Academic gathering with Lich colleagues

On Christmas Day, the succubus, Mr. Candy, who has been taking care of you, asks for your help.

You shook your head.

"I don't remember."

After puffing out his cheeks like a squirrel in anger, Candy exhaled a breath. He unconsciously adopted a pitiful look in his eyes.

"Then I'll say it again, and you must remember it."

"There's a tradition on Christmas Day: giving apples to family and friends as a blessing of 'peace and safety.' Our Bloody Rose Bar also uses this opportunity to host events and build our popularity. I need your help."

"What kind of help?"

Having received a satisfactory answer, Candy's smile was as sweet as an apple.

He twirled around, showing off his new outfit, and only then did you notice the change in his clothing. Beneath the adorable lantern pants were a pair of delicate, youthful legs, flawless, with a rosy white knee. His upper body was clad in clean white clothing matching the lace ruffles, the small V-neck revealing his fair skin. A hooded cape was tied around Candy's neck, the velvet hood looking like a large mouth biting his soft hair.

The little yellow hat—that's the overall image you've come up with. (Refer to Little Red Riding Hood)

A boy who is both cute and innocent, both naive and alluring...

"To celebrate this holiday, we'll dress up in special costumes and role-play. I'm a citizen being bullied by the Demon of Light..."

The candy will hand you a large, thin, yellowed paper toy armor adorned with gold powder.

"You shall be the Demon of Light."

Is it a chase, the kind where if you catch someone, you get to do *hehehe*?

"We'll be wearing this costume together as we go to buy apples and distribute them to those who need them. The process will be quite complicated, so I hope you can bear with it for a while."

You quickly put on the paper armor, but it didn't fit properly. You soon noticed the abnormality.

You pointed to your chest, where there were two extra pockets.

"What's this for?"

When Candy heard what you said, she chuckled and covered her bright red face.

"Um... the role of the Demon of Light used to be played by my sister Anna, but she's currently dating my brother-in-law William, so I hope you can understand."

You fell silent. The two pockets, which held excess fat, were blown about in the wind, their contents scattered in disarray.

"Um..." Candy noticed your helplessness, "If this affects your movements, how about we put two apples in to maintain balance?"

You politely declined Candy's suggestion. Although this paper armor had a full-coverage helmet, you didn't want to walk around with two embarrassing apples under your feet, so you set off on your journey with a pair of active, externally enhanced pectoral muscles and Candy.

Today, in this city of wandering, the stench of love permeates everything, along with the scent of apples.

You gradually understand why candy needs someone to accompany it; everyone on the street is in pairs, and walking alone would always seem out of place.

When you're together, the awkwardness lessens, and you even feel a little smug. Those who were initially captivated by Candy's adorable appearance then turned their envious gazes towards you, only to be dealt with by your partner.

Some lucky ones escaped punishment because their partners were also looking at the candy with affection.

Cute is justice.

Perhaps it was role-playing, or perhaps it was just his nature, but Candy skipped forward, his tutu like a leisurely floating jellyfish.

"Hurry up and keep up!"

You ran over immediately. "Candy, you look so beautiful today."

Perhaps because she was used to being treated as a woman, Candy simply gave a smile.

"Everyone is very nice to me except for the demons." It seems that Candy has become a social butterfly.

After passing through the Crystal Corridor, you arrived at the teleportation array in the Dark Tenth District. Candy pinned a leaf-shaped badge to your paper armor.

"Our first task is to obtain apples, a lot of apples. The Blood Rose Bar has business dealings with the elven druids of the Fifth District of Light, so we need to go there now to collect our apples."

Candy patted the small basket she carried with her. The seemingly small bamboo basket was wrapped in a layer of pink cloth, but it was actually a magical storage tool.

"This badge was given to us by the elves. With it, we can travel freely in the Fifth District of Light."

You're filled with curiosity about what's to come: "What are elves like?"

Candy smiled.

"A race of handsome, beautiful, sunny, and kind creatures, a masterpiece of nature..."

With this thought in mind, you arrived at the Sunlight District 5, bathed in sunlight and surrounded by green leaves, as if walking through a warm forest.

Couples of handsome elves leaned against the verdant trees, playing harps to the accompaniment of their partners' songs.

It seems really wonderful.

You then saw your destination.

It was a huge redwood tree, the worm-eaten part of which had been transformed into a treehouse. Just as its size was out of place with its surroundings, so too was the atmosphere of this place.

The air was chilly, the cold wind like a sigh. You looked up, and black resentment formed a dark cloud at the treetops. In a daze, you saw wailing faces in that darkness, crying out in pain.

I really want a girlfriend~

"I don't want to spend the holiday alone!"

"..."

Inside the redwood treehouse, a group of druids were working at their seats.

In front of each elf was a handful of soil and a basket full of seeds.

They carefully extracted the seeds one by one, buried them in the soil, and began casting a spell to accelerate plant growth. A tender shoot quickly emerged from the soil, slowly growing to a height of thirty centimeters. Then, a flower bloomed, and a fruit formed. The fruit visibly enlarged, eventually bending the tender branch. The rest of the plant withered quickly, and an apple was thus prematurely ripened. (This process defies biology; apples grow on trees. Forcibly ripening a seed to become only one apple seems to align with the principle of equivalent exchange.)

This process was nothing short of miraculous, but what was even more striking was the deathly pale and lifeless face of the working elven druids, as if every spell was draining their souls.

"Damn it, why do I have to work overtime on holidays? It's bad enough that I don't have a partner, but I don't even have a chance to go home and cry..."

"Stop complaining. Isn't it common sense that single people have to work overtime during Christmas? During our Singles' Day holiday, others were doing our work too."

"It's so painful, I don't want to go to work~ I really want to be in a relationship~"

"I don't know if you want to use vacation as an excuse to date, or if you want to use dating as an excuse to take vacation."

"I want both."

"I want both!"

"We all want to!"

"We all want to!!!"

Candy gently knocked on the door, the loud sound of the wooden door echoing in the room, and the whispers and flashes of magic vanished.

In the dim light, the door was slowly pushed open, sunlight and the little yellow hat reflecting each other's colors, and the tranquility was broken by Candy's radiant smile. "Happy holidays, elf friends."

"Roar!!!!!"

"It's Miss Candy!!!"

"It's the Candy Angel!!!"

"It's the Candy Goddess!!!"

The young elves erupted in deafening cheers, their eyes brimming with renewed energy. "Welcome, Miss Candy!" Some of the older elves also greeted them with kind, gentle smiles, as if they were seeing their own daughters.

Candy greeted the elves, whose upper limbs were flailing wildly but whose legs remained firmly in their seats, with a reserved air. They weren't doing it out of dedication; rather, their legs were tightly bound by the growing branches, making the task of ripening apples more akin to unpaid labor. There was no currency among the elves; they had a tradition of balance and coordination, approaching an ideal, utopian society. Each elf would fulfill their assigned duties, overseen by a council of elders.

Candy approached an older elf with a goatee, who was overseeing the youths, or rather, the head of production.

"Happy holidays, Mr. Patrick."

Patrick smiled. "Happy holidays, Candy." The elder elf turned and glared at the upright elves, then smiled back at Candy.

"The apples I ordered are ready. As always, thank you, Candy."

"It's what I should do." Candy smiled and approached one of the elves, who were watching her.

The elf immediately and eagerly handed over the apple in his hand.

"Miss Candy, these are apples I ripened for you, they must be the most delicious!"

Candy received the ripe, red apple with both hands. It was plump, beautiful, and looked very tempting.

"Thank you, my friend." Candy held the apple in her hands for a moment, then placed it back in the elf's palm, or rather, gave it to her.

"Happy holidays, Mr. Elf."

The elf who received the candy apple was overjoyed, and tears seemed to well up in his eyes.

You see him holding that apple tightly, as if he's holding his heart, and his whole being seems to say: Life is worth living.

You feel a bit speechless.

Didn't you ripen those apples? You handed them over, and then they were returned to you, just like transferring money from one hand to the other. Why is this elf so excited?

The exchange rituals continued, with each elf receiving a "gift" of candy and falling into a state of ecstatic satisfaction.

These elves are beyond saving.

With these thoughts in mind, you approached an elf and spoke demonic words.

"Candy is a boy."

The expected surprise did not occur. The elf held his apple as if possessed, his eyes never leaving the little yellow hat, and he was muttering to himself.

"The Candy Goddess gave me a Christmas present..."

You continued whispering.

"Your candy goddess is a boy."

"Candy Goddess..."

"It's a boy."

"I don't believe it, I won't listen, I didn't see it! Miss Candy is my goddess!"

These elves are beyond saving, truly beyond saving.

After going around once, Candy's basket was full, except for the return gift she had given them first. Before leaving, Candy said goodbye to them with great enthusiasm.

"Please everyone, work hard! Everyone is looking forward to your Apple products. Me too."

"Okay! For Miss Candy! We'll work hard!"

"I live for the Goddess of Candy!"