EP.21 Winter Camp -4
EP.21 Winter Camp -4
I had no idea how things had ended up like this.
The more I thought about it, the more my mind just spiraled into confusion.
I had clearly done everything I could to mediate the fight between the two Divine Beasts.
But then one sudden whim from my companion animal had triggered an avalanche, rendering all my efforts utterly pointless.
"Aaaahh!!"
"Kyahaha!!"
I was riding down the snowy mountain on top of the Divine Beasts, with Tia, against my will.
Yeti and Wendigo.
Thanks to these two, I did avoid the disaster of being buried and swept away by the avalanche, but that wasn't the problem.
The biggest issue was that I was basically treating the Divine Beasts that were supposed to be getting along as snowboards.
'Hmm, given their surface area, should I consider them sleds instead?'
Whatever the case, I was riding them down like vehicles, and doing so with an avalanche crashing along right behind us.
What would happen when this avalanche finally settled, and how was I supposed to face these two Divine Beasts I'd ridden without their consent...
It already felt impossible to handle.
"Dear husband~!"
"Yata?"
"Ah! Thank goodness! You seem to be alright!"
"Does this look alright to you?"
"Haha! What's the problem? You're alive, and that's all that matters, isn't it?"
"Well, that's true. But if this keeps up..."
"Do you want to stop?"
"Yeah. Is there a way to stop?"
"If we somehow stimulated the Yeti and made the stick in its groin stand rigid, couldn't we use it like a ship's anchor?"
"Are you a demon?!"
Even if doing something like that somehow kept us from dying, the Yeti would lose all will to live.
Out of decency to a fellow male and living creature, regardless of species, let's not cross that line.
"But honestly, there isn't really any other good method."
"Is there really no other way?"
"It's not that there is absolutely none, but, to be straightforward, it's hard to tell you."
"Why?"
"Because telling you would make things boring, wouldn't it?"
"What! How in the world is that a valid rea..."
"More importantly, dear husband, you should brace yourself for the impact that's coming soon."
"Huh?"
-Clatter! Clatter! Crrrack!!
A sound like we were snagging on something.
It seemed the path of the avalanche had inadvertently been peppered with jagged rocks.
When I turned to look behind, there really was a stretch of rocky terrain laid out, and the Yeti's body, now that we were past it...
was leaving a trail of blood, as if someone were drawing a line with a brush dipped in red paint across a blank white canvas.
The same went for the Wendigo beside us that Tia was riding.
"Yata! Tell me the method before it's too late!! Please!!"
"Hmm, I wonder what I should do~?"
"Stop stalling!!"
At this rate, not only would the two Divine Beasts' bodies end up completely torn apart, but we would also soon reach an area dense with trees.
If we crashed into those towering trees, my body would naturally be thrown off, and the Yeti would suffer even worse damage.
It was a situation where neither the Yeti nor I would find it strange if our lives ended at any moment.
I had to stop it, no matter what.
"Then why don't you try persuading her, dear husband? The one who started this and the one who can stop it are one and the same."
"The same person...? Tia?"
"Kyahat! Kyahaha!!"
As if she found this entire situation endlessly fun, our baby dragon's laughter never stopped for a second.
If Tia was involved, there really was no need to worry.
She could use the wind to freely steer the snowboards... no, the Divine Beasts' bodies to avoid the danger.
And not only that, but the fundamental problem—the avalanche itself—could also be stopped with Tia's power.
After the two Divine Beasts, now I had to convince Tia.
"Hey, Tia?"
"Whaaat~?"
"Could you please stop this now?"
"Pfft! Nooo!"
Even in the middle of having fun, Tia puffed out her cheeks and turned her head away at my request to stop.
It meant she was in a huge sulk and had no intention of stopping.
The reason Tia was so upset, to that degree, was entirely my fault.
I had joined the boot camp trip to have fun with Tia, but ever since we actually arrived, I'd done nothing but work.
Even if it couldn't be helped for the sake of the future, it was a fact that I'd neglected to play with Tia.
To make a precise analogy, it was the same situation as fathers who promise their child a weekend picnic but then fail to keep that promise because of a sudden work emergency.
Even when work for the family's sake was unavoidable, the broken promise remained, and the hurt it left in a child's heart could not simply be undone.
Just like now.
"Tia."
"Nooo! Nooo! I'm not gonna stop!"
"Tia..."
In situations like that, the mother was usually the one who mediated between father and child.
But Tia didn't have a mother-like figure.
Miho was the closest to filling the mother role, but she was currently absent.
Next in line, Kor, was also absent because I had asked her to summon Hati just in case.
The only people left now were Yata and Alice, but...
Yata had already placed the task of persuasion on me, and Alice was only on casual speaking terms with Tia, not a close relationship.
In the end, there was no one else but me who could soothe Tia and ask her to end this situation.
"Tia."
"Hmph!"
"I'm really sorry that I promised to play but then couldn't keep paying attention to you."
"..."
"You were really sad because we came here to play, but I kept not playing with you, right?"
"...Yeah."
"Then, for the time we have left, let's play together happily until you feel all better."
"Really...?"
"I really promise!"
"He, hehe...! Me likey Yuu!!"
As if the girl who had been sulking just moments ago had vanished, Tia broke into a radiant smile.
At the same time, she let go of the Wendigo's antlers she'd been holding and flew over to me, snuggling adorably into my arms.
My cute companion dragon.
Whether she was angry or had just gotten over it, she was so cute it was an unwinnable fight.
"I understand that your love for Tia is exceptional, dear husband, but you'd better evacuate quickly. Otherwise, won't you end up like that?"
"Ah...! Aahh...!!"
While I was petting Tia's head, the crow spoke, pointing somewhere.
Looking at where Yata's finger was pointing, I was finally able to face the current reality again.
The Skeletal Giant Deer that Tia had been riding was wedged into the base of a tree, gradually fading into the distance from us.
I had completely forgotten about it.
After a brief moment of silent mourning for the Wendigo, I immediately told Tia one wish.
"Tia. Could you please stop going down now?"
"Yeah! Otay!"
Unlike before, Tia answered my request readily.
She made the fluttering air threads taut, bringing the Yeti's swept-away body to a halt.
As the all-consuming avalanche and the Yeti's body separated, we were able to escape the crisis.
"Did I do good?"
"Yeah, you did great!"
Wearing an expression hungry for praise, Tia crawled into my arms and pushed her head forward.
It meant she wanted me to resume the head-patting I'd just stopped.
Since she had listened well, I stroked her head gently with a feeling of pride.
Then a laugh filled with happiness started to flow from Tia's mouth, and I also found myself breaking into an involuntary fatherly smile.
Meanwhile, Yata, who had been wearing a complicated expression unlike us, descended from the air.
"Will it be okay?"
"Huh? What will be?"
"The avalanche. The initial goal wasn't to stop the Yeti's body, it was to stop the avalanche, wasn't it?"
"Now that you mention it... Hmm, but it's too late now, isn't it? The natural damage from the avalanche is unfortunate, but there's nothing we can do."
Going now to try to stop the fast-flowing avalanche would be too late.
Maybe we could if we used a Divine Beast's power to quickly descend, but it didn't seem worth the effort.
But as if that wasn't the case, Yata looked at me pitifully and told me one crucial fact.
"Dear husband, did you forget that the base of this snowy mountain is a ski resort?"
"Ah."
We were doomed.
***
Fortunately, thanks to the quick report from someone who observed the avalanche and the excellent response and guidance of the ski resort staff,
we were able to avoid the worst-case scenario of human casualties, but the resort itself was damaged by the avalanche and entered a period of reorganization.
In the end, skiing during the boot camp trip was over. The ski resort could no longer be used.
"Hmm, what would be the best thing to say...?"
"Are you that worried? Didn't you say they don't know they were treated like vehicles?"
"Still, they'll probably remember that Tia caused the avalanche. I should at least be concerned."
After returning to the ski resort earlier, I was now heading back to where the Yeti and the Wendigo were.
Once I realized things were alright on the ski resort side, I had set out to finish the problem that hadn't yet been resolved.
Still, I resolved that this time, even if it meant being a little heavy-handed, I would bring the dispute between the two Divine Beasts to a swift conclusion.
With that, we began our climb back up the mountain, but the return path wasn't smooth due to the terrain altered by the avalanche.
"Tia, how's the scenery up there?"
"Good!"
"I'm glad to hear that!"
It was the start of another tedious climb, but to keep Tia from getting bored, I was hiking up while giving the baby dragon a piggyback ride.
Because I had promised to play with her.
It was a tougher ordeal in order to keep that promise.
But even so, since I could see Tia's bright, innocent smile, this much was easy to let sli...
"Dear husband, watch your step."
"Huh? All of a sudden?"
Just as I was wondering why Yata was telling me to watch my step—
-Fwoosh! Grip!
From out of a jutting snow pile, a familiar hand suddenly shot out and grabbed my ankle.
"Dear husband~♡"
"Kyaaahk!!"