A Matter of Belief

During Nodoka's time in Achiga

On the last day of class before Christmas, Harue's tankery club let out for the day.

The atmosphere in the club had an understated Christmas feel to it. Harue wore a red Santa hat with business casual attire, a white turtleneck sweater and khaki pants that hardly seemed to be holiday colors. The younger kids in the club pretended to do tankery with their toy tanks in a snowy battlefield model, while Nodoka's group- consisting of herself and her friends, Takakamo Shizuno, Atarashi Ako and Matsumi Kuro- were able to take the Firefly for a test drive in the snow.

"My sister must be glad she's not out here," Kuro thought, as she, along with her fellow members of the practice tank crew, headed inside for hot chocolate. Yuu had hesitated to join the tankery club because of her own shyness, until the time had come for her to go off to middle school. Yuu, always sensitive to the cold, enjoyed being at sea during the Nara winters, but was willing to put up with them to see her father and sister, and visit her mother's grave.

On the walk back, Shizuno, Ako, Kuro and Nodoka discussed their plans for Christmas.

"So what are you all doing for Christmas?" Shizuno said.

"My sister should be getting home from school today," Kuro said. "Dad and I will be glad to have her home."

"My sister's also getting home from work," Ako said, drawing momentary looks of disbelief from the others. On occasion, her friends were surprised at how much larger the age gap between her and Nozomi was than the gap between Kuro and Yuu. It was sometimes hard to accept that one sister was in elementary school and the other was working.

"Not much," Nodoka said. "My family has never really believed in Santa Claus, or in encouraging good behavior through material rewards. That aside, I've heard about him, but never really believed in him."

"Not ever, Nodoka-chan?" Kuro said. "Why is that?"

"Well, if you think about it, a lot of it doesn't make sense," Nodoka said. "The few houses with chimneys around here have all sorts of safety measures in place to prevent someone from getting in. They're for the sake of the homeowners, and to some degree, for the sake of those who might think about going down the chimney. And isn't Santa Claus rather fat, by all accounts, as well as carrying a huge sack of toys?"

"Yeah, you have a point," Ako said.

"Additionally, I have to wonder how he, driving a sleigh small enough to be driven by eight or nine reindeer- I forget which it is- could travel the entire world in one night, or give presents to the children all across the world. It'd be impossible for an airplane, let alone a reindeer-drawn vehicle, to cover so much ground so quickly or carry so much cargo, and that's not going into how the reindeer can't fly."

Kuro was tempted to say "It's magic," but knew better. Two years ago, her father had taken her and her sister to a museum with an exhibit about birds. While there, she had learned enough about how they could fly to learn that there was no logical way for reindeer to fly while carrying a sleigh.

"There's also how he and his reindeer keep themselves fed through the entire journey," Nodoka said. "Given that for any vehicle like a sleigh, you have to keep the animals well fed and well rested, it really doesn't seem practical to do it."

"Don't tell me you forgot, Nodoka," Shizuno said. "That's why we put out the milk and cookies! My mom runs a candy store, so she's the best there is at making sweet stuff!"

"So what happens if we don't do that, Shizuno?" Nodoka said. "Will Santa be unable to continue his journey without the food we provide him?"

"I don't know," Shizuno said. "I never thought about that when I was younger."

"It also seems fairly convenient," Nodoka said, "that other kids' parents tell them to go to sleep or else Santa won't come. But if they do sleep, they'll never see him enter or leave.""You have a point, Nodoka-chan," Kuro said. "A lot of things about Santa don't make sense when you think about them, particularly when he performs impossible feats and leaves virtually no traces behind apart from his gifts. But there is a certain magic in believing in Santa Claus, and in believing that if you're a good girl, you'll get presents, regardless of whether you're rich or poor. And there are certain things you don't need to see to believe."

Kuro left unspoken how her family was sometimes short on money. This often happened when business was bad at the Matsumi inn, particularly around the time Kuro and Yuu's mother had died.

But nevertheless, Nodoka was aware of such things, and so chose to rest her case. She saw this as a matter of belief, and had no desire to shatter Kuro's beliefs, even if she had the ability.

"I understand," Nodoka said, "and I think it would be pleasant to believe that, even if I never could. I may not believe in the occult or any sort of superstitions, but when people believe in such things for those reasons, I can't fault them for doing so."

"Of course, regardless of whether Santa exists or you believe in him, I think all of us recognize that the holidays aren't about presents, but spending time with those you're close to," Kuro said. "That's why I'm glad my sister's coming home."

"That's good to hear," Nodoka said. While she had her disagreements with her parents regarding tankery and school, she was looking forward to spending some time with them while putting those matters aside.

The conversation soon died down, and the group parted ways from each other as their paths home diverged, promising to meet each other again soon. They knew they would possibly go their separate ways in middle school, and Nodoka's family might leave Achiga before that, but they cherished the time they had together.

Kuro soon reached her house. The most convenient route to and from school took her to the back of the building.

"I'm home," Kuro said, as she entered her home from the back door.

"Welcome home, Kuro," Kuro's father said as she started taking off her shoes. "Your sister just got here."

Kuro nodded in appreciation, but then turned to one of the side rooms, where she saw her sister resting with her lower body beneath a kotatsu.

"Welcome home, Kuro-chan," Yuu said warmly.

Kuro smiled. The holidays had brought what was left of her family together, fulfilling her belief that she and those close to her would still be able to see each other.

"Welcome home, Onee-chan," Kuro said.


Author's Notes

Among all of Saki: Achiga-hen's main cast, Kuro seems to believe most strongly in the supernatural phenomena, seeing her dora magnet as something of a link to her deceased mother (which Nodoka doesn't believe in, but she doesn't tell Kuro that she doesn't believe her for the sake of sparing her feelings). Perhaps she's also the sort to have once believed in Santa Claus.

Character Analysis: Kuro Matsumi

Among Nodoka's old friends, Kuro is in many ways the one holding the group together, even if she's not the leader. She's close to all the others in the group in her own way. And while Shizuno offers her enthusiasm, Ako offers her intelligence, Arata offers her reliability and leadership, and Yuu offers her experience, Kuro offers her steadfast determination to the group. Just like how in Saki Achiga-hen, she was willing to keep cleaning the club room for two years in case someone returned, she holds out hope that they will reunite with Nodoka one day. For her, it's a matter of belief, and her beliefs give her the determination necessary to persevere.