A New Snowfall Reunion

Snow had fallen, replacing the leaves that had already withered away.
The once-green yard was now covered in a thick blanket of white.
Several days had passed since the first snowfall. Daisy and I often played together in the yard, building snowmen. Ever since I taught her how to make one, she's been obsessed with it—sometimes calling me to join her, other times inviting Lusserina or Abiyasa.

Perhaps because ice is their element, Bamby and Arimby were happily running around, chasing Daisy through the snow. Their mother, Putih, only watched them from a distance, sitting beside me on the back terrace.

"Daisy, want to come to the city?" I called out.

Daisy stopped playing and immediately ran toward me. After getting ready, the three of us—Daisy, Lusserina, and I—set off toward the capital in a horse-drawn carriage.

Lu and Abi usually take turns accompanying me whenever I go to the capital. Today, Lusserina came along while Abi stayed behind to watch the house. About thirty minutes later, we arrived in the capital and went straight to the market district to buy some cooking ingredients.

While I was browsing through vegetables, I suddenly heard someone calling my name.

"Sis Luna!"

I turned, and to my surprise, it was Elise—together with the others.

"Elise! Phina! Lynn! Al! Kyle! How have you all been?" I greeted them warmly.

"When did you get back, Luna? We went to your house a while ago, but they said you weren't home," Elise complained.

"Hehe, I returned about a week after you came by."

"I see… I'm glad you're all right," Elise sighed in relief.

"What could happen to her?" Al cut in with a sly grin. "Only a fool with a death wish would dare bother her! Hahaha!"

"Mm! Agreed!" Lynn added quickly.

Everyone burst into laughter. But then their attention shifted to the little girl standing beside me.

"Oh? Who's this little one?" Kyle asked curiously.

"She's my daughter," I replied casually.

"Y-your daughter?!" they all exclaimed in unison, eyes wide open.

I smiled and explained briefly who Daisy was.

"Ah, I see," Elise said, softening her voice. "Nice to meet you, Daisy. I'm Elise. You can call me Elise-nee-chan."

"Elise… nee-chan… Nice… to meet you," Daisy replied shyly.

The others took turns introducing themselves one by one.

When the small introductions were over, I asked,

"So, where are you all headed?"

"Actually, we were planning to visit your house, Lun. But, luckily, we ran into you here," Al said.

"Oh? What for?"

"There's something we wanted your opinion on… but could we talk somewhere quieter?" Al suggested.

"Sure. I know a place. Follow me."

We went to one of the elegant restaurants in the capital.
A few minutes later, we arrived. The interior was luxurious—furnished with polished tables and shining ornaments, and the servants moved gracefully like trained attendants to nobility.

After a brief word with a waiter, we were guided to a quiet corner on the second floor.

"So," I began, "what did you want to talk about?"

"Since we've been stationed in the capital, we decided to move our base here," Al explained. "The only issue is, we need a semi-permanent place to stay. Property prices are high, and we don't really have any connections. Then we remembered you—and your family. So… we were hoping you could help us," he added with an awkward smile.

Oh, so they were looking for a place to live.

"I see… All right, I'll ask around among my contacts," I replied.

"Thank you so much, Luna!"
"Thanks, Luna!" Elise and the others said almost in unison.

After that, we had lunch together before parting ways.
I decided to make a short stop at the Adventurer's Guild. Even though I often came to the capital, I rarely visited the guild since Daisy came into my life.

Creak!
The wooden door groaned as I pushed it open. Inside, the guild was bustling with adventurers chatting and checking the request boards. I walked over to take a look.

"Hmm… No monster subjugation or extermination requests. Maybe they're all hibernating for the winter," I murmured.

Just then, a familiar voice called out.

"Miss Luna!"

I turned toward the sound.

"Wynda! How are you?" I greeted her.

"Same as always—still keeping watch over the counter. And you, Miss Luna? It's been ages since I last saw you," she chirped.

"I've been busy going here and there, hehe."

"And who's this adorable little girl? I don't think I've seen her before," Wynda asked, glancing at Daisy.

"My name's Daisy," she said politely, leaning forward a little.

"Well, aren't you a sweetheart! So cute and so polite," Wynda smiled.

"She's my daughter."

"D-daughter?!" Wynda gasped.

Her voice was loud enough that the entire guild hall turned to look at us.

"Hehe, sorry," Wynda said, blushing in embarrassment.

We chatted a little longer before parting ways.
Just as I turned to leave, another voice called out.

"Miss Luna! Miss Lusserina!"

I looked up at the staircase leading from the second floor.
A man dressed in a dark-green martial outfit was descending, his expression calm yet sharp.

Who…? I frowned, trying to recall his face.

Lusserina leaned closer and whispered,

"That's Gale, my Lady. The Wind Swordsman we met in Arvastan."

Ah, now I remember.

"Didn't expect to see you two here," Gale greeted.

"What's unexpected is running into you here. Are you in town for the Moon Goddess Festival?" I asked.

"Yes, I came to enjoy the festival—and for a bit of a change of scenery," he said with a small smile.

"I see. Then enjoy yourself. We'll be going now," I said politely before stepping away.

"Ah… there goes my chance to talk to Miss Lusserina again…" Gale sighed, his shoulders drooping dramatically.

After leaving the guild, we decided to head straight home since we'd already finished our errands.
Although the distance wasn't far, we rode the carriage with Langit as our steed. I'd initially hesitated to use him for daily travel and had tried to get ordinary horses instead—but for some reason, every horse seemed terrified of him.

The sound of turning wheels, steady hoofbeats, and the winter wind accompanied our journey back to Lake Dewata.
Thirty minutes later, we finally arrived. Daisy and I entered first while Lusserina went to park the carriage.

Creak.
The door hinges groaned as I opened the front door—only to find two figures standing inside my living room.
A woman with jet-black hair and a tall draconian with deep blue scales were inspecting the display shelves.

"Axxel? Key?" I called out in surprise.

They turned at once—yes, it was them.

"Hey, Lun! How've you been?" Axxel greeted with his usual grin.
"Hello, Lun… long time no see," Key said. "Hi, Daisy! How are you? Enjoying your new home?"
"Mm!" Daisy nodded happily.

"Good to hear," Key smiled.

"When did you get here?" I asked.

"We arrived in the capital this morning. The person at your shop said you were out, so we decided to wait and take a look around," Key explained.

"In that case, let's move to the dining room."

We sat down at the table.

"It's been over two months since we last met, yet it feels like yesterday," I said while pouring tea. "By the way, did you come for the festival too?"

"Festival?" Axxel blinked.

"The Moon Goddess Festival. Most people visit around this time for it."

"Ah… we actually only found out about it when we got here," Key laughed awkwardly. "Our real reason for coming was…" She glanced at Axxel.

"Ehem…" Axxel scratched the back of his head. "We wanted to see what you've got in your shop—and maybe… ask for something."

His tone made me narrow my eyes.

"Ask for what?" I asked evenly.

"A skill," Axxel said quickly.

"What? A skill? You know you have to pass the test first if you want one."

"Come on, Lun. We helped you save Daisy, remember? And that monster boss we fought was part of the Fortification skill quest!" he protested.

I sighed, then went upstairs to fetch the monster and request the catalogue.
After searching for a while, we found the entry—and yes, Axxel was right.

I turned to look at Daisy beside me. She was happily munching on her snacks, her face glowing with joy.
My heart warmed just watching her.
Axxel was right—if not for them, I might never have met Daisy, nor would she have become part of my family.

"All right, just this once, I'll make an exception," I said.

"YEAH!!" Axxel jumped to his feet so fast that his chair toppled backward, startling Daisy.
"Oops, sorry… hehe," he said sheepishly, rubbing his neck. Key just sighed and shook her head.

"So, which skill do you want?"

"Dragon Transformation," Axxel replied without hesitation.

"And you, Key?"

"Hmm… I'm not sure yet. I haven't been playing long, so I don't know much about the system," she admitted with a nervous laugh.

"Then tell me your combat style. I might be able to find one that suits you."

"Good idea," Axxel chimed in.

"My fighting style focuses on agility and speed," Key said.

"Agility and speed… sounds close to a Thief or Assassin type. All right, I'll find something fitting for you later."

I reached into the air, pulling out a rolled parchment glowing faintly with magical ink.
Then I began writing the spell formation upon it.

Scratch… scratch… scratch…
A few seconds later, the skill scroll was complete.

"Here," I said, handing it to Axxel.

"WOOHOO! Finally got it!" he cheered excitedly.

Key and I could only exchange tired looks.

"I can't wait to try it out!" he said eagerly.

"Not in the house. Take it outside," I warned flatly.

We all stepped into the side yard. Everyone kept a distance of about twenty meters as Axxel trembled with excitement, clutching the scroll in his hands. The cold winter wind whistled through our ears.

"Uh… so, how do I use this again?" he asked sheepishly.

Everyone simultaneously face-palmed.