Snow White Buzz #Inspiration from 3 Topics

Approx. 2000 characters - Short story

Deep beyond the Yatsugatake Mountains. In the middle of a snowy mountain that seemed abandoned by maps and the world itself.

I was finally resigning myself to death at the sight of the whiteness of my own breath.

"...Are you kidding me? I'm seriously going to die..."

Listening to the chattering of my teeth that wouldn't stop, I pushed through the snow that buried me up to my knees.

Beyond the whiteout that painted over my vision, a warm, orange light, out of place in this setting, bled through.

There stood a single lodge.

And, at its eaves.

"...Huh?"

A woman, looking as if she were illuminated by a spotlight, stood quietly in a dreamlike state.

Translucent skin. Hair that shone white, lacking any sense of reality. Amidst the blizzard, she alone was wrapped in a miraculous serenity.

I couldn't take my eyes off her profile.

"E-excuse me... I'm about to get lost. But before that, aren't you cold?"

She moved her long fingertips gracefully, as if she were manipulating the snow.

"...Be quiet, child of man. This silence is the peace of my soul. Have you also come to be swallowed by the silver darkness?"

Her voice was clear and transparent. Yet, forgetting my freezing situation, I stared intently at the scene before me.

I took a step closer and noticed.

"...Um, excuse me. There's an incredibly long extension cord crawling at your feet."

Her well-defined eyebrows twitched.

...What are you talking about? This is just the residue of my magical power. ...Hey, you there. You're in the frame, move aside, will you?

Frame? Oh, there's a smartphone tripod over there. ...Are you taking a selfie!?

You're noisy!

The mysterious aura she had just a moment ago crumbled away with a sound.

I'm about to take the perfect shot right now! If this 'affinity between my ephemeral self and the snow' goes viral, I'll reach one hundred thousand followers!

The woman who looked like an unparalleled beauty was staring intensely at her smartphone, fine-tuning the filter settings with a desperate expression.

Listen, okay? We snow women can only be active in the winter. Do you have any idea the pressure of having to earn a year's worth of validation in such a short time?

I don't know. I never thought a snow woman would be a validation-seeking monster. ...Well, I guess that makes sense. If you aren't seen by someone, you can't prove your existence.

At my words, muttered almost by accident, she stopped her fingers as if startled.

Prove my existence? I hadn't thought about it that deeply.

You haven't?

Hey. Am I pretty?

Isn't that the Slit-Mouthed Woman's line...?

Just answer me.

Her eyes, looking up at me, were as deep as an ultramarine sea, drawing my heart in. Reflected there was raw anxiety.

...Well, if you keep quiet, you don't look like an unparalleled beauty, I suppose.

She gave a mischievous little giggle. In that moment, the tense air softened like snow melting in anticipation of spring.

Then, since you're here, help me out. Take a shot from this angle, looking up.

For the next few hours, I was forced to hold the tripod for her in the freezing cold and hold up a piece of Styrofoam as a reflector.

Ugh, seriously, the angle is all wrong!

Shut up! My fingers are frozen and won't move!

Even while complaining to each other, before we knew it, the distance between us had closed so much that we forgot about the freezing night.

The heat welling up from deep within my chest had, without me realizing it, erased the cold.

The next morning.

Under a clear, piercing blue sky, I was getting ready to descend the mountain.

Look! Yesterday's photo is going viral! #SnowWomanAndLostNow is trending!

On the smartphone screen she held out was her own fantastical figure... and at the edge, my right hand, clumsily captured in the shot.

My rugged hand, which had wrapped around her chilled cheeks as if to warm them.

Hey, this. My hand is clearly visible in this.

It was on purpose, you idiot. This 'hint' is the catalyst for the buzz. Everyone is making a huge fuss, saying, 'A lover for the too-beautiful snow woman!? The hardcore fans have been defeated!'

Her eyes, laughing mischievously, were shining as if yesterday's anxiety had been a lie.

Don't use me as a prop. Well, thanks to that, I managed not to die. And the shock of my heartbreak doesn't matter anymore either.

You were heartbroken?

I've already forgotten.

Hmm.

I gave a small laugh and started walking.

After a few steps, I suddenly stopped.

At the end of my gaze as I looked back, there she was, watching me leave with a somewhat lonely expression.

Hey. Next winter, would it be okay if I got lost here again? Next time, I'll bring a better reflector.

She widened her eyes for a moment.

Then, as if to hide her flushed face, she held up her smartphone again.

"......I'll be waiting. You must keep me a secret, okay?"

"Understood."

This time, I stepped firmly into the snow and started walking.

The faint voice saying "See you later" that reached my back warmed my heart like stew in the cold winter air.

On the other side of the internet, strangers are making a fuss, asking, "Whose hand is this?"

Only two people in the world know the truth behind it.

That felt prouder than any "buzz," and just a little bit bittersweet.