落とし穴５６堀：猫は喜び庭駆け回り 犬は炬燵で丸くなる (Part1)
Pitfall 56: Cats frolic in the garden, dogs curl up in the kotatsu.
Side: Riel
"Brrr!?"
I shouted that as I woke up this morning.
Yes, it was cold.
Incredibly so...
"Why is it so..."
I wondered, and when I peeked at the thermometer in my room, it displayed zero degrees.
"Wait, what!? Eh? Uh, zero degrees is the temperature where water turns into ice, right!?"
I study hard, so I know things like that.
I don't quite grasp the whole "world's magic power" thing, but if it makes Yuki-san happy, I want to be useful.
I don't intend to fall behind Tori or anyone else.
After all, I love Yuki-san, too.
As I thought about that while still groggy, the cold air wrapped around my body, bringing me back to my senses.
"Ugh, so cold. Never mind that. Uh, if it's zero degrees, that means it's just as cold outside, right?"
I usually turn off the heater before I go to sleep, so my room is always chilly in the morning, but this is something else.
It’s freezing.
For now, I threw on the *hanten* jacket I keep by my pillow and walked through the frigid room to open the curtains.
"Wow..."
A pure white, snowy landscape stretched out before me.
In terms of climate, snow does accumulate in Weed, but it’s rare for it to pile up this much.
Usually, it’s just a light dusting of under 10cm, enough to leave some footprints, but this is different.
The familiar view of the courtyard in front of me has completely changed.
In other words, the snowfall is massive.
I put on my *geta* sandals for the courtyard to see just how deep it was.
*Thwump.*
"Ahahaha!! Amazing, amazing!!"
I was buried up to my knees.
Maybe about 30cm?
It’s rare to see this much.
*Whoosh...*
A gust of wind blew with that sound, and I cooled down a bit.
"Ah, hahaha... It's cold. I should go back inside and change properly..."
My pajamas are warm, but I really need proper cold-weather gear.
Even in winter, I usually wear layers on top but keep my legs in shorts. It’s hard to move otherwise, and... well, it’s also to tempt Yuki-san.
Because of that, my legs, which I’d plunged into the snow, were freezing cold.
"Ugh, they're soaking wet. I have to wipe them off."
When I returned to my room from the courtyard, my legs were covered in snow and wet.
Maybe I should wear water-repellent clothes?
For now, I turned on the heater to warm up the room and changed into winter gear for going outside.
Normally, it would be time for breakfast, but it seems I woke up early; it’s only 5:00 AM.
Yuki-san shouldn't be up to start breakfast yet, so I decided to play outside while checking things out.
*Click...*
The sound of me opening the door echoed through the hallway.
Perhaps because it was still dim outside, the hallway was dark, quiet, and filled with trapped cold air.
Everyone else was still asleep; it felt like I was the only one in the world.
Sometimes, that’s not so bad.
I started walking quietly down the hall.
The view from the windows was nothing but snow.
I wanted to rush outside, but I couldn't wake everyone up, so I kept my steps soft.
*Click...*
As I walked, I heard a door open.
"Did someone else wake up?"
Thinking that, I looked toward the sound and saw Aslin and Firia, bundled up, coming out of Labyris's room.
Did everyone sleep in Labyris's room today?
But it looked like it was just the two of them.
Where did Labyris and Shera go?
"Ah, Riel-oneechan, good morning."
"Riel-nesama, good morning."
"Mm. Good morning. What are you two doing up so early?"
Normally, they’d be helping Yuki-san in the morning, but they were clearly dressed to go outside.
Did something happen?
"The outside is amazing!! There's so much snow piled up!!"
"That's right!! But Labyris and Shera still seem sleepy, so we're going to go look by ourselves!!"
"I see. Same as me. Shall we go together?"
"Riel-oneechan is coming too? Yay, yay!!"
"Let's go together!!"
It’s not that I’m worried about them being alone, but it’s more fun to do things together.
My mother said so, Yuki-san says so, and it makes me happy, too.
I held their hands and tried to head out the entrance, but...
"Huh? The door won't open?"
"Nnn!! Huh? You're right. Why is that?"
Aslin looked puzzled as the door wouldn't budge.
I tilted my head, wondering why the sliding door wouldn't move, when Firia looked down at the base of the door.
"I understand now. The snow has piled up and frozen solid. So, if we move the door where the rail is on the entrance side..."
*Thud, thud, thud...*
"Unyuu!? C-cold!?"
The door opened, but the snow that had been piled up against it lost its support and poured right onto Firia.
Well, just a little bit.
The two of us quickly brushed the snow off Firia.
"Thank you. Now, to the outside!!"
As soon as she thanked us, Firia dashed out, clearly excited.
We tried to follow her, but...
*Thwump, thwump...*
"Ugh, it's hard to move."
"Ah, awawa. This is tough, isn't it?"
It was up to my knees, so for the two little ones, the height was quite difficult.
They both moved forward, slowly, slowly.
I followed along at their pace.
"Hafuu. This is amazing!! We can make as many snowmen as we want!!"
"That's true. Let's make a bunch with everyone at school."
"Firia, try to show some restraint, okay? You might end up building a whole castle."
Last winter, Firia used a pile of snow Yuki-san prepared to build not just an igloo, but a full-blown fortress.
I was shocked by that.
It’s scary to think that if she used her magic at full power, she could build a citadel in a single day.
She’s like the "One-Night Castle" from Japanese history coming to life.
"A castle would be nice, wouldn't it?"
"No, that would get in the way, so let's try to show some restraint."
"Understood. I will show restraint."
Yes, she’s obedient, which is good.
Well, I suppose I should head back soon.
It’s getting cold, and it’s about time everyone wakes up.
"Oh, it's really piled up, isn't it?"
Hearing that voice, I turned around to see Yuki-san peeking out from the entrance.
"Ah, Onii-chan."
"Ani-sama!! The snow is amazing!!"
"Good morning, Yuki-san."
"Yo. Good morning. I see you went to look at the snow, but it's almost time to prepare breakfast. Can you two help out?"
" "Yeah!" "
With that, the two of them headed back to the entrance.
That’s right, I should help too.
"Yuki-san, I'll help too."
"Is that so? Thanks, Riel. Alright, let's do our best to make breakfast!"
" " "Yeah!!" " "
"Yes. Let's do our best."
As I replied, Kirue was suddenly there, answering as well.
"Ah, good morning, Kirue. When did you get here?"