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I feel sluggish, suffocated, hot, nauseous, and I need to pee.

…When I woke up, I found myself lying on the sofa in the living room of Apartment 404. A blanket had been draped over me—I wonder where they dragged it from.

“……Su, fi?”

For a moment, I thought Sufi and the others had woken up and carried me here, but when I looked around, the three of them were lying haphazardly on the floor.

They were still wearing their winter gear, wet in places, and showed no signs of having woken up. As for me, the snow that had stuck to me must have melted, because the fur all over my body was damp.

“Guh… gah, koff, koff.”

It feels like I have dumbbells strapped to my whole body; every joint hurts. There isn’t a single spot on my body that feels comfortable.

“Gran…pa…”
“…………Mommy…”
“Hu……hu……”

Their sleeping faces look a little pale, probably from the cold, but they look peaceful. It seems we’ve escaped the immediate danger for now.

“Mmmph…”

The view of Japan from the window is at dusk. I tried to get up but tumbled off the sofa; giving up on standing, I crawled across the floor to the kitchen.

Desperately, I put the kettle on the stove, boiled some lukewarm water, and moistened my throat. Then, still crawling on the floor, I went to the bathroom.

After catching my breath, I was able to move a little better, so I changed the three of them. I don’t know how much time had passed, but since I was the only one covered with a blanket, their bodies had gotten quite cold.

Changing people who were fast asleep was hard work.

Still, I managed to change all three of them, and then I was completely exhausted.

■■■■■

It was the beginning of autumn in Japan, so it was still muggy and hot.

Thanks to that, the chill itself wasn’t a major problem.

Judging from the three of them falling asleep so suddenly and the dream I had, it seems there’s a trap set up at this location or the entrance that puts anyone who enters to sleep.

And once you fall asleep, that dream… you’re trapped in a place called the Sea of Lingering Snow, and you’ll keep sleeping in the snow until you can break free from your past.

In my case, either my constitution is resistant to mental interference or I managed to nullify the sleep effect, but I ended up collapsing from mana exhaustion and got trapped in the dream anyway. Since I’d already cut ties with my past long ago, I woke up immediately, though.

Typically, this would be a field to trap those adventurers we’d seen before. The fact that they were able to move in that environment must mean the red mist surrounding them was moderating the temperature.

Whether it’s a magical tool, an artifact, or even magic itself—they’re still betting their lives on the period of that red mist. It’s a pretty brutal trap.

It’s the kind of thing you see all the time in games and manga, though.

Judging by their sleep-talking, I wonder if Sufi is dreaming about grandpa and Noche about her mother. Filia hardly ever talks in her sleep, so I can’t tell.

……I don’t know if they’re beings created from memories or the real thing, but I pray that Grandpa will guide Sufi too.

“Ng-guh…”

Whether they can break free from their past is up to them; my job is to protect everyone until they wake up.

And yet, even though I’m the one who can move, I’m the one feeling the worst—I curse my own lack of stamina.

“…Alright.”

I check on the three of them, give them lukewarm water mixed with salt and sugar I found in the supplies, and then crawl down the hallway toward the front door.

The front door is wide open, and as I approach, I feel a chill that makes me shiver.

Beyond the door, the walls are covered in pure white, and there are human-shaped footprints in the snow on the ground.

The snow hut was still intact, and the entrance, which had been knocked down, seemed to be completely blocked. I couldn’t see it, but maybe that child did it.

…Even though we finally met, I collapsed right away and we barely got to talk.

I had finally come to terms with my feelings a little. I was planning to tell it, “Let’s be friends,” this time for real.

Things never go as planned. Judging by the sounds, there don’t seem to be any magic beasts around here. Depending on the situation, I might have to use the best camouflage I can and close the door.

…Come to think of it, it’s probably not a good idea to linger in a spot facing the outside.

Just as I turned to head back inside, I heard the sound of something approaching from outside.

“Huh…”

Instinctively, I tried to hide my presence and duck behind the entrance. But before I could, the wall of my snow hut collapsed, and the round face of a long-tailed tit peered in.

“Kyu-pi?”
“…………Welcome back?”

It seems it didn’t just leave after taking care of me. It must have been outside for some reason.

There was a part of me that’s relieved it didn’t just disappear without a word, but there’s also a part of me that felt disappointed. My feelings were mixed.

……Maybe I’m being a bit too selfish.

“Pururu”
“What were you doing?”

I had a lot I wanted to say, but I missed my chance.

“Cheep”
“A bag?”

While I was wondering how to approach the subject, I noticed it had something clamped in its beak.

What the Long-tailed Tit had tossed into the snow hut was a fairly sturdy leather bag.

It was reasonably large, and its subdued sheen showed it had seen plenty of use. There were things inside, too…

“Where’d you get that?”
“Jururu.”

I wonder where on earth it found that.

When I asked, the long-tailed tit turned its head away. I sat up unsteadily and peered out of the hole, noticing a person lying in the dug-up snow.

A large man shrouded in a red haze—I recognized him.

Could he be one of the adventurers who jumped in first…?

If there’s one thing that’s bothering me…

“…Why is that person bent into a ‘C’ shape?”
“Cheep.”

The man lying face-down was slightly bent into a ‘C’ shape, with the curve centered on his side.

Fluttering its wings, the long-tailed tit flew through the air at a speed that belied its massive size and landed beside the fallen adventurer.

Then, using its slender bird’s foot, it kicks the adventurer in the side. The adventurer is sent flying slightly and ends up falling onto his back in the snow.

“Yikes…”

That ruthlessness and lack of hesitation toward humans—it really is that little one.
Despite its cute appearance, it’s the type of Unknown who goes in for the kill.

“Um, take it easy.”
“Cheep.”

After kicking him one more time to flip him onto his stomach, it flew back up to the snow hut. It seemed to be holding back, and it’s certainly mellowed out quite a bit compared to the past.

Given the situation, I’m sure it’s the one who carried us to the living room. As its friend, I hope it gets along with humans as best it can.

“That… and… robbing a living person isn’t good..”
“Squeak.”

I wouldn’t mind if it had plundered from a long-dead body. But if they’re alive, there’ll be trouble when they wake up.

When I told the Long-tailed Tit, who was trying to hand over the stolen bag, this, it nodded—but then immediately turned toward the adventurer.

I had a bad feeling, so I instinctively grabbed its feathers and yanked.

There was a thud, and a jagged chunk of ice was embedded right next to the adventurer.

Last time I knew, the Long-tailed Tit could only turn its body into snow and manipulate a little cold air, but it’s sure powered up quite a bit…

“Sorry, but if I let this slide right in front of me, it’ll be irreversible… even for me.”
“Pururuu…”

Yes, ultimately speaking, he did pin those monsters on us, and one of the reasons why we ended in this situation.

That said, I think it would be difficult for even the kindest person to be considerate of us in that situation.

From their perspective, they found children deep in a snow-covered mountain during a blizzard where humans don’t go. It’s only natural to think it was an illusion or some kind of monster.

On top of that, expecting them to see right through everything and respond appropriately in the split second they were chased by a monster and fled into a cave is just too much to ask.

I don’t know where the other three are, but at least I have no hard feelings for them. Considering the trouble that might follow, I don’t feel like actively helping them, but as someone with a past life raised in peaceful Japan, I don’t feel like killing them either.

“Pururi.”

The long-tailed tit fluttered closer, chirping a bit grumpily, then dropped the bag it was carrying right next to the man.

I feel bad about it, but I was glad it understood me.

“Jyuri!”
“Ah.”

I saw it deliver one final kick, knocking the man face-down.

…Well, kicking him over a bit is still within the bounds of playfulness… right?

***

#Author’s Note: #

Even among Long-tailed T̲i̲t̲s̲, which are known for their fiery tempers, this one was particularly feisty.