The snowman Mint and the others made was just as much a masterpiece as the first one. A big snowman and a small snowman stood side by side, looking almost like parent and child, I thought to myself.
The afternoon passed in the blink of an eye.
Especially Mint, who was at full throttle—playing excitedly in front of the snowman, running in and out of the kamakura, and even tying the sled to Chocola to pull. Those of us playing with her, and even mother and the others who were watching over us, couldn’t help but smile at her boundless energy.
Before long, the sun began to set.
The day was coming to an end.
「…With skies like this, it probably won’t snow tonight.」
「Hmm, it’s clear, and the temperature’s high.」 Karen replied.
As we looked up at the cloudless sky, painted with shades of crimson and blue, we spoke absentmindedly.
「By tomorrow, the snow will probably be all mush.」
After playing for two days straight, the snow on the ranch was already mixed with dirt in many places. The remaining patches would soon turn into slushy ice.
While we were talking, Mint came over to us and asked,
「…snow, go away?」
「Yeah, by tomorrow we probably won’t be able to play like we did today.」
「So much now, why…」
「Snow is a kind of rain, you know. So it melts and turns into water.」
「Even kamakura and snowman?」
Her innocent voice caught the attention of the fairies, the young dragons, and mother and grandma, all of whom fell silent and looked at Mint.
Even so, I answered honestly.
「Yes, the kamakura and snowman will probably melt and collapse by tomorrow or the day after.」
Mint looked sad for a brief moment, but then her face lit up, and she exclaimed,
「Got great idea!」
Ah—of course, idea.
I knew she’d think of that.
「Hey,Sui! Sui magik, use it! Kamakura, and snowman! Then we play forever and ever!」
Of course—that’s exactly what she’d think.
「Sui-kun.」
「It’s alright, mother. I’ll do it.」
I said, stopping her from taking on the task.
This is something I should handle, not mother.
After all, if anyone were to actually use magic to keep the snow, it would be me.
And I’m the one who won’t do it.
I crouched down in front of Mint, meeting her gaze and gently patting her head.
「That’s a wonderful idea, Mint. If the snow never melted, we could play forever. You worked so hard to build the kamakura and snowman.」
「Yeah!」
「But, Mint, let’s finish our snow play today.」
「Huh…」
It hurts.
It was painful to see her smile fade.
But this was something we had anticipated and talked about as a family.
Last night, we knew Mint might say something like this. And we had decided what to do if she did.
「Mint, if the snow stayed forever, what do you think would happen to the ranch? Do you think Pochi’s food would still grow?」
「Ah…」
Mint’s eyes widened as she realized.
She was so smart. She understood right away.
So different from how I was as a child.
「But… but! I use my magic… Pochi’s food…」
「Yes, even if the snow stayed, you could make the grass grow with your magic. You have that kind of power. We all do. But think about it…」
I continued to pat her head as I spoke.
「This snow will melt and turn into water. That water will seep into the ground. But even when it seeps away, it doesn’t disappear, you know? It becomes spring water, flows into rivers, or evaporates back into the sky… and in that way, it travels all over the world. You understand that, right, Mint? You know that, don’t you?」
As a blood flower monster Alraune, Mint was a plant-type creature. So, by instinct, she understood the cycles of nature—the water cycle.
This child, who delights in the rain, knows how important that water is, where it comes from, where it goes, and when it will return.
But still…
「But…」
Despite that instinct, her heart, her mind, and her memories…
「But… You, me, had fun. So much fun. I want fun stay forever. So…… if snow doesn’t disappear… then tomorrow, day after that, it’ll still fun……!」
Her longing held her back, allowing her to express her selfish wish.
「Mint, since you were born, we’ve had the rainy season, summer, autumn, and now winter. The seasons have changed, but we’ve had fun in every season, haven’t we?」
Her eyes, filled with tears, gazed at me. I looked straight into those glistening eyes and said,
「When the snow melts, it’ll be sad, won’t it? We worked so hard to build the kamakura. You gave your all to make the snowman. We ran so much with the sled. But when the snow melts, will the fun be gone forever? If the snow disappears, will we stop enjoying our days? That’s not true, right?」
I gently took her hand as I spoke, slowly and carefully.
「When this winter ends, spring will come, and the next season will begin. There will be many fun things to do in spring. And after we go through another rainy season, summer, and autumn, the next winter will come. When next year’s winter arrives, the melted snow will return as snow once more.」
I placed my hand on her cheek as I reassured her.
「When playtime is over, we have to go home. So, we have to say goodbye. We say, ‘It was fun. Thank you.’ And, ‘See you again next year.’ Because if we don’t, the next morning won’t come. You understand that, right, Mint?」
Eventually, Mint pursed her lips tightly and, with tears streaming down her face, she nodded and smiled through them.
「Understood. Mint, patient… Say bye bye to snow. Then….tell snow come back again…!」
「Yes. You’re a good girl, Mint. You’re such a good girl.」
「M-Mint… When the snow falls again next year, let’s make another snowman, okay?」
Mine Ork shyly comforted her from behind.
「I’ll be bigger by next year too, so I won’t lose! Next time, our snowball will be the body of the snowman!」
Ji Ness encouraged her energetically.
「Don’t cry, Mint. We’ll come play with you again tomorrow.」
Hanaikada spoke up on behalf of the fairies.
「Kwuunn…」
Chocola snuggled up to Mint, licking her cheeks gently.
「The kamakura was so warm, wasn’t it? Next year, you’ll make one for us again, right?」
「Grandma will be there too. Maybe next time, you can make some tea for me.」
Mother hugs the sobbing Mint and Grandma pats her head.
「Sui…」
「Yeah.」
Karen came over and took my hand.
She gently loosened my fingers, which had tensed up without me noticing.
「…I know I always cheat with magic. It might seem contradictory, but…」
It’s true that I use my abilities to cheat in my daily life.
My possessions and accessories don’t break, and the crops in the fields last longer. I keep injuries and illnesses at bay, so part of me felt it was fine to leave behind at least the snowman—especially after seeing Mint’s sad face, my heart wavered.
However, even with the cheats I utilize, I have my limits.
I don’t want to live in a way that distorts the laws of nature just to prioritize convenience, fun, or immediate gratification. More than anything, I don’t want Mint to grow up thinking she can have everything just the way she wants and that it’s simply how life is.
I want her to be someone who can face the absurdities and hardships of the world, who can come to terms with things that don’t go well and things that are unpleasant.
When Mint grows up and becomes an adult.
And someday, when we are no longer around.
I want to pass away knowing she’s made us proud.
I want to tell father, whom I’ll reunite with up there, that Mint was our pride and joy.
—A shadow of a dragon passes through the sunset sky.
The silver scales belong to Mine Ah, who has come to pick up the young dragons.
When her friends who stayed overnight return home, Mint will surely feel lonely.
But if she waves goodbye and thinks, ‘See you next time!’ instead of feeling sad, if she can go to sleep with excitement about when they’ll meet again—
「She’ll be okay. Mint understands perfectly. After all, she’s the child of all of us.」
※※※
Mine Ah greeted us as the young dragons climbed onto her back.
The fairies fluttered away, returning to Tir na Nog.
The snowman and the kamakura looked a little lonely, their white softly tinged with red.
Mint…
With a tear-streaked face, waved her tiny hand vigorously.
「I had so much fun! It was really, really fun, so… bye-bye! Come back again! …definitely come back!!」
She’s alright.
Even though today is ending, tomorrow will be right here again.
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