Season 2 Bonus Anime Episode "How to Spend a Snowy Day"

Season 2 Bonus Anime Episode "How to Spend a Snowy Day"

It was a snowy day.

I gave up on going outside and settled into the kotatsu with the hero.

It was placed on the tatami mat, a little old, with rounded corners. When I put my feet in, the heat gently spread, and it felt like my thoughts were melting away. It was quiet outside, and I couldn't even hear the sound of snow.

"I'm getting tired of mandarin oranges..."

"Then why you bought two boxes.... why didn't you just buy one?"

"That's the third time you've said that."

"It's fine. You can repeat the same things over and over on snowy days after all."

"I've never heard that before..."

The hero looked exasperated. I pretended not to hear and looked out the window at the snow piling up.

"Shall we have some light soup later? It's a snowy day, after all."

"What's that rule you've been talking about all this time...?"

That's the way to spend a snowy day, that girl taught me.

★★★★★ 

"On snowy days, you know. You can tell the same things over and over again."

She said this in front of the fireplace.

"Why?"

I asked again, warming my hands over the fire.

"On snowy days, sounds disappear. So if someone doesn't say the same thing, you would start to wonder if they were really there."

"I see..."

A small hut.

It stood alone in the mountains, small enough to fit just two people. There was a small fireplace in the center, and every time the firewood crackled, it made a dry crackling sound.

Snow was falling steadily outside, completely covering the path we'd come from. We had no choice but to spend the night here.

It was just us inside the hut.

As we sat close together, our shoulders touched. The cold made our breath white. The air was cold, and my lungs hurt a little.

..... It would probably be best to use magic to get back.

The now-known Saint, who could "move objects without touching them" and "speak with spirits in dreams," sighed softly and held down my wand.

...Hmm. It wouldn't move.

After tugging at her for a while, I let out a heavy sigh and gave up. This Saint, despite being a Saint, was a physical type. She was almost like the Princess.

"Magic is no good."

"We can fly this distance with one blue magic."

She shook her head.

"No. Your magic seems suspicious."

"..... Suspicious?"

"Anyway it's not a good idea to let you use it."

She said it without hesitation.

I never told her, or anyone in that matter, that I was wasting my lifespan by using magic. The heroes told me so.

And yet, this was her reaction.

"Did you hear anything from the spirit?"

"Oh, so it is indeed suspicious?"

"No, it's not suspicious."

"Then why are you asking me that? Like, did I hear anything from them?"

She giggled. A funny chuckle.

"Spirits can lie. Teresa shouldn't trust them. I'd feel bad if Teresa believed them."

"What kind of lie did they tell me?"

"Something like my magic is suspicious."

"How suspicious is it? Because you're using something else instead of magical power?"

"..... I'm not using any."

"You are, aren't you?"

I had a bad feeling.

Every word blocked my escape route. The only sound I could hear was the sound of the fire, awfully loud.

"How many times have we talked about this? We've already talked about it a while ago, haven't we?"

I changed the subject.

"Because you're my benefactor. That's why I hate it. How many times have you used magic since you met me?"

"About 15 times, I think."

"The correct answer is 52."

I guessed, but I was way off.

Actually, if she already knew, she shouldn't have asked. The number was so specific, I think she probably asked a spirit.

She gently picked me up and placed me on her lap. Since I was about 10 years old size right now, it felt natural for her to do that. She rested her chin on my head and rubbed it, saying, "You're still as warm as ever."

I felt like I was being used as a heater...

"Even if people call me a Saint, but I can't heal the most important thing to me. And that's what makes me so frustrated."

"It's not that big of a deal."

"It's a big deal."

"It's not a big deal, seriously."

"You seriously think it's 'no big deal'... That makes me so sad."

She looked down sadly as she said that. It... it makes me feel like I'm doing something wrong... 

"It's seriously a big deal for me."

"How many times have we talked the same things?"

"I told you so--"

Then she, Teresa, laughed softly.

"They say it's okay to tell the same things over and over on snowy days."

"You mean the spirits are making it snow so we can have this conversation on repeat?"

"That's a no-brainer. All spirits can do is predict the weather."

It seemed like being trapped here was planned.

No wonder I thought it was strange when she suddenly said she wanted to climb a mountain...!

"If you hadn't picked me up back then, I wouldn't be here now. It's not so strange to want to thank you, right?"

"I don't really need that..."

"It's not strange! Right? It's not! Right!?"

Even when she spoke, her tone was sometimes physical. She pressed her chin down on my head, holding me captive, and I nodded vigorously.

"Then please take me on your journey."

"That's impossible."

"Why not?"

"You have a place to belong, Teresa. And a job. How many times have we talked about this today?"

"This is the fifth time."

"Why don't you just give up?"

"No."

"Because it's impossible."

"It's not."

"Now it sounds like you're being selfish..."

"No, no," she shook her head slowly.

"....."

"When will you be leaving?"

"The day after tomorrow."

"Everyone will be sad too."

"I'll come to see you again."

"I don't know when your 'again' will be."

"...How much did the spirits tell you about me?"

"Everything."

"That's the worst."

"The worst..... No, nevermind."

Then she gently set me aside and stood up. I sat there, looking up at her. Looking more closely, I saw large bags under her eyes.

"What's wrong?"

"On snowy days, we drink warm, light soup. That was the ironclad rule in my hometown."

"What is that? There are so many customs I don't know about."

"I know. I mean, it's scary if you knew."

"..... What do you mean?"

"I wonder what I mean?"

With her back turned, she began preparing something in the kitchen. I could hear the sounds of water splashing and metal clanking. Then she brought out a pot. Inside was clear soup. she put the pot on the hearth, and after a while, bubbles began to rise.

"What if I asked you that I wanted you to die here with me?"

"I have an appointment, so that's not possible."

"Hehe, I'm joking."

"I know.... Wait? Is this poison soup?"

"It's not poison."

"Scary."

"I'm a little scared of dying, too."

"Are we on the same page?"

"Well,.... maybe?"

"Scary."

The taste of the thin soup.

When it first touched my tongue, it was surprisingly unassuming. The saltiness and aroma were subdued, and barely any flavor lingered in my mouth.

But after swallowing, a short time later, only heat settled inside my body.

It passed through my throat, down to the depths of my chest, and further down.

It felt like my frozen internal organs were thawing one by one.

She continued to tilt her cup in the same way, without saying anything.

The only sounds between us were the sound of the fire in the fireplace and the silence beyond the snow.

"I don't hate snowy days."

"Why?"

"When I see snow, it reminds me of you."

"I think it's just that my hair color is a little similar."

"Yes, you are similar. Even the way you're cold and disappears when touched."

"You seem more honest today, Teresa."

"And you're usually a liar, wouldn't you say?"

"I don't think I could say that myself."

Pretending to be angry, she chuckled.

But her smile was a little different from the lighthearted one from before.

It was a careful expression, as if she were deliberately presenting something in the form of a joke, knowing that saying it would break her heart.

It was a light-hearted remark to hide her true feelings.

"On a snowy day, please remember when we drank soup together in a mountain hut. Then, I'll be sure to remember that I'm traveling with you. ...Don't forget that, please."

She said, smiling softly.

•

•

Decades later...

When I visited her hometown, I learned that the custom of "drinking thin soup on snowy days" didn't exist anywhere.

★★★★★

"Doesn't it seem a bit thin?"

"It's fine. It's the custom."

I gazed out the window at the snow falling steadily, slowly sipping the same light soup as back then.

For some reason, I decided to put an extra cup down. Doing so made me feel like I could remember that day even more clearly.

I no longer cared whether what I'd learned on that snowy day was true.

But something was indeed true.

That snowy day I spent with her remains with me to this day.