"Just who could that voice coming from the ceiling be...?"
I asked the question with a touch of theatrical, almost deliberate flair.
Following the mysterious voice, the light, cheerful jingle of bells began to ring out. A moment later, one of the windows swung open to reveal a figure clad in iconic red clothes with a flowing white beard...
"Aaaaah! It's Santa-san!"
"Whoa, Santa-san!"
"Yay!!"
As the ecstatic Mio-chan and the others watched, the figure hopped nimbly through the window into the room, letting out "that laugh" once more.
Then, he grandly readjusted the characteristic white sack slung over his Back. Mio-chan and the other children, their eyes sparkling with wonder, rushed toward him all at once...
"Santa-san?! The real Santa-san?!"
"Ho ho ho... That's right. I am Santa Claus."
As he spoke, Santa-san gave his outstretched left hand a quick flourish toward the children. A single small flower appeared in his palm where there had been nothing a moment before. With every twist of his wrist, the flowers multiplied—two, then three... Honestly, it was pretty impressive.
Not that I knew if magic tricks were actually a thing for Santa, though.
"Ooh!!"
"Amazing! It's the real Santa-san!!"
"Santa-san, welcome!"
The performance was super effective—the hook was perfect. Mio-chan and the others swarmed Santa-san, hugging him from every side.
I certainly couldn't have pulled off a performance like that. Enlisting professional help had definitely been the right call.
In reality, the man inside wasn't the real Santa Claus or even someone I knew; he was a Street Performer hired by Nishikawa-san.
"Ahaha, Mio-chan and the others are so excited."
"Yes. They look so happy..."
"Well, you have to cherish a child's dreams."
"Thank you so much. To think you'd go this far for the children..."
"But is it really all right? I mean, between the Artificial Snow outside, all the people who came to help, the Meal, and now this..."
"Fufu... please, do not worry. We have solid Sponsors for all of this, after all."
"S-Sponsors?"
The Sponsors Nishikawa-san referred to were, of course, Both the Satsukawa and Nishikawa Families, who had provided the backing for this event. As for why she called them "Sponsors," it turned out that both families intended to ask me, Sara-san, and Nishikawa-san for a "Simple Request" at a later date.
Since we had received such massive support, we couldn't exactly turn them down, so we had tentatively accepted. Still, the thought of what that request might be was a little unsettling...
"Big Brother, you come too! Santa-san is going to give us Presents!!"
"Oh, that sounds great. I guess I'll go say hello to Santa-san, then."
"Yeah!"
"Big Brother, over here!"
I decided to worry about the future later and followed Mio-chan and the others over to where Santa stood.
Seeing him up close again... yeah, he looked exactly like the classic image of Santa. Not just the suit, but even the fake beard and wig were remarkably realistic and high-quality.
"Hello there, Big Brother. Welcome."
"Hello, Santa-san. Thank you for coming today."
Since we had anticipated this interaction, we exchanged the greetings we had rehearsed. I felt like my delivery was a bit wooden, but I hoped he’d forgive me for being an amateur.
"Hey, hey, Santa-san, is there a Present for Big Brother too?"
"Ah... unfortunately, there isn't a Present for Big Brother."
"Ehh?! Why not?!"
"Ho ho ho, because Big Brother is already an 'adult,' you see."
"Oh, I guess so..."
"Hmph..."
Mio-chan and the others seemed a bit disappointed that I wasn't getting anything.
The sight of the three of them worrying about me warmed my heart, but I needed to back Santa up here.
"Santa-san, thank you for all the Presents you've given me until now."
"Ho ho ho, you've grown quite large. It makes me happy to see."
"Santa-san, do you know Big Brother?"
"Of course. I know everything about good children."
"What about Mio?! What about Mio?!"
"Of course I know you. I know Mio-chan, Sakura, and Yuki-chan too."
"Wow, amazing!"
"Then, then, Santa-san, did you read the letter Sakura sent?!"
"Yes, it reached me safely. I received Mio-chan's and Yuki-chan's letters as well."
"Yay!!"
"Santa-san..."
"Now, look inside here."
Santa lowered the sack from his Back and spread it open so they could see inside. Mio-chan and the others scrambled to peek in first, but their expressions quickly turned to confusion. Peeking in from behind them, I saw exactly what I expected, given how flat the bag looked—it was empty.
"Santa-san, there's nothing in there?"
"Ho ho ho... watch closely now."
Santa closed the mouth of the sack and began to stroke the fabric while muttering a mysterious, chant-like incantation. Suddenly, the bag puffed up as if something substantial had appeared inside.
"Whoa?!"
"Something came out?!"
"Eh? Eh?!"
While Mio-chan and the others watched with wide eyes—and the rest of us watched with equal interest—Santa opened the bag once more. Inside sat a neatly wrapped box, roughly A4 size, which definitely hadn't been there a moment ago.
How...?
"Amazing!!"
"Big Brother, look, look! A Present appeared!!"
"Y-Yeah, I wonder how he did that?"
As far as I could tell, Santa hadn't reached into his clothes or under the bag. It was impossible to have a trick built into the Carpet of the community center, and the bag had definitely been empty.
Yet, there the gift was.
"Here, this one is for Sakura."
"Yay!! It's Sakura's!"
He handed the gift to Sakura, who took it with a delighted nod, then he closed the bag again. He repeated the chant while stroking the now-flat sack, and once again, it puffed up.
"What?!"
"How is he doing that?!"
"Y-Yeah... that's incredible."
"Tch... if I can just find the trick..."
As the others expressed their shock (though one person seemed to be looking for the mechanical secret), Santa opened the bag again. This time, a thinner but larger wrapped item appeared.
"Ho ho ho... this one is for Yuki-chan."
"Waaaah! Thank you, Santa-san!!"
Yuki-chan accepted the gift with pure joy, hugging it tight while singing a cute little tune: "Kyua-kyua, kyua-kyua♪"
I assumed the song was related to whatever was inside. It sounded vaguely familiar, but I couldn't quite place it.
"Now then, next is..."
Santa stretched the bag out again, slowly stroking it a few more times until it bulged from the inside.
Mio-chan, knowing her turn was next, gripped my hand tightly with her eyes sparkling.
"Ho ho ho... and for Mio-chan, here is your Present."
Santa snapped the bag open to reveal a small item wrapped in the same pattern as Sakura's and the others. As Mio-chan took it, her face lit up with pure radiance.
"Thank you, Santa-san!! Big Brother, I got one! I got one from Santa-san!!"
She clutched it to her chest along with the gift I had given her, looking incredibly proud as she told me.
"That's great, Mio-chan."
"Yeah!! I'm gonna go show Mama!!"
Mio-chan waddled off at a hurried, precarious pace toward Kazumi-san. Sakura and Yuki-chan chased after her, heading back to their own mothers.
Then, Santa...
"Well then, I'll be taking my leave..."
He whispered in a low voice meant only for me. While the children were distracted, he slipped back out through the window.
He was certainly nimble for a Santa.
"Huh? Where did Santa-san go?"
"Santa-san is gone?"
"Santa-saaaan?"
When the girls noticed he was missing and called out, a recording played from the Speaker hidden in the ceiling decorations, timed perfectly to answer them.
『Ho ho ho. I must go deliver Presents to the next house now, so I shall say goodbye. Stay as good children... so that we may meet again next year!』
As the slightly echoed voice faded, Mio-chan and the others rushed to open the window, but there was no one left outside.
"Santa-san, thank youuu!"
"Come back again!!"
"Bye-byeee!!"
The three of them called out to the night sky, staring up into the darkness for a long time.
Perhaps, in their eyes, they could actually see Santa Claus flying through the clouds on his Reindeer Sleigh... or so I liked to imagine.
"Santa-san went away."
"Yeah, I wanted to play with him more..."
"Santa-san..."
I walked over to the girls as they murmured sadly and gently closed the window against the cold night wind. They immediately huddled close, clinging to me.
"Big Brother... will Santa-san come back next year?"
"Yeah, of course he will. If you all keep being good children, he'll definitely come back."
"Really?"
"Really, really?"
"Really and truly. So..."
"It'll be fine! If he says he's not coming, I'll just smack his butt and drag him here myself!"
Natsumi-senpai chimed in, and soon everyone had gathered around, patting the girls on the head.
"This Big Sister is very scary, so even Santa-san wouldn't dare defy her, right?"
"Huh? Who are you calling scary?"
"You're already being scary, Natsumi-san..."
"It's all right. You're all very good girls, so Santa will come to see you first. I guarantee it."
"That's right. Just like this tiny Big Sister says!"
"It's okay, Mio-chan. Santa-san has always brought you gifts before, hasn't he?"
"Yeah... Marina Onee-chan."
"Since Santa-san said he'd see you next year, he definitely will."
"I see... okay!!"
With smiles restored by everyone's encouragement, the three girls looked at each other and nodded firmly.
I was relieved. I had been worried they might cry, but it looked like they were okay.
A fun party really ought to stay fun until the very end.
"Fufu... now then, shall we move on to the Christmas Cake everyone has been waiting for?"
Right on cue, Sara-san and Yukie-san returned carrying an Extra-large Whole Cake of impossible proportions, alongside another massive, Oblong Cake...
It was the Bûche de Noël that Sara-san and Mayumi-san had baked together. I had secretly been looking forward to it myself.
"It's heeeeere!!"
"W-Wow..."
"Whoa, it's beautiful!"
"Incredible! This cake easily beats anything from a high-end bakery!!"
"Satsukawa-san really can do anything, can't she...?"
"Right? I wonder how much effort it takes to get that good..."
Faced with this masterpiece, the excitement in the room eclipsed even the initial Meal Gathering (with Natsumi-senpai leading the charge).
"Cake!! Christmas Cake!!"
"Mama, a giant cake!!"
"Hurry, hurry!!"
"Fufu... please wait just a little longer, okay?"
Watching with a smile as Mio-chan and the others crowded around the cakes on the table, Sara-san brought out... Candles.
Ah, right. That was another Christmas staple.
"Did you know that it's actually uncommon to use Candles on a Christmas Cake in other countries?"
"Is that so?"
Nishikawa-san, standing beside me, offered the trivia in a quiet murmur.
"Yes. In Japan, the image of the Birthday Cake is so strong that it simply became established as part of the Christmas Cake tradition as well."
"Huh... now that you mention it, that makes sense."
With a Birthday Cake, you use Candles to represent age, but I'd never actually heard a specific reason for them—or how many you were supposed to use—on a Christmas Cake.
"Honestly, Eririn! Don't say things that kill the mood like that."
"Fufu... my apologies. But I do think Candles are essential for a Christmas Cake. They create such a beautiful, dreamlike atmosphere, don't they?"
"Then you should have just said that in the first place... honestly."
I agreed with her. The sight of flickering candlelight in a darkened room was truly magical. Candles were the right choice.
"I'm going to turn off the lights now."
Sara-san lit several Candles on both cakes and switched off the room lights. Soft, warm light pooled around the cakes, and the swaying shadows cast by the flames transformed the room into a realm of fantasy.
In that strange, quiet space, the Santa and snowman decorations on the cake seemed almost alive, as if we had wandered into another world. Everyone's faces were bathed in that gentle, flickering glow.
"♪～"
My eyes were drawn to Sara-san, who looked more ethereal and mysterious than anyone else. For a brief second, she looked toward me and offered a soft smile. Then, closing her eyes, she began to hum a Christmas Song in a clear, crystalline voice that sounded like a professional performance.
"♪～"
"♪～"
Me, the others, Mio-chan and the kids, the mothers...
Drawn in by her voice, we all began to hum the same song together until the melody reached its end.
"Now, Mio-chan, Sakura, Yuki-chan..."
"Yeah!!"
"Okay!!"
"Got it!!"
Called by name, the three girls understood what to do. They gathered together and took a deep breath.
"Fuuuuu~~"
They blew the Candles out. For a moment, we were plunged into complete darkness.
The room lights snapped back on almost immediately. The sudden brightness was a sharp reminder that we had returned from that magical world back to reality.
But for now...
"One, two!!"
"Merry... Christmaaas!!"
Merry Christmas... Mio-chan.
And... Sara-san!!