Danganronpa: Beyond Broken

by LynnRowe

In a world where "Ultimates" don't exist, a group of seventeen teenagers are crowned otherwise in a strange killing game hosted by a sadistic bear. As examples of this new reality, their limits are tested to the absolute breaking point in a game where death is not the worst fate to receive. (SYOC CLOSED: Introduced 17/17)

9. The Winter Special (NCE 1)

Surprise, here is a special (NON-CANNON) Christmas chapter that explores the Beyond Broken cast celebrating Christmas together! This was such a fun chapter to write, and I hope you all enjoy it as much as I did!

By the way NCE means... well non-canon event, and I'll have more of these take place in the story. They'll mostly explore "what if" scenarios and hopefully show off some new interactions we haven't seen before!]

Without further ado, here is the newest chapter~

---

(The Winter Special)

---

Daily Life

---

For a moment, it felt like I was home again.

Peaceful darkness surrounded me at every turn, embracing me into a comforting warmth that further indulged my sleepiness. I didn't fight the feeling, instead I fully accepted it as I sunk deeper... and deeper into my warm sheets. My body completely relaxed, enabling me to feel comfortable for the first time in months since I've been trapped here.

Things actually were actually starting to feel normal…

Up until someone immediately jumped onto my stomach, snapping me awake.

"IT'S NOT CHRISTMAAAHHHH!" Elayah shouted.

…

…

…

"IS NOT K̴̨̧̡̰̫̥̗̳̮̰̺̩̣͈̪̈́͆̒̔̀̽̀̈́̀͒͋̓̐̚͠R̶̢͇̖͉͙̭̰̃̌̔̚͜ͅI̶̻̯̹͙͇̠̼̼̽̅͑T̷̛͚̬͔̰͍̦̱̣̭̱͔̯̟̰̐̉͊͗͑̐̒͊͛̈́ͅS̴̭̟̀͋̍̎̅̐̄̾̚̚͘͝M̴̡̥͓̣̩͇͖͓̽̽͛̓̂̈͒̈̀̂́̊̍Â̴̝̝͎͒̾̎̑͑͐́̃̌̿̕̕H̶̩̥͓̳̗̬̗͎͇̱̠͍̀͒̋̋Ş̷̨̢̡̨͉̞͎͕̪͚̒̋͜!" she said again, her smile wide.

...

"What-?" I said before getting slapped in the face. She started to harlem shake the bed before I shot up and stared at her.

"W-What?! What do you want- USHF!" I shouted, but then I felt something grip tightly onto my neck.

"That's right, IT'S NOT CHRISTMAS!" Elayah shouted, her eyes enlarging.

And then she threw me out of the room.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

---

"MEI, MEI, MEI ARE YOU OKAY?" someone shouted.

I shot awake, my face sweaty as I instinctively reached for my neck to protect it. Thankfully, there were no terrifying hands strangling me this time. Instead, someone was gripping onto my shoulders, shaking me widely.

"W-What?" I mumbled, "what happened?"

"Oh thank goodness!" Elayah said with a bright smile, "it sounded like you were having a nightmare! We can't have that on Christmas day now can we?"

…

…

"What's wrong, it looks like you've seen a ghost!" Elayah asked, her eyes slightly puzzled.

"N-No… it's just… I had a weird dream…" I explained, backing away near my bed cause I wouldn't put it past Elayah to actually do something like that.

"Oh! I have weird dreams to!" Elayah beamed, her hands pressed against cheeks, "this one time, I dreamed I was in an ice cream shop, but they didn't have any ice cream. And for some reason Matsuo was the person running it, so instead, I think he served me a bowl of nachos, but all of them had the face of Shin on them… I didn't want to eat anything after that…"

Good lord, it sounds like her dreams are more bizarre than mine these days.

"Anyways, MEI YOU'RE UP!" Elayah suddenly shouted, "you know what time it is then, right?"

"It's Christmas Eve, right?" I said, rubbing my eyes.

"EXACTLY!" she shouted, her eyes glowing like stars, "Satoshi is outside planning all the activities for the day! You should come with!"

"Alright alright," I said, nodding along as the young karate master practically dragged me out of bed, "just give me a moment to change, alright?"

"Of course Mei!" Elayah said brightly, "just make sure you come out soon! We're gonna be decorating the tree finally!"

"The one Camilla found?" I asked, "but we don't have any ornaments."

"Hemi ended up finding some in the shed!" Elayah informed, "so we're gonna hang those up instead!"

"Ah, I see," I said, "well, I'll be out soon, just give me a moment."

Elayah bowed with a big grin and ran out the door, giving me a glimpse of the outside area where everyone else was. I probably shouldn't keep them waiting.

I quickly changed into more casual clothes before looking at myself in the mirror. Ever since our capture here, Monokuma has been providing us with new clothes every day. Even though this place sucks, it's nice to have a bigger wardrobe. I stalled on wearing the clothes he gave us for a long time, but eventually I got sick of the smell from my uniform, so I had to change out of it eventually.

For today, the plain white t-shirt I chose actually looked quite comfortable, with a nice red jacket and skirt. My hair was neatly combed, with only my ahogae sticking up. It was tied into a long pony tail, and ended near my waist. I had on a fresh pair of white leggings, and red loaders that looked quite polished.

After finishing up with my outfit, I made my way outside, only to be bombarded with voices.

"There's so many cool things in here!" I heard Amane speak, "oooohhh! Look, stockings!"

"Golden beads, decorative blankets," Runa listed off, her eyes concentrated on a clipboard as she wrote things down.

"WE GOT THE STAR FOLKS!" Shin shouted, holding it high in the air, "I REPEAT WE GOT THE STAR!"

"Stop shouting so early in the morning," Matsuo groaned, sipping from what I could assume was his thirteenth cup of coffee, "it irritating as hell."

"LIIIIIIIIIIIIGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHTTTTTTTTTTTTTSSSSS!" Elayah screamed.

Yep, just another day in this broken academy.

Ever since the killing game announcement a year ago (although we don't know the exact time since the calendar could be a lie), everyone had been on edge. We didn't know what to do, and with Monokuma's constant plotting, I figured at least one person would do the deed. But surprisingly, the group showed even more resilience than I initially thought. Thanks to Hemi's optimism, Shin's (temporary) leadership, and Satoshi's confident words, we were able to pull through and come together as a group.

I never expected such a thing to happen between an entire group of people… but I'm so happy I don't have to look over my shoulder anymore.

With the day just beginning, I quickly climbed down the stairs to be greeted with a familiar voice, "ah! Mei! There you are!"

I looked over to see Hemi in his usual attire, although now he had a Christmas hat on, "look what I found in the shed! It even has a bell on it! Pretty jolly huh?"

"You get impressed over the smallest things I swear…" I uttered, slightly smiling, "but it looks nice on you."

"Thanks!" Hemi said with a smile, "we have a few more hats in that box over there! It can really help get everyone into the Christmas spirit!"

I looked over to where he pointed to find a box filled with Christmas clothes, "you found all this in the shed?"

"Not only that!" Satoshi spoke up, holding a bunch of Christmas lights, "the young lad also brought us these decorations!"

"They're very shiny!" Elayah grinned, completely tangled up in them.

"Oh Elayah..." Runa said calmly, though also appearing quite concerned, "please let me help you get out of that. You might accidently choke yourself."

"Don't worry! I'm fiiinnnnineeee!" Elayah reassured, only to drop onto the floor face first.

"ELAYAH!' Hemi said, rushing over to help her.

Here she goes again…

"Look at all of this stuff though!" Takumi said, shuffling through the box with the wonderous eyes of a child, "we got some trinkets! Some wreathes! AH! They even got toy train set ups in here!"

"We could hang t-these lights and decorations around in the dining hall!" Oroka said, "o-or also in the lounge… to…"

"Now hang on a moment everyone!" Hemi beamed, "I understand your excitement, however let's not forget the more important matter for tonight!"

Tonight…? What could be tonight besides Christmas Eve…?

"Oh yeah! Secret Santa!" Shin exclaimed, "I wonder who everyone got!"

Oh, right! Satoshi came up with this whole Secret Santa idea a while ago, encouraged by Hemi as well. Haru didn't want to participate in it, so everyone got a person without being left out. Shoot… did I get my person anything? I took out my monopad and looked through my notes. The person I got wassss….

---

! – Secret Santa -!

{ Runa }

---

Crap… I forgot I had Runa for my secret santa. What the heck can I get for someone like her? She seems to have it all already… and she's been so nice to me during our time here.

"Remember everyone!" Satoshi continued, "our gift exchange will take place right before our big Christmas dinner! There will also be no group meetings today, so that gives you plenty of time to whip up something sharp!"

"For dinner, you all can just sit back and relax!" Shin exclaimed with a huge grin, "I got alllllllll the food set up and planned to a T! As the head chef, I promise you guys will be blown away by my cooking expertise!"

…

"Why do I have a feeling it's just gonna be canned food again?" Naoko commented, and I was inclined to agree with her.

"Yeah, no offense Shin, but I really don't want a repeat of Thanksgiving …" Satoshi whined, "the food was barely satisfactory enough for me."

"S-Sorry everyone..." Shin sheepishly said.

"You should be! That was an inaccurate representation of the holiday!" Elayah said, "as an American myself, It's like my religion! You get to pig out all day and no one judges you for it!"

"Honestly, Japan should celebrate it!" Satoshi spoke up, rubbing his belly with a hungry look, "I mean… just to have a holiday comprised of only eating delicious foods! It's entire purpose to taste every single meaty dish! It's every child's dream!"

"That's most likely just your dream hun," Camilla muttered.

"Hold on guys, what's wrong with canned food?" Dorobo asked, his dark lips curled into a frown, "it's compact, you can bring it with you everywhere, and they have a long expiration date to! They're great!"

"Exactly!" Shin agreed, "b-but, I promise it won't be like that! You guys are in for a treat tonight, rest assured I have it all planned!"

"Gee, I'm so excited," Matsuo said in a sarcastic voice, clearly tired.

"I'll help with cooking to," Camilla informed, crossing her arms together, "I've been known to make a few well-known dishes. I should my skills to the test for the occasion."

"Really? I thought you'd want to go exploring again," Hemi chimed in.

"Tonight's a celebration hun," Camilla commented with a relaxed grin, "looking for an escape will have to wait. For now, I'm all up for making those sweet holiday goods."

"COOKIES!" Elayah screamed, "YOU HAVE TO MAKE COOKIES I BEG OF YOU!"

Camilla chuckled and put her hands on her hip, "I'll see what I can do for you doll."

"YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!" Elayah screeched.

"I'll help with d-decorations in the d-dining hall then," Oroka noted, "if we're doing the gift exchange in the lounge… t-then we also should d-decorate there to…"

"Yo count me in!" Takumi exclaimed, puffing out his jacket, "you got lights, I got all the wreathes?"

"D-Deal!" Oroka said with a smile.

"Remember to decorate your stockings when you get the chance guys!" Shin addressed, pulling out a few from a box "you can decorate them with paints, stickers, or anything else you want in the gymnasium! Naoko will be there observing the process!"

Naoko nodded in agreement, but didn't say much. She's not exactly an introvert, but I'm sort of surprised she agreed to run the station.

"Goodie! How fun!" Mariya said nearby, pretending to smoke with her pipe, "consider me of attendance soon my dear scrimshander!"

"Sure…" Naoko mumbled, looking away briefly, "I hope the rest of you will consider coming to…"

It seemed that everyone was getting allow swell, although there were noticeably a few absences to be taken into account. Haru not being here wasn't surprising, but there was someone else missing that be slightly concerned.

"Has anyone seen Eio?" I asked, looking around for the sleepy nephologist.

"The bastard is probably asleep," Dorobo said, groaning in his mouth with irritated eyes, "I keep tellin' him to try and loosen up, get a bit more active, and he doesn't listen to me! That sneaky fucker always finds a way to get a quick snooze in."

"Should you go get him then?" I suggested, "everyone else is awake and participating… besides Haru of course."

"I thought about that, but nah, it is Christmas Eve," Dorobo concluded, "I'll let him sleep, at least for the time being. He's probably annoyed at my attempts to get him up anyway. And besides, I wanna party!"

"Tonight's festivities will be most exciting I presume," Koemi uttered, her voice quiet and mythical as she whirled her hands around, "until the time occurs however, we should make any contributions we can to our community."

"Ditto on that!" Dorobo agreed.

"Of course! Count me in!" Hemi said.

"CHRISTMASSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!" Elayah shouted, almost triggering my fight or flight response.

"Good lord, "Matsuo mumbled, "can't that brat stand to be quiet for just a little bit?"

"Ah, how exquisite of a tale!" Mariya spoke, her cool eyes lighting up her dark skin, "it seems this Christmas special is kicking off into high gear this time around. It'll be interesting to see how this day plays out!"

The warm voices of everyone lifted my soul. Today was just another day, but it was a good one. I could feel it.

Christmas Eve had officially began.

---

Everyone quickly went off to do their own thing, however I didn't really have a plan for what to do besides make some kind of gift for Runa. I could've went to "Monokuma's Shopping Center" and used up some of my monocoins (which I honestly didn't have a lot of to start with) but it also felt… kinda cheap to do that? I don't know really, I just felt like she wouldn't appreciate a gift that was just half hazardly bought for her.

So what should I do?

I decided to start off in the courtyard, where artificial snow had been placed for our enjoyment. I don't know when Monokuma got the stuff, but it was deep enough to make snow angles and snowman in, and it felt real enough to actually qualify as snow. The temperature of the place had also been declining lately. I don't know if that's the actual temperature… or an artificial one made by Monokuma. But either way… we got snow… so much of it that people are constantly falling on their butts each time they walk out in it.

Thankfully, I had already put my boots on, so I had no trouble maneuvering my way outside. Amane was currently out there with Elayah and Satoshi, building a cute snowman.

"Wow guys, mister Pim is looking real 'ice' today!" Elayah joked, laughing after the fact.

"He's acting pretty 'chill' right now!" Amane added with a smile, "it's like he doesn't 'carrot' at all about today!"

"Speaking of the carrot, we must acquire one immediately!" Satoshi continued, "no proper snowman is complete without one!"

"I got one In my pocket!" Elayah said, sticking her hands inside them.

"U-Um… why?" I asked, approaching the trio.

"Cus I do!" she replied, smacking the carrot on the snowman's face, "DONE!"

The three of them stepped back to reveal a decently sized structure, with circular layers of snow stacked atop one another to produce a classic snowman shape.

"He's perfectly perfect!" Elayah exclaimed, "I declare this a job well done team!"

"Yeah, he doesn't look half bad!" Amane replied, "if only we had a top hat with us…"

"How joyous!" Satoshi remarked, his face expressed into an excited look, "I haven't had this much fun since my trip to the Caribbean Islands! Not only was the food superb there, but the stories people told in question enthralled me!"

"Sounds like you've had a pretty fascinating life Satoshi," Amane said, "the furthest I've gone overseas was… um... actually I don't think I've ever been anywhere besides Japan..."

"When you get the chance, you should come to America and visit me!" Elayah suggested, "I'll show ya all the sights right in Washington D.C! it's super funny to live there! You get to watch people make MASSIVELY poor decisions! And the best part? They don't pay for them!"

"I'll… consider it…" Amane said carefully, her eyes slightly narrow.

"Um... anyway… can I ask you guys for some advice…?" I interrupted.

"Sure, what's up?" Amane asked, tilting her head to the side.

"Uh… what do you think would be a good gift… for someone who's extremely fancy and polite?" I asked.

"COOKIES!" Elayah shouted, "I'm not kidding either! Everyone likes them!"

"Unless they're extremely lactose intolerant…" I added.

"Hmmmm, honestly, I would suggest something personal," Amane said, "maybe man made if possible. If they're fancy, then they might like something made from the ground up."

"Whatever you feel is best Mei will surely work out in the end," Satoshi commented, "I can sense you have a good heart, so as long as you give your gift with genuine thought put into it, nothing can go wrong for you!"

Something man made… from the heart… and cookies. Should I just bake really good cookies for her then?

"Thanks for telling me that," I said with a small laugh, "that really helped me out…"

"No problem!" Elayah laughed, "I'm so excited for Secret Santa! I hope I get a chemistry set this year! Then we can actually do experiments when tutoring stars again Mei!"

Oh right… I was supposed to tutor her in chemistry later this month. We were making so much progress in math though that I kinda forgot.

"I hope that ends up being the case for you Elayah," I said, "though I don't know if they're any sets in this school that aren't damaged."

"Bummer," Elayah sighed, "well, I'll still hold out hope this year!"

"Mhm," I agreed, turning to Amane and Satoshi, "what about you guys? Are you excited for Secret Santa?"

"Of course!" Amane beamed, "I have the perfect gift for the person I got. I really think they're gonna love it!"

"Love the enthusiasm!" Satoshi proclaimed, "I to have come up with my gift for my own person! I'm hoping they react rather positively to it! The equipment was hard to come by!"

"Anywaysssss," Elayah interrupted, "with that out of the way, do you wanna play outside with us? We were just going to have a huge snowball fight."

…

…

A snowball fight… with Elayah…?

…

…

"Oh boy…" Amane deadpanned, her eyes wide, "you better run for the hills... she's about to go off soon…"

"G-Got it," I agreed, "see you later guys!"

"Bye Mei!" Amane called out, "Satoshi let's go go GO GO NOW-!"

"W-Wait, I wasn't expecting this all of a sudden!" Satoshi shouted.

"DON'T YOU DARE RUN FROM ME!" Elayah screeched, "I AM THE QUEEN OF ICE!"

And with that, I escaped the onslaught of snowballs that rained down from the outside.

---

I managed to scramble my way inside the greenhouse before any snowballs could hit me in the back. I could hear them laughing outside, with an occasional sound of snow making contact with human skin.

That was a close one…

I dusted myself off and looked around. The greenhouse was the same as it had always been. Lush. Warm (although now slightly colder). And thriving with life. Everything was still in place from the last time we inspected it, which was only a few months ago. I think Camilla spends the most time in here, although Naoko has a soft spot for this place to as far as I can tell.

Neither Camilla nor Naoko were standing inside there though. Instead, Matsuo was standing near the back, overlooking the courtyard of snow through the windows. It wasn't until I shut the door that he turned my direction.

"M-Matsuo…" I blurted out, "I-I… didn't expect you to be in here…"

"Likewise..." Matsuo said, although not in a rude way, more so he looked genuinely surprised, "it seems you fended Elayah off."

"Yeah…" I laughed nervously, "she was getting kinda scary talking about snowballs..."

"I can imagine," Matsuo remarked as he crossed his arms tightly together.

The two of us were silent for a few moments, the imposing figure of the danseur causing me to lose my train of thought. I'd like to think that I've been able to open up a bit more these past few months, but people like Matsuo somehow always make me nervous. His tall, refined stature completely dominated my small size, causing me to squirm a little bit on impulse.

"You should relax a little bit more," Matsuo suddenly asserted, "it's Christmas Eve, there's no need to be tense."

"Y-Yeah… you're right… sorry," I said, "I'm just… kind of lost…"

"Is that so?" he said, "well then I'd be happy to be of service."

He said it in such a serious manner that I was almost positive he was being sarcastic. But his face didn't compliment that idea, he looked rather curious actually.

"Wow… really?" I asked him, rubbing by arm slightly.

"Why so surprised?" he questioned, his voice still carrying that slight rasp, "surely me offering you help is a natural response, correct?'

"R-Right… its just…" I started, staring at his sea blue eyes, "it's about… Runa…"

The danseur was silent for a moment before smirking.

"You're her Secret Santa," Matsuo finished, catching on quickly, "I get it now. You're confused on what to give her."

"Exactly," I confessed, "someone like her is rather elegant… right? So… what should I give her?"

He put a finger to his chin as his arms remained crossed, his eyes focusing intensely on something I couldn't see.

"A person like Runa doesn't look at things by it's worth," Matsuo dictated, closing his eyes tightly, "from the conversations I've seen her have, she's someone who mostly retains a comforting and motherly side, though I suspect she also had adolescent tendencies as well despite being logical, like most of us here."

"Ok… so what should I do then?" I asked.

"I can't tell you what kind of gift you should give her," Matsuo uttered in his low voice, "but I can assure you that Runa will be pleased with whatever gift comes into her possession. That's just how she works. As long as it's something nice enough and not complete crap, she won't mind it."

Matsuo concluded his speech and turned to look out the window once more. His relaxed aura returned to him, yet I couldn't help but be surprised.

"Wow… just wow…" I blurted out.

"Something wrong?" he asked, his gaze turned toward me.

"No, it's nothing" I remarked, putting a finger to my chin, "it's just… you've been really quiet. So I was surprised… you decided to help me."

Matsuo paused briefly, running his fingers through his dark wavy hair. It already looked quite tousled before, but he made it look even messier somehow as he stood there for a moment.

"I see…" he said eventually, "in all honesty, ever since this game was announced, my instincts have always been naturally weary of everyone. Even if that person is trust worthy, what kind of moron would I be to immediately start yapping my mouth in a killing game?"

…

"Yeah… I can see your point there," I said, "but… it's been so many months… and we've beaten all of Monokuma's test so far. I think… people like us can finally breathe easy. This group… they're… I they're good…"

"I can see that firsthand," Matsuo informed with a nod, "though this group often gets annoying, they're all… good people I guess. But I don't feel the need to interact with them to much. We still need to be cautious."

"Well Matsuo, let me return the words you told me," I said, "try to… relax a bit more. They just might surprise you… like they did with me…"

The danseur was silent, but continued to look out the window to the courtyard. I could hear Elayah, Amane, and Satoshi out there having a blast. Perhaps that was what he was looking after.

"I'll take your advice," he said coolly, "although I doubt it would work."

"Even trying is better than nothing at all," I said, making my way toward the exit, "see you soon Matsuo."

The danseur nodded, and I quickly left him to his own devices.

Maybe there is something more to him than I thought…

---

I walked through the hallways of the school, which were actually still blooming with plants. A few of them were dying slowly, but other than that it seemed like the school had barely changed a bit.

Before I made it to the dining hall, I could see Takumi and Oroka outside the door of it, putting up decorations. Oroka had gotten a latter and was putting up tiny lights around the door to give it some flair, while Takumi was looking through different wreathes. Unfortunately for the two, another person was there to interrupt them, someone far more annoying than I could ever anticipate.

"Boohoo!" Monokuma cried, "you guys make this no fun! Why am I not on the guest list this year? I even gave you guys all these supplies to throw your little pity party!"

"What do you mean by that?" Takumi groaned, "you kidnapped up and put us in a killing game!"

"Oh right! I guess I did do that!" Monokuma laughed, completely changing from his original mood, "hey what gives Einstein's? Why won't you kill each other already! Even with all of the tests I gave you, you're still holding on! Let go!"

"W-We will never play your killing g-game," Oroka mumbled, "we've made it t-through the worst of it… and you're n-never going t-to get what you want…"

"Aw, no fun! NofunnofunnoFUN!" Monokuma shouted, "seriously how stubborn can you people be?!"

Ugh… I can't believe he's deciding to bother us on Christmas Eve of all days… can't the idiot take a hint?

"Is Monokuma bothering you guys again?" I asked, approaching the three.

"Miss Fujie! You came just in time!" Monokuma cheered with a smile on his face, "I was just informing these dim wits how HUGE of a mistake was made in their party planning activities! That mistake being that my little ol' self hasn't been put on the guest list yet! What gives?!"

"That was intentional," I sternly said, "you've been nothing but a pain ever since we got here!"

"Y-Yeah dude, you're just annoying to the boot," Takumi muttered in agreement.

"Wah! So mean! You're all just so mean to me!" Monokuma cried again, his paws over his eyes, "that's it then! It's been decided that this will be the start of my tragic and villainous backstory! I will come back for my revenge, and I promise you will be sorry!"

And with that, the idiot bear vanished from sight.

"T-Thank goodness he's gone…" Oroka sighed, "I thought he'd never leave."

"Yeah, no kidding," Takumi groaned, "every time I see him I just get the worst feeling man. Thanks for steppin' in when you did Mei!"

"No problem…" I said, "I can't stand that thing either. You guys doing okay?"

"Yep! Before that sonic reject popped up, we were putting up decorations!" Takumi informed, "we finished most of the dining hall with everyone's help!"

"The l-lounge will come up right after t-this," Oroka said, "and l-later tonight we'll do the t-tree…"

"Sounds like a plan then," I said, happy that everything was running smoothly, "how are you guys doing with the whole… uh… Secret Santa thing by the way…? I hear everyone's mostly got their gifts planned."

Both Oroka and Takumi went silent and glanced at each other with nervous looks.

"U-Um…" Oroka said quietly as she fumbled with her yellow bandana, "to be… h-honest with you… I h-haven't thought up o-of anything for m-my person…"

"Same… I haven't gotten a gift for mine y-yet either," Takumi chimed in, "in all honesty, I've never really given people presents before… Christmas isn't really my thing…"

"Is that so?" I said slowly, "but you seemed really excited before…"

"Well uh… I've never had many friends to celebrate it with… or at least people who cared…" he mumbled, "so… it's a bit of a change to be around so many people who actually give a damm about the holiday. So, it's a bit stressful to think about what to get for my person…"

"I see," I said silently, "well… I was going to ask you guys for advice on what I should give someone… but you seem pretty swamped already with your own…."

"N-No! We can answer your question Mei," Takumi reassured, "lay it on us!"

"Ummm… okay then…" I said, rubbing my chin nervously, "ah… what would you get… for someone formal… but also really nice…?"

"Formal… but nice…" Oroka repeated as she rubbed her palms carefully, "uhhhhh… maybe some f-flowers…?"

"That could be seen as romantic though," Takumi pointed out, "I suggest a Walther PPK model then! They give off a stylish amount of class in appearance, with shorter barrel, grip, and frame! Also, James Bond uses them, so it's an automatic way to make you even cooler bro!"

I cannot imagine Runa walking around with a gun that small as her Christmas present…

"I d-don't think you should d-deliberate to long on it," Oroka informed, pushing up her glasses, "whatever you do should work well M-Mei!"

If only I had that same confidence…

"I'll keep thinking on it," I said, turning over to the door that entered the dining hall, "thanks guys. Until then, don't stress to much about your gifts either…"

"E-Easier said than done…" Oroka quivered, her face growing nervous, "I think the p-person I-I have wouldn't l-like anything I give t-them…"

"How so?" I asked.

"I dunno… he's very… d-destructive," Oroka explained with wet eyes, "t-that's the best way I can put it… b-but I r-really want to make them him happy…"

"If that's the case, then don't worry Oroka," Takumi expressed with sincerity, "I'll be there to help you find the perfect gift for them! Just leave it to me!"

"T-Thank you… Takumi…" Oroka said with a smile, her cheeks slowly turning red as she hid behind her map, "I-I'll help in any way I-I can for your S-Secret Santa to…"

Those two are practically inseparable, yet they're personalities are so different. I wonder how such a dynamic came to be…? Well… I guess it's doesn't matter. It's nice to see them getting along.

I bid the duo farewell and entered the dining hall with no interruptions.

---

The moment I stepped inside, I could tell Oroka and Takumi overdid themselves with decorations.

The place was full of Christmas magic, with blue and white lights glittering along the walls, and fancy garlands outlining the doors and windows. Paper snowflakes were hung from invisible wires, letting them dangle in the air in large quantities. The dining room tables had also been transformed, with a fancy red sheet over all of them. They held Christmas figurines and presents for Secret Santa. The main dining table was completely redesigned into a flowing ensemble of reds and golds. Seventeen seats were placed around the table, framed in dark wood with red cushions on the seating. The table was long, with an ornate crimson cover that gave it some flair. Candle were placed on the table, as well as some platers for the food to be put on. And the crown jewel of the dining hall was the huge Christmas tree Camilla found. It was a rare find that's for sure, as it was located in a locked storage unit we didn't have access to. Somehow though, Camilla was able to find a way to get it. I don't know how, but thank god she did. The tree was amazing, with a glowing green color that allowed for a pleasant pine scent to cover the room. It was currently bare, begging to be decorated, but that would come soon. For now, all the final touches around the room were being conducted.

Standing around the tree with all the boxes was Hemi and Mariya, who were shuffling through them with care. Well… it was more like Hemi was shuffling through them. Mariya simply took in the sight of the place.

"My word, how gorgeous this is!" she said, her blue eyes shimmering even bluer than the sky, "it's just magical I'll tell you! They've really outdone themselves this year! This setting is just perfect for a murder mystery to take place in!"

"You're still going on about that?" I asked, approaching her with caution, "it's been a full year Mariya… we're just trying to get through the day now…"

"Oh I know! And I intend to enjoy this little game for as long as I can!" she informed, "after all, being a part of it gave me the chance to meet all of these colorful characters! What fun! I'm so happy to be a part of this!"

She's spewing nonsense again, but maybe her claim of being happy for this moment is genuine. Not much has happened for a while.

"Hey Mei! Checking out the scenery?" Hemi asked as he stood up to meet my eye.

"More or less…" I said, scanning the room again, "Takumi and Oroka did an amazing job."

"They sure did," Hemi said with a grin, "and with Camilla and Shin's help earlier, it feels like a winter wonderland almost!"

"You almost fit right in with that hat of yours," I joked.

"Oh! We have a few in here actually," he asked innocently, picking up one just a little bit bigger than my head, "wanna get into the spirit and dress up?"

"Hemi… come on…" I tried to say.

"Pretty pleassseeeee?" he asked, "just so I don't feel like I'm left out here…"

I did a quick one take of the large hat before deciding to hesitantly take it.

What the heck, it's almost Christmas. Better try to make this one count for where we are now.

When I put it on, it slightly slid off, but I managed to readjusted it to fit snuggly on my head. Though it looked like a Santa hat, it was designed to resemble that of an elf's almost.

"What the hell am I doing? This is probably the stupidest thing I've ever done," I moaned, hiding my face out of pure embarrassment.

"Aw, don't think like that! We match now!" Hemi grinned, "and getting into the spirit of things does wonders to raise the mood Ms. Claus!"

"Ms... Claus…? Oh no. I'm regretting this more and more already," I said before shaking my head to hear the bells jingle, "I do like the bells though…"

"Right!?" Hemi said, widely shaking his head to let the bells shake before his glasses fell off, "o-oh shoot! I-I didn't mean for that!"

Though his voice was panicked, he quickly laughed from his own carelessness and put on his glasses again, propelling me to join in for no real reason. His laugh was very light, like that of a kids with a sweet undertone that gave it so much warmth. It's just an effect he had on me. Whenever he laughed, I could laugh to. It felt so nice to laugh after months of constantly fearing for my life.

"Mr. and Ms. Claus," Mariya suddenly said behind us, "how fitting for you two lovebirds. Shall I take a photograph to commend this moment?"

Oh yeah… Mariya's still here…

I turned over to confront Mariya to suddenly find her holding an old polaroid camera. The surface was slightly worn and dusty, but other than that, it didn't appear to be damaged at all.

"W-Where did you get that?" I asked.

"A true detective would never share their secrets with commoners," Mariya responded, "but considering it's just us, I'll enlighten you. I found it in this box just now!"

"We could make a photo album then!" Hemi exclaimed, "I'm all for taking pictures! How about you Mei?"

I looked over at the camera before shrugging, "one picture couldn't hurt…"

Me and Hemi quickly into position and smiled. Mariya aimed the camera at us before taking the picture.

*click!*

"All done!" Mariya announced, taking the photo from the camera and giving it a look over, "thank goodness this camera still has film in it! I could use these for later crime scenes down the line!"

Thanks for reminding us we're still in a killing game detective…

Mariya shook the photo before giving it a look over and smirking, "oh man! Your face is hideous Mei! I'm so embarrassed for you, and even I don't have that face!"

"Just give me the damm photo," I said, snatching it from her.

I honestly didn't look half bad, although I wasn't great in the photo either. If someone saw this on the street, they'd just see an unattractive and unassuming girl smiling awkwardly for the camera with a much more enthusiastic teenage boy.

"I think we look great!" Hemi exclaimed, "you really did capture us in a good angle Mariya."

"Why thank you Hemi!" Mariya expressed, "you truly flatter me!"

"Aren't you supposed to be off looking for clues or something?" I asked, hoping to turn the conversation away from us.

"Actually no!" Mariya commented with a grin, 'I was actually here to bring something to the disaster artist and survivalist!"

"Shin and Camilla?" I repeated, "also, Shin's talent is 'disaster prepper', remember?"

"Of course, of course," Mariya waved away with a grin, "anyways, I came to deliver them a package, but such matters are beneath me. So, miss tutor, I order you to deliver this package instead!"

"Huh?" I tried to say before something got pushed into my hands, "h-hey, I didn't agree to this!"

"There's no need to be so hostile to the detective," Mariya said, her face calm as she displayed a wide smile, it's Christmas Eve! Even classic investigators like Sherlock Holmes and I have to take a break every now and then! So I intend to celebrate this day to the fullest! I've even prepared my Secret Santa gift *extra* early just to do so!"

"Woah… you have?' Hemi asked, looking impressed for some reason.

"Why of course!" Mariya rejoiced, "I am excited to see my persons reaction to the gift I have in store! However, the preparations are few and far between, so I *must* attend to them immediately. So, I bid you both farewell"

With that, Mariya than made her extravagant exit, skipping out the door with the camera in hand.

"Ugh… she gets on my nerves," I groaned, rubbing my head from the headache she gave me, "I feel like vomiting whenever she's near me."

"Well, she's not *that* bad," Hemi tried to defend, "I think she's actually been quite nice these past few months!"

"Whatever, at least she's gone now," I said quickly, looking at the package she just slapped onto me, "in the meantime though, it looks like I have this new package to deliver. What even is this?"

"I think they needed some spices… or icing," Hemi added, "honestly I'm not quite sure, but since they're the ones in charge of today's menu tonight, you can find them in the kitchen."

"Okay then…" I confirmed, putting the package away to give to them, "looks like that's my next stop."

"W-Wait, before you go can you help me with something Mei?" Hemi asked, his eyes pleading with me, "I promise it'll be quick, I just need your opinion on something."

"Oh, of course," I agreed. There wasn't any reason not to help Hemi of all people.

"Great! Thank you so much!" he smiled, "hold on a second, let me just get it for a moment."

Hemi went through something in a bag and pulled it out slowly. What he revealed to me was a huge box, showcasing a chemistry set filled with test tubes, goggles, and basic lab equipment. The cover was similar to that of a children's board game, but the materials itself looked highly professional.

"A chemistry set…" I repeated, "Elayah's been begging me for one for a while now."

"Y-Yep, it was a rare find for me," Hemi explained, "during our weekly search, I found this crammed into one of the classroom closets, way behind all the cobwebs and vines. Ah... I managed to clean it off as best as I could, and it's actually in perfect condition! I'm thinking of wrapping it too, so it can be more of a surprise. I hope she likes it…"

"Oh Hemi…" I said, "I know she'll love it. And it'll help with my tutoring sessions with her to."

"That was the plan," Hemi grinned, "I think her being a chemist could spell doom most of the world though, so while you're teaching her… just try to keep an eye out."

"Heh… we'll do Mr. Claus," I joked, "so… since you did your gift… can you help me a bit with mine…? I'm having some trouble for my person in particular."

Hemi put the chemistry set carefully onto the table and turned toward me with a face laced in curiosity, "oooohhh? Is that so? Well I'd be happy to help you! W-Well unless you got me for Secret Santa, then it wouldn't really be a secret. But, what is it you need?"

"Just advice honestly," I confessed, sighing wearily, "and um… spoilers for my Secret Santa. It's not you unfortunately. If it were I probably wouldn't have this problem."

"Bummer," Hemi sighed, "well, I'd still be glad to help! Who is this mystery person you got?"

"Well, the person I actually have is a bit on the… fancier side of things," I explained as I twirled my thumbs together, "and I don't really know what they'd like. They seem to have it all… kinda…"

"Fancy…" Hemi muttered, rubbing his chin with a focused gaze, "I feel like there's only a few people here who match that description… but if you're talking about who I think you are… I think that person would appreciate a song!"

…!

"A-A song?" I repeated, nervously laughing, "hehe… ah… H-Hemi… I don't know if you noticed… but I'm not exactly known for being a world class musician, especially compared to the others here."

"Well I think it'd be an extremely personal gift!" Hemi beamed, "it's something they might enjoy given their talent, and I think showing care in that field would make them happy to see you show interest!"

"You think?" I asked, prompting a nod from him, "well… if I did ever make a song… I'd need you to promise me to turn the music up full blast to hide some of my more… embarrassing singing…"

"Aw Mei!" Hemi remarked, , "I think your voice sounds beautiful! But if it makes you *that* embarrassed, I'll do whatever I can to help! Just ah… can I still keep the hat for the operation?"

Of course he'd ask to keep the hat out of everything… although I guess that's just Hemi for you. The naïve fool still likes Christmas hats of all things. But somehow, I can't help but root for the idiot, at least a little bit. Just like how he does for me.

In all honesty, I don't think I'd ever survive without him.

---

After talking to Hemi, I made my way into the kitchen to deliver the package Mariya had so quickly shoved onto me. It was light in weight, and kinda average in size too. I couldn't guess what was in it, but I assumed it had something to do with the food we would eat later.

The moment I stepped inside, a swarm of smell poured into my nose, causing my stomach to grumble intensely over the ripe pie, sweet sugars, and electrifying meat throughout the air. It smelled so nice that my nose seemed to devour the scent, demanding my brain to taste some of the fatty goodness that I knew was hidden around somewhere.

Oh god, now I'm starting to think like Satoshi. Calm yourself Mei!

Trying to ignore my rumbling stomach, I observed the rest of the place in careful detail. The kitchen itself was quite large, with a bunch of grills, stoves, ovens, and microwaves situated around in neat rows. Utensils and tools were placed around for anyone's use, and all of the ingredients were hidden within all of the pantries and cabinets around. Toward the back was an industrial sized freezer, although it was currently closed to keep the meat fresh. And in the center of the room was the main cooking station, where two vastly different personalities were effectively cooking over the loud sound of Christmas tunes.

The two chefs in the kitchen were Shin and Camilla, with the two showing an intense concentration toward their work in very different ways. The ultimate disaster prepper himself was hogging up most of the ingredients and food, sporadically preparing meals with a surprisingly diligent hand. Despite this reckless behavior, I can tell from the smell that they probably came out well, and there was actually quite a bit of food concealed away in lavish pots and pans.

He's probably saving they're *big* reveal for the actual Christmas dinner.

Man that guy works fast…

As he continued to cook, I noticed that he had on different clothes than before. He still had his everyday attire on, but over it he wore a worn apron, with a stitched radioactive symbol in the center of it, and instead of his gloves, he had on two oddly colored mittens that looked thrown together from different fabric to pull stuff out of the oven. I wonder if he was crazy enough to stitch all of this together himself for some reason. There were already aprons and mittens hanging on the wall for him to use, and yet he just decided to make his own on a dime. I bet he thinks they're bugged or something… typical Shin…

Camilla on the other hand was much more relaxed and collected than the eccentric disaster prepper. It was a noticeable change, especially in how they worked. As Shin rushed through each station and quickly started slapping ingredients into the pot with a knowledgeable foresight, Camilla held a steadier hand, preparing a large tray of cookies and drinks which I assume was eggnog based on the color. She also wore an apron over her clothes, though slightly fitted to make her look more professional. The two of them were wrapping up a rather interesting conversation from what I could overhear.

"It's actually not that complicated once you get the process down!" Shin explained, "after it's dished up, you bake until the pastry's golden, and voila, dinner is served~"

"Oooh, how gourmet Shin," Camilla spoke with smirk, "I'm usually used to exotic dishes, but to see this, it's absolutely gorgeous. Where did you pick up such a trait?"

"Well, when you been around the globe for your whole life, you kinda adopt a diverse cooking style naturally!" Shin expressed, "heh! I guess that same style transfers over to when I'm out on the field too. Who knew?"

"Fascinating," Camilla expressed, curiosity lighting across her face, "your world is interesting, more so than the average person. It's nice to share these small moments with you Shin."

It looks like these two are getting along. I wouldn't expect the calm and collected Camilla to get along with someone as loud as Shin, but it's nice to see them like this.

Realizing I should probably say something, I knocked near the doorway to announce my presence, "um… package delivery for you guys…"

Camilla and Shin looked over my way and instantly brightened up, "ah Mei! You made it! Did ya come over to check out the delicious setup we have here? It's like a food storm of meaty goodness! Oh! And also sweety goodness!"

"Yeah… you guys really went all out," I commented, looking at the station of food, "I have no idea how everyone is going to eat all this…"

"It'd be a shame to waste this because of full stomachs," Camilla said, "but we prepared enough that at least everyone has something they'd want to eat. The rest-"

"Will be packaged and preserved through the course of the next few weeks!" Shin announced, "I already have a detailed plan devised. How much we eat, what leftovers we *have* to eat, and how much these can help us through winter! Don't worry, I'll keep track to make sure they don't expire!"

"Good lord that's a lot…" I mumbled before pulling out the package, "um… before you do that though, I came to give this to you."

"OOH! We've been waiting for this!" Shin exclaimed, taking it quickly from my hands, "now our final preparations will be complete!"

"I remember asking Mariya to hand this over though," Camilla noted, "I guess the job was to much for the poor girl to handle…"

"No, it was more like she could handle it, but didn't want to," I corrected, "but that doesn't matter… um… what is in that package anyway?"

"That's for a verrrrryyyyyy special surprise later… hehe~" Shin laughed, "I'll be whipping up a typhoon with these though!"

It looks like it makes them both happy, so that's all well and good. But now I don't really know what else to do…

"Well, If that was all you needed, I'll be going now-" I tried to say.

"Oh, hold up, I need to ask something of you," Camilla expressed, pulling me aside, "are you okay with taking the label of errand girl for a bit?"

"Huh?" I said, "do you want me to deliver something again?"

"It's nothing major, just this note," Camilla said, pulling out a small handwritten note, "give this to Naoko, it'll explain how me and Shin will be a little late to decorate our stockings considering this surprise."

"How covert Camilla," I said, taking the note with me, "I guess I have nothing else to do though."

"Thanks a bunch hun," she said, quickly crossing her arms, "I would bring it to her myself, but I gotta admit, me and Shin have sorta been taken over by our imaginations at this point. There's a lot more work to be done for the two of us."

She wasn't kidding, there were dishes everywhere…

"I'm not to surprise you guys can cook this well," I said, putting the note in my pocket, "but seriously this is incredible."

"We just learned from experience!" Shin confessed, "you name it, I've probably cooked it! Except… like… really high quality foods. I just make stuff in a pinch, heh. B-But Camilla is here for all the fancy stuff though!"

"I wouldn't say I'm that good either, but I learned quite a bit from Shin," Camilla said with a grin, "so it's nice to put these skills to the test. See if they're up to par with the ultimate disaster prepper himself."

"Aw shucks! You're making me blush Camilla!" Shin yammered, his cheeks turning red.

It looks like these two got everything under control then. In that case, I should get out of their hair.

"Well then, I better get going then," I said, putting the note in my pocket, "I wouldn't want to interrupt the magic happening here. If you need any help though, you can ask me…"

"Of course Mei!" Shin agreed, "see you at Secret Santa! It's gonna be a blast!"

Oh right, I wonder who Shin and Camilla got for Secret Santa. Whoever it is, they're probably going to be in for big treat from both of them.

I said goodbye the duo and made my way out of the kitchen. I didn't get to talk to them for long, but I could sense an intense focus between them. I shouldn't disturb them then.

Hopefully they'll be able to relax as the night progresses.

---

I walked through the school once more, now committed fully to the idea that I was now basically an errand girl. Thankfully, it wasn't actually too troubling to walk around, as the number of plants near the gymnasium started to cut off significantly, to the point where the path was actually clear near the library.

I think I could see a certain someone reading in there already, but I decided to pay them no attention and quickly made my way to the gymnasium. Shifting my Christmas hat a bit as I approached the door, I gripped onto the note Camilla gave me and opened it carefully.

The gymnasium has been cleaned up significantly since the last few times it's been used. There aren't as many plants around, and Oroka and Takumi have started to decorate the pace. The same colorful snowflakes hung from the ceiling, with blue and white lights strewn along the wall in fancy patterns. The two of them were still there, putting up more garlands with red flowers in them, but they weren't the only ones there.

In the center of the room was Naoko, Elayah, Amane, Dorobo, Mariya, and Eio. All of them were decorating their stockings, with a playful banter that caused their voices to blur into an echoing mass of unintelligible noise. My heart briefly picked up seeing this, but I decided to ignore the feeling and approach the large group.

The closer I got, the more I could see their stockings in detail.

Elayah's stocking was bright blue, with white beads outlining the stocking nicely. She had written her name in big black paint, and had tried to draw candy canes and a star on the stocking, to a… very poor effect. It was very... Elayah esc. if that makes sense.

Amane's stocking was cleaner than that, colored yellow and white, much like her dress. She had written her name with dark blue beads somehow, and she was currently sticking some stickers on it as well. She had stickers showing a smartphone, seafood, and some cute look looking clothes.

Dorobo's stocking was a complete mess, but in a good way. It was dark red, but he put on a bunch of colors to try and make it pop. He used a bunch of stickers to write out his name, with each one being slightly uneven, and he was currently attempting to draw a dog on the stocking, though he seemed to mess up on the eye.

Eio's stocking was pretty bare, but still showed some thought put into it. His stocking was icy white, so he neatly wrote his name in black paint, and stuck some hot balloon stickers on both sides of it. He put silver beads to outline the stocking, and finally glued on some cotton balls to make the shape of a cloud.

Mariya's stocking was both mysterious, and obnoxious. She had acquired a dark blue stocking, so she had written her name in cool white, and underline it with a skillful hand. She also added beads to outline her stocking, though it alternated between dark blue and bright white. She had painted a small seagull on her stocking, but the rest of it was covered head to toe in 'detective' stickers, and she also had glued on some fake gemstones on it.

Naoko's stocking was well put together despite it being an ugly bony white color. She had painted her name neatly in black as well. She didn't put to many things on it though, as she was carefully painting a detailed piece of a sperm whale swimming in ocean waters. The quality was so similar to an actual carving in that regard, and she didn't appear to make a single mistake in the design.

Besides the six that were there, I saw other stockings lined up from people who had already done there's.

Hemi's stocking was a simple red and white, but he mostly used stickers to write out his name. I could tell he tried to paint his name originally, but with the black blemish on the stocking, he probably messed up and tried to quickly cover it up. He used the stickers though to create a little book and pen.

Matsuo actually had a stocking done as well, though it was mostly bare with a few designs on it. The stocking itself was black, so the paint for his name was refined white. The same color paint was used for a few musical notes and ballet shoes, which were expertly drawn. It was rather humble, not to eye catching, but it showed a clear attempt at life.

Runa's stocking was one of the more appealing ones to look at. It was gold and grey, but she managed to make the colors pop by painting with a white brush. She made her names using gold beads, underlined it with the same material. She also outlined the stocking with the same gold beads, carefully glued on jewels near the bottom of the stocking, and painted a gorgeous looking harp made of a silvery color in the center of the stocking. She also managed to fluff it out somehow to make the fur appear softer, and she tied a golden bow behind the stocking.

Satoshi's stocking was interesting. It was light brown, but he used stickers to spell out his name. He didn't use any paints, he instead used tons of food stickers and placed them around the stocking until it practically coated with them. He did use a lot of Christmas related foods though, and he attempted to paint small lights on the stockings, though he was kind of unsuccessful. To finish it off though, he drew a tiny smiley face next to his name.

Takumi's stocking was steel grey with a metallic black outline. First, he painted his name in white, although it was a little messy and kind of blurred. He used the rest of the pains to draw white and black polka dots on the grey part of the stocking. The ends of the stocking had a silver ribbon attached to it, allowing Takumi's creation to stand out a little from the rest.

Oroka's stocking was bright purple, and hers was rather exotic in comparison to the others. She painted her name quite poorly in black, but she glued on small overalls for the stocking and added a yellow scarf around it to make a mini version of herself.

Koemi's stocking was dark magenta, and unlike Oroka's, appeared kind of worn in design. However, Koemi was able to glue on beads to spell out her name, and she painted colorful betta fish on her stocking which swam around a sticker of a microphone she put on.

The only stockings that weren't complete were my own (I hadn't had a chance to really do it yet…), Haru's (who decided to not participate in anything this year), Camilla and finally Shin (who hadn't started there's either). Still, it was an impressive collection, and I couldn't help but look over everyone's creations with great care.

"Ah, Mei," Naoko suddenly said beside me, "have you come to decorate your own stocking?"

I slightly jumped as she appeared behind right next to me, holding a basic grey stocking for me to work on.

"Um… not really," I admitted, "I came to deliver you a letter from Camilla and Shin. They won't be able to make it yet."

Naoko took the letter and read it quickly before sighing, "hopefully those two get here soon, we're running out of decorations for everyone."

"You should jump in Mei before it becomes a mad scramble!" Dorobo chimed in, "there aren't really anymore stickers to use, but we have plenty of paint from the art lab!"

"You… could borrow some… *yawns*… from me…" Eio said sleepily, rubbing his eyes.

"Oh Eio! You made it," I said in reaction to his appearance, "wow… you're still tired somehow?"

"When is he not anymore?" Naoko said, shaking her head, "you should really set up an actual sleeping routine."

"Mhm… sure…" he nodded, looking as if he wanted to pass out.

"I'm… a little surprised you decided to come here Eio," I blurted out, "what convinced you?"

"The sound of… Dorobo… outside my door…" Eio mumbled, "can never… be quite at peace… when he's… around…"

"Hey! Aren't you glad I brought you man?" Dorobo asked, "you were going to miss all the Christmas activities, and there's no way you'd want that! And besides, you wouldn't get a chance to see my awesome crafting skills if you didn't come!"

"*yanws* man… what a pain…" the nephologist said, "you're… the only person… who's… like this with me…"

Dorobo didn't seem to pick up on that comment as he excitedly began to ramble on to Eio about different animals. The nephologist didn't say much back, but I could tell he was actually listening with intent as he continued to work on his stocking. Everyone was following suit, although their joyous laughter overtook their focus at points.

"Well would you look at that, It looks like your arts and crafts station is working wonders Naoko," I commented, turning my attention back toward her, "you're really bringing everyone together."

Naoko pulled a bit on her necklace before speaking in turn, "yeah… these stockings aren't exactly bone… but they're still fun to design nevertheless, so I'm glad I volunteered for this job."

"Volunteered?" I repeated, my eyes widening from the realization, "wait, you *wanted* to run this station?"

"Mhm, I wanted to crack out of my shell a bit, you know?" she answered as she organized the materials around her, "it's like… I don't want to stay silent forever. And this group, it gives off… a good feeling. A safe one…"

"I can see your point about this group feeling safe," I commented, letting my posture relax a bit, "to tell you the truth, I'm also trying… to open up a bit more with myself."

"Then it appears we have a similar goal Mei," Naoko smiled, "I hope that works well for us in the future."

I understood her completely. Ever since the killing game started, I remember having doubts about the people I was stuck with. There was no guarantee people wouldn't take the chance to escape this horrid place. But… we all pulled through… and now we're here… celebrating Christmas of all things. It was nice to feel safe… even in this environment.

"Well then, if that's all you needed I suppose this is goodbye," Naoko announced, packing up some of her things.

"Oh wait, before you do go, can I ask you a question…?" I asked slowly, "I… have Runa for secret santa… and I'm not sure what to get her…"

"Runa?" Naoko repeated, pondering for a brief moment, "for someone like her… I think she'd appreciate a good poem. Something profound and deeply impactful. At least that's what I would give her. "

A poem… that's kinda similar to a song like Hemi, but maybe that would be a bit more manageable.

"Thanks for the suggestion…" I said, before turning away, "I promise I'll decorate my stocking later…"

"I can't wait to see you here then," Naoko nodded, "safe travels Mei."

And with that, I left the gymnasium as the sound of laughter slowly faded away.

---

At this point, the gifts I had come up with for Runa were few and far between. Some of them didn't work quite well for me, and some I considered manageable… but… it just didn't feel like something she would want.

God I'm overthinking this… what should I get her…?

Begrudgingly I went so someone who apparently had all the answers. He was located in the library, reading some type of book on mathematical equations. Besides me, he's probably been the only other person who's been obsessed with stopping this game.

The library was quite large, with glass windows placed on a curved wall that overlooked the courtyard. The bookshelves were huge, placed atop blue carpeting that had square patterns on it. Tables were placed symmetrically around, with chairs situated near them for people to sit and read out. There were also a few carts to push the books around, and desk lamps to read in the dark. The library had two floors, and on the second floor was a door that led out into the hallway, while another door contained the Ultimate lab.

Ignoring it regardless, I approached the analyst, who seemed to suspect I was coming because his head shifted over to me before I could even say anything.

"Great… just when I thought I could get some peace and quiet," he spoke, snapping his book shut, "you better not be trying to convince me to join you idiots in this whole 'Christmas' thing. We're still in a killing game after all."

"I'm not trying to do that at all," I groaned, peeved by his attitude already, "I just need your advice on something…"

"What could you possibly want to ask me?" he said coldly, "you ignore my advice when it matters. But now you suddenly want my help on something?"

"I just need to know… what a good gift for Runa would be," I mumbled, scratching my cheek, "she looks-"

"Rich? Above you class? Too expensive for you?" he finished, looking away from me in disgust.

"N-No… she's just… a hard person to read… I guess," I finished, "and she's pretty formal… so, what do you think she'd like?"

"Asking me at all cheapens the impact of the gift in the first place," Haru informed, 'it's almost as if you don't care for her enough to think of a gift yourself."

"I-I do care though, that's why-"

"Stop with your excuses," Haru uttered, "just hearing them makes my skin crawl. Go vomit your problems somewhere else and stop wasting my time."

And with that, Haru left the library in a flash, his gaze sharp and emotionless before the doors closed behind him.

…

…

Jesus… what a dick…

But even with his attitude… I feel like he just gave me an idea for a gift in that little speech of his. So I exited back into the school hallways to look elsewhere, both thankful and completely done with Haru's crap.

I had walked all the way over to the music lab in search for part of the gift I was planning to make, but by the time I walked in, I stumbled upon an interesting scene.

Runa and Koemi were inside the room practicing a Christmas song of some kind, with Koemi beautifully singing a melody that flowed together perfectly with Runa's harmonic tune. The two were completely focused on balancing each other's skills, causing the two talents to morph into an experience other worldly for my fragile ears.

By the time they finished playing, I had only just recovered from the inspiring performance before they noticed me.

"Ah Mei, you were just in time for our practice session," Runa expressed gracefully, her gorgeous brown locks shifting ever so slightly as she moved to greet me with a smile, "what were your thoughts on our piece?"

"Wow…." I mumbled, my eyes wide and filled with lingering tears, "it was incredible… just… incredible you two. I don't even think I've ever cried to a song before until now actually…"

Runa smiled as a sparkle flashed across her golden eyes, "why thank you Mei, it was quite an experience for us as well. Koemi's voice truly elevated the song to a level my fingers couldn't keep up with."

"Nonsense Runa…" Koemi uttered, adjusting her hoodie as she approached, "if anything I had overestimated my skills in comparison to you. Your experience with the harp completely dwarfs my singing ability… I'd never imagine you could do such techniques with it."

"Well I am more interested in the technical aspects of music," Runa confessed, "I like to try and incorporate something new to each song I do. Though with you there with me, it definitely improved the quality and harmonics."

I wiped the tears away from my eyes as the two talked and turned my attention toward what they were wearing. Runa was also wearing a Christmas hat like me, but Koemi had on fuzzy deer antlers instead with a bright red nose. I wonder if Hemi put them up to that.

"Hey… what are you guys practicing for anyway?" I asked, turning my attention back to them.

"Hasn't Satoshi informed you?" Koemi questioned, her dark brown eyes narrowing slightly, "Runa and I are expected to perform a Christmas concert for this holiday."

"We have all of the songs planned," Runa explained, a warm smile planted on her lips, "it's going to be an exciting moment for us to test our skills in this new environment."

"Test your skills?" I asked, "but you're already so good…"

"Practice makes perfect as they say," Runa expressed as she held her hands together tightly, "and being here has sucked most of the practice away from us. But this moment will certainly change that. I've forgotten the last time I was able to perform for an audience this size."

Runa was especially more chipper today, and her and Koemi's concert sounded like it would be amazing. Actually… I knew it would be. If the covers they decided to do were anything like the song they just played, I knew it would be incredible. And yet… throughout the whole exchange, I couldn't help but reconsider my gift for Runa. That performance was amazing, but my gift to her was… complete crap…

"Hey um… what do you guys have planned for secret santa…?" I asked nervously, "everyone… seems to have a gift so far."

"I have mine set in waiting," Koemi admitted, "I believe my person will enjoy it so… unless there is something else they would have preferred more."

"I also have mine planned out to," Runa confessed, stroking her pony tail with her hands slowly, "I'm a little unsure if they'll like it, but I hope the gift exchange for everyone will be a success."

"Right…" I said as I rubbed my arm, "I'm not sure for my person… e-either."

"I implore you to not worry to much Mei," Runa said humbly, "as cliché as it is… Christmas really is mostly about the connections and bonds you share with others, rather than the gifts. That's why, I'm sure your person will enjoy their gift no matter what it is."

Once again, leave it to Runa to give me sage advice that I should've known before. But she's right… I shouldn't be overthinking it as much. Just… give her what you have planned…

"Thanks Runa… well, I better let you two get back to practicing," I chuckled as I backed away, "uh… see you guys at the Christmas dinner!"

"Goodbye Meizia," Koemi noted as she went back to practice.

"See you soon!" Runa exclaimed.

And with that, I left the music room, now completely certain of my gift of choice.

---

The sunlight slowly dimmed outside until only the Christmas lights were left to shine in the darkness. I held my gift close in hand, a tray filled with homemade fudge and a small homemade Holtasoley flower with the help of Naoko. It took a while to actually prepare it all and make it look pretty, but I think they turned out all right…

I can't believe I was stressing about this earlier… this looks like something she might like…

Even with my own thoughts to calm he down, I was still panicking as I entered the dining hall. There were a ton of people inside mingling and having a good time. The Christmas decorations Oroka and Takumi put up were shimmering brightly, lighting up the entire room in a cheerful glow. The main table in the dining hall had loads of food laid out in shining silver plates. Cooked roast beef, buttery potatoes, steamed brussels sprouts, gathered mushrooms, a glimmering brown turkey, crispy goose and fat potatoes, corn in the cop, shimmering eggnog (in glasses labeled for us), pie, cakes, brownies, sugar cookies, gingerbread cookies, chocolate chip cookies (there were just SO many cookies…), baked ham, decorated yule logs, sweet potato bites, ramen, there were even Japanese dishes there that I had no name for…

There was just too much food to count honestly…

Around the table everyone was enveloped in a cocoon of sound, talking merrily with one another as the night continued on. Along the wall were the stockings everyone had painted. Looking at them revealed that Shin and Camilla got there's done, and my own stocking was in between them.

Camilla's stocking was light brown and black, so she had her name written in silver paint in cursive letters. On the stocking were stitched on trees and plants, and in the center of the stocking as a casually placed sticker of a rose on it.

Shin's stocking was *much* more chaotic than that. From where I was standing, it looked like someone had just committed color onto it, and yet Shin had used supplies sparingly somehow. He had written his name on the red stocking in black pain, kinda messily, but that was to be expected. He had placed stickers of the apocalypse on it as well, and painted a toxic symbol on both sides of his name. He had put some of his pins on the stocking as well, adding to the bizarre color of the stocking as it hung there loosely.

As for my own stocking, it was pretty bland in comparison to both of them. I got a grey stocking, so I painted in standard black paint and put some stickers of books on it. I also attempted to use some beads to give my stocking some flair, but it wasn't enough clearly.

With all that in mind though, it definitely felt good to see all our stockings lined up, and even better to see a few of them had gifts inside them to (mostly likely from the market shop). I didn't dare to peep into anyone else's stocking, but I checked my own to find some skittles and a tiny notebook inside.

Welp, it's free candy so heck yeah I'll take that.

I grabbed all the goodies I had gotten so far before a sudden loud voice echoed across the dining hall.

"Good evening everyone!" Satoshi announced, "I'm pleased to see you all participating in this event!"

"Can we share gifts now?!" Elayah instantly asked, "I've been DYING to see my Secret Santa the whole day!"

"Same man, I'm ready to open some presents!" Dorobo agreed.

"Now now, I know your excited for that, but first, I'd like to thank everyone who helped make this possible!" Satoshi continued, "to Shin and Camilla, I applaud you for your efforts in creating these delicious dishes! And Shin, I must also thank you for not making them canned this time like you did during Thanksgiving."

"That was one time guys…" Shin sighed before springing back up, "b-but yeah, no problemo everyone! Me and Camilla worked really hard on all those tasty treats! I'd say it took abouuuuttt six hours to make them all!"

"And it'll take me just one second to eat it all to!" Dorobo explained, his mouth drooling.

"Ditto to that my good man!" Satoshi laughed, looking just as hungry, "I would also like to thank Oroka and Takumi for allowing us to feast in such a decorated environment! You two have really outdone yourselves!"

Everyone applauded for the duo, which caused Takumi to soak it all in and grin while Oroka blushed and slightly bowed.

"It was nothing," Takumi said, "Oroka did all the planning and I did most of the placing! The combination led to this glorious masterpiece!"

"Everything d-did come out better than we expected," Oroka agreed, "I'm glad Takumi was there to help me…"

"Ah stop Oroka your making me blush," Takumi joked, which compelled a smile from the two of them.

"As for the lovely stockings you see here on the wall, Naoko did a fantastic job helping everyone out!" Satoshi exclaimed.

"Seriously thanks for that," Amane said with a nervous smile, "I didn't think mine would come out as good as it did, but thanks to you it really surpassed my own expectations!"

A lot of people nodded in agreement, including myself.

"U-Um… no problem…" Naoko mumbled, slightly smiling, "I'm glad you all enjoyed it…"

"And as for the music that will playing tonight," Satoshi continued, "Runa and Koemi have volunteered their efforts to put on a performance never before seen by the public eye!"

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH FINALLLYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!" Elayah shouted, "I'VE BEEN WAITING FOR YOU TWO TO PERFORM TOGETHER!"

"You will be most pleased by what we were able to come up with," Koemi noted.

"I agree, I hope you all will enjoy it!" Runa smiled.

"And last but not least, I'd like to thank Hemi for giving me the idea for our gift exchange tonight!" Satoshi commented, "which means-"

"It's time to unveil our Secret Santa's everyone!" Hemi concluded with a bright smile on his face.

Immediately everyone rushed over to their secret santa, compelling me to quickly do the same as I didn't want to feel left out. As I approached Runa though, I began to grow a little nervous.

I knew she liked fudge… but what if she doesn't like the type of fudge I made? And my letter? Will she like that? Oh god here I go overthinking it…

I approached Runa slowly to find her with a big hand wrapped gift as well. The moment I approached her, I noticed she was walking towards me as well.

"Oh Mei! You got me for Secret Santa?" Runa asked.

"U-Uh… yep… I sure did…" I said, looking at Runa's gift.

"What a coincidence!" Runa commented with a laugh, "I happened to get you too."

"R-Really?" I said, my eyes slightly widening, "h-how bizarre… heh… looks like we're in quite the predicament then…"

"Correct, and it seems like everyone else is as well," Runa said as her honey gold eyes scanned the room.

I followed her gaze and found quite the scene envelope before me. Everyone murmurs became loud cheers and surprise as they soon found out they got each other as Secret Santa.

---

{Secret Santa}

Hemi & Elayah: The two approached with cheerful smiles and laughs as they exchanged their gifts. Elayah had gotten Hemi a stylish black pen case to keep his precious pens inside, which he reacted to with delight. In return, Hemi gifted Elayah the chemistry set he showed me early, in which the karate master screamed in happiness as she instantly started to set it up.

Camilla & Matsuo: A surprising pair, but one met with a calm exchange of their presents. Matsuo had somehow fished up a jar filled with exotic looking plants, which the survivalist loved. Camilla (rather surprisingly) had brought a whole coffee maker from the storage room for Matsuo to put in his room. The danseur thanked her by brewing them both a cup with a TON of sugar, which the two downed instantly.

Oroka & Dorobo: Another pair which was met with wide eyes. Dorobo had thoughtfully baked Oroka a tray of cupcakes, which she loved so much that she started crying and gave the raider a hug, much to his surprise. In return, Oroka gave Dorobo a small constructed gingerbread house, which was met with a huge smile on the raider's face.

Takumi & Shin: The two boys excitedly met up and quickly exchanged presents. Shin had gotten Takumi a replica gun of some kind that fit perfectly in Takumi's holster, which the enthusiast loved dearly. Takumi had given Shin a book on the biggest bunkers in the world, which Shin also loved, though he was a bit disappointed that his shelter wasn't mentioned in the book.

Eio & Mariya: Eio had given Mariya a magnifying glass for her detective role, which she accepted, though she said was inferior to the ones she already had. In return, Mariya gifted Eio… her very presence, in which the Nephologist just… sighed and began to sleep as Mariya rambled on and on about all the cases she had solved before.

Naoko & Satoshi: Naoko had baked Satoshi a cupcake, which Satoshi loved as he savored every bite. In return, Satoshi had attempted to carve a portrait of the sea, though he had failed so badly that even Naoko couldn't hide her surprise. She offered to give him some lessons to carve, and the diplomat quickly agreed, causing the two to laugh.

Amane & Koemi: Koemi had given Amane some new USB drives for her work, which Amane accepted happily as she mentioned she was running out of space for her old ones. Amane then gifted Koemi a fancy bowl of cherries, which Koemi enjoyed and offered some to Amane.

---

Finally, it was time for me and Runa too exchange gifts. Runa went first, handing me over a small object that felt solid and smooth. Unwrapping it revealed it to be…

…

…

Runa had given me a snow globe, one styled in golden with a clear glass dome above it. The sparkling water allowed flakes of snow to drift around a golden Christmas tree, which was lit up softly with blue lights. It was methodically designed with jewels and carvings on its base, and I couldn't help but be stunned by it's beauty.

"Runa… this is…" I stuttered, my mouth agape.

"What? Is it… not good?" she asked quietly, her face growing pale.

"N-No! It's… I love it…" I said, tears escaping my eyes, "I love it so m-much…"

"M-Mei? Are you okay?" Runa asked in concern.

"I-I'm fine… I'm just… it's beautiful…" I repeated, wiping the tears away, "it's just so beautiful…."

Runa let out a breath and smiled upon me saying that, "I was worried you might think it was too extravagant, but I wanted to honor this moment with something memorable. It even plays music you see…"

"Music?" I repeated, my eyes growing wide as Runa pressed a button on the base of the snow globe.

The moment she did, a lovely melody played and almost made me burst into tears. It was a custom made song performed by Runa, where the harp strings flowed out into my ears and caused the snow in the globe to spin.

"T-This is too much Runa…" I said, "you didn't have to do all this…"

"But I wanted to," Runa smiled, "we're friends aren't we?"

Friends…

…

…

I nodded happily, and placed the snow globe down carefully on the table. Now that Runa had gone… I was completely shitting my pants as I nervously pulled out my tray of fudge and revealed it to her. The quality was okay… but after what Runa gave me, I just didn't think I could compete.

"U-Um…" I started, the tray shaking in my hands, "I know it's not much… but I know you like fudge so… h-here…"

I revealed the tray completely to her, and the moment I did, the harpist let out a gasp in surprise.

"Mei…. oh how delightful!" Runa smiled, taking the tray carefully, "to be perfectly honest with you, I've been craving for sweets all day."

"Heh… you've got quite the sweet tooth huh?" I asked with a smile.

Runa nodded gracefully as she took a bite out of one, "mmmhhmm! It taste just like home…"

"I'm glad you liked it…" I said slowly, "I also made you this flower…"

When I revealed her the flower… Runa instantly quieted down and stared at it in awe.

"A Mountain Avens…" Runa uttered, her eyes wide and teary, "oh Mei… thank you so much for this…"

After worrying about it for the whole day, Runa seemed to actually like the gifts I got her. It felt… nice to see her so happy. It was something that I felt I hadn't seen too often from her. But I guess in the end Christmas changed even the coldest of us…

---

And with that, Secret Santa was done, everyone gathered together for the huge Christmas dinner Shin and Camilla planned and stuffed themselves full. There was much singing and laughing, with people telling stories about their lives as they feasted on sweets. Koemi and Runa played their concert, which was met with loud applause after each song. For the first time in a long while, everyone was happy, feeling safe and secure from the threat of the killing game.

Much to the anger of Monokuma who watched on with disgust.

"How basic! Those kids really think they can one up me with some cheap ass Christmas carols and undercooked turkey?" he said to no one in particular, "humph! Fine then! I'll just party by myself then! I have plenty of friends to celebrate Christmas with!"

The bear then waddled over to the analyst, who was reading a book outside in the snow. The moment the bear approached him however, he sighed wearily and closed it.

"Hey Haru, how about me and you-"

"Die in a raging inferno you disgusting disgrace of an electronic being."

And with that, the analyst left the bear in silence.

"…"

"Son of a-"

---

The End XD