"The world is not just as it appears,
reality is a complex tapestry woven with threads of illusion and truth."
At night around 9-10pm Manabu was out of the house to buy some food, He was walking when he notice a small shop along the way. It reminded him of Mion. A few months ago, she had come to this very shop, looking at earrings she wanted but hadn't bought. She didnt had sufficient money for it ,He realized that he hadn't given her a gift in a while. Today, he thought, he could make up for that. The earrings he found were beautiful—expensive, but worth every penny. He bought them, deciding to surprise Mion the next day.
Meanwhile, At Mion's home,
She was scared but determined to find out who had sent her the email. She didn't want to get her friends in trouble. After some deliberation, she decided not to involve Manabu or their friends, fearing for their safety. Instead, she called Mr. Kenzo, remembering that Mr. Daima had given them his number.
"Students, here is a number, note this. It's Special Officer Kenzo's personal number. And this is the authority number. You can call if you feel you are in danger or if you find anything related to the Santa case."
Mion told Mr. Kenzo everything, from the beginning to the recent email. Kenzo instructed her not to go alone and promised to accompany her. They agreed to meet at a location near the school. Mion met Kenzo, who assured her that he was keeping a close watch and ready to take action.
After a while, a figure in a black jacket and a cap approached Mion from behind, placing a hand on her shoulder. Startled, Mion screamed, causing the figure to scream too. Kenzo, thinking Mion was in danger, tackled the person. To their surprise, it was Leon.
Kenzo, recognizing Leon, asked what he was doing there. Leon, equally confused, explained he had something important to say to Mion. Kenzo teased him, "Calling a girl out at midnight, pretty bold, isn't it?"
Leon, slightly embarrassed, retorted that it wasn't like that. He then scolded Mion for calling Kenzo despite his instructions, but Mion explained she had no idea it was him and wouldn't have called anyone otherwise. Kenzo then asked Leon for the real reason behind this meeting.
Leon hesitated before whispering something in Kenzo's ear. Kenzo immediately protested, saying, "No, never, it's not possible. No chance!"
Leon insisted that Mion deserved to know. Kenzo, after some thought, reluctantly agreed but only to reveal information about her friend, not the entire case.
Leon began by asking Mion, "What kind of person do you think Mr. Hojo is?"
Mion was puzzled. "Our principal? Why do you ask?"
Leon urged her to just answer. Mion replied, "He seems kind and nice."
Leon sighed, "This story might change your view. Two months ago, on December 4th, my dad and I moved to this town. We were supposed to meet Mr. Kenzo for dinner. My dad and Kenzo are good friends. While waiting outside the restaurant, I saw Principal Hojo. I knew him since I've met him once, but something about him seemed off. He pulled out a knife and headed towards the family park. I followed him out of curiosity and witnessed him meet a man and a girl around my age. Suddenly, he stabbed both of them."
Leon continued, "I ran back to my dad and Kenzo, who were looking for me. I told them what I saw, and we rushed back to the park. The girl was still alive, but I couldn't save her. Kenzo asked if I saw the killer's face, and I confirmed it was our principal. Despite taking him into custody, we had no evidence, so we had to release him."
Kenzo interjected, "That's enough, Leon."
Mion was in tears, devastated by the revelation. Leon comforted her, "Don't lose hope. We'll find a way to bring justice."
The night ended with Leon and Kenzo leaving Mion, who was left with mixed emotions but grateful for Leon's support.
The next day, Manabu couldn't give Mion the gift as she and Leon were both absent. After school, Manabu had club activities and couldn't meet Mion. The following day, Leon returned, but Mion was still absent. Three days later, police arrived at the school with Kenzo, announcing that Principal Hojo had been found dead the previous night.
The prime suspect was Mion.
Manabu and the others were in shock, their faces pale with disbelief. Leon stood there, afraid and sweating profusely.
Everyone stood in stunned silence, their minds reeling from the shocking news. Kenzo glanced at Leon, who was visibly frightened, as was Manabu. Leon, feeling the weight of the situation, decided to act. He called Manabu to meet him in the backyard of their school.
Manabu, filled with anxiety, went to the designated spot. When he arrived, Leon was holding a file filled with pictures. Manabu asked what Leon wanted to tell him. Leon handed over the pictures and began his story.
"Three days ago, I met Mion," Leon started. Manabu slowly pulled out the pictures and saw images of an abandoned hospital. Leon continued, "I was in a camera shop, buying a professional camera for my photography hobby. When I stepped out, I bumped into Mion. She had a bag and a violin case with her. She didn't say a word and hurried away, looking like she was in a rush. I decided to follow her."
Manabu, puzzled, asked why he followed her. Leon, embarrassed, admitted, "I like Mion." Manabu gave him a strange look, and Leon, blushing, quickly added, "But that's not important. I followed her because I thought I could find out where she lived. She stopped at a house, and I hid nearby, watching. To my surprise, it was Mr. Hojo's house. Mion had a key and went inside after switching off the power."
Night fell, and Leon continued his story. "I saw Hojo come home. I was confused and scared but decided to go inside. When I did, it was too late. Mion was screaming and stabbing Hojo with an axe she had in her kit. I was frozen in fear and accidentally took a picture with the flash on."
Manabu pulled out the picture of Mion killing Hojo and felt a wave of nausea. Leon continued, "She turned towards me, but I managed to run away and hid in a park, crying. The girl I liked was a killer. It broke me."
Leon paused, gathering his thoughts, and then continued, "Later, around 9-10 PM, I went home but saw Mion entering my house. She was wearing a new dress and still had that bag, probably with some clothes. I thought she might have seen me and was there to kill me. But then I remembered my father was home. I rushed inside and found my dad and Mion talking."
"Good job, Mion," his father had said, revealing his involvement in the plan. Leon, terrified, sneaked upstairs and noticed the usually locked storage room was open. For the first time, he saw what was inside.
"Sleigh bells rang out as I entered," Leon said, his voice trembling. "There were pictures of all the victims and even of our friends, including you and Mion. And right in the middle was a gift box, just like the ones Santa leaves at every murder scene."
"My Dad is the Santa..."
Manabu was shocked, and Leon broke down in tears. The enormity of the revelation left them both devastated and at a loss for what to do next.
To Be Continued...