Warm sunlight—an extremely rare and unfamiliar phenomenon in the Land of Snow, something that might not occur even once in a decade.
Yet, this very rarity shone through the window in the early morning, casting its glow upon the sleeping face of Dotō, rousing the soul that had seemingly endured a night of nightmares.
Feeling the warm radiance, Dotō awoke from his nightmare, his eyelids fluttering lightly before slowly opening.
Gazing at the sunlight streaming through the window, Dotō felt dazed. From childhood till now, this was the first time he had ever encountered such warm sunlight.
For a moment, he convinced himself that the indescribably absurd experiences of the previous night had merely been a nightmare.
And now… he had woken up.
Haa—
Letting out a soft exhale, Dotō rested his arm over his forehead and gently closed his eyes, allowing his mind to fully relax.
He couldn't help but feel relieved and certain.
That's right!
Everything last night was just a dream!
His first kiss of the day was still intact! The only one who had come to his room last night was Fubuki! That stupid bear hadn't shown up! And Rōga Nadare hadn't come either!
Everything that had happened afterward—from beginning to end—was just a nightmare he had after Fubuki left!
Thinking this, Dotō nodded in satisfaction, his conviction growing even stronger.
No mistake about it! It was just a particularly awful nightmare!
His first kiss of the day was still safe! He hadn't endured that pixelated face twice!
Speaking of which, this long-lost warm sunlight really was nice—so warm and comfortable it was beyond words. And this little person pressed against him, their skin so smooth and—
Before he could finish the thought, Dotō's eyes snapped open in horror!
His small eyes widened to their absolute limit, bloodshot and trembling violently, his pupils shrinking to pinpricks as if shaken by an earthquake.
Cold sweat—one drop, two drops, countless drops…
Dark lines—one streak, two streaks, countless streaks…
It's Fubuki, right? It has to be Fubuki!
Absolutely the Fubuki who completed her mission last night!
Dotō roared inwardly.
At this moment, he desperately tried to impose a certain psychological reassurance upon himself—
This had to be Fubuki, who, after completing the task he had assigned last night, wanted to report back but, being extremely considerate, didn't want to wake him!
That had to be it! It couldn't possibly be anyone else!
Sure, there might be some difference in size, but wasn't that just how women were? Always losing or gaining weight and whatnot.
Without a doubt, this was Fubuki!
With that thought, Dotō swallowed nervously, then closed his eyes and mechanically turned his head bit by bit.
"Good morning, my lord~"
Hearing the soft whisper by his ear, Dotō's mind completely shut down in an instant. His body stiffened like stone—utterly petrified!
"Such rare sunlight… it's almost like spring has arrived."
Rōga Nadare, bare-chested, gazed at the morning sun and murmured this sentiment. However, he soon noticed that something seemed… off about Lord Dotō's current state.
"Lord Dotō… what's wrong?"
Nadare asked, though he quickly blushed for some reason, turning his face away shyly and muttering toward the bed in embarrassment."Lord Dotō, please rest assured. I was the one who helped clean you yesterday, and no one else saw anything. By the way, if you have any special needs like this in the future, you can just tell me directly. There's no need to hint—your subordinate understands perfectly..."
At this moment, even the most oblivious Fūka Dotō had to acknowledge one undeniable fact: spring had truly arrived.
Because...
There was an unmistakable incongruity in a certain localized area!
"Eek—!!"
Seeing Dotō's sudden shriek, Nadare quickly sat up and leaned over with concern. "Lord Dotō! What's wrong? Are you feeling unwell? Or was it a nightmare? Hey! Pull yourself together, Lord Dotō!"
But as the muscular Rōga Nadare drew closer, Dotō's terrified screams only grew louder.
Until, unable to contain the overwhelming surge of fear and mixed emotions, his eyes rolled back, his scream cut off abruptly, and his head lolled to the side—completely silent.
"Hey! Lord Dotō! Snap out of it!"
Rōga Nadare panicked, shaking Dotō's shoulders vigorously, but to no avail. In this critical moment, driven by loyalty, Nadare threw caution to the wind and bent down to administer emergency aid!
Just then, Dotō's survival instincts—predicting something terrible was about to happen—kicked in.
His eyes flew open, bloodshot and wide, glaring at Rōga Nadare's face, now less than three centimeters from his own, poised to deliver mouth-to-mouth resuscitation.
"Lord Dotō! You're awake!"
Nadare exclaimed joyfully, wiping the sweat of worry from his brow, relief washing over his face.
"Thank goodness. I almost thought I'd never get to serve you again."
After a long silence, Fūka Dotō finally forced out a few words through gritted teeth, his face dark.
"Get... the hell... away..."
...
Main Hall.
"Mr. Katsura, when exactly are we making our move?"
"Yeah, Mr. Katsura, when are we delivering divine punishment to that tyrant?"
"Shut up, all of you! What's the rush? Katsura-san must be considering the optimal strategy! I believe he'll lead us Snow Ninja to a brighter future!"
"Mm-hmm! I believe it too!"
"Same here!"
"Plus one!"
...
Standing at the entrance, Fūka Dotō—who seemed to have lost something profoundly important overnight—observed the scene inside the hall.
The Snow Ninja, chattering excitedly as they crowded around Katsura, who sat cross-legged in the main seat with his arms folded and eyes closed, made Dotō realize he had indeed lost more than one crucial thing in a single night.
The sheer trust and admiration shining in the Snow Ninja's eyes as they gazed at Katsura made Dotō repeatedly question whether he was still dreaming.
His own subordinates had defected overnight!
Watching Fūka Dotō's visibly fluctuating expression, his ever-loyal subordinate—Rōga Nadare, with whom he shared an... eventful night—couldn't stay silent.
Nadare pointed accusingly at the Snow Ninja in the hall and roared, "How disgraceful to grovel before an outsider in Lord Dotō's presence! You've shamed the Snow Ninja!"
"He's not an outsider—he's Katsura-san!" ×nThe avalanche, choked by the overly synchronized response from the Snow Ninjas as they turned around simultaneously, felt rather uncomfortable. Just as it was about to scold them again, Katsura raised his hand and spoke.
"Not 'Mr. Katsura,' but 'comrade'—partners who share the same dreams and aspirations."
"Hai! Comrade!" ×n
In an instant, all the Snow Ninjas, including Fubuki, responded in unison with tears in their eyes.
"Not 'comrade,' it's Katsura!"
"Hai! Mr. Katsura!" ×n