One second, there was no one in the living room, and the next, a man clad in red sat on the sofa, leisurely sipping on a glass of milk. He appeared out of thin air yet acted as though he had always been there, flashing Misha a bright smile.
โLooks like you have a few more people by your side this time around,โ Santa said, nodding at Masha and Stephan, whose eyes seemed about to pop out of their sockets. โHow about taking a seat?โ
โSure,โ Misha answered as he climbed down the stairs. He walked to the living room, then jumped on the sofa, sitting just beside the man. โHere. Your watch.โ
โThank you,โ Santa chuckled, taking back the golden wristwatch the boy handed him. He stared at it for a moment before nonchalantly wrapping it around his wrist, lifting his eyes to glance over the new faces one at a time. โI guess this young miss is your sister? Though I have no idea who this youngster may be.โ
โA friend,โ Gabriel responded as he took place on the sofa, not even an inch away from Misha. โHe insisted on meeting you, but it seems like his brain short-circuited. Please, forgive him.โ
โExcuse me? Arenโt you the weird one, accepting his sudden appearance with a shrug of your shoulders?!โ Stephan scoffed. โAlthough I did believe you about time traveling and all, itโs still shocking to meet THE Santa Claus in the flesh. โCause, you know, itโs something a certain beverage brand created!โ
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
โKtfs jvnfgalrfv tlw lcab ktja kf xcbk cbk yea vlv cba mgfjaf atf ifufcv,โ Xjyglfi vfjvqjccfv.
โYt, mbwf bc! Tbe ufa atf qblca!โย
โTfr, sfr, P ufa la,โ Xjyglfi rtloafv tlr ujhf, vfmlvlcu cba ab ybatfg klat Vafqtjc jcswbgf. Pcrafjv, tf rajgfv lcafcais ja Vjcaj Jijerโr mteyys ojmf, rmgealclhlcu tlw eq jcv vbkc. โDea ogjcxis, Pโw meglber jybea ktja sbe ageis jgf. Tbe mfgajlcis jgfcโa tewjc, jcv sbeโgf qgbyjyis cba atf โwjcโ ogbw atf ifufcv.โ
To this, Santa Claus said nothing, only smiling faintly. A light seemed to flicker in his gray eyes, but it quickly vanished.
โWhat are you talking about?โ Misha asked in a puzzled tone, glancing back and forth between Gabriel and Santa. Was it him, or something seemed off?
โBecause I donโt believe in Santa Claus. And I wouldnโt say that man is kindness itself, considering the โpoisonous giftโ he left you.โ
โ…โ
Misha looked down at his feet, fidgeting in his seat. It seemed like Gabriel was still angry about the choice Santa Claus offered him: that is to say, to save his mother or a bunch of unknown kids. It didnโt settle well with Gabriel, who thought that it was a cruel thing to do. People who played with Mishaโs heart deserved a fate worse than death, or so he thought.
An awkward silence stretched, filling up the room until Masha coughed, drawing everyoneโs attention. She was half-sitting on the armrest of the sofa, wearing a white nightgown that made her long strawberry blond hair stand out.
โWhether he is the Santa Claus from the legend or not doesnโt matter. At any rate, it doesnโt matter to me.โ Misha paused to rub her neck, then let out a sigh. โLet me just say thank you. Thank you for giving my brother and my friend a second chance. Right now, I should be disabled or about to take my life anytime soon. My mom should be buried six feet underground, and letโs not talk about my father.โ
Shaking her head, Masha couldnโt help but think back on the message her brother had left to himself. When she had first heard it, she felt like he was talking about strangers, not people she knew.
โIโve got no memories of such things, and sometimes, itโs hard to believe. But, anyway, I just wanted to say that Iโm glad to be safe and sound this time around, so, you know, thank you. It wouldnโt have been possible if it werenโt for you.โ
Again, Santa Claus did not answer and only smiled, putting his glass of milk on the low table near the sofa.ย
โWell, Iโve got a lot of things to do, so Iโll be on my way. I hope that you will have a happy Christmas with your family and friends this year, Misha.โ
Santa then stood up, ruffling the kidโs hair into a birdโs nest. As his body seemed to turn transparent, he added in a soft but somewhat taunting tone, โSee you again in 14 years. Until then, farewell.โ
________________________
Chapter revised on 2022-06-05
Edited by Clozed! โฅ
“See you again in 14 years” ๐ does this mean they will need his help once again?
Thanks for the chapter! I hope you get well soon ๐
Well, Misha still has to give back the wristwatch he has (the one from the first timeline). They gave back the wristwatch from the second timeline in this chapter, the one Gabriel took with him. ๐
But who knows? Maybe they will need to meet Santa sooner~
Thank you for reading! โฅ
Hope you’re feeling better. I did the same thing in August, not fun
Last year, when I fell down the stairs, I fractured my tailbone. So I’m happy with just a few bad bruises. X’D
Thank you for reading! โฅ
Congrats on finishing volume 2!!! And I hope you get well soon!
Thank you! Now I gotta write volume 3!!! o- o
Thank you for reading, and I’m feeling better!!! ๐
I hope you’re feeling better
thanks for the chapter <3
I’m all better! (I decided I was so I’m!!!)
Thanks for reading! โฅ
Even though it’s a bit late, hope you made a fast recovery..
Boy I really hope Gabriel doesn’t think he has to wait until then for some reason.