On a night when the snowstorm had subsided, Mori sat on a bench in his house, pouting. Children, excited by the lingering snow, were building snowmen in the front yard. The adults, overcome by the children's excitement, gave up on putting them to bed and simply watched, content.
Mori watched the scene closely and shook her head.
'Yes, I guess it's right for that girl to have her wish granted.'
It was clear that wanting a child was an excessive desire. Her expectations were already overflowing. To have any more would be to deceive victims like the girl from earlier.
As midnight approached, a boy who had made a small snowman approached Mori.
"Mori, take this."
He was a chubby boy with a familiar face. Every time she saw him, he had a sweet snack in his mouth. His name was Cole.
“Yes, thank you.”
Mori carefully held the smiling snowman with both hands. He plopped down next to her, who looked somewhat sullen.
"Sister, what's bothering you?"
"Why? Can you listen?"
"Please listen to my worries. My classmates tell me a lot of their worries, like when they fought with their moms or when they have a crush on a girl."
"Really? Then would you listen to me?"
"Of course!"
Cole looked at Mori reverently. Thinking this was a chance to repay all the chocolate he'd received, Mori smiled and looked back at Cole.
"There is someone who has been unintentionally harmed because of me. How can I atone for that?"
"Hmm..."
“Is it too difficult?
"I've had that happen to me, too. I picked up a chocolate bar on the floor and ate it, thinking it wasn't owned by anyone. But then I realized my partner had put it in his pocket to save it, and lost it."
When Cole brought up the trivial topic seriously, Mori licked his lips. He continued speaking with a good seriousness.
"That chocolate was something my partner's father had bought when he was on a business trip to another continent. It was something he could never get again, so I couldn't buy him the exact same one again. My partner called me a pig; he couldn't even look at me."
"So what did you do?"
"I couldn't give the same chocolate back. So I gave the dog my favorite stuffed animal. I took something precious from the dog, so I gave it something precious to me."
okay?"
Mori's expression softened slightly. If those shoes truly had the power to grant wishes, he felt it was a good thing he gave them to the girl, handing over to her the precious hope of a baby she might have had.
"But there's a problem!"
“What is it?”
"My classmates saw me giving away dolls. They made a fuss and wanted dolls of their own, so I ended up having to give dolls to everyone in the class."
"Oh, that must have been annoying."
"It cost a lot of money, and I got scolded by my mom, but it was still better. My partner liked it better, too."
"Why did you like your partner?"
"It's more fun to play with dolls together than to play with dolls alone."
Cole's innocent answer made Mori laugh. At the same time, she was troubled. Should she also give shoes to everyone around the girl? No, the girl doesn't have anyone around her. Should she give shoes to every kid in the neighborhood?
"Thank you, Cole solved my problem."
"Wow! That's a relief!"
"Don't you need shoes by any chance? Should I give you some as a gift?"
Mori waved her hand in the air, and white shoes appeared in midair. They were summoned from the nearby shoe store. They were stolen, but she could give them to the children and then pay for them.
"Oh, lace shoes? Thanks, but they're not my style."
“Then what about this?”
Mori snapped her fingers, and the lace-up shoes turned into sneakers.
“That’s nice!”
"Wear it well."
"Is this a Christmas present? Thank you!"
Cole, who had received the shoes with great care, laughed and ran home. Cole's father, who had been watching him from afar, bowed his head toward Mori and expressed his gratitude.
'Let's see, where and how should I turn the shoes?'
While she was pondering this, she heard a scream from afar. Looking in the direction of the scream, she saw three black reindeer. They seemed to have come out of the mountain for a drink, as the blizzard had eased.
The pure-hearted monsters don't cause any harm to humans, but they have a gangster-like personality and often cause trouble here and there. They even scare children for fun.
Mori smiled brightly and approached the disciples.
“Hey, it’s you.”
The reindeer flinched in confusion.
"I need to pull out some extras."
The reindeer, who came out to have fun by picking a fight with the game kids and got caught in the wrong way, made a look of disappointment.
***
It was three in the morning. Chession had just finished his work and hurried back to his bedroom.
'Mori, were you waiting for me?'
Although she was a heavy sleeper, she always waited until late to sleep with Chession, even though she was nodding off.
Chession's steps became more urgent, as he wondered if she might be staying up late.
But there was no one in the carefully opened bedroom.
"Huh? Where did you go at this hour?"
Mori, who always talks whenever she goes out late, stayed out late without saying anything.
Did she come late and make a fuss?
Just when she was starting to feel a little uneasy, the butler knocked cautiously on the bedroom door.
"Your Highness, are you inside?"
"You can come in. What's going on?"
The butler who opened the door and appeared bowed his head.
"There is a strange rumor going around the Grand Duchy right now."
“What is it?”
"They say that the witch in the sleigh is dragging three black reindeer and gives white shoes to each house."
"..."
For a moment, Chession's gaze turned outside the window. Far in the distance, in the clearing sky, where the dark clouds had parted, he saw something. It was a black-haired Santa Claus, passing in front of the dazzling moonlight.
'Our Mori, I thought you were reading a lot of fairy tales these days. Is it because you were impressed by the Santa story?'
“But a problem arose."
"What?"
"It seems our Lady Mori has lost control of her strength. Chimneys and fireplaces are being torn apart here and there. Complaints are coming in."
They say that a strong Santa is going around breaking down other people's chimneys and throwing presents.
Chession burst out laughing because he was so shocked. But why did she have to keep giving them white shoes? Did she like the design of the shoes Ibelia gave her? So she thought everyone would like them as much as she did, so she kept giving them as gifts.
"As expected, our Mori is cute."
"We will help cover the cost of chimney and fireplace repairs."
"Well, what can I do? But, Otis."
“Yes, Your Highness.”
"What's that bouquet in your hand? Are you here to propose to me?"
"Not at all. I have a family, too. The guest who came earlier gave it to me."
The serious butler offered Chession a bouquet. It was a cluster of cute, pure white flowers. Upon closer inspection, they seemed to glow with a rainbow of colors.
"Who gave it to you?"
"It was a fan girl who showed up holding her father's hand. She smiled brightly and said that thanks to her, her wish had come true. She told me to give it to Miss Mori."
“To Mori?”
There was a small tip inside the bouquet. He took out the note and unfolded it, revealing an unreadable message.
"It seems like an ancient demon language. Were the girl and her father demons?"
"On the outside, they both seemed like ordinary people."
“I see.”
Chession gently placed the bouquet on the table. He hoped the witch, who was exploiting the black reindeer's labor, would stop destroying other people's chimneys and return home.
And Sith sat perched on the tree in the Grand Duke's mansion, watching the whole scene unfold. She hummed, dangling her short legs under the tree.
Her feet, which were flushed red, were wearing cute lace shoes.
"I was right, Mori. That kid's wish came true through experience. She's not greedy, she's just too kind and naive. That's not how you get what you want."
Dark clouds were gathering in the western sky. Sith gently waved them away, pushing them away. Moonlight falling from the clear night sky bathed Sith's eyes in a brilliant rainbow, allowing Santa to freely deliver presents tonight.
"So what can I do? I have to help."
The goddess of the demon race, Sith. She was a very interesting person to see. It was also strange that such a simple and ignorant witch could create the world that the god had so desired.
"It seems the price has already been paid, so I will grant your wish."
Heh, Sist's innocent smile gradually faded. She saw the witch, who had lost all her presents, returning home. She was walking, completely unaware that the girl she cared so much for had already had her wish granted.
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