Chapter Twenty-Eight: Performances in All Kinds of Styles / Chapter Twenty-Nine: Christmas Dinner

Everyone wanted to perform a story they were good at and liked, eagerly voicing their opinions.

Jack stayed silent at the side, not knowing what she could play. Yuxian patted her head comfortingly.

He said, "We should come up with a program that everyone can take part in. We can't just think about ourselves."

Everyone racked their brains, but they still could not find a suitable choice. The atmosphere immediately fell flat.

Yuxian looked around the room, thought for a moment, and said, "How about we create a completely new story ourselves? There happen to be seven children here, so let's put on a Holy Grail War."

Kanna, Saikawa, Shota, Jack, Gretel, Illya, and Little Jeanne happened to be in the room, so Yuxian immediately thought of the Holy Grail War.

"Senpai, a Holy Grail War isn't suitable, is it? It has nothing to do with Christmas, and it's also too..."

Before Mash could finish, Yuxian interrupted her. "Of course it won't be a real Holy Grail War. The story goes like this..."

"The elderly Santa Claus is about to retire, and a new Santa Claus will be chosen from among seven children. To become qualified for Santa Claus's job, the seven children begin their own training. They visit experienced teachers to teach them, and in the end, a contest determines the new Santa Claus."

After explaining his idea, Yuxian asked, "What do you think? This way, everyone can participate. We can play the teachers too, each figuring out how to teach our child. In the end, whoever wins will depend on their own ability!"

"I agree!" Little Jeanne was the first to raise her hand. As long as it involved Santa Claus, she was extremely enthusiastic. Besides, in her eyes, Santa Claus's throne was definitely hers. There was no doubt about it; she was brimming with confidence.

Everyone else also voiced their agreement, and the program was settled.

Next came the groups. Every child had to find their own teacher. Yuxian's suggestion was not just a performance; it also hid a competition within it. The children were all eager to give it a try, wanting to become Santa Claus in the end.

Elkoya and Shota formed a group, Kanna and Tohru formed a group, Saikawa and Fafnir formed a group, Little Jeanne and Elma formed a group, Illya and Martha formed a group, Gretel and Mash formed a group, and Jack and Yuxian formed a group.

Brother Fei and Kobayashi were too busy with work to participate, so they were left out.

Mash asked, "Then how will we decide who wins?"

"Of course, we'll leave it to the elderly residents to decide. That would be the fairest." Yuxian smiled. "Everyone, give it your all!"

Seeing Saikawa timidly approach Fafnir, Yuxian added, "This is also a test of the teacher's ability. If you teach too poorly, that'll be really embarrassing."

Fafnir clicked his tongue, grabbed Saikawa, and prepared to find a place to seriously work on their performance.

The others also left one after another, each finding a place to rehearse and discuss their plans.

In an instant, only Yuxian and Jack remained in the room. To be honest, he really had not figured out how to teach Jack so that she could win the elderly residents' applause during the Christmas performance.

But it was fine. Participation was what mattered; they did not have to win in the end.

"Does Jack have any ideas?" Yuxian first asked Little Jack for her opinion.

Jack tilted her head and asked, "Mom, what is the most important thing about Santa Claus?"

Yuxian answered, "The most important thing about Santa Claus is making everyone happy."

"Then let's make everyone happy!"

Jack's words made Yuxian freeze. They did not sound like something Jack would normally say, and warmth filled his heart. He gently hugged Jack and softly said, "Jack is right. We'll give everyone a happy Christmas."

With an idea in mind, Yuxian and Jack began rehearsing seriously. Little Jack took this performance very seriously, and Yuxian did everything he could to help her.

Jack was smart and learned quickly. As long as Yuxian explained something once, she could remember it. This time, she truly gave it her all, completely unlike her usual carefree self.

Everyone took this performance very seriously. Yuxian's plan had to be called quite good; competition created motivation.

Otherwise, the children might be bursting with enthusiasm, but the adults definitely would not be this interested.

A Variety of Performance Styles

Christmas arrived quickly. On this day, everyone was eager to show off their skills onstage and give everyone a huge surprise.

Seeing how confident everyone looked, Yuxian knew they must have put in a great deal of effort during this time.

Now, they were all waiting to display the fruits of their work before everyone.

The elderly residents warmly welcomed the children's performance. Being visited by children putting on a show during a holiday like Christmas made them very happy.

The stage props had been arranged early in the morning, and everyone's costumes were ready. They had put a great deal of effort into this performance.

Clap clap clap clap!

Amid a round of applause, the performance officially began.

While comforting Little Jack and telling her not to be too nervous, Yuxian watched the other groups' performances to see what wonderful programs they had prepared.

Illya was the first to take the stage. On her journey to become Santa Claus, she encountered Saintess Martha and sought her guidance in knowledge and skills. In the end, through hard work, she defeated the evil dragon Tarasque and became a beloved Magical Girl?

Hey, hey!

Yuxian was too powerless to even criticize this script. Did she want to be a Magical Girl or Santa Claus?

Still, her performance was very popular with the elderly residents. The lifelike dragon, gorgeous Magical Girl costume, and dazzling special effects for all kinds of skills received high praise among the elderly, drawing constant applause.

Shota was the second to appear. He wore a wizard's outfit, dressed himself up like a wizard, and performed with great seriousness.

But wizards did not seem to have anything to do with Santa Claus either, did they?

Seeing how serious he was, Yuxian did not criticize him. In truth, he no longer had the energy to criticize anything, especially after seeing Saikawa's costume for her upcoming performance.

Everyone was acting completely uninhibited anyway. Whatever. As long as the elderly residents were happy, that was enough.

Under Fafnir's guidance, Saikawa became an evil Witch.

Yes, Yuxian had heard correctly. The introduction had indeed said evil Witch. Her goal was to defeat Santa Claus and turn Christmas into Witch Festival!!!

Nice one, Fafnir. This script is very creative. Believe it or not, Martha beside you might just give you a righteous iron fist...

Gretel's performance was much more normal. With Mash teaching her, there was no way it could go too far off the rails.

She summoned Trump Soldiers as her guard squad and commanded them to line up in perfect formation, putting on a lighthearted performance onstage.

But no matter how normal it was, those soldiers still looked completely out of place. A Santa Claus delivering presents with an entire army in tow—that was truly impressive. The children would definitely cry with joy.

Little Jeanne wore an expression of absolute confidence. Playing Santa Claus was simply performing as herself; there was no difficulty to it. Dressed in Santa Claus's clothes, she had Elma dressed up as a reindeer and made a dazzling entrance on a sleigh.

Seeing Elma dressed as a reindeer, Yuxian could not help but breathe a sigh of relief. This year, he finally did not have to be the reindeer again. That outfit was far too embarrassing.

Little Jeanne meticulously acted out Santa Claus's behavior, handing out presents to the children.

However, Yuxian noticed that the applause below the stage seemed a little sparse. He hurriedly clapped hard to encourage the elderly residents, getting everyone to applaud. He could not let Little Jeanne feel sad.

In truth, Little Jeanne had misunderstood something. Her portrayal of Santa Claus was indeed very accurate and realistic, but in the elderly residents' hearts, Santa Claus did not exist.

Compared to that, they preferred performances like Illya's and Gretel's, finding them more exciting.

Still, the elderly residents gave her very enthusiastic applause. Every child's performance had brought them joy, so how could they be stingy with a little applause?

Next came Kanna. Yuxian wondered what kind of program Tohru and Kanna had prepared. These two dragons who had already begun to blend into this world gave him some expectations.

The stage curtain opened, revealing Kanna in simple clothes standing before a dragon.

Tohru said in a deep, booming voice, "Brave human, you saved me. Now I can grant you one wish. Speak. Do you desire treasure or power?"

Kanna shook her head, and her adorable voice reached everyone's ears. "I don't want treasure, and I don't want power. I want to become Santa Claus."

"Santa Claus?" Tohru asked in a puzzled tone. "Since that is your wish, then it shall be granted."

With a bang, Tohru vanished, leaving only Kanna onstage. Her simple clothing transformed into a Santa Claus outfit.

Yuxian nodded inwardly, satisfied with the script. At last, there was a group that seemed somewhat proper, not strange like the others.

But reality proved that Yuxian had been overthinking.

Kanna, dressed as Santa Claus, began to... began to... began cooking???

What kind of absurd twist was this?

Could it be that, in Tohru and Kanna's eyes, Santa Claus was actually a chef?

Not only was Yuxian surprised, but the elderly residents below the stage also opened their mouths wide, their astonishment plain to see.

Just when Yuxian thought Kanna's performance was over, Kanna carried a tray and ran down from the stage with quick little steps.

She handed out the food she had made to the elderly residents one by one, letting them taste it.

What kind of move was this?

"Kanna is too crafty! She's bribing the judges!"

"Mm-hmm, we should have prepared gifts too."

Little Jeanne touched the package behind her. She had prepared gifts, intending to give them to the elderly residents after the performance. Seeing Kanna's actions now, she was wondering whether it would have been better to give them out during the show.

But it was too late to say that now. Once Kanna finished handing out the food and returned to the stage, the curtain fell, and her performance was complete.

Next was Jack and Yuxian's performance, which had been scheduled last.

Everyone had drawn lots to determine the order at the beginning, and Jack had drawn the last slot.

When it was time to go onstage, Yuxian noticed that Jack was nervous. It was the first time he had seen such nervousness in her.

Jack had never shown such emotions before. More often than not, she wore a smiling face. Even when she held a dagger and faced an enemy, she had never been like this.

"Jack is becoming more and more like a normal child."

Yuxian felt very gratified. He had watched Jack grow step by step, and the feeling was like parents watching their own child grow up little by little. It gave him a tremendous sense of accomplishment and filled him with happiness.

P.S.: Thanks to Undead of France for the blade!

Christmas Dinner

The curtain opened, and Jack stood in the center of the stage in a brand-new outfit, beginning her performance.

To become Santa Claus, Jack searched everywhere for the secret to becoming Santa Claus.

She learned that there was a wise man in a distant mountain village, so she set out to find him and seek his help.

Along the way, she met many people. A kind uncle from a bakery gave her delicious bread, hardworking farmers gave her tasty fruit, and a circus caravan gave her a ride since it was heading the same way.

After enduring countless hardships, Jack finally arrived at the mountain village where the wise man lived. It was a very small yet peaceful village, and Jack came to the wise man's house.

Knock, knock, knock!

Hearing Jack knock, the wise man opened the door. Seeing Jack, he asked, "Child, what do you need from me?"

"Respected wise man, do you know the secret to becoming Santa Claus?" Jack eagerly asked the question she most wanted answered.

The wise man did not answer her directly. Instead, he asked, "Child, why do you want to become Santa Claus?"

Jack immediately said, "Because Santa Claus can bring happiness to everyone!"

The wise man smiled. He patted Jack's head and said with a smile, "Child, that is the secret."

Jack bade farewell to the wise man, only half understanding, and began her journey home.

On the way home, she encountered the circus again. This time, she agreed to take the place of a sick child and perform.

She met the old farmer who had given her fruit and helped him weed his fields.

She came to the kind uncle who had given her bread and helped him deliver bread to his customers in town.

After returning home, she told the companions around her about everything that had happened along the way. She performed the acts she had learned from the circus, and everyone was very happy. They liked her and welcomed her warmly.

Jack's performance ended. The enthusiastic applause left her standing onstage in a daze, somewhat at a loss. She had never experienced anything like this before.

All along, Yuxian had been the most important person in her heart, and only Gretel had been able to play with her. This time, she felt something completely different. It turned out that other people could like her and welcome her too.

It stirred unfamiliar emotions within her. Feeling a little shy, she ran away and threw herself into Yuxian's arms, refusing to get up for a long time.

Yuxian patted her back and happily said, "Jack was amazing!"

"Thank you, Mom!"

Jack had changed greatly, but the way she called him "Mom" had never changed. Yuxian did not mind her calling him that; in Jack's heart, "Mom" was the most special word.

All of the children's performances had ended.

As agreed beforehand, the children waited for the elderly residents' evaluations. They would choose the child with the best performance among the seven children as the winner.

The elderly residents below the stage gathered to discuss the result. They all had different opinions and believed that every child had been excellent.

In the end, all seven children were declared winners.