Halloween is a magical holiday. Despite originating in the West, it is extremely popular in the Far East. On the snow-covered streets, beautiful and generous girls wearing Santa hats and modified Christmas outfits can be seen everywhere handing out flyers. Families, friends, and lovers stroll through the bustling city centers together—perhaps that is the most festive time of a holiday.
Breathing a cloud of mist onto the glass, a man in a hood glanced at the blurry, festively decorated scenery outside. He lowered his head and began selecting from a large collection of novels.
Festivity, hustle and bustle, laughter—these words had nothing to do with him. He preferred quiet, solitude, and mundanity, a philosophy he applied to both his outlook on life and his social interactions.
To put it simply...
Clack.
Lin closed the novel with both hands and walked to the counter with three light novels to check out.
Christmas had nothing to do with him.
"Thank you, please come again."
Carrying the plastic bag full of books, Lin stepped out the door. He tugged at the scarf constricting his neck and looked up at the crystal-clear snowflakes drifting down from the dark night. His exhaled breath melted the flakes, which dripped onto his coat.
The snow was getting heavy.
Lin adjusted his scarf again and lifted his foot...
"Hey, you over there, Uncle."
His foot stepped onto the slushy ground, water soaking the sole of his shoe.
He turned his neck and looked down at a drunken blur of beige crouching by the shop entrance.
Amidst the shop lights and the glint of fireworks, she clutched her beret and said to Lin with a silly grin:
"Are you interested in picking up a beautiful girl and taking her home?"
Switching on the warm amber light, the room filled with brightness. Even though his clothes were still a bit damp, Lin could feel a sense of warmth in his heart.
He took off his coat, hung it on the rack, and then put on indoor slippers before walking into the living room.
The girl in the beret let out a wine-scented hiccup. Dazed, she changed into indoor slippers, followed him into the living room, and collapsed onto the sofa.
Lin set his things down, walked over to the water dispenser to mix a cup of pale green powder, then walked back to the girl and handed the suspicious liquid to her.
"Mm..." The girl's booze-clouded eyes blinked. "Knockout drops? GHB?"
Lin coldly shoved the cup into her hand. "Hangover soup."
She tentatively stuck out her tongue to lick the green medicinal soup. Suddenly, a medicinal flavor so intense it felt like needles pricking her scalp cleared her gaze instantly.
"This taste... it's terrible." The girl fearfully set the hangover soup down on the coffee table.
Lin ignored her, picked up the AC remote to turn on the heater—allowing the room that had been invaded by the cold wind to begin warming up—and then finally removed the scarf from his neck.
The girl watched him with curiosity as he finished all this and walked toward the plastic bag he had brought back. Seeing him take out the books, she couldn't help but ask, "Uncle, did you really just bring me back like that?"
"Didn't you ask me to pick you up?" Lin sat calmly in a lounge chair with a hot water bottle and began flipping through the novels he had bought.
"Well, I did say that, but..."
To an observer, both of them were strange. One could ask a total stranger of the opposite sex to take her home, and the other did so without a second thought.
"My name is Anna. What about you, Uncle?"
Lin finger rested on a page. "Lin."
"Do you live alone? Where's your family?"
"Dead." Lin read very fast, finishing a page in seconds. He spoke while reading: "Plane crash."
"Oh..."
The topic made the atmosphere feel a bit heavy, though it meant little to Lin. He was naturally a man of few words.
Anna scratched her long beige hair with an expression that was both awkward and complex. After a while, she asked again, "Uncle, why are you always wearing a hat? You don't need to wear it at home, do you?"
"Habit."
This person was unusually quiet. As long as Anna didn't speak, he wouldn't open his mouth. He didn't care what Anna did; he just quietly read his books.
He really was an oddball.
She stealthily crept up behind Lin, stood on her tiptoes, and looked over his shoulder at the book in his hand.
Light novels?
And they were the most cliché type: invincible protagonists, harems, "hiding one's power"... the same old tropes and familiar character designs.
This person who looked so refined actually liked this kind of stuff? Truly, you can't judge a book by its cover.
Anna felt a bit awkward, so she decided to say something: "Actually, I don't have a family either."
Lin flipped to the next page.
"Well, not completely none. Everyone at the orphanage is my family, but I don't have any blood relatives..."
"But those people said I'm just a wild kid with no mom or dad, so I can only spend Christmas with other orphans."
When Anna mentioned "those people," her teeth bit into her lip, and she wore an expression of anger.
Clack.
Lin closed the book. He had finished this one. He turned to pick up the next one and asked without looking up, "And then?"
"And then... I hit them." A look of dejection appeared on Anna's fair face. "Hina even scolded me, saying I was too impulsive. I just got heated and ran out..."
On the Halloween streets, she envied the smiles of others with their families and friends while she huddled in a corner. Unknowingly, she had drunk a lot of alcohol and, in a fit of self-abandonment, said those words to Lin as he walked out of the bookstore.
In this frozen season, a joyful holiday should have been able to warm the winter, but Anna only felt an even deeper, piercing cold.
Lin closed the book again. This time, he looked up and said coldly, "She was right."
"What?" Anna asked blankly.
"That 'Hina' you mentioned—she wasn't wrong. You were too impulsive, both in fighting those people and in running away afterward." The words coming out of Lin mouth weren't warm breath but a frigid chill that could freeze someone into a statue. He evaluated her in a tone that was profoundly uncomfortable: "If you hadn't run into me, you might have been turned into a 'cream puff' by now."
Anna's expression changed rapidly. She grit her teeth and squeezed a sentence through them—
"Disgusting!"
Then she ran toward the door without hesitation. After putting on her shoes, she shoved the door open with force and rushed out into the white expanse of snow.
Lin glanced at the door she had left open. The cold wind surged into the warm cottage, causing the temperature to drop rapidly.
He said nothing. He simply opened the novel again and continued reading.
What was that?! That guy... I thought he was a good person, but he's just like Hina and doesn't understand me at all. Plus, he says such gross things, and his books are trashy... really... just...
I hate him.
Anna wiped the tears from her face, running forward without looking back.
In this white void, there was no sense of direction.
Halloween Special: Child of Snow (Part 2)
Why was it always people like that?
Why was the world always so unfair?
Why did it have to be her?
Grievance, resentment, and sadness flooded from her memories into her mind. Before she knew it, she had collapsed on the ground from exhaustion. She could only drag her tired, wet body under the eaves of a building and curl into a ball.
The tears that filled her eyes overflowed, flowing into her clothes along with the melted snow on her face, making her already freezing body shiver even more.
Unknowingly, the streets had emptied. The once bustling commercial street now saw its shops closing their doors one by one.
It was as if she were the only person left in the world, with only her desolate sobs echoing through the empty street.
"Daddy, I want that star!"
A little girl stood under a Christmas tree, jumping and pointing at the largest, highest, and brightest five-pointed star on the tree. Her mother patted her head dotingly, and her father knelt before her. "Okay, what else do you want?"
"I want cake too!"
"My lovely little princess can have whatever she wants."
The girl in the beret stood behind the Christmas tree. It was as if she wanted to hide from the light outside, only daring to peek at the happy family.
The couple was dressed very simply and didn't look like a wealthy family, but the clothes the girl was wearing were exceptionally nice.
She felt as if she were staring directly into the midday sun; her eyes burned.
She fantasized about how wonderful it would be if she were that little girl, but she couldn't even remember what her own parents looked like anymore.
"Daddy, I want that star..." Anna hugged her shivering, cold body, murmuring in a hollow voice.
"Yo, isn't this that parentless brat? Calling for your daddy this late at night?"
She looked up. A few thuggish-looking men stood before her. They appeared to have just finished celebrating and were on their way home. Seeing her pathetic state, they all burst out laughing.
"Hahaha, did you guys hear that?" The leader, a man with dyed green hair, pinched his throat and intentionally imitated her in a high-pitched, disgusting voice. "Daddy, I want that star..."
"Hahahahaha!"
"The kid with no mom or dad is missing her daddy~ Oh, how scary, do you want to fight again?"
Anna's bright red fingers squeezed a clump of snow into a snowball on the ground. She stared at those mocking her with eyes full of hatred.
"I think you should—"
Thud!
A hard ice ball, packed tightly into a block of ice, slammed into the green-haired man's forehead. His vision went dark, and he fell to the ground, looking confusedly at the panting Anna who had thrown the ice ball, feeling waves of pain in his brow.
He touched it, and the hand full of blood made him see red.
"You bitch! Get her!"
The men immediately lunged at her. How could Anna be a match for so many? Within seconds, her limbs were pinned, and she was forced to the ground.
The beret fell into the snow.
The green-haired man clutched his forehead and walked up to Anna, who was glaring at him. "You think you're still in the orphanage? There's no one here!"
"No one's coming to save you! It's the same everywhere! On Halloween, you can only hide in a corner and cry like a stray dog!"
Her long beige hair was scattered on the ground. Anna's eyes were full of tears that fell from her face like broken strings of pearls.
No one was coming.
She was not the girl under the star.
She closed her eyes in resignation.
Thud!
A loud impact came from ahead. Anna felt the grip on her limbs suddenly loosen.
She opened her eyes in confusion and saw a hooded man kicking the green-haired man away.
Snow swirled in the air, as beautiful as a blooming snow flower. Together with the blood, it formed a perfect painting of white and red.
The man was as silent as before. The green-haired man screamed, "Who are you?" but was met only with silent fists.
These men clearly didn't exercise much; compared to the man, they were like infants who had just learned to walk. He took them all down in short order without even breaking a sweat.
Walking up to the green-haired man, Lin glanced at his watch and asked coldly, "You have five minutes... do you have any tissues on you? A handkerchief works too."
"N-No..." The dazed green-haired man saw his friends lying all over the ground and didn't know what kind of madness had possessed this man. He answered stutteringly.
A clean handkerchief was tossed in front of the green-haired man. Lin rolled up his sleeves. "Then use mine."
"Wha—"
Thud!
Lin kicked him square in the jaw. The kick made his eyes roll back, nearly knocking him out.
"There's going to be a lot of blood. That's for you to wipe it up." Lin coldly stepped on the green-haired man's fingers. The man screamed in pain, but a shoe was shoved into his mouth. Lin made a shushing gesture. "Quiet. Don't disturb the others."
Tears welled in the green-haired man's eyes, but Lin, as if seeing nothing, grabbed him by the hair and slammed his face into the ground.
Thud!
Thud!
Thud!
Only after the green-haired man had passed out with a face full of blood did Lin pick up the handkerchief to wipe the man's face, clearing the blood blocking his nostrils. Then he tossed it aside and ignored him.
Anna lay in the snow, staring blankly upward. Blood was everywhere around her, but not a single drop had splattered on her body or hair. Her beige hair was spread out beautifully, as if she were submerged in water.
The beret was picked up by a hand. A person walked over to her and looked down.
"Uncle?" This person's clothes were identical to Lin, but when she saw the face under the hood, her heart skipped a beat.
"..."
Lin said nothing. He seemed to hate explaining things to people. He silently pulled Anna up from the snow.
Her frozen fingers melted in his warm, large hand.
Dusting the snow off Anna, Lin placed the beret back on her head, then stood up and began walking back.
Anna followed Lin stumble-step. All along the way, she watched the back of the person who blocked the cold wind for her. She pulled her clothes tight, her eyes filled with both confusion and complexity.
"Why..."
"Acting on impulse is a mistake. If I hadn't come just now, I needn't tell you what your fate would have been. You are very pretty, and those men were not good people." Lin voice was colder than the wind. "But only the 'impulse' was wrong. If you want to teach them a lesson, you should find a place where no one is around, and then ensure you have absolute control so they have no power to resist."
"..."
"That person named Hina likely feels the same way. They should pay for their words and actions, but you didn't consider those who worry about you—including your running away."
Anna's breath hitched. She stared at the back in front of her, and a warmth unknowingly rose in her heart.
Finally, they reached the house. Lin opened the door with his key, and Anna smelled a rich aroma.
"I've always spent it alone, so you'll have to adjust."
In the darkness, a Christmas tree was lit up.
Anna looked up, the brightest star reflected in her eyes.
"A Christmas tree?" Anna stared at the star.
"...What is it?"
"But isn't it Halloween Eve?"
"Aren't Halloween and Christmas the same holiday?"
Lin looked at Anna blankly. He remembered seeing Christmas trees on the street and shop assistants in Christmas outfits handing out flyers, and this holiday—whatever it was—took place in winter...
"Halloween is when kids dress as monsters and knock on doors for 'trick or treat.' Christmas is when Santa delivers gifts. How could they be the same? Those people in Christmas clothes on the street are just cosplaying. You can wear anything for Halloween. As for the Christmas tree, Christmas is a month away, so people put them out early so others can buy them for decoration."
"..."
Seeing Lin depressed expression, Anna couldn't help but laugh. So this guy could make a face like that too.
Indeed, Lin had very little experience in this area and hadn't paid attention, so he naturally didn't understand.
The girl kicked off her shoes and, wearing only her stockings, clutched her beret and rushed into the living room. Lin shook his head, changed into indoor slippers, and followed her with his hands in his pockets.
She immediately saw a whole cake and lunged toward the table with sparkling eyes. "Why is there cake!"
And it was her favorite: chocolate cake!
"I made it before I went out today. It was in the fridge for a late-night snack." Lin walked unhurriedly into the kitchen. He checked his watch; the timing was perfect. "Go wash your hands."
By the time Anna had washed her hands and was waiting expectantly at the table, the rich aroma she had smelled at the door wafted from the kitchen, making the light in her eyes shine even brighter.
Lin walked out wearing oven mitts, carrying a whole honey-glazed roast chicken.
It sizzled with oil, its cavity stuffed with fruits and vegetables, and crispy smoked bacon slathered in sauce was arranged alongside it.
The windows blocked the cold wind, and the warmth melted the frozen snow on the glass. Lin sat at the table, watching the lively girl laugh in this once empty, cold room. Unknowingly, the tension in his face softened.
It seemed that sometimes, having someone else to spend a holiday with wasn't so bad.
"I'll be heading back then. Hina must be worried sick." Anna, wearing her dried clothes, stood at the door and gave Lin a wink before waving cheerfully. "Uncle, see you tomorrow."
"..."
Lin watched the bright figure vanish into the distance in silence. He took a shallow breath, adjusted his scarf, and turned back into the room to tidy up the mess.
A troublesome child.
But not bad.
...Wait, what did she say when she left?
See you tomorrow?
It was another snowy day. Lin sat on the balcony with a hot cup of coffee. Next to him, the snow fell heavily. He sat with his feet on the heated floor, quietly reading.
Actually, he liked reading all kinds of books. Light novels were just the easiest way to kill time; there were many types and a high volume, and while the quality varied, he could even appreciate books that were exceptionally bad.
He sat there from morning until the sun went down.
Winter nights always come early. The north wind brought sounds of laughter and celebration. He closed his book and stood on the balcony, glancing at the street, which was even more crowded than the night before. A large group of people dressed as monsters were parading through the street. He was a bit confused.
Wasn't Halloween yesterday?
Whatever, it didn't concern him.
Lin closed the doors and windows and prepared to cook.
Knock, knock, knock.
A knock at the door?
Lin had already tied back his hair and put on an apron. Hearing the knock, his first reaction was that someone had the wrong door, so he ignored it. The person would leave once they realized their mistake.
He took two tomatoes, scored them, and soaked them in boiling water, preparing to cut the meat—
Knock, knock, knock.
"..."
Lin drove his kitchen knife into the cutting board, washed his hands, and walked out of the kitchen, staring coldly at the noisy door.
After dozens of seconds, the knocking sounded again. Only then did he walk over slowly and pull the door open.
"Merry Christmas! Uncle! You didn't open the door for so long, I thought you forgot to turn off the lights when you went out!"
A charming "witch" held a pumpkin-head basket. A voluminous witch's robe covered her body below the head. Her free hand pressed down on her wizard hat, and her hair, styled in braids different from her usual look, fell over her shoulders. She blinked at Lin with high energy, revealing a row of shiny white teeth.
"...What are you doing?" Lin stared at her expressionlessly and asked in a flat tone.
"It's Halloween today!" Anna, dressed as a witch, raised the basket in her hand, a mischievous glint in her eyes. "Trick or treat!"
"Candy..."
The little chocolate Lin had in the house had been used up for the cake yesterday. He wasn't a fan of sweets himself, so he likely couldn't find a single piece of candy now.
"I don't have any," Lin replied with cold indifference.
"Too cold!"
Anna stared poutily at the completely indifferent Lin. He turned back into the house. "I'm cooking. If you don't have candy, just eat some food."
"Honestly, you make it sound like I'm here to beg for alms..." Anna took off her shoes. Today she was wearing white stirrup socks. Her snowy-white socks and toes stepped onto the clean floor. She noticed the single ponytail Lin had tied for cooking and narrowed her eyes.
Lin stopped at the kitchen door and looked back at the stationary Anna in confusion. "What is it?"
"Nothing!" Anna giggled and shook her head, then skipped over to the dining table and sat down. Lin just shook his head and entered the kitchen.
It was just one more set of bowl and chopsticks. It didn't take long for Lin to bring out two home-cooked dishes and set the rice on the table.
"Mm... actually, looking closely, Uncle, your age is about the same as mine. It's just your aura that gives me the feeling of a middle-aged man." Anna propped her chubby cheeks in her hands, watching the silent Lin pick up his chopsticks. "By the way, Uncle, you should be a student too. Which school?"
"Senba Academy."
"Isn't that the same school as me?!"
Lin chewed a couple of mouthfuls of rice.
He usually kept an extremely low profile, so it was normal not to recognize him.
Anna also picked up her chopsticks and ate a few bites, her eyes sparkling. "Delicious! Uncle, your cooking is so good! Also, I saw a violin in your house earlier. Do you play the violin?"
"I do."
"What a good man."
Lin didn't quite understand the connection between playing the violin and being a "good man." He didn't just play the violin; he was at a performance level with most instruments. He often learned various things when he was too idle, and music was just one of them.
Anna finished her rice in no time. She didn't have the reserve of other girls when eating; with grains of rice still stuck to her face, she excitedly asked the still-eating Lin, "So, Uncle, do you have a girlfriend?"
Why ask that all of a sudden?
Lin shook his head. He had almost no contact with members of the same sex, let alone the opposite sex.
Anna's joy was palpable. "Then I—"
"No."
Lin put down his chopsticks.
All of Anna's joy froze in that instant.
"W-Why?"
Lin wiped his mouth and answered coldly—
"I said no."
Treating this world with indifference—this was the path Lin had decided for his life since he was old enough to understand.
For a certain reason, he would interact with people, but he would not form deep connections, let alone personal relationships.
So when he woke up dazed from unconsciousness and saw Anna's close, eerily smiling face, he didn't understand what had happened.
"You..." As soon as Lin spoke, he felt waves of pain in the back of his head. The person before him appeared doubled. He immediately realized he had suffered a heavy blow to the head.
"Mm-ha..." Warm skin pressed against Lin hand. Anna slowly lifted her voluminous witch's robe. Only then did Lin see that her chest and lower body were simply wrapped in a single layer of bandages; a simple tug would make them fall off. The rest was the girl's skin, white as curdled fat, and her softness.
Dizzily, he asked, "Why..."
"Isn't this what you taught me? To have absolute control and ensure the prey has no power to resist." Anna's smile, once warm as winter sun, was gone, replaced by a slightly pathological, treacherous grin. "Uncle, you clearly plucked the strings of my heart like that, yet you so bluntly refused to become my family."
"Do you know? Yesterday I went home and buried my head in the covers, so excited I couldn't sleep. I kept thinking about how cool you were when you saved me, as cold as a block of ice that wouldn't melt. It makes me want to wrap you in my mouth and melt you with my body heat..."
The flush on her face formed a sharp contrast with her fair skin. Her body temperature climbed steadily. Her hand reached to her own smooth back, and with a gentle pull, the bandage around her chest...
Lin saw the bandage slowly slip away. His eyes widened as he struggled to escape, but his hands and feet were bound by something. "Let me go."
"I can't do that~ Today is Halloween, trick or treat. You didn't give me any candy, Uncle~ But in a little while, there will be candy to eat, and I'll be able to 'trick' you too~" A seemingly bright red, slender tongue licked the corner of her mouth. Anna gently stroked Lin cheek. "Your ponytail is really beautiful, Uncle. When you're happy in a little bit, it will surely swing in a beautiful arc."
So the reason she was staring at his ponytail back then was—
In the snow-covered Halloween, the voluminous witch's robe hid the girl's figure, and it also hid Lin jaw-clenched face.
Following that, charming low moans drifted out from within those rising and falling black robes...
"Anna, you've come to the church again today."
"Hehe, I've been very devout lately, Hina."
The girl in the beret waved to Hina as she walked out of the church. Hina nodded, feeling both relieved and a bit strange.
She was relieved because since Halloween, Anna had never acted impulsively again. Moreover, she often came to the church to pray quietly; she was a complete "good girl" now.
What was strange, however, was that Hina always felt a strange smell on Anna whenever they crossed paths. The smell was even stronger after she came out of the church. Also, her face would have a flush for unknown reasons, and her clothes were always a bit disheveled. Occasionally, some liquid would drip down her stockings and skirt. Anna said it was just milk she was drinking that accidentally spilled on her legs.
Would someone spill milk that often?
And one time, when Hina passed by the church, she thought she heard Anna let out low, panting moans of "Ha~" "Ha~", but when she peered inside, she didn't see Anna anywhere.
Hina thought it over and eventually gave up. She must be overthinking it. She smiled self-mockingly. Anna was such an obedient, good child; how could she be doing anything bad?
What Hina didn't know was that after she left, Anna walked straight into the church. With a brisk step, she went behind the statue of the deity and pulled open a hidden trapdoor behind the pedestal.
The corners of her mouth slowly stretched into a wanton grin. Her fragrant, soft tongue licked her lips.
A man who hadn't yet recovered from the last bout of pleasure, his eyes rolled back and his whole body twitching, was tied to a cross in the deepest depths.
"Uncle~ Good day~ I'm back for more candy~"
Deep in her pupils, a throbbing heart—just like the star she had seen that day—was flickering.