Chapter 32

In the dazzling green of May,

Snowleah Mountain remains as white as ever, but the snow on the plains has melted, and the late spring has finally arrived around the northern fortress.

It has been a little over three years since I reincarnated as a snow spirit in this world. I am finally three years old.

I first came to the northern fortress when I was one year old, and I first managed to take a human form when I was two. But how much have I grown since then? To be honest, I feel like I haven't grown at all on the inside... and my appearance hasn't changed much either.

While ordinary dogs and cats are already respectable adults at three years old, I am still round and chubby, with a big head and short limbs, and it's frustrating to look like a child.

I want to be more slender like Mother!

And speaking of such a slender and beautiful fox, Mother, the Snow Spirit Snowleah, says,

"Milfuria, it's time to wake up."

As always, she gently wakes me up from my lazy sleep in our den.

I mutter in my mind, "I don't want to wake up yet, just a little more sleep," and roll over, snorting softly. I didn't feel like making a sound or speaking, so I responded with my nose.

However, Mother, who is gentle with me but strict in education, said while rolling me over with her nose,

"Come on, let's do some tree-climbing training today."

"Huh? ...Tree-climbing?"

After licking up the drool that had dripped, I looked at Mother with sleepy eyes.

Mother, whose motto is "Raise the child to be strong and resilient," no longer pushes me off cliffs, but she still occasionally puts me through incomprehensible training sessions.

On the other hand, I have no desire to become strong, so I hate the training with a passion. Since I was born as a spirit in the form of a fox, I want to live a more relaxed life.

I want to pour all my energy into sleeping, eating, and playing.

"Get up, Milfuria. Let's go."

I tried to lie flat on the ground, but Mother gently bit my neck and tried to drag me outside.

I let out a whining protest and dug my claws into the ground, but I was dragged along helplessly.

"Mother, the wind seems strong today! It's dangerous to climb trees!"

Just as we were about to leave the cave, the wind blew, and I took the opportunity to suggest canceling the training.

However, Mother, shaking her head and saying, "What a troublesome child," did not stop walking. It was terrible. I felt like a criminal being led to the execution ground.

What's the point of a snow spirit being able to climb trees? I don't think it would be a problem if I never learned. I have no business up in the trees.

I wanted to complain, but I knew Mother would just scold me for being stubborn, so

"Arf, arf...!"

I barked very softly, showing a weak sign of resistance.

Mother ignored me.

But when I kept barking, Mother stopped and put me down on the snow.

"The training is for your own good. I am terribly worried about you. You are so lovely, small, and weak. I wonder if you will be able to survive on your own when you leave home..."

Mother said, with tears welling up in her eyes.

No, no, it's too early to worry about leaving home. I think it will be decades from now. And by then, I will have grown up properly and won't be small forever.

I am happy to be loved by Mother, but she is still so worried.

Just as I was thinking this,

A particularly strong wind blew, and a light brown piece of paper fell in front of us.

Mother, who transformed into her human form, stared at it suspiciously. The snow spirit with long silver hair and skin as white as snow is a stunning beauty, even to me, her daughter.

It was just a piece of paper, but Mother did not treat it as trash and seemed to be on guard.

It's the first time I've seen something like this fly to the top of a snow-covered mountain where no one lives, so I understand her caution. It's a fairly thick piece of paper, and even if it was picked up by the wind, it's unlikely it would make it all the way up the mountain.

Mother picked up the paper from the snow and turned it over.

I couldn't see from my short height, but there seemed to be something written on it. After reading it, she frowned and tore it up.

"Mother? W-What happened?"

I looked back and forth between the paper flying away in the wind and Mother, flustered.

"Was something written on it?"

"No, nothing."

Mother glared at the sky and spoke in a low voice.

It's definitely not nothing.

Could that paper have been a letter someone intentionally sent to Mother?

But who could it be? Humans can't do that, right?

"Hey, what was written on it? Are you okay?"

I worried that something hurtful might have been written. I walked around the snow, looking up at Mother, and she looked down at me with a faint smile.

"Don't worry, everything is fine."

But as she said this, she sighed deeply.

"Really, nothing good ever comes from involving Hylg."

Hylg is the name of Kugaru's father, the Fire Spirit. I started calling him Hylg Papa after he told me his name, saying that calling him "Fire Spirit" was too formal.

Perhaps the letter was a love letter from Hylg Papa.

While it's not the kind of "love" humans feel, Hylg Papa seems to like Mother. He doesn't visit as often as Kugaru, but he sometimes comes to play during the summer.

The combination of summer and a Fire Spirit is the worst for a Snow Spirit, so Mother always rudely sends him away.

"It's already hot enough in the summer, and adding your heat is unbearable! Why do you always come in the summer?"

"The Snowleah Mountain is too cold in the winter to want to come and play! I'm sorry!"

"Why should I be the one to apologize! I never said I wanted you to come and play!"

"Thought you might be lonely!"

"Stop being ridiculous!"

That's the kind of exchange they had last summer.

Mother is usually angry when talking to Hylg Papa. Hylg Papa has a loud voice, and Mother yells in anger, making it very noisy.

After sending Hylg Papa away, Mother always ends up panting to catch her breath.

It seems Hylg Papa doesn't think they are that incompatible, but Mother consistently refuses.

I think it's because she would become weak if he stayed nearby for too long.

In that sense, I am relieved that Kugaru is still young. He is not yet a full-fledged spirit, so he doesn't emit as much heat as the Fire Spirit.

Also, because he is often with me, he seems to be better at controlling his power. Whether consciously or unconsciously, he seems to suppress the heat he emits.

Kugaru is quite considerate.