Rising Rays of the New Century: Tale of the Japanese Empire

On Christmas Eve

December 24

Barcelona, Republic of Catalonia

The next day, Barcelona was celebrating Christmas Eve. Even though it was still early evening, stores were closing early and people were going to church for worship and mass. Therefore, there were no people in town. In the middle of the city, where signs of people were disappearing, there was a young man and a girl.

"Good evening, Octavia."

"Satoru, you really came."

The location was a main street in the Les Corts District, close to Camp Nou where the two met, their breaths turning white and reflecting the coldness of the surroundings. After a few moments of silence, Maebayashi spoke with a troubled smile.

"You called me here because you have something to do with me, don't you? It's easy enough to read your mind, but I'd like you to tell me yourself if you could."

Maebayashi had noticed that Octavia had something on her mind. Of course, it would be easy to read them, but he felt that if possible, she should speak of her own volition.

Satoru Maebayashi had been raised in a family of the mind-reading Satori yōkai and was looked at strangely by those around him. Because of this, he was ostracized more than once. Even now, his colleagues at the Public Prosecutor's Office look at him with a somewhat distant look. Because of this experience, he has discovered a certain value: "A person's intention is meaningful only when they say it out loud." For beings like him, it is easy to read opinions that people seem reluctant to express. However, Maebayashi believed that the courage to say out loud what is difficult to say is what is meaningful.

"Um... well..." Octavia stammered.

Maebayashi gave a small sigh with a troubled smile.

"Is it difficult to talk here?"

"........."

Octavia nodded. Maebayashi murmured, "I see," and put his hand on her back, ushering her to walk out of here. Octavia's eyes widened for a moment, but she didn't resist him.

"........."

The two walked in silence through the Les Corts District, lined with restaurants that had closed their doors. Maebayashi stopped in front of a high-end restaurant in one of these areas, which was frequented only by the city's wealthy. A "CLOSED" sign was hung at the entrance, and there was no staff in sight.

"Umm, what is this place...?"

"I asked for a private dinner tonight, and the food was prepared earlier in the evening. There is no waiter here, so the food is all self-service," Maebayashi said and opened the door of the restaurant.

At the far end of the empty room, where silence reigns, there is a table with a dim light and a lit candle. The surrounding area is decorated with expensive furnishings and ornaments to please the eyes of visitors, and silver knives and forks are laid out on the table. It was an isolated world for Octavia, who lived in a poor neighborhood.

Maebayashi sat on one of a pair of chairs. He ushered Octavia, who was standing there dumbfounded, to sit in the chair across from him. She sat down, puzzled.

"I heard that Christmas Eve is a special day for Catholics to spend with their families, eat a feast at home, and celebrate the birth of Christ. I felt bad for you that you didn't make any preparations for it."

There is a gap between the perception of Christmas in Japan and what Christians actually do. Maebayashi understood this and decided to prepare something to replace the precious time she had sacrificed to spend with her family.