Chapter 40

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Author: citrullus

Character cheat sheet. This is mainly for me, and people who took a break from the novel.

Yukiya Kitahara(北原雪哉) now (雪耶): The protagonist. A junior high student, 14, and now a Snow girl. Short black hair, beautiful pale skin.

Syuuji Kitahara(北原修司): Yukiya’s father, and owner of the Snow House.(雪乃亭) Which is located in Hyousei Village(氷清村)

Yukino(雪乃): Yukiya’s mother, and is a snow woman/ Yuki Onna.

Hazuki Natsumi(夏美) and Saeki Tomonori(佐伯智則): Yukiya’s friends and classmates.

Hikura Kouko(氷倉凍子). The evil young Yuki Onna. Sharp eyes, and long black hair.

TN: Mamuni

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The old lady’s name seemed to be Koharu.

And it seemed to only be me and her here.

Though I could hear some creaking noises.

However the only footsteps were from us two.

“This year there has been a lot of snow in the village, so I wondered if a Yukinko might be around.”

“What is a Yukinko? And why did you think there was one. ”

“Oh, a Yukinko is the daughter of a Yuki Onna. And with Yukinkos and Yuki Onnas in the mountain the snow never dies out, but it was rather odd when it came so close to the village.”

Well Hyosei mountain is famous for its constant snow coverage. Even when a record number of Ski resorts around the country are closed because of a warm winter, the snow stays consistent on Mount Hyosei.

So therefore it’s famous for skiers and snowboarders. Of course it’s all high quality natural snowfall.

“It is expected. But right now it’s unusual.”

Unusual?

For a second there, I saw a glimmer of anxiety.

“Here. Why don’t you relax here.”

Eventually we passed the hallway to a small western style room.

There was a small heater on the side, as it warmed up the room.

In the center was a table with a bowl of tangerines on them.

The building was actually really large. There was a kitchen, a bath, and a room that could fit about 10 tatami mats.

Although faint, the atmosphere of a lively mountain lodge was still here.

“Sit, sit.”

The Grandma went to pull a chair out from the corner.

“Ah, Ah okay.”

I didn’t want the hunchback grandmother to exert herself, so I took a chair from her and pulled it to the table in the middle.

“Excuse me.”

“No, don’t worry about it.”

“Thank you. But sit down dear, I’ll bring us some tea.”

She turned her heel and went towards the kitchen.

“U,Um. . I was in the middle of training. . .”

“Now now, I don’t get visitors often. So relax.”

I wanted to remind her.

“I was wondering if I would ever meet a Yukinko again.”

Eventually she came back with a tray. She offered some Japanese confectionery yokan to go along with the strong tea.

“Don’t worry about it. We’ll keep it a secret for you guys.”

She seemed to have realized my nervousness.

“I-I see.”

Koharu-san then sat in the chair across from me after arranging the tea.

“I never planned on meeting one again. But it would have been a great story to tell grandpa before he passed away. May I tell you a story?”

“S-Sure. . .”

She examined me from head to toe.

“On the mountain. I saw a child that looked just like you. But this was a very long time ago.”

She then nodded.

“A long time ago?”

I asked Koharu-san, but she just narrowed her eyes.

It seems like she is really pulling out some deep memories.

“Ah. I remember. When granny was a kid, I’d used to get along with a Yukinko who secretly came to the village. She was a beautiful white child.”

“Is that so. . ?”

A Yukinko from a long time ago? I’m a little curious now.

“What was her name again. Um, Yukina, Yukine. . .No, Yuki. . .”

Since I was obviously showing interest, Koharu-san dug hard to try and remember.

She couldn’t, but the old reminiscing began again.

“I originally wasn’t from Hyosei village. At that time, everyone was much poorer. So my father had to leave and work in the city, so during the winter I would often be at Yamashin Village with my grandma and mother. That must have been when I was around 10 year old. I often just had to play at home. Due to that it wasn’t easy to make friends with the locals. But during those snowy nights. I often cried secretly behind the house.”

Yamashin Village is a village on the opposite of the mountain.

It’s not hard to imagine how easy it would be to get lonely in a world without the internet or games. I don’t even know how I would live if I didn’t have Tomonori and Natsumi-chan at school.

“That’s when she came. I looked up to find somebody watching over me. It was the most beautiful girl I’ve ever seen.”

“Girl. . ?”

Koharu-san took a second to sip on her tea. I awkwardly follow her.

“Hot. . .”

It was much hotter than I expected. Or rather, recently everything is hot to me- – –

She simply looked at me and smiled.

“She was standing there in a simple kimono in the depth of the snow.”

A mysterious girl, that was said to be about my age.

“I think it was easier for her to talk to me because I was mostly alone. And I was happy to talk to a person my same age. She wanted to meet friends, and get to know how people lived. So I told the strange child as much as I knew about the city and civilization.”

The small girl wanted to learn.

Going to school, going home, and eating with her mother and grandmother.

Cooking, Laundry, caring for the field.

She soaked in all the information about a mundane life, but with great interest.

“Thank you for telling me your story.”

“By the way Deary. Where are you from?”

Koharu-san at last asked me a question.

“From there.”

I then pointed to the mountain.

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For transparency sake, I think it’s worth mentioning I added the sentence that added exposition about a Yukinko. That word has often been used in the past, but I felt like Yuki Onna or Snow woman was a much more recognizable word. But we are halfway in the series. I think it’s time to expand our diction.

Anyways next chapter in 3-4 days. Going to maybe be a bit busy. But who knows, I may just crank a chapter out late one night.

If you’d like to donate, here is a link. https://ko-fi.com/G2G6EFF3#

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