This answer was rather perfunctory, but it was also the most satisfactory outcome.
Amid the noise and laughter, the retirement home performance officially came to an end, and everyone went home together to celebrate Christmas.
The house had long since been decorated. The Christmas tree in the corner was covered in ornaments, while streamers and lights hung from the ceiling.
Mash busily brought the prepared food to the table, and the family happily got ready to eat Christmas dinner together.
"Sorry, I'm late." Siegfried hurried over and finally made it home before dinner began. Yuxian had told him long ago to come back and spend Christmas together.
"You're not late. Your timing is perfect—we were just about to start eating." Yuxian smiled.
"These are Christmas gifts for everyone." Rather than sitting down immediately, Siegfried took out the presents he had brought and handed them out one by one.
"Wow! Thank you, Uncle!"
"Does Reindeer Number Two want to be Santa Claus too? I can teach you!"
The children happily accepted their gifts, and the room immediately filled with even more laughter.
"My colleagues at the company were all preparing gifts for their children, so I bought some for everyone as well. I hope you like them." Siegfried spoke modestly, but it was obvious that he had put a lot of thought into them.
"Let's eat!" Yuxian called Siegfried over to sit down, and everyone began their Christmas Eve dinner.
It was Christmas again. This time, Tama Cat and Chiron were absent, but Brother Fei and Martha had joined them.
Well, Elma was here too. She had no awareness whatsoever of freeloading, wearing a thoroughly satisfied expression. After living here for so long without moving out, she had probably already become Martha-shaped.
After dinner, everyone sat together and chatted while the children laughed and played nearby. The atmosphere was exceptionally warm.
"Master, I've already submitted my resignation. However, I'll continue working until the end of the year. Once the New Year arrives, I won't be working at the company anymore." Brother Fei suddenly turned the conversation toward himself and announced his decision.
"Resigning?" Everyone was puzzled. Yuxian had tried to persuade Brother Fei to resign before, but he had refused. His sudden decision left everyone confused.
Siegfried nodded. "Teacher Qiao's photography exhibition will be held during the New Year. Once we find him, we'll probably return to Chaldea. It's better to resign early, so I won't delay Master's affairs when the time comes."
Brother Fei took Yuxian's affairs very seriously. Although he enjoyed his current life, Chaldea and Yuxian were far more important to him.
The topic suddenly became heavy.
Leaving meant parting. Everyone understood that, but they had instinctively avoided the subject all this time.
Now that Brother Fei had brought it up, everyone realized that the time had truly come. After reuniting with Teacher Qiao, barring any surprises, they would leave this place and return to Chaldea someday afterward.
"You're leaving? Is it very far away? You won't come back?" Elma was a little dumbfounded upon hearing the news. In her impression, this world was not that large. Why had the atmosphere become so grave, as if they were facing life and death?
"We'll be leaving this world," Yuxian explained.
Elma continued asking, "Can't you open dimensional gates too?"
"It's not a matter of dimensional gates, it's just..." Yuxian did not know how to explain it.
Of course they could come back, but they still needed to travel to more alternate worlds to find the others. They could not return whenever they wanted, and no one knew how long it would be until their next visit.
Martha explained the whole situation to Elma. Once she understood, Elma immediately became despondent. She had been very happy here during this time and could not accept the reality all at once.
Dragons like Elma were actually easier to deal with. After all, they had long lives. No matter how much time passed, they would eventually be able to meet again.
For ordinary humans like Kobayashi, however, Yuxian truly did not know how to say goodbye.
I, Okita Souji, have a swimsuit too!
Teacher Qiao's Photography Exhibition
That evening, Little Jeanne delivered Christmas gifts to several close friends. This Christmas was much quieter than the last one, but it felt very nice to everyone, even warmer than before.
Early the next morning, Kanna excitedly brought out the two gifts she had received the night before to show everyone, declaring them to be presents from Santa Claus.
But why were there two?
It was not only Kanna who was confused. Kobayashi was puzzled too. One of them was from her, which made sense, but where had the extra gift come from?
Yuxian smiled at Kanna. "Two Santa Clauses gave Kanna gifts last night. Kanna is really popular."
Kanna's eyes sparkled like stars, and she was delighted. Children's happiness was always so simple.
After Christmas came the New Year. Yuxian had already arranged with Kobayashi and the others to attend Teacher Qiao's photography exhibition together.
Kobayashi was on holiday during the New Year, so she did not refuse Yuxian's invitation. Visiting Teacher Qiao's works with everyone was something she had been looking forward to as well.
Teacher Qiao was undeniably very famous. Even a programmer like Kobayashi had heard reports about him, which showed that his works were truly outstanding and well-loved by the public.
Yuxian was somewhat looking forward to meeting Teacher Qiao. When they all appeared before him together, it would definitely give him a huge surprise.
It was not just Yuxian. The children were also eager to see Teacher Qiao. Being accepted by the children showed that Teacher Qiao was a very good person, since quite a few people in Chaldea were not well-liked by them.
Of course, the children's favorite was undoubtedly Emiya, the guardian of Chaldea's kitchen.
The New Year arrived, and the weather was a little cold. Although it had not reached the point of snowing, stepping outside still made people shiver involuntarily.
The children put on thick cotton coats, each of them seeming to have grown a whole size larger. Scarves, gloves, and hats—Yuxian bundled them up tightly, not giving the cold wind the slightest opportunity.
The group setting out was rather large. This time, not only Kobayashi's family but also Fafnir and Takiya, Elkoya and Shota, all went to visit the photography exhibition.
Everyone was relatively free during the New Year, and no one wanted to miss such an opportunity to travel together.
Calling it a trip was perhaps an exaggeration. Akihabara was only an hour's drive away.
Akihabara's streets were crowded with people. Pedestrians bustled about with smiles on their faces, carrying the joy of the New Year.
All the shops along the streets were open as usual. It was an excellent business opportunity, and naturally the merchants could not bear to rest and miss such a day.
The exhibition venue was in an excellent location, right in the city center. There were even more pedestrians here, and it was even more crowded.
The group strolled through the streets as they headed toward the venue. The children were constantly drawn to the shops on either side of the road. With dazzling arrays of beautiful goods everywhere, they could barely take it all in.
Yuxian carefully reminded everyone not to run around, lest they get separated.
Though the distance had not originally been far, they spent quite some time stopping and starting along the way.
They finally arrived at the entrance to the exhibition venue. It was lively here as well, with crowds gathered in circles.
Fortunately, staff members were maintaining order, allowing everyone to enter the venue for the exhibition in an orderly fashion.
Yuxian lined up with everyone and waited patiently to enter.
The venue was much quieter than outside. The people who came here were relatively well-mannered and did not make noise recklessly.
Vivid works hung on the walls throughout the venue: animals, people, buildings, and landscapes.
The framing of the photographs was exceptionally clever. Even an outsider like Yuxian could see how extraordinary these works were. Teacher Qiao's fame was definitely no accident.
After entering the venue, Yuxian did not immediately go looking for Teacher Qiao. He and Mash intended to first take a look around and appreciate the works.
The children, however, were different. Gretel and Jack slipped away as soon as they entered. They did not have the patience to slowly appreciate photographs they did not understand at all.
With their small bodies, the two moved easily through the crowd.
In front of one work, Georgios was patiently explaining the circumstances of the photograph, his thoughts on framing, and other details to visitors. Some admirers also wanted photos and autographs, and he fulfilled their requests one by one.
Having found Teacher Qiao, Gretel and Jack pressed their heads together and whispered over their plan. Then they slowly crept closer on tiptoe.
When they reached Teacher Qiao's side, the two suddenly jumped in front of him and shouted, "Happy New Year!"
"Whoa—" Teacher Qiao was startled by the sudden shout and thought it was a prank by some children.
He had encountered such things in many places. He did not dislike children like that and was just about to respond with a smile.
But when he clearly saw the faces of the two children before him, he blinked in disbelief. How could he possibly mistake Gretel and Jack?
He crouched down and picked them both up, one in each arm. Smiling, he said, "So it's you two little troublemakers! How did you end up here?"
"We came to shake down a rich guy!" Jack blurted out Yuxian's slogan from before they left.
"Jack, that's way too direct!" Gretel immediately corrected her. "We came to find Teacher Qiao, and shake down a rich guy while we're at it."
Georgios was a little speechless. Was that not still shaking down a rich guy?
However, hearing the two children say that, he understood that Yuxian had definitely come with them. He truly could not think of anyone else who would teach Gretel and Jack to say such things.
Georgios turned his head and looked around. "Did Master come too? Where is he?"
"It's not just Master! Lots of us came!"
After hearing Gretel say that, Georgios quickly began searching the venue.
The entire group soon gathered together, and Georgios led them to a lounge. It was a temporary resting area provided for him by the organizers.
"Teacher Qiao." Yuxian greeted him politely.
"It's been a long time, Master." Georgios responded to Yuxian, then greeted everyone else. "Has everyone been well?"
"More or less. There was a change in Chaldea, though, and many people still haven't been found." Yuxian slowly explained Chaldea's situation to Georgios.
"Hmm..." Georgios pondered for a moment. "We can investigate the specific cause in detail once we find Da Vinci and the others. Master, you've worked hard during this time."
Yuxian smiled and shook his head, feeling a little embarrassed. Hard work was rather far removed from him. Most of the time, he had been quite lazy. Mash was the one who had truly worked hard, diligently helping him all along.
A Luxurious Hot Spring Trip
Georgios chatted with everyone for a while before turning his attention to Kobayashi and the others. Since they had come with Yuxian, they had to be friends. He understood that much.
However, Georgios was somewhat puzzled as to when Yuxian had made so many dragon friends.
Fafnir in particular had such dense dark energy around him that it seemed almost tangible, making Georgios frown. But seeing Siegfried's calm expression beside him, he did not ask further.
"Wow! It really is Mr. George!" Kobayashi was extremely excited. It was hard to tell that she had such a fangirl side.
"Hello." Teacher Qiao greeted her politely. Kobayashi's behavior was not much different from the fans he had encountered before, and since she was Yuxian's friend, he was naturally especially courteous. Autographs, photos—whatever she asked for, he readily agreed.
Once Teacher Qiao had some free time, several children surrounded him.
Before coming, Yuxian had told them that Teacher Qiao was quite wealthy and that they absolutely had to make him treat everyone to some fun.
The children naturally believed Yuxian's words without question, and so this scene came to pass.
Mash could not help shooting Yuxian a glare, blaming him for teaching the children such strange things.
Yuxian, however, did not think there was anything wrong with it. Like children knocking on doors during Halloween, it was simply an interaction that helped build relationships.
As long as Teacher Qiao did not get angry, everything would be fine.
Would Teacher Qiao get angry?
Of course not. Yuxian was confident about that. As a saint, Georgios might be even more tolerant of children than he was.
Surrounded by the children, Georgios kept smiling as he soothed them, then took a voucher from his pocket and handed it to them.
"What is this?" Gretel's hand was the fastest. After taking the voucher, she turned it over and examined it repeatedly.
Georgios patiently explained, "This is a complimentary voucher for a hot spring trip from the organizers. The weather is so cold now, so it would definitely be very comfortable for everyone to go soak in the hot springs together."
"Wow! Hot springs!"
"What are hot springs?"
"Soaking in hot springs during winter is warm and really comfortable."
"I don't want to soak in water!"
The children had different reactions. Other than Gretel, everyone was interested in the hot springs and cheered happily.
"It's fine. The hot springs are shallow, just like taking a bath. Alice can enjoy them too."
Yuxian first reassured the somewhat resistant Gretel, then said to Georgios, "Once this photography exhibition is over, we'll go on a hot spring trip together."
Georgios shook his head. "You all go ahead. I need to handle some personal matters. Since I've met Master, there are some things that need to be properly wrapped up. Once I've finished dealing with everything, I'll come find you."
Yuxian nodded, agreeing with him. As a public figure, Georgios was different from them. Many matters had to be seen through from beginning to end, or he would leave others with considerable trouble.
Since Georgios had matters of his own to handle, Yuxian and the others did not plan to stay long and interfere with his work.
Having received the hot spring travel voucher, everyone discussed it and decided to set off immediately so they could enjoy the relaxing hot springs as soon as possible.
Before you continue