Chapter Thirty-Nine: The Real Santa Claus / Chapter Forty: Obtained Mysterious Item: Tamamo's Gift

"Merry Christmas!" Seitenshi returned the greeting. "The Christmas event is about to begin. Do you have any other suggestions, Yuxian?"

Yuxian shook his head. Seitenshi's arrangements were excellent, and he had no further ideas.

Section 59: Chapter 39: The Real Santa Claus

The Christmas event officially began.

Seitenshi delivered the opening remarks, wishing all the people a merry Christmas.

She did not ramble on at length. After just a few brief words, she announced the start of the Christmas event, and everyone cheered.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Fireworks burst across the sky one after another. The dazzling, colorful explosions drew everyone's eyes upward. Under the clear night sky, the beautiful fireworks made the heavens even more vibrant.

At the same time, beautiful singing flowed from the speakers in the plaza. The lights on the Christmas tree blinked like stars in the night sky, and the festive atmosphere reached its peak.

After a series of upheavals, the Tokyo Area had finally welcomed a rare moment of peace. On this Christmas night, everyone temporarily forgot about the Gastrea beyond the Monolith barrier and enjoyed the happiness of the holiday.

Seitenshi had prepared everything with great care. Christmas was a Western holiday, but she had thoughtfully arranged for a choir, dressed in bright red Christmas outfits, to sing Christmas songs together in the central plaza.

The beautiful singing and lovely Christmas outfits caught the children's attention. They gathered before the choir, curiously watching this sight they had never seen before.

Little Jeanne was also drawn to the choir. She pulled Yuxian closer and softly sang along with them.

The singing grew more and more beautiful. Little Jeanne threw herself into it completely, forgetting everything else as she focused on singing Christmas songs.

Her excitement mounted higher and higher. At the very instant a song ended, she forgot herself and took out the Holy Flag. There was no Fleur-de-lis Banner that Jeanne should have had on its pole—only two red and green ribbons symbolizing Christmas cheer, dancing in the gentle breeze.

"On this holy night, the wondrous instant of an unbeatable miracle! Sing elegantly, for Christmas! (La Grace Fille Noel)"

Jingle, jingle, jingle! Jingle, jingle, jingle!

Jingle, jingle, jingle! Jingle, jingle, jingle!

A melodious song came from Little Jeanne's mouth. It pierced through the noisy crowd and rang by everyone's ears.

Her voice was not the most beautiful, and her pronunciation was somewhat unclear. It was even difficult to make out what song she was singing.

But her singing was surely the children's favorite.

Countless gifts drifted down from the sky like snowflakes, gently landing in the children's hands and piling up in the plaza to form a small hill.

Every child who received a gift wore a happy smile.

Little Jeanne's Noble Phantasm was not combat-oriented. It was a Christmas carol Noble Phantasm brought by Santa Claus. Jeanne d'Arc Alter Santa Lily was Black Jeanne's childhood form. Compared to Black Jeanne's Noble Phantasm, Roar, My Rage!, Little Jeanne's Noble Phantasm activated whenever she was brimming with excitement. The sight of mountain-like piles of gifts falling from the sky could truly be called a blessing.

Though there was no need to sing, Little Jeanne always instinctively sang with complete abandon whenever she was in high spirits, so calling it a Christmas carol Noble Phantasm was perfectly fitting.

By the time Little Jeanne came back to her senses, she had emptied every gift from Santa Claus's sack. She let out a startled cry. In a burst of excitement, she had scattered all the gifts and now had no idea what to do.

Yuxian bent down and whispered into her ear, "Why isn't a Santa Claus with no gifts left running away already?"

Little Jeanne immediately reacted. She took out her sleigh, pulled Yuxian aboard, and shot away with a whoosh.

Her movements flowed together in one smooth motion, unbelievably fast. The children, still immersed in their gifts, did not notice that she had slipped away.

The bells hanging from the sleigh chimed crisply in the wind. From far below, they could vaguely hear some child cry out, "Look! Santa Claus!"

The freezing wind at high altitude stung their faces. Little Jeanne lowered her head and said embarrassedly, "Reindeer, I messed everything up..."

Yuxian smiled and rubbed her head, comforting her. "It's fine. As long as the children receive their gifts, you didn't mess up. They'll definitely be grateful to Santa Claus."

"Really?"

"Of course it's true!"

In the end, those gifts would be delivered one by one to every child in the Tokyo Area. Ensuring that every child received a gift from Santa Claus had been Yuxian's plan from the start.

Hearing Yuxian say that, Little Jeanne became happy again. It was her first time celebrating such a unique Christmas, complete with fireworks, a choir, and so many, many children.

It truly was an unforgettable Christmas.

The next day, children from the Outer District who had received gifts came one after another to thank Little Jeanne. They had seen what happened the night before. Though they did not understand the specifics, in their eyes, Little Jeanne was the one who had given them the gifts.

Little Jeanne was surrounded by them, enjoying their thanks. She kept grinning foolishly, completely lacking her usual serious demeanor.

Yuxian watched quietly from a distance, a faint smile on his face.

This was the cutest Jeanne-chan!

Just then, a lazy voice sounded by his ear. "Looking at that lecherous expression on your face, you must be thinking about something bad again..."

Tina yawned. Wearing pajamas with her hair in a mess, she looked like she had not fully woken up.

"You just got up?" Yuxian looked at the sky. It was already close to noon.

"Can't I sleep in on Christmas?" Tina answered righteously.

"Christmas was yesterday..."

"Oh..." Tina casually brushed it off. Her gaze settled on Little Jeanne in the distance. "So she really is Santa Claus!"

"Yeah, an outstanding Santa Claus!" Yuxian said with certainty.

Tina was silent for a long time before asking again, "You're leaving, right?"

She had been living with Yuxian and the others all this time. Smart as she was, she had naturally noticed certain things. The news that Yuxian was leaving could not be hidden from her.

Yuxian fell silent, unsure how to answer.

"It's better if you leave. At least then I won't be unable to sleep in every day..." Tina yawned and turned away.

After returning to her room, Tina sadly wrapped herself in her blankets, tears falling from her eyes.

Little Jeanne had taken care of her all this time, allowing her to experience care and concern she had not felt in a long while. To Tina, Little Jeanne was like an older sister, making her feel warm.

Though she had long guessed that Little Jeanne would leave and had prepared herself for the parting, Tina still cried helplessly after receiving confirmation.

After crying for a while, she got up again and carefully washed and groomed herself, making herself neat and clean.

Before the mirror, she took out the Christmas gift she had received the night before—a pink hair accessory. She carefully wiped it down and put it on.

Then she pulled at her cheeks in the mirror and made herself smile.

"I Have the Energy of One Hundred Million Hydrogen Bombs Inside Me"

An Infinite Novel. Also known as: Me Who Plays With Energy

How much energy did a massive meteor capable of wiping out all humanity possess? Probably more than one hundred million medium-sized hydrogen bombs.

Within me existed enough energy to strip a layer off the Earth.

You ask why I didn't explode?

Because I could control energy!

Section 60: Chapter 40: Obtaining a Mysterious Item: Atalanta's Gift

After Christmas came the New Year, but Yuxian did not plan to stay here for it. There were many holidays. After the New Year came the Spring Festival, then Valentine's Day, and so on. If they dragged things out endlessly like this, everyone would only find it harder and harder to leave.

Rather than that, it was better to make the decision early.

They had stayed through Christmas because Little Jeanne had been looking forward to it. In truth, Yuxian himself was not particularly interested in holidays. Whether he celebrated them or not made little difference to him.

He told everyone his decision. This time, no one spoke up. They all went to bid farewell to the friends they had come to know.

Yuxian himself also needed to say goodbye to some acquaintances, such as Rentaro Satomi, Kisaragi Tendo, Hiruko Kagetane, and the others.

After giving it some thought, he also decided to notify Seitenshi. After all, Chiron and Atalanta would remain here, so it was necessary to let her know.

On the third day after Christmas, Yuxian and his group gathered together, ready to leave. Their close friends learned the news and came to see them off.

Kisaragi Tendo, Rentaro Satomi, and Enju Aihara arrived early. Yuxian was still nominally a member of the Tendo Civil Security Company, and he had known them longer and spent the most time with them.

Enju brought out her treasured "Tenchu Girls" to give to her friends and reluctantly said farewell. Compared to adults, children were always more emotional, and every trace of reluctance showed plainly on her face.

Yuxian gave Kisaragi Tendo and Rentaro a few instructions, telling them to consult Teacher Chiron if anything happened. Everything in the Tokyo Area was peaceful for now, but no one knew what might happen in the future. They would have to face and resolve it themselves.

Tina woke up early for once. Like a little tail, she followed behind Little Jeanne without saying a word, simply trailing after her in silence.

Little Jeanne pulled her aside and seriously told her, "Remember not to stay up late. Go to bed early and get up early, and study properly."

Tina obediently nodded in agreement, feeling deeply saddened. No one would ever supervise her sleep schedule again. She had clearly found it annoying before, yet now that she was about to lose it, she felt unbearably sad and reluctant to part.

She suddenly threw her arms around Little Jeanne, burying her head against her shoulder as she softly said, "Thank you..."

At the appointed time, everyone who had come to see them off arrived at the Outer District. Even some people who usually had little contact with them came after hearing the news.

Shizutake Akimaro and Fuse Midori, Ikuma Shogen and Natsu Yo Senju, as well as Dr. Muroto Sumire, who rarely left her laboratory, had all come to bid them farewell.

Yuxian saw Hiruko Kohina talking to Jack. He looked around but did not see Kagetane. Finally, he spotted him atop a tall building. As always, he preferred to hide in the shadows. When Yuxian's gaze fell upon him, he politely removed his hat and bowed.

Seitenshi arrived under the protection of her guard detail. She expressed her gratitude to Yuxian, and he responded with a smile.

Yuxian, Mash, Illya, Little Jeanne, Gretel, and Jack stood together, ready to leave.

"You are an outstanding Master. Please take care of yourself!" Chiron stepped forward and gave Yuxian a firm hug. After they separated, he turned to Mash. "Mash, I entrust the Master's safety to you!"

"I will!" Mash answered firmly.

Atalanta also stepped forward. She took out a square gift box and handed it to Yuxian, saying gratefully, "Thank you, Master..."

After accepting the gift, Yuxian suddenly stepped forward and embraced her. Atalanta was caught off guard by his sudden hug and did not know how to react.

Yuxian quickly released her without lingering. As they separated, he reached out and gently touched Atalanta's ear. It was soft, with a faintly furry texture.

Atalanta's face flushed crimson. Before she could react, Yuxian had already returned to Mash's side and waved at everyone. "Goodbye!"

"Goodbye!"

Amid countless farewells, Spirit Transfer activated. Yuxian and the other five vanished from sight, leaving this world and returning to Chaldea.

Chaldea was as quiet as ever. Yuxian and the others' arrival added a tiny bit more life to the place.

Gretel and Jack quickly ran back to their rooms. They had not returned in a long time and missed Chaldea greatly.

"Senpai, another Singularity has appeared!" Mash reminded him.

Just as expected, another Singularity had appeared. No one knew what secrets lay behind it all.

But this time, Yuxian did not intend to immediately head to the new world. He stretched and said, "Let's stay in Chaldea for two days before we leave."

Mash nodded without objection. She followed all of Yuxian's arrangements.

Yuxian returned to his room, threw himself onto the bed, and lay there staring upward in silence, emptying his mind and thinking of nothing.

Only after quite a while did he remember that he had not opened Atalanta's gift yet, and he hurriedly climbed out of bed.

He took out Atalanta's gift. It was a square gift box, not very large or heavy. He had no idea what was inside.

He slowly removed the paper wrapping around the gift box. Inside was a wooden box. It looked elegant, with an ancient design and mysterious inscriptions carved upon it.

Such a solemn, elaborate package... the item inside must be extremely valuable, right? Yuxian thought.

Full of anticipation, he opened the wooden box. The moment he saw what was inside, Yuxian's pupils widened. His mouth fell open in shock, his face full of disbelief.

The item in the box was simply too precious. He had never imagined that Atalanta would give him this item.

Golden Apple!!!

Yes, inside the box was a golden apple!

The Golden Apple was a fruit consumed by the gods, a forbidden fruit that guaranteed immortality.

Yuxian was not surprised that Atalanta possessed a Golden Apple. It was the thing that had caused her only defeat in a race. What surprised him was that Atalanta would give the Golden Apple to him.

He gently picked up the golden apple from the box, handling it with extreme care for fear of damaging it.

As he held the apple before his eyes and examined it closely, doubt arose in Yuxian's heart. Legend said that the Golden Apple made people unable to resist eating it. Although the apple before him looked delicious, Yuxian did not feel an immediate urge to eat it.

Could it be that my self-control is actually very strong? Or did Atalanta seal the Golden Apple? Yuxian silently analyzed.