses, so their encounters were rare.
He arrived at the station around 5:45 PM and saw Mion waiting. She wore a yellow jacket and a white muffler matching the snow, her long, light pink hair cascading down her shoulders in silky strands. In winter's embrace, she was like Snow White.
Manabu had arrived early, and when Mion noticed him, she spoke nervously in a soft voice, "Huh?! Manabu, you came so early," while adjusting her hair.
"You too," he replied. He looked around and realized Naomi and Uncle Futaba weren't present. Manabu asked when they were going to arrive. Mion replied, "Oh, Dad will come straight from his training programs at our school; he took Naomi with him. Maybe they'll be arriving a bit late."
Manabu stood beside her, observing the festive surroundings. The streets were lively, people laughing and enjoying the winter air, and there were hardly any cars on the road.
Suddenly, something popped into his mind. He asked, "Hey, I had a doubt. Futaba Uncle—I mean, is he your real father? Like, for real? For real?"
Mion replied, "No! No! Actually… my biological parents died when I was little—they were murdered. Some robbers killed them and took their wallets and belongings. I had a brother too, an older brother, but… he died in an accident. His head was crushed."
Manabu felt a pang of sorrow. "I'm so sorry to hear that. I know how it feels to lose someone close to you."
Mion glanced at him and asked, "About that! I've only seen your grandmother. What about your parents—didn't your grandmother say anything about them?"
Manabu sighed. "I don't know much about my parents either. My grandmother once told me that my father was a really powerful person. He was a kind of politician or something. She said my father was kind and caring, and he loved me the most. My mom and dad married out of love. And the part I like the most is, my grandmother once told me—my dad didn't want to marry her at first. Even though they loved each other, he had trust issues. But my mom said she'd only marry him and only him. And she didn't care; she'd do whatever it took. According to Grandmother, she said, 'Why do you love me if you don't trust me? And now when I'm telling you that I love you, you're resisting?! It's no use; you have to live your entire life with me. And I'll do whatever it takes to marry you, even if I have to kill you for that!' Leaving my old man no choice."
Mion laughed and said, "That was cute~."
"Yeah! I thought the same! But I don't know what happened to my mom and dad. She never told me. Oh! And my grandmother once mentioned I have a sister too, but when I asked later about it, she didn't tell me anything."
While Mion paid close attention, she suddenly remembered she was planning to confess. She lowered her gaze, blushing, contemplating whether to confess or not. But it was a now-or-never moment.
She looked around, spotted a coffee shop nearby, and said, "Let's have a coffee while we wait for the others!"
Manabu nodded, and they walked toward the café. Just as they were about to step inside, approximately around 6 PM, Taiju's call came through.
Manabu answered, "What's up?" Taiju's voice was panicked, his breathing heavy. "Manabu, where are you?!" he asked.
Manabu replied that he was with Mion in front of the "Hot Cup Café" near the station.
Taiju told him to quickly turn on the news channel—"The News-24" or "M-B News"—if there was a TV nearby.
Mion's expression tensed. "What happened, Manabu?" Manabu stepped into the café and asked the manager to switch to the news channel.
The screen displayed a shocking headline:
"A teacher and student murdered outside DSH (Detens Scholars High School). Is this Mr. Santa's doing?"
The reporter's voice echoed through the café:
"Approximately moments ago, around 6 PM this evening, a brutal stabbing took place in the park near DSH School, several miles from the station. The victims have been identified as 17-year-old Naomi, a student of DSH, and her father, Futaba, a respected teacher at the same school. Both were stabbed by an unknown person. Police found a Santa toy gift near the lifeless bodies of the victims."
Mion's entire body trembled. Her eyes widened in disbelief as tears streamed down her face.
By the time Taiju and Mai arrived at the café along with Taiju's parents, Mion was barely holding herself together.
Taiju's dad called out, "Manabu! We need to get to the school."
Manabu nodded. He grabbed Mion's hand, but she couldn't move; her whole body was shaking—paralyzed by shock.
Manabu requested Mai and Taiju's mother to take her to Taiju's place. He, Taiju, and Taiju's father quickly left for the school.
At the scene, Kenzo arrived and asked for details. One of the forensic workers, Sato Machimo, told him that the man (Futaba) was stabbed in the chest and had died on the spot, while Naomi was in critical condition.
She had been taken to the hospital. They were identified by some students and teachers.
Kenzo stood nearby, chatting with other police officers. One officer said, "It might be personal. But some claim it could be Mr. Santa. I think it's possible."
Kenzo turned to him with a curious face. "Did anyone witness it?!"
But the answer was unfortunately no one. Kenzo got angry and asked Sato's reason for suspecting Santa. "Why would Santa kill them?"
Sato argued back, "Then why would someone kill a teacher and a student for absolutely no reason? Can you explain? What could possibly be the answer? And if it's just a regular murder, why would the professional investigator Mr. Kenzo Kashizu arrive? Aren't you suspicious of Mr. Santa too?"
Kenzo admitted he had suspicions of Mr. Santa, but it was just intuition. Then, suddenly, officers approached them with a gift in hand.
Kenzo quickly grabbed it barehanded and said in a loud voice, "What the hell is this doing here?"
The officer took it back swiftly. "Sir! You cannot touch it barehanded!"
Kenzo apologized and pulled out his gloves. He asked them to hand him the box. Kenzo opened it and found the same Santa toy cart.
The police officers informed him they found it in Futaba's handbag.
He had been carrying money and some other things, but none were stolen. Clearly, it wasn't for money but something more.
Kenzo was disturbed. He put his hands on his face as if he had a headache. "Look into the victims' backgrounds."
The officer nodded and started following his instructions. Kenzo said in a lower voice, close to a whisper, "If this is actually Santa's doing, the victims must be criminals."
Mr. Sato agreed with a simple nod and said, "If the girl makes it, she can help with our further investigation."
Kenzo frowned. "I know, but what if she doesn't? Then we'd have no choice but to follow our intuition since we've found no other clue besides the gift."
By the time Taiju's father, Taiju, and Manabu arrived, they tried to talk to the police and informed them they knew Naomi and Futaba.
"They're our family members! Let us in! We have to talk to the investigator," they requested, but the police insisted no one else be permitted entry.
However, Kenzo saw them and asked an officer to let them in.
The officers accompanied them, and they began asking several questions—what their relationship was with Naomi, who Naomi's father was, and if they had any enemies. Kenzo walked up to them and asked them to calmly explain.
He questioned everyone thoroughly and then stated, "A police officer will visit your address to speak with your wife and the other girl, the victim's adopted child, Mion. Further details will be provided later."
Manabu asked Kenzo, "What about Naomi?! And Mr. Futaba?!"
Kenzo replied, "Look, kid, your friend is being taken to the hospital. We can't say anything right now."
Manabu clenched his fists and started biting his nails from pressure and anxiety. Kenzo sent an officer with them. Taiju's father told Manabu to calm down.
They went to Taiju's home with the officer in the police car. Taiju rang the bell. His mom opened the door, and Mai and Mion were sitting on the bed.
The police officer walked inside with them and started asking questions. After the investigation, he said one of them might have to come with him. Taiju's dad decided to go and asked the others to stay at home.
Suddenly, the officer got a call from other officers. He finished talking and turned to them with a sad and sorrowful face. The police confirmed Naomi's death and explained, "Naomi was taken to the ambulance, but unfortunately, she didn't survive. Time of death: 8:12:30 PM. We're sorry for your loss."
Mion, who had been sobbing until now, started screaming, crying like a baby.
Taiju's mother started to cry too. What a misery…
The police officer said again, "I'm sorry for your loss. You guys have to hold yourselves together. Mr. Hiroshi, was it? Their bodies have been sent for autopsy. Due to the case investigation, both will be thoroughly examined, and you'll be informed within the next 24 to 48 hours. After the post-mortem, the police department will not place any legal hold on the bodies. Therefore, you'll be allowed to see them, and you can proceed with the burial. I know it's painfully hard, but until then, stay strong… I hope you understand." With those kind words, the policeman left.
Mion sobbed uncontrollably in Taiju's mother's lap. Mai tried to hold back tears but eventually broke down too. Manabu tried to console them, but he was also broken by the tragic moment.
Taiju was looking up to prevent his tears from falling.
All of them stayed the night at Taiju's place. At 4:32 AM—Manabu and Taiju couldn't sleep at all. Mai and Mion, exhausted from crying, eventually fell asleep in Taiju's mother's lap.
Meanwhile, Taiju's father wasn't in the home; he had stepped outside with the officer.
Taiju, lying on the sofa, whispered, "Manabu, you awake?"
"Yeah," Manabu muttered.
Taiju's voice trembled with pain and emptiness. "Can we talk for a while… I can't sleep."
"Me neither," Manabu replied.
Taiju expressed his grief and rage while talking about Naomi. "The one who did this—I swear, if I find him, I swear I'll kill that bastard!"
Taiju was visibly broken. Watching him cry, tears silently rolled down Manabu's face. "Damn, these tears won't stop."
"I called Naomi today at five… She was so excited… She always talks a lot, but she won't talk anymore. I thought she was annoying; she won't be annoying me… anymore—" Taiju's voice broke.
Manabu asked him to stop since he couldn't hold his tears anymore.
Suddenly, Taiju said, "This isn't Mr. Santa's doing."
Manabu looked at him. "What do you mean?"
Taiju reminded him, "Santa only kills criminals… Naomi and Futaba weren't criminals. It has to be someone else trying to cover himself with the name of Santa… It's a copycat."
Taiju was convinced there was someone else in this case, and it was more than just a murder.
Manabu just couldn't understand; he didn't get it. "There's a third person… Someone else did this? Why would someone kill them? Why?"
"Who could it be?"