When Yuigahama Yui encountered the little Yuki-Onna at noon, she hadn't associated the girl with the famous Yuki-Onna from Japanese legends at all.
The little Yuki-Onna looked too ordinary. It was impossible to connect her with the devastatingly beautiful snow woman of myth.
Even after the little girl displayed the supernatural power to summon ice and snow, Yui still hadn't made the connection.
Yukinoshita Yukino was equally intrigued, preparing to listen carefully to Kawashima Toya's explanation.
Toya looked at Yui as if she were an idiot. "You said I'm a professional yourself. How could I not tell?"
Instantly, both Yui and Yukino were speechless.
Listening to you speak is like listening to you speak.
"I'll explain it to you." Unable to withstand their curious gazes, Toya signaled Yui and Yukino to look at the frightened little Yuki-Onna.
"You should know the ancient legends about the Yuki-Onna, right?"
Both Yukino and Yui nodded.
Almost everyone in Japan knew the legends of the Yuki-Onna.
Toya said with a smile, "Everyone knows about the Yuki-Onna's stunning beauty, but very few know that in their juvenile stage, their appearance is actually quite ordinary."
"Even to the point of being ugly."
"During this period, Yuki-Onna have almost no power. They might not even be able to defeat a human child."
"Also, they don't have their own names. They only receive a name when they grow up."
"The little Yuki-Onna doesn't have a name?" Yui stared gently at the trembling little girl sitting beside Toya. "Why don't we give her a name?"
Hearing the suggestion to give a name, Yukino, who had been silent, felt her cold eyes light up slightly.
She was also tempted, just like when she cared for stray cats.
Toya crossed his arms, leaned back in his boss chair, and said teasingly, "Sure, you guys name her."
"I'm not doing it, anyway."
"Why?" Yukino spoke for the first time since entering the Trash Fox Detective Agency.
Yui sensed the teasing tone in Toya's voice but couldn't understand why he looked like he was enjoying a show.
Toya didn't ignore Yukino because of their earlier unpleasantness. His eyes were full of mockery. "A Yuki-Onna's name is very important."
"If a human bestows a name upon her, she will come to repay the favor when she reaches adulthood."
As he spoke, Toya glanced at Yukino and Yui, quipping, "This kind of repayment... an ordinary person might not be able to handle it."
"You might just get your life force sucked dry and die from exhaustion."
Instantly, Yukino and Yui froze.
"Ehhh? Is naming her that dangerous?"
Toya looked at them with a faint smile. "Don't let her small size fool you. She looks easy to bully and shy right now."
"But when she grows up, she'll undergo a massive change, starting with her personality."
"Her personality will definitely not be like this."
"Once you name her, just wait for her to come find you in the future to 'repay' the favor."
Yui said fearfully, "Then we won't name her. We'll just call her... Little Yuki-Onna."
Yukino nodded in agreement.
She didn't want to deal with a ticking time bomb that posed a danger to herself and potentially threatened her family.
"I'll continue explaining." Toya glanced at Yukino with a hint of sarcasm.
"Regarding the combat power of a juvenile Yuki-Onna—this is also why I had to take her away."
Hearing this, Yukino's face turned slightly cold, but she grew serious internally.
She had assumed Toya took the girl for nefarious reasons, but now it seemed completely different from what she thought.
"A juvenile Yuki-Onna is almost certainly no match for a human, even a child."
"But there are exceptions. When threatened, they can unleash terrifying power."
Toya paused slightly, his tone serious. "The power erupted at that moment is extremely frightening."
"Powerful enough to freeze that club called the Service Club solid!"
"As for how the threat is determined, no one knows. After all, the Yuki-Onna is a yokai from ancient legends."
Yukino was unhappy that Toya used the Service Club as an example, but she felt incredibly fortunate.
If such a thing had really happened, not only would she have died, but her club members, Yui and Hikigaya Hachiman, would have been caught in it as well.
Yui tilted her head cutely and asked in confusion, "Then Kawashima, why aren't you afraid?"
"That?" Toya's eyes suddenly became azure and clear as the sky. He chuckled lightly. "This is my confidence."
"If something uncontrollable happens, I just need to kill the source of the danger before it acts."
Instantly, a wave of killing intent swept through the room.
Yukino felt the killing intent radiating from Toya and was absolutely certain that if the little Yuki-Onna posed a threat to humans, he would definitely kill her.
Sensing Toya's killing intent, the little Yuki-Onna's big eyes welled up with tears, looking incredibly pitiful.
Fortunately, the killing intent only lasted for an instant before disappearing.
Even so, the little Yuki-Onna's fear of Toya didn't diminish in the slightest.
After the explanation, Toya said lazily, "You guys go do whatever you need to do. I'm going to contact the little Yuki-Onna's guardian."