落とし穴１１０堀：冬の祭り (Part1)
**Pitfall 110: The Winter Festival**
**Winter Festival**
**Side: Aslin**
I woke up more easily than usual today.
How should I put it? It felt like I just naturally drifted into consciousness.
I woke up feeling refreshed, threw off my quilt, and sat up, only for the air to wrap around me—colder than it had been the day before.
"Ah."
I knew this sensation.
It wasn’t just cold; it was the kind of cold that makes your heart race with excitement.
Without bothering to throw on a *hanten* jacket, I headed straight for the window and pulled back the curtains...
"Whoa..."
It was a world of silver.
As I stood there, mesmerized by the sight, Firia-chan, who had been sleeping beside me, began to stir.
"...Nyu? Aslin, are you not there? Are you in the restroom? Hmm? What is this cold!?"
It seemed Firia-chan had the same thought as me; she jumped out of bed immediately and hurried over to the window where I was standing.
"Ah, Aslin. What does it look like outside?"
"It’s amazing!"
I said that and stepped aside so Firia-chan could see out the window...
"Whoaaa!! Yuki (Snow) has piled up!!"
"Hehe. Yuki (Yuki) is definitely piled up, isn't he?"
"How is it? It is a pun with all my might."
"It was funny. Let's tell everyone later."
"I leave it to you. But for now..."
"You're right."
Firia-chan and I nodded at each other...
"Let's go play outside!!"
It was the first snowfall of the year.
How could we not play in it?
With that decided, Firia-chan and I hurriedly got dressed. Labyris-chan and Shera-chan weren't up yet, so we decided to call out to them.
"Labyris-chan, Shera-chan, there's snow outside!"
"Hmm? Yuki is piled up? Yuki isn't cold. He's warm, so this is a fake... zzz."
"Eh!? It’s snowing!? I must confirm the situation immediately. The traffic network around Weed..."
Somehow, Labyris-chan just curled into a ball with no intention of waking up, and Shera-chan started contacting the relevant departments while still in her pajamas.
In a way, it was a typical snowy day.
Since the two of them were busy as usual, we got dressed and stepped into the hallway, where the air felt even colder.
In fact, we could see our own breath.
"What shall we do? Shall we go to Brother's place? Or outside?"
"Hmm. It's still early, so let's go check the outside."
"Understood."
It was just past 5:00 AM.
Brother and the others were still asleep. Breakfast preparation started at 6:00 and was usually ready by 7:00, so there was no need to wake them up forcibly.
So, the two of us headed to the entrance.
"I will not make the same mistake this time. I will open it slowly and cautiously."
"Yeah. Good luck!"
On a similar snowy day a while back, Firia-chan had tried to open the front door and ended up getting buried in snow.
We opened it carefully, and beyond the door, everything was pure white.
" "Whoa..." "
With that, we stepped outside in our snow boots.
*Crunch, squish*—the sound of our footsteps echoed as we checked the quality of the snow.
"It is not powder snow."
"In that case, we can make a snowman."
When it’s too cold, the snow becomes light and powdery, making it impossible to pack into a ball. If that happens, we can't have snowball fights or build snow sculptures, which takes some of the fun away. But today’s snow packed perfectly, so there would be no issues with building sculptures.
"Well then, Firia-chan."
"Indeed. As of today, the Special Weather Alert is in effect!"
The "Special Weather Alert" is a system where, even though Weed usually matches the outside world's weather, we adjust the dungeon's climate for various events. It’s a helpful system for event planners because it prevents scheduling conflicts caused by the weather.
"Yay! The Snow Sculpture Contest starts today."
"Specifically, the judging day is one week after the contest is announced. One week gives everyone enough time to take time off and participate."
"Oh, as expected of the Snow Sculpture Representative."
"Ahem. Indeed."
Firia-chan isn't just skilled at blacksmithing; she’s also great at making snow sculptures—she always makes amazing things like castles. When Brother and the others started the Snow Sculpture Contest, Firia-chan and I built a small snow castle to help attract customers, and everyone loved it.
The only downside is that since Firia-chan is on the organizing side, she can't enter the contest. But when people say that if she entered, she’d just win anyway, I have to agree. Because Firia-chan is amazing.
With that kind of track record, the decision of when to hold the contest is left entirely to her. Of course, Brother and the others help with the details. Especially when it comes to money, we have to rely on Eris-onee-sama, or else we wouldn't understand a thing.
"Then, we have to tell everyone at breakfast."
"Indeed."
We decided on the schedule and were about to head back inside when Brother came out, bringing Sakura-chan and Sumire-chan with him.
"Good morning, you two."
"Mama! Good morning!"
"Mama, good morning."
"Yes, good morning."
"Good morning. It is good that you can greet us properly."
As we patted Sakura-chan and Sumire-chan on the heads, they looked delighted.
"So, Brother, what brings you out with these two?"
"Did something happen?"
"No, Rurua said they woke up early and got excited when they saw the snow. She asked if I could let them play in it if it was alright. The other children were still asleep, after all."
" "I see!" "
It couldn't be helped. They’d naturally get excited seeing snow fall.
Since the others were still asleep, he brought them here. It was just like us. Labyris-chan was still sleeping, after all.
While we were thinking that, Sakura-chan and Sumire-chan were touching the snow for the first time, surprised and having fun.
They’ve probably seen snow before, but this was their first time being taken out on a day when it had actually piled up. If a baby catches a cold, it can be life-threatening, so I suppose they decided it was finally safe now that they’ve passed three years old.
However, walking in the snow for the first time seemed difficult for three-year-olds...
"Fugya!?"
"Onee-cha, fuwa!?"
They lost their footing and tumbled into the snow.
There was only about 15 centimeters of snow today, but for children, it must be quite a struggle to walk through.
"It's cold!!"
"Cold!? Papa!! Mama!!"
Since they were both flailing about in the snow, Brother and we helped them up and brushed the snow off.