Heavy snow season.
It is a time when people in the city stay at home and cherish the moments with their families.
It is a period of time when people in the city stay at home and spend time with their families.

'Manager!Four more oshiruko!
'Yes, sir!
'Manager!Two children's lunches, the daily set meal and the grilled salmon set meal!
'Yes, sir!
'...... Magda will grill the salmon.'
'Thank you for your help!

The sunlit pavilion had turned into a battlefield.

'Why are there so many customers here?

It was so busy that even I was working as a waiter, going back and forth between the store and the garden.

'Yashiro!There's an opening in the Kamakura!
'Then show the customers who are waiting for their turn!
'All right!Natalia, go to the kitchen and help Ginette.
'Yes, ma'am.

Under Estella's instruction, Natalia took the empty dishes and went into the kitchen.

Yes.
A kamakura.

This thing was a big hit.

'Yashiro-san!Kamakura No. 8, it's ready!
'Umaro's approved, right?
'Of course!
'Good!Show the next guest in!When you do, show them that it's fresh!
'I'm on it, sir!

Imelda is working with Umaro and her brothers to make new kamakura. This is the eighth one.

'Oh, look, look, look!
It's so cute!

I can hear the voices of the female visitors.
In the direction they were pointing, there was a lovely line of deformed snow sculptures of the members of the "Sunshine Pavilion". They were engaged in a snowball fight.

And this is the one who created this busy situation.



Yes. It all started the day after we made the kamakura. That day--



The first day of the heavy snow season.
We made a lot of noise with our homemade kamakura, and started making snow sculptures the next day.
It was surprisingly fun, and we all got absorbed in it.

While dodging snowball attacks from Delia and Loretta, who were bored with making snow sculptures, me, Estella, Natalia, Imelda, and Becco, who was our main goal, made snow sculptures with our souls.
It felt like a petit snow festival.

'Yashiro, look at this!

Estella showed me her confident work, which was apparently a shimeji mushroom.

'You like mushrooms, don't you ......'.
'What kind of mushrooms are these?It's a statue of a goddess!
'...... Spirit God, are you going to lose your temper?
'So, what's that round thing on Yashiro?'
'It's a snowman.

The one I made was just an ordinary snowman you can find anywhere. I made a face with charcoal.

It's cute!Yashiro-san, it's so, so cute!

Apparently, Ginette was stimulated by something in her mind, and started running around the snowman like a dog. Don't get so excited.

'I want to make one too!

I taught her how to make it, and she spent the whole day silently making a snowman. Silently, silently, silently, ............ hundreds of miniature snowmen the size of the palm of her hand were being made, as if she were trying to memorialize an unrelated Buddha. It's ...... scary.

Imelda, as expected, has an insatiable appetite for beautiful things, and even her snow sculptures were radical and stylish. I don't know what it was, but she was creating something like an object with a motif of something.

And Becko, ......

'Are you a monster......'

There we were, in the garden of the sunlit pavilion. And dozens of sets.
The reason why there are dozens of sets is because they show us all doing something together.
It's not just a likeness, it's a carbon copy.
They keep making them at an astonishing rate. I feel like I'm being shown a photo of ...... memories.

'I'm about to run out of snow, so I'm going to deform it from here, that I am.

Becko seems to have learned the trick of deforming, since I taught him before. He seems to be growing up somehow.

By the way, ...... says there's not enough snow. ............

What the heck!


'That's right!You're using too much!'

Delia and Loretta complained.

'I want more, too, snow.

Ginette has already made a sickening number of snowmen. Are you going to make more?

'At ......, you can get them from somewhere else.'

Standing in the middle of the grumbling crowd, Magda offers a solution.
That's right.
There's plenty of snow in the city.
And the elderly may have trouble even shoveling the snow.
Even the lazy young ones may not be doing it.
Snow may remain forever on roads where no one goes.

...... Yap Lock's house may have been destroyed. ............ He only saves 'for his children' when he gets money from corn. ...... He should rebuild his house first.

''Then, my brothers.
'''Ho, ho, ho!'''
''Gather all the younger brothers and sisters who seem to have free time, and get snow from the places that haven't finished shoveling.
'''Ho~y!Let's play in the snow!
''Okay, Loretta!We're coming too!This game won't be confined to this small yard!The whole forty-two districts are our battlefield!
'As you wish!We'll have a big snowball fight with Paula and Nephrite!
'Oh, Nephrite!I was hoping to settle things with that guy sometime. ...... Good!Brother!I'll send some people to follow us to the main road.
''I'll send some people!
''It's a blessing in disguise!

How labor-hungry are you people?

And so, all the brothers and sisters went out and collected snow from all over the 42 districts.
They cleared away the snow from the streets in order to pass through, made a lot of noise here and there, and brought the collected snow to the sunny pavilion.

The people of the city must have been interested in him.
They must have been curious about the people who were making a big fuss outside during the heavy snowfall.
And when he went outside, he found that there was no snow on the ground.
When I followed the noisy people, I found various objects made of snow and a snow house.
In addition, there is a delicious smell coming from the dining room in the back of the house. ............

That's right, people come here.



So, it's the eighth day of the heavy snow season.
A lot of people were coming to the sunny pavilion.

But, sadly.
Not all of them were guests of the pavilion.
Most of them were spectators who had come to see the Petit Snow Festival.

There are a few people who eat something at the pavilion, though.
Estella says, 'We have a lot of food hoarded, so eating out may not be an option. I admire her spirit of not wasting food.

But in such a situation, the kamakura became incredibly popular.
Eating oshiruko in a kamakura.
It seems to have become a boom among the residents of the 42nd district.

It can only be done at this time of the year. Such a limited situation has spurred its popularity.
The line of people waiting for oshiruko (sweet red bean soup) was long ......, but the various snow sculptures protruding from the garden of the sunny pavilion into the street in front of it were a delight to the eyes of the customers. Not a single customer complained.

'Sometimes people come into the restaurant to have a set meal.
'They must have gotten hungry while waiting. It takes time to make it.

There have been times when customers who were waiting in line for oshiruko have suddenly left the line and come into the restaurant.
They usually order a set meal or a children's lunch. ...... When such people appear, other customers start to imitate them.
Particularly, those with children would see ...... some kid waving a flag happily as he left, and the kids in line would scream 'I want one too' and then come into the restaurant.
Magda and the other waitresses had to go back and forth between inside and outside the restaurant, and Ginette had to deal with all the food.

'Ugh ...... I want to have a snowball fight.'
'You'll have to be patient!I'm here to help you, and I won't tolerate you skipping out!

Paula got angry, and Loretta carried the oshiruko while crying.

'Thank you for waiting. It's very hot, so please be careful with it.
'Your words are too polite.
'Your words are too rough.

Delia and Nephrite stared at each other as they left the kamakura.

At first, Paula and Nepheli had only come to have a snowball fight, but as the number of visitors gradually increased, they offered to help.
I have nothing to complain about Paula. She is indeed the signature girl of Cantalucía.
As for Nepheli at the poultry farm, I was worried about her, but to my surprise, she was able to serve the customers well.
Well, there are a few things that make me uncomfortable, such as the use of 'o' at the beginning and the repeated use of 'I'm sorry.

'I'd like to take down this empty dish.

Hmmm, that's it. I'd like to fix that. ......
I'd like to fix that. 'I'll take it down' is fine, there.

'Oh, it's empty now, huh?Well, let's clean it up.'



...... Well, it's a hundred times better than Delia. ............

'But, well, it's not as good as it could be: ......'
'Hmm?What's that?

I muttered, staring at the buried mound again.

'Jeannette said she'd like to see a line forming at the Sunken Pavilion someday.
'There is one now, isn't there?
'......, and then Ginette will be stuck in the kitchen and won't be able to see the procession.'
'Oh ............ I see. I can't let that happen.

Estella lets out a chuckle.
'Well, at this rate, the day will come when there will be a line at the Sunken Pavilion. And not just during special occasions like this.

'But you know, I don't think Ginette-chan would be okay with a line.
'That's what I was just thinking, too.

She's aiming for the Sunken Pavilion of her grandfather's time.
It will take a lot of hard work to surpass the sunny pavilion ...... in his memory that will never come back. You'll have a hard time surpassing that. After all, memories are subject to correction.

'What?

A guest screamed as he finished his meal and was about to leave the Kamakura.
When he left the kamakura, the snow on the part where his hand touched collapsed.

'I'm sorry, I'm sorry!
'Oh, it's okay, it's okay!

I ran up to the pale female visitor and smiled at her.

'I'm making a fire in the snow, it's just melted.
'So ...... is it?'
'Don't worry about it.'
'Huh, even if it's .......'

The female customer still showed signs of concern.
Then Estella comes over and says with a fresh smile.

'I'm really fine, so don't worry about it. Anyway, did you get hurt?
'........................ yes.'
'Hmm?'
'Ah!No, no, no, no!

A female customer holds her cheeks with her hands and turns her head away from Estella. Her cheeks are red.

'Oh, no!I'll be back!
'Uh, yeah. I'll wait for you at ......, okay?
'Yes!'

A female customer with sparkling stars in her big eyes.
She holds hands with her companion and starts crowing.

'You're so cool!
'He's so handsome!
''I...... you............, you guys.......''
''We'll be back!Here's your money!''

Not listening to Estella's words at all, the female customer left the money and went home.

'............ handsome men are ......'
'I like good-looking guys. I'm not sure what to say.
'Thank you ...... for the compliment that doesn't make me happy at all!

Hmm.
I'm a pretty good looking guy too. ......

'Hey!Umaro!
'What?What?What did he just ask you, me?
'For now, just say 'yes'!
'If Yashiro-san says so, then 'no'!

d*mn it!
He's going to take a hot bath outside today!
In a single tub, with Becko!

'From my point of view, they're both the same...'
'No, no, no. Estella is strong, isn't she?
'But Yashiro's strength isn't in his face. ...... Look, how interesting is his story?

Delia, Paula and Nephrite are having a girl talk.
Bakka, Nepheli. Interesting talk and a good face are both my weapons.

'Before you do that, can you please stop assuming that ...... I'm good looking?

Estella says, not with modesty, but with a look of disgust on her face.
Oh, what?Are you uncomfortable being compared to me?

'What do you yourself think?
'About what?
'Who's more handsome, you or me?


'Of course it's Yashiro, isn't it?

He said. And he said it immediately.

'Oh, no, no, no!I'm not classified as handsome, so I'm just unbeatable. ............You idiot!

I'm not sure why you're mad at me, now?
I'm sure you'll be happy to know that I'm not the only one who's a bit of a jerk.

'Mr. Yashiro. The glutinous rice has been steamed. Please prepare the rice cakes.
'Hmm?Oh, I see.

If I had a mortar and pestle, I could make a real mochi pounder. ...... I'd have to ask Milly for a big tree for this. Maybe next year.
This year, I'll just use some kind of rice cake that I ground up. ......

'Whoa!

Just as I was about to return to the kitchen, a male customer shouted again, this time.
It seems that when he grabbed the wall of the doorway of the kamakura to go out, it fell down.

Oh, I see. This must be ......

I look up at the sky. The clouds are thinning, and light is peeking through the gaps.
I remember Ginette saying that things don't change that fast. ......

'Hey, Natalia.'
'Yes.'
'Do you know what the weather will be like tomorrow?'
'...... Clear skies, I hope.'
'Then it's going to be warm.'
'Yes, it will. It's about time.

'About time,' Natalia said.
Well, that's what it looks like.

The heavy snow season is over.
I thought it would be cold until the tenth day and the snow would melt the next day, but ...... the temperature will gradually rise and the snow will melt more and more.

Then it's salt time.

'I'll go talk to Jeannette.
'I see. It's my first time at .......'
'Hmm?'
'I've never missed the end of a heavy snow season.'

Natalia says, expressionless.
Her profile looked unusually sorrowful.

'You know, .......'

So, I'll put on a cheerful face and say.

'Next year, it will snow like crazy.
'That's .............'

Next year.
Next year. ......

'Well, I'll go tell the manager.
'I'll let the clerk know.'
'Oh, please.'

That's all I said, and I went into the kitchen.

In the kitchen, Ginette was busily cooking.
Magda and Loretta were looking at a pot of oshiruko.
Just in time, all the regular members of the Sunlit Pavilion were in the kitchen.

'Hey guys. Listen up.'

I called out to them, and they all turned to look at me.

'The Kamakura will end today. Any more of this and our guests could be in danger.'

My words cause the three of them to gasp for a moment.
However, they seemed to have prepared for this somewhere, and no one argued.

'That's right. The temperature is rising, and ...... the only thing left to do is to display the snow sculptures.
'That's only going to last for one more day, though.
'It's a shame to leave it behind, but it can't be helped.
'...... See you next year. We can do it again.'
'Mwah ...... but it's a shame ...... Kamakuraza, it was fun ......'

It's not like you're talking about Tamaplaza.
It's only available during the heavy snowfall season, and the open terrace of the sunlit pavilion "Kamakura-za" ...... has a nice ring to it. Let's use that name from next year.

'Oh, so it's the end ......'.

Estella comes into the kitchen from behind me.
...... Huh?She was supposed to be in there before me. ............ Oh, right.

'The bathroom.
'I was serving a customer!

Looking at the paper with my order, I tell Ginette I need more food.
There was another order for a children's lunch.



'Estella, can you get me some glutinous rice?'
'Hmm?Do I have to crush it?'
'Oh. Magda, show him how to do it.'
'...... I'll take care of it.'
'Loretta.'
'Yes, sir.'
'I'm going to announce the end to the customers, so if they complain, you can help persuade them. You're good at this sort of thing, aren't you?'
'You can count on me!I'll tell them they've got something to look forward to until next year!

The festival will end someday.
But we'll see you next year. ......

'............ Big brother, what's wrong?
'Hmm?Oh, no. ......'

Something stuck in my mind.
It seemed very important, but also very trivial. ......

'So, Yashiro-san. I look forward to working with you.
'Yeah. Leave it to me.'

Well, okay.
We need to focus on what we need to do now.

When I went outside and announced the end of the event, the guests were momentarily disturbed, but they realized that the heavy snowfall was over and said, 'It can't be helped.
When Loretta said, "See you next year," the smiles returned to the faces of the customers, and the kids said, "Can't wait until next year," which made the adults smile.


On that day, the sales of oshiruko (sweet red bean soup) reached a record high.


At night, the restaurant closed.
The Kamakura was still in good condition, but it had become a little dirty.

'Mr. Yashiro, how can I help you?

I was alone in the garden when Jeannette came out and asked me if I was worried.

'Hmm?No, I just thought it was fun.'
'Yes, it was. It was fun.'

With that, she closes the door softly and stands next to me.
The two of us stood side by side, staring at the kamakura.

We started by digging a hole to warm Magda, who was cold. ...... We made a mound out of the snow that came out when we were unloading the snow, and ...... before we knew it, we were in business.
I'm sure some other store will imitate it next year. Well, that's okay, too.

'Um, would you like to come in? Kamakura.'
'Sure.'

Ginette and I enter the Kamakura.
It's the first kamakura made by the members of the Sundaari Pavilion.

'It's warm, isn't it?
'It's strange to be warm when you're surrounded by snow, isn't it?

The chairs are cool and cold because of the snow.
Although there are cushions on the floor, my buttocks still get cold.

'A customer told me that.
'Hmm?'
'That there's always something fun waiting for you when you come here.'

He chuckles happily.
It must have tickled her to remember the time he said that.
The words that made him happy tickled him no matter how many times he replayed them in his brain.

'Thanks to Mr. Yashiro.
'No, this one is the result of everyone's work.

The snow sculptures were the work of Bekko and Imelda.
Umaro, Delia and my brothers did a great job on the kamakura.

'I guess everyone will be leaving soon.
'After the heavy snowfall, we'll all have work to do.

They'll go home today, or tomorrow if not sooner.
The noisy life with the housemates has come to an end.

'...... You look lonely, Yashiro-san.'
'Huh?How can that be? I see those guys almost every day.

Umaro probably comes to eat every day.
Bekko shows up one way or another.
Delia meets him often to negotiate with the river fishing guild.
Estella and Natalia, whenever they feel like it.
The same is true for Imelda. ......

'............ Well, that was fun. ......?'
'Yes. It was a lot of fun.'

'Yes, it was a lot of fun.' 'We lived in a special environment, a different life.
I feel like I've been in a camp or a training camp or something.

'This year has been a really fun year.

Ginette says.


Oh, right, it's the end of the year. I've been so busy I forgot.

'Yashiro-san.
'Hmm?
'I look forward to working with you again next year.

He straightens his posture and folds his back while sitting.
I look at Jeannette bowing deeply, and feel an inexplicable itch.
There's still a week left in the year. ......
However,......, if you are told in such a formal manner,......

I'm not sure what to say. I'll see you next year.

I'm sure you'll feel the need to greet me properly as well.
...... I'm not good at this kind of thing.

'Ahh!The two of us are hogging the pillow!

I can hear Loretta's clear voice coming from outside the house.
Next, I hear the sound of a bunch of noisy people coming out.

...... Oh, God. I can't even relax when they're around.

It's not fair!I want to make a kamakura too!

Don't use "kamakura" as a verb.
The complaining Loretta is, well, in short, not playing enough.

The snow will be gone soon. Then.

'We will now hold a memorial event for the heavy snow season, the last big snowball fight!

Let's have all the fun we can until the very end. That's what I thought.

'The loser will do whatever the winner says!
Sounds like fun!I'll take that match, Yashiro!
'Maybe I'll join you. ...... I'm going to make Yashiro apologize for all the rudeness he's been showing me.

Delia and Estella announced their participation with glittering eyes.
I'm not sure if I'll be able to do it, but I'll try.

'We have the ultimate weapon, Magda!
'...... Magda wants to order Yashiro to pretend all day long.'

d*mn ......, you're an enemy too ......

'Then I'll ask for permission to possess the wax statue!

Ginette rolls up her arms.
...... This is the first one we have to defeat.

The sun had set and the sky was dark.
However, the moon peeked out from between the clouds, and the moonlight reflected off the snow, making it seem strangely bright.
The light bricks peeking through the snow also had a faint glow.

That day we had a snowball fight until late at night, ...... and after watching the summit battle between Delia and Natalia, we fell asleep.


The extraordinary life that had continued day after day came to an end like this.
Everyday life would return.
I was somewhat sad about that, but also relieved.

It was a feeling similar to the sadness at the end of a school trip and the sense of relief when I returned home .......
So, should I say something like, 'Oh, home is the best place to be'?

Everyday life is the best.

When the snow melts, the construction of the city gate will resume.
When the snow melts, the construction of the city gate will resume.
By the time it's over, ...... will probably have started something different.

So many things have happened this year.

I wonder. I guess the end of the year makes you think about such things, even in another world.




Oh, by the way. The winner of the snowball fight was Natalia. I guess skill is more important than power in these things.