It had been awhile since the nukes were dropped during that war and, yet, we have no idea how long time has passed since then. Ran did point out that the children had grown, as Reimu, Maribel, and Renko are much bigger than what they were and that Yume Ni is older than one, two, and three, also Anohana has to be at least one or two, so it had to have been more than two years since then. If memory serves, the nuclear weapon was dropped when I think it was still warm. To think that all that has happened hasn't happened in a short amount of time make it the more bewildering. Even with time, Yukari has grown more and more coherent with only bouts of lunacy and Reimu has finally gained comprehensive speech. I knew it to have been a long time since then.
On the note, I do wonder how long this winter was to last. Nothing, even on a catastrophic level, can last for very long. As I sat thinking, we all noticed Yukari uttering something. She uttered the word, "Atonement." As she uttered it, I could hear voices saying exactly what it was we were going through and what we had gone through..
"Sacrifice."
"Secrets."
"Sorrow."
"Love."
"Devotion."
"Infertility."
"Miscarriage."
"Scars."
"Bonds."
"Ghosts."
"Innocence."
"Imprisonment."
"Joy."
"Light."
"Dark."
"It's not snowing, anymore."