In the early morning, in the palace, a few days before new year's eve…

Straf opens his eyes. His hand is resting on Stripe's head while she's still fast asleep with her head on his chest. He turns his eyes to the window, and the sunlight pouring in is unusually weak and low. Grimacing a little, Straf furrows his brows slightly and drops his head back into his pillow.

《Come to think of it…》

「…It's that time of the year again, huh?」

Straf stares at the canopy above with disbelief etched on his face. His hand idly strokes Stripe's head between her ears.

「Shit. Why did it occur to me just now?」

He brings his free hand up to his chin and gives it a rub as he thinks.

「Nhnnmm… What are you mumbling about?…」

Stripe asks and opens her groggy golden eyes, turning them to Straf's as their gazes meet.

「I was just thinking that it's roughly about the 25th of the last month in the year.」

「So?…」

He replies, and Stripe rubs her sleepy eyes with the back of her hands.

「Sooooo…」

Straf says as he sits up with a grunt.

「…Is there anything that you'd want?」

He asks, looking at Stripe's face with his mouth aslant.

「Like what?…」

She shakes her head to wake up, and blinks her still mildly groggy eyes at Straf while kneeling up on his bed.

「You tell me. Is there anything you want?」

「I want this damn collar off my neck.」

Straf asks, and Stripe replies with her arms crossed in frustration.

「Tsk… And how about something more material? I don't know… Money? Food? Ear rub? Tail rub?-」

He clicks his tongue, and asks another question, staring straight into her eyes. Her head perks up in shock.

「You're not going to touch my tail!」

Stripe exclaims, shuffling away with her eyes widened, covering her tail from Straf.

「What do you want then?」

Tfwap.

Straf spreads his hands as he asks, before dropping them down into his lap, right onto the blanket.

「…What's the point if I tell you? It's not like I'll get it.」

Stripe turns her upset gaze away, crossing her arms again.

「Just tell me. You'll never know.」

He insists, and adds a nonchalant shrug. She glances at him, and turns her golden away away again.

「Well… There is something… But it's stupid, and it's not like I'll get it anyway.」

Stripe replies, and her clawed finger taps on her sleeve with an upset pout on her face.

「What iiis ittt? Stop keeping me in suspense already.」

Rolling his eyes, Straf throws his arms up.

「Fine… In the Eastern Kingdoms, ther are usually whole swarms of vendors and street stalls selling all sorts of snacks. There's one that I really miss…」

She extends a single finger, briefly glancing at Straf, then turns her golden eyes aside as she crosses her arms back up.

「…It's little balls of batter, which are then fried. There's minced octopus in them, and they're covered in this really tasty sauce…」

Stripe explains, seemingly salivating at the old memory of a strong flavor, noisily clicking her tongue in her mouth a few times.

「…Ahhhh. I'd kill someone for a few. It's the perfect snack to go with a beer or something. It's called-」

「…Takoyaki?」

Straf cuts in with his mouth aslant. Stripe's golden eyes snap to his.

「H- How did you know!? You even got the pronunciation perfect! What is up with that!? That's such a mundane thing there's no chance you'd know that-! Are you actually a spy!? Is that it!?」

Stripe exclaims while pointing her clawed finger at Straf's face, staring at him with a stunned, utterly shocked expression on hers.

「…Noted. I'll keep that in mind.」

He simply nods in response.

「H- Hey! I was just joking with the killing stuff!… You know that, right!?」

Stripe shrinks as Straf throws the blanket off his legs and gets out of the bed, slipping his boots on.

「I'm guessing… But now I know what to bribe you with in case I need someone offed, too.」

Straf shrugs with an amused smirk as he heads for the door with his arms spread…

…

Ten minutes later, in Cycelia's room…

「Knock knock. Got a minute?」

Straf opens the door and peeks his face in.

「Ah. Straf… I'm just getting ready for the day. What do you need?」

Sitting in front of a mirror, Cycelia asks over her shoulder while brushing her chestnut hair, smiling.

「I actually came here to ask you, what do you need?」

Straf walks in and shuts the door behind himself then places his hands in his pockets.

「Hm? I don't really need anything, Straf. I'm fine.」

「Don't be like that, Lia… I'm sure an empress has some great desires that are left unsatisfied. What are they?」

Cycelia nonchalantly replies with a shrug of her shoulders, and turns her emerald eyes back to her reflection. Rolling his eyes, Straf walks behind her, appearing mirrored over her shoulder.

「Hmmmmmmm…」

She tilts her head and gives it some thought, closing her eyes, idly wiggling her hairbrush.

「…It'd be nice to have world peace, wouldn't it? I'd want that.」

Cycelia replies as she casually returns to brushing her hair.

「Ahhhh… Lia, I have a lot of things to say on that…」

With a large, frustrated sigh, Straf shakes his lowered head with his fists on his hips.

「…But mainly… I'm not a fuckin' miracle maker, Lia. How about a more material desire? A physical one?… Or, y'know, at least something relatively attainable?」

He adds, shrugging his hands with his mouth heavily scrunched to the side.

「…A material desire? Why, Straf? Are you perhaps planning to… Fulfill my desires?」

Cycelia partially turns around to face Straf, pausing her brushing. She covertly bites her lip as she looks him up and down.

「…Yeah, you got me. So, is there anything that you'd want?」

Straf grimaces and wobbles his head as he searches for an excuse, but eventually gives up and admits with his arms spread. His fists then return to his hips.

「Why? I mean, what's the occasion?」

Cycelia tilts her head and blinks her emeralds at Straf with her brows gently furrowed.

「Why, I'm glad you've asked. Let me give you quick exposition and lore of my world, Lia… Back in my world, around this time of the year, people are supposed to be very nice to each other…」

Straf smirks, and raises his index finger as he begins explaining.

「…'Cause putting up with all those assholes and being nice to them the rest of the year would take superhuman effort… Anyway, as a consequence, people give each other gifts…」

He continues, shrugging with a little grimace on his face while looking sideways.

「…There's two holidays that do that, in fact, but we're only doing one. I'm not giving eight fucking gifts each. Whoever came up with that can fuck right off…」

With his other hand in a fist on his hip, Straf raises two of his fingers, showing them to Cycelia.

「…So, what does your consumerist dragon heart desire, Lia? I can give you just about anything you want. If you really insist, I can give you world peace too…」

Straf asks, shrugging his hand with a confident smirk on his face.

「…But I don't think you'd like my methods. So, what will it be?」

He adds, and shrugs his shoulders with his fists back on his hips. Standing up, Cycelia sets her brush down on her desk, then begins pensively thumbing at her lips as she thinks.

She paces around the room a little, then turns her emerald eyes to Straf.

「Hmmmmmmmmmmmm…」

She furrows her brows with a long hum, then resumes pacing around. She pauses her aimless wandering for a moment to think, only to resume a moment later.

「…I really don't know. There are very few material things my wealth as an empress can't provide for me, Straf.」

After her eyes randomly jump around the room without an aim, she turns to face Straf, and helplessly shrugs.

「…And the things that your wealth can't provide for you?」

Straf asks, and Cycelia resumes pacing around in deep thought.

「…Hmm.」

Cycelia once again turns her gaze to Straf, blinking at him, though the look in her eye is a little different this time. She stares for a prolonged period of time, then turns away.

「…Why'd you look at me for so long?」

Straf asks, furrowing his brows, but Cycelia doesn't reply.

「…I still don't know, Straf. I think I'd enjoy just about anything from you. Don't think too hard on it. I think you'll give me something heartfelt that way.」

She replies, and shrugs her shoulders again, smiling.

「…Something heartfelt, huh? Alright. See you later, Lia.」

Straf rubs his chin as he echoes her words, then nods and turns for the door. She smiles again, then returns to her chair and reaches for her brush…

…

Less than two hours later, in Lily's bell tower…

Straf climbs the ladder up into Lily's room. She sits back down on her bed, and crosses her arms.

「Finally you've decided to properly visit me, Straf. It's been too long.」

She says as Straf walks to the center of the room, placing his hands in his coat's pocket.

「I'm a little busy lately, Lily…」

Straf quickly shoots back an excuse with a shrug of his shoulders.

「I am aware. That's why I'm only a little saddened, and not terribly upset… Is there anything you need, Straf?」

Lily nods her golden head, then with a little sigh, shrugs her shoulders too as she turns her scarlet eyes to Straf's.

「I came to ask if you need something, Lily. It's my custom to give people gifts around this time of the year. What do you want?」

Straf replies, smirking slightly. The little vampire tilts her golden head in response, and blinks at him with a blank, mildly confused expression.

「…You, Straf.」

Lily calmly declares, pointing her finger at Straf.

「Hnnnnnnnnghhhhhh!…」「Eh!? Straf!? Are you alright!?…」

Straf clutches at his heart, and collapses to his knees. Alarmed, Lily jumps out of her bed and rushes to his side with her eyes wide open.

「…Lily, you can't just casually attack my heart like that with that completely serious-faced「all I want is you」shit. That dealt true damage to it.」

Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

He replies with a completely calm, tight-lipped grimace. An angry pout appears on Lily's face. She crosses her arms angrily, and returns to her bed.

「Hmpf. That wasn't funny. I don't appreciate those kind of jokes, Straf.」

Lily declares, turning her pouting face away with an upset huff.

「It wasn't a joke. You'll seriously bust my heart like that… Anyway, what do you want, Lily?」

Slipping his hands back into his pockets, Straf asks.

「…I want you to turn into a vamp-」「No, Lily…」

She replies, and Straf quickly cuts her off, then lets out a large sigh.

「…Anything but me, and me becoming a vampire, Lily. What do you want? Stuff. Physical things.」

A little exasperated, Straf spreads his hands as he asks again. With a sigh, she humors Straf's question, and gives it a moment of thought.

「…There's nothing I really want, Straf. I'm undead. I have no needs. If you won't become a vampire for me, then there's very little you can give me that would make me happy.」

She replies with a serious tone and face, turning her scarlet eyes back to Straf. He stares back for a few seconds.

「…Would you say a heartfelt gift could do it?」

Straf asks with a shrug of his shoulders.

「Perhaps… But I think you should save yourself the effort, Straf. It's fine. I don't need anything.」

Lily replies with a nod. Straf turns back and heads for the ladder.

「A heartfelt gift for you… Got it. See you later, Lily.」

Straf nods, then casually jumps down into the hatch with his hands in his coat's pockets…

…

An hour later, in the Royal Reserve Bank…

「Ah! Straf!… Afternoon!」

Nona exclaims a greeting with a smile and a tilted head, waking up Niklaus sleeping his his desk beside her.

「Nghhh… Agh! Boss! I was hard at work last night! Prevented multiple-!」

「Save it, deadbeat. I'm not here to talk with you…」

With his palm pointed at him, Straf silences Niklaus after he perks up in his desk and begins explaining himself.

「…Is there anything you want, Nona? Anything. Think of something.」

With his fists on his hips. Straf asks, nodding up at Nona while she's sitting in her chair.

「…Ehehehe… Should I really say that around other people?」

After a momentary pause, she tilts her head and asks with a sheepish grin.

「Material things, Nona. Stuff. Or at least reasonably attainable concepts. What do you want? Without convoluting things too much, I'll be handing out a bunch of gits to everyone.」

Straf clarifies, and shrugs his shoulders while he waits for her to state her wish. Placing her finger on her chin, her amber eyes drift up to the ceiling, and she begins thinking.

「…It's kind of cold at night, but I don't want to wear boots in the bed… It'd be nice if I had something to solve that?」

Snap.

She replies, and Straf immediately snaps his fingers, then points at her.

「Great. A clear, concise answer, and it's something that can be done. It's a real shame that sometimes you lose your grasp of personal space… See you later, Nona…」

Straf grins at her, then turns for the door.

「…And stop fucking slacking off, you deadbeat! I'm not paying you to sleep on the job!」

He shouts at Niklaus before departing, fully waking him up…

…

The next day, in the evening after dark, in the palace garden by the gazebo…

「Sorry for the wait, everyone…」

Cycelia calls out with an awkward smile as she approaches Lily, Stripe, and Nona sitting in the gazebo at a table. Straf is right outside.

「…Eh? What is that, Straf?」

「That's a grill, Lia. It's fine, it had to take a moment to heat up anyway. Have a seat.」

She asks, pointing her dainty finger at Straf standing in front of his grill, wearing an apron saying「Cook-hungry?」in big, splattery red text.

Cycelia watches the grill with curious emerald eyes as she walks underneath the gazebo's roof, and takes a seat with the rest of the girls.

「…New year's soon, huh?」

She asks with an awkward smile. Nona nods back energetically, while Stripe and Lily simply look at her with bored gazes.

「Uh-huh…」「…Indeed. Not too far off.」

Stripe shrugs, while Lily nods her head, and returns her scarlet eyes back to Straf.

Fffwwwwwshhhhhhh!…

Steam rises and something a sizzling sound spreads as Straf pours something onto the grill, and stares into it with bored eyes. A pleasant smell of food spreads in the garden.

「What's that?…」

Cycelia gives the air a few quick sniffs, and her brows rise. Lily sniffs and sniffs, but can't track the smell.

「…No way.」

Stripe utters out after a single whiff of the spreading smell. Her brows rise, and her golden eyes widen. Straf steps away from the grill and walks to the gazebo.

Clunk…

「…Here. Gift number one. Enjoy.」

Straf declares as he places a plate full of takoyaki on the table, glistening with a freshly brushed on sauce. Four thin wooden skewers rest on the plate right next to them.

「…No way! You actually made them!?」

Stripe exclaims with utter, yet pleased disbelief in her voice. While Straf makes his way back, she quickly grabs one of the skewers and pokes one of the small balls on the plate.

「What is this?」

Cycelia asks, tilting her chestnut head as she takes a skewer. Stripe is already too busy chewing with a gigantic, gleeful smile on her face to reply.

Gulp.

「…This is takoyaki! It's classic food from the Eastern Kingdoms! I missed this so much!」

Stripe swallows noisily, and points her clawed finger at the plate.

「Ta- huh?…」

Cycelia tries to echo the word, but realizes she's completely fumbling the pronunciation right away.

「Octopus in fried batter, Lia. She really wanted to eat that again, so here it is…」

Straf casually explains while watching something sizzle in a pot over the grill's flames.

「Octopus?…」

Cycelia furrows her brows, tilting her head at Straf again.

「Where did you find an octopus!? We're nowhere near the sea!」

Stripe asks while happily devouring the takoyaki. Nona and Cycelia try one, and nod their heads in approval.

「Ah. About that… I just used a little bit of the kraken I had in my inventory. I knew collecting random shit would eventually pay off.」「…Khakhh!」

Straf nonchalantly replies, and Stripe chokes for a brief moment.

「K… Kraken!?」

She asks through a wheeze with her eyes wide open.

「Hm? Yeah. Got a problem with that? Don't eat it.」

Straf asks, then shrug his shoulders as he returns his attention to the pot. Nona, Stripe, and Cycelia exchange mixes of worried, confused, and shocked gazes.

Clunk.

「…Here. Karaage… 'Cause everyone knows this day is about soda, presents, fried chicken, and sex.」

After a moment, Straf delivers a plate of golden, bite-sized pieces of deep-fried chicken on the girls' table, then returns to the grill to extinguish it and shut its lid.

「H- Huh!? S- S…」

Cycelia stammers, unable to even finish the word Straf has said, while Stripe's golden eyes are lowered down to the plate of karaage.

「Hup…」

Straf grunts as he joins the table, taking a seat with the girls.

「…This isn't some weird monster meat, is it?」

Stripe asks, tentatively pointing the karaage pieces with her skewer.

「Oh, it absolutely fucking is. It's made from the descendant of t-rexes and velociraptors.」

Straf declares with an amused grin as he casually pokes one of the karaage pieces, and devours it, chewing it with a crunchy noise.

「T-rex?…」「…Velociraptor!? What is that!?」

Cycelia asks in a confused tone, while Stripe shouts a question. Seeing as Straf has no problem eating it, Nona takes a piece too.

「Chicken. It's chicken, stupid. Get it while it's hot.」

Straf replies while looking at Stripe with his mouth scrunched to the side, and shakes his head. With a relieved sigh, the girls dig into the food.

「Hmpf.」

Except Lily, who is simply keeping them company with her arms crossed…

…

Around fifteen minutes later…

With the plates now empty, Straf pointlessly dusts his hands off and stands up.

「Right… Time for the rest of the gifts…」

Straf declares as he shoves his arm into the purple vortex beside him, and pulls out a detangling hairbrush.

「…Lia. Here. Brushing your hair must be a pain in the ass if it tangles even a little, so here's a brush to fix that.」

「Straf! You're right! I hate it when it tangles! I usually have to ask the maids for help!… My hair was such a mess after the situation with the count!」

As Straf hands Cycelia the modern brush, her face lights up with a smile. Nona looks at it with a tilted head, and curious amber eyes.

「…Nona. Here, a two for one.」「Uwaaaa! So cute!」

Straf pulls out cotton thigh-highs and bunny slippers out for Nona, and she quickly snatches both out of his hands with a content, bright grin. Her amber eyes narrow up at Straf, and she smiles almost ominously with her head slightly tilted. Lily looks on, pouting a little.

「…Here, Lily. I was a little conflicted on this.」

Straf pulls out a gothic lolita dress out of his [Portable Storage], and presents it to Lily by holding it up by its puffy shoulders.

「…A dress?」

She asks, titling her golden head as she looks at it. It's nearly identical to the dresses from her master, causing her to furrow her brows a little.

「Yup. You said there's always going to be less, not more of them, right? So I thought that I'd maybe make you an exact replica of your master's dress, or at least a close copy…」

Straf nods, lowering the dress a little with a tight-lipped grimace on his face.

「…But then I realized, shit, in the end, it'll just be a copy. A bad imitation. Why would you care about this, in that case?… So I just kind of gave up on the idea of it being a faithful copy…」

He looks at the dress as he explains, shrugging slightly, grimacing.

「…And since I gave up on it being a copy, I thought… Well, why not go fucking wild with this thing?… And I added a few personal touches. It's similar, but different…」

Straf adds, and looks at Lily with his mouth slightly scrunched.

「…You probably won't like it, but here. I tried my best. Guess you can stuff it into your wardrobe and wear it in case you don't want to get the real deal dirty.」

He shrugs, and holds the dress out for Lily to take. She looks at it, and takes it into her small, clawed hands.

「No… I'll wear it. I'll wear it tomorrow, in fact…」

Lily replies while looking closer at the dress. It has small, tasteful ribbons tied here and there, none of them clashing with the overall scheme, which is closely mimicking her real dresses.

「…It's true, you can never make another of my master's dresses. There will be never any more from him. But this is my first one from you, and it was made with my master in mind…」

She nods, and hugs the dress close to her flat chest.

「…I'll wear it, Straf. Thank you.」

Lily finally peels her scarlet eyes off the dress, and looks up at Straf with a faint smile.

「Right… That means I didn't waste a shitton of effort. Whew…」

Straf nods as he rubs the back of his neck, grimacing slightly. Nona looks at Lily's dress with a little pout on her face.

「…Now I have to go hand out gifts to Carrothead and his loser friends. I'll see you tomorrow…」

With a shrug of his arms, Straf departs from the gazebo towards the palace.

「…Oh! And I didn't do the spruce tree dressing 'cause that's pagan shit! The only inseparable pagan part is the soda truck!」

Quickly turning around, Straf exclaims with his hands at the sides of his mouth, then slips into the palace with one last wave of his hand.

「Soda truck?…」「…Pagan?」

Cycelia and Stripe utter out, while Nona glances at both with confused eyes. Lily is too busy staring at the dress to care…