*****
Hisao
*****
Winter had come to our small town of psychics, and with it came the winter holidays. Even in a town smack-dab in the middle of Japanese countryside, Christmas is celebrated. Needless to say, Megugami High School's Community Service Club (i.e. us), was taking part spreading holiday cheer.
For the month of December, we've been helping out an orphanage with getting ready for a holiday party, partnering with a group of volunteers who were especially dedicated to instilling others the holiday spirit. It was just moving some stuff around and putting up the decorations. For the day of the party, we were going to dress up in Christmas colors and man the food stations.
I was up on a ladder, draping red tinsel around the tree when I happened to look down to see Omoyo's attention elsewhere when she was supposed to be keeping the ladder steady. She was staring at a pair of ladies who appeared to be having a serious discussion right outside the room.
"Is something wrong?" I asked as I climbed down.
Omoyo shook her head and replied, "It's nothing."
But Isaneko, who was knelt down, hanging some candy canes on the lower leaves of the trees said, "That's a lie. You sense something, don't you, Homura?"
She called Omoyo by her first name and stood back up.
One thing that was unique about our club is that all of its members have some kind of psychic power. Homura Omoyo, a bit tomboyish, had the power to sense other people's feelings. Aika Isaneko looks like a prim and proper girl, but hides a very scary nature and has the power to move things with her mind, a power called telekinesis. As for myself, I have the power to control psychic energy called psychokinesis. With this power, I could make force fields which I usually wore around myself like an armor, which I called Psy-Armor. There are a bunch of other ways I could use this power, but Psy-Armor is my main move.
Confronted by Isaneko's accusation, Omoyo, who's a year older than me and Isaneko, sighed in defeat.
"Fine," she said. She looked around to make sure no one was eavesdropping and then dropped her voice into a whisper. "Yes, I sensed something. Those ladies outside had a really bad vibe hanging over their heads. Whatever they're talking about has them spooked."
"Do you have any idea what they might have been talking about?" I asked.
But Omoyo shook her head.
"There's no way I could hear them when they're all the way out there," she said. "I'm not Toshiro,"
Suddenly, a boy popped out from behind the tree and said, "Did someone say my name?"
He was Toshiro Mirai, the club president, and holder of the power to see as far as fifteen minutes into the future. Mirai looked pretty normal at the moment, but most of the time, he acted like a kid whose fantastical imagination turned into wild delusions. But although mostly nonsense is spouted out of his mouth, he's never steered us wrong.
Startled, Omoyo cried out, "Gah! Where'd you pop out from? Were you hiding there this whole time, skipping out on work?"
Ignoring Omoyo, Mirai told us, "If you're wondering what the Orphanage Director and the Assistant Director are talking about, it's the Holiday Demon."
I blinked. "The Holiday Demon?" I never heard about a holiday demon before. "What's that all about?" I asked.
"Ahem!" Mirai cleared his throat. "The Holiday Demon, a wicked scourge that shows up during the holidays. He targets those with holiday cheers to dash their hopes and turn their Christmases into days of darkness."
Me and Omoyo turned to Isaneko for translation.
With a sigh, she said, "Basically he's some jerk who gets a kick out of vandalizing places celebrating Christmas. A few days ago, a community center got broken into and had all their Christmas decorations wrecked. The day after that, a shopping district dressed up for the holidays at the next town over got their decorations torn off the walls and the tree smashed up. And the day after that, a kindergarten school got busted up. Those cases were on the news and the police think all three cases were done by the same person. It was the news people who coined the name, Holiday Demon. There's talks about him all over the Internet, and he's got quite a few fans cheering him on throughout the message boards, especially the ones bashing Christmas. He's all those guys ever talk about these days."
I stared at Isaneko. "You make it sound like you visit message boards that bash Christmas all the time. Do you visit those kinds of message boards all the time?"
To which, Isaneko responded, "No comment."
"Oh, man," Omoyo muttered. "All this talk about a guy ruining everyone's Christmas, that'd be some serious foreshadowing if this was a story in a book."
"It's more than just foreshadowing," Mirai said. "There's a huge chance that the Holiday Demon's coming here."
"What makes you say that?" I asked.
"From what the directors were saying," Mirai said. "I overheard everything that was said when I used my future sight on their conversation. Another kindergarten school at one of the neighboring towns fell victim to the Holiday Demon. There's videos posted on the internet. Take a look."
He pulled out his phone and showed it to us. On the screen, a terrible scene played out, of decorations torn off the walls and discarded on the floor. Of a Christmas tree toppled over and clearly stomped on. But worse of all was the scene of little kids, so little that they could be called babies, crying. I could feel a fire in me raise pressure to my heart and head.
Nothing described the scene better than what Omoyo had to say.
"This is just horrible."
"I know, right?" Mirai said as he put his phone away. "I took a look at all the cases the Holiday Demon might have had a hand in and saw that the trail he left behind was straight. No doubt, our town's next."
"I see," Isaneko said. "Thinking back, all the places the Holiday Demon struck were places that would take center spotlight in the towns they belonged to at this time of year, which would make the impact of his crimes very significant. So it wouldn't be a stretch to assume that he would target this orphanage next since it has always gotten a place on the newspaper for their holiday celebrations."
"But at this stage, even though the chances are high, they're not a hundred percent," Mirai said. "This town's fairly big with a whole bunch of community centers, schools, and shopping districts each with their own plans for big holiday celebrations."
I groaned.
"First we get those Halloween Nightmares who liked scaring little kids to tears, now we've got a Holiday Demon who's not shy about smashing up innocent kids' Christmas? Just what is wrong with people these days?"
*****
Yuna
*****
I am Yuna, Hisao's cousin and another member of the Community Service Club who had come to help the orphanage get ready for its Christmas celebration. I was on my way back to the party venue from the restrooms, when I noticed a group of children huddled together outside. They three boys and two girls, were all around five to six and looked like they were having some kind of important discussion. The worry on their faces got me both concerned and curious. Before I knew it, my feet carried me to them and I could hear what they had to say.
"Did you hear what the grownups said?" one boy said.
"Yeah!" said a girl. "Someone evil's coming to ruin our party! We can't let that happen!"
"We'll protect the party, just like that superhero!" said another boy.
It was hard to follow what they were talking about, but I would get no more out of the children. Suddenly, behind me, the door flew open and Hisao rushed out. He was likely headed for the restroom.
I heard someone behind me say, "Come on! Let's go!" And I turned around to see the children all run away.
I thought about going after them, but decided it was better to leave them alone.
When I got back inside the room where the orphanage's party was going to be held, I noticed everyone else chatting in low voices and pulled out my phone which is what I used to communicate with others since I'm unable to talk. I typed in the question I wanted to ask and walked up to them.
After raising my hand in hello, I pressed play and the app on my phone read aloud what I had typed in a female robot voice.
"What are you guys talking about?"
"Oh, we were just discussing the recent rise of the Holiday Demon and the chances that he was going to show up here," said Mirai.
I looked at Mirai, my question so clear on my face that I didn't need my phone to convey it. He quickly told me a summary of the Holiday Demon's crimes and the concerns of the orphanage's director and assistant director.
Frowning, I wondered if that was what those kids were talking about. If so, then their discussion was starting to make sense.
Worried that those kids were going to do something dangerous, I quickly looked for the director and let her know what I had overheard. She thanked me for telling her after I had explained everything and promised me that she would do something about them.
But despite her promise, I couldn't help but be worried about those children. They remained on my mind for the rest of the day, when I walked home with the others, during dinner time, and finally at night when I should be sleeping. While I lied in bed, staring at the ceiling, they appeared in my head.
I blew out a puff of air, sat up and took a deep breath before closing my eyes.
I'm sure Hisao must have mentioned it earlier, but everyone in the Community Service Club had a psychic power. My power right now is the ability to sense the presence of other people and locate them. I know it doesn't sound all that impressive, unlike Hisao's Psy-Armor or Isaneko's telekinesis, but unlike their powers, mine had practically no range limits. There might be a limit, but I've never been able to discover what that is. For now, I just kept my senses up to the borders of town. So, in a way, I literally knew everyone in town.
But that's why, when I spread my senses out, I was immediately hit with a sense of dread.
I could find the children no problem. Just as I thought, they had snuck out of their beds and were headed towards the party room probably to protect it from the Holiday Demon. Outside the orphanage grounds, however, I could sense someone I've never sensed before lingering around. This person's movements were strange, as if they're purposely trying to avoid the two police officers guarding the perimeter of the orphanage.
Like I said before, in a way, I knew everyone in town. The fact that I didn't recognize this person creeping about outside the orphanage made it obvious that he, or she, was the Holiday Demon.
Not good, I thought. The Holiday Demon evaded the police officers' notice and was running along the perimeter of the orphanage. They were looking for a way to get inside. Chances were the Holiday Demon and those kids were sure to meet.
Quickly, I threw off the covers and grabbed my winter coat and pants. I wasn't sure if I was going to make it in time, but I couldn't just leave those kids alone when I knew they could be in danger. As soon as I was dressed, I was out of the house.
I ran with all my might through the streets at night. The sky was completely black, but as long as there were street lamps shining light over the shallow snow that covered the roads, I was okay.
At times, I had to pause to catch my breath. But even with these breaks, I was pushing myself. I could feel myself getting a splitting headache, while my right side felt like it was being torn. Sweat drenched my hair, and I grew incredibly hot in winter night air.
I reached the orphanage, and then turned on my power. The police officers pstrolling the area were still at the main gates, and the children were outside the party room. As for the Holiday Demon, to my relief, I could feel his presence lingering by the back wall of the orphanage. He had not yet entered the orphanage's grounds.
Although that was a good thing, I couldn't help but feel confused. I tried getting to the orphanage as fast as possible, but it still must have taken me twenty minutes. That was plenty of time for the Holiday Demon to break in and cause harm. Why was he still waiting outside?
I made my way around the orphanage and soon had my answer.
I spotted two figures standing within the radius of the street light that stood by the wall. One was a man dressed from head to toe in black. The other figure wore Kendo armor over a long trench coat and khaki trousers.
The first man had his head covered by a wool beanie hat while a reusable cloth mask covered his nose, mouth and chin. He had on a small backpack and held a baseball bat in his hand.
Because I only sensed one person in the area, I was completely surprised by the apoearance of the second person. But despite the Kendo helmet completely covering the second person's face, I recognized him right away as Hisao. The space around him was all twisted as if he were covered in a rippling heatwave, a telltale sign of my cousin's Psy-Armor.
What's he doing here? I wondered. How did he get here before me? And where did he get that armor?
Hisao stood tall and firm in front of the guy in black, which, by process of elimination, I identified as the Holiday Demon. There was something strange and different about my cousin. With his hands resting on the sword stabbed into the snow, he appeared regal, like a chivalrous knight, which was the complete opposite of his usual, meek, modern-day nerd personality.
*****
Hisao
*****
You all are probably wondering why I was standing outside in the dead of night, dressed in Kendo gear while staring down a guy that just screamed criminal by appearance. Well, it was simple.
Earlier, while streaming a reality ghost hunting show on my computer, I got a call from Mirai saying that it was an emergency and to get my butt to the orphanage. He said it would be a matter of life and death for the little kids, that they could end up like that guy we once saw in the river one day a long time ago, who was a victim of the murderous Piper.
At the mention of the Piper’s victim, I had a flashback to that day, and quickly left my house, taking with me one of many wood swords a relative had sent to my house as travel souvenirs. Mirai guided me through shortcuts to the orphanage, and we met just a few feet away from it. He was the one who brought the armor.
"Quick!" he hissed. "Put this on! Hurry! Those kids are in trouble!"
I didn't have time to question him. I put the armor on and charged in the direction he pointed.
Boosted by my Psy-Armor, I was behind the orphanage in the blink of an eye. I saw a guy in black head for the orphanage's wall and leaped right in front of him. The man jumped back in surprise and I rested my hands on my sword, treating it like a walking stick.
Mirai said that this man was the Holiday Demon. After thinking back to that video of his crimes and those crying children, anger once more stewed in my gut and I glared at the man with hate. I wanted to hurt him. But at the same time, I also wanted to hold back, afraid of going too far.
The Holiday Demon stared at me with bewildered eyes. But his surprise was quickly replaced with irritation.
He clicked his tongue and turned to leave, but I stopped him with a question.
"Why?" I asked.
He froze.
"Why did you do that to those kids?"
He threw back a question of his own. "What's it to you?"
"Answer me," I commanded.
The Holiday Demon clicked his tongue again and grumbled something about looking down on him like all the rest, beneath his breath. But then he started a rant.
"Every year, Christmas time, you got all these happy-go-lucky people walking around, going about their lives without a care in the world," he said. "And yet, here I am, stuck in a miserable dead-end job, no girlfriend, and I can barely even afford cup noodles! How come they all get to be happy and I don't?"
"That's why you decided to smash up those Christmas decorations?" I said. "That's why you decided to make those children cry?"
I was beyond angry.
"How utterly pathetic," I spat.
"What did you just call me?" the Holiday Demon said. It was his turn to get mad. I sensed it, and it egged me on to say more.
"You heard me," I said to him. "You are pathetic. I've met a few losers before, but you are by far the most pathetic. The things you did, the reason for them, if that doesn't make you a pathetic, petty loser, I don't know what would. You're just a sad, sorry excuse of a man."
"Why you little - !"
The Holiday Demon snapped. He picked up his baseball bat and swung it at me.
I thought about using my sword to block his attack, but then I remembered that Mirai said that the armor I wore, including the gloves was as strong as bulletproof vests. That, combined with my Psy-Armor made me absolutely indestructible. So, I lifted up my left arm instead. The baseball bat connected with the pad covering my forearm, but I didn't feel a thing.
The Holiday Demon swung at me again, but I caught the bat with my hand this time and pushed it, and the Demon, away.
After stumbling back a few feet, the Holiday Demon shouted, "Just where do you get off calling me a loser, huh? Running around in that stupid getup of yours. Think you're some kind of hero? Well, you ain't! Just you wait. One day, you'll be in the same position I am in, struggling to make ends meet, just trying to survive, and nothing to show for it!"
"Maybe," I said. I couldn't deny that future could be waiting for me, but . . . "But you're wrong about one thing. I will have something, unlike you."
"And what's that?" the Holiday Demon asked.
I paused to take a deep breath before looking the Demon in the eye and replied, "Pride that I lived an honest life."
"And you think that makes living a miserable life like that okay?" the Holiday Demon shouted.
"Better than becoming a loser scumbag like you," I said.
The Holiday Demon flew into a rage again and attacked me. And like before, I used my arm to block each and every one of his attacks. Thanks to my Psy-Armor, I had a boost in strength and speed. I could easily beat this loser to a pulp. But I chose not to. Why, you might ask? I can't really say for certain, but perhaps, deep down inside, I just wanted to show that I was a better man than him, to myself, to anyone who might be watching, and maybe even to the Demon himself.
But with that said, I was still angry. I stopped myself from expressing my anger through actions, so instead, my anger was unleashed through my words.
"Do you really think that you're all that special?" I asked him. "That all the misery you've been through gives you the right to make others miserable? News flash, that's just arrogance!"
"Shut up!" he shouted. "Just what do you know about what I went through?"
He attacked me one more time, but this time, I swatted the bat away and then grabbed him by the front of his shirt. I lifted him off his feet and roughly pulled him towards my face.
"Right back at you," I hissed. "Do you even understand where we are right now? What those kids sleeping in those buildings behind me went through? They're orphans, children who lost their homes and families! Some were abandoned. Some saw their parents die right before their very eyes. And some had to be rescued from the abuse carried out by the very people who should be caring and loving them unconditionally. Can you even imagine what that's like? I sure can't. Just the thought of going through what they did sends shivers down my spine. And you think they deserve to be more miserable than you?"
I threw him to the ground and stood over him.
"Come on," I said. "You're not done yet, are you?"
I could practically see him grit his teeth through his mask. He got back up again and resumed attacking. And with each attack, I moved my arm to block him and push him away. I lost track of the time how long we went at it, but eventually the Holiday Demon reached his limits and collapsed onto the snow on his own while I still had some energy to spare but chose to stand back and rest my hands on my sword again.
For a while after that, neither of us said a word. The Holiday Demon just laid on the ground, gasping for air, while I stood, trying to catch my breath. When my heart beat slowed a little, I spoke.
"Those kids must have gone through things worse than anything you or I could possibly imagine," I said to him. "But they still have a chance to learn how to live their lives for the better. They have a chance at a brighter future. And so do you, if you're willing to make a change."
I said no more and watched as the Holiday Demon picked himself up, turned around and slowly walked away.
As soon as he disappeared into the night, I turned to leave, but saw Yuna looking at me from behind a corner of the wall. I was pretty surprised to see her and wondered if Mirai called her here.
She stepped out of hiding and walked towards me. In her hand was her phone with a question already typed in it.
"Was it really okay to let him go?" the phone asked for her.
I nodded and said, "Yeah. Consider it giving him a second chance in the spirit of the holidays."
Yuna typed in a new question. "Even if he doesn't come back here, he could just cause trouble somewhere else."
"Don't worry," I said. "Mirai said he'd be keeping an eye on him. So whether he does something or not, it's the end of the Holiday Demon."
*****
Yuna
*****
Hisao's prediction of the future ended up being true. Although there are still troublemakers popping up in the news, the Holiday Demon was not one of them. I'd like to think that Hisao's words inspired a change of heart in him, but deep down, I had doubts that happened. But whatever happened to the Holiday Demon in the end, at least he was no longer causing trouble. And thanks to Hisao, and Mirai, the children of the orphanage got to have another wonderful Christmas.
Me, Omoyo and Isaneko got to attend the party as helpers. Our job was simply to serve the food and then later help clean up. We got to take part in some of the games and got real close with the children. Well, me and Omoyo got real close with the children at least. Isaneko always kept a certain distance.
I easily spotted the brave kids who had planned to protect their home from the Holiday Demon and was relieved to see them enjoying themselves, safe and sound. Sometimes, I shudder to think what would have happened if Hisao had not been there to stop the Holiday Demon. Just knowing that fun moments like this party could be ruined by just one person really got me thinking just how precious stuff like this really were.
All in all, it was an incredibly fun time. It was just too bad that both Hisao and Mirai were not here to enjoy it with us. They apparently had more important things to take care of. Well, Mirai did at least, and he kind of forced Hisao to tag along. They've been gone for about a week.
I tried asking Isaneko if she knew anything, but she just flashed me a mysterious smile and said, "Oh, they're just doing our club name proud."
It wasn't until later on, when I was at home, scrolling through social media on my phone that I figured out what she meant by that.
I had found pictures of places in other towns which had been hit by the Holiday Demon. In the pictures, Hisao and Mirai could be seen wearing Santa hats over their usual clothes helping with the cleanup. There were pictures of them putting decorations back up on a Christmas tree, setting up tables, and even took part in handing out presents to little children.
Despite his faults, Hisao was good at heart. As I looked at the pictures, there was a warm sense of pride in my heart.
I was interrupted by a knocking on my door. When I opened the door, I found Hisao standing outside in his usual Aloha shirt.
"Come on," he said. "Dinner's ready."
I nodded and followed after him, closing the door behind me.
*****
?????
*****
On a cold winter night, a man wandered the streets of a city downtown where life still flourished during the late hours. Tall buildings glittered from the lights shining below while massive amounts of people walked up and down the sidewalks, admiring the highly decorated shop windows. Some went into restaurants while others came out of shops. There were couples everywhere, chatting, laughing, and even outright flirting in public.
It was the same every year, the lone man thought. And every year before this, the overall cheery holiday mood disgusted him. He wanted to ruin it, see it all darken by a shadow like one would find in a funeral. That was why, this year, he did some terrible things until he was stopped by some jerk who acted like a know-it-all hero.
"I suppose I should count myself lucky he didn't turn me into the police," the man muttered to himself. "Heck, I probably would've been beaten black and blue if he felt like it."
With some experience under his belt, the man was confident in his strength as a fighter. But that guy, whoever he was, toyed with him like a grownup would to a small kid. And that guy had the gall to lecture him.
As he continued down the street, he walked past boy and a girl, probably college students dating, They were overtly flirting in public. Normally, seeing something like that gave the man an urge to wipe the smiles off their faces somehow, but that feeling never came tonight. The man just watched the young couple walk away before resuming his own journey through the snowy night.
He just passed an alleyway when he noticed something out of the corner of his eye. Huddled against the wall was a boy. It was hard to tell how old he was, but he must definitely belong in elementary school.
What's a kid like that doing out here alone? The man wondered as he stared at the kid. Suddenly, that guy's words popped into his head, and he became incredibly irritated.
The man scratched his head furiously. And then he spun at his heels and marched.
"Hey!" He called out to the little boy, catching his attention.
On this night, a man began to walk the path of redemption and a boy would have his life changed for the better.
