"Phew..."
Having finished my meal, I was wondering what to do next when I spotted Clarice right in front of me. Her twin-tails fluttered as she busily rolled a snowball across the ground.
"Clarice, what are you doing?"
"Can't you tell just by looking!?" she barked back, her nose bright red from the cold.
I honestly couldn't tell, so I decided to ask for clarification. "I’m sorry, but I really can't."
"Hmph! It's a snowman!"
"A snowman?"
The term sounded familiar. If I recalled correctly, it involved stacking two large snowballs and shaping them into a figure. Right beside her, Elisa was also working hard, rolling a smaller snowball with focused intensity.
"Are you making one too, Elisa?"
"Ye... yeah! Clarice-chan said she wanted to make a big one!"
"I see..."
A snowman, huh?
I hadn't had many opportunities to play in the snow as a child, so this seemed like a perfect chance to try it out. With that in mind, I decided to join them.
"Oh! A snowman, is it!?"
"Hmph. In that case, shall we give that a try as well?"
Evi and Albert seemed quite motivated themselves. Since we had just finished eating, it was a good way to work off the meal.
We split up and began constructing several snowmen. Fortunately, it had snowed quite heavily last night, so there was plenty of material to work with.
I started by packing a small ball with my hands, then crouched low and skillfully rolled it along. The more I pushed, the larger it grew. I continued the task with my usual stoic focus.
Before I knew it, Elisa and Clarice had finished a large snowman of their own. They seemed to have adjusted the proportions perfectly for balance; the top was small and round, while the base was broad and sturdy.
"Alright! This should do it!"
"Yeah... it’s cute!"
Nearby, Evi and Albert had finished building a large kamakura.
A kamakura... During the Far East Campaign, there were times when we used magic to shape ice into defensive walls for combat. This snow hut felt somewhat similar. I gently placed the snowball I was working on onto the ground and approached them.
"You two have made a fine kamakura."
"Hehe! I've been good at making these since I was a kid!"
"Hmph. Even my heart is racing a little. It’s been a while since I've done this."
Looking inside, I saw they had hollowed out a significant amount of space. When we called Elisa and Clarice over, they both fit inside perfectly.
"Wow...! It's so spacious!"
"You're right...! It's amazing!"
Both girls seemed to be having a wonderful time. I realized that playing in the snow was unexpectedly enjoyable. No—it wasn't the snow play itself that was fun, but rather the act of playing together with everyone.
After that, I returned to my task, rolling my snowball with singular focus. Roll, roll, roll.
Once it reached a sufficient size, I moved on to the upper section. Since it didn't need to be quite as large as the base, I finished it relatively quickly. When I lifted it into place, I had a snowman roughly as tall as myself.
"There..."
The others gathered around to inspect my handiwork.
"Whoa! It's huge! Ray, you went totally overboard!"
"Wow... it's so big..."
Clarice scolded me, but her twin-tails were bobbing up and down vigorously, betraying her excitement. Elisa also looked stunned by the sheer scale of it.
"Fufufu. Ray, it seems... mine is even bigger!"
"Hm... Evi. Not bad."
Another giant snowman had appeared next to mine, courtesy of Evi. However, right next to that one...
"Hmph. I have a certain degree of confidence in my snowmen. It appears mine is the largest."
Albert was right. His snowman was the most gargantuan of the lot, standing just slightly taller than any of us. I had been so immersed in my own work that I hadn't noticed when he had even managed to build such a thing.
"Mmmph! I won't lose either!"
"Ah, wait for me, Clarice-chan!"
The two girls ran off to start another. And so, we all became even more absorbed in our frosty construction.
"Wait..."
"What in the world is this?"
"It's huge! They're absolutely massive!"
Amelia and Rebecca-senpai, who had disappeared to take Ariane aside for a "chat," finally returned. All three were visibly stunned, and for good reason—the area was now populated by over ten snowmen, each one progressively larger than the last. Some had easily surpassed the size of a human adult.
In the end, we decided to pool our efforts rather than work individually, and the five of us collaborated to build the largest snowman yet. We worked up quite a sweat, but the result was a masterpiece.
"Wow... it's honestly a little too impressive. It's actually kind of weird..."
Amelia seemed more taken aback than impressed, but Rebecca-senpai and Ariane were full of energy.
"Amazing! It's incredible! It's so very big!"
"It’s wonderful! You all did a marvelous job!"
Watching them run around the giant snowman was a heartwarming sight. Since everyone was back together, I decided to suggest the activity I had in mind.
"Alright. Now, let's have a snowball fight!" I declared loudly.
"A snowball fight! That sounds exhilarating!"
I had already pitched the idea to the others, so I only needed permission from Amelia, Ariane, and Rebecca-senpai.
"A snowball fight!? That sounds like fun!"
"Hmm. A snowball fight, huh? I suppose I could join in. Fufufu."
We immediately moved to divide the teams. After two rounds of rock-paper-scissors, we were split into two groups of four.
My team: Me, Clarice, Albert, and Ariane. The opposing team: Evi, Amelia, Rebecca-senpai, and Elisa.
To start, we built several snow walls for cover. While magic was forbidden during the game itself, we used it to speed up the preparation process. The rules were simple: one hit and you were out. The last team standing won.
"Then, start!!"
The moment the signal was given, a literal barrage of snowballs came flying from the other side. It was a curtain of white. They clearly had a professional-grade supplier on their team. If I had to guess, it was Elisa; she was excellent at manual tasks. She was likely behind their wall, diligently mass-producing projectiles.
"Ray, what’s the plan?"
Clarice was waiting for instructions, as were Albert and Ariane.
"We should prioritize Elisa. She’s the foundation of their firepower."
"Got it!" "Understood!" "Yes, sir!"
We began to advance our line. Unlike the other team, we didn't rely on a blind barrage; we moved forward inch by inch, making every snowball count.
"Hahahaha! Snowballs are nothing before my muscles!!"
Evi stepped out into the open to show off his physique, but Clarice immediately tagged him with a well-aimed throw.
"Evi, you're out."
"D-Darn it! I got carried away!"
That left Rebecca-senpai, Amelia, and Elisa. Instead of attacking from a single point, we fanned out to catch them in a crossfire. I gave the signal with a hand sign, and my team launched a synchronized volley.
"Oh dear. It looks like I've been hit..."
Rebecca-senpai was eliminated. However, Elisa remained hidden, refusing to show herself. Amelia was somehow holding the line with just the two of them left.
"Now, how should we proceed..."
As I was thinking, I heard Clarice let out a small cry.
"Ow! Ugh... I'm hit... but from where?"
Clarice trudged off the field. Our team was down to me, Albert, and Ariane. But a second later, Albert was also struck.
"Hm. Hit, am I? I didn't see that coming at all."
The match was down to a two-on-two. How should we move? Still, sniping Clarice and Albert like that was impressive. Despite being behind cover, the enemy must have managed to flank us or push their line forward without being noticed.
"Whoa!!"
"Careful... are you alright?"
Ariane slipped on the snow, and I moved quickly to catch her. We ended up in a tight embrace, but it was unavoidable. Since she had removed her coat to move more easily, I could feel the softness of her body pressed against mine.
"Ah! M-My apologies!"
"No, as long as you aren't hurt, it's fine."
As we spoke, an overwhelming pressure suddenly radiated from the sidelines. Rebecca-senpai was smiling as she watched us. "Ufufu. Ray-san and Ariane-san certainly are close... ufufu..." Her eyes, however, were devoid of any mirth.
Startled by the chilling aura, we immediately shifted our focus back to the match.
"Wait... could that be...?"
I saw it. There was no mistaking it.
From behind the furthest snow wall, I caught the crimson glint of residual Prima Materia. I also thought I saw the faint shimmer of butterfly wings—a red phosphorescence leaking into the air.
"Ray, that is..."
"Yeah. It seems so..."
With an exasperated look, Ariane and I dashed toward the wall where the remaining opponents were hiding.
"Heh...!? S-Since when!!?"
Amelia was visibly flustered. Behind her, the unmistakable signs of her Butterfly Effect were fading. Elisa was there too, her mouth covered by Amelia's hand, making muffled sounds as if pleading for help. It seemed Elisa had been trying to warn us about the cheating.
"Amelia. I believe the use of magic was a foul?"
"A-Ahaha... I-It's not like I used it because I was losing, or because I thought I could perfectly control it now so you wouldn't notice, or anything like that, okay?"
Ariane and I both shook our heads in disappointment.
"Sigh... Amelia has always been a bit devious. Though she was rather clumsy this time."
I realized then that this was just part of Amelia's personality. I delivered the verdict immediately.
"—Amelia. You're out."
"N-Noooooo! I want to keep playing with everyone! Waaaaaaaah!!"
I used my essence, Lock, to hold Amelia in place so she couldn't interfere further. I couldn't overlook such a blatant violation of the rules, so it was a necessary measure.
The rest of us reset and spent the rest of the afternoon enjoying the snowball fight together.
It truly was a wonderful day.