Several weeks had passed since the uproar surrounding the duel between Baron Cisne's House and Count Eriel's House settled down.
Though Gilm had welcomed the new year, the city remained trapped in a relentless chill as the snow continued its descent. Perhaps because the season had started later than usual, the accumulation this year was far beyond the norm. Every resident was occupied with snow shoveling, and some had even gone as far as to hire adventurers to help clear the paths.
For the adventurers, snow shoveling was a relatively welcome job despite the meager pay. Naturally, those still working for such low wages at this time of year were the ones who had failed to secure enough winter survival funds. In other words, they weren't exactly the most skilled of the bunch.
Still, the appeal of working safely within the city walls—rather than heading outside of Gilm to brave the elements for a Subjugation Request or a Gathering Request—was significant. Of course, there were always those who eschewed steady labor in favor of a high-stakes gamble, specifically seeking out subjugation jobs for a chance at a single, life-changing payout.
"...Or so I thought. What in the world are you doing here?"
Rei had just stepped out of the Dusk Wheat Inn to visit Seto when he spotted a familiar figure clearing the entrance. He muttered in exasperation at the sight of Mirene. For a moment, he thought his eyes were playing tricks on him, but there was no mistaking the girl before him: she was the leader of the C-Rank Party Scorching Wind.
"Ah, ahahaha... Well, you see, I'm juuuust a little short on cash."
Perhaps because she was working, Mirene wasn't wearing her usual leather armor. Instead, she had thick cold-weather gear bundled over her ordinary clothes. She looked thoroughly sheepish as she spoke.
As an up-and-coming party considered among the most talented of the younger generation, Scorching Wind should have had no trouble finding lucrative work. In fact, the absence of her teammates, Ekryl and Sulnin, made it painfully clear that Mirene was the only one currently lacking funds.
Rei immediately deduced the cause of her financial ruin.
"...It's Seto, isn't it?"
Mirene froze mid-shovelful. Rei had hit the nail squarely on the head.
"Look, I'm happy that you want to give Seto food, but what's the point if you can't even afford to live?"
"But—but I couldn't help it! If I didn't give Seto-chan treats, Johanna was going to give him even more!"
"Figures."
Even to Rei, it was obvious how much Mirene and Johanna were alike. It wasn't just the way they doted on Seto; their very temperaments were identical. Naturally, they had clashed... and in their desperate attempt to outdo one another, Mirene had evidently burned through the money meant to see her through the winter.
While Seto had surely enjoyed a daily parade of delicacies, the economic fallout had hit both Mirene and Johanna hard. The result was the sight of a C-Rank Adventurer clearing snow in front of the Dusk Wheat Inn.
"Wh-what's with that look? For your information, Johanna was gunning for this snow shoveling job too. I had to fight tooth and nail to win it."
Mirene prattled on, sensing Rei's silent judgment. It didn't take a genius to figure out why she and Johanna had fought over the contract for this specific inn. Shoveling snow here meant clearing the Dusk Wheat Inn Entrance and the area around the stables.
Mirene's desire to be near Seto for even a few extra minutes reached Rei loud and clear. Then again, it would have been harder not to notice.
"Well, you're a full-fledged adventurer, so I know it's not my place to lecture you... but try not to cause too much trouble for Sulnin."
At the mention of Sulnin—a man who served as Mirene's brake, her stopper, and her External Conscience—she fell silent with a guilty look. Rei realized she was likely keeping her bankruptcy a secret from her teammate.
Fortunately for her, the year had already turned, so the situation wasn't entirely fatal. If she could scrape by for another two or three months, she would eventually reach the spring.
Though, given her rivalry with Johanna, she'll probably spend whatever she earns here the moment it touches her palm, Rei thought.
As if sensing his skepticism, Mirene thrust her shovel into the snow and flashed him a radiant smile. "Leave it to me. I'm going to make sure Seto-chan gets to eat all the best things!"
"No, that's exactly what I'm talking about... Well, I suppose there's no point in arguing. By the way, if you've run out of money, what about Johanna? She was contributing just as much, wasn't she? Since she wanted this job too, is she also broke?"
Johanna had been guarding Muet during the duel conflict a few weeks back, so Rei assumed she'd be better off. However, Mirene only gave him a triumphant, smug grin.
"Hmph! Apparently, she still has plenty of savings, but the people she lives with have forbidden her from spending another copper of it on treats. They told her if she wants to buy anything else for Seto, she has to earn the extra cash herself."
"...I have no idea why that makes you look so happy."
"Because! Neither of us can afford souvenirs for Seto-chan right now, but I get to be right here by his side. That makes this my win!"
"Why are you even making it a competition? Why?"
Rei sighed in exasperation, yet he felt a strange sense of relief seeing her acting like her usual self.
"Well, I'm heading off. Good luck with the shoveling."
He turned to walk toward the stables, but in the next heartbeat, Mirene blurred past him and blocked his path.
"Wait a second! The only thing back there is the stables. Are you going to see Seto-chan?"
"Hmm? Yeah, obviously."
"You mean I have to stand out here clearing snow and enduring the urge to see Seto-chan while you just stroll in and see him whenever you want?"
"Well, yeah. You're shoveling snow because it's your job. I didn't take a snow shoveling request."
"That's that, and this is this!"
Mirene puffed out her chest with misplaced confidence. Rei let out a long, weary sigh.
"Your selfishness is almost refreshing. Anyway, are you sure you should be chatting with me?"
He glanced at a figure approaching from behind. Mirene tilted her head, confused, but the situation caught up to her quickly. A hand came down firmly on her shoulder.
"Mirene-san, wasn't it? The snow isn't going to clear itself. Do you really have time to be playing around? Should I send word to the Guild about your performance?"
"Hieee! I'm doing it! I'm doing it right now!"
At the sound of Lana's voice, Mirene scrambled away from Rei and resumed her work with frantic energy. Lana watched her for a moment with a small sigh before turning to Rei and bowing her head.
"I'm sorry, Rei-san. I didn't mean for her to bother you."
"No, don't worry about it. She's an acquaintance. I didn't mind the chat."
"Even so, she's here on a request. She needs to work properly if she expects to be paid."
Lana cast another stern look at Mirene, who was currently throwing Rei a resentful glance over her shoulder. Under that sharp gaze, Mirene quickly redoubled her efforts.
"Well, I'll be going then."
"Yes, Seto was having quite a bit of fun in the snow in front of the stables earlier."
Knowing Rei was headed that way, Lana had correctly guessed his goal. Rei thanked her and left Mirene behind, heading toward the back. Mirene watched him go with pure envy until another look from Lana sent her back to the snow.
"Guruuuuuuu!"
As Rei followed the snowy path Mirene had cleared, a familiar cry reached his ears. Nearly anyone living in Gilm would have recognized that voice instantly.
The cheerful trill was likely because the griffon had been given the freedom to leave its stable. Normally, such a thing would never be allowed for a horse or a tamed monster, but Seto's high intelligence and Rei's status as a VIP guest at the Dusk Wheat Inn had earned them a special exception.
When Rei reached the front of the stables, he found Seto amusing itself by flopping down into the fresh powder to leave behind an impression of its body.
"Guru? Guruuuuuuu!"
Noticing Rei, Seto purred with delight and trilled a greeting. Rei smiled as he approached.
"Have you been good?"
It was a bit dramatic considering they had seen each other just yesterday, but Rei greeted the creature warmly nonetheless. Seto scrambled up from the snow and bounded over to him. Purring with joy, the griffon rubbed its head against him, ecstatic that its favorite person had come to play.
Play with me? Let's play! Seto seemed to say. Rei smiled and stroked the creature's feathers.
"Alright, alright. Let's play. Though, I wonder what we should do. I can't exactly have a snowball fight with you."
"Guru..."
Seto looked at him with wide, pleading eyes, as if asking if it were truly impossible. In that moment, the creature looked less like a powerful monster and more like a pampered pet.
(A Kamakura... might be a bit much. In that case, maybe a snowman?)
After a moment's thought, Rei decided that Seto could handle a snowman. He packed a small snowball and set it down in front of the griffon.
"Listen, Seto. You roll this snowball to make it bigger. Try to keep it round, okay?"
"Guru?"
Seto didn't quite understand the goal at first, but because Rei had asked, it began to nudge the ball forward. It quickly found the process of the ball growing larger quite entertaining. Using its front paws with surprising dexterity, it rolled the ball through the deep drifts, and the sphere began to swell.
While Mirene had cleared a path to the stables, her work was localized. There was still plenty of deep, untouched snow surrounding them—the same snow Seto had been using to make "Seto Prints."
Seto rolled the ball through the fresh powder, clearly having the time of its life. Before long, the snowball had grown into a massive sphere nearly a meter across. Not to be outdone, Rei rolled his own snowball, though his was significantly smaller. This was partly because Seto was being overzealous, but mostly because Seto was making the body while Rei was making the head.
The resulting spheres were exactly as Rei had planned—Seto's was a full size larger than his own.
(Come to think of it, is there a culture of making snowmen in Elgin? Well, it doesn't matter if there isn't. It's the kind of thing that would catch on easily enough.)
Rei looked around for a tree branch. Fortunately, there were several trees growing behind the stables, and he spotted a few fallen branches partially buried in the snow. He'd been prepared to pull firewood from the Misty Ring if necessary, but this was much more convenient.
"Guru?"
Seto tilted its head, curious about the sticks. Rei hoisted his snow-clump and balanced it on top of Seto's. He broke the branches into smaller pieces and pushed them into the top ball to form a face.
"Ideally, we'd have a bucket for a hat or a couple of oranges, but..."
He had fruit in the Misty Ring that could serve as eyes or a nose, but Rei wasn't one to waste food. Instead, he took two larger branches and jammed them into the sides of the body to create arms.
"There. The snowman is finished."
"Guruuuuuuu!"
Seto purred happily and began to bound in circles around their creation.
"I'm the one who suggested it, but I didn't think you'd be this excited about it."
"Guru!"
Seeing Seto so pleased brought a smile to Rei's face as well. There was a simple joy in seeing someone—or something—appreciate what you had made.
(If he's this happy, maybe I really should try a Kamakura?)
He watched the snow flutter down as he pondered the idea. However, a Kamakura large enough for Seto would have to be enormous. The physical labor was one thing, but the mental exhaustion of such a project would be daunting. If he were serious, he'd probably have to recruit Mirene and Johanna.
(Those two would jump at the chance if I told them it was for Seto. Though, you can't have a Kamakura without mochi. I could make it if I had mochi rice...)
Growing up in the Japanese countryside, Rei's family had owned a proper usu and kine. He'd helped pound mochi many times and knew the process well. But mochi rice was a commodity that simply didn't exist in Gilm.
(I've never even seen it in a shop.)
As he lost himself in thought, he suddenly noticed a commotion coming from the front of the Dusk Wheat Inn. A crowd was gathering at the entrance. He was just about to head over with Seto to see what was happening when a clear, booming voice rang out.
"Rei! Art thou there? I have come to see thee!"
It was a voice he knew all too well.