Mystic Christmas Episode 4 Part 2

White Ded starts things off in the narration zone for all I know since I don’t understand how this conversation can possibly happen or when it takes place. But as to what he’s actually saying, he’s reacting to you saying it’s weird for him to be split into two people. He finds it funny since it’s ‘you’ that’s saying this, since you are split into at least two, and he suggests it’s way more than that.

Ded then talks about how in a certain place you’d often say things like “everyone around me is the same” or “I’m not interested in being (insert thing here).” But in another place, you’d be saying “no one accepts it, but I’m actually (insert thing here).” Ded talks about how these aren’t that similar, and how another you is gradually walking off alone. All around ‘you’ the world accepts ‘another you’ and allows that self to do ‘anything permissible.’

As all this happens with your other self unable to leave your body, the situation becomes so that two roles live within one body. White says there’s nothing strange about that as that’s how they and probably other people out there live.

White then rhetorically asks what would happen if your own existence weakens. In that case, people around you stop being aware of you. And if the world says you’re no longer allowed to do the things you could do before? White supposes you’d feel pain comparable to having your body torn apart and probably disappear.

White then asks if you’ve ever heard that fairies can’t live if there’s no one around who believes in them. The same applies for him and Black, and they would disappear as if they never existed to begin with.

White then brings up that his Santa sack used to be the artifact that belonged to an old friend of his. He says he was never born to be Santa and that he was never allowed to act as one, but one day Kitezh took in and adapted the role of Santa and looked to him to do it. Ded was given the authority to be Santa, and his friend who lost it disappeared from the world.

When asked why he’s talking about it, White laughs and doesn’t answer right away. He then says that maybe he wanted ‘you’ to remember about ‘their’ old friend who gave them a place to belong. White says now he feels like he understands how they felt that day when said friend gave the power of Santa to him. They feel like they’re repeating something that happened before, which is why he feels he understands.

Back to the present, you guys are going around to inspect the buildings. You finish up with bringing some firewood and tell Tomte that you’re done with that part. Tomte thanks everyone for helping and says it’s time to help Eita next. Eita can hear you from wherever and yells back that he can finish his stuff by himself and that he’s okay. You ask if he can reach the top shelf, and he insists he can get there just fine.

Tomte decides to accept this and suggests that you guys head into the sauna then. Touji reminds him to not forget this is an inspection of the whole facility, then asks where they should go. You ask about how the sauna village has several kinds of saunas, so Tomte says he’ll explain.

So anyways, the sauna village has locker rooms, shower and washing areas, and saunas aplenty. The saunas are divided based on type and temperature so people can go to whichever one they prefer. There’s a cold bath in the center kept at 20°C/68°F. Authentic saunas allow for jumping into a lake, but here safety was emphasized.

Tomte also mentions that it’s possible to eat in at the sauna village with food from either Cafe Asterism or Ebisu’s small restaurant place. That way after filling up after using the saunas, people can be ready to enjoy Christmas for real. Tomte personally suggests going to see that Ded signboard that’s by the entrance.

You either comment that Tomte really likes Ded or point out you can see it from where you are already. Going A, Tomte says if he has to answer whether he likes or hates Ded, he likes him then. Ded basically raised him and acted as a parental figure to him when he lost his memories after all.

Tomte then starts thinking about other places to recommend, taking into account that Touji is a first timer. Aegir comes over already dressed to go in as he suggests 60°C/140°F-90°C/194°F mid range saunas or the lower temp saunas. Tomte is surprised at how much Aegir knows and that he’s already dressed to go in. You either be shocked and say Aegir is being a bit too quick to go, say you’re actually dressed to go in too, or say Aegir should dress like this more often.

Going A, Aegir snorts as he says he mentioned you guys can leave everything up to him, then calls the sauna a meeting place for adults. But anyways if the temp range is decided, Aegir starts to talk about the methods for saunas to suggest 80% humidity with a steam sauna no hotter than 60°C/140°F.

Touji agrees to go along with that and mentions it’s the same kind of sauna you guys used to exorcise the Evils from the other days. Tomte tells you guys to follow him so you don’t get lost.

Over at the sauna room, Touji is amazed to see it and compares it to an enclosed space. He then starts thinking about how it’d affect an app battle if one were to happen inside what with the heat going on. You either say it feels good, tell Touji to relax, or sit next to him.

Going C, Touji quickly tries to deny that he’s feeling nervous as he claims he’s just thinking about what would happen if there’s an attack. He also says you’re at fault for walking up to him all innocently and asks you to keep some distance from him.

Tomte says he brought some aromatic oil today to help people relax. Aegir likes the idea and tells him to pour it onto the stone already. Tomte proceeds to do so, mixing it into some water first, and a sweet scent fills the room. Touji says it smells nice and that the temp is just right for relaxing. Aegir however says it’s still not enough as he asks what you think. He then asks to borrow Tomte’s vihta to teach you more about saunas.

After a few whacks of it, Aegir says that this feels the best and mentions it felt like his hips gave out the first time he felt this. He then suggests you use the vihta yourself saying it helps with circulation and smoothing out your skin. He also tells you to accept his affection and shine even brighter. You can either pass, accept the offer, or show some hesitation.

Going A which probably skips a bit, Eita wanders in and is suddenly huge, bragging to Aegir about how mature he is to finish cleaning up by himself. Everyone else is shocked to see this, and you are the first to ask about him somehow getting bigger. Eita thinks he just hit a growth spurt, then comments that Aegir seems smaller than he is now.

This strikes a nerve with Aegir as he starts growing himself and dares him to say he’s smaller than him again. You shout out about him getting big by absorbing the steam and/or how childish he is to get into a fight with a middle schooler. Touji however notices something and points it out to Tomte, and the Evil in Eita starts sliding off of him. You are surprised that Eita is possessed and can see it too, though you note it seems different from the others.

Tomte says that either way you guys can only do one thing when it comes to demonic possession. Aegir picks up for him and mentions that you guys will have to have a sauna battle and tells Eita to blow it all out. Tomte is amazed that Aegir knows about sauna battles. You either agree with starting the battle or ask if this is really a thing that people know about. Aegir says he’ll show how broad minded he is in a special extracurricular lesson as the episode battle starts, and more story happens afterwards.

After the battle, we pick up midway as usual as Tomte is working up the steam and maybe also whacking Eita and Aegir with his vihta. Eita sighs happily about how much he’s sweating while Aegir does much the same as he talks to Tomte about how great saunas are. You note that Aegir and Eita are returning to their original size and that the Evil is starting to pop out.

The Evil says it’s in paradise and thanks Eita for bringing it there. Eita is surprised the thing was inside him, and you notice it seems different from the others and ask if Eita knows it. Eita says he only just met it and wonders if you know about it. He also tells you he have it porridge when it asked for some, then next thing he knew he was bigger.

Touji notes this is different that what Shirou and Kengo have mentioned as he wonders if it’s a different demon or something else. The Evil answers that it’s the same demon, but the only difference was that it received porridge. Touji asks if it’s that big a deal, so the Evil says it rewarded Eita when he gave it what it wanted. Its specialty is in raising things to be big and strong, which happened to be what Eita wanted so that’s what it did.

Tomte compares it to Ded’s ability, which causes Aegir to ask him to explain how. Tomte starts talking about how Ded’s present sack judges whether someone is a naughty or nice kid. Nice kids get rewarded while naughty kids get reparation. He also says it also teaches people that good kids and bad kids are all around you. Back to the subject of the Evil, Tomte says he feels like it gave a reward for a good deed done for it.

Touji asks if this means all the other possessions were reparations for not getting porridge. The Evil says it’s a naughty kid itself, so trying to play a prank might have turned out the way it did. It thinks for a second and apologizes to Eita.

Touji says he mostly understands the pattern but doesn’t understand a certain thing. He asks why the Evil possesses people since it could just do what Black Santas do. The Evil answers that it’s a stray and that its connection to Tokyo is important. Since it hates Santa, it doesn’t have anything else it can do. You ask if it’s the prankster Santa or comment about a connection with a demon.

The Evil says it knows Tomte and asks if he doesn’t remember. Tomte asks why it knows his name and whether they met before. It asks him to remember as it touches his pad to play a flashback.

The flashback opens up with the narrator asking for porridge and offering to take care of the farm if given any. If he isn’t given any porridge after helping, then he suggests he might pull pranks. Tomte’s silhouette shows up as he talks about having the role of a fairy that is associated with farm work. He’s not however as famous as other fairies or concerned with things as big as nations or worlds. He’s just a tiny fairy that takes care of farms or causes mischief.

Tomte went through many worlds and helped on many farms. He did anything that related to farms, whether it involved fire, water, or wood. He might have been called a messenger of heaven, but he does think he’s been feared as a messenger from the underworld. He himself however just struggled to live in a world of chaos. If he wasn’t given faith to affirm his existence and given a connection to someone, he would just disappear.

Tomte did all he could for the porridge he was given as a reward. When people slept, he cleaned, looked after livestock in the morning, and tilled the fields. If Tomte’s work was shunned, he would retaliate mercilessly. He says he can’t live if he’s disrespected. Sometimes he’s frightful and fearsome, and sometimes he’s kind and reliable. That was how he received his faith and lived as a farm fairy.

But one day, this faith and the way the world worked suddenly changed. The world he was in was battling another world, though he didn’t know at the time. His world lost, though he doesn’t know the details. The otherworlders said good is good while evil is evil, and they proclaimed Tomte to be wrong. The new world order called him a prankster demon that harmed farms. They prized good kids and labeled him as bad as they would not abide him.

The way everyone looked at Tomte then changed, which he couldn’t stand. He decided he should be a good kid like they wanted, so he should cut off the part of himself that did pranks as a bad kid. After doing so, what was left of him traveled to another world. He believed this would make everything better, and the pain of splitting himself disappeared within seconds.

Nothing worked out for Tomte. The old couple died leaving Tomte alone on their farm, and he stood there unmoving as the snow piled up on him. He was unable to do anything else aside from hanging his head on the ground. He had tried to not be selfish or pull pranks, and he tried to live as a good boy with the couple. It was how he tried to live up until they passed.

Tomte notes that the couple seemed sad, which he blames on being a bad kid still. His tears fell, only to disappear under the falling snow. Black Ded wanders over having sensed a child and comments on finding a crying kid fairy instead. He tries to get Tomte to talk to him, so Tomte asks who he is and if Ded knows who Tomte is.

Black says that unfortunately, this should be their first ever meeting. He also tells Tomte to not be so on guard and introduces himself, mentioning he’s a Black Santa. Tomte reacts to the Santa bit, calling it the name of the saint from That World and their faith that held him in contempt as a bad kid.

Tomte says he hates them all. He also however feels that having that emotion is why Ded showed up, and that his presence confirms that he’s still a bad kid and a demon. He figures that was why he couldn’t live happily with the old couple. Ded is alarmed and tries to ask what Tomte is doing.

Tomte says he’ll throw it all out this time so that it’ll all work out next time. He intends to discard his self-hatred as well as his hate for Santa, which all manifests as a bunch of Evils that chitter like normal ones. They all disappear for ends unknown, and in the end Ded is the only one left at the farm.

Back to the present, Tomte is reeling from the revelation that the Evil is himself and that he met Black before he ever met White at the park. The Evil asks Tomte to remember and to accept it. He struggles with himself, and you call out to him and ask what’s wrong or ask if he’s afraid.

Tomte asks you if it’s okay for him to accept the Evil, and Aegir has nothing to say. Tomte talks about wanting to know the truth behind the prankster Santa for Ded’s sake and that he wants to know about himself and his lost memories. He however struggles with whether it’s okay to take back something you’ve cast off once. Tomte thinks it’s just repeating his old mistakes and pointless.

Touji asks if Tomte is afraid of repeating his old mistakes, and Aegir suggests everything have a drink to calm down a sec. He brings out chilled milk, which surprises Touji, and Aegir prompts you to take one too since you’ll need to rehydrate. When he looks to Tomte, Tomte quietly agrees.

You take your milk and drink it and try to talk to Tomte about how nice it is after a sauna. Aegir says it’s kind of strange to take back in something you’ve thrown away before. He says that if there are people who aren’t interested in doing so, then it would be pointless. But if Tomte wants to do so, he should go ahead and do it since he doesn’t need any other reason. Good and bad are irrelevant, and in those cases you should do as you please. Maybe you’ll see something new after a repeat.

You tell Tomte he should do what he wants and that if anything happens you can hit him with his vihta. You also tell him you understand wanting to remember. He thanks you and takes the Evil in, and Eita cries about it being gone even if he only knew it for a few hours. Tomte says he’s happy to hear that, and Touji says he wants to make amends for their first meeting. He also apologizes for doubting his credentials.

Aegir laughs and says he’s not just some professor; he’s the world’s one and only giant sea king Aegir. He just is. Anyways Tomte asks if you and Touji can handle the rest of the checks without him since he needs to talk with Ded. You ask if he’ll be okay alone and offer to go with him. He says he’ll be okay and apologizes for leaving the work to you. He also thanks Aegir and Eita and offers to treat them another time before excusing himself.

Time skips a moment and you wonder whether Tomte will be okay and suggest going home to Touji. Touji however gets a call at that point and takes it. He’s alarmed when he hears that prankster Santas are rampaging in town, and you try to ask what happened.

Scene shifts to Shinjuku as randos complain about this horrible treatment they’re getting from the Santas. They protest that they haven’t done anything to deserve it and tell that Santa should just go away.

Over at the Santa School, Tomte goes over to Ded’s office. Black is surprised to see him back already and asks if he’s done with the day’s work, so Tomte says he left it to you guys as he has something he needs to ask him. Ded comments on him being able to ask others to handle his work now and asks if he’s resolved his anxieties over not being relied upon.

Tomte says he found out where his anxiety stemmed from and mentions having thrown away his memories himself. He reframes this as cutting off his own ties with someone he knows himself. Since it was mysterious to him he’s always been uneasy and unable to be clear on it. His specialty at the Santa sneaking is from him not having any connections with others.

Ded asks if this means Tomte is starting to remember things, then asks what it is Tomte wants to ask him. Tomte isn’t still sure of what he wants, so he decides to ask the biggest thing on his mind. He talks about how his fragments are causing more and people to not celebrate Christmas, which if left alone will take away the faith given to Santa. That in turn may cause Santa Claus to disappear from Tokyo. His question is whether or not Ded can do anything about this.

Ded says he could go and teach them a lesson since he’s a Black Santa and all, but he asks Tomte what’s most important for a Santa, even more than the three principles. Tomte answers that it’s to make all children happy. Ded approves and says he’s grown up from that time he was a crying little kid.

Anyways Ded says he wants to make the Evils (also Tomte) happy too. If Tomte understands, then Ded thinks he can be a great Santa. Ded then says that Santa is not being your old friend but being the only one who can be yourself. It’s being a Santa that connects to children only once a year. Ded also offers to give Tomte his sack as a graduation gift.

Tomte asks him why, so Ded brings back up that the faith towards Santa is disappearing in Tokyo. Tomte says it happened because of himself and his cast off parts that hated Santa. Ded says that if the Evils are denied then Tomte’s past will disappear. If they’re accepted then Ded will disappear. And Ded adds that he has no intention of denying them as a part of Tomte.

Tomte starts throwing a tantrum as he argues against it. He says he still wants to be with Ded, then calls him a jerk before running off. White laughs this off as Tomte getting into his rebellious teenage phase and comments on not having predicted this. Black is annoyed that White seems to be enjoying this since time is running out. White suggests they just trust in their students.

A moment later, Tanngrisnir knocks on Ded’s door since he wants to talk about the main event happening the next day. He’s surprised to find no one there as the episode ends.