X-mas OMAKE
Inaba's Secret Santa
Five months before Akko attended Luna Nova
Inaba, Japan
Ayame Okui no longer had a dream.
Ever since she was young she had always been shy and quiet, always struggling to maintain any form of social presence. She's not bad looking girl. A bit skinny and plain perhaps, but far from ugly. She just had a hard time connecting with people.
Deep down, she knew why. It was because of her more "exotic" interests kept her from letting people know her better. How could she really? What would people say if they found out she was a hard core otaku, especially when it came to the Yaoi/Bara genre? It was her one true passion at life, and she couldn't tell a soul.
Like many of the people she knew growing up, she was born into a strict household. Her parents would never understand her love for watching, drawing, or basically anything involving two hot boys doing some very not safe for work activities. She could never tell her parents about her hobby, not if she wanted to keep up the good girl image they had of her.
That's not to say she was completely alone. By chance, she stumbled upon a senior of hers, Yuri, who rivaled her in her consumption of all things BL. Instantly, they became the best of friends. They would share each other's secret collection of manga and anime. They would buy human anatomy books and then furiously practice drawing together. They would argue which pairing was the one true canon, get mad at each other and then laugh about it the next day. They even produced their own doujinshi and sold them at cosplay conventions.
Ayame fondly remembered those days, a time when she truly felt alive. All good things must come to an end however, and Yuri's graduation from high school marked that end.
Her senpai moved away for college, but she promised to keep in touch. She vowed to meet up with her one day so they could form a doujinshi circle, where they would truly began their dream and produce comics that would rival the best in the market.
And Ayame waited for her. She continued to develop her drawing skills between studying for her own college and her part time job. She worked hard to save enough money to rent a studio and purchase all the supplies they would need. Everything was looking bright!
Then she bombed her entrance exam. It was not the worst thing in the world, she had another chance next year right?
Well, she bombed that one too and the year after that. At this point the stress was starting to build up. By the fourth time she received something in the mail, a wedding invitation from Yuri. She saw Yuri again before their promise, looking absolutely stunning in her wedding dress. She introduced her fiancé, an honest, dorky guy that was admittedly kind of cute.
She asked about their dream again, requested her nicely to help her with the upcoming Comiket, where they could make their true debut!
"Aya-chan, are you still on that?" her friend sighed. "I left that all behind when I met my fiancé. It's time to move on… You should start thinking about your future too..."
The motherly smile she had while she rubbed her stomach said everything to Ayame. Her best friend, someone who she connected with, laughed with, shared a hobby with, had left her behind.
That night, she returned home with Yuri's collection, its entirety having been gifted to her since Yuri had no interest in them anymore. She crawled under her futon and cried herself to sleep.
The next day when she attempted to draw again, she realized she simply couldn't. "What's the point?" she thought. And in her bitter sorrow, she cleaned out her drawer and threw out her sketchbook. She sold her costumes, unable to look at them without the bitterness eating away at her.
And, for the next few years, she did nothing but waste away. She had a few part times here and there to pay her parent's rent, giving up on going to college all together. She spent all of her time watching anime and eating junk food.
Her parents tried to understand her situation and helped in any way they could, like looking a husband for her. But due to her timid and hard to approach nature, inability to open up to strangers, and lack of any housekeeping skills whatsoever, any would-be suitors eventually moved on.
Ayame thought that will be her life. Wasting away in her room, leaching off her parents and drowning in her sorrow, imagining what she could've been if her best friend just hadn't abandon her…
When she hit 27, her grandmother living in Inaba passed away. In her will, she left Ayame her house, the small surrounding land, and a sum of money that could last her about a decade and a half if she spent them sparingly.
Not wanting to trouble her aging parents anymore, she packed her bags and left. She had always been fond of the quietness of Inaba anyway, and if she's going to waste away her life, she might as well do it in a peaceful little town.
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It has been a month since she moved into the rural town, and December was fast approaching. Ayame could only sigh to herself. Another year… Wasted.
On her way to Junes, the retired mangaka was surprised to find a gathering in front of the entrance. Despite the frigid weather, a dozen excited children and their parents waited in front of the store.
"Ho ho ho! Everyone's sure is exited today!" A girl cheered. She was dressed in a Santa outfit, consisting of a mini-skirt, caplet, mittens, stockings, and fur boots. She's rang a bell as she stood atop a Christmas colored mailbox. "How is she not cold?" Ayame thought when she noticed the exposed skin.
Ayame felt like she'd seen this girl a lot since she began living here, sometimes in the Shopping District, sometimes near the path to the Amagi Inn. It was a small town after all. Whoever she was, she sure knew how to get people's attention, if the gathering crowd was anything to go by.
She watched as one of the children walked up to the mailbox and dropped in their postcard. "Will Santa-san get my request, onee-chan?"
"Of course!" the brunette winked as she posed. "As Santa's helper this year, I'll be sure to get it to him! So don't worry about it! Count on Kagari Atsuko!"
Ah, so that's her name...
The children laughed, some at the girl's over the top antics, others merely having fun.
"Is this some kind of promotional stunt for Junes?" Ayame thought to herself.
She went about her business. After doing some light shopping, she walked home while lost in thought. Christmas with her family was always plain, as her father went out to work to take advantage of the sales. She and her mother usually just bought some KFC (if they weren't already sold out), said some holiday greetings and call it a day. They never did childish activities like writing to Santa…
… Maybe this time she'd do something different. Perhaps she could ask for part time there? That Atsuko girl's outfit was very cute and it brought back some good memories of going to cons with Yuri…
With her decision made, she returned to Junes that evening. She found the children were all gone, and that Atsuko girl was in the process of collecting a bag of mail from the box.
"E-Excuse me…" She asked shyly. "A-Are you guys hiring…?"
"Oh?" the girl was surprised. "You wanted to help gather letters for Santa?"
"Y-yeah…" she nodded. "I-I used to cosplay. I thought that, m-maybe I could help draw in customers…?"
"Hmm…" Atsuko pondered for a moment. "Sure! But let me make this clear first. I am not really working for Junes."
"What do you mean…?"
"Well, do you know the Prince of Junes?" Ayame shook her head, and the brunette explained. "Well he's the son of the manager. I'm his kohai, and he's letting me host a Christmas event here. I don't actually get paid."
"Oh… is that so…" she sighed. "I was hoping…"
"Wait, wait! Don't be disappointed yet! I'll still help!" Atsuko laughed again. "If you really wanted help spread the holiday spirit, you can still join me! I'll just pay you myself!"
Ayame was surprised again, this girl looked like she was still in high school. Did she really have the cash to employ her…?
"Then again, I am only doing this until tomorrow. So I don't know if you would want to help me for only a day…"
"I'll do it," she answered immediately. "My name is Okui Ayame, and I am in your care Kagari-san-"
"Oh just call me Akko!" the brunette cheered again. "Welcome to the team Ayame-san! We will be sure to collect all the hopes and dreams of Inaba's children!"
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The next day. She arrived at her new work place as scheduled. Her new boss offered her the holiday costume.
"I forgot to ask for your measurements yesterday, so I had to guess. I hope I got it right." Akko said apologetically.
She didn't, but it wasn't unwearable, albeit a bit tight. After some preparation, it didn't take long for the first batch of children to arrive.
"Santa! Send your letter to Santa, right over here!" Atsuko rang her bell, yelling with enthusiasm.
As she worked and watched the children by the portable heater, all their smiles on their face and letters in hand, she couldn't help but revel in the festive atmosphere. It wasn't quite the same as cosplaying at a massive convention, but it still sparked memories in Ayame. Her and her best friend dressing up as their favorite characters, people lining up to take pictures with them, it was almost as if she were reliving that.
Time flew by without her realizing and the day ended. After packing up, Akko invited her to have dinner at Aiya.
"C-Can I really have this!?" the thick envelope that was her paycheck made her dropped her jaw. "This has to be at least 30,000 ¥ in here! Isn't that a bit too much for just ringing a bell?!"
"Well, it's 35,000¥, so good guess," the brunette said. "Money's not an issue for me! So use that to have fun this Christmas! It's my thanks for volunteering!"
"Ah… is that so…" She couldn't believe it, was she the daughter of some rich businessman? If she was, why was she even working to begin with?
"So… Akko? I saw you drag off that sack of letters. What are you going to do with them?"
"I'm going to give them to the real Santa!" Her one day boss proudly answered.
"Uhhuh… You do know Santa isn't real? He's just a fairy tale," she timidly responded. She wasn't one of those types right…?
"Don't worry," she said with a chuckle. "Come Christmas, you'll see!" she said with confidence.
Oh god… she honestly didn't know how to feel about that. She hoped she didn't just help the girl commit some kind of weird Christmas wish list theft (Was that even a crime?) ...
"So Ayame-san, how about you tell me about yourself!" Akko asked as their food arrived. "I know a few interesting people in this town, but it never hurts to get to know more!"
"I don't know about that…" She murmured. "I am anything but interesting..."
"Nonsense!" Akko told her. "Not just anyone would offer to help some random girl take letters in the snow! You mentioned you were a cosplayer right? The way you interacted with the children, you seemed like you know what you were doing."
This girl's surprisingly sharp, considering she had that airhead face going on. "Hehe… you got me I guess. I suppose I do know how to please a group while dressed in a cute costume, it was a part of the job..."
"Wow!" the brunette gasped. "Can you tell me all about it!?"
Someone actually wanted to know how she lived her utterly insignificant life huh…? What a holiday miracle.
So she gave her new acquaintance a rundown of what she used to do, minus most of the negatives. By the time she finished, they were halfway through their meals. Much to Ayame's surprise, she listened to it all with complete interest.
"No way! You were a mangaka on top of being a cosplayer!?" she asked with enthusiasm. "Can I see your drawings!?"
"... Maybe not…" She frowned, looking the other way.
"Eh…? Why not?!"
A frown appeared on her face. "... I just can't alright…!" her voice stuttered.
"... Did something happen?" Akko frowned. "... Something sad?"
"You can say that. So please don't push me anymore…" she pleaded. "I haven't drawn anything in six years." she whispered, "… My passion is long gone… I'm sorry to disappoint you."
"Not that she would want to see my art… unless she's also into hardcore Yaoi," she thought.
Hearing that Akko frowned again. She looked away from her and muttered to herself, deep in thought. A few seconds later, she looked at Ayame again, her expression filled with kindness.
"Ayame-san would you like to write a letter to Santa?" Akko asked. "You can request to get your passion back!"
"What do you even mean by that?" she almost wanted to laugh. "You're just being silly now… Santa's not real and even if he is, I don't think that would be in his power-"
"Well Witches and Magic exist! And they can do anything!" Akko argued, "If that's the case then Santa exists too! All you need to do is believe!" she pointed to herself.
Was this where her life had sunk to? Arguing with a teenage girl about the existence of a fairy tale…?
She stared at Akko, Her eyes brimming with absolute certainty in what she was saying... This girl honest to god believed everything she said in the bottom of her heart…
What the heck, why not.
"You're really into this huh?" she sighed, getting an eager nod in response "Alright, Santa's little helper. Tell the old man- if he really exists, rather than a give me some useless crap, I want my life back." she said bitterly. "I want a dream, something I can strive for… I want to feel like I have a purpose again. I want to draw my doujinshi and have people line up to read them… I want to be able to bravely go to Comiket in my costumes and not feel hollow!" she growled, tears flowing from her eyes. "I want my best friend back! That's my Christmas wish, Akko! Can Santa do that for me!?"
Was she too harsh? All of her demands were utterly impossible and she was just venting her buried anger. She felt bad yelling at a girl with an infinitely brighter future than her.
"I got your request, Ayame-san."
She looked up at Akko again, astonished as the brunette smiled back. "I know how you feel now! Santa and I will do our best!" she declared. "Please look forward to Christmas eve!"
Ayame observed the strange girl for few seconds before laughing with relief. "I hope so too, Akko. Either way, thanks for listening… it felt nice to be able to have a conversation with someone..."
"No problem! Let's finish our meal. It's getting late, and I really need to get those letters over to Santa!"
Some cynical parts of her wondered if she was just saying that so she could get away from the crazy ex-mangaka… but for some reason, she didn't believe that was the case.
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Dec 21, 2017 Cognitive Inaba
"Hello, Ayame-san. Sorry it took a while, but I am here..."
Ayame Okui… or more accurately, her Shadow, glared at Akko with distaste. "What are you doing here, Akko?"
"I should be asking you that," Akko shrugged. "It's rare for Shadows to manifest in Cognitive Inaba. That only happens in the worst of cases," she frowned. "Your heart must be in so much pain… "
"Hehe…" the Shadow chuckled with malice. "OF COURSE I'M IN PAIN! How do you feel if your BEST FRIEND, the one person you truly felt like you connected with, breaks your promise and tosses you to the side, all because she wanted to have a shotgun wedding?!" She sneered. "All that talk about drawing doujinshi with me was just a lie in the end! What a bitch!"
Tears of liquid darkness leaked from her eyes. "My entire life was nothing but a waste! Screw my parents for forcing me to go to college! Screw Yuri for pretending to be my friend! And screw you for making me feel there's any hope at all!" she screamed at Akko. "I am so fed up with everything! Life sucks! I can't even kill myself because I'm too much of a coward. I just wanted to be left alone… Please… just leave me be… Haven't you bothered me enough?!"
"Ayame-san," the brunette muttered. "It sounds to me you're just an idiot who can't think for herself!"
"What-!"
"You heard me. I don't know about you, but your life story so far just sounds like you let others push you around," Akko glared. "Why does your life feel meaningless? Because you didn't fight to make your dream a reality! You dummy! Of course you felt directionless!"
"Shut up-! You don't know anything-!"
"Oh yeah? Then why did you let your parents control you instead of telling them how you really felt?" she argued. "I admit, having a friend throw you and your dream under the bus hurts. But if she did it without any remorse, then perhaps she wasn't your friend to begin with! Either that or you didn't make it clear enough to her how important your dream was! If I was in your shoes, I would've just kept going. Perhaps you'll meet other people that also share that dream too!"
"Shut up! SHUT UP!" the Shadow selves sobbed. "You don't understand anything. You will never understand-"
"Oh, but I do!" Akko yell back. "I have a dream that nobody else seems to understand! I thought it was impossible, that I was just fooling myself… but then something happened that changed my life! I realized that I would have to achieve my dream with my own hands, otherwise it'll never happen! I meet many great people like my senpais and they offered me help that put me one step closer towards it!" Akko pointed at the Shadow." And I want to do the same for you, Ayame-san! I hope after I deal with you, you can finally get some peace! I will help you advance!"
"Lies! You're a LIAR!" liquid darkness bubbled around all over her body. "GET. OOOUT!"
As the shadow burst, a beautiful floating version of the ex-mangaka confronted Akko. Her dark blue hair reached all the way down to the ground and she wore a flowing dress and a silver anklet. In her hands she held a fountain pen once used to draw her manga.
"Leanan Sidhe fits you, Ayame-san…" Akko smiled. "Let's go, Aradia! LIGHTS UP! HONKI…. MOOOOOOODOOOOOOO!"
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The defeated Shadow dropped onto the soft grass, her form bursting and returning to normal. She let out a tired sigh.
"You're right…" She sobbed, an arm covering her eyes. "Never once in my life have I ever stood for myself. I was always too timid, too scared to be my own person and just went along with others. No wonder I didn't have any friends… who would want to be around someone like me right? When I met Yuri I became dependent on her… that's why I wasn't able to move on since…"
"It's not too late, Ayame-san," Akko reached out her hand. "As long as you still want it, your dream can still come true! I'm sure of it!"
"..." she accepted her hand and returned to her feet. After that, she bowed to Akko. "Yeah. I think you're right. I will be sure to try my hardest from now on."
Her form began fading into blue light.
"Please… hand this over to my real self. She'll know what it is…"
What remained on the grass was an old sketchbook.
"Oh~ Finally! I get to see what kind of artist Ayame-san is!" Akko happily picked it up and began flipping through its pages…
And immediately slammed it shut. "Oh… so that's what she meant by doujinshi… "
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Dec 25, 2017 10:14 pm
Ayame had finished binge watching for the day.
For some reason, she felt...lighter recently. Like a rock had been lifted from her shoulders. She couldn't put it into words, but it felt good.
It was snowing pretty hard outside, a blanket of white powder carpeting the ground as flecks of white floated down. She had stayed up longer than she normally did and couldn't place why.
Maybe it was because, deep down she wanted to see if that Akko girl was telling the truth… Despite all reason and logic saying otherwise.
Speaking of the brunette, she hasn't seen her around town since parting with her... Just where was she...?
Deep in her thoughts she was startled hard when she heard a noise down stairs, and it sounded like the window was being forced opened… "A robber?!"
A metal ruler in right hand, and phone ready to call 110 in the left, Ayame ventured down the stairs with her body shivering from both fear and cold. Hoping ever so desperately it was not the worst case scenario…
When she arrived however there was no one there. Her dining room windows were opened, a cold breeze bringing white powder in. After closing the window and a thorough scan of the house, she breathed a sigh of relief and returned to the dining room… Only to be utterly surprised when she noticed a small, thin package resting on her table.
"What the…" Ayame was utterly baffled. Where did this come from, and how had she missed it. Just then she heard the vague ringing of bells in the distance.
Rushing outside, she scanned the sky, but the snow and darkness made it difficult to see anything. Just as she was about to give up however, she spotted a red trail of sparkles and something flying off in the distance
"Is this real?" Ayame gasped. "Or am I just dreaming?"
Retreating back to her room with her gift, she noticed the small card attached and read it:
(｡•̀ᴗ-) I told you Santa would be able to fulfill your wish! Hope this sparks something in you and makes you heart go doki doki waku waku!! Merry Christmas, Ayame-san! -Kagari Atsuko, Santa's helper
"T-That girl… Just what is she…?" she lightly chuckled to herself. She unpacked her gift and her jaw dropped. Inside was her sketchbook. Tears formed at the corner of her eyes as she hugged it close. How did anyone get this back!? She had tossed it in a dumpster years ago!
She flipped through the book, and every sketch, every detail, even her hand writing, was exactly as she remembered. It was no doubt this was her sketchbook, the one Yuri bought her...
With a fire in her eyes, she flipped to an unused page and grabbed a pencil. No more fear, no more regret… her heart was once again filled with the ambition to draw.
"Thank you Akko…" she muttered, wiping away her tears, setting to work. "I don't know how you did it, but I will never forget your kindness…!"
She didn't sleep that night. She needed to get back into the flow of things. She swore she will enter next year's Comiket and truly make a name for herself!
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"I hope Ayame-san gets her life back together," Akko said, flying over Inaba on the back of her main Persona dressed in her Santa costume.
Aradia went for a rather different approach since the beginning of December. Her normal colors had been changed to a dark red. White fur outline her cloak and witch hat. Her horns and claws were bright red with green linings. Her scepter's goat head had gained a fluffy white beard, its nose emanating a red glow while two bronze bell attached to the horns.
"That woman's Shadow admitted defeat, so it should." Aradia Krampus mode replied. "What she does next however, is up to her."
"Good! Now let's finish up the rest!"
This was the reason she was collecting letters. It was an event that her senpais had been doing in recent years. Through Junes, young children living in Inaba could mail in their letters alongside their address. And their parents would play along, either picking up their gifts to surprise them, or wait for delivery by her senpais.
She was saying the truth the entire time; Aradia was Santa and she was the helper!
"Just about 80 homes to go..." Akko looked at her list, on it a series of address. "Let's hurry Aradia! The sooner we get this done, the sooner we can meet up with the others for the Christmas party! We can't miss Kujikawa-senpai's new song!"
With that they flew through the snowy night. Ready to bring all the holiday cheer they could.
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Akko's Personas:
Aradia Krampus mode (Fool)
Null: Curse
Resistance: Bless
Weakness: Fire, Psy
Skills: Eiha, Kouha, Evil Smiles, Sukukaja, Sukunda, *Evade Ice
Profile: With her user's heart filled with the ambition to give, Aradia temporary borrowed the power of a fellow pagan god! Time to celebrate the day of Yule!
*During this form, Aradia gains 10% VIT while lose 5% STR. She will also gain Evade Ice until she returns to normal.
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Shadow Selves:
Shadow Ayame Okui/ Leanan Sidhe(Reversed Lovers)
Null: Ice
Resist: Wind
Weakness: Fire
Skills: Tentarafoo, Confusion Boost, Sukunda, Tarunda, Evade Phys, *Ali Dance, *Angelic Grace
Profile: A beautiful fairy of Irish lore that yearns for the love of a human man. She drains the life of her lovers in return for granting them artistic inspiration.
*Expert mode only
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AuthorNCS : Oh hiiiiiii, Hacka Doll!
I upgraded Ayame a little bit compared to how she was over there. She still a sad Yaoi fangirl though, but at least Akko is here for her at X-mas! No point writing her fight though. It's just a stupid stall match.
Merry X-mas to everyone! Thank you all for sticking with me, and thank my beta for his loyal aid! Go over to my cousin Artist741 for a holiday illustration of this OMAKE! Come back at later this month or early Jan for CH12! See y'all next time!