February 27, 1900—
Manabu submitted an application for an 'early leave' from college on the third period. Leon couldn't attend because he was occupied with decorations. Taiju and Mai were in separate sections, so Mion wouldn't know if they were excused. She had completely forgotten that today was her birthday, lost in her apathy. The teachers and students, however, were prepared. Everyone had brought something in their bags. As the college day ended, three particular girls were given the task of taking Mion along, but ensuring they took a long route so she wouldn't guess. They obeyed as instructed, but their approach was somewhat dubious; they were being particularly insistent.
At that moment, Mion had been holding a sharp switch gear, which she always carried in her pocket for unforeseen circumstances. She gripped it tightly in her fist the whole time as she was being led. For some inexplicable reason, she felt a profound sense of skepticism toward them. On the route, Mion asked where they were taking her, but they ignored her questions and talked about ridiculous topics as they led her to 23/20/ block-F, Commoner Street. Now Mion could slightly recognize the alleyways, and just as they passed by the post office, she realized she was standing in front of the very place she cherished so much. As they reached the shop's building, the lights inside were off. Just when the door swung open, everyone inside shouted in unison, "Happy Birthday!"
Mion just stood there, processing it all—the familiar faces, the decorations, the bakery owner, the teachers, her companions. She immediately slipped the blade into a tiny hole near her waist cloth. Then her gaze fell upon a beautiful cake on the table in the center of the room, and right beside it, a framed photo of Mr. and Mrs. Futaba and Naomi. Manabu stepped forward and wished her, "Happy Birthday." Mai, standing next to him, dashed forward and punched her in the face, saying, "You're not alone, you moron! If your family's dead, then what the fuck are we, huh?!" Just as the punch landed, Mion began crying (for joy). Mai thought it was because of her and panicked. "What! Wait—was it that hard?!"
"No, you moron!" Mion said and cracked up. Mai thought she had gone nuts. But for the first time in a long while, she seemed genuinely happy. Leon was glad to see her laughing; he had spent so much time uniting the class and decorating everything. Mion smiled brightly through her tears and cuddled Mai, then she cut the cake and offered the first bite to Mai, whispering, "Forgive me, Mai. You guys are enough for me." Then she smudged cake cream all over Mai's face. "Nah! This ain't friendly fire!" Mai yelled, grabbed a whole chunk of cake, and pretended to smash it on Mion's face, but instead (intentionally) smeared it on Taiju's face. Everyone laughed and yelled; the place had become complete chaos. Mion, for the first time in such a long while, laughed really hard. The bakery owner had removed all the tables and chairs, rearranging the furniture to make space for them. He had known Naomi and Futaba for a long time, and he felt genuine sorrow for Mion.
Taiju took a moment to mention, "Leon was the one who came up with this entire plan. He wanted to help you, so he arranged everything."
Mion held his hands in complete gratitude. "Forgive me for being so rude to you all this time. My name is Sayuri Mion, and I'm grateful to you," she said.
"No, it was nothing! I just wanted to help a companion." He began blushing, his cheeks turning red, right when their hands met. She also cuddled him, but it was more like a death blow for Leon—he was a bashful person. Seeing the two of them, everyone else felt a little jealous. "We want cuddles too!" So they glomped on them, falling to the ground. The party lasted for hours, and everyone enjoyed themselves to the fullest. Leon even got her landline number and her computer mail address.
Eventually, it was time to leave, and one by one, the students departed. Mion felt lighter than she had in months. Mr. Daima looked quite content. Leon told Daima that he would be hanging out for a while with his crew, so Daima left for home alone. The four of them climbed up to Manabu's apartment, lounging around and talking for hours. His apartment was small but comfortable. Manabu managed things quite nicely; everything was properly placed. After a while, the conversation brought up Mr. Santa's case and eventually Naomi's story. Leon heard everything, then asked a thoughtful question about the case out of curiosity, "So there is supposedly a scumbag who you guys believe killed Futaba and Naomi. And this case had nothing to do with the Mr. Santa case?" Taiju shook his head in denial, "Not really."
Leon proposed another question that had lingered in his mind. "As you guys mentioned, you believe there is a copycat because the real Mr. Santa has only been seen murdering criminals or immoral people but…What if it was Mr. Santa after all? And there's no copycat?"
Manabu, resting his chin on his hand, thought the scenario, "The chances of them being the same person are slim. Besides, what reason would the real Mr. Santa have to kill Naomi or her father? If you look at the tracking records of Mr. Santa, he's not stable in one place. He has killed in many different regions of Feropia." Leon nodded in agreement. "Yeah…I know that doesn't make sense. But what if the police department never revealed the true crime records and has been hiding something from us, the commoners? Maybe Mr. Santa is killing innocent people too, but the authorities are using his image as a criminal hunter to provoke criminals or reduce crime in Feropia while also trying to catch him."
Taiju was taken aback; that's a thoughtful point. "If that's the case, there's nothing we can do ," he said. Just then, Leon glanced at his wrist watch. "Crap! It's already eight pm. If I don't get home now, I'm going to get in trouble!"
Mai asked why he was wearing his watch facing down toward his wrist. Leon replied, "There's no reason; it's just a habit."
Mai and Taiju realized the time as well. "We should leave too," she said. They all returned to their way home. As Manabu was closing his door, he felt an eerie sensation, as if someone were watching them…His flat was on the third floor, surrounded by many others flats and buildings. It was place like a slum, just tidier. He glanced everywhere but saw nothing unusual, as he went inside and locked the door, unbeknownst to him, a figure stood on the fifth floor of the nearest flat, across the street, lurking in the shadows. The figure watched them closely and then left…
On the following day—for the first time in a long while—Manabu had slept so peacefully without nightmares haunting him. He woke refreshed after everything. Mion would finally be able to recover completely. As usual, he picked up the morning paper. A particular headline he reads: ("No More Murders Since Christmas: Has Mr. Santa disappeared?") Just like the actual Santa Claus, no more appearances after Christmas ends, Manabu thought. Then he got prepared and left for college. The final exams were just around the corner, likely at the end of March. Despite everything that had happened over the past few months, he had remained focused on his studies and completed most of the syllabus. Upon reaching college, Manabu found Mion already there, talking to everyone—this brought genuine warmth to his heart. Just like before, their group was complete, and for once, life seemed calm. He dropped his bag and jumped into their conversation. Everything seemed smooth and resolved. Until March 2, 1900, 10:58 PM…
Mion was preparing for the upcoming tests but found herself exhausted by these numbers and problems. She particularly wasn't good at academics; she always found studying and work tiring. But she was good at practical stuff. Painting was like a magnetic force to her, always drawing her in. She had participated in and won many prizes in painting and calligraphy. With college exams approaching, fear often made her overthink her future. For a while now, she'd been considering taking up painting again and dropping her studies. She threw her pen down and settled in front of it; it was Futaba's old work computer, which she now used. All of a sudden, a message appeared on her computer mail. It was sent from an unknown sender. The contents said:
"Meet me at the Saint Josephine University gate tonight at 1:20 AM. I'll tell you everything I know about Naomi and Futaba's murder. Come alone. I'm Leon..."
Mion for some particular reason got chills reading it. What is he talking about? What does he know about Naomi and Dad? Her mind raced with questions. It was quite dubious in this situation; she even considered calling Manabu and the others, but she couldn't risk their safety. She had become doubtful of Leon. Calling someone at such a late hour is not only horrendous but also ridiculous. After much contemplation, she made a cautious decision and dialed Mr. Kenzo's number, which she had scrawled down in her book. After a few rings, the call inclined, "Peace be upon you!" Mion spoke. "I'm Mion, a pupil of DSHSC. Is this Mr. Kenzo speaking? I've just received a mail from a friend of mine, and he said it's about… It's about Mr. Santa. Could you help me?"
Kenzo asked who she was and what the message read. Mion explained everything: her identity, the message, and what it said. His voice was stern but reassuring. "Listen carefully, Sayuri Mion! Don't dare go outside until I get there. Text me your location now; I'll come to you right away, and I'll go with you. Stay put. Lock your windows and doors, and don't open them until I arrive, no matter what. It is protocol!"
Mion followed his instructions. Around a quarter past eleven, Kenzo arrived at her doorstep and rang the doorbell. She grabbed her safety gear and unlocked the door slowly. It was indeed Kenzo. Kenzo took in everything and told her to do exactly as he instructed. They waited until midnight struck. Then they headed to Saint Josephine's iron gate, planning to reach it before Leon. Kenzo looked so serious that it made Mion feel a little uneasy. She trusted Kenzo, but she was concerned about her safety, so she had brought her gear. Kenzo reminded her of the instructions once again: "You'll stay at the gate while I hide nearby. Whoever this Leon is, he'll come, and we'll hear what he has to say. If anything happens, make a loud noise so I'll know and capture him." Mion nodded.
At 1:29 AM—St. Joseph's front gate—the street was eerily silent under flickering lampposts. Mion stood still, her heart pounding. Tonight was strangely cold. She kept wondering what it might be that he wanted to say. She glanced around anxiously. The time passed 1:30 AM. Suddenly, a figure approached closer to Mion, clad in a black shirt and a blue cap. Mion didn't notice him coming until he called out, "Mion?" Fear gripped her; she screamed and stumbled to the ground. Kenzo thought she was being attacked, so he bolted from his hiding spot, dashed at the sender, twisted his ankle but tackled him to the ground, and yanked off the cap. Kenzo thundered, "Leon? Bloody hell!" Leon was startled. "Kenzo?! Why the hell are you here?"
They stared at each other. Kenzo thought it was a different Leon—but it turned out to be (Hãyder)Leon. "Have you lost your sanity calling out a lone girl at midnight?! Is she your girlfriend or something?"
"Hell with you, no! I just wanted to talk to her about something important! Why are you here? How do you know?"
"Your friend Mion—called me. When I first heard Leon, I thought she's talking about someone else, because the Leon I know won't be creeping some girl at midnight. Do you even realize how much you scared her with your stupid text?"
Leon was slightly confused. "Why would it frighten her? Didn't I tell her it was me?"
"Yes, you did, but you made her feel so insecure that she even brought a bloody switch gear!" Kenzo sighed and said, "Now, Leon, what was this so-important thing you wanted to talk about regarding Santa? First, let it go to my ear."
Leon didn't want him to know, especially; he knew Kenzo would never allow it. He whispered the reason to Kenzo, why he mailed her. Kenzo's expression took an abrupt shift. He yelled, 'No way! Not happening! Nope! Hell no!' He shook his head continuously in denial. He told Mion to return home. But Leon persisted, "Uncle, they were Mion's family… She deserves to know!"
He even pleaded, grabbing his hands, but Kenzo jerked free and crossed his arms. "Absolutely not! She's a kid. It is not a good decision, Leon." Mion, who had been standing there, grew impatient. She remembered what Leon had to inform was about Naomi, so she spoke up, "Mr. Kenzo, I want to know what happened to my sister and father. Please let him speak. I won't tell anyone about any of this, but please, allow me to know."
Kenzo was not in support of sharing such sensitive, yet traumatic, information. He had to think for a long moment but eventually refused again and again. Leon pleaded continuously until, finally, Kenzo sighed in defeat. He would let him tell her if he followed these conditions: "Only the facts about her sister and father. No further unnecessary details. And you'll immediately pause when I tell you to… I don't know why I'm doing this. It's such a mess. It's so wrong…"
Leon nodded and promised he wouldn't tell anything further than she deserved to know. Then he turned to Mion and asked something which sounded quite irrelevant. "Tell me, Mion… what kind of person do you think our principal, Hojo Tetsuya, is?"
Mion blinked at the question, confusion clear on her face. "I think… he's strict but a genuine person. Maybe a bit too serious, but he means well," she said, never having thought so deeply about Hojo's character. Leon's expression tensed as he said, "What if I told you that Naomi and Mr. Futaba were murdered by none other than the principal, Hojo Tetsuya?"
Mion froze, unable to process his words properly. Her mind went blank as Leon continued, "Hojo is the murderer of Naomi and Mr. Futaba—the copycat."