Lucifer: The Bloody Christmas Arc

"Hojo's murder wasn't just an ordinary death—it was murder."

A murmur of shock rippled through the classroom. The tension thickened. Manabu's heart skipped a beat. 'Murder?'"And the prime suspect," the officer continued, Student had visible tension on their face. Visible fear was on Leon's face. As the policemen said, "It's Mion."

The whole class was shocked, as well as Manabu. The classroom erupted into gasps and whispers. Stunned silence followed. Manabu felt his stomach drop. Even in Taiju and Mai's section, the same news was delivered, leaving the students in disbelief. The officer continued, his voice cold and professional. "Last night—around 7pm—Mr. Hojo was brutally killed at his residence. He was struck with an axe more than 20 times—10 blows to the face and on the various parts of his body. The suspect allegedly carried the axe inside a violin case. Her fingerprints were found on the weapon." the room filled with tension, Leon started to shake as the officer started telling the details. "An old man, who lives in his neighborhood, had visited his house for just a coffee. but found the front door unlocked. Upon entering, he saw blood dripping down from the second floor; the smell of the blood filled the place with horror. He immediately contacted the police. We discovered the body around 9 PM. As of now, the suspect is missing, and we've been actively searching for her since last night."

Manabu stood up abruptly. "Are you sure it's Mion? She's not the kind of person who would do something like this! Why would she kill our principal?" The other students agreed to the statement and started arguing with the officer. But the officer slams his hand on the table to silence the room.

He looked at Manabu with an annoyed face. But he took a long breath and composed himself. "As I mentioned, she is our prime suspect based on the evidence, but that doesn't mean she's guilty. She could be the perpetrator or merely involved. We cannot conclude anything until we find her. So is there anyone who may have knowledge about where she could be? ..."No one spoke. The weight of the accusation hung heavily in the air. The officer looked at Manabu and asked the same question, but there was no response.Manabu didn't know what to say. Leon was being haunted by terror, and a visible fear had held upon him. He looked at Kenzo, who was standing outside, but he didn't seem happy at all. Leon couldn't keep eye contact with him for shame. Before leaving, the officer issued a warning. "Fine, if any of you have or get any information related to Mion or this case, contact our department immediately. Do not attempt to interfere with the investigation; otherwise, you might have to pay a huge cost. Thank you!"As they left, the atmosphere in the room remained thick with unease.

The teacher from the other classes gathers in the Science-A section. They were worried about Mion. Mai and Taiju came to peek for a while. Manabu clenched his fists. 'It's all fucking' bullshit; she has no reason for it."Manabu was so messed up in his mind. He was just so confused, 'Why is this happening? What is going on? Since Christmas, what is going on?!' He pressed his head for mental pressure he couldn't bear. Unable to believe what he had just heard. "Mion, accused of murder? No—it couldn't be. Mion isn't like that!" His heart pounded in his chest as his mind raced through the possibilities.Leon, standing across from him, looked pale and exhausted, his eyes reflecting the weight of what he had witnessed. He witnessed something horrifying.

After school, when all the students were leaving, Manabu was still sitting on his chair, looking up with pale eyes. Taiju and Mai approached him. But Manabu said he'll be alright and starts grabbing his stuff, putting it inside his bag. And simply walked away. Leon was outside of the class waiting for everyone to leave. Leon pulled Manabu aside and asked him to meet at the school's backyard, away from prying eyes. "Manabu," Leon said, his voice low but firm. "I know where Mion is..." Manabu's eyes widened in shock. "What? You know? And you didn't tell me earlier? Where is she?" Leon tells him to stay quiet, and they went to the backyard. Leon kept his bag hanging from a little tree branch, rummaging through his bag and pulling out an envelope. "Let me show you something at first, before you ask anything." He handed over the envelope to Manabu and asked him to look through all of the pictures. Manabu snatched the envelope, his fingers trembling as he pulled out a stack of photographs. His breath caught in his throat. "These...these are Mion's pictures." He glanced at Leon, his confusion deepening.

Leon took a deep breath and began to narrate his story— "Yesterday, around 5 PM—I was at a shop to buy a camera I'd been saving up for. I even borrowed some money from my dad to finally get it. You may not know, but I love taking pictures of insects and nature. When I left the store, I ran into Mion." Manabu listened intently as Leon narrated—she barely glanced at him, just said, 'Hello, so sorry! I'm in a rush, see ya!' and left. Leon's eyes darkened. "I thought she was busy, so without saying anything, I followed her…" Manabu's expression shifted. "Wait—why did you follow her? You were suspicious of something?" he asked suspiciously. Leon scratched the back of his head, embarrassed. He admits he likes Mion. "Look, buddy, nothing personal. I know she's your girl, but... Ever since she hugged me on her birthday, I started to like her too. I thought maybe I'd get to know her address. That's why... " Manabu didn't make it any more awkward for him. Leon cleared his throat. And says, "She stopped by this house..." Pointing at one of the pictures, he handed it to Manabu. "Check the nameplate," he mentioned.Manabu's eyes looked through the image, and his blood ran cold. The plate read: Hojo Tetsuya. "What the hell... That's not her house. I know where she lives; it's Hojo's residence…" Manabu's voice lowered as he realized what was going to happen. Leon nodded grimly. "Exactly. I was confused too. When I saw the nameplate. But then I saw Mr. Hojo standing on his balcony, smoking."Leon zoomed in with his camera and saw someone was standing at the top floor; Hojo was smoking on his balcony while Leon took the pictures. Leon had chills through his whole body.

He mentioned at the moment his instinct runs crazy. He had quite the idea why she could be here, but he tried to convince himself she wouldn't do something so insane. Mion, meanwhile, disappeared; Leon looked around from a distance and noticed the door was slightly open. Suddenly she switched off the electrical connection of the house. —"She had the key to Hojo's residence", Leon said. She unlocked the door without making any noise and slowly She entered the house. And Hojo also disappeared from his balcony. Manabu stared at the picture, his hands trembling slightly. All he could think was, "How did she get those keys? What is going on?!"Leon swallowed hard. "I was so scared; I was so stoned—'What should I do?!' 'What should I do?!' — Then I summoned some courage, and I followed her inside... without making a sound. I was scared, but... I needed to know what was going on. 'Even though I knew' Leon whispered. I was praying she wouldn't do what I was thinking. Even after what Hojo did—Mion can't do it, can she?" His breathing grew heavy. "And then... I heard it. A scream." Manabu flipped to the last picture of the envelope—his stomach churned at what he saw. Mion, in the middle of the room, an axe raised high, her face twisted with determination... and Hojo Tatsuya, covered in blood.

His arm was severed, torn flesh and splintered bone jutting from the stump. An axe had cleaved through his face, leaving a deep, ragged wound that split skin and muscle clearly hanging apart. His throat was nearly bisected, blood coming out of his neck veins, the gash exposing his windpipe and the torn remains of his esophagus. His jaw hung loose, partially detached, with his tongue protruding through a gaping hole beneath it. Blood pooled beneath him, the air thick with the stench of iron, the smell of blood and death. The image was so terrifying, Manabu couldn't help but want to puke. He quickly put his hand on his mouth to get hold of himself. She kept swinging the axe. Over and over and over again. — "I couldn't move. My whole body froze. At that time, I made a huge mistake. I didn't notice my camera was on auto flash mode, so when I took that picture, you could see visible light on her, the flash caught her eyes, and she turned." Manabu's heart nearly stopped. "She saw you?" Leon nodded shakily. "Maybe... But before she could react, I managed to get away. I ran like hell, jid in some alley for hours before I dared to go home. I was crying while looking at those pictures and pestering myself."—'What have I done?' After 2 hours, Leon decided to returned home. But Manabu wasn't satisfied. He wanted to know the reason why she killed Hojo. Leon realized he still didn't told Manabu about the night he met Mion.

He explained everything to him about what he talked to Mion about, Hojo's history, and Mion's anger: "Hojo was the killer of Naomi and Futuba—he did injustice to them, to her. And maybe that's why she killed him." Manabu realized; everything had been happening under their noses. Manabu said it was Leon's fault, and clearly they were in a fucked-up situation. Anger bursts in his face, as realizes why Mion did this, "That is exactly why she did this—she killed Naomi's killer. She served justice. But now everything is out of hand." But then Leon denies, 'That's not true; we still have a chance to save her. I know where she is." Manabu's eyes widened; he grabbed Leon's shoulders and gripped tightly. "Where is she?! Tell me!" Manabu demands her location; repeatedly.

"You gotta stay calm, I know I made mistakes but this time we will get through this, Don't worry!" Manabu removed his hands from him. And starts scratching his head. Leon apologized once again but then asked, "If you knew everything already, why didn't you tell the officer about it?" Leon immediately denies it. "No—No! Manabu, we can't tell the police. Or we might get Mion in trouble; think about it—policemen are already suspicious of her, and if we tell them her hiding spot, she will be guilty of Hojo's murder, and if we prove my father is actually 'Mr. Santa', Mion will ge—" Leon paused immediately, realizing what he said. He looked extremely uncomfortable. Manabu stared at him with fear in his eyes. "Leon, what did you just say? ..."Manabu quite heard that clearly, but he didn't want to make him more uncomfortable; also, he got used to these sudden turns of events. He asked Leon to continue. Leon seemed quite uncomfortable, but he took a long breath and told the rest of the story, "While I was on my way home, I was wondering if I should tell this to Kenzo or not since she committed a murder and definitely will be imprisoned. He needed his help." He was regretting not listening to Kenzo. But out of the blue, he noticed Mion walking in his house. Leon was extremely scared—"My heart almost stopped. 'Did she see me? Is she here to kill me?' But then I realized... my dad was home alone." Leon rushed to stop her, but as he walked inside, he froze abruptly when he overheard a conversation between Mion and his father. Pressing his ear to the door. He listened intently. Mion's voice was strained. "I killed him. Now what should I do?" —Leon said he overheard their conversation. Daima's tone remained calm. "Did anyone see you?" He asked."Probably not," Mion replied hesitantly.

Daima sighs in discomfort; He probably gave her some clothes to change. "Change your clothes and get ready. You'll need to stay hidden for a few weeks. And until I say otherwise, you're not going anywhere. There's food arranged for you at the hospital." Leon's heart pounded in his chest as the weight of the truth crashed down on him—his father was involved in all of this. Mion was approaching the door. Quietly, Leon crept upstairs to his room while Mion entered the bathroom to change.

His mind refused to accept what he just heard. His father was not just aware of Mion's actions but was actively aiding her. As Leon turned to his room door, his eyes landed on something unusual—"The storeroom door was open." Leon tells him their storeroom is never left open. His dad always keeps the keys. But last night, it was open. He stepped forward, approaching the room silently, and looked back if he had time. his pulse racing. He slowly peeked inside—and what he saw made his blood dry. Manabu found it hard to believe. Leon brings out his phone and shows some pictures from his gallery. Inside, the room was filled with Santa-related items—a long black coat, numerous photos of victims, and even a picture of Manabu and his friends, including Mion. Sharp weapons were neatly arranged, and on the table lay the very gifts and toys that had been found at the Santa crime scenes. Manabu's breath hitched, his entire body frozen in shock. Leon turned to him, his face pale and voice hollow.

"My father is Mr. Santa Claus."