nhp | (Sutamai) ‘A Wish to Santa ♡ Fulfilling the Christmas Eve Promise with Him’, Part 2

EVENT STORY INDEX

11.

-Makoto’s House-

Kyosuke: …… Hmmm. I see. You must have it hard.

Rei: Yeah, no kidding. How did it even end up like this……

Kyosuke: Ahaha. But you know…

You’re kind of like Santa Claus, Rei-san.

Rei: Santa Claus?

Kyosuke: Because aren’t you going around delivering what everyone wants on Christmas Eve?

Rei: I didn’t exactly ask to take on the role of this sad and bleak Santa Claus…..

Makoto: …… I’ve also heard the story from Hiyama Takaomi.

Completing the manuscript itself isn’t an impossible feat. However…

Rei: …… However?

Makoto: I’m keeping others waiting just a little bit later than planned…… on another manuscript.

Rei: (Why did he avert his eyes when saying just a little bit……)

Makoto: That’s why I want to propose a condition.

Rei: (...... Oh no, this flow…)

Makoto: There’s something that I wish to ask of you in exchange for agreeing to write the short story.

Rei: …… I f-figured as much……

12.

-Makoto’s House-

Makoto: I want you to go fetch me the Kujo Household’s family tree.

Rei: The family tree?

Makoto: In the novel series that I’m currently writing, an old established family with a long ongoing history will be making an appearance starting next month.

But I’m lacking in resources for the purpose of fleshing out the characters.

Rei: …… So what you’re saying is, you still haven’t gotten down to writing the manuscript?

Makoto: …… Without a completely put-together body, no living thing can be in full play.

Are you able to tell someone with no legs to run?

Rei: (In short, he hasn’t even touched pen to paper……)

Kyosuke: What it boils down to in the end is that he’s been like this the whole time now.

I know it’s a lot to ask, but do you think you can do something about it?

Rei: Even if you say that, a family tree isn’t that easy to get……

Kyosuke: I see…… Yeah, you’re right. Well then, I hope the negotiations with Kagura-kun and the others somehow work out for the best!

If only you could find a substitute for brother’s novel……

Rei: T-That’s……!

Makoto: Obviously, if you’re going to refuse then I can’t accept your request either.

Have a good think about it before giving me an answer.

Rei: …… F-Fine, I get it. I’ll try and do what I can……

Kyosuke: Wow, really? Score! Isn’t that great, brother?

Makoto: Yes, you have my thanks.

Rei: (Argh, honestly…… these brothers are too much as always……)

13.

-December 22nd-

-Kujo Household: Living Room-

Kujo: …… I see.

So that’s the reason for why you’ve come here at such an hour.

Rei: Technically, you could say that I’m assisting in the investigation with all this running around.

But seeing as this is quite the roundabout method, I would of course feel ashamed in paying you a visit during working hours……

I’m sorry to catch you all while you were relaxing.

Kujo: It was us who said that it was no big deal.

If this isn’t work, then you should also take it easy.

Rei: Yeah…… Thank you.

Kujo: Unfortunately, what you’re after isn’t something I can so easily hand over. But…

…… Go, fill her glass with champagne.

Miyase: Oh, yes. It’s completely empty. My apologies.

Shindo: (...... Come to think of it, Miyase still hasn’t spilt anything today.)

(It’ll be a blessing if he doesn’t find himself covered from head to toe in it.)

Rei: Oh, sorry. It was so delicious that I unconsciously kept taking gulps……

Miyase: I’m glad that it’s to your taste. Please do help yourself to some more—

Shindo: !!

Miyase: Oh.

[Splash]

[Shatter!]

Rei: !!

Miyase: O-Oh dear, I’m so sorry!

Rei: A-Are you alright, Shindo-san!? You’re drenched from the head down……

Kujo: …… I’ve told you before, Shindo.

To tuck your legs in when Go walks by.

Shindo: ……

14.

-Kujo Household: Living Room-

A short while after that…… Kirishima-san and Kaname-kun who had been out also came back.

Kirishima: Buwahaha!! And then you got soaked, huh.

Shindo: Stop laughing. I feel like shit.

Miyase: I’m truly sorry. I’ll make sure to be careful from now on.

Kaname: …… So then it ended up getting on your clothes too, Onee-san.

Rei: Oh, yeah. It really was only just a bit, but Miyase-san said that he’d wash it for me……

Sorry I went ahead and borrowed your shirt, Kaname-kun.

Kaname: I don’t really mind. But it’s a little big on you, huh.

Rei: Yeah. I think the length may be kind of long……

Kaname: It’s not just the length, it’s overall. You’re a lot smaller than you think you are, Onee-san.

Rei: …… You’re talking about my height, right?

Kujo: My apologies. I’ll have your clothes delivered to your office after they’ve been cleaned.

Rei: No, actually, I’m somewhat sorry on my end.

It’s not like they were really nice clothes or anything, so you honestly didn’t have to bother.

Kujo: Nonsense. I do not feel at ease being in someone’s debt.

…… I can’t tell if you’re someone whose luck is good or bad.

Rei: Huh?

Kujo: I simply cannot allow a guest whom I’ve disrespected to leave empty-handed.

Rei: !

Kujo: You will not allow anyone other than that author to lay their eyes on it.

And you will definitely be the one to come return it.

If those conditions are acceptable by you, then I will lend out my family tree.

Shindo: ……

15.

-Downtown-

When I delivered the family tree that I received from Kujo-san to Makoto-san, it was the 23rd.

On the evening of the 24th, Makoto-san’s short story was completed.

I immediately delivered the finished manuscript to Hiyama-san, and in exchange, I received a brown envelope that I was now carrying……

Rei: ……! Alright, I’ll be able to make it in time!!

I headed straight for the Police Department as I ran through the illuminated city.

-CIU First Division-

Rei: Excuse me!

Hattori: Goodness, Matori-chan. Merry Christ—

Rei: Here! The goods I promised!!

Hattori: Don’t get so worked up now.

…… Hmm. That’s Hiyama for you, alright. He’s got some good intel on him.

Rei: T-Then……

Hattori: Your job here is complete. Well done.

Rei: ……!

Arakida: …… Good work.

Rei: Thank you!!

(Phew! With this, the peace of the public and mine own are safe……)

Sugano: Good for you~ Looks like we’ll be able to make it in time at this hour too.

Rei: ……? What for?

Sugano: Hm? I’m just talking to myself~ Well, give it your all later!

Rei: L-Later, as in……

Asagiri: When we dropped by your office today on a different matter…

Your desk was piled up with work.

Surely you don’t intend to go home as it is?

Rei: …… Why’d you go and make me remember it!? Just when I had forgotten all about it too!!

Arakida: (...... What a pitiful person.)

16.

-December 24th: Past 11pm-

-Investigation & Planning Division-

Rei: (...... While plenty of couples are in the middle of spending a happy Christmas on this very same Earth…)

(Here I am all alone doing overtime work. The more I think about it, the more my spirit feels like it’s going to break……)

An empty office, and every light besides the one directly above me was off.

Rei: (I’m already dead beat and I’m hungry as well……)

Christ~maaas is unfaaair~ to meee~ this year tooooo……

…… Haha.

After mocking myself with a far too sad parody of a song even in my lifetime, I collapsed onto my desk just like that.

Rei: (Sigh…… I wanted to have at least eaten a cake……)

[...... Pop! Pop!]

Rei: !!???

W-What in the……?

Suddenly, all the lights in the office turned on, and appearing out from behind the door was……

Rei: Y-Yui-san…… No, Santa Claus……?

Yui: Merry Christmas, Izumi.

17.

-Investigation & Planning Division-

Rei: Um, Yui-san? That outfit……

Seki: You’ve worked hard, Izumi.

Rei: !

Watabe: Santa Yui and the merry bunch of friends have come after being lured in by a forlorn singing voice~

Natsume: Man oh man, that tune was painful.

Imaoji: It wrung my heart to hear.

Rei: W-Why are you all here……

Yui: Because it’s Christmas today.

We came to deliver you a gift in return for having given us a present.

Rei: What present……? A gift in return?

Aoyama: As repayment for the work you’ve done…

Hattori-san took some action for one of our matters.

Natsume: And from Revel and the Tsuduki brothers as well.

We were given information concerning several different cases.

Rei: They all… did that……?

Seki: He did forbid me from telling you, but Hattori-san had promised as much from the very beginning.

Everyone else was unexpected though.

Watabe: Well, anyhow.

It just means that your efforts led to another crackdown on drugs.

Imaoji: We owe it to you, Rei-san. Thank you.

Rei: ……!

Aoyama: Why are you looking as if you’re about to cry?

Rei: T-That’s b-because…… it’s as if my Christmases and birthdays have suddenly come all at once in this Hell hole……

Sugano: Sorry to barge in~! Oh?

Hattori: Well now, things were surprisingly festive in here.

Rei: Huh?

Aoyama: Even Asagiri and Arakida too…… What’s going on?

Asagiri: Right back at you. I believe it’s well past working hours.

[~♪]

Rei: Oh, excuse me…… Hello?

Otani: “Oh, hey. Rei-chan?”

Rei: Hatori-san……?

Otani: “We’re all closeby at the moment, so what snacks do you want us to pick up?”

Rei: …… Err……? “We”, as in……

Otani: “By the way, the stay-at-home author and popular actor are also with us.”

“So none of this ‘you don’t have to drop by’, okay?”

Rei: Um, what!?

(It’s somehow starting to sound like more than just Christmases and birthdays rolling together!??)

18.

-Government Office Building: Rooftop-

Rei: …… Meeting up on the rooftop in this temperature of all things…

D-Don’t you find that strange?

Watabe: Well, what can you do? Would you have rather we all collectively be scolded for kicking up a ruckus inside the office on this particular day?

Not me~

Rei: True…… Wait, woah. That looks good!!

Aoyama: Use this sauce for that salad of yours.

Kagura: Actually, like…… What do you mean “she’s probably working overtime all by her lonely self”?

What’s with this number of people?

Otani: Rei-chan’s a lot more popular than I thought she was.

On top of the long tables that were brought up and lined together were the snacks from everyone.

Shockingly, each and every person had felt pity for the “girl working overtime alone on Christmas Eve”.

So they had apparently been intending to throw a small party for me.

Rei: (It ended up turning out to be on a whole other scale.)

(But well, this is somewhat in its own way……)

Kyosuke: …… Yeah. Oh, seriously? Right, I’ll be waiting then……

Rei-san!

Rei: What’s up?

Kaname: I was on the phone with Kana-kun just now.

Supposedly, the people from the Kujo Household are also in the area.

Rei: Huh!!??? Why??

Kyosuke: Something about coming to return your clothes is what he said.

Rei: ……!

Hattori: Goodness…… Well then, this I have to see.

19.

-Government Office Building: Rooftop-

Thereafter, everyone from the Kujo Household who had unexpectedly turned up altogether joined in as well……

And the Christmas party under the winter sky began.

Arakida: …… Um, sensei…… Tsuduki-san.

If you’d like, here.

Makoto: Yes, thank you.

Arakida: N-No worries…… There’s still a lot left, so…

Sugano: How rare~ Sosei-san is nervous.

Arakida: You shut up for real……

Kirishima: You got a pretty awesome body there now that I look properly.

Imaoji: It’s not nearly as built as yours, Kirishima-san.

Shindo: …… You’re doing well in toning your muscles. Seems like you’ve done an adequate amount of working out.

Imaoji: Haha. Thank you. I am more or less in this line of work, after all.

Rei: (Those three when put together are impressive. Compared to that……)

Kagura: Hmm, so you’re a high school student. You don’t look it.

Kyosuke: He appears grown-up, doesn’t he? But there’s surprisingly a lot of cute things about him that’s fitting for his age.

Kaname: …… What’s up with that? What part of me do you mean?

Maki: …… Probably the one where you give that sort of reaction.

Rei: (An itty-bitty club…… It’s kind of soothing……)

(Wait, if Kyosuke-kun stands up then it won’t be itty-bitty anymore.)

Hattori: Here you go, Hiyama. Thanks for all your troubles. You saved our asses this time.

Hiyama: …… I didn’t think that you would use Izumi.

Hattori: I’ll take the method with the higher success rate. I’m sure it’s something your side often does too.

Hiyama: Very well then. There was also merit in it for us, so let’s forgive and forget that other matter.

Rei: ……!

(Thank god. The storm has passed and they’re on better terms now……)

Hattori: Hm? That other matter? What was it again?

Hiyama: ……

Rei: (...... Nope. It looks like there’s still some rain to come.)

As I thought that, what came fluttering down from above us was……

Seki: …… Hmm. This doesn’t fare well. Is it going to rain?

Watabe: No, I’m pretty sure this is……

Makoto: …… Snow.

20.

-Government Office Building: Rooftop-

Asagiri: Come to think of it, the weather forecast did say of something like that.

Otani: So it’s a White Christmas this year.

Rei: Wooow. It’s kind of roman-ti-ti—

A-ACHOOO!!!

Kujo: …… What was that just now?

Miyase: Ahaha. A sneeze, I presume?

Natsume: As usual, you have zero credibility as a girl.

Rei: Well, excuse me! It just means that there’s at least one person out there who’s worried about me……

It was then that a jacket was gently placed onto my shoulders.

Rei: …… Oh.

Yui: You should wear this. It’ll be a problem if you catch a cold or something.

Rei: T-Thank you……

Yui: But if you really do catch one, please allow me to examine the work of your antibodies.

Rei: …… I’ll pass on that.

(Argh, I want to scold myself for even having swooned for a moment there……)

Maki: It’s probably because you’re wearing that thin coat.

Rei: Wow, so warm…… Wait, that’s not it.

Um, Maki-kun! I’m fine! It’s okay.

Maki: Just take it.

Watabe: It’s unnecessarily cold when you’re staying still~ Here, put this over your lap.

Rei: Oh, thank you……

Aoyama: Well then, this too…… Hey, Natsume. Don’t run off.

Natsume: No way. I definitely have less fat to keep me warm than Rei-chan.

Rei: Rude much!!!??

Sugano: I’m not cold either so no worries. Here you go.

Kyosuke: Here. I’ll lend you my gloves as well~

Rei: Huh? Er, that’s……

Hattori: You’re fluffed up with everyone’s love, Matori-chan.

All that’s left is to put a bucket on you and I’d say it’s complete.

Natsume: Oh, we have one in the office.

Rei: Please don’t try to finish dressing me as if I’m some sort of snowman!

(These people will take a shot at playing around with you if there’s even an opening!!)

…… But, thank you.

Makoto: (...... It was an Izumi Rei thing to do to give her thanks here.)

Arakida: What are you saying with your nose all red?

Kagura: More like, thanking someone after being utterly made a fool of? Really?

Aren’t you way too soft in the head?

Rei: Isn’t it fine? Today’s a day to celebrate after all.

Watabe: Well then, shall we toast once again~? To Rei-chan’s efforts.

And to this holy night.

Seki: …… Yeah.

Rei: Agreed!

* * *

A White Christmas at the stroke of midnight.

On this rooftop bouncing with conversation in cold breath,

There was no romance or presents to be had.

But for this place that I arrived at by a peculiar twist of fate,

And for the chance that I was able to receive to find my way here,

I was silently grateful.

“Here’s to another year.”

As I included my Christmas wishes to everyone in those words,

I toasted with my plastic cup.