After assessing my own strength and getting a feel for the situation, I had a pretty good idea of where things stood.
I kept up with my regular training routine, and of course, school went on as usual. Even though it didn't feel all that useful, the habits drilled into me from years of test-prep education made me go anyway. Maybe it's just humanity's way of fighting loneliness through group activities.
The transition from summer to autumn passed, and soon we were deep into the chill of winter, bringing with it a heartwarming story.
Gusts of cold wind howled outside. Inside the house, Mom's voice carried over the phone.
"Yes, that's exactly the situation! It won't turn on at all!"
"Huh? Oh, I see! Got it?" Mom hung up the phone.
She turned to Doraemon, who was shivering nearby, and said helplessly, "They said the repairman won't come until evening."
"What? That's way too late! Can't they come right away?" Doraemon complained, rubbing his little round hands together.
"At this rate, the house will freeze like an icebox before then!"
This kind of cold weather was really tough on a robot like him.
"I told you, just buy a new heater! Our family can afford it!"
Doraemon pouted.
Truth be told, with our family's finances now, buying a new heater wouldn't be a problem. But Mom was in the habit of being frugal and didn't take the suggestion.
…
"Why did it have to break now of all times?"
Back in the room, Doraemon wrapped himself in a blanket, shivering, his teeth chattering.
"Doraemon, just hang in there! Someone will fix it tonight," I said from the side, sweating as I swung my wooden sword. This was a weighted version I'd bought to train in swordsmanship.
"I'm a robot; how can I be like you?" Doraemon pouted, glancing at me steaming with heat.
"Oh, right! I have a great gadget!"
Doraemon perked up, rummaging through his pocket.
"The Spirit Ring!"
He pulled out a brass bracelet with a pink six-petaled flower embedded with a blue gem. It looked like an oversized ring.
I watched Doraemon's actions and stopped my training.
"Spirit?"
It felt familiar to me.
Doraemon smiled and explained, suddenly not feeling the cold anymore. "In the past, people believed everything in nature held mysterious powers, like fire spirits, water spirits, wood spirits, and so on."
"This bracelet can summon those spirits."
With that, Doraemon put the bracelet on his hand.
"Watch this! Come out, Fire Spirit!" He shouted while rubbing the bracelet.
White smoke billowed from the blue gem wrapped in the six petals, and out flew a fiery red child-like elf, engulfed in flames.
"Who summoned me?" the Fire Spirit said as it appeared.
As soon as it emerged, it radiated warmth, making Doraemon clasp his little round hands together like he was warming them by a fire.
"Wow! So warm!" Doraemon squinted in enjoyment.
But unexpectedly, this Fire Spirit wasn't content to stay still like a heater; it started zooming around.
"Anyway, what should I burn? Just say the word! I could turn a whole mountain to ash, no problem!" The Fire Spirit was super enthusiastic!
"No need! Just stay right there!" Doraemon edged closer, squinting as he warmed up.
"That's so boring!" The Fire Spirit danced around in protest.
"Burning things is my mission! How about starting with these curtains?" It moved to set the room on fire.
"Stop!" Doraemon rushed to intervene, but getting too close made him yelp from the heat.
Seeing Doraemon flailing about, I sighed and used my telekinesis to pin the Fire Spirit in mid-air, immobilizing it.
Then I looked for a nearby fire source—actually, it was the gas stove where Mom was boiling water.
I turned off the stove, and the Fire Spirit vanished!
"What a shame; it was just getting warm," Doraemon said, taking off the bracelet.
Suddenly, he noticed it was snowing outside. Realizing what spirit might appear next in this weather, he sighed helplessly.
"No good. With this, I might as well hide in the closet under the blankets!" He headed back to the closet, still wrapped up.
After all that, I realized what plot I was in. Looking at the bracelet Doraemon had left on the tatami mat, I knew it was the key to summoning her—the character from the original story that stuck with me the most.
"Doraemon, I'm taking this!"
Doraemon waved me off, signaling I could play with it myself and not to bother him.
I picked up the Spirit Ring and stepped out of the house with mixed feelings.
"No wonder he's a kid; so full of energy!" Doraemon muttered from under his blanket, watching me go out to play.
...
Outside, I reached an open field and slipped the Spirit Ring onto my wrist.
Gazing at the swirling snowflakes, their crystal-clear whiteness made me hesitate.
I wasn't sure if I should summon her—that pure white figure from the original story.
I knew in the original, she died for me, a girl who longed for spring but could never welcome her own.
Could I really handle this kind of emotion?
But glancing at the bracelet already on my hand, I cursed myself inwardly. It's already on; stop pretending you're not eager.
Besides, you've already played the scumbag; why act innocent?
With that thought, I stopped hesitating and gently rubbed the bracelet.
A swirl of smoke enveloped me, and from it emerged a snow-white figure.
Snow-white skin, snow-white long hair, snow-white clothes—everything immaculate, blending seamlessly with the white world around us.
Maybe because she was the embodiment of snow itself!
The white humanoid form appeared before me, like the ancient Greek snow goddess, dressed in a Greek-style draped gown fastened at the right shoulder with brass, belted at the waist.
The sleeveless gown revealed her flawless, lotus-root-like arms.
Her slender legs were in open-toed shoes, stepping on the snowflakes.
"Hello, did you summon me? I'm the Snow Spirit!" The girl stood amid the drifting snow, her bright eyes and white teeth shining.