Lucifer: The Bloody Christmas Arc

"When it comes to selfish desire, humans are a greater evil than devils."

29 February, 1900—Mion's birthday had arrived. She had completely forgotten about her birthday. But the teacher students were prepared to surprise her. After school, three girls from her class approached her: Yoko, Kushida, and Yuki. "Mion, come with us. We need to talk," Yoko said with a mysterious smile. Mion was confused at first, but they forced her to go with them. Confused, Mion repeatedly asked, "What's going on? Where are we going?" They ignored her questions and led her to the same bakery she went to with Manabu, 'Sweet Bakery,' the shop she cherished so much. As they reached the entrance, lights were turned off, the door swung open, and in unison, everyone inside shouted, "Surprise!"

Mion froze, her eyes widening in shock. For a moment, she just stood there blushing, taking it all in—the familiar faces, the decorations, and the warm smiles. Her gaze then fell on the beautifully designed cake at the center table, and right beside it, a framed photo of Naomi and Futuba. Manabu stepped forward and wished her, "Happy Birthday!" Tears welled up in her eyes. Mai, standing next to her, gently wiped them away and said, "You're not alone, idiot! We are your family, aren't we?" Leon was really happy for her. Mion smiled through her tears and stepped forward, cutting the cake with trembling hands. As a sign of affection, she offered the first bite to Mai, whispering, "Sorry… sorry for everything. You guys are my family, and I was too blind to see it. I'm sorry for being rude to you all." One of the students laughed. "No problem! It's all cool… Just let me have some cake already!"

The room erupted in laughter, and Mion, for the first time in a long while, laughed along with them. As the celebration went on, Taiju and Manabu took a moment to mention, "Leon was the one who came up with this entire plan." Taiju said with a pretty loud voice. Mion turned to Leon, a look of gratitude in her eyes. "Thank you… and I'm sorry for ignoring you all this time." Leon waved it off casually. "No! It was nothing, just chill! I just wanted to help my classmate." Mion smiled with little tears in her eyes and hugged him.The party lasted for hours, and everyone enjoyed themselves to the fullest. Eventually, it was time to leave, and one by one, the students departed. Mion, feeling lighter than she had in months, headed home. Mr. Daima looked quite satisfied too. Leon decided to hang out with Manabu and others for a while, so Daima left for home alone.

As the group walked together down the street—Leon, Taiju, Mai, and Manabu—Leon was excited because he got Mion's phone number and email address. Taiju, clearly impressed, patted his back and said, "From today, you're officially part of our friend circle." The four of them ended up at Manabu's house, lounging around and talking for hours. Eventually, Leon leaned back, and out of curiosity, he asked, "So… what do you guys think? Who Mr. Santa could be?" Taiju shook his head. "Not really." Leon asked another question that came to his mind throughout their conversation, "You guys mentioned there's a copycat, correct? Because the real Mr. Santa only targets criminals or bad people. But what if it was indeed Mr. Santa? And there is no copycat?" Manabu, resting his chin on his hand, thought for a moment before replying, "The chances of them being the same person are slim. Besides, what reason would the real Mr. Santa have to kill Naomi or her father? If you look at the crime records of Mr. Santa, he is not stable at one place, Joppo, Doshiqi, Christiana town, and many other districts and places. Killing Naomi and Futuba won't make any sense for him, since he has no time to waste and no reason to kill them." Leon nodded in agreement. "Yeah… I agree, that doesn't make sense. But what if the police department never revealed the true records and is still hiding many things from citizens? What if Mr. Santa is killing innocent people too, but the authority is using his image as a criminal killer to reduce the crime rate in Feropia and is also trying to catch him?" Taiju was silent and quite shocked by the reasoning. If that's the case, we're doomed. Just as they were discussing the case, Leon glanced at his left-hand watch, and his eyes widened. "Crap! It's already 8 PM. If I don't head home now, my dad's going to kick my ass!" Mai asked why he was wearing his watch upside-down; Leon replied there was no reason. It's just his habit; maybe he is comfortable this way. Mai and Taiju realized the time as well. "We should leave too." They all parted ways, heading back to their respective homes. But as Manabu was closing his door, he noticed something; he felt an eerie sensation, as if someone was watching them, from the opposite side of the apartment. Out of instinct, he glanced around but saw nothing unusual. He thought he was imagining things and he should sleep. As he closed the door. Unbeknownst to him, a figure stood on the fifth floor of the opposite building, lurking in the shadows. The figure observed them closely, and without a sound, the figure disappeared into the darkness.

The Next Morning— For the first time in a long while, Manabu had a peaceful sleep without any nightmares haunting him. Waking up refreshed, he felt a faint hope lingering in his chest—perhaps, after everything, Mion would finally be able to recover completely. As usual, he picked up the morning newspaper and started reading. A particular headline caught his attention—"No More Murders Since Christmas: Has Mr. Santa Vanished?" Manabu smirked to himself and thought, Just like the actual Santa Claus, no more gifts (killing) after Christmas ends. Shaking off his thoughts, he got ready for school. Their college final year exams were just around the corner—likely at the end of March—marking their graduation. Despite everything that had happened over the past few months, Manabu remained focused. "Discipline wins," he thought with a grin. Upon reaching school, he found Mion already there, smiling—a sight that brought genuine warmth to his heart. Just like before, their group was complete, and for once, life seemed normal again. Everyone had learned to move on. But…

02, March, At 10:36 PM— When Mion was preparing for her upcoming exams, she found herself distracted. For a while now, she had been thinking about taking up painting again. She wondered if she should continue studying— Lost in her thoughts, a sudden notification on her laptop snapped her back to reality. An email—from an unknown sender. The contents sent a chill down her spine: "Mion, meet me at the school gate tonight at 1:20 AM. I have something to tell you about Naomi and Futuba's deaths. Don't ask questions. Come alone." Mion's hands trembled.

'Who is this?' 'What do they know about Naomi and Futuba?' 'How did he find my number?'

Her mind raced with questions. She thought for a moment, She wondered if she should call Manabu, but she knew better than to tell her friends. She couldn't risk their safety. After a moment of contemplation, she made a cautious decision—she dialed Mr. Kenzo's number written in her classwork copy. She remembers Kenzo telling them to report if anything happens. After a few rings, Kenzo finally picked up the call. "Mr. Kenzo," she whispered, "something's wrong. I just got an email… about Naomi and Futuba… Can you help me?" — Kenzo asked who she was. Mion explained everything about her, about the mail and what it said. Kenzo's voice was stern yet reassuring. "Mion! Don't step outside until I get there. Tell me your address; I'm coming, and I'll go with you. Stay put. And lock your windows and door; don't open the door no matter what." Mion followed his instructions. Around 11:56 PM, Kenzo arrived at Mion's house and rang her doorbell. Mion's heart was racing. Kenzo just before the time went to the place with her while explaining what to do. "Once we get there, you'll stay at the gate," he instructed. "I'll hide in the bushes. If anything happens, I'll take action immediately. Mion nodded silently, trying to suppress her fear. She tried to calm herself.

At 1:23 AM, they reached the school gate, the street eerily silent under the flickering lampposts. Mion stood still as instructed, her heart pounding in her chest. She was looking at the time on her mobile anxiously. It was 1:30 already. Suddenly, from behind her, footsteps echoed against the pavement. A figure approached, clad in a black hoodie and a blue cap. Mion hadn't noticed him at first, but as soon as he called out to her, fear overtook her body. "Mion!" She let out a terrified scream and stumbled to the ground. "Ahh!!" Kenzo bolted from his hiding spot, charging at the figure and tackling him to the ground. Without hesitation, he yanked off the cap; the intruder screamed in pain. revealing the intruder's face. And it was Leon. Kenzo immediately said with a yelling tone, "Leon? You?! What the hell are you doing here at midnight?!" Leon blinked, equally startled. "Kenzo-san?!" Both of them stared at each other in disbelief and confusion, their minds racing.Kenzo yelled again, "What the fuck! Are you doing here at One Freaking Am, calling out to a girl? Are you out of your mind? Is she your girlfriend or something?!" Kenzo spat, glaring at Leon. Leon groaned. "What?! No! I just wanted to talk to her about something important! And why are you here?"Kenzo narrowed his eyes and said, "Mion called me, said a creep is texting her at mid-freaking-night, and he wanted to talk about something important at mid-freaking-night. Now what was the so-called important conversation you wanted to talk about?" Leon hesitated, then leaned in and whispered something into Kenzo's ear. Kenzo's expression immediately shifted from suspicion to shock. "Nah! No! Nope! No way! Hell no!" Kenzo shook his head in denial. But Leon persisted. "Uncle, they were Mion's family. She deserves to know!" Kenzo crossed his arms stubbornly. "Absolutely not. She's a kid, not a killer kid!" Mion, watching their exchange in confusion, finally spoke up.

"Mr. Kenzo… I want to know what happened to my sister and father. Please… let him speak." Kenzo noticed her determined eyes for a moment. Leon requested once again, and finally, after putting some thought into it, Kenzo sighed in defeat. "Fine. But Leon—only the important facts. No unnecessary details." Leon nodded solemnly and turned to Mion. "Tell me, Mion… What kind of person do you think our principal, Hojo Tetsuya, is?" Mion blinked at the sudden question. "I think… he's strict, but a good person. Maybe a bit too serious, but he means well." Leon's gaze darkened. He exhaled deeply and then delivered the truth like a blade cutting through silence. "What if I told you that your sister, Naomi, and your father, Futuba… were murdered by our principal, Hojo Tetsuya?" Mion's breath hitched. She froze, unable to process the weight of his words. Her mind went blank…

"Hojo is Naomi's killer and the Copycat."