Chapter 42 – Dashing Through the Snow with Joy
It was the night of the third day of the new year.
As dusk settled, the sky started to look ominous, and by the time the sun had set, white flakes began to quietly spill down. The snow that fell was heavier and larger than what we had seen before—a sign that it was botan-yuki, the large, fluffy snowflakes that fall softly like peony petals.
「Looks like this might actually accumulate.」
I muttered, gazing out the sliding window that opened to the veranda.
「Yes, it seems so. It’s going to be a cold night. I wonder how much snow will pile up.」
Mother said, gently touching her cheek with a thoughtful expression.
「Do you think Mint will be okay?」
「Of course. Unlike us humans, Mint is far more resilient to both heat and cold.」
「I’m more worried about her getting buried in the snow, not just the temperature.」
「Hmm, well, I think Sui-kun’s barrier should work as intended…」
「So, just our house would have less snow piling up?」
Even as I asked, I had a feeling that would be the case.
「Well, if Mint does get too cold, she’ll come back inside. Just in case, let’s leave the heater on in the living room while we sleep.」
「Good idea.」
As we talked, the garden outside gradually became covered in a thin layer of white. It was clear this snow was going to stick, but there wasn’t much we could do about it at the moment. So, slightly worried but deciding to turn in early, we went to bed.
The next morning, we were awakened by the overly enthusiastic barking of Chocola outside.
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「Barrrkkk! Bark bark bark bark! Barrrkkk!」
「Hahaha! Shocola, all white!」
It was barely dawn, but the energy outside was at full throttle.
Awakened by the playful noise, I groggily stepped out onto the balcony and looked down at the garden. Everything was blanketed in white, and in the midst of it all, Chocola was bounding around, excitedly barking, with Mint laughing and playing alongside him.
「Sui! Sui, good morning! Look, snow, so much!」
「Awooo! Bark bark bark bark!」
「Yeah, it’s pretty amazing. Your excitement is pretty amazing too…」
I leaned out over the balcony to check the roof. Thankfully, it didn’t look like any snow was about to come crashing down.
「It seems like my barrier is working after all.」
Beyond the boundary of our yard, the snow was significantly deeper. There was a clear difference in the snow levels on either side of the block wall surrounding our property—our yard was noticeably lower by a significant margin.
Heading back inside, I put on a windbreaker, then stepped out the front door.
I was glad I had opted for boots instead of sandals because the moment I stepped into the yard, my feet sank deeply into the snow.
「Ten… maybe fifteen centimeters?」
In Japan, this would have been considered a heavy snowfall.
However—
「Sui! Play together?」
「Bark bark bark bark!」
「I’d love to join, but let me check around the house first, okay?」
「Uuu!」
I made my way to the edge of the garden, where the block wall stood.
The snow on the other side wasn’t just a little deeper.
「Whoa… How is the wall still standing?」
The snow beyond our yard had piled up to an astonishing depth—at least a meter, if not more. The sheer amount of it made going out seem impossible.
「Without the barrier, we would’ve had a meter of snow here too. Thanks to it, we only got about fifteen centimeters. Looks like I won’t need to worry about shoveling the roof either.」
Feeling reassured, I decided to check on Pochi and headed toward the back of the house. Mint and Chocola followed me, still bouncing around in the snow.
The pasture, like the garden, had turned into a vast white landscape.
「It looks about the same as the garden, maybe a little higher.」
「Bark!」
Chocola sprinted full throttle into the shimmering white landscape. He was completely hyped up, probably because of the Siberian Husky blood in his veins. Come to think of it, even back in Japan, whenever snow fell, he would get this energetic.
Now that we have a much bigger yard, his excitement was even higher. Perhaps in the past, he had been holding back a bit.
「Mint, let’s go say good morning to Pochi together.」
「Uuuu! But… Pochi alright? Not shivering?」
「He should be fine. We’ve got the stove running for him.」
In preparation for winter, we’d made quite a few upgrades to Pochi’s stable. We sealed off the cracks to keep out the cold drafts, and we installed a wood stove.
The stove was an outdoor model that my dad had stashed in the shed. It was originally designed to double as a heater during winter, making it perfect for the job. Of course, we extended the chimney to vent outside, so no carbon dioxide would build up inside the stable.
The stove didn’t generate enough heat to warm the whole stable, but that wasn’t a problem. After all, Tarasques, like Pochi, are creatures that live in the wild, built to withstand harsh conditions. All we needed was enough warmth to keep things from getting too cold.
「Pochi, good morning! How are you? Not too cold, I hope?」
I removed the board we had leaned against the door and lifted the shutter to enter. The wood in the stove had turned into embers but hadn’t fully burned out yet.
「It’s definitely warmer in here than outside.」
「Kyu… kyururururu!」
Pochi sluggishly rose from his bed and poked his head out to greet us.
「Glad to see you’re doing well.」
「Kyururu!」
「Good morning, Pochi! Hug!」
Mint ran over and wrapped her arms around one of Pochi’s massive legs.
「Warm! Pochi, not cold!」
「That’s a relief.」
I gave Pochi a pat on the nose, and he squinted his eyes in contentment. However, it seemed he wasn’t in a hurry to go outside. Whether it was because he wasn’t fond of the cold or he was still sleepy, he curled back up on his bed of straw.
「If this weather gets any worse, we might need to make more adjustments. Maybe set up dividers to retain more heat or ask mother to cast a spell to prevent the heat from escaping.」
「For now, we’ll just keep an eye on things.」
「Kyururu….」
「Still sleepy, huh? That’s fine, you can rest. The outside’s a snowy wonderland anyway.」
We waved goodbye to Pochi and left the stable.
「I’m going to start making breakfast. Do you want to keep playing with Chocola, Mint? You’re not too cold?」
「Mint, love cold! Want to eat snow! Shocola, play together!」
「You’ve got so much energy!」
As I watched Mint dash off into the snow, I couldn’t help but think back to last winter.
Back then, I was studying for my university entrance exams, so I spent more time at my desk. I still walked Chocola every day and tried to be with him as much as possible, but he must have felt a little lonely.
「I was in school too… But now—」
Now, I could be with them all the time.
I could spend as much time as I wanted playing and taking care of them.
「Alright. After I make breakfast… I’ll join in the fun and get covered in snow too.」
With a quiet resolution, I headed back toward the house, the sounds of Chocola and Mint gleefully playing in the snow echoing behind me.
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