Chapter 3: Merry Christmas in the Spirit Realm

Chapter 3:
Merry Christmas in the Spirit Realm

 

CHRISTMAS WAS APPROACHING in the spirit realm. Spirits don’t care about Christianity, so it wasn’t like the town was adorned with illuminations on the 24th of December or anything, but we did have Christmas in the bookstore. Since I knew about Christmas from books, Shinonome-san and Noname liked to throw a modest party.

“Merry Christmas!”

They would decorate the living room of the bookstore to the best of their ability and lay out a feast for the day itself. Chicken, well-cooked and glossy brown. Mounds of potato salad. Noname’s special seaweed-rolled sushi. A whole homemade cake… And the next morning, when I awoke, there would be Christmas presents by my pillow.

That was the only Christmas party in the spirit realm, and it was held for my sake. When I was little, I had accepted it as natural. But looking back now as an adult, I saw that day as a miracle.

At any rate, there was no custom of celebrating Christmas in the spirit realm. The parties I had so thoroughly enjoyed had been created from scratch, fumblingly, by the adults.

“Shinonome-san, Noname, Nyaa-san. This tastes great! This is so fun!”

I must have been the happiest person in the world then, smiling away, surrounded by all of them.

And now, this year, Christmas was approaching. In recent years, we had celebrated it on a smaller scale—I’d pick up a leftover cake on my way home from my part-time job or something. But this year, things looked very different.

The spirit realm had become so lively since welcoming Suimei and Kuro, and now, unlike previous years, it seemed to be approaching a holy day.

 

***

 

“So let’s have a Christmas party!”

The living room of the bookstore was the same as ever. As Shinonome-san and I were sitting under the kotatsu eating winter tangerines, Toochika-san burst in, all high spirits.

“Huh? What do you mean ‘so’?” Shinonome-san grumbled at his friend, who had not only broken in all of a sudden but had also started with a totally unexpected declaration. Shinonome-san was exhausted from working on his manuscript, and the dark circles under his eyes made him look worn out. He scratched his head and puffed away at his pipe as he spoke. “Don’t be silly… A party? Have you eaten something weird?”

“Ha ha ha. I’m not kidding, you know. It’s a completely serious suggestion.”

With an excessively affected air, Toochika-san struck his chest with his fist. “Surely you haven’t forgotten,” he said quickly. “You keep breaking your promises to me, saying that you’re busy with your manuscript. I’ve got high-grade sake and really controversial works that will get you all charged up and ready for our meetings, but you keep canceling on me! There are limits to even my patience. So you should make up for it by having a Christmas party!”

“I-I’m sorry…about that.”

“Which is more important? Me or your work?!”

“Give it a rest before there’s a weird misunderstanding,” Shinonome-san said, his eyes cold.

Toochika-san shrugged pleasantly. “Well, I’m not just saying this on a whim, all right?” Turning gentle eyes on Shinonome-san, he began to speak with a slight air of melancholy. “Christmas is a day when everyone is allowed to be festive. Don’t you think that, just for that day, you should forget about your work and do some of your favorite things? Balance is more important than anything. What I mean is, if you take a proper rest, then starting from the day after you can make good progress on your manuscript… Or maybe I’m just being a busybody. Right, Kaori-kun?”

Oh, Toochika-san is so kind! Touched by his consideration for his best friend, I nodded firmly. “You’re right. I think so too. Shinonome-san, you’ve been working too hard recently.”

Shinonome-san had a small appetite to begin with, but recently, he’d been eating even less, even though he was so busy. Because he was a spirit, it was hardly as if he was going to die, but I was certainly a little worried.

“I think you might be pushing yourself too hard. Don’t you want to relax?” I asked.

Shinonome-san’s eyes grew slightly red. Looking about uneasily, he rested his chin in his hands and said quietly, “It might be nice from time to time.”

“Oh, yay! Toochika-san, it looks like Shinonome-san’s going to be okay,” I said happily.

As I did, Toochika-san’s face took on a somewhat ambivalent expression.

“What’s wrong?” I cocked my head to one side, puzzled.

Toochika-san scratched self-consciously at his cheek. “Oh, no, I was just thinking how easily you got him to agree… Well, what else would I expect from you, Kaori-kun? You’re super-effective on Shinonome. Looks like I was worrying for nothing.”

I blinked. “What do you mean?”

“Because it’s Shinonome, I thought you’d have more of a fight on your hands.”

“Who do you take me for?” asked Shinonome-san, exasperated.

Toochika-san laughed dryly. Then he glanced anxiously at the sliding door that connected the living room to the shop.

Toochika-san was acting oddly. Just as this thought occurred to me, Shinonome-san raised an eyebrow.

“I’ve got a bad feeling about this. Toochika… What the heck are you—”

At that moment, we heard loud voices outside. No sooner had the sound of clattering footsteps reached us than the door burst open with great force.

“Shinonome, let’s have a Christmas party!”

It was Kinme and Ginme. They rushed into the living room without hesitation and came over to Shinonome-san.

“Treat us all to a glittering Christmas tree! Doesn’t that sound fun?”

“You have a small party every year with Kaori, right? This year, we’re gonna join in too!”

The twins sat down on either side of Shinonome-san, and each put an arm tightly around his shoulders, grinning.

“What are you two playing at?” Shinonome-san was flustered by their sudden approach.

I wonder why Kinme and Ginme would suddenly bring this up? As I was puzzling over their timing—it must have been planned—someone else appeared.

“Hello! We heard Shinonome was being selfish, so we came over.” It was Noname, along with Suimei and Kuro.

“I heard you were refusing to throw a party, even though the kids were asking for one?” Noname said, taking a good long look at Shinonome-san’s face.

“Huh? Who said—”

At this point, Suimei broke into the conversation. “A Christmas party? What’s that? I’ve heard that it begins with the extermination of a spirit dressed in red…”

“And if you steal his treasure, then you get to keep it!” Kuro declared. “What fun!”

“Stop! Why are you here? What have you come for?” Shinonome-san shouted, half-desperate.

Suimei and Kuro looked at each other, then pointed at Toochika-san. “He told us to,” they said simultaneously.

Jumping on the bandwagon, Kinme and Ginme nodded vigorously.

“Ah ha ha ha ha! You gave me away so easily!” Standing up straight, Toochika-san took off his hat and tapped it against his chest. “Them coming here was all part of my plan. A plan to make you want to throw a Christmas party, Shinonome!”

Turning on his heel, he winked performatively and smiled. “Sorry, everyone. I had plenty planned for you as the rear guard, but it seems like we don’t need any of that now. Thanks to Kaori’s persuasion, the Christmas party will be going ahead. Rejoice!”

Kinme, Ginme, and Kuro all cheered.

“Hooray, a feast!” they crowed.

“Yay!” I paused. “By the way, what are you stealing, and who from?”

I didn’t really get it, but we were all going to have a party. I was as excited as a little kid.

Shinonome-san began to slowly move. As I watched him, I realized that Toochika-san was trying to sneak out of the room. My father crept up behind Toochika-san, and as Toochika-san put his hand on the sliding door, Shinonome-san swiftly immobilized him with a headlock.

“What’s the meaning of this? Were you just going to throw my home into chaos and leave? You’ve got guts!”

“Ha ha. Didn’t your partner ever tell you to be gentler when you’re embracing someone from behind?”

“Sorry. I’ve never had any luck with romance.”

Shinonome-san squeezed his arms even harder, and Toochika-san’s face began to grow pale.

“Erp! I surrender. I’ll properly explain my reasoning. I said, I’ll explain!”

“It’s your own fault for coming up with this weird scheme, you moron!”

Released at last from Shinonome-san’s arms, Toochika-san coughed violently and looked up at him with a half-smile.

“So, then, why did you do this?” Shinonome-san asked.

“Well, ah…”

Noname, who had been watching all this unfold, called out from behind them. “There must be a woman involved. Don’t you think it’s weird that he’d be free at Christmas?”

“Whoa, are you serious? Did you get dumped, Toochika?” Ginme asked.

“Don’t, Ginme,” said Kinme. “You mustn’t poke at the emotional wounds of a mature gentleman.”

“Kinme, you’re being just as harsh… But I could say more!”

In spite of myself, I smiled awkwardly at them. They were all saying everything that came to mind.

At that moment, Toochika-san collapsed where he stood. His handsome face crumpled, and he began to cry. As I froze, Toochika-san started to speak between sobs. “Please listen. Fuguruma-youbi was the only one I was seeing, and she went and dumped me!”

“You only have yourself to blame!”

“‘Oh, Yoshiko, come back to me!’”

It seemed like Noname had hit the nail on the head. Having been dumped right before Christmas, Toochika-san was afraid of spending that romantic night all by himself.

“Christmas. A cold futon. Sleeping alone… No! I can’t bear it! Hey, Shinonome! Don’t leave me all alone! You’re all I have left!”

“I keep telling you, there’s going to be a misunderstanding! Stop talking like that!”

Toochika-san clung to him; Shinonome-san kicked him away and heaved a deep sigh. Then he smiled tiredly. “You really are hopeless. I’ve known you for centuries, after all. All right, we’ll have a Christmas party.”

“Really, Shinonome?!” At once, Toochika-san’s eyes sparkled, and he grabbed Shinonome-san’s hand, tearfully pressing his cheek against my father’s “I’m truly in your debt! I won’t let you sleep the whole night, dear friend!”

“I told you, stop talking like that!” Kicking Toochika-san away again, Shinonome-san looked around at everyone…this time, with a wicked grin. “All right, you lot. We’ll have a party at Toochika-san’s expense.”

“Huh? Hey, I never said anything about paying—” Toochika-san paled at this unexpected development.

But, paying him no heed, Shinonome-san started briskly giving out orders to everyone. “Let’s call Tamaki too. Noname, I’ll leave the feast up to you.”

“Got it. Hee hee hee, I’ll put all my skill into it!”

“What about lighting and decorations?”

“Have Toochika do them. He runs a shop in the human world, so they’re his specialty. I’ll just get hold of a fir tree. Right, Toochika?”

“Y-yeah.”

At last, Shinonome-san had brightened. He got close to Toochika-san, his stubbled face breaking into a grin. “This year, we’ll enjoy that holy night to the fullest, my dear friend!”

“A…ah ha…ah ha ha ha ha ha…”

Crestfallen, Toochika-san fell prostrate on the ground.

We couldn’t help laughing at him.

 

***

 

From the next morning onward, we were running all over the place getting ready. It wouldn’t be a Christmas party without a host of sparkling decorations. As for the food, Noname was preparing it. She was an excellent cook and would give us an absolute feast; I was already looking forward to it. We would also be throwing the party in the living room of the bookstore. It was a bit small, but it would be all right.

That just left the decorations.

It was the end of my shift. After making sure that all the other shop assistants had gone home, I met up with Toochika-san—the owner—and we headed to the shop’s storehouse. We were going to fetch some things we could use for illumination.

“Well, I never expected this would happen…”

Toochika-san had been a bit gloomy before, but his mood had already improved. He had turned defiant and was now enthusiastic about throwing a grand Christmas party.

“I’m sorry Shinonome-san was so unreasonable,” I apologized, but Toochika-san roared with laughter.

“It’s fine! It’s not that unusual—I’ve known him a long time, after all.”

“Now that you mention it, he did say you’d known each other for centuries, didn’t he?”

“Yeah, that’s right. I looked after him just after he became a Tsukumogami.”

As we walked along the path to the storehouse, Toochika-san told me how he and Shinonome-san had met.

“He was in a terrible sulk when I met him. His eyes were full of hostility; he glared indiscriminately, as if he didn’t trust anyone anymore. He wouldn’t let anyone get close to him… I remember that feeling fondly.”

Shinonome-san was the Tsukumogami of a hanging scroll. What’s more, it was a cursed scroll that was supposed to bring luck. From time to time, powerful people had fought amongst themselves as they tried to get their hands on Shinonome-san’s scroll. Shinonome-san hated this; he’d abandoned the human world and come to the spirit realm.

“At that point, Shinonome-san couldn’t live a normal life, what with the mental state he was in. So I put him in someone else’s care.”

“Who was that?”

“The bookstore’s previous owner. The greatest book collector in the spirit realm—oops!” Toochika-san interrupted his story with a pleasant chuckle. “I shouldn’t go any further than that. It’s not for me to talk about.”

“That’s easy for you to say! You’ve got me on tenterhooks now.”

“Now, now, just forget about it. I’ll get yelled at if Shinonome-san finds out.”

I glared at him, but he just laughed. He clearly had no intention of telling me any more than he already had. A sigh escaped me as I looked up at the frozen sky of the human world.

“You two are as close as ever… I’m jealous. You know a lot about Shinonome-san that I don’t know, Toochika-san.”

Toochika-san peered at my face with an expression of great interest. “Aren’t you best friends with that black cat?”

“Yes, but… We’re still not on the level as you and Shinonome-san. Knowing each other better than anyone else, being able to talk to each other without holding back… I admire you two.”

Blushing shyly, Toochika-san immediately arranged his features into a serious expression. “Do you want to know the secret? If you do, why don’t I take you out to dinner at a restaurant with a good view…?”

“No thanks.”

When I turned him down straightaway, Toochika-san burst out laughing.

“Such disdain! You’re so similar to Shinonome—sometimes it startles this old man.”

“Perhaps if you didn’t say such flirty things, I’d think you were normal.”

“Normal, huh? I give up!”

Bantering back and forth, we made our way through the town, wrapped in the freezing air of winter.

This human town sparkled so prettily as it waited for the approach of Christmas. Even the people walking through it seemed happy, as if the whole world was in high spirits. Everyone was waiting expectantly for that special day, and it made the atmosphere so pleasant.

“I’m really looking forward to the Christmas party. Is that weird at my age?” I asked as I looked cheerfully up at Toochika-san.

With a tender smile, Toochika-san struck his fist against his chest with an air of confidence. “It’s not weird at all. I’m going to do my best to make sure that excited pounding of your heart never fades away.”

Just then, some women who were passing by let out shrill cries of excitement. They happened to have seen Toochika-san’s exaggerated expression. Immediately, he turned to them and waved. He didn’t neglect to hand over business cards for his shop, either.

What else would you expect from this old womanizer? He’s a shrewd one…

“Jeez, you never change, do you?” Forcing a smile, I bowed to my adoptive father’s dependable friend. “I’m counting on your help.”

 

After that, weighed down with luggage, I returned to the spirit realm, where I was stopped by Kinme at the entrance to the bookstore.

“Come over here for a second.” Kinme led me into the darkness and whispered stealthily in my ear, “Hey, Kaori. Suimei’s present… Have you decided what you’re going to get him? It’s your first time spending Christmas with the person you like. What are you gonna do?”

“Erk! I don’t know, I’m not Santa. I didn’t know about that at all!” I cried out in a hysterical voice.

Kinme shot me an impish grin. “You idiot. Use this opportunity to lessen the distance between you. That’s one of the old tricks of romance, right?”

“You seem to know all about it.”

“I might not feel the need for love, but I do enjoy reading romances.”

A present for Suimei. My face grew warm. I felt fidgety and restless. I wonder what he’d like to be given? I wonder what I could give him…that would show him how I feel?

“Honestly, I don’t have a clue.” I despaired at my terribly low romantic intelligence.

Kinme clapped a hand on top of my head. “Didn’t I say I’d support you? If you’re at a loss, talk to me about it.”

“Thanks… Hey, are you going to give anyone a present, Kinme?”

“Me?” Pointing to himself, he gave a flat, lazy smile. “I’m going to give a present to Ginme, naturally. Christmas isn’t just for lovers. It’s for family too, you know.”

“Family… Huh. Yeah, you’re right!” My face shone. I turned to him with a serious expression. “Say, Kinme. I’ve got a small favor to ask you…”

“What is it? If it’s something I can help with, ask me for anything.”

The twenty-fourth of December. That special night came to the spirit realm too. All of those things that are necessary for a Christmas party: a feast, and decorations, and charming invitations…and thoughtful presents.

With all of these in hand, we would be ready for Christmas.

 

***

 

Christmas Day arrived. Unfortunately, the sky over the spirit realm was cloudy. The wind died down, and large, fluffy snowflakes drifted down into streets that were even quieter than usual.

Such was the scene as we gathered in the bookstore and each got on with our own preparations.

“Jingle bellth! Jingle bellth!”

“Jingle all the way!”

Umi and Sora, young raven Tengu twins training under the Great Tengu, sang away in high spirits. They wore reindeer costumes as they happily put up decorations. It seemed the Great Tengu had made those cute costumes for today.

“Kids, stop singing and get a move on!”

“Look, someone’s hanging up stockings!”

Kinme and Ginme were supervising the boys. They often looked after the younger twins, so they knew how to take good care of them.

“How’s this, Suimei?”

“Shouldn’t the taste be a bit stronger? We’re having it with alcohol, right?”

“Me too! Let me taste it too!”

Noname, Suimei, and Kuro were in the kitchen, preparing the food. Well, in truth, Kuro was just scampering about, getting under their feet. Ignoring Kuro’s frantic pleas for a taste, the other two silently finished their cooking.

“Well, then, that just leaves…”

The tree. We didn’t have the crucial fir tree. Shinonome-san had said he was just off to get it ready, but…

When I think of Christmas, a tree is the first thing that comes to mind, and yet… Is it really going to be okay?

I stepped through the glass door of the living room into the courtyard. Although I had gone to the effort to shovel the snow, it had just kept on falling, and just like that it had covered everything, creating a little snowfield.

It was so pure and white that it seemed a shame to trample it. But I had to cross it. Despairing at my own inelegance, I walked on, etching my footprints into the snow.

Three people were waiting for me on the other side.

“Let’s go!” I called to them. “The preparations in the party venue are going well.”

“I don’t mind whether they’re going well or not,” said the first to respond in his usual somewhat cynical tone. Yet he carried on with his own usual eccentricities of speech. “If this were a story, I’d want you to be bluffing when you said that. I’d be hoping wholeheartedly that everything beyond this point was in an uproar, and that all of today’s plans were in truth ruined.”

“I see you talk as much as ever…”

“I see you’ve allowed yourself to be captured by that boy who used to be an exorcist, no questions asked. You’re inviting your own displeasure.” He let out a deep sigh.

This was Tamaki-san, the story-seller. He looked different than usual; because he was outside, he was wearing a black Inverness cape and boots, and a thin layer of snow had built up on top of his fedora. He must have been waiting for some time.

“I’m sorry that you’ll be seeing Shinonome-san while his manuscript is still incomplete.” I bobbed my head in apology.

Tamaki-san avoided my eyes, self-conscious. Instead, he scowled in annoyance at the person standing next to him. “In which case, can’t you pester this fool a bit more? You’re not an imprisoned heroine, and I can’t afford to just to wait around.”

The person standing next to him laughed, not looking the least bit guilty. “Ba ha ha! That’s life, eh?” said Shinonome-san. “I’m just not making any progress. When something clicks into place, it goes quickly, but at the moment…”

“And when is that ‘something’ going to click? When, exactly?!”

“Hell if I know… Achoo!” Sniffing, Shinonome-san wrapped his hand towel tighter about his neck. Perhaps because the others were dressed in Western clothes and Shinonome-san had chosen Japanese clothing, he looked extremely cold.

“You didn’t bring your scarf?” I asked. “You’ll catch a cold!”

“Huh? That one Noname knitted? I hate it. A guy knitted it, after all.”

“Rude!” I scolded. “…But if I knitted you one, you’d wear it?”

Shinonome-san avoided my gaze for a second. Then, blushing, he said somewhat curtly, “I-In that case, I’d think about it.”

“How sweet!”

I wasn’t the one who let out that shrill cry.

“Wow… You’re so sweet, Shinonome! You’ve got this old geezer’s heart pounding!” The one cheering like a schoolgirl was Toochika-san. He patted Shinonome-san on the head with a soft smile. “I wish I had a daughter. Mm-hmm. I wonder whether my wife will give me one.”

“You’ve been saying that for half a century. If that’s what you want, get on with finding someone.”

“My love isn’t the kind that can be tied down to any one person. But never mind that—hadn’t we better start soon? If we stay here any longer, we’ll freeze. I’ll leave this to you, Tamaki.”

Tamaki-san said nothing as he glared resentfully at Toochika-san from behind his sunglasses.

“What is it, Tamaki? Are you still not happy?”

“Be quiet, Shinonome. I did what I did before because I had no other choice, but this is just Toochika being selfish. I don’t want to.”

“How stingy of you! Stop being such a cheapskate.”

“Shinonome. Are you serious?” Tamaki-san asked in a voice that was deeper than I’d ever heard from him before.

But Shinonome-san shrugged lightly, seemingly unperturbed. “Are you going to keep fixating on the past? That’s not like you. Isn’t the new and the revolutionary marvelous? Rid yourself of the ancient ways!” Shinonome-san teased, turning Tamaki-san’s pet grudge back on him.

Tamaki-san sank into sullen silence. He heaved a great sigh and abruptly started out across the snow.

I wonder what that was about?

Tamaki-san was a pretty mysterious spirit. His background was unclear; I didn’t even know what kind of spirit he was. At the same time, I was pretty sure Shinonome-san and Toochika-san did know and just weren’t saying. But Tamaki-san didn’t have horns or claws or a tail. So at first glance, he just seemed like a normal human.

As I was pondering his true nature, Tamaki-san stopped in the middle of the courtyard. Then, scowling up at the sky, he took something out of his breast pocket.

“A brush?” I could see at a glance that it was a high-quality paintbrush. It was clearly out of place here.

Shinonome-san called out to him obsequiously. “Good luck, my dear friend. This is something only you can do. We’re counting on you!”

“Ahhh, good grief. I decided not to create anything now that I’m the story-seller…” Tamaki-san grumbled.

Shinonome-san sniffed as he called out to him again. “Copying something you created in the past isn’t creating something new.”

Tamaki-san said nothing, only glared at Shinonome-san with his clouded right eye. But Shinonome-san just flashed him a broad, toothy grin and rubbed his reddened nose.

“Given how long I’ve known you, the way you treat me is especially irritating,” Tamaki-san spat, taking the paintbrush in his left hand. “This is my non-dominant hand, so don’t expect much,” he muttered, staring fixedly at the tip of the paintbrush without doing anything.

I was surprised to see what looked like ink oozing out of the end of the bristles. Blinking in astonishment, I watched as Tamaki-san slowly drew something on the surface of the pure white snow.

Tamaki-san’s brush danced over the snow with swift, flowing movements. His hands were more slender and sinewy than Shinonome-san’s. Although his blue veins stood out, giving him a high-strung air, his movements were free and uncontrolled, as if his consciousness were in his instrument. The point of the brush never stopped in one place, instead wafting playfully over the surface of its uncanny canvas.

As the fluid brushstrokes stained the immaculate snow, the lines it drew were by turns fine and powerful—and strangely, they didn’t sink away into the white. Rather, the ink-stained brush tip etched verdant leaves into winter itself.

At last, the arc of Tamaki-san’s clouded right eye drew a twisted trunk that his brush followed. Before I knew it, a pine tree had appeared there.

It stretched its branches proudly toward the heavens, its pointed leaves spreading out as if puffed up with self-satisfaction. The tree’s silhouette was the very image of magnificence, and its tall trunk was bent and rugged, as if it had been powerful enough to withstand long years of wind and rain without collapsing.

“Huh?”

At that moment, a sense of déjà vu came over me, and I racked my brain to remember where I had seen this before. But though I frantically searched my memory, I couldn’t explain it.

I could hardly bear the pent-up feelings in my heart, but even as I struggled, the situation was changing around me.

“This is the final touch.” To top it off, Tamaki-san wrote some words in the snow.

“Spirits/ Are said to appear/ In ancient trees.”

The characters were beautifully formed. For some reason, those words alone sank into the snow.

Scratching his beard with his left hand, Tamaki-san narrowed his eyes as he looked over the whole drawing.

“Kodama,” he called out.

Who on earth is he talking to…? I wondered.

Someone suddenly replied. “It has been a long time since I last saw you, Master. How may I help you?”

“Hah…?” I let out a gasp of surprise. The voice seemed to have come from right next to Tamaki-san…from inside the picture.

Shinonome-san came to stand next to me and pointed cheerfully at the picture that Tamaki-san had drawn on the snow.

“Look, Kaori. See, there’s a wrinkled old man.”

“Gaaah…”

I found myself at a loss for words. Inside the picture of the pine tree that Tamaki-san had drawn, I could see the figure of a person moving about.

He was an old man, withered as a dead tree. Because he had been drawn in ink, I couldn’t tell what color he was supposed to be. However, I could guess that his rather depleted topknot was white, and that the kimono wrapped around his bent body was a somber color, perhaps the dark orange of persimmons. In a hand so frail it looked like the bones might break any second, he clutched a rake. He waited, motionless, for Tamaki-san to speak.

Tamaki-san turned to him and said in a matter-of-fact voice, “The same as before, please.”

The old man’s already wrinkled face creased even more as he smiled happily. “Yes, I understand. Most certainly. With pleasure. Absolutely! Hey, Aunty!”

Bobbing his head furiously, the old man called out to someone behind him—an old lady who looked to be about the same age as him. When she saw us looking at her, she gave us a leisurely bow.

“For one night only: your Christmas tree. Let us prepare for you the tree of your dreams, with branches more splendid than any other.” The old lady swished the broom in her hand back and forth a few times.

At that moment, the tree changed dramatically. Like the surface of water into which a single droplet had fallen, the ink-drawn lines rippled… And with a strange burbling sound, something black began to appear from within them.

“Stand back. It’ll swallow you up. If you don’t want to become like the unnamed hordes who die obscure deaths in stories, get out of its way.”

Looking extremely displeased, Tamaki-san dragged me and Shinonome-san off to the edge of the garden. My feet caught in the snow, and I thought I would slip. I knew it would be fine as long as I kept looking forward, but I just couldn’t tear my eyes away from the scene.

“Ah ha ha! How splendid!”

In the end, Toochika-san clapped his hands together happily. Shinonome-san smiled as he saw the final product. Sniffling from the cold, I looked up at it, dumbfounded.

An enormous, black, ink-covered fir tree towered above me. Having said that, it wasn’t all black. Within the blackness, there were different shades, and some of it faintly reflected the snow light, standing out bluish-white against the black background.

That’s right, it was made out of ink, after all. I thought. “I feel like…I might have seen this somewhere before.”

I stared up at the fir tree. There was something eerie about this jet-black tree in the gloomy world of the spirits.

Shinonome-san stood next to me, gazing up at the tree. “The winter of the year when you first came to the spirit realm, I had Tamaki-san make you a tree like this one.”

“I don’t remember that at all. But why did you stop doing that the next year? We’ve celebrated Christmas many times, but until now we never had a tree again.”

“Well…”

Tamaki-san had been sunk in silence until this point, but now he opened his mouth. “Just who was it who started bawling and saying it was too scary?” he said sulkily.

The normally tough, sarcastic Tamaki-san was pouting like a child.

“Pfft…” At that moment, I felt a certain sense of foreboding, but I couldn’t help my outburst. “No way. That’s why…?”

“Yeah. Tamaki-san fell into a sulk and said he’d never do it again, the scoundrel.”

“Because of that, all the decorations we’d made went to waste. It really sucked,” said Toochika-san, bringing over an old wooden box. Inside, there was an incredible amount of tree decorations. They were a little dusty, but otherwise they looked as good as new.

“What’s that? You taking a trip down memory lane?”

Noname, dressed in a frilly apron, poked her head out of the glass door to the living room. She glanced at Tamaki-san’s sulky face and let out a pleasant laugh. “You were expecting her to be happy, so you were really disappointed, weren’t you? You’d helped make the decorations too.”

“Who did he make them with?” I asked wonderingly.

“You, of course, Kaori.”

Noname stepped nimbly down onto the snow and went over to Toochika-san. After rummaging through the box of decorations he was holding, she handed something to me. “You can look at this any time, as a keepsake,” she said earnestly.

The thing in my hand was as golden as if all the glittering things in the world had been concentrated within it.

It was a large, gold, origami star. It reflected the light that filtered out of the living room, illuminating my surroundings with flashes of brightness. Several sheets of paper had been stuck together to produce paper of this thickness. It was slightly bent…but somehow it held a gentle warmth. That warmth spread at once through my chest, making my heart tremble.

“What a pretty star…” I murmured.

Through his round sunglasses, I could see Tamaki-san’s gaze wandering about. He scratched his head moodily. “What about…this tree?”

“Huh?”

“You’re not scared of this tree?”

I broke into a grin at his awkward question and shook my head. “I’m not scared. I’m…an adult now.”

“Huh.” That was Tamaki-san’s clumsy way of being kind.

Feeling a lump forming in my throat, I spontaneously embraced him. “I’m sorry about last time. Really, I am! And thank you!”

“Hey, stop that. Let go of me! I’m sweltering!”

“Oh, that’s nice. I tried really hard with the decorations too, Kaori-kun.”

“Okay, you too, Toochika-san!”

“What are you lot doing?! You shouldn’t touch a girl of marriageable age so casually!”

As the clamor of our voices filled the courtyard, other merry voices joined in.

“Look at the garden, everyone! Isn’t it amazing?”

“What?”

“What is it?”

“Are we going to play outside? I don’t like snow…”

The voices of the children chorused—Umi, Sora, and Kuro. At Ginme’s urging, they gathered by the glass door, their faces shining as they saw the fir tree that had suddenly appeared.

“It’s a treeeeeeeeee!”

Bursting with energy, the twins rushed out into the garden, their cheeks as rosy as apples.

“This is gonna be our Christmas tree, right? It’s awesome!”

Cheering and whooping, they both began running in circles.

Kuro, left alone in the room, called out to Sora and Umi, “Huh? Is that going to be our Christmas tree? That sparkly thing? How? Hey, hey, hey, hey, tell me!”

As if they were grown-ups, the young raven Tengu twins schooled themselves.

“We’ll decorate it. With twinkling lights.”

“Shiny gold apples. Fluffy snow. Dolls. And of course, right at the top…”

“A big, big star!”

The hands that they suddenly threw up into the air looked like little stars themselves.

With their younger counterparts looking so merry, Kinme and Ginme glanced at one another. Then they, too, hopped down into the garden and raised their fists.

“All right, decorating squad! Time to put the finishing touches on this!”

“One final push!”

The children’s cheeks grew even rosier at Kinme and Ginme’s words, and they cried out eagerly.

“When we’ve finished, we can feast to our hearts’ content!”

“Yeah!”

With cheerful shouts, they crowded around the wooden box that held the decorations.

I winked at them all, and we began the decorating.

After about an hour, a pretty Christmas tree had appeared in the gloomy world of the spirits.

We looked admiringly at one another, our hearts glowing with satisfaction at what we’d achieved. Ornaments of all colors stood out against the inked fir tree. When the decorative lights (connected to a generator) began flashing on and off at intervals, glimmerflies started to gather around us, unhindered by the insect-repellent incense that we were burning.

I think they’re happy too…

As I watched the glimmerflies, enchanted by their playful fluttering, someone tugged at my sleeve.

“Let’s go, Kao-chan! The feast is waiting!”

It was Sora and Umi. Faces shining with anticipation, they pulled me back toward the living room. As we walked, they began to sing.

“Jingle bellth! Jingle bellth!”

Listening to the children lisping their way through the song, I instinctively broke into a smile.

“Umi, Sora. Are you looking forward to this?” I asked.

“Yeah!”

The boys beamed up at me. The illuminated stars on the Christmas tree twinkled in Sora’s eyes as he said, “Me and my brother will never forget today!”

As if he didn’t want to waste even a second more, he took off at a trot and hurried back inside.

I suddenly stopped in my tracks and looked up at the tree.

It glittered away so prettily. And displayed at the very top, there was a slightly crooked, handmade star.

The towns of the human world must be as merry as this now. I felt a stinging pain in my chest. As the thought crossed my mind, I got a little choked up. “I wonder if I also celebrated Christmas every year before I came to the spirit realm… Who did I look up at a Christmas tree with?”

My muttered words melted into the white winter sky and disappeared.

“Kaori? Come quick! The food’s getting cold,” Suimei called out to me.

Shaking my head a little to put those feelings behind me, I set off with light steps toward the warm living room.

 

***

 

The Christmas party finished as a great success.

Once we had all eaten our fill, we gave the children their presents. Umi, Sora, and Kuro, who had been in such high spirits, wore themselves out with playing and fell asleep. And it wasn’t just the children; Shinonome-san and the other two old geezers tired themselves out too. I thought they were going to drink and discuss books, but before I knew it, they’d drunk themselves into a stupor.

“Nothing to be done about it,” said Noname, dumbfounded. She and Suimei spread futon out in Shinonome-san’s room and started to put the three old men to bed. I decided that I would go and see off Kinme and Ginme.

Carrying a sleeping Sora on his back, Kinme whispered happily to me. “Good luck, Kaori.”

“Huh? What for?”

“Handing over your present, of course!”

My face flared red.

Kinme smirked at my blush. “You’re really riled up, aren’t you?”

“Of course I am. We worked together on it, so I want it to be a success.”

Kinme thumped me hard on the back and laughed. “Good luck,” he repeated.

“What? Why are you wishing me luck?”

“Because I’m keeping it a secret from Ginme,” he giggled.

Ginme shot him a suspicious look.

After watching the two of them soar up into the wide, open sky, I cooled my warm cheeks in the outside air before I returned to the living room. Finding Noname and Suimei ready to go home, I hastily called out, “Oh, are you leaving already?”

“Yeah,” Suimei nodded. “It’s pretty late, and look at the state Kuro’s in.”

Kuro was sleeping snugly in Suimei’s arms. I smiled at how happy Kuro looked. Then I said, “Wait a moment!” to hold them back.

I hunted through the cupboard, took something out, and brought it back over to them.

Oh, I think my heart is going to explode… Giddy with nerves, I stopped in front of Suimei. “Here you go.”

“What’s this?”

“A p-present.” I managed. Uh-oh, my voice is shaking!

Although I was aghast at my own lack of courage, I looked down so as not to see Suimei’s expression. I felt a secret sense of relief when Suimei accepted the present from me.

“Can I open it?”

“You mean now?! I don’t really mind, but…” As I panicked at this unexpected development, I heard the rustling sound of wrapping paper. I w-wonder if he’ll like it…

My anxiety mounted to the point where I wished I could just run away.

“A picture book…?” Suimei murmured.

The book I’d prepared as a Christmas present for Suimei was one of my favorites. It was a bestseller about mouse brothers who made a giant pancake; I had adored it for years. I didn’t really understand why, but whenever I read it, I felt more peaceful. So, I loved it so much that I read it time and time again, until it had grown so worn out that I’d had to buy a new copy.

I had kept the one I could no longer read tucked away safely in my closet.

“You said it before, didn’t you, Suimei? When you were having trouble finding a book you liked. You said maybe you should start from the beginning, with picture books, the way a child does. I thought you might be right… So I decided I’d give you my favorite story.”

I sneaked a glance at Suimei. He was looking at the book as blankly as ever.

I wonder if he likes it? Or if I’ve let him down? The feelings in my pounding heart as I handed over his present. Hope—and a little bit of fear. Those feelings relentlessly roiled in my stomach, and large droplets of sweat prickled on my back.

Still he said nothing.

Argh. What does this mean? Does he like it? Hate it? If you’re going to do me in, at least get it over with!

As I was tying myself in knots over Suimei’s lack of a response, I suddenly heard someone laughing.

“Hah…ha ha ha ha…”

They sounded as if they were frantically trying to suppress their laughter. The owner of the voice was, of all things, Suimei.

“I-I’m sorry for giving you such a childish present, okay?!” I wailed.

Suimei’s shoulders were shaking with laughter. The fear that I had given him a strange gift circled round and round in my brain.

“I-If you don’t like it, you can just give it back…” I held out my hand despondently.

Suimei hugged the book to his body like it was something precious. “No. I was just thinking how perfectly like you this is, Kaori. Thank you. I’ll accept it gratefully.”

He gave me a gentle smile that was quite unlike his normal blank expression. My chest tightened painfully, but at the same time I let out a sigh of relief.

“Oho. Should I excuse myself…?” Noname asked in a teasing tone.

I looked up with a start to see Noname watching us, smirking and covering her mouth.

“Oh, no! Noname, wait!” Shaking my head vigorously, I held out the other parcel in my hands to Noname.

“Huh? There’s one for me too?”

“Yeah. I realized that I’d never given a Christmas present to you or Shinonome-san. It’s not much, but it’s something to show my thanks.”

Yes, for the Christmas party I had bought a present not only for Suimei but also for Noname and Shinonome-san.

Christmas is a special day for lovers. At the same time—it’s also a day to spend with one’s precious family.

A human girl, all alone, had tumbled out of the human world. Furthermore, she’d been a mere child of three. It’s doubtful that this child had even been able to logically understand her circumstances. But these people had taken good care of her. Instead of eating her, they’d kept her alive. They’d watched over me and brought me up.

I’ll never forget how thankful I am to all of them. That gratitude is something I have to share with everyone who’s raised me up till now. So I thought I should repay them, even if only in a small way.

“It’s a new color of nail varnish, like you said you wanted, Noname. Please use it if you like!” I smiled.

Overcome with emotion, Noname embraced me. “Yes… You’ve grown up to be such a lovely girl! Oh, I can hardly take it!”

“That tickles, Noname!” I laughed, trapped by her strong arms.

“You bought something for Shinonome-san too, right?” she asked me abruptly. “I’m sure he’d be happy if you gave it to him.”

I opened my mouth.

“Huh? Why have you gone quiet? Did you forget to buy him anything?”

“No…” I avoided Noname’s gaze and let out a sigh.

 

The next morning, I heard a shout from my father’s room.

“Whoooooa?!”

At the same time, there were violent footsteps and a shriek as if someone were being crushed. I paused in my breakfast preparations.

The sliding screen clattered open and someone appeared, their face flushed red with excitement: Shinonome-san.

“It’s amazing, Kaori! Santa came to me!” He was clutching a small parcel in his hands.

Sitting at the tea table, he began to rip off the wrapping paper. Soon, rubbish lay scattered all about, but—to my frustration—he took no notice. As soon as he saw what was inside the parcel, his eyes shone.

“It’s a fountain pen!”

But seeing him as excited as a child, I couldn’t help a small smile.

Just then, two people appeared out of Shinonome-san’s room, looking exhausted.

“Shinonome, you stepped on me. You could at least apologize.”

“You’ve been bouncing off the walls since this morning. Are you a clown or something?”

Their faces were puffy from having drunk too much. When they saw the delighted Shinonome-san holding a fountain pen, their expressions turned as sour as if they’d just bitten into pickled plums. Then, exchanging smiles of satisfaction, they rushed over to Shinonome-san and began making a fuss.

“That’s nice! Your present from Santa. Ooh, it’s amazing, isn’t it? Right, Tamaki?”

“Yeah, you must have been well behaved. I couldn’t be more jealous.”

“Yeah… That must be it! Ba ha ha ha ha, you’ve got us beat!”

Shinonome-san glanced at me and flashed a delighted smile.

Then Toochika-san and Tamaki-san grinned wickedly, and each put an arm around Shinonome-san’s shoulders.

“Well, I’m glad you got such a lovely present,” said Toochika-san. “You should be able to make good progress on your manuscript now!”

“How about we move the deadline forward, Shinonome?” asked Tamaki-san. “Wouldn’t that be good?”

“Wh-what are you talking about?! I don’t understand. Hey, Kaori, say something! You’re the one who gave me this, right?”

I turned back to my cooking.

“Why are you ignoring meeee?!”

As Christmas came to an end, the sky of the spirit realm rang with Shinonome-san’s cries.

Feeling secretly guilty, I continued ignoring him. But why?

A woman of marriageable age mustn’t be moved so easily by her father.