Lucifer: The Bloody Christmas Arc

"Humanity is like a treasure, cannot be possessed by all. You may have a heart, but it is worthless if it beats with the coldness of stone."

At Night, 9:23 pm—After buying some groceries, Manabu was walking home, planning what to cook for dinner that night. As he walked through the dimly lit streets, his eyes caught a familiar jewelry store. A memory surfaced— Mion once liked a pair of earrings displayed in the window. He planned to get them for her birthday but never forgot. Neither got the chance to get them on Christmas nor her birthday. Manabu sighed, pushing the thought aside. Maybe next time. If he could save up some money from his newly acquired part-time job and borrow a little from his FD and savings, he might be able to buy it for her. A small, thoughtful gift. With that resolve in mind, he continued on his way home.

At the same day, mid-night, Leon called Mion out. Under the dim glow of the streetlights, close to school. Mion listened as Leon began to speak, "My dad and I came back from Lafiaza in October. We lived in Lafiaza for seven years. But after my mother passed away, he decided to move back to Feropia; I got admitted to DSH(Detens Scolers High School)soon after. My dad is a former investigator. He and Mr. Kenzo graduated from the same college and university. But my dad had a phobia of blood; he couldn't stand it. So he decided to quit and became a teacher instead. When we came back to Feropia, Kenzo and my father planned a small get-together, and we arrived in Christina for 'The Christmas Eve'." Leon's expression darkened as he narrated the incident, "December 25th, around 6-7 PM, we stopped near a shop because Kenzo was running late. My father was talking to him while I stood by the car outside. That's when I saw Naomi and her father, Futuba, walking down the opposite footpath. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary... until I noticed an old man in a brown jacket following them suspiciously; his face was covered by a face mask and cap. My instinct told me something was off. I just knew... something was definitely wrong. I followed them without telling my father, just in case. For more than five to six minutes, the old man kept following them. Nothing happened, and when I thought of turning back... but just near the park, I saw it." His voice broke slightly. "The old man pulled out a sharp knife and stabbed Futuba in the chest several times. Naomi, who was next to him, screamed loudly. I wanted to help, but I rushed to my dad as soon as possible."

Mion's eyes widened in shock, her heart pounding. Leon continued, "Sorry, Mion, I was there at the moment, but I couldn't save them. I ran back to my father as fast as I could. By that time, Kenzo had already arrived, and I explained everything, and we rushed to the park, but by then, the old man had disappeared. Futuba was already dead from the stab wound blood coming out... But Naomi was alive; she was breathing. My dad called an ambulance immediately. And by then many people gathered there. I thought we could save her if we reached the hospital in time, but… She didn't make it. Time of death 8:12:30" Tears welled up in Mion's eyes, but Leon leaned closer, wiped her eyes. And tried to calm her.

"But... how did you know it was Hojo?" She asked. Leon said that he saw his face that day. He told Kenzo about him, and they looked at the CCTV footage of the area, but unfortunately, they couldn't capture his face clearly. But when Leon first joined school, he recognized him immediately. "I told my father and Kenzo, but since we had no solid proof. CCTV footage didn't capture his face clearly. We decided to stay silent... because if Hojo found out that we knew his true identity, he might escape." Leon looked at Mion, guilt evident in his eyes. "I'm sorry, Mion. I kept this secret from you. I did try to tell this to you sooner, but you wouldn't talk. I'm sorry..."

Mion slowly looked at him, eyes filled with tears, grabbed his hand tight and showed him gratitude. She thanked him for at least telling her the truth. But she still had a question left. She hesitated to ask but she wanted to know, "Why? Why, Leon? Why did Hojo want to kill them?"

Leon looked at Kenzo; he was seeking his permission. Kenzo didn't say anything and sighed. Leon understood it as positive. He turned to Mion and wiped her eyes with his thumb.

"Every action has its own reason, and a tragedy has its origin."

Leon starts explaining everything from the very beginning. When Hojo was just an ordinary guy. Eight years ago—in Narurami (A district of Feropia), there was an encounter case involving a notorious criminal named 'Mado Tetsuya'. He was Hojo's only and beloved younger brother—but unlike Hojo, who was a respected man, Mado—was a criminal, who always seeking shortcuts to earn money, begging for help from his brother, or doing illegal things for satisfaction. but never trying to improve himself. Despite Hojo's efforts to steer him away, Mado got involved with a dangerous gang fight. Things took a turn when they killed a police officer in a brutal shootout. The entire police department was after them, and Mado's name was added to the most wanted list. Hojo, desperate to save his brother, gave up everything and fled with him to Christina town. But the police tracked him down.

Mado had to run for his life on 4th July—when Mado was escaping and hiding from a police chase, he broke into Futuba's apartment. And starts begging for shelter, but of course Futuba refused to let him in. Police surrounded the building. Just then, Naomi came back from her tuition. In his desperation, Mado grabbed her as a hostage, and Futuba didn't like it, not a bit. And did what any father would do.— 'Men are strange creatures. Men can run from a war—to save their own lives. Men can shamelessly beg and can also give up on their lives… But when it comes to their family and children, they can also become the wildest predator, they can do anything just to protect their family.'—And that's exactly what Futuba did. He strangled Mado without a second thought and pushed him from the 7th floor. And without any hesitation or remorse, he killed Mado Tetsuya. On the spot.

Mion covered her mouth, trembling. She knew about the incident but didn't know it was Hojo's brother.

"The newspapers print the news: 'Father killed the most notorious criminal to save his 10-year-old daughter.' The incident broke Hojo completely; he stayed depressed for months in his brother's absence. But in the end, he decided to take revenge. At first he killed Mado's friends because he thought they were the root reason why Mado turned out like this. And then the officers who were working on the case. Leon listed the victim's name.

"First of all, Joyce—29 years old, female officer, head of the case—shot Mado in his leg. She was killed a year later after the incident.Next victim, Ramemodo—age 37, involved in the operation, killed three years later, six months after his retirement.Kanao—age 21, the officer who submitted the names of the criminals, including Mado's name, to the wanted list, making the encounter happen. And finally, after ten years of patience… Hojo killed Futuba and his innocent daughter, our Naomi. The reason why Hojo waited so long was that he was afraid that he might get caught. If he keeps constantly killing people, the chances of him being caught would have increased. He knew that. So he stayed silent and played cool." Mion clenched her fists, anger boiling within her. "But... Naomi wasn't at fault! And what Dad did was what any father would do to protect his daughter! What Hojo did is... is injustice!" Her voice cracked, tears rolling down her cheeks.

"If Hojo loved his brother so much... why didn't he kill himself instead?" Leon placed a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"Humans find salvation in revenge rather than redemption. It's not about justice; it's about satisfaction. That's our nature; that's what we are. Even though it was his brother's fault, he needed someone to blame... and he chose an innocent child and her father." Mion started crying, her body trembling with sorrow and rage. Leon wiped her tears gently. He tried to help her, but before he could say more, Kenzo grabbed Leon by the collar. "Enough talking! It's almost 3 AM. Let's go home. And Mion, if you need anything, call me or the department. We're here for you 24/7." Leon gave her a small smile and said, "Bye!" before leaving with Kenzo.Mion stood there for a while. Everything she had learned brought her nothing but deep hatred, darkening her expression. As she slowly walked back home, she whispered under her breath,

"If you loved your brother so much... why didn't you kill yourself? 'Humans find pleasure in revenge rather than redemption? It's our nature...' Maybe that's very true." The next morning, Manabu arrived at school, and as usual, the first period had already begun. But lucky him, their first class was physics and Daima. Let him in. Leon waves his hand. With a smile. Mion was in the class, but she was quiet. Leon noticed her long face. He approached her at lunch period as well as Manabu. And they asked if she was alright. She said she was fine, just a little headache. Leon smiled and advised her to take rest properly and lean close to her ears and said, 'Don't overthink; everything will be fine; I'm here with you.' Mion smiled a bit and nodded. However, the next day something felt off—Manabu noticed Mion was absent. A flicker of concern crossed his mind.During the lunch break, Leon approached him with a casual air but a hint of concern in his voice. "Do you know where Mion is? She didn't come today." But Manabu didn't know. He thought she was ill since she had a headache yesterday. As they spoke, Taiju and Mai walked over, their faces beaming with a certain glow. "We're officially dating," Mai announced, and Leon's face lit up with a grin. He patted Taiju on the shoulder. "Finally! So, when's the wedding?"Taiju blushed, scratching the back of his head. "Huh!? Wedding!?" Manabu chuckled while Mai mentioned their plans for a date later that day. But then Taiju asked about Mion. But none of them were sure. Maybe not unwell. Taiju suggested Manabu meet her after school. "You should go and check on her after school," Manabu thought the same, but that day, he had to attend a club meeting. So he tried calling Mion, but—no answer.A day passed, and still no clue; he tried calling her but got no response. Concern gnawed at him, and he decided to visit her home. When he reached her apartment, the door was locked. She wasn't home.Another day passed, then another. A week went by, and Mion's absence became a gaping void. Something was definitely wrong.On Monday morning, Manabu arrived at school, yawning and rubbing his eyes. As he walked in, he noticed a group of police officers standing outside the school gates. His brows furrowed. 'What's going on?' His concern grew; he was worried about Mion. In the classroom, he dropped his bag and immediately went to Taiju's section to ask him about the situation. "Hey, do you know what's happening?" Taiju shrugged. "No idea. They've been here since early morning. Looks serious." Soon, the first period began. Mr. Daima entered the classroom, but he wasn't alone. A police officer followed him inside. Mr. Kenzo stood outside, peering in through the window with a grim expression. Manabu was shaking; he just hoped it wasn't related to Mion. His gaze shifted to Leon, who was sitting with his head buried in his hands, sweat trickling down his temple. He looked unusually stressed—an abnormal response. The police officer stepped forward and announced, "Your school's respected principal, Mr. Hojo Tetsuya, was killed yesterday night. And…

"The prime suspect is Sayuri Mion."