Wherever he appears, it snows, regardless of the season or weather.

"I met him one winter when I was five years old, and ever since then, he has always come to keep me company..."

Back then, Ibaraki was always covered in ice and snow all year round. At first, people thought it was just an abnormal weather, but soon some people discovered that it was the work of a yokai.

"Later, the Snow Child suppressed himself and controlled the snow from falling, but this couldn't last long, so he had to leave..."

"He likes you." Su Deng leaned against the tree with her arms crossed, her eyes seeing through everything. "You like him too."

Riki Ninomiya didn't refute this. After a moment of silence, she said, "He was my only friend when I was a child. He often came to watch me dance..."

She was confined to the courtyard, studying day and night how to be a proper priestess. No one asked her if she was willing or happy, except for Yukito…

He would try to make her happy and would secretly take her out to play.

Sometimes, he would try to dance like her, though he danced awkwardly, but he was very happy.

That was the only time she felt happy and free in her life.

But things didn't stay that long, because of the snow, he was still discovered.

“The hopes of the entire family and Ibaraki are on my shoulders. I shouldn’t have been so selfish, so I drove him away…”

Later, it was Acha who stayed by her side.

Her family sent her to Wushan Shrine like a sacrifice. The shrine's chief priest admired and was very satisfied with her, but the shrine already had a candidate for priestess.

“That was also the happiest time of my life, because then I didn’t have to dance anymore, or follow any rules, and I could be an ordinary person…”

However, the priestess candidate disappeared.

I don't know if they escaped or what.

This incident was considered a betrayal of the gods and a scandal for the shrine. The shrine did not announce it to the public, but only said that it would hold a public selection for the next shrine maiden.