Short Story | The Way Home Watched Over by a Snow Rabbit

The snow that had been falling since dawn had not stopped by evening, and it was beginning to pile up thinly.

(I'll call it a day here... the trains will stop running.)

I hurriedly shut down my computer and eagerly left the office.
When I checked the traffic information on my phone, it seemed the line I take was barely still running. However, other lines were starting to shut down. I had to get home.

I started running toward the station, fast enough to leave me breathless. The air and snowflakes hitting my face wetted my cheeks as if caressing them.

When I boarded the train, I was enveloped in a soft, warm breeze from the heater. Everyone around me was also out of breath, as if they had rushed here too.

"Yuri-san, you made it in time."

A familiar voice came from above.

"You left the office later than me... that's fast!"

When I turned toward the owner of the voice—Haruki-kun—he grinned... or rather, he said it with a slightly smug look.

"I'm a former track team member, after all."
"I see."

I nodded. That was right; the supple form he used to kick off the ground when he taught me how to run in the autumn flashed through my mind.

Perhaps because of the snow, the train was running slower than usual. A low clattering sound and the slight metallic noise of it rubbing against the rails echoed faintly. When I looked out the window, the snowflakes illuminated by the streetlights sparkled like diamond dust at the bottom of the night. The busy office where I had been just a moment ago now felt like an event in a distant, foreign land.

When I stepped off at the station, the whole area was a silver world. The snow swallowed all sound, and as the world fell silent, only his footsteps walking beside me echoed at regular intervals.

"Let's buy some oden at the convenience store on the way home. Want to join me, Haruki-kun? And some treats for Blau."
"That sounds good. It's cold, after all."

He said that and slowed his pace to match mine. Lately, without either of us saying anything, we have both been heading toward his apartment where the cat lives.

When we arrived at the convenience store, the scent of dashi from the oden corner tickled my nose. Daikon radish, mochi kinchaku, and konjac... and you can't forget the egg.

We left the convenience store and walked together along the road dyed in silver. The camellia trees by the roadside were covered in snow, their pale red flowers standing out beautifully, and here and there, someone had made little snow rabbits and snowmen.

Walking along the silver road illuminated by streetlights, we arrived in front of the apartment where Haruki-kun lived.

"Oh, a contactless delivery. It looks like the game I ordered has arrived."

His eyes sparkled like a young boy's, and I softened my expression as I watched him.

"Let's play it right away. While we eat the oden."

When we entered the room, Blau greeted us happily with a "Meow!"

"I'm home, Blau."

He picked up Blau. I also brought my face close to Blau to say hello.

"Good evening. I bought you some treats!"

Blau swayed a little, looking happy.

"Shall we?"

He opened the seal, took out the software, and inserted it into the game console as if it were being sucked in. The game screen was projected onto a slightly larger monitor he had bought recently, and it invited us into another world.

"...Before that, let's eat the oden. It'll get cold."

We laughed, and the moment we opened the lid of the oden, white, thick steam dyed our vision completely white. As we carried the piping hot daikon to our mouths while wrapped in the scent of dashi, our body temperature gradually filled even our frozen fingertips. The silence of the snowy day made the warmth of the room feel even deeper.

I participated in this prompt.

I debated writing a description of a certain game coming out tomorrow, but decided against it.
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