25th December, 1899—Manabu was getting ready for the event, while watching the news. Media isn't trustworthy nowadays since most news is twisted and bought. Only a handful of trusted sources which actually produced consumable knowledge were the Global News Section, World Sheets, and some other few channels. Feropia has developed drastically since 1881, when Castela made its first payment to war-torn countries. Manabu remembers that when he was six or younger, there were barely any telephones or networks, but by the time he turned thirteen, he had his own touch mobile. Tax has increased by 20% in Castela; a piece of cake, which used to cost 120 Hurks (Castellan currency), now costs 24,000 Hurks. The economy has collapsed, and unemployment has surged. Castela was once allied with Feropia, but after the rise of Dictator Nord Davseyuka, Feropia breaks its alliance with Castela and declares a phony war on Castela. Manabu learns all of this from history books, but he knows half or maybe most of it is twisted. Almost every country tries to rewrite its history. A greater country needs a noble history, so they try to hide their mistakes to maintain their image. Manabu stands before his mirror, trying on different outfits. After much deliberation, he settles on a white sweater and a black leather jacket. He switches off all lights and the TV. Slipping on his shoes, he notices a notification pop up on his mobile—several messages from Taiju. He quickly picks up the phone and scrolls through them:
"Be there by six for the Christmas event," Taiju reminds. "I'll be coming with my parents. You bring Mion and Naomi."
"Got it!" Manabu replies. He grabs the keys, combs his silky white hair, and takes his wallet. He locks all the rooms, twirling the key around his finger, and steps out. While walking down the street, he texts Mion:
"Meet me in front of the station."Manabu is excited to meet Mr. and Mrs. Hiroshi too. It's been a long time since he last talked to Taiju's parents. Both are busy with their businesses, so their encounters are rare. He arrives at the station around 4:45 PM and sees Mion waiting. She wears a yellow jacket and a white scarf matching the snow, her long, light pink hair cascading down her shoulders in silky strands. In winter's embrace, she looks like Snow White. Manabu arrives a little early, and when Mion notices him, she speaks nervously in a soft voice while adjusting her hair. "Huh? Manabu, you came so early!"
"You too," he replies. He looks around and realizes Naomi and Uncle Futaba aren't present. Manabu asks when they'll arrive. Mion replies, "Oh, Dad will come straight from his training programs at our school; he took Naomi with him. Maybe they'll arrive a bit late."
Manabu stands beside her, observing the festive surroundings. The streets are lively, with people laughing and enjoying the winter air, many cars on the road. Suddenly, something pops into his mind. He asks, "Hey, I had a doubt. Futaba Uncle—I mean, is he your real father? Like, for real?"
Mion replies, "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 feels a pang of sorrow, since he's technically an orphan too. "I'm so sorry to hear that. I know how it feels to lose someone close to you."
Mion glances at him and asks, "About that! I've only seen your grandmother. What about your parents—didn't your grandmother say anything about them?"
Manabu sighs. "I don't know much about my parents either. My grandmother once told me that my father was a really powerful person—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 no one else. She didn't care; she'd do whatever it took. According to Grandmother, my mom said, 'Why did you love me if you don't trust me? And now, when I'm telling you that I love you too, 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 laughs and says, "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 might have a sister too, but when I asked later about it, she didn't tell me anything."
While Mion pays close attention, she suddenly remembers she's planning to confess. She lowers her gaze, blushing, contemplating whether to confess or not. But it's a now-or-never situation. She looks around, spots a coffee shop nearby, and says, "Let's have a coffee while we wait for the others!"
Manabu nods, and they enter the cozy, newly opened cafe with a warm ambiance. A waitress shows them to their seats. Manabu, wondering if the place is new, asks the waitress, who replies, "Yes, it's been around for just eight months. And our customer service is excellent," with a big smile. The place smells quite nice too, and Mion already likes it. Manabu asks her if she'd like something.
"Anything you like," she replies, enjoying the sweet smell of the shop. Manabu points at the menu and finalizes the order. The waitress smiles. "So your order is a 'Couple Coffee' I'll be right back!"
After a moment of silence, Mion clears her throat and asks cautiously, "What do you think about Naomi?" Mion just wants to make sure of Manabu's feelings about Naomi before making a move.Manabu crosses his arms and leans back. "Why ask?" he wonders.
Mion replies with awkward laughter. "No reason, just curious. Ha-ha."
Manabu thinks for a moment. "Naomi is honest and kind. She's probably the exact reflection of my grandmother." He then chuckles for a particular reason."Why are you smiling?" Mion asks.
Manabu laughs and says, "When I first saw you and Naomi as kids, I legit thought you were siblings. You two are always together. Later, when I learned you were not, I was dumbfounded."
Mion nods and said,"We are actual sisters. I just want Naomi to stay with me forever. I've never had anything of my own. I'm an orphan, aren't I? Naomi is my sister, and Futaba loves me more than my real parents ever could."
Manabu smiles and asks her to stay by Naomi's side forever, no matter what.
Mion smiles and says, "Of course. No need to say it."Their coffee arrives, each cup decorated with a heart-shaped foam design. Mion stares at it, her face heating up. Does Manabu even realize this means love? Will people think we're a couple? she thinks anxiously, fidgeting with her spoon. Just as she's about to stir and ruin the shape, she hesitates. No… I don't want to. This looks cute though~ What should I do~?
Across the room, two girls are pointing at them, giggling. Mion feels embarrassed and blushes even more. They think we're a couple, don't they?
Manabu's voice interrupts her thoughts. "Weren't you going to ask me something? Is something wrong?"
"Eh? W-what?" Mion fumbles, trying to recall. "Um, yeah, I remembered… what do you think of—me?"
"As a person? Or a friend?" Manabu asked.
"Um, just in general, maybe…"
Manabu smiles and says, "I like you." Mion's heart stops just by hearing that sentence. He continues, "You're a great friend, and you've helped me a lot."
She feels relief, and her heart resumes beating. Mion takes a deep breath and says, "Wait, listen, don't laugh at what I'm about to say, okay?"
"Uhhh—okay, go ahead. I promise I won't laugh."
"If you don't like it, just ignore it."
"Okay?" Manabu sits straight, excited to hear."I… I lo—" She runs out of breath; attempt one fails successfully. "Wait! Once again, wait." She calms herself and self-talks—It's now or never… Mion, go for it!
This time she must. She looks at him and sits straight, her hands on her thighs. "I love—"Before she can finish, Taiju's call interrupts.
Ugh! I was so close! Why am I so unlucky? Mion screams and cries in her thoughts.
Manabu answers the call. "What's up?" Taiju's voice is panicked, his breathing heavy. "Manabu, where are you?!"
Manabu replies that he's with Mion inside a Café. Taiju tells him to quickly turn on the news channel The News-24 or M-B News if there's a TV nearby.Mion's expression tenses."What happened, Manabu?" she was concern.
Manabu gets up and asks the café manager to switch to the news channel. The screen displays a shocking headline:
"Teacher and Student Murdered Outside DSH (Detens Scholars High School): Mr. Santa's Work?"
The reporter's voice echoes through the café: "At approximately 5:07 PM this evening, a brutal stabbing takes place in the park near DSH School. The victims are identified as 17-year-old Naomi, a student at DSH, and her father, Futaba, a respected teacher at the same school. Both were stabbed by an unknown person, and police find no immediate evidence."
Mion's entire body trembles, her eyes widening in disbelief as tears stream down her face. She grabbed Manabu's arms and asked, "What happened to Naomi? Tell me! Is she alright?"
By the time Taiju and Mai arrive at the café along with Taiju's parents, Mion is barely holding herself together.
Taiju's dad calls, "Manabu! Mr. Futuba and her daughter had been stabbed. We need to get to the school."Manabu nods. He grabs Mion's hand, but she couldn't move; her whole body is shaking—paralyzed by shock. Manabu requests Mai and Taiju's mother to take her to Taiju's place. They quickly leave for the school.
At the scene, Kenzo arrives and asks for details. One of the forensic workers, Sato Machimo, tells him that the man named Futaba was stabbed in the chest and has died, while Naomi is in critical condition and has been taken to the hospital. They were identified by other students and teachers. Kenzo stands nearby, chatting with other police officers. One officer says, "It might be personal. But some claim it could be Mr. Santa. And I think it might be possible too."
Kenzo turns to him with a frustratingly curious face. "This is a stupid conspiracy by the media; there's no evidence that Santa did this. Did anyone even witness anything? How can they just claim it's Santa's murder?"
The answer is unfortunate—no one saw anything. Kenzo grows angry and asks Sato for a reason to suspect Santa. "Why would Santa kill them? It's fucking absurd."
Sato argues back, "Then why would someone kill a teacher for no reason? 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 admits he has suspicions about Mr. Santa, but it's just his intuition. Then, officers approach with a gift found by a DSH student. Kenzo quickly grabs the gift with his bare hands and shouts, "What the hell is this doing here?! Where did you find this?!"
The officer takes back the gift and says, "Sir! You cannot touch it barehanded!"
Kenzo apologizes and pulls out his gloves. He asks them to hand him the box. Kenzo opens it and finds the same Santa toy cart, which is absurd. This thing isn't supposed to be here. The police officers inform him they found it in Naomi's handbag, which she mistakenly left in the teachers' room. Disturbed, Kenzo rubs his face as if battling a headache. "Look into the victims' backgrounds, find out if they had enmity with anyone, and examine their call history."The officer nods and begins following his instructions.
Kenzo says in a lower voice, almost whispering, "If it's actually Santa's doing, the victims must be criminals." Mr. Sato agrees with a simple nod and says that if the girl survives, she can aid their investigation. Kenzo frowns.
"I know, but what if she doesn't? Then we'd have no choice but to follow our intuition since we find no other clue besides the gift."
By the time Taiju's father, Taiju, and Manabu arrive, they try to talk to the police and inform them that they know Naomi and Futaba.
"They are our family members! Let us in! We have to talk to the investigator." They request the police to allow them inside but insist that no one else be permitted entry.
However, Kenzo sees them and asks an officer to let them in. The officers accompany them, asking several questions—What is their relationship with you? Who is Mion? Do they have any enemies? Kenzo approaches and asks them to calmly explain.
He questions everyone thoroughly and then states, "A police officer will visit your address to speak with your wife and Mion."
Manabu asks Kenzo, "What about Naomi?! And Mr. Futaba?!"Kenzo replies, "Look, kid, your friend is being taken to the hospital. We can't do anything, except praying."
Manabu clenches his fists and starts biting his nails from pressure and anxiety. Taiju's father tells Manabu to calm down. They go to Taiju's home with the officer in the police car. Taiju rings the bell. His mom opens the door, and Mai and Mion are sitting on the bed. The police officer walks inside with them and starts asking questions. After the investigation, he says one of them might have to come with him. Taiju's dad decides to go with him and asks them to stay at home. Suddenly, the officer receives a call from other officers. He finishes talking and turns to them with a sad and sorrowful face. The police confirm Naomi's death and explain, "Naomi was taken to the ambulance, but unfortunately, she didn't survive. Time of death: 8:12:30. We are sorry for your loss."
Mion, who has been sobbing until now, starts screaming, crying like a baby. Taiju's mother starts to cry too. What a misery…The police officer says again, "I'm sorry for your loss once again. Mr. Hiroshi, is it? Their bodies have been sent for autopsy. Due to the case investigation, both bodies will be thoroughly examined, and you will 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 will be allowed to see them, and you can proceed with the burial. Until then, stay strong… I hope you understand." With those kind words, the policeman leaves. Mion sobs uncontrollably in Taiju's mother's lap. Mai tries to hold back tears but eventually breaks down too. Manabu tries to console them, but he's also broken by the tragic moment. Taiju looks up to prevent his tears from falling.All of them stay the night at Taiju's place.
At 4:32 AM—Manabu and Taiju can't sleep at all. Mai and Mion, exhausted from crying, have eventually fallen asleep in Taiju's mother's lap. Meanwhile, Taiju's father isn't home; he has stepped outside with the officer. Taiju, lying on the sofa, whispers, "Manabu, you awake?"
"Yeah," Manabu mutters.
Taiju's voice trembles with pain and emptiness. "Can we talk for a while… I can't sleep."
"Me neither," Manabu replies.
Taiju expresses his grief and rage while talking about Naomi. "The one who did this—I swear, if I find him, I'll kill that bastard!" Taiju is visibly broken. Watching him cry, tears silently roll down Manabu's face. "Damn, these tears won't stop."
"I called Naomi today, at five… She was so excited… She always talked a lot, but she won't talk anymore. I thought she was annoying; she won't be annoying me… anymore—" Taiju's voice breaks.
Manabu asks him to stop, unable to hold his tears any longer. Suddenly, Taiju says, "This isn't Mr. Santa's doing."
Manabu looks at him. "What do you mean?" Taiju reminds him, "Santa only kills criminals. Naomi and Futaba weren't criminals. It has to be someone else trying to cover himself by the name of Santa. It's a copycat. A Total different scumbag! "
Taiju is convinced there's someone else in this case, and it's more than just a murder.
Manabu can't understand; he doesn't get it.
"There's a third person. Someone else did this? Even if there is, why would he kill them? Why? Who could it be?"