OPTC Chapter 305 - Gift Delivery in Progress, New Skill Get
Zhang Da Ye adjusted the fake beard on his face and stuffed a wad of cloth under his shirt to give himself the look of a round belly. After taking a few steps, he turned and asked, "How's this?"
"Not bad. About one-tenth as good as me," Ye Yan said shamelessly.
"Gee, thanks." Zhang Da Ye slung a big sack over his back. "Alright, get down. Time to test your endurance."
Ye Yan frowned. "What for?"
"To ride a reindeer."
"Reindeers pull sleighs, they're not for riding!"
"Don't be so rigid. Art needs a little innovation."
"Get lost. If you really want to innovate, make Santa ride the reindeer instead!"
"Forget it then. Let's just go."
Snow was still falling, a thin white layer gathering across the deck of the Amber.
As Zhang Da Ye and Ye Yan walked across, they left behind a trail of footprints and hoof prints—Ye Yan's reindeer costume was detailed enough that it even had fake hooves.
Ye Yan studied the marks for a moment and nodded, satisfied. "We'll make those lazy demons clean this up later."
"Don't." Zhang Da Ye smiled. "It's fun to shovel snow ourselves. Tom and the others might want to play in it too."
He remembered doing that back home as a kid, shoveling snow off the rooftop each winter, laughing the whole time. Once he moved to the city for high school and university, he hardly ever caught a real snowfall again.
"Fine. They can clean up after everyone's done playing," Ye Yan said, showing no mercy for the same group of mischievous spirits as him.
The two whispered as they walked down the stairs into the living quarters. The hallway split left and right, with everyone's rooms facing each other.
Ye Yan's room was on the left of the stairs. Next to it was Zhang Da Ye and Tom's shared room, and the next one over was still empty. Across the hall lived Brook.
They kept their steps light. Ye Yan summoned one of his flag spirits, ordering it to turn into mist and slip under Brook's door to make sure he was asleep. Once confirmed, they quietly pushed the door open.
Brook's room looked almost the same as when he'd first moved in—minimal decorations, a tea set on the windowsill table, his violin of decades resting on the nightstand, and his cane sword leaning nearby.
Brook was fast asleep, lying flat with a comically large bubble rising from the hollow where his nose would have been.
Since none of the rooms had fireplaces, Zhang Da Ye had explained earlier that Christmas socks should be hung by the bed instead. Brook, ever the child at heart, had hung up an enormous sock—a meter long and half a meter wide—clearly hoping for an equally big gift.
Smiling, Zhang Da Ye quietly slipped a gift box into the sock. Inside was a fine violin. He had no idea if it was good quality, but it had been expensive.
They left Brook's room and entered Shark Chili's next.
Once again, Ye Yan had his flag spirit scout first. Inside, Shark Chili's room was far more amusing. He'd moved his wardrobe into the storage room and replaced it with two glass display cabinets filled with all kinds of toothpaste and toothbrushes—each labeled with detailed notes on their effects and pros and cons.
Though he knew full well who "Santa" really was, Shark Chili had still hung a sock to play along.
The easiest gift choice for him would've been more toothpaste or brushes, but Zhang Da Ye changed his mind last minute. Instead, he placed a small tape recorder and cassette inside—the recording contained the song they'd all sung together earlier that day, Jingle Bells. He figured Shark Chili would love it.
Next up was Rui Meng Meng's room.
Rui Meng Meng lived modestly. Even though she wasn't short on money anymore, she rarely spent on decorations.
Her room was filled mostly with swords—the bamboo one she first trained with, a standard longsword, a knight's sword from Tom's time as a royal guard, and a broken blade from the battlefield of Camlann.
Though she now wielded her ideal dark alloy sword, she couldn't bring herself to discard the others, keeping them as mementos.
She also owned a golden sword from the Ryugu Kingdom, but since it was too valuable, she'd asked Zhang Da Ye to hold on to it for safekeeping.
Her desk was cluttered with notebooks full of recipes, language notes, and all sorts of lessons she'd taken from Tom. She always thought she wasn't smart enough, so she worked twice as hard to make up for it.
For Rui Meng Meng's gift, Zhang Da Ye chose a set of dolls with interchangeable outfits—something cute and girlish. He hoped it might remind her to be a little kinder to herself and not live entirely for training and study.
At the end of the hall was Perona's room, originally placed farthest inside so she couldn't sneak away.
What Zhang Da Ye didn't know was that she had actually tried once—only to be caught by Ye Yan, who never said a word about it. Eventually, she gave up and began settling comfortably into life aboard the Amber.
Perona's room was, as expected, lavishly decorated—a big pink princess bed draped with curtains, a pumpkin-shaped pillow, and her custom Kuma plush clutched in her arms as she slept.
Stuffed toys of all kinds lined the room, some cute, others dark and gothic.
She'd once proposed turning the entire Amber into a gothic castle, but the crew voted it down.
Compared to the time when Wendy and Carla were still unconscious, not much had changed—except there were even more plushies now.
Though Perona had scoffed at the Santa story, she still hung a long black-and-white striped sock beside her bed.
Zhang Da Ye left her a parasol shaped like a small demon, thinking she'd love its design. He had considered giving her something like a "homework pass" or "day off" coupon, but quickly decided that would just be weird.
Across from her room was Wendy and Carla's. Despite having a small baby bed for Carla, the two usually slept together.
Their situation was a lot like Zhang Da Ye and Tom's, except Tom's survival spoke of his endurance, while Carla's survival meant Wendy was a far gentler sleeper.
Their room was cozy and girlish, with a few decorations here and there. Beside their bed sat two teddy bears—a gift from Perona when they first moved in. Clearly, she adored the two.
Both Wendy and Carla had hung their socks—a large black stocking for Wendy and what looked suspiciously like a cut-off glove finger for Carla.
Zhang Da Ye placed a large and small gift box into their socks and nodded.
Carla's gift was a silk ribbon she could use to decorate her tail like she often did. Wendy's was a new dress identical to the one she'd worn when she first joined them—the old one had been torn in battle and carefully kept as a memory.
He'd secretly asked Carla about it weeks ago, then ordered a new one in Goa Kingdom to surprise her tonight.
Next was Artoria's room, right by the stairs. This time, Zhang Da Ye didn't even bother with Ye Yan's flag spirits—he knew she'd sense them either way.
He paused, mentally preparing for how to play it cool if she caught him, then took a deep breath and pushed the door open.
He hadn't been inside since moving day.
It was still as neat and simple as ever. Every time he'd suggested getting her some decorations, Artoria would just say to give her the money instead—then spend it on food.
So now, her only "decorations" were a teddy bear from Perona and two small plants by the window.
Aside from her wardrobe and shoe rack, there was a vanity. Zhang Da Ye once caught a glimpse of her braiding her hair before that mirror—a vision he could only describe as breathtaking.
Tonight, that same breathtaking woman lay asleep in a cute lion onesie, her little tuft of hair poking out through the hood like it had a life of its own.
Zhang Da Ye quietly placed a half-meter gift box beside her bed. Seeing she hadn't moved, he exhaled in relief—until her ahoge twitched.
Seriously, did her hair have a mind of its own?
Her eyelashes fluttered, but she didn't open her eyes.
Zhang Da Ye wisely pretended not to notice and slipped out.
Once the door closed, the "sleeping" lion cub sat up, opened the gift box, and happily began munching on the pile of snacks inside.
"Did it go smoothly?" Ye Yan asked from outside, hearing no commotion.
"Sort of," Zhang Da Ye sighed. "Let's just say it's not a total failure."
He'd chosen food for Artoria because she didn't care for fashion or jewelry. The only downside? He was sure the gift wouldn't survive the night.
"Alright, last one—Tom." Zhang Da Ye cracked his door open. He and Ye Yan peeked in—one Santa head, one reindeer head side by side.
Tom was fast asleep, earmuffs on, blanket untouched. Relieved, Zhang Da Ye placed a small gift box in his sock, then patted the boy's head and quietly shut the door—locking it from the inside, like Tom always did.
"All done!" he grinned. "Can't wait to see their faces tomorrow."
Ye Yan just gave him a look. "I understand the joy and all, but… why did you lock yourself out?"
Zhang Da Ye froze mid-change. "...Force of habit. Too many rooms in a row. Ye Yan, send a flag spirit to unlock it."
"Why don't you just do it like before?" Ye Yan asked.
"If I could control that trick, I wouldn't have told them to keep a door open for Santa." Zhang Da Ye sighed. "It only works unconsciously. When I try to use it on purpose—it doesn't respond."
"Fine, fine." Ye Yan sent the flag spirit inside to open the door, then rubbed his fingers together meaningfully.
Zhang Da Ye groaned. "You want your gift, huh? I figured since you're helping Santa, I could skip yours. You don't even believe in him."
"I don't believe in Santa, but I do believe in presents!" Ye Yan puffed his chest. Then he grinned. "Or we could settle it in cash. It's Christmas Eve, triple pay sounds fair, right? You, my noble, wise, charming, and righteous captain—"
"Stop, stop!" Zhang Da Ye shuddered and handed him a gift box. "Here. Happy now?"
Since the others' gifts were stored with Ye Yan for delivery, he'd hidden this one on himself.
Ye Yan weighed it with a grin. "Goodnight, boss."
Zhang Da Ye rolled his eyes and shut the door.
Moments later, he suddenly sat up in bed. Wait—he'd just gone through the entire ship without turning on a single light, and yet he could see everything clearly.
He held up his hand and saw every line of his palm. "Night vision…? Did I just unlock a new skill?"
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