They spent this New Year alone by themselves, as well as Mion. School had already begun on January 4; today is January 8, 1900...
Manabu, as usual, got ready, prepared his breakfast, dressed in a blue shirt and a muffler, then left. Ever since the tragic incident on December 25, he had spoken less with anyone. Mion rarely left the house, didn't pick up calls, and refused to hang out. Sometimes Manabu brought her food and snacks; Taiju and his parents were really concerned about her too. Mai visited her most often.
Mion had locked herself in her room; she didn't even attend college. Simply silent and empty, her heart hollow, she hadn't made a single phone call to anyone since the tragedy.
Manabu felt deep sympathy for her but couldn't find a way to help her emotionally.
"I hope she'd show up today in college, even if just to sit there quietly," Manabu thought. He also hadn't recovered from the sorrow either. "After the autopsy, we went to the morgue[1] to see the bodies. When we arrived, I saw Naomi's and Futaba's lifeless bodies, lying on a cold steel table. My eyes were filled with tears, but I didn't cry. Mion stood there, crying silently, but she said nothing. Taiju stayed strong, but I knew even he had his limits. Mai never wanted to enter at first but she struggled to gather the strength to say a final goodbye to her precious friend Naomi. Mion was there as well, just sitting..."
"The funeral was held the next day after the autopsy. At the funeral, almost all the students and teachers were present to share their grief. This was how we had to say goodbye to our Cārus[2], forever..."
"In the past few days, I've learned a lot. I've confined myself to the house, reading books all day, trying to get over my grief, but Mion rather stayed the same." Manabu arrived at school with the faint hope that Mion might appear, even unwillingly. Upon entering the classroom, on Naomi's desk, there were notes left by their classmates, written with pen and marker.
"Always be missed by us."
"No matter where you are, this place won't be the same without you."
"Good people die, but their good deeds remain."
'FORgiv—ness to to theGUILT—y, is CRUEL—ty to the Innocent...'
Manabu gave a soft smile upon reading those wishes and sat down in his seat. 'It seems Mion won't attend as well.' Before the lecture began, Mai had visited his section, crossing her arms. She was purposely there to look for Mion, and Manabu. "It's been a long time, Manabu. Is everything alright? It seems like Mion didn't—" Just then Mion walked in, her face was long, her eyes swollen and red-rimmed from crying too much—not a word. She took her seat beside Manabu, saying nothing. Still, Manabu was relieved. Mai smiled at her as well. So she returned to her section as the bell rang. But the first lecture was Physics, and a substitute teacher was in place of Futaba temporarily. Just before the lecture began, the principal of this institution, Hojo Tetsuya, entered the room with some policemen beside him.
Hojo spoke: "Attention! Peace be upon you all. I know that most of you are aware of the situation. One of our classmates, Naomi, and Mr. Futaba were brutally murdered last year. The policemen are inquiring with every person upon any suspicion. We have to keep ourselves composed and stay strong, against such tragedy. We were all born into this world, and one day, we will all leave it. That is the truth. Death is certain. Therefore, we cannot let it break us. And you may have heard of the Mr. Santa case, which they suspect might be connected to these murders. Police are investigating it thoroughly, and justice will prevail."
Mr. Kenzo was there too; he stood outside the room. And after Hojo's speech, he walked in, stood on the platform, and wrote two numbers on the board. "Here, the one above is the department's emergency number, and the below is my personal cell phone number. If you have any kind of trouble, don't hesitate. Let us know and we'll take immediate action." He paused, let out a long breath, and said, "If you get to know about anything related to the Santa case... That might help us to deliver justice to your friend. I wish you all a happy new year. Peace be upon you all."
As for the class, Ms. Kazuha began her lecture. The arrangements for a permanent teacher would be made soon... Days passed, one after another, and on January 17, the principal Hojo introduced them to their new physics teacher. On that date, everyone was present. As the students settled down, Principal Hojo gestured toward the doorway and said, "Come in."
A towering figure entered the classroom—a man standing approximately six feet tall with a broad, muscular frame. Slightly white hair and a thick beard. His authoritative voice resonated through the room as he introduced himself. "Peace be upon you all. I'm Daima Leonhard, your new physics teacher. It's truly my pleasure to meet you all."
Mion immediately recognized him; he's the man at the mall. As Daima's gaze landed on her, he recognized her too. "Oh, you're the mature lady from back then. You recognize me, don't you? We met at the mall before," Daima said with an acknowledging smile. Mion nodded, saying, "Yes, I remember as well." But her tone of speech was still flatter. 'It has to be the incident of the children park,' Daima thought, noticing her unhealthiness.
Seeing Daima sparked some curiosity among the students. He slightly looked like a foreigner. So one of them asked, "Sir, what is your nationality? You look like a foreigner to me."
"Well, I actually live in Joppo," Daima said, "but originally, I'm from Lafiaza. My wife, however, is a Feropian citizen. After she passed away, my son and I shifted here."
It was some fascinating story; they learned many things about him; his demeanor exuded a perfect blend of authority and warmth. Daima's size made him seem a bit intimidating, but he was approachable. Then principal raised his hand, requesting silence. "There's someone else I would like to introduce to you," the principal announced. "From today onwards, Mr. Daima's son will be joining your class. As your new classmate..." Hojo shifted his hand, pointing at the doorway. "Everyone, meet Leon."
The room fell into a hush, as Leon stepped inside. All eyes were on him. "So otherworldly he is," they said. Black hair, luminous face, his eyes were pure black, as deep as vantablack. Standing at five'11", his presence made him seem like he didn't quite belong in this world. There was a strange charm, something enigmatic about him.
Leon's faint smile, as he said, "Peace be upon you all. I'm Leon."
As days passed, Leon quickly became the most liked guy in college. He excelled at athletics. It wasn't long before students discovered he was fluent in five languages.
But the only thing that grabbed Mion and Manabu's attention about him was that... he was also kind, genuinely—just like Naomi. He adored children, he respected his juniors from high school and they admired him too.
One day, Leon learned about the tragedy that had befallen Mion. He knew about those murders since the very next day of the twenty-fifth. Wanting to help, he approached Mion to befriend with her, hoping to offer her some salvation. He tried speaking to her directly, but Mion didn't acknowledge him at all.
Leon tried to speak to her several times despite repeated failures. Suddenly an idea struck him while learning about the college and other students.
He heard a rumor about Manabu and Mion 'might be' dating. I guess I have to approach Manabu, he thought. And as he anticipated, he immediately approached Manabu at lunch period and asked him directly, "Aren't you Mion's boyfriend!?"
"Eh!? Boyfriend? Whose boyfriend?!" Manabu stammered. Leon sensed the awkwardness, realizing Manabu was unaware of the gossip about him and Mion, "Nah, I was kidding. Anyway, do you know when Mion's birthday is?"
"It's February 27, I believe. Why though?" Manabu wondered.
Leon's eyes lit up. "I would need your assistance to arrange something for Mion's birthday. Maybe it'll cheer her up."
Manabu thought for a moment and found it marvelous. "But what do you plan to do? Where would we even celebrate it?"
Leon shrugged. "Do you know any place she likes? Or anything she's fond of?"
Manabu scratched his head, looking slightly embarrassed. Being friends for so many years and not knowing what's her favorite place, or interest was quite a shame. They were both stumped. Realizing they wouldn't get useful information from their other classmates either, Leon concluded, "The only way to find out is to discover it ourselves."
They spent a lot of time thinking. Thus, the four of them—Taiju, Mai, Manabu, and Leon—devised a plan. They decided that Manabu would take Mion on a date and try to learn more about her, talk to her. Despite his reluctance, the group pressured him into agreeing, and they scheduled the date for January 28. Meanwhile, Mai and Taiju were now officially dating each other...
January 28, 1900, Sinomon Garden—
Manabu stood waiting for Mion; the air was still cold, the winter chills hadn't left yet. Manabu's cell phone was discreetly clipped to his coat, from inside, so that Mai, Taiju, and Leon could listen in from a distance. They were keeping eyes on him with a binocular, while hiding in the garden bushes; they looked suspicious, though...
When Mion finally arrived, Manabu's heart skipped a beat. It was his first time going on a date. She looked…gorgeous, though her eyes still carried that same faltered look. "Let's go," she said.
They walked together through the streets, wandering around the town until Manabu asked, "So…where do you want to go? Is there any place you want to go?"
Mion paused for a moment before saying, "Come with me. There's a place…" They got on a trolleybus. Leon and others had to take a ride to reach there. They went down from that trolleybus at 23/20/ block-F, Commoner Street...
She led him to a little bakery near the post office. As they stepped inside, Mion and Manabu sat down at a corner table. Meanwhile, from a safe distance outside, Leon and crew observed them closely with the binocular. Mion stared at the table cloth, tracing the pattern on its design with her fingers, before she began speaking. "When my biological parents died, I didn't really feel anything, since I was too young. I don't even remember their faces anymore. I had an elder brother who used to assault me, and whenever I resisted, he'd force me or beat me." Manabu remained silent, listening to her quietly. But this was truly devastating.
"I used to pray, for his end, to God—Die! Die! Die! Die!—And one day, he did. A car accident crushed his head. The car went right upon his Maxilla. It was satisfying... But I became an orphan, left in this harsh world, with no guardian who could guide me..."
"But then Mr. and Mrs. Futaba came into my life. They treated me like their own daughter. Naomi treated me as her sister. They took care of me, they guided me, gave me the warmth. They became my everything. My Cārus[3]... After a few years, Mrs. Futaba died of heart disease; then I cried. All day, I never cried this much even for my own parents. Then Dad (Futaba)—had to take care of the family on his own. He tried his best to fulfill his role both as father and mother..."
Mion's gaze drifted to the decorated case where cakes were displayed. "Every year, Naomi and Dad celebrated my birthday here—I still remember when I first celebrated my thirteenth birthday with them, while Mom (Ms. Futaba) was still alive, she used to braid my hair. I can only braid my hair as she taught me. By the next year, she wasn't there to braid my hair anymore. I was in pain, but she wanted me to live a happy life. My fourteenth birthday without her, it tore my heart, but Naomi and Dad held me. I still had them." Mion's voice broke; she couldn't help but cry. "On my eighteenth birthday, there would be no one; there is no one alive whom I could consider family. I was wondering why it was like this, why were they so special to me... Now that I have lost them I realized... I am just an orphan."
Manabu frowned. "That is not true Mion, I'm here with you. Taiju is here. Mai is here. We are here for you," he held her hands, so cold, so numb. "I would always be with you, if you want. I'll spend my whole life with you, and never complain."
Mion looked at him; she was sad, but satisfied to hear that. "Thank you for everything, I know you would take good care of me. But—Those who I needed the most at my worse, they are all gone. You are my friend of good days, but they were my family at my worse days," she said.
Manabu knew exactly what Mion was feeling inside, but there was nothing he could do to take away her pain completely. After spending some time together, they all went their separate ways around 6 PM, heading home.
It was settled; they knew what they had to do for Mion. For her salvation. Leon took care of gathering almost every classmate and teacher; they knew about her birthday. Together, they meticulously planned a surprise birthday party for Mion. Everyone contributed ideas, and excitement. Only they kept it hushed from Mion. Until February 27 arrived...
[1] morgue is where ‘Dead’ bodies are kept before and after autopsy or identification.
[2] Cherished one.
[3] Cherished one