Winter had draped its cold embrace over the quaint town of Fujisawa. Festive decorations adorned every shop window, and the streets were alive with the laughter and cheer of people celebrating the season. Known for its civility and serenity, Fujisawa was about to face an eerie incident that would shatter its peace.
On a cold, silent night, a wealthy household became the target of a break-in. The thief, masked by darkness, crept through a window. He ascended to the top floor, his torch casting a narrow beam of light in the power outage. The dim light flickered over trophies and furniture, illuminating a raincoat hanging in the corner. Initially mistaking it for a person, his heart rate spiked, then calmed when he realized it was just a coat. However, as he turned back, the raincoat seemed to come alive, stepping down from a chair and moving toward him slowly.
Outside, the scene quickly turned chaotic. The house's lights flickered back on, and crows began cawing ominously. The homeowner, returning to a wide-open window and a terrified wife, called the police in a panic. Rushing upstairs, the man found his valuables untouched. But the true horror awaited him in the hall. He opened a door to see three men hanging from the Christmas tree outside the window, and on the wall, written in blood-red letters, were the words: "Merry Christmas."
The police arrived, and the quiet town of Fujisawa was thrust into a nightmare. Thus began the terrifying saga of Japan's most notorious serial killer, Mr. Santa.
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On the other side of town, Manabu was trapped in a nightmare. In his dream, he was a child, running with his grandmother while an unknown woman called after them. Jolted awake, he found himself sweating and disoriented. It was 9:00 AM. Despite his reluctance, he dragged himself out of bed, stretching and heading to the bathroom. After brushing his teeth, he put coffee on the stove. Manabu felt aimless, viewing himself as a dull and insignificant human. Life seemed worthless, and he longed for thrilling moments that fate seemed determined to deny him. His grandmother's recent passing only deepened his sense of purposelessness.
As he turned on the TV, the news of the triple murder in Fujisawa flashed on the screen. The killer had left a note written in blood: "Merry Christmas." The victims were known criminals. Manabu watched with a dull expression, pouring his coffee and placing it next to a picture of his late grandmother, adorned with a note that read, "I love you, Grandma." He stepped outside to retrieve the newspaper, which now blared the headline: "Mr. Santa Strikes Again."
Detective Kenzo had taken over the case, and Manabu was intrigued. Why was this killer so controversial? What was driving him? He pondered these questions as he set the paper down and retrieved a hidden file from his bathroom ceiling. The file contained photos and information on various criminals he had been studying. He added a new entry for Mr. Santa, sketching a smiling face with a Christmas hat where the photo should be.
After finishing his simple breakfast of bread and peanut butter with coffee, Manabu dressed in a white shirt and sweater, bracing against the cold. He called his friend Taiju, but his phone was off. Next, he called Mai. He had few friends, but he cherished talking to them.
Mai was on the school roof, engrossed in hacking a guy's phone, with Taiju beside her. She asked Manabu why he had missed school the previous day. He lied, claiming he had a headache, while silently admitting to himself that he found school unbearably boring. Mai was frustrated with her hacking attempt, cursing her device.
Taiju reassured her, emphasizing that at least they had prevented the guy from getting in. Taking the phone, Taiju told Manabu to hurry, as he had something fun to show him. Manabu, waiting at the bus stop, promised to be there soon and hung up.
As the bus rumbled along, Manabu observed the other passengers—employees, mothers, people lost in the monotony of their routines. To him, everyone seemed lifeless, devoid of excitement or joy. He whispered to himself, "Maybe I'm a ghoul, imagining all this lifelessness around me."
He quickly left his bag in his class and rushes at top floor, On the way spotted Sayuri Mion on his way and quickly took her hand, his tone urgent. "Come with me," he said, his eyes focused ahead.
Mai and Taiju were already waiting on the top floor, but Sayuri hesitated, wincing slightly as she replied, "My leg is hurt..."
Satoshi barely paused, a soft chuckle "That's not a big deal," he said, before gently lifting her into his arms.
Sayuri's cheeks flushed a deep pink, her heart racing as she found herself cradled against him. "What? Satoshi! Wait—" she stammered, her embarrassment clear.
He looked down at her with a reassuring smile. "Don't worry," he said warmly, "I won't drop you."
With that, he carried her up the stairs, He also Naomi on the way. When they each, Mai suddenly Screamed loud and grab the laptop to smash it on the ground,Taiju was holding her asking to calm, "Hey Mai, Calm your horse!!,Manabu Stop her!!" They calmed her and asked what happended, Mai replied, someone was trying to hack her computer, And She almost caught him in own trap but He manage to escape and she couldn't hack his data.Mai's face looked like deadpale as if suffering woman hadn't eat for months "Im so worthless!! My hacking skill are just failure! Maybe i should jump from 10th floor..."
"Noo!!" They all screamed.
They 5 are bestfriends, The group of friends laughed and enjoyed each other's company, a rare moment of wholesomeness.
They have fun make jokes, Sometime distract on eachother while roasting, They also help peoples who need help.
One day while riding the metro train, Satoshi noticed a thief attempting to steal a girl's phone. As the train doors began to close, the thief stole the girl's phone, but Taiju twisted the thief's hand, throwing the phone back into the metro. The girl got her phone back, and Manabu sat on the thief, twisting his legs. Taiju called for help. They reviewed the CCTV footage and thanked Manabu and his friends for their help. Manabu replied, "Make sure it doesn't happen again," and pointed at the girl, "Are you dumb? Never use your phone like that, Idiot" The girl apologized and thanked him.But he replied replied, "There is no need to thank me"
Manabu and his friends enjoyed their time together, riding bikes and intentionally getting caught,not taking licenses. They visited Taiju's place to study. Sayuri, Mai, Naomi, and Manabu talked about many things there, and Manabu didn't hate it. He actually had fun; it was his kind of environment. They discussed various cases, including the Mr. Santa case. Taiju asked Manabu about the case, and he replied, "It's out of my knowledge and we don't have to sweat over this anyway." Everyone believed Manabu was the smartest among them. Mion secretly liked Manabu but was too shy to confess. Mion asked him how he was doing lately, acknowledging it must be hard after his grandmother passed. Manabu replied, "Well, it's not that bad. The loan my grandma gave to that man was returned, so I'm living alright, but maybe I need to get a part-time job to handle everything in the future."
Najimi asked, "How do you feel, Manabu? I know it's hard to lose someone, but you don't seem sad and you seem to be doing just fine."
Manabu replied, "Well, I did cry. My grandma was undoubtedly kind, but she was a little foolish. I just wanted to make her happy. The last time I talked to her, it was an argument. I was really rude, but when I wanted to apologize, I was too late..."
Najimi felt sad. She was the kindest among them and Mion's closest friend. She was kind and caring like Manabu's grandmother. That's why Manabu often told her not to act too naive, sometimes she had to take a step and use her mind. Najimi replied, "Yes, I will remember that..."
Suddenly, Mai took out a horn and made a noise that startled Najimi. Mai was super humorous, while Taiju, strong and introverted, talked a lot when with his friends. Taiju started laughing, and then remembered something. He grabbed Manabu and asked him about Mai having a boyfriend, which Manabu couldn't recall. Taiju had a crush on Mai and asked Manabu to find out if Mai had a boyfriend, essentially asking him to stalk her. Manabu forgot the request, leading to a humorous confrontation between the friends.
As they sat at the table, Taiju asked Manabu, "You helped that girl today, how does it feel?"
Manabu coldly replied, "How am I supposed to feel?"
Taiju said, "Well, you are cold, but you're just like your grandmother—really kind. You just hide it, don't you?"
Manabu replied, "Well, I don't know..."
Taiju continued, "Then why did you join us to help people? We made this group to keep our town safe from criminals and we do it without letting anyone know, and you help people."
Manabu said, "Maybe I am kind, but I don't feel it. It's really hard to tell... I didn't help the girl, I was just doing my job."
After their study session, focusing on four old cases, they turned their attention to Mr. Santa. Manabu admitted the case was out of his reach, with the killer leaving no trace except for the bloody notes. Taiju had visited the crime scenes and taken pictures but needed more resources to crack the case. The government and special teams couldn't find a single trace of the killer. They feared the killer could become a national threat.
As their winter holidays approached, Mai had an idea and asked them all if they wanted to visit a new café that had recently opened. They all agreed.
The friends decided to visit the new coffee shop in town. The next day, Mion and Najimi were preparing to leave. Mion and Najimi walked to school together. Najimi teased Mion about her feelings for Manabu. Mion confessed her feelings, and Najimi, always trying to make Mion confess, suddenly got a plan. She bluffed that she also liked Manabu, making Mion jealous. They challenged each other to win Manabu's heart and decided to confess their feelings to him that night in front of the café.
That evening, Mion met Manabu at the bus stop. She arrived sooner than Najimi. They walked together and passed a TV shop showing news about Mr. Santa. Mion commented on the cold weather, They walked together and passed a TV shop showing news about Mr. Santa. Mion commented on the cold weather, and Manabu asked if she felt unwell. They decided to go into a nearby coffee shop and ordered the best dessert and coffee. Mion took the opportunity to ask Manabu about Najimi. Misinterpreting his response, Mion thought Manabu had feelings for Najimi.Their conversation was interrupted by a call from Taiju. He screamed for Manabu to look at the news. They turned to see the screen reporting a new murder in their town. The victims were none other than Najimi and her father.
To be continued....