A/N:
Hello, everyone. Apparently, I decided to remake the first fanfic that I actually managed to finish.
I never got to incorporate some parts in the original source into the original ACCC, thus deciding to make a reboot.
Disclaimer: I just claim ownership of any OCs.
A Chuuni Christmas Carol: The Remake
Chapter 1
Chris's Ghost
Chris Dekomori was dead to begin with. It was engraved in his gravestone six years ago after he died in a car accident. As dead as a ringing bell was he. And Sanae Dekomori knew about it in those past few years.
Chris is Sanae's older cousin from California who writes novels and short stories. Kurisu is his real name, but he decided to anglicize it when he and his family moved to the American state. Everytime he drops by to Japan for Christmas, he showcases her peculiar things he got from across the ocean. Like Sanae, he is delusional, except that he isn't dumb either.
For Sanae, Chris is the last thing that she enjoyed in her entire life should her delusions disappear. Other than being proficient at school academics, she never valued anything but him and her own delusional persona.
Because of this, only a few schoolmates in school managed to make friends with her. A majority of them in the same class as her were even intimidated to ask her "Will you care to come to our place this Christmas?" everytime the occasion neared by.
In other words, no season, occasion, or event was enough to make her get worked up in any way possible.
As mentioned earlier, delusions and her deceased cousin are the only things that Sanae cares about. That is the justification leading to people, neighbors and schoolmates alike, mostly assuming that Sanae is Sanae, having chuunibyou and all that jazz.
Less than a few days before Christmas Eve. Even days before the day after that kicks off, people are racing to shopping malls to look for items that they can give to their fellow friends and family kin as Christmas gifts. In Japan, Christmas isn't exactly celebrated as a holiday like most other countries in the world do, but people there adopted it into their cultural norms anyways, still treating it as if it were an important occasion.
In the Dekomori residence, set in the present day, Sanae was in her living room, typing at her computer.
There was a sudden knock at the door, and Sanae decided to open it.
It was another one of her cousins. Her name is Mitsuki.
"A merry Christmas to you, fellow cousin. May God save you!" Mitsuki said.
"Bah, humbug." Sanae mumbled, returning to sit down in front of her computer.
"Are you telling me that Christmas is matter of stupidity? You definitely wouldn't mean that, do you?"
"Yes, Mitsuki. Merry Christmas to you too. In death's name, do you have a reason or a right to be merry at this point of time? You're sane enough."
"In your case, why have the right to be delusional? You're insane enough."
Sanae, not prepared with another better laconic answer at the moment, rather said, "Bah."
"If you're speaking that line when you're referring to Christmas, don't be like that," Mitsuki said.
"What else in death's name can I do, cousin?" Sanae replied, "When my cousin's long gone, I have no reason to get worked up again in this world. What is Christmas to you but a time when people are insanely having fun and enjoying themselves? If I can work on my own will and testament, every person who tries to greet me 'Merry Christmas' will face the wrath of the Mjolnir Tornado!"
Sanae twisted both of her twintails like a centrifuge.
"Sanae!"
"Mitsuki!" the former replied, "Keep Christmas in your own way. I will do it in mine."
"I don't guarantee that you would keep your promise."
"I'll do that in death's name if you keep away. Just let me leave it alone. It's more fun to you than it is to me anyways."
"Listen up, Sanae. There are some things in this world that I see as a sign of goodwill. Christmas is one of them," Mitsuki explained, "Let me tell you three pieces of information."
She continued, counting her pointing, middle, and ring fingers in moderate succession.
"1, it's the easiest way to gather along family and friends. 2, it's the one time when people express themselves to the world to their heart's content, and 3, it is even celebrated here in Japan where it isn't treated as a holiday like it is in other countries in the world. Sanae, I tell you this that there's nothing wrong with celebrating Christmas when there's no need to resort to delusions. May God bless it!"
Sanae sarcastically clapped her hands.
"I hope in death's name that you better get broken," she said, "For that matter, you would never go out of place in the Diet."
"I don't have to be a future government worker just to make an impromptu speech like this."
"Going back to the point, I'm decided to invite your schoolmates here at home this coming Christmas."
"Yeah, yeah, I know that. We'll dine in hell."
"Why would you never be cautious with your choice of words?"
Sanae attempted to dodge the question by asking her one of her own. "But I must ask you this. I heard that you fell in love. In death's name, why?"
"Because everyone does, and so can you."
"Because everyone does, and so can I?!"
Sanae sighed, replying, "In death's name, get out of here and have a great afternoon."
"You didn't come to see me before this happened."
"Good afternoon," Sanae said, her tone lowering a little.
"I want and ask none from you. Why can't we be friends at this point?"
"Good afternoon."
"I am horribly failing to see you as being not-so resolute. We never fought or anything, but at least I have made the trial in respect for Christmas."
Mitsuki then clenched her fist in the air, exclaiming, "Merry Christmas, Sanae!"
"Good afternoon!"
"Oh, and a happy New Year to you too!"
"I'm going to repeat it again until you stop making any mention of it!"
Sanae sighed as Mitsuki left the bedroom.
"Yet another one. Yet another one who never qualms about Christmas. I'd rather go and see Master."
Another knock was heard at the door.
Sanae thought, "I'm sure that's Mitsuki again trying to preach me about Christmas for sure."
When she opened the door, it was the head maid, Mato Fujiwara.
"Two guests are waiting for you in the living room," she said.
In the living room, two grown up boys, one who was tall and the other being shorter, sat on a couch with Sanae sitting on another one facing them.
"Sorry if we may have bothered you, but may we have the pleasure of addressing either Chris or Sanae Dekomori?" the tall one said.
"Chris died six years ago on this very day."
"I see that now," the short one said.
"It's undoubtedly clear that his eccentric personality has been represented well by his cousin," he continued.
"Eccentric, you say?" the tall one said.
"Is there a better word than that?"
"Oh, whatever," said the tall boy.
Sanae apparently recognized those two boys. They happen to be Chris's friends currently doing charity work.
As usual, she thought they were of no use to help her get worked up from her current state.
"At this festive time of the year, it is of the greatest decision of our organization that we continue to provide help for the Africans that have been made miserable and ill due to a recent epidemic. Billions of them do not share the same way of living as the Japanese do, so we simply came here to appreciate your help."
"Are there any mysterious administration bureaus?"
"I don't get what you mean, but there's plenty of them, I guess."
"And the parallel worlds. Are they still existing?"
"I'm not sure what you mean either."
"For that matter, our organization has settled with the idea of establishing a charity fund to to provide the evacuating Africans something to eat and drink, as well as clothing and other things too. What will we put you and your family down for?"
"None," Sanae replied.
"Do you wish to stay anonymous?"
"I wish to stay alone," Sanae said, "I'm not merry at an occasion like this, and I qualm at making lazy servants happy. I only care about what I just mentioned earlier, so whoever ends up being badly off in death's name better face suffering."
"It doesn't make logical sense if you think of bringing people to parallel worlds; this is reality, you know," the tall one said.
Sanae said, "I hope these people escape reality just to make the population less sane! And besides, I'm oblivious about that."
"But you know the ongoing situation, right?"
"In death's name, I have nothing to do with it," Sanae said, "It's good enough that we all know what are we doing, and we don't try to bother with others. Good afternoon!"
Just as the two boys went out of the mansion, the short boy whispered to the tall one, "That was a crappy effort we just did."
"No, that wasn't our fault. Blame her."
Evening fell. The snow poured in as lot of people gathered into the stores, shops, and malls to make decisions on what Christmas gifts do they want to give to their kin and friends. Both children and teenagers played in the snow and slid down hills using toboggans. Others were watching TV specials, be it anime or live-action in their homes to warm up from the cold. It was a festive occasion, and an enjoying one as well.
A group of carolers dropped by the Dekomori residence to sing Christmas songs. But when Sanae heard them sing, she chased them away after the second song, yelling, "Move along!"
After a warm and hearty dinner, she returned to her bedroom, turning off the lights before heading off to bed. But before she did, she turned on the lampshade that lit a bright orange color.
Just after a few minutes since Sanae started her shuteye, a knock was heard.
"I'm asleep. In death's name, go away," she mumbled and went back to sleep.
However, it was interrupted by the ringing of her alarm clock.
After snoozing it, Sanae heard another sound that turned into pealing of bells. She dived back into the bed to cover her ears with her pillows until the noise died down.
Another one that is bizarre awaited to unfold before her.
"Speak of the devil, it must've started to give me the chills," she said to herself nervously.
A clinking sound was heard, becoming noisier as something went closer to the door.
The doorknob slowly moved with little squeaking. Sanae had no choice but to twist one of her twin-tails as if to charge for an attack.
Sanae stopped though when she did realize that she managed to lock the doorknob.
"Ha! It's a good thing I put a mystical barrier in it!"
Four ghostly pigmented green daggers with chains connected to their hilts magically appeared from the door, hitting a wall.
Much to Sanae's aghast, she stumbled into the floor.
"Did it just get real?"
A ghost showed up, looking unclean in appearance with his shirt and torso slightly ripped. Smoke appeared as he entered.
He was handcuffed to the chains connected to the hilts of the daggers that struck the wall. He also dragged in more chains, this time, attached to heavy blocks of metal.
Sanae got back up, asking, "What do you want?"
"A whole lot," the ghost said in a voice that Sanae thought was familiar.
"Who the hell do you think you are?"
"But first, take a good guess who I was."
"Who in death's name are you then? Because you do sound familiar."
"In life, I am your cousin, Chris Dekomori."
"If you're a specter, can you sit down?"
"Sure, why not?"
Sanae apparently asked the question, doubting that given the fact that Chris is now a transparent ghost.
It was in her prejudice that it would seem impossible for him to be in a condition to take a seat.
But Chris had little qualms sitting on an office chair next to Sanae's computer desk.
"I don't think you believe in the Chris who believes in you," Chris's ghost said, beginning the conversation.
"What are you talking about? Of course I don't."
"Other than having seen or heard me, do you have any other proof that I landed here on this very spot as you?"
"Uh-"
"Why doubt your own senses?"
"Even a slight thing affects them. There's more of dirty than dirt about you, whoever you may be!"
"If you're trying to make a good joke out of that, I'm still clean."
"And to think that you, of all things, would drop by like a wild beast crashing on my mystical barrier. Humbug!"
"Who the hell do you think you are?!" the ghost exclaimed.
"Why trouble me like that?"
"Girl of the delusional mind, do you believe in the Chris who believes in you?"
"Uh, I think I am," Sanae replied, "For that matter, do you phantoms have a reason to roam around and come near me?"
"That's what we do once we're dead. I'm in despair! Woes to myself!"
"You know, you got some chains in you. I wonder what are those?"
Chris' ghost pulled one of the chains and showed it to Sanae, replying, "This chain? I forged it in life. Link by link, yard by yard, I made it myself. Does the pattern seem awkward making the chains themselves look fat?"
Sanae didn't say a word.
"Or so you may think it is. Should you bear a ponderous chain like this, it will be longer and heavier than this one. Even if you don't realize it, you worked on this."
"Don't tell me I'm going to carry something heavier than that," Sanae said.
"It's the only thing that I can tell you and nothing else. Some of these things are not under my control, as you can see. I cannot wander off nor can I stay any much longer. My spirit never walked beyond the places that I went. It never got past the limits of chuunibyou either, and now, a never-ending journey is waiting for me."
"Dead since six years ago, and yet you traveled to different worlds or something?"
"Yes, Sanae. I got no time for rest and peace."
"You travel that fast?"
"I can travel at an air-speed velocity of an air-laden swallow."
"That line sure sounds familiar," Sanae said, "You sure make a good master of business."
"Business, you say?! Literature is my business! Novels and short stories are my business!" And even so, chuunibyou is my business!"
Chris's ghost suddenly coughed up.
After that, he continued, "Oh, I guess my time's up."
"Wait, what?"
"I'm here to tell you that if you want to live and never fall for the same mistake that I did, listen carefully."
"You make a good master."
"Unless you know what to do by now, I'll tell you that three spirits will come to haunt you."
"Is that . . . . . what I think it is?"
"Um, yeah. But due to the fact that you may not be able to relate with the spirits in their original appearance, perhaps it would be of my greatest idea to make three chuuni personas of three people you know as the three spirits that will do the haunting! That would be perfect!"
"What? You can do that?"
"As I asked you before, do you doubt me?"
"Oh, sorry," Sanae replied, "Can I go for 'no'?"
"This is a contract that is best not refused. Nothing good happens if you don't do something about it."
Something came to Chris' ghost's mind.
"Oh, I also have to tell you that the first spirit will show up when the clock strikes at one."
"Can I rather get to meet them all at once?"
"Getting to meet them all is highly improbable, or in other words, it won't happen. You'll have to meet the second spirit at the second hour the next night, and the third one on the night after that once 12 midnight strikes."
Chris' ghost removed the daggers struck into the wall.
He said, "Have a nice night. You may look forward to not seeing me anymore, but at least you have to remember what happened tonight. Stay gold."
Opening the window nearby, he simply entered along with the chains he carried.
Just as Sanae was about to catch up to Chris' ghost, the latter stopped her with his hand before he completely disappeared out of sight.
Sanae eventually looked outside through the window, only to notice spooky apparitions roaming about, moaning with regret and lamentation.
Every single one of them was bound into chains like Chris' ghost did.
Not wanting to be aghast for staring too long, Sanae closed the window and went to the door. It was still locked.
"The spirits that resemble my allies in battle whom I have to meet are obviously familiar."
She went back to sleep. She was starting to feel a little uncomfortable about the words Chris' ghost gave to her.
