December 25, 1899—
Manabu was getting ready for the evening while watching the news on his cathode-ray television. Though, media wasn't trustworthy nowadays since most news was twisted by powerful people. Only a handful of trusted sources which actually produced consumable knowledge were the Global News Section (GNS), World Sheets, and a few other channels.
Feropia had an economic boost in 1889, which was when Castela made its first payment to Allied-nations. Manabu remembered that when he was around seven or eight, there were barely any television or access to social media, but by the time he turned fifteen, everyone had a television at their home and free access to the media.
According to the GNS[1]: Before the first payment of Castela under the 'Treaty of 1870,' a water bottle cost 2 Hurks[2]. After the first payment, a water bottle cost 24,000 Hurks. The economy had collapsed, and unemployment had surged; people were hopeless. Feropia once, had allience with Castela, but after the rise of Dictator Nord, [3]Feropia broke its alliance with Castela and declared a phony war on Castela during the World War.
The reason Feropia declared this proxy war was a diplomatic strategy to create neutrality with Allied-nations[4] and avoid harm, or direct involvement in the ongoing World War.
Every nation tries to establish a better image of itself, by controlling its past and future. So they can maintain their image, just as now Manabu was standing before a mirror, trying on different outfits to look better.
After much deliberation, he settled on a white sweater and a black leather jacket. He switched off all lights and the television. Slipping on his shoes, he remembered Naomi's call this morning saying she and Futaba would be a little busy and late, so Mion would reach there beforehand. "She'll be at the station near the event park at 5:00 p.m.; meet her there," was all she had said.
Manabu grabbed the keys, combed his white hair, and took his wallet and inhaler. He locked all the rooms, twirling the key around his finger, and stepped out. Taiju's parents were also coming, too. Manabu was excited since it had been a while since he had met them. They were busy with their business affairs.
He arrived at the station around 4:45 p.m. and saw Mion waiting. She wore a yellow long coat cinched at the waist by a belt and a white scarf matching the snow, her long, light pink hair cascading down her shoulders in silky strands. In winter's embrace, she looked like Snow White.
Manabu arrived a little earlier than he anticipated, and when Mion saw him, she spoke nervously in a soft voice while adjusting her hair. "You came so early!"
"You too," he replied. He asked when Naomi and Futaba would arrive, and where they had been. Mion replied, "Father will come straight from his college programs. Naomi accompanied him. Maybe they'll arrive a little late."
"Oh, I see," Manabu stood beside her, observing the festive surroundings. The streets were lively, with people laughing and enjoying the winter air, many cars with family on the streets. Suddenly, something popped into his mind. He asked, "Hey, I had a question. Your father, Mr. Futaba—I mean, is he your real father? Like—"
Mion understood what he meant. "No! No—Actually, I understand the confusion; many people asked me the same question. He's my father figure, and an admirable person, but not my biological father. My biological parents were murdered when I was little. Some robbers killed them on the streets and took their wallets and jewels. I had an older brother, but he died in an accident. His head was crushed."
Manabu felt a pang of sorrow, since he was technically an orphan, too. "I apologise, I should have figured it out. I know how it feels to lose someone close to you."
Mion had some questions about him, too. "About that! I've only seen your grandmother. So I've always wondered about your parents. What about them? Did your grandmother mention anything about them?"
Manabu sighed and spoke. "I don't know much about my parents either. My grandmother once told me that my father was a leader or something, but I never bothered learning more about it. Well, I was just a stupid kid. She mentioned that he loved me the most—among two of us? Maybe I might have had a sister, as she mentioned."
"A sister!?" Mion blushed. Manabu nodded, "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. Even though they loved each other, he had some issues. But my mom said she'd only marry him and no one else. She didn't care; she'd do whatever it takes to make him her groom. Leaving my old man no choice."
Mion giggled and said, "That is so adorable."
"Yeah! I thought the same. But I don't know what happened to my mother and father. She never told me. But I remember she used to say somethings like—" Manabu paused.
Mion noticed his expression; his eyes suddenly widened, and eyebrows tilted. The expression resembled disgust or maybe something different than that. Mion began feeling uncomfortable. It was a horrible expression.
'Anyone who isn't with you, is against you. Are your enemies, do not forget.'
'Any—ayone who is no with you, against you. Are yur enemies, do n—not frget.'
'Enyon wo isn't nt with you, against You. ALLyuorenimes, donot forget.'
'Enyowe wo is'nt with yu, against yu. Al Are enemis, do NOT NOT NOT... forgo.'
All of a sudden, Manabu returned to his normal state. Mion looked at him with a bit of concern, "Are you feeling well?"
"Oh, I'm fine, I was thinking about..." Manabu forgot...
They continued their conversation. While Mion was paying close attention, she suddenly remembered she had other plans, and blushed. She lowered her gaze, contemplating whether to confess right here or not. But it felt like a do-or-die situation.
She looked around if she could find a suitable place to sit first, and spotted a coffee shop nearby, "Why not have a coffee while we're waiting for the others!"
Manabu nodded, and they entered the cozy, newly opened cafe with a warm ambiance. A waitress showed them to their seats. Manabu, wondering if the place was new, asked the waitress.
The waitress replied, "Oh, Yes, it's been eight months. And our customer service is excellent," with a big smile. The place smelled quite nice, and Mion began liking it; this place smelled so good, it was so calming.
Manabu asked her if she'd like something to eat or drink. Mion observed the menu and said, "Anything you like," continuing to enjoy the sweet smell.
Manabu pointed at the menu and picked coffee. The waitress smiled. "So your order is a couple coffee. I will be right back!"
After a moment of silence, Mion cleared her throat and asked cautiously, "What do you think about Naomi?" Mion just wanted to make sure of Manabu's feelings about Naomi, but she realized it was too sudden. Manabu crossed his arms and rest back in his chair, asking, "Why?"
Mion replied with awkward laughter. "No reason, I'm just curious, also just trying to engage a conversation."
Manabu thought for a moment, and gave a decent reply, "Naomi is honest and kind. She's the exact reflection of my grandmother." Manabu chuckled after he said it for a particular reason.
When asked Why, he said, "When I first saw you two as kids, I legit thought you were siblings. You two are always together. Later, when I learned you were not, I was so dumbfounded."
Mion smiled remembering it, she nodded and said," What are you talking about? We are actual sisters. She's just the other half of me, and we both together are a whole. Sometimes she does some shitty stuff," she said it remembering the night when she persuaded her to accept the deal. "But I just want Naomi to stay with me forever. I've never had anything of my own. I'm an orphan, aren't I?"
Manabu told her to stay by Naomi's side forever, despite anything that happens between them. Mion smiled and said, "It's obvious isn't it?"
The coffee arrived, and it was decorated with a heart design with the foam. Mion stared at it, her face heating up. Does Manabu even realize this means love? Might people think we're a couple? she was anxious, fidgeting with her spoon. Just as she was about to stir and ruin the shape, she hesitated. I don't want to. This looks adorable! Should I do it?
Across the room, two girls were chattering and giggling. Mion thought it was about them; she was so embarrassed she could run away. They think we're dating, don't they?
"Weren't you going to ask me something? Is something wrong?" Manabu's voice interrupted her thoughts. "Eh! What?" she fumbled, "Yeah! I remembered…What do you think of me?"
"As a person?" asked Manabu.
"Just in general, maybe…"
"I like you." Manabu said it with such confidence that she misunderstood it; her heart almost stopped just upon hearing that sentence. "You're a great friend, and you've helped me a lot." Manabu completed the sentence by just saying that.
She felt her heart resume beating. She had to say it right now; Naomi or anyone could arrive at any moment. "Wait, Manabu, I'm about to say something which might sound odd, I request you, please, do not laugh. Okay?"
"I promise I won't laugh."
"You can also ignore it."
"Okay?" Manabu sat straight and excited. Mion surely took a little while to gain courage. Her hands on her thighs, she tried to maintain a decent and feminine posture. "So listen, I...am truly... in love—" Before she could finish, Mion's cellphone rang loud.
Ugh! I was so close! Why am I so unlucky? Mion screamed in her thoughts.
She answered the call. Taiju spoke first, and he was in a major panic state; she could tell by his voice, his breathing heavy. "Where are you?!" Taiju yelled.
She replied that she was with Manabu inside a Cafe. Taiju told her to quickly turn on the news channel The News-24 or M-B News if there was a television nearby. Mion's expression tensed. "What happened?" she was concerned.
Manabu, upon hearing, got up and asked the cashier girl to switch to the news channel. And as she did, the screen displayed a shocking headline:
("Teacher and Student Murdered Outside Detens Scholars High School: Mr. Santa's Work?")
Other customers were also concerned to see their panic. According to the television news: "At approximately 5:10 p.m. this evening, a brutal stabbing took place in the children park near DSH School, with no major witnesses. The victims are identified as Naomi, a 17-year-old college student, and her father—Professor Futaba, a respected teacher at the DSH. Both were stabbed by an unknown culprit, and police found no immediate evidence."
Mion's entire body trembled, her eyes widening in disbelief, as tears streamed down her face. Manabu took her arms; she was shaking. By the time, Mai, Taiju and Taiju's parents arrived at the cafe. Mion could barely hold herself; she was losing her sanity.
Taiju's father was more concerned about what happened. "Manabu! Mr. Futaba and his daughter have been stabbed. We need to get to your college," he said upon entering, and instructed the women to reach back home. Manabu went with Taiju and his father.
64/ A, K.B. Street, Near the Children park. Around 5:30 p.m...
Kenzo arrived at the crime scene and asked for information they had collected. One of the forensic workers, Sato Machimo, provided him the detail, predicted by a profiler: "The male one's name is Futaba, who was stabbed in the heart, causing immediate death, and his daughter, Naomi, was stabbed in her belly, and it seemed she had tried to escape but she failed... Apparently, she is alive, but in a very critical condition and has been taken to the hospital."
"They were identified by some teachers of this DSHC institution, which seemed to had a training program for teachers, and Futaba was present there."
Kenzo stood by, trying to make sense of this disaster. Nearby, a few officers were chattering and one of them said, "It could be Mr. Santa. There are few cases like this murder where the culprit escapes without leaving any traces. I think it might be possible."
Kenzo turned to them with a frustrated expression, "This is a ridiculous conspiracy. This is something local officers like you would say to get fame by the media; there's no evidence that Santa did this. Did anyone even witness anything? How can you just claim it's Santa's murder?"
They apologized and said, "Yes, you're right; there is no evidence to it, and so unfortunately for us—not a SINGLE soul witnessed anything. Or maybe they are trying to hide it to not get involve in such a massacre."
But just then Investigator Sato found something truly important to the case. "We found the gift near Kenzo's desk, inside the staff room."
They inquired teachers and workers about it, but they claimed it had to have been put at the place before they had set foot inside the college. Otherwise, there had been none other than them who had brought anything like that.
Kenzo was shocked, "Why would Santa kill them?" he asked. It absolutely made no sense, since Santa killed criminals particularly. "It's fucking absurd. It has to be a third party! Someone else must've done it."
Sato argued back, "Why would someone murder a college teacher for no reason? Except if it's a criminal, it would make no sense! You are my superior, and more experienced than I, Mr. Kenzo. You must maintain your composure. What could possibly be the answer? And if it's just a regular murder, why would investigator Mr. Kenzo Kashizu arrive? Aren't you suspicious too, that this might lead you to some point?"
Kenzo admitted he had his reasons for suspicion, but it was just his intuition alone. "But this gift is a tragedy," he said. "because everything I had discovered about Santa would go in vain."
Kenzo mistakenly touched the gift box barehanded; the forensic technician exclaimed, "You cannot touch it barehanded!"
Kenzo apologized and put on rubber gloves. He examined the box exterior and interior. Inside, he found the same Santa Toy Cart, often left by the Santa Killer. Which was again, ABSURD to Kenzo. 'This thing isn't supposed to be here. He left it, must've thought of it beforehand,' Kenzo whispered, rubbing his face, battling a headache. He instructed the officers to look deep into the victims' social backgrounds, "find out if they had enmity with anyone, and examine their call history. If it's actually Santa's doing, the victims HAVE TO BE criminal."
Mr. Sato agreed to this, and said that if the girl survives, she can aid their investigation. Kenzo frowned. "I know, but what if she doesn't survive?"
"So that'd leave us no more choices but to follow our intuition. And we seemingly, had find no other clue besides the gift."
By the time, Taiju, his father, and Manabu had arrived, they tried to talk to the police, insisted letting them talk to the superior and permit them inside. "They are our family members! Let us in! We have to talk to the investigator." They requested the police to allow them inside but they weren't permitted.
However, Kenzo saw them and let them in. He asked a few questions. "What is their relationship with you?" "Who are you to them?" "Do they have any enemies?" He questioned them thoroughly and then stated, "Two policemen will accompany you to your address; he needs to speak with your wife and that Mion girl."
"What about Naomi?! And Mr. Futaba?!" Manabu asked. "Everyone is concerned. Would Naomi survive?" Kenzo replied, "Look, kid, your friend has been taken to the nearest hospital. We can't do anything, except praying."
Manabu clenched his fists and started biting his nails anxiously.
They were all taken to Taiju's home, by police car, with two policemen accompanied. On the way, Ben, the policeman on the driving seat, got a phone call. Manabu was anxious about the call, because that policeman's expression, and tone of speech changed almost immediately after it. He was so like being hopeful, and suddenly after the call he seemed to be quiet.
They reached home and Taiju's mom opened the door. The policemen walked inside and calmly took an inquiry. They asked Mion a few questions, and the policemen could tell, she wasn't in her right state for an inquiry. After the investigation, Ben said, "One of the elders might have to come with us;" He meant Mr. Hiroshi. And just when they were about to leave, Manabu asked them about the phone call. The police had no speech, he just confirmed Naomi's death and said, "She was taken to the ambulance, even reached the operating theater, but unfortunately, she didn't survive. Time of death: 5:48:30. We are sorry for your loss."
Mion, who had been sobbing until now, began screaming, crying like a baby. Her whole world seemed to fall apart in a few moments. Such a misery…
Ben said again, "I'm sorry for your loss once again. 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 autopsy, the 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. I hope you understand." With those words, the policemen took their leaves with Mr. Hiroshi with them.
Mion sobbed in Ms. Hiroshi's arms. "How co—could you, after mother, now y—you two ar—are leaving me behind. My fa—ther, Naomi, are taken from me." Such a poor, miserable soul.
Mai tried to hold back tears but eventually broke down, too. Manabu tried to console them, but only he knew what he was going through all this time. Taiju quietly went outside to get a smoke; he also couldn't bear seeing them break like that. Otherwise, the strongest heart could break.
At 4:32 a.m.— They all stayed the night at Taiju's place. Mion and Mai, both exhausted from crying, eventually fell asleep in Mr. Hiroshi's lap. Taiju's father still hadn't returned. Manabu couldn't sleep all night, as well as Taiju, lying on the sofa, whispered, "Manabu... You awake, right?"
"Yeah," Manabu mumbled.
"I kinda feel empty inside. It seems like the other, cheerful part of me has disappeared. Can we talk for a while? My eyes are tired, but I can't sleep."
"Me neither," Manabu replied.
Taiju expressed his grief. "Naomi called me this morning, when I was dozing. I was so annoyed, but she didn't care... She wouldn't annoy me ever again, would she?"
"This is so pathetic, it's so—miserable. The one who did this, I swear, if I find him, I swear... I will kill that bastard, with my own hands." Taiju broke; he couldn't hold himself any longer. Watching him cry, tears welled up in Manabu's eyes. "Curse these tears."
All of a sudden, Taiju said, "This isn't Mr. Santa's doing."
Manabu heard him say it, but didn't catch him right. "What?"
Taiju reminded him, "Santa only kills criminals. Naomi and Futaba weren't criminals, so the only answer to that question is, that someone mimicked the Santa killings to hide their appearance. It's a COPYCAT. A total different scumbag!" Taiju was convinced there was someone else in this case, and it was more than just a murder. "There's a third figure. Someone who had a proper reason, to kill them, and he set up it as if Santa did it. But who was it? Why would he kill them? Why? WHO IT COULD BE?"
On the following day, Kenzo gets a call from one of the members of CPUS[5]-Units...
[1] Global News Section
[2] currency of the United Republic of Australasia.
[3] 1808 to 1871. Nord Deimonko was one of the cruelest dictator of all mankind.
[4] United Republic of Australasia, and Lafiaza
[5] CPUS