CAREY

A merry Christmas jingle played over the mall's speakers as Class 1-A went Christmas shopping. Kaminari let out a groan and said, "This is the fifth time they played this one! Can't they put on anything else?"

"Disney owns most of the Christmas carols," Yaoyorozu explained.

"Then could they hurry up and buy this mall too? I'd sell my soul to Disney for a different Christmas song."

An infernal maw opened in the tile floor. Mickey Mouse rose on a growing pile of money and held out a gloved hand. "Did I hear someone offer to sell their soul?" Mickey said in his high, squeaky voice.

"Nope!" Kaminari said, sweating profusely. "None of us are selling our souls."

"But Kaminari," Izuku said, "You just-"

Kaminari jammed his hand in Izuku's mouth. "Nope! You must've misheard."

As Mickey sank back into the depths of hell, he grumbled, "Everybody chickens out."

The Christmas music in the store abruptly cut out. Kaminari shook his fist at the ceiling and said, "Hey, what gives!"

Jirou checked her phone. "Disney just bought the rest of the Christmas songs. There aren't any left."

"Aww, this sucks! Christmas shopping without any Christmas songs! Can't you buy them back, Momo?"

"There isn't enough money in the world to buy anything off of Disney. Believe me, I tried."

"Then we'll make one of our own!"

Everyone gave Kaminari a flat look. After a second, he sighed. "Yeah, too much work."

"Hold on," Jirou said. "There's one that Disney hasn't bought."

"Perfect. Izuku, hack into their speakers or whatever."

"Kaminari, you can't expect Izuku to just-"

Izuku made a dinging sound. "Done."

Over the speakers, a feminine voice said, "Oh, I don't want a lot for Christmas…"

Kaminari nodded along and said, "Hey, this one's pretty catchy. Why don't they ever play it?"

Half a city away, Nezu sat upright in his seat, and his ears swiveled. His fur bristled, and he emanated a menacing aura that made Eraserhead hide so deep in his sleeping bag that he disappeared into the fabric.

"It's broken containment," Nezu whispered. He hit a big red button on his desk. Missile launchers, railguns, and nuclear warheads sprouted like dandelions across U.A.'s lawn. Every weapon aimed at Antarctica and fired.

Across the ocean, at the heart of Antarctica, a block of ice, kept frozen by tubes of liquid helium, started to melt. The ice cracked, then shattered as Mariah Carey flexed her arm. Panicked guards opened fire, then ran for their lives when the eldritch entity feasted upon their souls, leaving them drained, emotionless husks.

Mariah Carey looked towards Japan and grinned. "There is just one thing I need."

Nezu's barrage landed. The sheer firepower he had amassed reduced the continent to a sizzling vapor that wafted off the boiling ocean, yet Mariah Carey remained standing on a block of ice the size of her feet. She walked forward, and the water froze under each step. "All I want for Christmas is you, yeah."

499

It has broken containment. May God have mercy on us all.