Christmas was only a week away, and Himeko had been worried whether she had been good enough this year. We all reassured her that she had and that Santa-san would surely come to give her a present.

Yes, despite being in her second year of high school, our friend Himeko still believes in Father Christmas.

“We got used to it,” said Sachi. “We three have been her friends since kindergarten, after all.”

“But shouldn’t someone tell her already?” I said. “That Santa is not real.”

“There’s nothing we can do,” said Ayu. “Besides, it’s her parents who keep putting on that show of Santa’s coming to her house every year.”

I knew it wasn’t something any of us could easily bring up. Because Himeko’s parents always doted on their daughter, they would go to such lengths. Thanks to Himeko’s father being a skilled makeup artist and her mother being a renowned movie actress, my friends and I got to see it every year. How capable they were at making Santa’s visit real—so real, it could put Hollywood to shame.

And because Himeko had invited us to a sleepover at her house this Christmas, too, in just a week, we would get to see just that.

There’s nothing we can do. For a moment, I reflected on that sentence.

Not to mention, there’s never any actual harm in my friend still believing in Santa Claus.

Yet—

I want to know what makes this Santa Claus thing such a big part of her life. As her friend, I would be unable to provide support unless I understood that.