女面 - Bungo Stray Dogs Fanfiction

第三十一話

It was a dark winter's day. Translucent white fog shrouded Yokohama's streets, illuminated with street lamps and shop windows blazed with warm and cool lights. Christmas was just a few weeks away, but the festive mood came earlier to the townsfolk. Large Christmas trees beautifully decorated with colourful ornaments and bright fairy lights were set up in the city centre and big markets. The trees planted along the streets, too, were ornamented with blue and white lights.

But among the winter illuminations in this city, everyone was most eager for the annual Christmas Market in Yokohama Red Brick Warehouse. Tents and stalls decorated with lush green garlands and yellow lights were set up along the corridor, fairy lights hanging above in rows lighting up the night. Statues of Santa and his elvish and reindeer companions were placed on each roof of the concrete stalls, with a big nutcracker somewhere in the corner many were keen to take pictures with. The market was filled with whiffs of food and merry chatters, patrons going around buying Christmas snacks and trinkets. Some people just dropped by out of curiosity, leaving with nothing but some pictures they captured with their cameras. It was a cheery night for many. And that included the boney little girl standing before the giant Christmas tree staring at it in awe.

'So pretty!' was all she could think of, as she absentmindedly hugged herself trying to keep warm. It wasn't often that she could come out to a place like this. She very much liked it here more than at home, indeed. Home was less bright and happy than here. It was dark and cold, and the people there weren't friendly. But then again, so were the people here if she'd been paying attention to the critical stares of the more dapper ones. It could've been her strange appearance; her hair was long and fried, and her face was pale like the rest of her flaky skin. It might've been the old musty oversized blue shirt she wore as a dress, given how people's noses crinkled in disgust and they would peel away from her. But a child so young and innocent need not be aware of that.

All of a sudden, she felt something soft draped around her bare neck. "Eh?" She looked down and touched the foreign item, which turned out to be a red knitted scarf.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" came a gravelly voice.

The girl's gaze shifted to the man standing next to her, having to crane her neck given the height difference. Her eyes gleamed with excitement as she nodded, blissfully agreeing with him. "It is! It's my first time seeing a big beautiful tree like this. But I don't understand what's going on. Do you know why so many people are here, mister?"

Using his cane for support, the man knelt on the ground, seeing her eye-to-eye. "They are excited about Christmas," he said.

"Christmas?" she repeated.

"It is the time of the year people celebrate to remember the birth of Jesus Christ," he explained.

The girl tilted her head, looking perplexed. "Who is Jesus Christ?"

"He was a religious leader in Christianity."

"What is Christianity?"

"It is one of the oldest religions in the world that focuses on the teachings of Jesus Christ."

"What does this religion do to people?"

"It teaches them to do good. Many years ago, when Jesus Christ was still alive, he taught his followers to be generous, courageous, and loving. These became the core values of Christianity, even to this day. That's why many people find him important and believe that it's an honourable thing to celebrate his birthday. But over the years, people who don't practise Christianity celebrate Christmas as a happy festival that brings friends and families together."

Finally, the girl's face lit up with understanding. "I see!" she exclaimed excitedly. "No wonder everyone is so happy. So today is Christmas?"

"It's on the 25th, young one," the man corrected gently. "But people enjoy celebrating it early since it is December already."