Hello everyone, and welcome to the Christmas one-shot special of "A Dimensional Trip"! This will be a very long chapter and there's going to be a lot going on, so please bear with me.

Hyperdimension Neptunia belongs to

Idea Factory and Compile Heart

Filler: A Christmas in Gamindustri

It's been a couple days since the concert happened and everyone was back in their respective nations. During these past couple of days I noticed that around Leanbox, people were decorating the streets and their homes with holiday decorations. Do they celebrate Christmas here too? I need to ask Histoire about this or Vert since she is nearby. I decided to head to back to the Basilicom to ask Vert first. I made my way to Vert's room and knocked on her door. When I didn't get an answer, I cracked the door a bit just enough to speak through it.

"Hey Vert, can I ask you something?" I asked through the cracks. I listened closely to hear the sounds of weapons clashing.

"Hold everything here for now, I have a guest" I heard her say "Alright Garland, you may enter" I opened the door and walked in.

"Sorry for coming at a bad time Vert. I just have something that's bothering me" I tell her. She tilts her head to the side.

"What ails you Garland?" she asks me.

"Well, it's about the tradition here in Gamindustri" I start explaining "Everyone in Leanbox seems busy putting up holiday decorations" Vert perks up at this.

She claps her hands together "Ah, of course! It's around that time, isn't it!"

"Around the time for what?" I ask her "Christmas?"

Vert nods her head "Indeed. It seems your world has the same thing that happens around this time, no?" I nod my head.

"Yeah, we do" I say "So I gotta ask, what do the CPUs do?"

Vert giggles "Well, we all get together in Planeptune. Then have a party and exchange gifts"

"That sounds exactly like how my world does it!" I exclaimed. Vert smiles at this.

"How delightful. So, I'll be expecting something from you in a couple days" she tells me, smiling.

"Umm, okay. . ." I said "I think I'm going to need to do some quests for some quick money" I summoned my weapon then whistled for Meta, who came jumping to me "Let's go Meta" Meta yaps and jumps onto my shoulder "I'll be back late!" I tell her before leaving.

"Alright, be safe now" Vert waves to me before getting back to her game.

I'm currently in the guild accepting the requests with big credit rewards, which most of them are slaying jobs.

"Well if it isn't Garland. I wasn't expecting to see you here" I heard someone say. I turn around to see IF.

"Oh, hey IF. It's been a while" I said.

"Yeah, it has. Although I have a belief Compa and I would be getting more screen time than this if the author made his chapters longer" IF said sighing, completely ignoring the fourth wall.

"I see. Anyway, why are you in Leanbox?" I ask her.

"I'm here to do guild work. They had a gain in monster activity in the forests surrounding Leanbox, so I decided to check on the quests. And low and behold, you're here accepting them. I actually didn't think you would accept anything from the Guild"

"Well, how should I put this. . ." I said, thinking for a bit "I'm trying to gain more credits to buy gifts for everyone" I scratch the back of my head. IF looks at me.

"Oh, I see. It's for what's coming up, huh?" IF asks me, which I nod "Well, that's quite thoughtful of you Garland"

I rub my neck and chuckle "It's nothing. . ."

"Hey Iffy, sorry I'm late. Nep-Nep kept me. . . Oh, it's Ga Ga!" I heard the familiar voice of a nurse-in-training say.

"You're lucky I got caught up with talking to Garland here, Compa. Are you at least ready to go?" IF asks her.

"Yes, I'm ready!" Compa exclaims "Is Ga Ga going to be joining us?"

IF turns to me "Actually, since we are here. . . How about we join you in your quests Garland?"

"I wouldn't mind at all. I think that's a great idea, the three humans close to the CPUs teaming up" I said, feeling a bit upbeat getting to partner with the duo.

"Yay! We get to team up with Ga Ga finally!" Compa cheered. I chuckled at Compa's enthusiasm.

"Well, let's register ourselves as a team and get these quests started" IF states before walking up to the receptionist and being handed four badges "Alright, we're all registered and ready to go" she says, handing Compa and I our badges. I was handed two.

"Umm, why do I have two?" I ask her.

IF sighs "Isn't that Dogoo on your shoulder your companion?" I look at my shoulder at Meta, who nuzzles my cheek with its nose. I nodded in confirmation "Well then that's why you got two Garland. Now come on, we got some hunting to do"

"Alright" I said, equipping the badges to both Meta and I "Lets do this thing!"

The three of us fighting together was awesome so far. With Compa's support roll, IF with her close-range combat, and my ranged attacks made most of our quests get completed in record times. We were currently taking a break in front of Fantasy Zone where we had to defeat a very powerful Cyber Whale. Compa had some drinks and pudding on hand for this, how thoughtful.

"And here is your's Ga Ga" Compa says, handing me a pudding cup. I took it from her graciously.

"Thank you" I said before taking a bite "Wow, this is amazing! No wonder Neptune likes this as much as I like cola! Also, I can't thank you both enough for your help"

"Think nothing of it Garland" IF tells me, taking a sip of Nep Bull "This gives us humans time to get to know each other better outside of our circle of Goddesses"

"Yeppy yep to that Iffy!" Compa says "I was curious about you Ga Ga when we first met you. Being new here and already having Nep Nep talk about you and your world" I sorta blushed at that.

"Oh. . . Umm, thank you Compa" I lightly scratch my cheek.

"I have to agree with Compa there" IF adds in "Your abilities in combat is very versatile. From ranged to close quarters, you're kind of like a jack of all trades"

"Oh stop it. . . You're making me blush. . ." I said, lightly laughing. Meta gives a happy huff from eating a thing of pudding.

"Well, are you two ready? This is our last monster before we have to return" IF asks us. Compa and I both nod and grabbed our respective weapons. We entered the futuristic looking dungeon through a warp point. We started our search for our target, making sure to be vigilant. IF takes the time to look at my rifle "Hey Garland, I gotta ask. But where did you get the rifle? I meant to ask earlier, but we've been kinda busy up till now"

I look at her, then held it up "Oh, Uni gave this to me so I could be combat ready. I couldn't be more at ease thanks to her"

"Ah, that was nice of her to do" Compa says, holding onto her abnormally sized syringe.

IF nods at my explanation, then stops abruptly "Hold on, I think I see our target" we both stop and looked ahead of us. Floating around lazily was a whale that looked like it was part robot. . . Or android. IF brings out her dual quatars "Get ready. . ." I took up a fighting stance, ready to follow behind IF while Compa simply stayed behind a bit "Now!" and off she went with me falling behind as her support fire.

The Whale caught sight of us and started floating towards IF, lashing out with its tail. IF somersaults over it and delivers a few quick slashes to it. It tried going for another attack once she landed until I started unloading my rounds into its side.

"Eat this, Metal Slugger!" I called out, which Meta swiftly goes into the rifle. I fired off the same round that I did before and it made the Whale flinch "Now IF!"

"Got it! Demon Flames!" IF declares. A red glowing rune appears below the Whale and engulfs it in a pillar or fire. Hot damn! IF then goes in and delivers a couple more slashes "Compa, it's your turn!"

Compa comes running up as quickly as she could "Time for your medicine, Mister Monster!" The liquid inside the needle turned. . . Purple? She then proceeded to jab the Whale with it a bit before it got back up, which it looked at Compa with a glare.

"Compa, watch out!" I yelled before running up to her, pulling her in and turned my back to the mob just in time to feel a powerful slash of water slam into my back "Gah, damn it!"

"G-Ga Ga!?" Compa looks at me in shock.

"Dogoogoogoo!" Meta says with anger at the Whale.

IF runs up to the creature and stabs it in the stomach, dealing critical damage to where it had to stop moving around "Garland, are you alright!?" IF runs up to me looking concerned. I just give a huff.

"Oh please, I took far harsher damage from that kidnapper. . ." I told her. I released my hold on Compa, who was both flustered and shocked "My apologies Compa, that was the only thing I could think up at the moment. . ."

Compa sighs "It's fine Ga Ga, I'm just glad you're fine"

I nodded at her, then looked to the Whale "Let's finish it off and get out of here"

"Sounds like a good idea" IF said.

"Yes, lets go. That was scary" Compa says, hugging her giant needle. IF and I decided to combine our attacks (Me using the rifle as a melee weapon) and end the creature. Once we were sure it was blown to data, we all made our way back to the Guild in Leanbox with our finished quests. IF and Compa gave me 15% of their credits earned, which gave me about 50000 credits to work with. Before I left though, Compa wanted to patch me up.

"Compa, you don't have to do this. You know that?" I told her, feeling awkward since I had to remove my shirt to be bandaged.

"You got hurt because of me, so I'm gonna make sure you're in tip top shape" she says, wrapping the bandages around my chest.

IF observes the scene from the wall adjacent from us "I have to thank you again Garland. If it wasn't for that action you took, Compa would be in terrible condition"

"Uh huh, that was quite chivalrous of you Ga Ga" Compa tells me.

'S-Stop it you two. It's already embarrassing enough that I'm sitting here shirtless. . . All these thanks are making me blush again" I said, turning red from the gratitude. Once I felt Compa get done with the procedure, I quickly put my shirt back on "W-Well, I better get back to the Basilicom. I will see you two later" I give them a quick two-finger salute, then walked out.

Compa watches me leave before turning to her friend "Hey Iffy. . ." IF looks at the nurse.

"What is it Compa?" She asks.

"Do you have any clues about Ga Ga's age?" IF was taken aback from the sudden out-of-character question her friend just asked.

"I think he's around our age, I'm not too sure. . ." IF says, scratching her chin.

Random Fic-based Info: In this story IF and Compa are 20. Garland's age is 22.

During this time, I'm walking back to the Basilicom. I was walking past a book (manga) store which caught my eye. I decided to stop in there for a bit to see if there was anything I could buy as a gift for everyone, or certain individuals. I was browsing around until I came across a small shelf of accessories like key-chains and mascots. I looked throughout the shelf until I came across a. . . Plushie? The plushie seemed to be in similar design as Nepgear.

"Hmm. . . I don't know if I should or not. . ." I stood there holding the plush, contemplating. I then let out a sigh "Oh, why not. She loves Nepgear, so this should be a surprise. Huh?" I noticed something out of the corner of my eye. It was a key-chain accessory that looked like a chibi Vert. I squinted at it before grabbing it and taking my items to the counter "Can I get some wrapping paper and some boxes if you have any?" I asked.

"Yes we do. That'll be 1500 credits, sir" the clerk tells me. I take out the necessary change and walked out of the store. I walked to a nearby bench and started wrapping the items up in their respective boxes. Once I got the last bit of paper on them, I held them out to look at my work "Eh, needs work" I said, before looking up at the sky "I need to head back now. Vert's probably wondering what's taking me so long" I put away the gifts and made my way back to the Basilicom. When I entered, Vert was standing there tapping her foot. She doesn't look too happy. . .

"Hello Garland. Will you please explain why you didn't contact me about being late?" She asks me with a serious look.

"My apologies. . . I went to complete quests with IF and Compa and sorta got hit" I told her, hiding the part about buying the gifts.

She raises an eyebrow at me "Are you sure?" I nod silently. With that, she lets out a sigh "Just remember to call me if you happen to be late, okay? I nearly went out looking for you" she said, before walking off.

I let out my own sigh as I walked through the Basilcom. I had to walk past the kiosk Chika uses for work, which I normally speed walk past. But today, I decided to take my time "Chika. . ." I said in a monotone voice and her head snaps upwards towards me.

"Oh, it's just you. What do you want?" She asks, not really interested until she saw a small wrapped up box land on the kiosk "H-Huh? What is this, a joke?"

"It's your Christmas gift, no duh" I told her "I went out of my way to buy that"

Chika looks at me then back to the box "Can I. . ."

"Open it? Yes" I said. Chika looks up at me, then proceeded to unwrap the box and open it to. . .

"What? An accessory that looks like my Dear Vert?!" She looks shocked "I. . . Th. . ."

"Keep your thanks. I honestly don't want it" I told her, which she looked kinda hurt by it "It will probably be a long time till I can fully forgive and or, trust you as a friend. I'm sorry, but I had to tell you" I turned away from her "It pains me to say that" then left her there looking at me.

The next day, I informed Vert that I was traveling to Lowee, Planeptune, then Lastation. She insisted that she goes in my place, but I declined it. I'm currently trying to get my current mission done.

"So, tomorrow is Christmas. I need to get this done quickly" I told myself out loud while riding the trolley(?) system. I was getting some stares, probably from the Metal Dogoo sleeping on my shoulder. I just ignored them for the whole ride. Once we stopped in Lowee, I made it top priority not to get seen by Rom and Ram while looking into the different bookstores dotting the area. I know that Rom loves reading picture books, while Ram likes. . . heavy books as a blunt weapon. . . So maybe I should find a. . . Ah ha! A giant picture book of "Gamindusti Fairy Tales"! I never heard about it or heard of any tales, but I know they both will find it interesting. I picked up the book. . . It's kinda heavy, and decided to look around the store more until I spotted a story called "A Young Swordsman: Tale of the Goddesses. Story 1". This piqued my interest, so I set the big book down then grabbed the story. It was a fictional story about a swordsman who fought alongside an amnesiac Goddess. I think this would be a good choice to give to Blanc, I think. I took the two books up and purchased them. Four down, seven to go if my numbers correct. So I believe my next stop is Planeptune, let's go and hit the station. I made my way through Lowee to its trolley(?) station to catch the earliest ride I could purchase a ticket.

"You're just in time, sir. The ride to Planeptune is departing in a few minutes" the receptionist told me, pointing to the second nearest platform. I gave them a nod before walking to said platform to wait for the cue to board. After five minutes, everyone who was waiting were given the signal to get on. Once the attendants checked everything, the trolley(?) whizzed out of the station to Planeptune. As I waited, Meta woke up from his little nap and yipped for my attention. Some people jumped at the sudden outburst and realizing. . .

"M-Monster!" "Get it away!" was all I was hearing around me. I looked at Meta to see that he wore a sad expression, poor thing. I was about to speak when one of the conductors walked up to me.

"Excuse me sir, but do you know about the monster on your shoulder?" he asked, which kinda pissed me off.

"For your information, Meta isn't a monster. He's my companion since he's only a pup" I was explaining.

"That 'Meta' of yours is disturbing the passengers. I ask that you either hand him over, or. . ."

"Like hell I would!" I said, hugging the Dogoo close "Who knows what you will do to him" this made the conductor mad.

"Why you. . ." he was about to say, until the car pulled into the station in Planeptune.

I gave the man a glare before pushing past him "Great, that asshole has pissed me off. . ." I muttered, rubbing the pup "What a way to continue today. . . Before Christmas" I let out a sigh and decided to go find the pudding store that Neptune loved so much. It didn't take too long thankfully since it was a couple blocks away. Once I located it, I was about to walk into it when. . .

"Ga Ga!" I heard the voice of a familiar nurse. I turned around to find IF and Compa walking towards me.

"Let me guess. . ." I was about to say.

"Neptune" us three said in unison. We shared a laugh at that.

"Well, shall we get what we need?" IF says. Compa and I nodded and we followed IF into the store. We were instantly recognized by the shopkeeper thanks to Neptune's frequent visits.

"Well, what brings you three in today?" they asked, with a touch of sarcasm.

"We would like to buy some of your best pudding, sir" Compa says "It's for Nep Nep"

"Alright, let me get them ready" the shopkeeper walks to the back of the store. After ten minutes, he emerges from the back with a big box with the kanji for pudding written on the side "There you all go, this store's most prized pudding. Just made for the Goddess"

"Thanks!" IF and I started reaching for our wallets until the shopkeeper stopped us.

"No need for that you three. Think of this as my gift to you for keeping our Goddess happy and safe" he says, handing me the box.

"Yay, thank you mister! Nep Nep will love this!" Compa cheers.

"Alright Garland, let's get our gift for Neptune to Compa's place. Compa, lead the way" IF says to us.

"Yep Yeppy Iffy!" Compa said cheerfully and started walking off with IF and I in tow. It took a bit since Compa's place was almost on the other side of Planeptune, but we made it nonetheless. Compa goes and unlocks the door and opens it for me. I give her a short nod then walked in with IF following behind then Compa closing behind us "Thank you for carrying that. Just set it in the kitchen Ga Ga, I can take care of putting it away"

I walk into the kitchen and set the big pudding box down on the counter. I gave my arms a good stretch since it had to be carried all this way, but it felt nice to help out "So IF, this is from you, Compa and I, right?" I ask her. IF nods.

"Of course, I think Nep would be happy to hear that you went out of your way to not only help us, but to get her pudding along with us" IF explains. I looked astonished.

"Iffy was prepared when we saw you by the store" Compa says, walking up to me with her hands behind her back "Also Ga Ga, I have something I got you!" My eyebrows raise in curiosity.

"Oh, really? I wasn't expecting anything when I got here to be honest" I said, rubbing the back of my head.

"I wouldn't say that Garland. Compa and I had to think hard for this. Compa. . ." IF says, looking at her friend. Compa nods back to IF in confirmation before turning back to me, bring out what was behind her back.

"Merry Christmas Ga Ga! Even though it's not Christmas, we know that you would be busy tomorrow with everyone. So we're giving ours early" Compa says, looking quite happy with herself with the present. I took the gift "Go ahead Ga Ga, open it!"

I sit down for a bit to open it up to "A. . . A wristband and a phone accessory?" I look at the two gifts. The wristband was white with the same symbol that Compa has on her first aide kit, while the accessory was in the shape of an exclamation point colored blue with black and white trim around the edges "This is thoughtful of you two! Thank you!"

Compa looks at me with a very content and happy look "I'm glad you like them Ga Ga"

"Good to know Garland. I honestly didn't know what to get you" IF said.

"I appreciate it nonetheless" I said, then looked at the time "Oh shoot, I need to get going! It was great talking with you two again and thanks for the help!" I said, heading to the door and leaving quickly with Compa raising her hand towards the closing door.

"Ah, he got away. . ."

"Don't worry Compa, he has other things to do. We'll see him soon anyway. Right, author?" IF turns towards. . .

"Whoa, whoa, whoa IF! There is no need to be breaking the fourth wall. This is a Christmas special!"

I'm seen running through the streets ignoring my shin splint, making a beeline for the station. I checked the position of the sun for the time "It's a quarter past two. I need to have enough time to get back" I finally made it with a mild throbbing in my leg. I went to the counter quickly to get my ticket and embark to Lastation. Once I got on, I sat down and started rubbing my leg "Damn, I need to stop doing that"

"Hey brat, your leg being weird?" I heard someone ask me.

I look up chuckling "No no, it's just a. . ." I opened my eyes.

"AH, it's you!" Linda and I yelled, pointing at each other.

"Crap, why did I have to run into this dumbass of all places!?" Linda asked, sounding pissed.

"Hey, how did you know?" I asked her half-jokingly, which she did a doubletake at.

"W-Wait, did you just. . . Agree with me?" she asked. I nodded at her.

"I mean, where I came from I was a bit of a numbskull" I rub my head. Linda surprisingly loosens her stance at this.

"Wow, I never had anyone agree with me before! All that happens to me is getting ordered around or my ideas get overlooked" she explained, sitting next to me! I scoot a little bit away "Oh come on, I'm not going to do anything. Are you still sore from that time?" I nodded.

"Yeah, you and your boss almost killed me, but you two put me in a coma" I told her. Meta was asleep once more during this.

"Well, you're not dead now. So why keep looking back on it?" She tells me. I'm looking at her very confused right now.

"Umm, why are you of all people telling me that?" I asked, raising an eyebrow "Aren't we enemies?"

"I know, but that doesn't mean we can talk when none of our colleagues are around" Eh, she does have a bit of a point. After that I don't know why, but we both decided to make small talk for the remainder of the trip. Turns out that she's just a grunt or an "Underling" by everyone and I told her about Meta and my position in life. As this was going on, the car arrived in Lastation. Linda and I walked out of the station and went our separate ways "Well, see you later Garland!"

"Uh, same here" I awkwardly waved at her "I was not expecting that. . ." I shook off my thoughts and left the station

"Dogoooo?" Meta said groggily, I rub the pup behind his ear.

"We have a few more things to get Meta and we can go home" I told the Dogoo. I decided to cut the talk and start looking for gifts. I walked through the suburban area of Lastation since it had the most shops. I stopped at a model mecha shop to see what kind of things they had. I noticed they all came in all shapes and sizes from tanks to Damgun models. I saw a certain Mech that looked to be inspired by Planeptune's Nep Tower in a way. I looked at the box to find the description to find in bold purple "Inspired by Purple Sister", and I couldn't help but laugh. I grabbed it and nearly choked on my spit "Th-Thirty-thousand credits!?" I checked the amount of credits I had. I had about forty-thousand five hundred left thankfully "You know what, I'll get it. She definitely will like this" I headed to the counter to make my payment, leaving me with ten-thousand five hundred to work with now. Shoot.

I placed the model in my inventory and walked around some more. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a weapon mod depot and instantly was reminded of Uni. I remember her saying how she was looking at an MK2 High-powered Scope with infrared and hi-definition zoom. And what do you know, there's one right there! I walked up to it and inspected the. . . Sixty-thousand credits. . .

"I see you have interest in this scope, eh?" the clerk says, walking over.

I let out a sigh "Yeah. . . I'm way short on cash though, but I really want to get this" I just made a mistake saying that. . .

"Really kid? Well, I could give it to you if you do me a quick favor" they said. I'm going to regret this.

"Alright, what do you have for me?" I asked.

"Well. . ." they were about to explain.

"Ugh, why did I have to open my big mouth?" I asked myself, walking along a mountain path. I was told that there was a monster that was disrupting supply caravans. The clerk told me that the monster would be easy to notice, but I haven't seen anything out of the ordinary yet. Until I felt the ground shake and an Ancient Dragon appears. . . Great.

The dragon was looking around till it saw me and roared. I got my rifle out and prepped it for any actions it would make, which it started stomping towards me.

"Let's go!" I yelled, running forward while Meta jumped off. The dragon takes a swipe at me, which I ducked under then fired a couple shots at its face. The beast reeled back in pain, then tried a stomp attack that also got dodged. I proceeded to land a few jabs on its legs, which was doing average damage until it flew up and away from me. It landed not too far from my position, then spun around lashing its tail out. I ducked under the first strike, but I could feel the power behind it. If I got hit by one of those, I could be in trouble. As I was doing this, I wasn't watching out for the redirection and the claw of the dragon. It not only nailed a critical hit, it sent me skidding a good couple feet.

"Dog Dogoo!" Meta bounces up to me, looking worried.

"This. . . Is nothing" I grinned at the pup. I tried walking forward to feel my leg pulse with pain "Ow, why now of all times!" I limped a bit in place. I noticed a bright light out of the corner of my eye when I noticed the Ancient Dragon was conjuring an attack "Meta, move!" Meta swiftly jumped to the side while I dove out of the way of the oncoming attack. Dang, that was powerful!

"Wow, you really are a moron" I heard a familiar voice say, seeing Linda walking up beside me.

"L-Linda? What are you doing here!?" I asked her.

"You're a real dumbass for taking that person's request, you know" she said, I wince at that "But, I saw how desperate you looked when you saw that piece of junk. So I decided to follow you here to find you way out of league. Ancient Dragons are meant to be fought with others, so. . ." Linda brings out her pipe "Let's teach this lizard a thing or two!" I looked utterly shocked at her, but regained my composure and got into a stance.

"I'll give you cover fire from here, you go in!" I told her, firing off a couple rounds.

"Don't tell me what to do!" she yells back at me, running up and bashing the dragon in the knee. The dragon kneels at this. Damn, if she could make a dragon kneel, then just think what she would've done if she bashed my head that hard! "Garland, aim for its head while I have it down!" I heard Linda call to me while bashing its arm.

I took aim "Meta!" The pup took no time at all to get loaded "Metal Slugger!" I fired the shot that ripped apart the dragon's head, disintegrating it into data. I breathe a sigh of relief.

"See, we made short work of that overgrown lizard" Linda remarked, walking up with her pipe on her shoulder.

"Yeah, we did" I pondered for a second "Hey, how did you know I was at that shop?"

Linda kinda jumped at the question "Oh. . . Well, I was in the area when I saw you in there. That's all" I raised an eyebrow, but I decided to leave it that.

"Alright, lets get back before anymore show up" I said, picking up Meta and walking back to Lastation with Linda in tow.

"Thank you very much kid for taking care of that monster. I hope it wasn't too much trouble for ya" the clerk said.

I shake my head "It put up a fight, but it was taken care of" I told him. The clerk smiles, then reaches into the case.

"Here you go as promised, just give me half of your credits and call it even" they were explaining.

"Hey bub!" Linda says to the clerk "He took on an enemy that normally takes two or more people to kill by himself. Cut the guy some slack!" I blinked at her explaination.

The clerk looked conflicted from Linda's sudden outburst, then sighed "Fine. . . Since your friend here said that, here you go" he hands me the scope.

"Thank you sir!" I said, then walked out of the store.

"You're welcome. . ."

I placed the gift in my inventory, then looked at Linda "Why did you butt in like that Linda? You helped me with that request"

"People like him are always finding ways to get money. If I wasn't there, he would've broke that promise by what he asked you to do" Linda explained "Trust me, I deal with bozos like him all the time"

I nod at her "Alright, thanks for helping me out there. Is there something you want? I can treat you to a bite to eat" I told her. She holds her hand up in a stop position.

"I will ask you to stop right there. I only did that because you nearly got yourself another trip to the hospital. Keep to yourself, got it?" Linda tells me "If this is all, I will be leaving now" she says, then walks down an alley. After I saw her leave, I decided to walk to the station when someone stopped me.

"Heeey mister, can I taaake some of your time?" the girl asked me.

I stop in front of her. She has a weird way of speaking "Umm, sure"

"Yaaay! So, are you buying things fooor your friends?" she asks me.

"Yeah, I am. It's for tomorrow" I told her, she giggles lightly.

"Gooood, because I have something you can give to someone close to you" She reaches behind her to pull out. . . A plushie? Of me!?

"U-Umm. . ." I tried getting out "That's cute and all. . ."

"Thaaank you~!"

"But, how do you know about me?" I asked her.

She giggles again and places a finger over her lips "It's a seeecret~" Once she said that, she hands me the plush "Here you goooo. Taaake care now" She gives me a wave, then walks off. I looked at the plushie of me, who was dressed in ACUs

"Oh what the hell. . ." I said, then placed it in my inventory "I got a quick few things to grab. I can do that off-screen during the transition"

"Will you stop it!?"

I spent the whole night in Leanbox wrapping up all the presents I got for everyone. I'm not very good at wrapping, but I tried my best. Before long, it was time for Vert and I to head for Planeptune for the party. I placed all the gifts in my inventory along with my rifle and walked to where Green Heart was waiting for me.

"Are you ready to go, Garland?" She asks me.

I nodded in confirmation "I'm ready to go"

"Alright" Green Heart walks up to me and picks me up. . . Bridal style again.

"V-Vert!?" I yelled. She laughs.

"My apologies Garland, it's just fun hearing your reaction" Vert tells me, then flies off to Planeptune. Thankfully, it didn't take too long to get there. Once we touched down in front of the Basilicom, Vert reverted back to her human form and we both walked inside. When we entered the living area, it looked like everyone wasn't here yet besides the Planeptune residents. Neptune saw us and waved.

"Vert, Garly! Glad you two made it!" she calls to us "So, whatcha get me?"

I walked over to her and wagged my finger in front of her "Ah ah Neptune. That's coming later" I looked over at IF and Compa winking, which both gave me a nod and a thumbs up (IF). Histoire took this time to float towards me.

"Hello Garland, it has been a while since we've last spoken face-to-face" she greets me with a smile.

"Indeed it has. Where should I place the gifts dow?" I asked her, giving her my own smile.

"Just place what you brought over by IF and Compa's" the Oracle says, showing me where IF and Compa placed their gift. I started getting the gifts out of my inventory, which everyone present looks at surprised. Although, I kept one.

"Wow Ga Ga, you came prepared!" Compa says, looking at the bundle of gifts I have.

I rubbed the back of my head "Yeah, I kinda went overboard with it"

"Oh my goodness Garland, you went all out for this" Nepgear says, walking in from the kitchen area. Her N-Pad started to ring and she picked it up "Hey Uni, Rom, Ram. . . Uh huh, Vert and Garland are here already" she falls silent for a while to listen to her fellow candidates, then nods "Alright, you just need to walk in. See you then" Nepgear touches the screen then pockets the N-Pad "They just arrived in Planeptune. I told them to just walk in" as if on cue, the remaining CPUs and their sisters enter.

"Sorry we're late" Blanc says, placing some gifts beside the present ones.

"Wow Rom, look at all the presents!" Ram says, pointing to the pile.

"Uh huh. . ." Rom nods.

"I also have to apologize too. Uni forgot something and rushed out last minute" Noire explains.

"H-Hey!" Uni says, looking at her sister "But yeah, that one was my bad"

"Well, it looks like everyone is present" Histoire spoke up. Everyone turned their attention to the book fairy "Now that I got your attention, I would like to thank you all for coming once more. And of course we have a special guest with us that you all came to know, PFC Garland" everyone clapped, and I couldn't hide the red that decorated my face. Which Neptune laughs at "Now, we may have more people this time, that doesn't change the outlook for us. With that said, let us enjoy ourselves today!"

"Yeah!" we all cheered. After that, everyone gathered around where the presents were. The others got their gifts distributed, leaving all of mine.

"I have to say, I'm quite impressed Garland" Blanc tells me "Getting these gifts in such short notice"

"It was nothing. I just thought I had a lot to owe you all for letting me stay" I said, picking up two gifts "And first off, for you Blanc. And here you go Rom and Ram" I handed them their respective presents and they opened them.

""A Young Swordsman: Tale of the Goddesses " by Arc Eusochos. And it's the first issue. I will give it a read, thank you" Blanc tells me.

"Yay, a new picture book! " Rom says looking happy.

"This book will be perfect to prank Neptune!" Ram exclaims. I could've sworn that I felt a certain CPU cringe.

"Hey Garly, where's mine? I can't wait to see what you've gotten me!" Neptune comes up to me with sparkling eyes.

"Oh yeah, about your present Neptune. . ." I was explaining, then turned to IF and Compa.

"Ga Ga, Iffy and I all got together to get your gift, Nep Nep" Compa says. Neptune's eyes sparkled even more, I think I might need sunglasses.

"Oh, you three shouldn't have. So, what is it?" she asks, looking at the wrapped box.

"Open it and find out" IF told her. Neptune took this as her cue to rip into it like a beast. She finally gets the box open to see all the pudding we got her.

Her eyes water at the sight "It's. . . It's beautiful! And it's all for me?" the three of us nod, and Neptune throws her hands up in the air and cheers "This is the best gift ever. Second to Nep Jr. that is"

"Ah, that reminds me. Nepgear. . ." I walked up to her with the gift I got her "Here you go" Nepgear jumped a bit, then got all flustered.

"G-Goodness, you didn't have to go out of your way to get me something. . ." she said, twiddling her index fingers.

"Well, I did. Now here you go" I said holding it out. She took the gift and opened it up.

"What the goodness, a mech model of Nep Tower! They used my idea!" Nepgear hugs the box.

"Glad you like it. Well, let me hand out the rest of them" I stated. I walked around and gave Vert, Compa, IF, and Noire the gifts I got them. Vert loved the plush I gave her, since she instantly hugged it tight. I could only think of a nurse's headress for Compa with the design she has on, which she also liked. IF was hard to think on what to get, so I could only find a Planeptune themed phone strap. I felt bad for it, but she told me it was alright. For Noire, I got her a Lastation-themed school uniform based of the "Suzu Haru" manga. She pulled her tsundere card, but I could tell she liked it. And now, the last one is. . .

"Hey Garland. . ." Uni walks up to me with her hands behind her back "I'm sorry, it isn't much. But. . ." she holds out a box with just a ribbon on it "Here is your gift" she looks away.

"Oh, thank you Uni. I was about to give you yours myself" I told her, bringing out her present. We both exchanged them "Well Uni, you go first" I told her, my face turning a slight red.

Uni unwrapped the box and opened it. She pulled out the plush me, who was holding onto the scope "Is. . . Is that you a-and. . .?"

"Yeah. . . The MK2 Scope you were talking about" I said, scratching my cheek "I found it and just had to get it for. . . UGH!?" I was met with a bear hug. Holy crap, her grip is like iron! during this, I could've sworn I felt a glare from somewhere, but I just shook it off.

"Thank you Garland! Thank you! I never thought I would get it. Now I feel kinda bad about my gift. . ." I heard Uni say.

"Eh, what do you mean?" I asked her. I took the box and opened it to a. . . Uni plush? It appeared to also be holding a pendant that looked like her headpieces.

"I know, it's nothing special. . ." Uni said, sounding depressed until she felt me return the hug "H-Huh?"

"Thanks Uni, I really like it" I told her. I felt her give out a sigh.

"I'm. . . Glad you like it" Uni said, before breaking the hug.

It took a couple more minutes after that to get the rest sorted out. Once that was done, we all sat down for a feast.

"Whew, that was fun" I said, sounding tired. Vert and I were returning to Leanbox after the long day of gift exchanging and partying.

"I agree, but I enjoyed it" Green Heart said "And once more, thank you for the gift"

It was nothing Vert" I told "Although, it's probably not enough for that save back then"

She giggled at that comment "Who knows. Anyway, I'm picking up speed"

I nod at Vert "Go ahead" And with that, we blasted off again to rest up.

Authors Notes:

Happy belated Christmas. This was meant to be released on the 25th, but things got in the way.

"That suuure was fuuun"

So Plutia, why did you interfere?

"I wanted those twooo to have those. And whaaat better way than to give each other themselves to give to the other"

Clever, very clever. And so ends the Christmas special "A Dimensional Christmas"! Hope you all enjoyed it. Now, time to continue with the real story.