Chapter 376: Side Story: Christmas Special 2019

We were gathered in the inn, on a Christmas Eve as fine as any other.

"It's finally this time of year again… Lefi, Lyuu, do you girls know what I'm talking about?"

"Indeed. It has come time to indulge and gorge ourselves on delectable dishes. The meal we enjoyed today was a luxury and nothing but."

"Yup, it's time to put up decorations 'n get real festive. It ain't nothin' but fun to eat with everythin' all ornamented up."

"Wrong, absolutely wrong!" It's time for Christmas, goddammit! It's the time of year where Codename SANTA has to bust his ass and go to fucking war! We have to show off our skills by sneaking presents to the girls without them noticing."

There was only one day left until Christmas.

The kids and I had gotten the tree ready about a week ago, after which I tweaked the plains to set the mood by making it snow. The eve's celebrations were already over. We'd already eaten a delicious dinner the likes of which would only be made for special occasions. And that was precisely why it was time to kick things into motion.

The point of Christmas, the essence of the holiday, was to provide children with joy and excitement. And as adults, it was now our time to act.

We had already changed into a set of season-appropriate outfits. Last year, Lefi and I dressed up as Santa, while Lyuu was made into a reindeer. This year, we were doing the exact opposite, with the dragon and I dressed up as reindeer, and Lyuu dressed up as Santa.

"I've called on some extra help this year to make sure everything goes super smoothly. Get out here, Private Nell."

"M-mmkay."

The girl waiting on the other side of the screen door entered the room as I summoned her.

"Damn! You look amazing."

"Indeed. You wear it well. Of us all, you are the one to whom clothes like those are best suited."

"Oh umm… thanks," said Santa Nell, with a nervous giggle.

It wasn't the first bit of praise she was given. I had already showered her in a bunch of it on our way over, while she was practically dying from embarrassment. Time well spent, if I do say so myself.

All three girls are cute when they cosplay, but for some odd reason, when Lyuu and Lefi do it, the first thing that always comes to mind is that the whole event is some sort of gag? Hmmm… Strange.

Naturally, I wasn't about to voice the thought. I knew better than that. The non-human pair was sure to get incredibly annoyed and at least temporarily banish me to one of the Wicked Forest's far corners if they were to hear it. If anyone's wondering why Leila's missing, it's because she's getting the adults-only christmas party ready.

Nell was actually a part of our reserves last year, but this year, I decided to have her participate on the front lines, because I expected a desperate struggle to the death. Leila was more than powerful enough to secure our supply lines by herself. And it was thanks to her that we would be able to go all out.

"Alright, now that everyone's here, I'll quickly brief you all on the operation. We need to place a present by each girl's bedside without any of them catching on."

"I suspect that they are already well aware, and that this ruse is by no means a necessity."

"And you can take that opinion and shove it up and around the corner," I said. "Anyway, it's time for us to carry out our duty as adults. It's time to give our all to make the kids' dreams come true!"

"It ain't a bad idea, Master! I'm on board!" said Lyuu.

"Me too. This is one of the parts about you I love the most," said Nell.

"Thanks girls. Now, as I'm sure you're already well aware, our kids are kind of a little high spec, and not nearly as childish as they might lead you to believe. We'll have to exercise utmost caution, else risk being discovered."

"They really are," agreed Nell. "I wasn't nearly as smart when I was their age. I couldn't use any magic either. They seem much more suited to being heroes than I am."

They can all use magic, now that she mentions it.

"They're lookin' much better than me too," said Lyuu. "But I guess that's just how it is, seein' as how they're grown' up 'round Leila, Master, 'n even Lefi."

"Their power is but secondary. They have only come to grow as a result of the affection you have showered them with."

"Yeah, all that love is good for them growing up emotionally, and that's just as important as the physical aspect," I said.

"Mhm… That's how I want to raise our kids too… when we have them."

"I-I'll try real hard to make sure I give birth to a kid that's strong 'n healthy!"

"Indeed. I too wish to birth an individual in good health, and raise it alongside this family of ours."

"U-uhmm… yeah. That sounds good."

There was an awkward moment of silence. Everyone was too embarrassed to know what to say.

It looked like I was probably going to end up being the one taking the most mental damage from the situation, so I decided to clear my throat in an attempt to get everyone's minds off of it.

"Anyway, back to the drawing board. Lyuu, you're in charge of Illuna and Shii. Lefi, you're in charge of Enne, Nell and I will get the wraith girls. Move out!"

***

"Yay! I got a present!" cheered Illuna.

"Mmrrphh… But when…?" muttered Enne.

"Look, Master! I found this by my pillow! Did you give it to me?" asked Shii.

All three of them were examining the gifts left by their beds. The wraith girls couldn't speak, so they were unable to do the same, but they were still expressing their joy by happily spinning around in the air.

"It wasn't me," I said. "Santa must've stopped by because he knew you were all good girls again this year."

I was glad to see them all so happy. It really felt like the whole arduous task had paid off.

Having already learned several lessons from the previous year, I managed to plan out all the contingencies and make everything go surprisingly smoothly.

Rendering the wraith girls unconscious was the hardest part, seeing as how they never slept to begin with. Yup, that's definitely knowledge that'll help in the future.

"I think I'm startin' to see why you were so fixated on this whole thing, Master," said Lyuu. "It's makin' me real happy to see them so happy."

"Right? It's always great when the kids are happy."

Lyuu and I were the only adults awake, courtesy of the previous nights' after party. Everyone else was still passed out in bed. By the looks of things, they were going to be out until noon. The warwolf had always been an early riser, and I was only up because of the whole dungeon power thing.

"Hey, Master?"

"Yeah?"

"When um… we have kids, I want 'em to be all full of energy, just like them."

"Yeah. Same."

I gave the embarrassed beastkin a hug and ran my fingers through her hair.

Yup. My wives are the cutest thing in the world. Like seriously. They're wasted on me. Really gotta take good care of them.

"Let's go get breakfast ready," I said, after a brief pause. "Everyone else is down and out, so we're the only ones that can."

"Sure thing, Master. Just leave toastin' the bread to me."

"That involves literally nothing but shoving a few slices in the oven and calling it a day…"

Side by side, we walked into the kitchen and got to work.