#08: Crystallized Silver
– "What could possibly be all the way out here? Is there a boundary?"
– "Something like that."
The pair of girls had walked far enough from the city that no other humans were in sight. The trail back home was only barely visible through the shadows.
– "Gah... If it weren't for this scarf, I'd seriously be freezing."
– "Sorry about that. Please hang in there."
– "Forget about ghosts. At this rate, we might get to meet the yuki-onna, like we read about in that book."
– "Maybe she'll finally bring us snow."
This Christmas evening in Japan would not be a white one. Snow was rarer in the area than it had been in past years. The temperatures dropped to extreme lows but, for complicated reasons of environmental imbalance, the snow simply didn't fall. The disconnect between the biting cold and the lack of precipitative proof often left one questioning whether the sensation was real at all.
– "What would you do if she did?"
– "It'd just be a bit disappointing, because she'd make us swear not to tell anyone about it."
– "Ah, there's no way that rule can be true. Or else the author could never have recorded the story we read."
– "You raise a fair point, Renko."
– "Anyway, give me a hint about this boundary we're going to."
– "It's the boundary of the literal and the metaphorical. I'm going to make our date last forever by 'freezing' us in time."
– "Oh, that sounds really... Wait, what?"
– "Just kidding."
Merry, who had been leading the way, stopped in her tracks. Renko continued past her until their shared scarf stretched into a bridge between them. Then, before she could turn around, Merry abruptly hugged her torso from behind.
– "W-whoa!"
– "Don't tell anyone about this, okay?"
– "Merry, are you... this shy about PDA? You didn't have to take me all the way out here as an excuse to huddle for warmth."
– "Maybe, but that's not all. As my gift, I want to show you a dream."
Swiftly, she slipped her hands upwards to cover her partner's eyes.