Gift From An Apprentice Santa

Gift From An Apprentice Santa is the first Christmas event and first overall event released for Tokyo Afterschool Summoners. It first released in 2016, and was re-released in 2018. It was first translated in English and Traditional Chinese in its 2018 re-release.

Synopsis

Yule wants to demonstrate his worth as a Santa rather than a Reindeer for Santa School, and so is tested by Ded with a present delivery run.

E1 The Reindeer on the Floor

Yule steals Ded's Sack Sacred Artifact and runs into the Summoners at Shinjuku Station. They battle against the D-Elves that chased Yule. Ded then confronts them and asks for his Sack back. Yule objects due to his desire to be a Santa despite being shoehorned into a reindeer position. Ryota supports Yule's interest, vouching to let a reindeer be a Santa this year. Ded asserts that it is important to hold up convention for the sake of the children who expect Santa to appear in a certain way. He continues saying Santas and reindeer are complementary, and concludes reindeers cannot become Santas. Ryota then volunteers to take the Santa position decoratively, while delegating the actual Santa tasks of delivering Christmas Eve Gifts to Yule, which Ded and Yule allow.

E2 Apprentice Santa Takes to the Sky

Ryota, Yule, and the Protagonist go to see Ded at his office. Ded dresses Ryota up in Santa gear, tells Yule not to slack on his Reindeering as he plays a Santa, and sends them off. They take off to the sky with Yule's Sleigh Sacred Artifact, and are attacked by more D-Elves. As D-Elves are known as Santa's little helpers, Yule is shaken up by thinking they don't see him as a Santa either.

E3 Enter! Chivalrous Blue Robber

In the Asakusa area, Yule finds a house with two babies but no chimney. As the trio discuss their options, Jiraiya interrupts, determining them to be thieves, and battles with them. Just as he is about to use his Sacred Artifact, Motosumi beats down Jiraiya for waking his children. Yule uses Ded's Sack to retrieve the babies some presents, then leaves in a hurry to continue his delivery run. Jiraiya criticizes Yule as a Santa for his lack of pizzazz before leaving. Yule continues to psyche himself up that he can prove to be a Santa.

E4 Adventures of an Inexperienced Santa

The trio stop at the home of Alice in the Ikebukuro area. They attempt to deliver her gift, but she refuses and turns them away, calling Ryota and Yule Santa imposters. She uses her Bunny Plush Sacred Artifact to make them forget about their eviction. The trio decide to return to her house later, and deliver gifts at the Ikebukuro Collosseum. Snow guides them to an arena where Ikutoshi and Kagutsuchi await. Ikutoshi indicates he kept his promise last year with Ded of not fighting with Kagutsuchi, in exchange for a rematch. The children battle the trio, but give up realizing they aren't taking the fight seriously. They refuse Yule's presents. Yule starts vocally doubting his ability to be a Santa with three children refusing his gifts, but Ryota and the Protagonist reassure him to do what he wants.

E5 The Present

The trio's next stop is the Tokyo Slums. Yule's Sleigh is brought down by Ghosts who are after Yule's Sack. Yule controls his Sleigh to rescue Ryota and the Protagonist, and takes his Sack further in the slums to find his next child. The scene shifts to a flashback of Yule eagerly waiting for Santa on Christmas Eve as he's bedridden. His loathing for Christmas and Santa rises in his loneliness. Yule wakes up, apparently having collapsed, to the Ryota and the Protagonist as well as Barguest and Kenta. Barguest indicates he used his Sacred Artifact to take the worst of Yule's buried grudges into himself. He also indicates he had summoned the Ghosts himself to feed their grudges to Kenta's familiar Inugami. Kenta, who seems interested in Yule's Sleigh, receives some food from Yule for his dog Inugami. As the trio leaves, Yule starts doubting if what they've been doing, delivering presents, is all what it takes to be a Santa.

E6 Santa Claus

Even though Yule delivered some presents, he feels he isn't being the Santa he wants to be. Jiraiya appears and declares himself, the chivalrous thief, to be more of a hero than Santa. Yule protests that Santas are the greatest heroes to children, but Jiraiya doubts his words due to his inability to smile while saying it. Yule snaps, and Jiraiya invites him to battle. Their battle causes Yule's Sleigh to crash near Motosumi's home again. Motosumi shows the trio the babies, who have been smiling since they received their gifts. Yule bawls at their smiles, and Jiraiya then confronts Yule on how heroes aren't just package deliverers, and how a Santa seek the smiles of children and should smile themselves as heroes.

Yule's flashback continues where it left off. He sees Ded, who asks him for what he wants. Yule didn't want any presents, but rather someone to spend time with and to not be alone. As Ded and his reindeer told Yule stories, Yule makes a smile, which Ded points as the greatest treasure in the world. Yule then hoped to bring smiles to other's faces just like Santa did.

The trio return to Tokyo Slums to give Kenta and Inugami a ride on their Sleigh. Kenta smiles as he and Inugami look down at the Tokyo. Yule realizes that, regardless of being a Santa or a Reindeer, he wanted to bring joy to children. Ded appears and congratulates his realization, then begins discloses his grading. Yule's performance in gift delivery, dealing with the D-Elves Ded sent out, and keeping any guise of stealth were unsatisfactory. Although Yule had received a failing grade, Ded consoled him with his Post Box Sacred Artifact of a single Letter of Thanks to the Saint from Kenta. Yule expresses his gratitude to the Ryota and the Protagonist for their reassurance.

E7 The Regretful Present

Yule regrets being unable to deliver some presents, but the Progatonist encourages him to try again and Ded apparently reverses time in Tokyo to delay the bedtime of children.

Yule returns to Alice's and attempts to join her for tea, but Alice declines due to the sweets being quite spicy and unfit for a fur-covered Transient. However, she invites him over for next year with better-prepared tea goods, and accepts the present Yule had ready for her. Ded then joins her for her tea which she had prepared for him.

The trio return to Ikebukuro Colloseum, where they begin a real spar with Ikutoshi and Kagutsuchi. The children eventually collapse after a tough battle, and Snow invites Yule to see the smiles on their sleeping faces while taking his gifts for them for later.

Scene shifts to Ded thanking Jiraiya for his services to act as obstacle with the D-Elves. Jiraiya asks what he thinks of Yule's suitability as a Santa, and Ded says although he is able he cannot say anything about if it would make him happy. He continues saying that although Yule has the passion, he doesn't have the talent to be a Santa, and Yule will face hardship and adversity he doesn't need to face, and would prefer him stay a Reindeer to avoid that pain. Jiraiya then points out that Ded is Yule's hero, and that it is his choice to become like him, regardless of the pain that comes with it. He says Ded isn't wrong about choosing a less difficult path, but that, for himself, he didn't want to lead that life and chose to be a chivalrous thief. Ded asks if he is happy, and Jiraiya says despite the difficulties he is. Ded takes the words to heart. Ded then says he's glad he was the chivalrous thief he came across in their district, alluding to a less-than-pleasant run-in with another Santa and another chivalrous thief ( Goemon). He also refers to another old friend that was a more eccentric Santa. Ded then turns into Dark Ded, and begins his final battle with the trio.

In some unidentified location, Ded talks with the Protagonist. He refers to Ryota and himself, who share the Role of the Paladin, as those who were born under a star to make other people happy and gain happiness in doing so. While Ryota is suitable to be a Santa, he would not want to be one due to his attachment in his current school with someone, implied to be the Protagonist. The Protagonist asks if they're cut out to be a Santa, to which Ded flatly denies, due to them being born under a star that moves them to separate, referring to their Rule of Rendering. They set out to dismantle toxic bonds to bring people joy, giving Yule and his separation from his mental baggage as an example. He also refers to their existence as one of constantly looking for a home, alluding to their Role of the Wanderer. Ded is reminded of his old friend by them, and, like to his old friend, he can only want to reach out to them but cannot actually do so. He then admits he came to talk to impart those feelings as a goodbye gift, and asserts they both do not share a bond that would destine their reunion, which he can see as Fey Folk. He does concede, however, that in Tokyo, bonds may be created where they did not exist in the first place, so they may meet again. He then makes a final wish the Protagonist remembers them, even if only one day a year, a Santa who only seeks their happiness.