And that leads us to today, December 24th. The day of the party. Everyone has agreed to help set up in the cafeteria. I've been tasked with setting up the streamers, but I'm in need of masking tape. Saigusa-san was 'working' close by.
"Saigusa-san, hand me the tape," I request from her.
"Oryaaa!" Saigusa-san throws the tape like a wicked fastball at me. It flies straight past my face and hits the ceiling, landing on the floor. She stands there awkwardly, before shouting, "Strike!"
"We're not playing baseball!" I shout at her. "Just pick up the tape and hand it to me..."
"C'mon, why can't putting up decorations be fun?" Saigusa-san laughs, unrepentant. "It is Christmas Eve, after all. Why don't we take it easy?"
"If we take it easy, there won't be a Christmas party," I turn her down. "Sometimes we need to work before we can play, Saigusa-san."
"Chee, you're no fun," she groans. She picks up and hands me the tape before walking away.
...There, that should do it. All the streamers are set up. It's rather lovely how festive this corner of the cafeteria looks compared to how empty it was before. Select tables were decorated with appropriate dinnerware and other décor provided by Saigusa-san and Kurugaya-san. All that's missing is the presents and food, the latter of which is being provided by Midori.
"Ah, Riki," Kyousuke remarks gruffly as he walks by. "Good work with the streamers."
"Kyousuke," I acknowledge him upon seeing him. "Where is everyone else?"
"Most of them are making final preparations on their gifts," he remarks, sniffing up his cold. "Speaking of which, Riki, is your gift finished yet?"
"Almost," I remark. "I had the pattern and cloth sent to a tailor. It should be delivered to my dorm by this evening."
"Isn't that expensive, though?" Kyousuke croaks, coughing a little. "Sorry, Riki. I'm still a little under the weather even though it's been three weeks."
"It's alright, Kyousuke," I forgive him. "Some of the other Busters covered the cost. What about you? Is your gift finished?"
"Uh, yeah," Kyousuke answers semi-confidently. "It took a little time to prepare, but I got it ready."
"Cool," I respond with joyful anticipation. "I can't wait for the other Busters' gifts, too!"
"Yeah," Kyousuke gargles despondently. Something didn't seem right about him. Maybe his flu was getting the best of him. He was already doing enough in his condition as it was.
"Kyousuke," I ask him worriedly. "Are you sure you'll be fine?"
"Don't worry about me," he smiles as he usually does. "It's died down enough that I can move about. Just focus on what's important right now. Go ask the other Busters if they need help. Rin, especially."
With that request, he walks past me while trying his best not to sneeze. I am sincerely worried for him, but I know Kyousuke. He isn't the type to let an illness keep him down. He is my hero; that is why I must do everything in my power to do as he asks. I head out of the cafeteria, looking around for Rin.
The afternoon air had by now lost its crispness, giving way to a cold so humid and chilling, not even Masato could be caught dead without a coat. I wasn't expecting anybody to run around in this cold, except maybe Saigusa-san out of her own silly nature. It had snowed around a week ago, and her face was implanted in the ground virtually everywhere there was snow. I'm surprised she didn't catch whatever Kyousuke caught doing that.
The girls' dorm was surprisingly busy, at least in the halls. I could hear tons of giggling coming from the left wing. When I approached the entryway, I was stopped by Futaki-san.
"I don't believe you have any business here, Naoe-kun," she stares me down with a warning tone. "Even though everyone inside trusts you, I don't. Go away."
I choose to ignore her request. "Is Rin inside?"
"Natsume-san? I don't believe she's returned," she shakes her head. "You'd do best to look elsewhere."
"Thanks," I answer gratefully. "See you at the party."
"You won't," she shouts back as I leave. I figure Rin has to be at the terrace with her cats. I make a break for that area.
In the middle of my stride, I pass by the school courtyard. The zelkova tree is naked, robbed of its leaves and slowly withering. It reminds me of the time I spent with Nishizono Mio, those times when she used to read poetry, eat lunch with me and sleep on my shoulder when finished. I miss her a lot.
As I pass by the dying zelkova tree, a shadow of a person emerges from behind its cold, rough bark. It's Midori. What was she doing here?
"Riki-kun," she addresses me. "I was hoping you'd come along here."
"Are you here to stop me from thinking about Mio again?" I half-joke with her. "Because it didn't work the first time."
"I'm not here for that," she rolls her eyes. "I've played with you enough. I just wanted to talk to you for a moment."
"Talk for a moment?" I look at her with some skepticism. "That seems so unlike you."
"I know, right?" She laughs heartily. "Nice change of pace to not have an agenda, don't you think?"
"I still don't believe you in that regard," I chuckle. "For all I know, you could be keeping me from seeing Rin."
"You're going to see Rin-chan?" She loosens her smile a little. "Don't tell me you guys are dating again? 'Cause it didn't work the first time."
"Way to turn my words on me," I sigh. "It's really important that I see her. Kyousuke told me to..."
"Ah, Kyousuke sent you to go find her," she remarks as if mocking my words. "I don't mind if Kyousuke sent you, but how much of Kyousuke's goodwill is in you, I wonder? Kyousuke can wait until I'm finished."
"But..." I have no room to protest. She grabs me and brings me over to the bench a few feet away. She dusts off the snow with her free hand, and we sit together on the cold, wet, varnished wood. Midori giggles as our eyes meet.
"I wasn't expecting much, but you haven't changed after all this time," she laughs. "Mio was lucky to have someone like you as a boyfriend."
I reflect back on that time. Mio and I definitely were a couple, and for a while we worked great together. Then I developed feelings for Kurugaya, and I had to let her go. She was heartbroken, yes, but she took it better than I thought. We remain good friends to this day, but Midori being here leaves me wondering if she's once again considering leaving this existence.
"Midori," I ask her. "Are you sure Mio is coming back after the holidays?"
"I meant what I said," she nods. "She will come back. I promise you that."
"Then why are you here, exactly?" I ask. "You've never shown up until now, and you've never been seen together with Mio since that day. Why are you here now?"
Midori holds still for a while, a rather serious look falling on her face. Her eyes roll around for a moment in thought, until they realign themselves with mine. "Mio made a wish. It was a rather simple wish, but pulling it off wasn't quite as simple."
"What was her wish?" I have a feeling I know the answer already.
"To be in two places at once," she answers grimly. "With her family and her friends. She couldn't bear to leave either behind, so she enlisted my help."
"And you answered?"
"I had no power to answer," she rolls her eyes. "The funny thing about Christmas is that it is magical. A Christmas wish goes a long way in making the impossible possible. So, begrudgingly, I'm here."
"You don't want to be here?" I find myself quite surprised by her words. All this time...she didn't want to celebrate with us?
"I'll be honest, Riki-kun," she remarks. "I don't know what Mio sees in you or the Little Busters. The only connection I have to this place is Mio herself. I'm here for her own selfish reasons. But I don't fault her for it. I have my own selfish wish."
"What's that?" I press further, but she doesn't answer. She gets up off the bench, steps back a bit and turns to me with a smile.
"To know what it means to love," she winks, sticking her tongue out. She starts running away, but manages to shout out to me: "Get going! Rin-chan's waiting for you!"
With Midori's leave, I get up and run for the terrace. I have a feeling what she's asking for is truly impossible...
Sure enough, Rin is where I thought she'd be. I watch her closely from afar, as I usually do. She seems to be doing something a little different with the cats today. Her largest cat, Dorj, sits in a corner having a nice, undisturbed nap.
"Alright, everyone, let's parade," Rin claps her hands together. She begins to chant a short song that might have sounded better in a children's show than here. "In a little shack of two old people~ There lived two cats, two cats, two cats~ In the dead of winter among other noises~ They had four cats, eight cats, twelve cats~"
My surprise doesn't come from the strangeness of her chosen lyrics; rather, it's the fact that the cats are all lining up single-file behind her ankles as she clapped and sang. It looks so silly, I nearly give away my presence trying to contain my laughter. I kinda don't want this to end, but there's only so much time before the party. I walk into her view.
"Rin," I address her. She jumps upon seeing me, her head growing red hot in embarrassment.
"R-Riki!" All the cats disperse as the parade screeches to a halt. Dorj wakes up slowly, yawning a big "Nuoo~" as he does.
"Rin," I repeat her name. "Did you need any help with preparations for tonight?"
"N-no," she stutters, still a little shocked and upset. "Don't scare me like that!"
"Kyousuke said you might need help with something," I tell her. She calms down a little at that moment.
"Kyousuke should know that I'm done with my gift," she groans. "I mean, I told Saigusa-san to tell him, at least."
"I saw her at the cafeteria," I recall to her. "I didn't see her talking to him, though."
"That idiot's so slow," she insults her brother in front of me. "I bet he forgot to make his present, too."
"He told me he didn't," I clarify to her. She doesn't seem convinced.
"I'll believe it when I see it," she responds with hard skepticism. Just about then, my phone vibrates. I pull it out and check my messages. Seems Kud is alerting us about the party. It shouldn't be too long before it starts.
"We should get going," I tell Rin. "The party's starting soon."
Rin nods in understanding. The bell in her hair jingles as she does.
At the cafeteria, everything looks to be in order. On one of the tables, Everyone is here now, all gathered up. Me, Rin, Kyousuke, Komari, Kud, Kurugaya, Saigusa-san, Midori...wait a minute. Where was Masato and Kengo? They couldn't have been late getting their present ready...could they?
"Kyousuke," I ask. "Where's Masato and Kengo?"
"They're out in the hall, prepping something," Kyousuke answers while blowing his nose on one of the festive napkins. "They said it's part of their gift."
Suddenly I realize, did they collaborate on their gift to the other Busters? Isn't that against the rules? I look at Kyousuke. He doesn't look bothered by the idea, even if it's harder to tell due to the flu sapping his energy. Whatever the case, it makes a lot of sense for Masato and Kengo to team up. They had some really good coordination during last May's baseball game. I'm excited to see what they'll come up with.
"Riki-kun, come over here," Midori beckons me towards her small group of friends. I nod and run up to them. Kurugaya-san and Saigusa-san were next to her, and they turned to greet me.
"What's up?" I greet the three of them a little informally.
"Good to see you're in the spirit of things, Riki-kun," Kurugaya-san nods pleasantly.
"Riki-kun, Riki-kun," Saigusa-san beckons me. "Look what Midorin has made!"
I take a look at the spread of food on the table in front of me. There are a lot of foods I don't recognize, and many of them are made out of some type of bread. They must be western foods. I look at Midori, who seems quite proud of the abundance of treats she's made.
"Kud and I picked out which foods we wanted out of a western cookbook," she winks at me. "Our combined English skills aren't that great, but I believe we got everything down to a T."
"Midorin, what's this?" Saigusa-san points at a strange dark brown dessert that seems to look like a circular hill with a plateau. It is topped with a branch of holly.
"That's an English plum pudding, Haruchin," Midori answers. "It comes from England, and it's made of dried fruits, molasses, various spices and my personal favorite, raw mutton fat!"
"Uwaaaa!" Saigusa-san's face scrunches in disgust. "That...sounds...absolutely delicious!"
"Umu, I've tried plum pudding before," Kurugaya-san agrees with a nod. "I've heard it tastes best after a good year of aging the alcohol inside it."
"Um...this is alcoholic?" That fact makes me rather nervous.
"Well, there was alcohol in it," Midori remarks. "I baked it this morning, so all of it should be gone."
"Eeeh? But I wanted to get drunk with Anego!" Saigusa-san voices her disappointment at us.
"You know we're minors, right?" Kurugaya points out.
"Way to shoot me down, Anego," Saigusa-san weeps in defeat. She quickly gets over it and points to another dish on the table, filled with what looks like bite-sized pies. "Hey, Midorin, what are these?"
"Those are mince tarts," Midori explains. "They're tiny pies made of mincemeat, which is basically a mixture of dried fruits, spices and shredded meat. They're supposed to be a little sour, hence why they're called tarts."
"Uwaaaa!" Saigusa-san's face scrunches again. "That...sounds...delightfully exquisite!"
"Umu, mince tarts are quite common in English-speaking countries," Kurugaya nods. "A single tart is about eighty-two calories, so you can gain a lot of weight from these pretty quick if you're not careful."
"Eeeh?! I don't want to get fat on Christmas Eve!" Saigusa-san voices her complaints at us.
"Then don't eat..." I sigh at this ruckus she's making. At that moment, the cafeteria doors open. In steps Masato, dressed in the bright colors of Santa Claus. Close behind him is a bizarre creature dressed in a white robe, with a black face and beard. He lumbers behind Masato, holding a broom like a goblin waiting for the perfect moment to beat him to death. Everyone in the room who notices these two hold their breath.
"Yahoho, everyone!" Masato greets everyone cheerfully. "Muscle Claus is here to spread Christmas joy! This jolly fellow behind me is my companion, Shootsme!"
"That's Schmutzli, Masato," the creature spoke with Kengo's voice. Everyone breathes a collective sigh of relief. Masato promptly disregards Kengo's correction and keeps talking.
"We'll be going around the room, delivering presents and candy to the good little boys and girls in the room," he explains joyfully.
"And to all the bad little boys and girls..." Kengo brandishes his broom and screams like a banshee. "HOOOOOORRRRAAAAAAA!"
Komari, Kud and Rin are the only ones in the room that scream in terror. Kyousuke also seems a little terrified, but Kurugaya-san, Saigusa-san and Midori don't seem at all intimidated. I'm sure as heck not afraid of these costumes, though I must say they're putting on an impressive performance.
"Alright, who wants first dibs on gifts?" Muscle Claus invites his guests, gleefully ignorant of Schmutzli's presence. I look around. Four of us are still too shocked to move. Two of us don't seem to have enough incentive to come forward.
"Ooh, me, me, me!" Saigusa-san quickly volunteers to go first. She skips toward him with a childlike energy in her step.
"Geh, Saigusa," Masato groans in his costume.
"Just keep calm," Kengo whispers in his ear. "I'll scare her off somehow."
With Saigusa-san in front of the burly Masato, everyone else seems anxious to know what would happen with this strange Schmutzli character thrown in the works. Komari, Kud and Rin huddle together in an effort to protect each other from the ugly creature, while Midori and Kurugaya-san continue discussing foreign Christmas foods. I'm quite curious myself how horribly wrong this can go for either Masato or Saigusa-san.
"W-well, Saigusa," Masato starts, a little nervous. "Have you been a good girl this year?"
"Hm," Saigusa-san thinks for a small moment. "Nah, I haven't really been good, have I?"
Masato's eyes widen. "How can you be so confident in saying that? You know what happens to bad girls, right?"
"Oh yeah, I get the idea," Saigusa-san explains, her simple smile tightening into a smug grin. "It's just that I'm not scared of that creature behind you that's so obviously Kengocchi I could laugh."
"You little brat," Kengo growls at her. "Naughty girls deserve to be punished!"
He brandishes his broom, but Saigusa-san makes a break for it. "Yahaha, you'll have to catch me first!"
The two of them run circles around the empty areas of the cafeteria, everyone else watching and occasionally giggling. Masato tries to regain his composure before speaking again. "Well...who's next?"
"Go, go," Komari and Rin push Kud out towards Muscle Claus. Kud hesitantly approaches him, visibly shaking in her shoes. Muscle Claus finds a reason to smile big at this adorable display.
"Ah, Little Kud," he chuckles heartily. "Have you been a good girl this year?"
"Uh...um..." Kud takes her time finding the words to say. I feel some sympathy for her, but I'm also afraid she might say no because of her nightly escapades. Not that Masato needs to know about those.
"Well?" Muscle Claus gives Kud a non-judgemental smile. Kud takes a deep breath and shouts out loud: "Nou aimu nato!"
"Eh?" Masato doesn't understand her English. "Would you mind saying that again in Japanese?"
"No, I'm not," she repeats in the correct language. "I've always been causing trouble for Riki and the other Busters...I'm not good at baseball or English...I've just been bothering everyone 'cause I'm so small and weak and helpless..."
"Little Kud, you're not any of those things," Masato responds with a stoic face. "When I ask if you've been a good girl, I didn't ask if any of those smaller details made you a bad person. They don't. For all the time I've known you, you've been the sweetest girl I know."
"Inohara-san..." Kud seems wholly swayed by his words of comfort. She looks at him in childlike awe.
"Little Kud, you are a good girl," Muscle Claus takes over, patting her on the head. "Don't let anyone take that away from you. Here," he reaches into his pillowcase of treats, "This is for you."
"For me?" Kud takes the wrapped package. "Th-thank you, Muscle Claus! I promise to be a good girl next year!"
"I look forward to it," Muscle Claus smiles warmly. "Go, tell your friends to come over here."
"Yes, I will!" Kud rushes back to Komari and Rin, showing them the present she got. I took another look at Masato. He was actually really good in his role. I want to come up to him and tell him that, but I don't want to take away a good present from the others. I can wait a while.
"Alright, who wants to talk to Muscle Claus next?" Masato resets himself, greeting Komari as his next guest. The screeches of Schmutzli and Saigusa-san can still be heard on the other side of the cafeteria.
The party had been in motion for quite some time now. Muscle Claus finished up his gig and Schmutzli eventually caught and gave Saigusa-san her just desserts. Both of them were exhausted, so they settled down and grabbed some hot wassail from Midori. I grabbed some as well. It tastes weird, but it isn't anything I can't handle.
"Say, Riki," Masato slides in the seat next to me. "Isn't your present ready yet?"
My eyes widen. I nearly forgot about it. It's supposed to be delivered to my dorm tonight, but I don't know if I can just up and leave everyone like this. The gift exchange is already taking place at this point. I don't want anyone stealing my presents.
"I don't know," I tell Masato. "I don't know if I can go check..."
"I'll hold on to your presents for you," Masato grins. "Just go and check already."
Man, Masato's the best. I can't thank him enough. "Alright, thanks."
I get up and leave the cafeteria, and make my way to the boys' dorm. I check the mailbox, but there's nothing inside except a piece of junk mail. My present is late. I start to panic. What could have happened to it? The tailor told me that it would definitely be ready by tonight. He'd send it to my dorm. Where...what happened?
"Did somebody...steal it?" It is a possibility, but there are so few people at the school I can't help but wonder if it is possible. I sigh in defeat and dread, and I close the mailbox.
"This is the worst," I curse the cold, uncaring night sky. It refuses to answer, hiding itself behind murky black clouds. I bet it's going to snow again. The world is dying around me, and I don't have any happiness to give to my recipient. She'll never know my gratitude for what's she's done for me. As I contemplate these pains, I return to the cafeteria...slowly.
As I reach the door, I hear cheering. I take a peek inside, and I see Kyousuke in the forefront of the group. He looks ready to give one of his famous speeches. I slip in quietly, and sit by one of the empty benches, far from the rest of the group.
"Dear friends," he begins, still sounding congested, "It's a pleasure to celebrate with you this night. Please do not be concerned about me. I am fighting this virus the best I can."
He turns around and blows his nose on another napkin. "Some of you may wonder why we celebrate Christmas. Even outside of Japan, I presume it is a common question. I think it's safe to say that we have answered that question with our actions tonight."
Midori speaks up. "Kyousuke, what do you mean?"
Kyousuke clears his throat and closes his eyes. "There was once a man who was born into this world with a special purpose. At a young age, he knew very well what that purpose was. As he grew older, he made every effort to help others. He taught them about the love and happiness that was in store for them, if only they believed in Him and followed His example."
Kengo, still in costume, asks: "Who was this guy?"
Kyousuke opens his eyes. "His name is Jesus Christ."
Everyone stares at him in silence, stunned and confused. Some of the Busters understood what he meant, but others were more baffled than anything about his reference to a religious figure.
"Kyousuke," Masato gasps, "Have you found religion?"
"No, I just did my research," Kyousuke adamantly denies Masato's claim. "What I'm trying to say here is that Christmas means effort. It comes from the heart. Everyone here tonight has made a sacrifice of their time, money and talents to bring our hearts closer to one another."
The stunned silence continues. Komari, still sitting in the corner with her friends, clutches her chest in awe and reverence. Kyousuke, to my surprise, turns around to face me in the far back of the room.
"Riki," he addresses me in his loudest possible voice. "Come here. You need to hear this, too."
Without any argument, I walk closer to him. As I do, he continues speaking to me. "Riki, be proud of yourself. Your effort to help us make this a reality is greater than any gift you could have given. Don't be discouraged if it doesn't arrive on time."
I can't help but be astonished by Kyousuke's foreknowledge. To me he was now more than a friend, he was as close to God as I could ever see him as. He is still my hero, and my world revolves around him. His words make me feel better than I could have ever done to anyone in this room.
Kyousuke turns back to the rest of the party, raising his glass of wassail. "Once again, dear friends, it's been a pleasure speaking to you this night. Now, Little Busters, let us continue our celebration, until this holy night becomes day! Cheers!"
"Cheers!" The rest of us raise our glasses to him and his wonderful speech. Kyousuke finally lets a sneeze loose after that. We all laugh warmly at this.
"Excuse me," a voice calls from across the cafeteria. "Is Naoe-kun here?"
All of the noise stops, and I turn to see who is calling. I can barely make out the silhouette of Futaki-san by the door, as if expectantly waiting for me to approach. I do so quickly.
"Futaki-san," I address her breathlessly. "What are you doing here?"
"I'm here to deliver a couple things, nothing more," she tells me in a distant tone, handing me two similar-sized packages. "Take them. I'll be off to bed."
"Wait, Futaki-san," I urge her to stop. "Why don't you come to celebrate with us? We've still got plenty of food and drink to go around. I'm sure Muscle Claus has a present for you, too."
Futaki-san sighs. "I don't subscribe to your friends' hijinks," she groans slightly. "But thanks for offering. Tell Haru...er, Saigusa-san I wish her the best tonight. She needs it."
She runs off after that. It disappoints me that I can't stop her, but my grief is offset by the packages in my hand. One of them is addressed to me. Could this be...my present?
"Riki!" Kud shouts behind me. "Come on, retsu pati~!"
"Riki!" Rin screams at me. "You still need to open my present!"
"Riki!" Midori joins in the chorus of beckoning shouts. "We've still got lots of wassail! Come on!"
It doesn't matter if Futaki doesn't want to join. She can join next Christmas. Now, I have to focus on what's important: celebrating together with my friends. They're just as important to me as bringing Futaki-san into our fold. Next time, though, I definitely want to bring her here. She doesn't know what she's missing.
"I'll be right there!" I close the door to the cafeteria, and run back up to everyone. "Guys! My present came in the mail!"
"Nice," Masato grins. "Who's it for?"
"Um..." Darn, I forgot who I was going to give this to. I can't remember if it was supposed to go to Rin, Kud or Midori. Which is it for?
Choose, and continue at the appropriate epilogue.