A Very Oto Christmas

It had been two weeks since the events on the island, and Hayami was still recovering from both the emotional whiplash of realizing she had killed Oto’s brother, followed by kissing him, and the physical pain of a cracked rib. This was why she had barely left her room in that time and why she was still in bed come midmorning when it happened. When suddenly the world came alive, as though the walls of the villa had awoken from an ancient, holly-jolly slumber.

Hayami, startled awake from her own deep-sleep, grabbed at her mattress firmly as she looked around with a wild expression plastering her face. She watched as fixtures on the walls vibrated, the glass of water on her nightstand slowly began to move, and the blinds that had been keeping the sunlight out clattered against the windows as the audible earthquake shook the room.

“What the o’ holy night is happening?!” Hayami cried out.

Jumping from the bed with terror in her eyes and a racing heart, Hayami threw on her favourite kimono. She rushed to the door leading to the mezzanine and threw it open to see normal villa had been replaced with yuletide cheer.

Garlands hung from the railings at every level, festive wreaths adorned each of the doors, beautiful silks of gold, green, red, and ivory had been draped from the ceilings and walls. Everywhere Hayami looked, she saw lights and baubles, stars and angels, Santas, snowmen and nutcrackers. Seasonal flowers have been replaced with poinsettias, holly and ivy. The smell of cedar and cinnamon wafted through the space, stinging the girl’s nose.

“How long was I asleep?!” Hayami yelled over the sound of what she now realized was the pipe organ playing ‘Joy to the World.’

“Hayami!” Oto’s voice cried out from below. “Hayami, you’re finally awake!”

Stepping to the edge, Hayami leaned over the railing and looked down to the first floor, where Oto stood in attire that was even more unusual than normal. At the center of the space, standing before a twenty-foot-tall and fully decorated Christmas tree, was a barely clothed figure. The boy was wearing red shorts, too short to be called shorts and closer in length to briefs, that were lined with fuzzy white fur. A vest of the same material hung over his shoulders but was left open, revealing his faintly glittering bare chest. Finally, atop his head was a matching Santa hat that hung more limply than anything else on his body.

Hayami felt her heart and mind momentarily stand at odds with each other. While she found Oto very attractive in that moment, there was also an overpowering sense of confusion that distracted her from her ogling.

“Oto,” She cried out to him. “Why are you dressed like a stripper?”

“I’m not dressed like—Hayami! It’s Christmas! Merry Christmas!”

“No, it’s not! It’s July, Oto!”

“It’s Christmas! And I’m Krispy Kringle! Hue-Hue-Hue!”

With a sigh, Hayami rubbed at her face and grumbled to herself quietly.

“That’s the combination of a donut shop and a figure that is not Santa.” Looking up, she glanced at Oto once more as she experienced second-hand embarrassment for his risqué clothing. “I’m going back to bed. Tell Giles to stop tickling the ivory of your huge pipe organ—”

Hayami thought for a moment about what she said before giving her head a shake. She peeked down at Oto once more through the banister, admiring his physique and clothing again before departing. And as her cheeks warmed, she glanced up at his face, watching as the sparkle in his eyes began to fade at the prospect of her leaving.

“Hayami.” He replied weakly, his Santa hat sliding back on his head as he lifted tearful eyes to her. “Christmas.”

Her heart dropped as she looked at his puppy dog eyes that didn’t belong on a body as fit and skimpily dressed as his. As much as she hated the holidays, even when they were celebrated in the offseason, Hayami felt it was difficult to turn down the boy.

So, with a defeated sigh, she placed her hands on the railing and looked down at Oto with a forced smile.

“Merry Christmas, Oto.” She mumbled, unsure if her voice could be heard over the pipe organ.

“What was that?” Oto perked up, placing a hand to his ear and smiling joyfully. “I didn’t quite hear youuu.”

“I’m going back to bed!”

“Hayami! I have presents! For you! From Santa!”

“Santa’s not real, Oto.”

“Santa’s real…”

Hayami inspected the boy from her balcony. She squinted, examining his face, trying to determine if he was being sincere or not. If his statement had come from any other person his age, she would have suspected sarcasm or that there had been a child around. But, when it came to Oto, there was the real possibility that the child was him.

“I can’t tell if you’re being serious or screwing with me.” She finally spoke up.

“Hayami, come down! Open your presents.”

“Let me guess. Are the presents clothes?”

Oto froze, his face going pale as he slowly looked at the clothing-shaped boxes under the tree.  Returning his gaze to her, he stammered for a moment.

“No…well—not all of them. But you’ll have to come down and see! Please, Hayami!”

With an exasperated sigh, Hayami rubbed at her eyes before looking back to Oto.

“Fine.” She grumbled, begrudgingly marching her way downstairs.

As she reached the bottom, she came face-to-face with Oto holding a collection of gifts in his arms. There were three, each flawlessly wrapped in festive paper with artisanal bows atop.

He smiled his beautiful smile as he handed them over to her.

“Merry Christmas, Hayami. Don’t worry, I left the clothes under the tree until later.”

Hayami felt her heart begin to beat faster as she looked at the presents. It had been years since she had received a Christmas gift, and this was the first time she had gotten one in July. Her cheeks began to blush before she inhaled deeply to centre herself.

“Okay?” She replied to him, trying to keep control of her emotions. “I’ll just start at the top?”

Reaching the first present, she withdrew a small gift that was surprisingly heavy. Pulling the bow, she tore open the wrapping paper and box before finally realizing what she had been gifted.

“Is this…” Hayami tilted her head as she pulled out a new baton. “A baton?”

“Yes! Yours got lost in the—eherm—accident. And, well, I wanted to get you a new one! This one is lightweight and corrosion-resistant. Whatever that means. And look! It’s silvery, like your hair!”

Hayami’s heart thudded harder against her chest as she looked at the excitement in Oto’s eyes. It was a considerate gift, and she appreciated it. But before she could reply, the stripper Santa cut her off.

“Now go on, there’s more!” He insisted, pushing the next of two gifts her direction.

“Okay, okay. Hold your horses.”

“Please, Hayami.” Oto huffed, gently pulling the presents away in response. “Today is a special day. Don’t speak of those devil equine. It’s bad enough that we have been unable to capture Alhambra since she entered the property.”

With a chuckle, Hayami nodded to Oto before pulling the next present for her and unwrapping it. This time, as she reached the final layer, she realized that the box was specifically for storing a pistol. Her heart began to race as she excitedly opened the gift and gasped.

“Oto! Is—Is this a nine-millimetre performance duty pistol? With an LED reflex sight and magazine extender?”

“I—yuh, yes. You’ve got a good eye!”

“How did you know?”

“I—yuh, well, you know…Santa told me.”

Hayami inspected Oto’s face, easily able to tell he was unaware how much she had wanted the luger she now held in her grasp. Narrowing her gaze, she stared into the boy’s eyes.

“Giles told you, huh?” She interrogated him.

“Giles told me.” He immediately broke. “But you like it! And that’s what matters. So, last present, last present!”

Having gotten two presents that she had actually wanted in a row, Hayami was excited for the third gift. So, without hesitation, she lifted the largest, yet thinnest box of the set. She tore at the paper, revealing a fine, ornate box that hinged at the back. With a flick of the clasps at the front, she opened the gift.

Hayami gasped, nearly dropping the box in an instant as her heart raced fast enough to jumpstart a car.

“O-O-Oto?”

“Do you like them?”

Before Hayami was a full set of lavish diamond jewelry. An antique French Regency necklace with over twenty-five carats of flawless diamonds took up the majority of the space. Tear-drop earrings with each holding a five-carat centre stone rested to the side. Accompanying three diamond bracelets of different styles, each with at least ten carats of smaller stones, were placed below. And, finally, at the center of it all, a fifteen-carat ring that glimmered in the light like stars in the night sky.

“What the hell are these?” Hayami yelled out.

“Oh-ho-ho, and sweet, poor Hayami. Those are called diamonds.”

“What—what do I do with them?” She replied, too shocked to call him out for calling her poor.

“Wear them, obviously.”

“And this?!” Hayami held the ring up to Oto’s face. “What is this, Oto?”

“A ring?” He replied hesitantly. “You must know what a ring is, right?”

“And what finger do I wear this on?”

Oto began to panic, sensing Hayami’s frantic mood shifting farther away from the joy she had moments before. “I—I don’t—Any finger? What do you want from me? It should fit any of your fingers, unless you want it on your thumbs. But I can resize it.”

Clearing his throat, Oto quickly attempted to change the subject by pointing behind Hayami towards the windows that led to the terrace.

“Look, Hayami! Let’s go play in the snow!”

Staring down at the jewelry, Hayami attempted to control her beating heart. Her face, a cherry red from the anxiety of being given a diamond ring by Oto, seemed to be locked with the ornate trove of gems before her. That was, until she realized what he had said.

“What?” She replied, shaking herself free of the shock to turn around. “What do you mean…SNOW?!”

Outside the windows of the coastal manor, a blizzard had begun to cover the terrace. From deeper in the villa, Hayami watched as Oto opened the door, allowing the powdery snow to blow in. With a giggle, he rushed his barely clothed body out into the storm long enough to form a snowball in his hands.

“Hayami, come play in the snow! Before it melts!”

“Oto,” She muttered, slowly walking towards the door, feeling the cold touching at her skin. “How are you making it snow…in July?”

“Hmm? Oh!” He turned back to her, tossing the snowball behind him. “I bought a dozen of those snow-makey machines that ski resorts use. It’s got an internal refrigerator—or something. It’s terribly loud, thus the organ! But isn’t it wonderful?! Now come on! Let’s play!”

Oto, giggling madly, rushed out into the snow in his stripper Santa outfit as Hayami remained indoors, shocked and listening to the sound of Christmas music. Glancing down at the very expensive and deadly gifts that Oto had left in her grasp, she sighed deeply before shaking her head.

“I’m going back to sleep.” She whispered, struggling to process everything that had happened, before eventually turning around to go back upstairs.