Night had fallen, and darkness blanketed the snowy landscape.
Predators of the night opened their eyes, beginning their hunt across the white wilderness.
Yet there was one place none dared to approach.
A territory personally marked by "The Beast of the End," Puck—the small treehouse and its surroundings were an absolute forbidden zone for all beasts.
Peaceful and quiet, even in the middle of the wild forest, it remained a haven for weaker creatures.
Tonight, the heart of that peaceful haven was lit for an unusually long time.
The treehouse's owner hadn't gone to bed when darkness descended. Instead, she seemed to have found something she truly wanted to do.
The dim orange glow of the fireplace cast flickering shadows as crackling logs split and popped in the warmth.
"Rikuto, are you building a house?"
Amethyst eyes sparkled with excitement.
The silver-haired girl radiated a feeling called delight.
Emilia leaned forward across the table, watching Rikuto sketch and scribble, a wide smile blooming on her face.
"Yep, I'm planning to build a new house next to yours."
Rikuto looked up and beamed at her.
"You're really that happy about it, Emilia?"
"Were you secretly annoyed that I kept crashing at your place?"
"How heartbreaking."
He put on an exaggeratedly sorrowful expression.
Emilia: "No, no, no~!"
She quickly waved her hands in denial, a little flustered.
"I really enjoy sleeping with Rikuto!"
"I... I've been looking forward to watching you sleep tonight. I was already thinking of what we could talk about this morning and… and…"
She waved her hands nervously, stumbling over her words.
But as she pushed through the embarrassment and tried to get the words out, she realized Rikuto was already grinning at her.
Emilia: "You're awful, Rikuto! You tricked me again!"
Blushing furiously, she pouted and glared at him.
Rikuto, still smiling, replied:
"You're just way too easy to tease, Emilia."
"No wonder Puck's always worried someone might sweet-talk you into a ditch."
Emilia: "I'm not a kid! I wouldn't fall for something like that!"
She shot him a defiant glare.
"I can sense your scent too, you know—just like Puck."
She wiggled her adorable nose.
Of course, unlike Puck, she didn't have the ability to smell emotions. She was merely mimicking him to sound clever.
Emilia: "You're different from the others, Rikuto."
Her amethyst eyes stared at him earnestly.
In the glow of the fire, her eyes reflected his silhouette.
She looked as if she wanted to memorize everything about him in that moment.
What she meant by "different," naturally, referred to his attitude.
Silver hair, long ears, violet eyes—Rikuto showed her no fear, only warmth and maybe even admiration.
Rikuto: "Er… cough."
Feeling her gaze, Rikuto awkwardly looked away.
That moment—he had actually felt his heart skip a beat.
He realized he'd just been charmed by Emilia, who Puck insisted had the mental age of a kid.
Seriously…
No matter what, she really needs to grow up a bit!
He mentally scolded himself.
Emilia: "What's wrong?"
Seeing him look away so suddenly, Emilia grew anxious.
Rikuto: "Nothing. I just suddenly realized… Emilia, you're incredibly charming."
He turned back to her with a completely straight face.
Emilia: "…"
Her cheeks flushed crimson once more.
In the firelight, her shy expression became hard to read.
Emilia: "Why… why can you always say things that are so embarrassing…"
She turned her head away, her words stumbling again.
Rikuto: "You've got no right to complain this time."
He teased her back.
After all, she'd just given him quite the emotional push herself.
Before she could argue further, Rikuto looked down and resumed sketching on the paper Puck had generously provided.
Rikuto: "What kind of design do you think would work for my house, Emilia?"
Clueless about architecture, he turned to her for help.
Emilia: "A house, huh?"
Easily distracted, the girl's attention immediately shifted.
"How about building a treehouse just like mine?"
She leaned on the table, offering the idea.
Rikuto: "According to Puck, your treehouse was built with magic. Normally, hollowing out a tree like that would kill it or leave it barely standing."
The outsider earnestly corrected the local girl.
Emilia: "Really?" She tilted her head.
"Then how about a dome-shaped one?"
She took his pen and began drawing the kind of houses she'd seen in human villages.
But reality is always cruel.
Rikuto: "Pfft—!"
His laughter escaped.
Emilia's hand froze mid-drawing.
"Emilia… are you sure that's a house?"
"It kinda looks like a… clown face."
"Pfft—I didn't mean to laugh, hahaha—pfft hahahaha!"
Seeing her "childish" drawing and the serious expression she wore while doing it, Rikuto couldn't hold it in and let out something akin to a pig's squeal.
Emilia's face turned beet red again.
Emilia: "It's my first time drawing, okay!"
"Hahahahaha~!"
"Rikuto, stop laughing!"
"Pfft hahahaha—!"
"Is it really that funny?"
"No~ it's not~ hahahahaha!"
At first, he laughed at the drawing. But now, it was more because of her expression.
He couldn't not laugh—it was just too cute.
Emilia: "Ugh, I'm mad now. I'm really mad."
Flushed and flustered, she moved to cover Rikuto's mouth.
"If you think it's bad, then draw your own!"
Like a kid throwing a tantrum, she stuffed the pen and paper into his hands.
Rikuto took a deep breath, wiping away the tears from laughing so hard.
Rikuto: "Designing a house is a serious matter."
"You think I'd draw like you—pfft~"
His eyes glanced at her "masterpiece" again.
Emilia, mortified, snatched the paper and held it close.
Emilia: "I'll take care of what I drew myself."
She said, puffing her cheeks, then turned to walk toward the fireplace.
She looked like she was about to destroy the evidence.
Rikuto: "Hey now, that's your first drawing—it's got sentimental value!"
Emilia: "Rikuto, don't talk!"
She glared over her shoulder, cheeks puffed out.
Ignoring him, she kept walking toward the fireplace.
Rikuto just smiled and shrugged, then returned to his sketching.
…
The room fell silent once more.
Outside, the wind howled. Inside, the firewood popped and crackled.
Back turned, Emilia stood in front of the fireplace, hugging her drawing.
She'd been determined to burn it.
But after hesitating, she slipped the paper into her clothes instead, then tossed in a few wood shavings.
Crackling sounds filled the room again.
Acting like she had gone through with it, she turned around with confidence and walked back to Rikuto.
Emilia: "If your drawing turns out bad, I'm totally going to laugh at you."
She declared this while walking toward him.
She already imagined him begging for mercy—not once, not twice… maybe not even once!
She was planning her victory laugh already.
But when she reached his side, her thoughts ground to a halt.
Her amethyst eyes widened.
Emilia: "Rikuto, you're cheating!"
Rikuto was using a piece of wood marked with measurement lines—a ruler—to draw straight lines.
To Emilia, this was basically cheating.
She had drawn hers completely freehand!
Rikuto: "…"
"That's called 'using the right tools.'"
He looked at her with a serious face.
Emilia: "Cheating!"
She glared at him again.
Rikuto: "…"
"Do you want me to teach you how to use this?"
He asked, seeing how fascinated she was by the ruler.
Emilia's eyes lit up immediately. She nodded enthusiastically.
Emilia: "Yes!"
She stared at the ruler with sparkling interest.
Rikuto: "Then have a seat."
"I'll teach you how to draw a three-view diagram."
"It's basically—"
He guided her to her seat and began a hands-on lesson.
It was Emilia's first exposure to this kind of knowledge, and she listened attentively.
Judging from her faintly upturned lips, she was clearly delighted.
Whether it was because of learning something new, or just having someone to teach her—it wasn't clear.
Crackle, crackle—
The fireplace continued to burn, casting warm light across the room.
Two long shadows stretched across the floor from the pair seated at the table.
For Emilia, who usually fell asleep as soon as night arrived, this was the beginning of her very first extended "nightlife."
---
The morning sun rose from behind the mountains.
The black snowfield sparkled anew under the light.
Today promised to be another bright, cloudless day.
Inside the treehouse, flickering light gathered and took the shape of a small cat.
Puck: "Yaaaawn~"
The spirit let out a customary yawn, ready to greet the two.
Puck: "Good morning, Emilia and Ri—"
He waved toward them with a paw.
But of course, silence was the only reply.
Emilia, now having experienced her first late night, rolled over and hugged her blanket, turning away from Puck.
Rikuto, still fast asleep on the floor, frowned slightly at the morning light.
Puck: "…"
Something definitely happened while I wasn't looking.
Choosing not to disturb his precious Emilia, clever Puck decided to wake Rikuto first.
He stretched out a soft paw, a faint blue glow gathering at the tip.
Puck hovered closer to the back of Rikuto's neck and—
Rikuto: "Tsssss~!"
With a sharp inhale, Rikuto's eyes snapped open.
And the first thing he saw was Puck's fuzzy face.
Puck: "Good morning, Rikuto."
The floating spirit smiled.
Rikuto: "Puck, do you understand what kind of grudge it takes to wake someone like that?"
Still buried in his blankets, he glared.
Puck: "Grudge?"
He blinked, confused.
He couldn't comprehend what Rikuto meant.
As a spirit who didn't even sleep, this was way outside his frame of reference.
Waking someone up… counted as a grudge?
Rikuto: "This, my friend, is what we call a generation gap."
Seeing Puck's baffled face, Rikuto shook his head solemnly.
"One day, Emilia's going to say the same thing. Old relics have no future."
He patted Puck's head like a wise elder giving advice.
Puck: "…"
That had to be malicious.
Before the cat could respond, Rikuto climbed out of bed.
"There's not even a curtain to block the sun—can't get back to sleep even if I tried."
He squinted at the light.
"By the way, Puck, have you ever considered using a clock?"
Rikuto turned to him.
He had no idea when they went to bed last night or what time it was now.
As a modern person used to eight hours of sleep, this timeless world was a little hard to adjust to.
Puck: "Time, huh?"
Floating mid-air, Puck gave Rikuto a strange look.
At first, he hadn't noticed, but now he could tell—Rikuto's habits were very different from the people around him.
Waking when the sun rises, sleeping when it sets—that was just natural.
But to Rikuto, it seemed like a cause for complaint.
Still, Puck didn't say anything more.
He wasn't particularly concerned about Rikuto's origins. Clearly, they were mysterious—especially considering almost no one on this continent didn't know about the Witch of Envy.
As long as Rikuto had good intentions, and as long as Emilia was happy, that was all that mattered.
Puck: "So, you and Emilia stayed up pretty late last night?"
Narrowing his feline eyes, floating midair, Puck put his paws on his hips.
He had zeroed in on the most important point.
The look he gave Rikuto grew increasingly intense.