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Welcome to Kanai Ward aka what happens when you cross Mawsynram with literally 1984.
Hidden among the homunculus population that have zero idea they're not human are an actual set of humans that are somehow even crazier than the non-humans. The leader of that bunch, one Yakou Furio was at his desk planning a hell of a surprise Christmas party for his crew known as the World Detective Agency.
Now this all fine and dandy in a normal setting, but this is Kanai Ward we're talking about. That rat-bastard known as Yomi Hellsmile banned anything having to do with Christmas. Even just mentioning Christmas around the Peacekeepers will have them storm your house and... well, let's just say you and your family will be no more. Now do you see why this had to be kept a secret?
Because he and his fellow detectives hang out in a submarine, Yakou thought his surprise plan was foolproof... were it not for a certain death god who conveniently has a ghost form.
The detective-in-training bearing the incredibly silly name of Yuma Kokohead arrived in Kanai Ward with said death god and a serious case of amnesia. Said amnesia just so happened to make him forget anything Christmas related, right down to every little holly-jolly detail.
If there's one thing Shinigami loves more than boom-killing homunculi, it's messing with Yuma. Shinigami sprung up the Chief's lovely little surprise on the detective out of nowhere one night.
"This 'Christmas' thing seems like something I should be remembering... WHY CANNOT I REMEMBER‽" exclaimed Yuma frustratedly.
"Do you know anything about it Shinigami?"
"Nope."
Shinigami knew damn well what Christmas was; she just didn't feel like telling Yuma the whole story.
"I just know that Christmas is illegal."
"Wait what? Illegal in what sense?"
"I think it's some kind of ritual sacrifice? It'd probably be you as you're the least experienced of anyone here."
Shinigami started giggling at the thought. For whatever reason, Yuma didn't question her. He immediately assumed that Christmas was a ritual sacrifice and that the Chief would have to select somebody to donate their life for reasons unknown.
"Fuck, I gotta warn everybody!" Yuma ran to find the other detectives.
Our story brings us to a relatively quiet corner of Kamasaki District where Yuma found Desuhiko and an unusually ecstatic Halara.
Why was Halara in such a good mood? Was it because they saw Yuma walking towards them?
One look under the umbrella would tell you otherwise.
"Hey Yuma, is something wrong?" Desuhiko could tell something wasn't quite right.
Yuma temporarily forgot about what he wanted to tell his fellow detectives when he saw the cat chilling under Halara's umbrella.
"This is Bubbles and he is my new BFF."
"Bubbles? Really? That's what you named him?" Desuhiko was not impressed.
Yuma remembered why he was there. "Guys I have bad news, the Chief is planning a ritual sacrifice."
"Cool! Maybe we can sacrifice Bubbles."
Halara slammed Desuhiko into the wall, knocking him unconscious.
"What the fuck?" Yuma looked horrified.
"Relax, he should wake up in about 30 minutes." Halara said deadpan as they gave the cat a treat.
"What on Earth would give you such a stupid idea as to the Chief sacrificing someone? Are you stupid or...?"
Shinigami could barely hold back her laughter as Yuma simply went "uhhhh..." and awkwardly walked away.
Next stop: the Sun & Moon Hotel where we meet the two strangest characters in the entire game.
Vivia was in his usual spot under the piano (no fireplace in the hotel unfortunately) and Fubuki was there next to him because she had absolutely nothing else to do.
Fubuki, of course. was super excited to see Yuma walk in.
That excitement quickly faded away when Yuma told them "Y'all better prepare yourselves because the Chief is planning a ritual sacrifice on one of us!"
Vivia let out a sigh of relief. "Finally. It's about time I depart."
"VIVIA NO!"
Fubuki was confused. "What's wrong with a sack of ice? It's cold, wet, and makes funny noises when you chew it."
"No Fubuki; I said sacrifice - as in one of us will die."
"WHAT‽" Fubuki ran outside crying.
Vivia shut his book.
"Yuma, I know the Chief better than all the other Master Detectives combined. He cares for each and every one of us way too much to sacrifice one of us. Get those silly ideas out of your head."
Vivia had a suspicion a certian ghost had something to do with why Yuma was so worried but he kept his mouth shut.
Yuma left the hotel, feeling defeated that nobody believed him.
Fast-forward to December 25th: Yuma entered the WDO submarine at the same time as the other Master Detectives. What he saw completely and utterly shocked him.
The interior of the sub was a complete mess of tinsel and lights; Chief Yakou was not the best at decorating but tried his best.
The other Master Detectives were just as surprised as Yuma, especially after what he had told them a couple of days ago.
Desuhiko, whose head was partially bandaged after the impact with the wall, was the first to break the silence. "What the fuck, THIS is what you were worried about?"
Fubuki added "Yeah, Yuma said we were going to Sacramento."
Yakou gave Yuma a genuine WTF look on his face but deep down was glad he still managed to surprise everybody.
The party ran all day. There were cringe carols and gift exchanges, but most importantly, Yuma learned what Christmas was all about.
Shinigami started laughing at Yuma. "You should've seen the look on your face when I told you about that sacrifice stuff."
Yuma threatened to beat her with his Solution Blade the next time they went into a Mystery Labyrinth, which wouldn't take very long.
While the WDO managed to keep their party a secret from the Peacekeepers, the same couldn't be said about one of the researchers at Amaterasu Corporation's laboratory. For now though, enjoy this half-assed ending as I really wanted this done before the 26th.
THE END