EP.21 Winter Camp -1
EP.21 Winter Camp -1
Before I knew it, autumn had ended, and the season when snow began to pile up softly had already arrived.
It was Tia's favorite season—the season when she could have snowball fights and build snowmen without ever going to the northern region.
"Yuu! Yuu! Look, look! There's so much snow!!"
Tia, bouncing around like a puppy excited about the snow, was absolutely adorable.
A baby dragon who hopped all over the place, rolled around, and flung her body into spots where the snow was piled high.
Seeing her laughing so brightly, covered in snow from head to toe, a dad smile naturally crept onto my face.
"Tia, I get that you're happy about the snow, but don't go out onto the road~!"
"Okay!"
A car couldn't put a single scratch on a dragon like Tia, but the driver she crashed into would, nine times out of ten, end up in the hospital.
Tia's skin might have been soft and squishy, but her body itself was harder than a utility pole.
Still, since she was a baby dragon who generally listened to me well, a traffic accident probably wouldn't happen.
Even so, the idea that nothing at all would happen was impossible for me.
-Crash!!
Tia's wildly thrown snowball flew fast and smashed the glass window of our house...
"Mommyyyy!!"
Children who tried to kick and destroy the snowmen Tia made got hurt by the rocks packed tightly inside them, and they showed up in droves.
"Uwaa...?! Uwaaaaah!"
-Boom!!
A driver blinded by a sudden snowstorm that formed out of a clear sky crashed into a wall, his body wrapped by an airbag.
And in the midst of all these disasters, the culprit stood at the center...
"Ehehe! Yuu~!!"
It was our house's baby dragon.
I knew perfectly well that Tia meant no harm...
But it was the moment I truly realized that a baby dragon's innocence was nothing short of a disaster for humans.
"Hehe..."
Anyway, winter had arrived.
***
"A training camp?"
"Yes. The political scene has stabilized considerably compared to the old days, and I am only human, so I need some proper rest."
"So you're saying we should leave on a training camp trip?"
Director Edwiner nodded, a faint smile on his lips.
Before I said whether I'd join, I wanted to ask him a few things.
"Who are the camp members?"
"The members would be myself, you, and that trio you know so well."
"What about your secretary?"
"My secretary is a homebody by nature and has already expressed her refusal."
"Ah, in that case, I'd also...!"
"Curious. From what I've seen of you recently, you seemed to be refusing to go home?"
Yeah, you're dead right.
Just a few months ago, I considered home the best place to be.
But now, because of the companion fox's "Wanna taste draining hell?", the master of the house had changed.
"...Where is the training camp?"
"It's Suobi Village in the northern region."
"Even if you say Suobi Village, I don't really know it..."
"Hm? You've never heard of it even once?"
"No."
"Then you can just think of it as a place famous for its ski resort and mountain lodge."
"Hmm~ Is that so..."
"Do you like skiing?"
"No. I've never gone skiing in my life."
"Unfortunate. So, are you also thinking of not attending the camp?"
"Hm..."
I quietly stared at Tia, who was sitting glued to my side, and she was looking back at me with her big, sparkling eyes.
It didn't matter to me whether I went or not, but I absolutely wanted to hear my companion animal's opinion.
"Tia."
"Hm?"
"Do you like going on a trip, Tia? Or do you like resting at home?"
"Oooh~! I dunno!! I like trips, and I like home too?"
"Yeah?"
"Yeah! So I'm gonna follow wherever Yuu goes!"
At the sight of the dragon girl, as adorable as ever, my hand reached out of its own accord and stroked her soft hair.
One of my few mental remedies.
Even if her harmless actions were sometimes troublesome, the fact that she was my precious companion animal remained unchallenged.
Anyway, since she said she'd follow my lead, we'd skip the camp and stay home...
"Yuu, by the way, what's a ski resort?"
The baby dragon tilted her head cutely and asked, because she didn't know what a ski resort was.
To explain a ski resort, I'd first have to explain skiing, and that was way too much of a hassle.
"Uh...? Well, it's a place piled with snow, where..."
"Snow...!!"
"Uhh, how should I put it? It's a place where you slide around and play?"
"A place where you play on the snow...!!"
Watching Tia's expression as she grew more excited, her eyes sparkling, I could sense something intuitively.
This was absolutely a sign that we'd be joining the training camp trip.
***
Suobi Village was located quite a distance west of the village where I'd fought the fake Hati before.
Though it was a snowfield region, it was close to the western desert, so it wasn't that cold even in winter.
Even the snow hadn't piled up much, so we could easily move by car without needing a reindeer sled or a husky sled.
"We've arrived."
"Oh!! We've finally arrived, Director!!"
"Da-hye, I understand it's our first group vacation in a while, but aren't you too worked up?"
"Leave her alone. No one can stop Da-hye in that state."
As soon as we reached the village entrance, we saw a small mountain and a large ski resort halfway up its slope.
And at the foot of the mountain, a village with a different atmosphere from a hot spring town had formed.
A village lined with a bunch of cabins made from wood.
A scene that looked like it belonged in a fairy tale or a novel made my heart swell. Just walking down these streets felt like my emotions would burst, I guess you could say.
"Everyone, come on! I want to ski as soon as possible!"
"She's unstoppable."
"Sorry, Director! I'll take responsibility and calm Da-hye down."
"No, it's fine. It's probably better than having a gloomy atmosphere."
The director wasn't wrong, but from my perspective, wanting to take a leisurely look around the village, Da-hye's behavior was extremely annoying.
Enjoying a trip at a relaxed, unhurried pace was my taste.
I came all this way to rest; moving around in a rush was far from the kind of travel I pursued.
The happiest moment was, by all accounts, when you soaked in the mood and enjoyed the elegance. At least, that's what I thought.
"Yuu! I wanna go to the ski resort quickly too!"
"Shall we?"
Of course, if our baby dragon wanted to go quickly, that changed things...
"Dear husband, it's good that you want to grant Tia's wish, but going to the ski resort right now is premature."
"Eeh...? Premature? What, is something going to happen if we go now that causes problems?"
"No. The problem is that nothing at all would happen."
"No, what is...?"
"Anyway, for now, let's unpack at the mountain lodge we booked, and then look around the village first!"
"Ah, uhh..."
Since the prophecy crow's directives were important, granting Tia's wish right this moment seemed difficult.
"We're not going to the ski resort?"
"Sorry, Tia. But I'll definitely take you later..."
"Oooh! But I wanna go now...!!"
When what she wanted didn't go her way, Tia pushed her lips out into a pout.
She was clearly giving off a "I'm sulking" vibe, which flustered me.
But in my place, Yata stepped forward and whispered something into Tia's ear.
Then, Tia's pouty lips gradually relaxed, and before long, a wide smile spread across her face.
"Really?"
"Yeah."
"Okay! I'll be patient!!"
"Good, good. What a good girl!"
"Uh, how did you persuade Tia?"
"That's a secret. It's a secret just between the two of us."
"That's right! It's a secret between me and Yata!"
"R, right..."
I was curious about the content, but since they said it was a secret, I cleanly stopped prying any further.
'I feel a little left out...'
Still, I decided not to dwell on it and followed the director's group to the mountain lodge where we'd be staying for a few days, unpacking my things right away.
After that, I parted ways with the group heading to the ski resort for a bit and came down to the village to follow Yata's instructions.
"Anyway, we're in the village, but where are you going?"
"You'll find out soon. All you have to do, dear husband, is just quietly follow me."
"Hm..."
Had she hidden something special in the village?
Or had she brought me here to show off something newly made by the Yata Church?
I entertained these various delusions and tried to come up with a plausible answer.
But as if all the hypotheses I'd imagined were completely wrong, Yata opened the door of a shop in the village and walked in.
"Welcome!!"
"Ah, hello!"
The place Yata visited was the village antique shop run by a burly, hairy gym-bro of an old man.
Starting with a reindeer skull, the pelts and bones of various hunted animals were on display.
As befitted a snowfield region, items like snow globes and goods with snowman characters drawn on them were also placed around in large numbers.
"Hm? You look like customers from out of town. Are you looking for something in my shop?"
"Ah, well..."
I had just followed Yata.
The one with business in the shop was Yata, not me, but the shop owner's eyes only saw me and Tia.
So, I had no choice but to be flustered by the question from a shop owner who looked like he could easily bench press three to a thousand.
"Dear husband, this! This one!"
"Ah...! That, that's what we came to buy!"
"Hm?"
I was one step away from turning from a customer into a troublemaker.
Fortunately, Yata, having found the item she wanted to buy, gestured for me to come over, pointing at it with her hand.
And I, without hesitation, told the old man I intended to buy that item.
"Oho? You're here to buy a Yeti Calling Stone! Quite the unusual customer!"
"Huh...?"
A calling-what stone...?