CH 63

63 – Snow Games (Start)

We all went to the hot spring.

We played in the snow in the snowfield surrounding area that also belongs to the wealthy merchant Florence, one of The Seven.

And the snowball fight we started was surprisingly exciting.

However, we had to put a stop to it when one of the kids hit Florence with a snowball.

Not because Florence was angry.

The snowball hit her right in the chest as it broke into snow, melted on her skin, and then flowed down her cleavage.

「Hyaun?!」

Her body jolted and her face turned red.

She immediately tried to get the snow out, but when her eyes met mine, there was a spark in her eye as if she just thought of something. 「Goodness, the snow has gotten down into my breasts. Woe is me, I might catch a cold. Oh, if only some kind soul could help me wipe it off.」

「Well done, my lady. Asking others to do what you yourself could so easily do is truly the mindset of the rich.」

「Quite so, quite so! …Wait, that wasn’t a compliment, was it?!」

Looks like Celine, the sheep Demi-human stewardess, is close to her today as well.

『Rain, I know this goes without saying, but you don’t have to listen to her.』

「Lady Holy Sword is right. Florence, if the snow is disturbing you, why don’t we just cut your breasts off.」 A silver glimmer reflects off of the assassin Madge’s knife.

「Now hold on, Madge! What you just said was too terrifying, wasn’t it?!」 Florence hugged her chest with a startled look on her face.

That action squeezed her breasts into such a shape that forced the snow, now water, to spill out of her cleavage like a spring. I couldn’t help but stare at the spectacle before me.

「…! While this isn’t what I planned, it would appear that I have Sir Rain’s gaze transfixed upon my person… Not just my business acumen, but my charms as a woman are also outstanding if I do say so myself.」

Florence looked somewhat satisfied while her cheeks were flushed red.

Which would have been fine if this was where things stopped but…

psh goes a sound to my side.

「Yay, I hit her! I hit Madge!」

The rabbit-eared Carro was jumping up and down with joy.

True enough, when I looked at Madge, Carro had hit her square in the chest with a snowball.

However, considering her knife skills up till now, this outcome is unthinkable.

Unless…

『You let her hit you on purpose…』

「No. The child’s throwing ability far exceeded my reaction speed. This snow is cold, however. I am in a bind. I must continue protecting Sir Rain, so I have no choice but to have Sir Rain handle the snow.」

While saying that, Madge huddles close to me.

Her body temperature melted the snow, and a scent resembling the smell of milk mixed with honey tickled my nostrils.

Eventually, the other of The Seven got angry and began doing the same thing. Before I knew it, the snowball fight had stopped and a different game began.

The children, who were all used to how The Seven reacted, stopped throwing snowballs and started playing whatever game they could come up with.

They rolled around a snowball until it got bigger and bigger, they stomped on the snow to make footprints while making noises, rode around the snowfield while riding on the white fox’s back, or made snow castles instead of sand castles.

While I was watching them, I heard someone declare something. Someone declared a “Who can amuse Rain the most” contest.

『You girls are a bunch of clowns.』

Each and every one of The Seven have a past of being captured by an evil wizard. Ever since I beat up that wizard five years ago, these seven girls were taken in by a Demon nation, and they grew up to be talented individuals who excelled in their respective fields. I can sense something like a strong bond between them as fellow comrades who share a painful past. Even if they look like they’re fighting, they won’t break up their friendship over it. In a good way, they’re friends who can say whatever they want to each other.

I’m not familiar with personal relationships, but I think you could call them “best friends”. For some reason, these best friends always have a competition over me… And so, today, yet another…match?　Another match has begun.

As each of them was getting ready, I was just blankly staring at the kids playing. It looks like Carro burst out of the snow and attacked Ur with a surprise attack, and now the fox-eared Ur invited Carro to ride on the white fox’s back. Then, it was time.

The first one to call out to me was Louto. The magic that this woman, who works as a teacher in the Magic Academy, specializes in is Barrier Magic.

「Whaddya think of this~?」 As if presenting something, she pointed to a hill that looked no different to the previous one. The snow is piled high and I think it’d be troublesome to climb.

「Have you ever slid on snow before, Sir Rain~?」

「Slid?」

I’ve fought on snowy battlefields before, but something tells me that rolling around in the snow during battle is not the same as what Louto’s talking about.

「Seeing would be faster than explaining~. Please, look over there~」

I look back at the snowy hill – but this time, I see a figure. It was Eleanor. Her long, silver hair fluttered in the wind, reflecting lights of shining silver. I see. Sure enough, she is sliding on the snow. On top of boards, that is.

She had two thin boards attached to each of her feet allowing her to slide on the snow’s surface. She had cylindrical poles in each hand, perhaps to help with steering. Despite wearing heavy winter clothing, I could clearly see her pair of mounds swaying as she came closer to us and eventually came to a perfect stop.

A spray of snow shot out as she skidded to a halt. Out of nowhere, the kids gathered here and applauded Eleanor’s magnificent entrance. Going along with the flow, I clapped my hands together too. This made Eleanor’s face glow red out of embarrassment.

「Whaddya think~? It is said that there are places that slide on the snow like this for transportation or enjoyment. Doesn’t it look fun~?」