Mahiru holds a special Christmas-themed shoot.

Humming a tune with pep in her step, Mahiru threw open the doors to the auditorium to greet her friends. "Ho ho how are the preparations coming?" Without waiting for an answer, the red-headed photographer had already raised her camera to take a candid shot of the set-up the girls of her class had been hard at work on. At first glance, it probably looked like any other school's hard-decorated prom, with Christmas decorations strewn all around. To her trained eye, however, Mahiru could tell everything had been done according to her exact specifications. The decorations weren't simply scattered props; they were as intricately designed as dioramas, each one arranged for her to demonstrate her skills.

The photographer herself looked right at home in this environment; she had dressed up in a green-and-red elf outfit suitable for a Christmas party, with a slightly short skirt, cuffed gloves, a sleeveless tunic, candy-cane striped stockings, and even a pointed hat and prop elf ears.

That made her the only one looking the part; among her friends, Chiaki, Akane, Sonia, Hiyoko, Ibuki, and Peko were all still dressed in their school uniforms or other ordinary outfits. All of them had gathered around Sonia, who appeared to in the middle of a story, having gathered everyone's attention. Chiaki wandered away from the group to speak to Mahiru, pulling a sluggish attempt at a salute across her pale bangs. "It should be all good to go, boss... The stockings are hung by the chimney with care... I think. If you're dressed like that, I guess you got our costumes?"

"Mikan's on it right now," Mahiru assured her, putting her hands on her hips and admiring her classmates' work. She made a pass around the auditorium, taking a close look at each scene. "Sleigh-bells jingling... Chimney ready for entry... Doorway ready for visitors... Snow set looks cold... Fireplace looks warm. Perfect! I knew I could count on all of you. I was right to leave the guys out of this... Girls just know how to work together better, you know?"

"I don't know about that... But I agree it all looks great. And I'm sure the guys will want to see the photos... don't you think?" Chiaki tilted her head.

"You think so?" Mahiru seemed vaguely interested before changing her mind and frowning. "Well, yeah, I bet, but I don't think it has anything to do with taking an interest in photography. Who wouldn't want to see a class like this in cute Christmas getups? But guys would just screw all this up. If they want a peek, they'll have to pay for the charity photobook like everyone else. Not a bad thing for men to pick up some slack and loosen their wallets to benefit orphans during the holiday season, anyway."

"Hmm... Can't argue with that, I guess." Whether she could or couldn't it seemed she wouldn't, letting out a yawn and wandering back over to the circle. "If you've got a sec, though... Think you can help me out here? Story time was actually getting a little heated..."

The photographer nodded, trying to look simply curious and not as nervous as she felt. The props, lighting, and setting were one thing, but if her models got too worked up and couldn't do their part, her photoshoot would be a bust.

She heard Hiyoko shouting as she approached. The blonde dancer was shorter than Sonia, the princess she was yelling at, although her huge ponytail nearly made up the difference. The developed figure visible through her well-fit kimono suggested she was, however, the same age. "Are you seriously telling me you believe in Santa Claus, ya big baby?!"

"I am not speaking of your Santa Claus!" Sonia returned Hiyoko's accusation with great offense, holding her hand forward in declaration and shaking her blonde head. "I am familiar with your traditions regarding the Christmas Holiday and the deliverer of presents. However, I am speaking of Enet Tripis, the Holiday Spirit of the Kingdom of Novoselic! Yes, I am well aware of the tradition by which this country's parents construct a fantasy of a portly man in a red suit that eats cookies and flies with deer. However, the falsehood of that tradition does not mean that Enet Tripis, whose mischief is well known to all in my kingdom, is also a falsehood!"

"And I'm saying if you believe that as a grown woman, you and your precious subjects must be a buncha clueless morons! I get that Santa and Eenie Meanie aren't the same guy, but are you really so air-headed you can't see the parents just do the same thing for both of 'em?"

"Parents do not have the means to do the things I have seen Enet Tripis accomplish. Listen well! If break your promises throughout the year, or if you dare to wear the face of Enet Tripis carelessly, he will use his power to ruin your every endeavor! Your pride and dignity will fall to ruins-"

"Look, you said Trippy wears a floppy red hat and has a huge white beard, riiight? Then what about the literal hundreds of bozos who dress up like our Santa? They look exactly the same! Wouldn't your fake guy take offense to them wearing his face and make their lives hell?!"

"There is an explanation! All of those noble gentlemen are either very respectful... or else, they already find themselves subject to the curse of Enet Tripis! Have you not noticed that many such imitators are, themselves, exceptionally poor?!"

Mahiru finally interjected, stepping forward and waving her hands. "Woah, woah, let's take it easy on the hard-working Santas out there, okay? Whether it's for Santa, for Enet Tripis, or just for the spirit of the season, let's all get along at least until this is over. We all worked so hard, we can't let it be for nothing!"

Chiaki stepped forward, to Mahiru's relief. As unlikely as it was, the sleepy gamer was, in fact, their class president, elected due to her ability to rally the others. "Yeah, let's be calm... Sonia, Hiyoko, both of you want to help Mahiru out, right?"

The two of them nodded in unison.

Chiaki leaned towards them and looked at the faces around her. "Then let's not get into little arguments, for now... We'll all agree on it, yeah? I think it'd be nice if for now... we all agreed that no matter what, we'll work together to help Mahiru. I'm sure we can all find our own motivation... probably."

Mahiru let out a sigh of relief. Dealing with it alone, she was sure she was sure she'd have lost her patience, but Chiaki managed to cool everyone down. Capitalizing on the moment, the photographer stuck out her hand palm-down. "I can only count on you all. A photographer won't be worth much without subjects to photograph. Will you help me?"

Even though she hadn't been part of the conversation up to that point, Ibuki was the first to break forward and place her hand over Mahiru's, along with one of her classmate's. The singer banged her wild multi-colored hair while agreeing vehemently. "Of course, Ibuki's all in!! Sad Christmas stories are fine for songs, but in real life, there's schoolgirls in short fluffy skirts to sell! That's what the season's all about, gang. And Peko, you're in too, amirite?"

"Yes..." The white-haired swordswoman who had been beside Ibuki spoke up as well, locking her sharp eyes on the hands in front of her. "I made a promise to get as much out of my school life as I can. Plus, I'm... interested in the fluffy costumes, myself."

"Fiiine," Hiyoko submitted, putting her hand into the stack hastily. "If it's for Big Sis Mahiru, I can't say no. Just remember, I agreed before Sonia!"

"I shall not be so petty as to complain about that..." Sonia sighed, putting her hand in as well. "Besides, I won't sacrifice a chance to hang with my gal pals and miss such a lit event!"

"I'm in, too!" A loud voice roared from the floor moments before the tan-skinned Akane's hand joined the others. "I owe ya for all the snacks I already ate... Also, all the snacks are gone, so we haveta hurry this up while I still got energy!"

Chiaki put her hand in last, smiling at Mahiru. "Good. It's settled then... We'll all work together to help you out... No matter what."

"That's... You all..." Mahiru found herself feeling like she was in a sappy Christmas movie, moved by her classmates' conviction. She fixed her face in convinced determination. "Carry that attitude going forward, and I promise, I'll capture it in my photographs! I also promise to get it done, no matter what!"

"No matter what..." Chiaki agreed after a moment of hesitation. "If we keep saying it, it feels kinda like... we raised a weird flag. Now that I think of it, just now... There's someone who wasn't in on the pact. You know who, right?"