Not a detective

Page 34

Today's "night raid" ended without any real progress.

Asakawa Riku sat down with a somber face. His heartbeat slowly returned to normal, and he gradually calmed down.

Who did it?

Is it a monster from this mountain? Or perhaps... one of the five people in this house?

There is no evidence to draw conclusions yet, so it is too early to say anything.

Asakawa Riku looked at himself; he was almost completely soaked, his clothes clinging to his skin and outlining the contours of his muscles, as if he had been drenched in a downpour.

These are water droplets from melted frost, indicating that what we just experienced was not an illusion, but a real danger.

He turned around and looked at the dent in the bed caused by his "vibration," and the puddle of water that had accumulated like a reservoir, soaking the sheets and blankets.

He even had the mood to make self-deprecating jokes:

"...If they were seen, I'd probably be socially dead."

...

The next morning, I could hear shouting from upstairs from a great distance.

"What--"

"How can this be!"

"My God, what on earth has happened in this mountain..."

They woke each other up and then rushed to look out the window, their footsteps echoing across the floor.

Asakawa Riku had already noticed this, so he didn't make a fuss. Instead, he waited quietly until they finished being surprised before he saw the group of people coming downstairs one after another.

Teacher Matsuyama, Principal Komiya, Hirata Hirokichi, Yuki, and Takagi Ichiro.

The five people went down to the living room on the first floor... Among them, there might be the murderer who attacked Asakawa Riku yesterday.

Asakawa Riku's gaze swept over him lightly, not staring for long. He was sitting in front of the fireplace with its flames churning, the red light illuminating his profile, making it sharp and distinct.

"Ah Lu—" Haoji was the first to greet him.

He didn't say "good morning," so it's probably not the right time to say those things.

"You've seen it too, haven't you?"

Asakawa Riku looked at their somber expressions, still seemingly unable to shake off their surprise. None of them seemed to be faking it; at least, their acting skills were definitely beyond his comprehension.

He was the first to get up; to be precise, he hadn't slept since the incident last night.

Putting aside the fact that the bed was no longer suitable for sleeping, he was also worried that the prisoners would attack again, so he simply got up.

Sitting in front of the fireplace isn't about showing off, it's about drying clothes. As for another reason, I'm sure others can relate to it now—

"Snowing."

With a hoarse voice, Professor Matsuyama finally announced their discovery: "What's going on? It's snowing in this mountain?!"

Yes, since last night, this house has been shrouded in a heavy blizzard.

Even now, frost patterns still cling to the windows, and the outside world is a pure white expanse.

The glass banged against the wind and snow, exuding an unsettling aura, as if some monster lurked in the outside world, waiting for its chance.

What was even more real was the sudden drop in temperature. Everyone hugged themselves and shivered. They were all wearing light summer clothes, but how could they withstand the cold winter? Even in this house, the low temperature was inescapable. They could only huddle around the fireplace for warmth, just like Asakawa Riku. Only the warm firelight could give them some comfort.

"Impossible...this is impossible..."

Principal Komatsu, who usually appears very calm, was now trembling with disbelief at the sight she was seeing.

It snowed in summer.

It's the height of summer in June, and it shouldn't be snowing anywhere in this country.

"Am I dreaming?" Haoji smiled bitterly; his usual optimism was no longer effective.

"How about it?"

Asakawa Riku lightly punched him, making him feel the weight of reality.

"understood."

Everyone looked unwell, perhaps because the cold had dulled their sense of reason. They should have had a lot to talk about in this situation, but because it was so absurd, they didn't know where to begin. They probably shared the same thought as Haoji: that they were still half asleep and wished it were all a dream.

But Asakawa Riku knew he couldn't just stand there idly; he had to bring everyone to their senses.

"I woke up early this morning and found out about this situation. I should have woken everyone up, but it's also important to maintain sleep and energy at times like this."

"If you touched the light switch this morning, you probably already noticed that the whole house is without power. It's likely that some of the power lines were broken by the heavy snow."

"Although I don't want to use this word, we are currently in the predicament of the 'snow-covered mountain lodge'. I don't understand the cause of this heavy snow, and I suppose no one else does either. It's June, the summer vacation, and the temperature couldn't possibly drop so suddenly that it would snow. It's a pity that we are now cut off from the outside world. I wonder if this is the only place where we are like this."

"So, in order to figure out the problem with this heavy snow and to find a way out of this predicament, I'm going to go outside and check the situation now."

He pointed to the tightly closed door of the house: "Anyone who wants to come with me, let's set off now."

Summer of the Snow Woman: Chapter Twelve - The Songstress in the Snow

"Although I should do my best to help, it's just too cold. If I go outside, I'll only be troubling you to take care of me, so please allow me to wait here."

Yukie stood up, bowed, and said sincerely, "I will pray for everyone."

Her ponytail slid down to the side, her hair smooth and silky.

She seemed genuinely afraid of the cold; as soon as she finished speaking, she sat down next to the fireplace, the closest one, and stretched out her hands to warm them.

So, naturally, another lady, Principal Xiao Gong, said, "Then I'll be here too," and withdrew from the exploration team.

Asakawa Riku glanced at Takagi Ichiro, whose eyes were filled with dejection, as if he didn't care about the current situation at all, and he didn't answer at all.

"...You guys go ahead, there's no point in me going out in this state."

He was stared at for a while before he could finally speak.

From the very beginning, he seemed uninterested in the heavy snow, showing little surprise, as if it were unimportant to him.

He seemed only concerned with when he could go out to visit the shrine.

"Okay, then let's have the three of us."

Riku Asakawa said.

The only people who went out to explore with Asakawa Riku were himself, Hirata Hirokichi, and Matsuyama-sensei—three young and middle-aged men.

The sound of wind and snow came from outside, sending a chill down one's spine even before seeing it.

"I'm going to open the door."

He walked to the door, greeted the other two people in advance, and then turned the handle.

In an instant, a cold, icy wind swept in from outside, and the bone-chilling cold immediately seeped into my body, opening the door to a snow-white world.

"Damn...it's cold."

Haoji was trembling all over and could barely speak: "I should have put the blanket over myself."

Mr. Matsuyama was able to hold on a bit, perhaps because he was physically strong, or perhaps because he didn't want to appear weak in front of the two students, so he walked in front.

He said, "Asakawa-kun, Hirata-kun, don't try to tough it out. If you can't handle it, tell the teacher."

Actually, Asakawa Riku is alright.

He estimated that the outside temperature was around minus five to ten degrees Celsius, and with the snowflakes hitting his body, the perceived temperature was probably even lower, but this was still within his limit.

Compared to last night's attack, which was freezing cold from the inside out, this was much "gentler".

Asakawa Riku didn't try to show off; instead, he obediently followed behind Matsuyama-sensei, keeping an eye on Hiroki's condition so that he wouldn't accidentally freeze to death.

The snow underfoot, which had settled overnight, was already up to my heels. If the snowstorm continued, the steps in front of the door would soon be submerged as well.

The three of them walked out of the house in a line. All around them was a vast expanse of white snow, making it almost impossible to see the road.

The outline of the forest was still faintly visible, and the green leaves seemed to prove that they had not adapted to the sudden heavy snow. The tree crowns were already covered with white snowflakes.

I don't know which way to go.

Mr. Matsuyama quickly realized the problem and stopped.

They came to this house because they got lost, and even if they went into the forest, they would only get lost again.

Moreover, they were very cold, especially with the damp, cold snow soaking through their clothes, and the biting wind blowing. They probably wouldn't last more than thirty minutes before suffering rapid hypothermia and being unable to get out.

They had been trapped by the snowstorm... and only now did they truly realize the terrifying reality.

"Let's go back; there's no point in continuing," Asakawa Riku said at the opportune moment.

He simply wanted to confirm that the snow wasn't a fake landscape, but something real.

Although he could continue on his own, he wasn't sure he could find a way out of the mountains.

There's no point in one person escaping if rescue can't be found.

"Hmm." Mr. Matsuyama's face was grim, but he knew that Riku Asakawa was right, so he could only nod and prepare to turn around.

Just then, a sharp scream suddenly came from behind Hirata Hirokichi!

"Ah...ah!"

He shouted in a panic, grabbing Asakawa Riku's sleeve and pulling him to look in that direction: "Look!"

Asakawa Riku was prepared, so he shielded him behind him and looked over—

there.

A girl wearing a long-sleeved kimono stood under the shade of a tree.

—Burning in the hearth of worries, turning to ashes…

The girl is singing.

It seemed to emerge from the scenery.

The surroundings were a blanket of white snow, but the sun had not yet fully risen.

It was an incredible brightness. It was dim, yet not gloomy.

The world has simply lost its color, turning into a gray hue.

Only the girl was colorful.

Scarlet pattern. Dark blue pattern. Purple pattern.

At that moment, the girl nimbly jumped.

A neatly trimmed fringe

Gently, rock.

It always feels like it's shaking very slowly.

It was pure white hair, like snow, melting into everything around it, as if it were scattered across the entire world.

Ah, subjective time...

It's getting slower and slower.

If this continues, my time will eventually stop.

If that happens, I won't be able to get out.

—How should a Buddhist disciple act?

Father and Mother, please forgive me.

The girl turned this way.

No expression.

Is that a doll?

The pupils were two pitch-black, bottomless holes.

As if doused with a bucket of cold water, I trembled all over.

"Asakawa-kun!" Mr. Matsuyama shouted, trying to wake Asakawa Riku from his confused expression, and shook Asakawa Riku's shoulders vigorously.

Asakawa Riku turned around, but it was all dark, and he couldn't see his teacher's and friend's faces.