"Mmm... so warm, this feels amazing."
Laurier squinted, curling up a little closer toward the fireplace like a kitten, her gaze drifting out the window.
The late morning sky was overcast. The clear blue had slowly given way to creeping clouds, and the sunlight gradually faded.
Cool gusts swept through. Out in the small courtyard, Leon stood in the "training corner," training staff in hand, experimenting with something against a wooden post.
"Ugh, Mr. Leon really is something. Just back from the Dungeon and already grinding away again, it's terrifying! Does this guy not know the meaning of pacing yourself?"
Leon's behavior stirred a faint, almost imperceptible pressure in Laurier, who had been fully immersed in the relaxed mood.
A strange sense of urgency rose slowly from somewhere deep inside her.
Hearing her complaint, Rose, seated on the single sofa wearing the Gale-Force Reading Glasses as she went through the Dungeon materials retrieved from the Guild headquarters along with recent city intelligence and developments, elegantly crossed her legs clad in black tights, glanced out at Leon testing his stats, pushed up her glasses and smiled.
"He probably used a skill to boost his stats again. Don't worry about him, let him fiddle around out there. We'll handle our own things."
At that, Laurier pouted.
"But..."
Just then Kureha came out from the dining room carrying a plate piled with snacks and desserts.
Catching their conversation, her eyes lit up and she looked eagerly out the window.
"A mock battle?"
"Perfect, the weather's not too hot or cold, just right for training!"
Everyone: "..."
...
Outside.
After unleashing a wild round of magic by the wooden post in the corner of the yard and finishing his warmup, Leon had a rough grasp of his body's stats after another round of point allocation.
"Solid, incredibly solid. Not the slightest floaty feeling, body and mind completely in sync."
"Then again, that makes sense."
"After all, everyone else's stats are honed through long battles and one life-or-death trial after another, shaky and unstable."
The corners of Leon's mouth ticked upward at the thought.
"But me? I climbed up step by step on System point allocation!"
"No contest at all!"
...
Name: Leon Hart
Title:
Race: Human
Profession: Mage
Affiliation: Hart Familia
Level: Lv.4
Floor Reached: Floor 27
Basic Abilities:
Strength: I900 | Potential: SSS1599
Endurance: I1000 | Potential: SSS1599
Dexterity: I900 | Potential: SSS1599
Agility: I900 | Potential: SSS1599
Magic: I1198 | Potential: SSS1599
Development Abilities:
Versatility F | Hunter F | Mage F | Abnormal Resistance F
Strong Body F | Magic Resistance F | Escape F
Concentrate F | Accuracy F | Strong Defense F
Magic: Omitted
Skills: Omitted
...
Assets: Reserve fund: 3.62 million | Cash: 2.7819 → 2.4747 (100 millions)
Excelia: 31,020 (points)
...
Just as Leon couldn't keep the grin off his face, lost in the joy of watching his power snowball...
A cool, soft sensation landed gently on his cheek.
"?"
His first reaction was: which neighbor's AC is leaking again, dammit?
Pure instinct, really. If you know, you know.
Then it clicked: no, this is Orario, the labyrinth city of another world. I'm an Adventurer now, so where the hell would Orario get an air conditioner?
"This is...?"
Leon stretched out his hand and opened his palm, tilting his head back slightly toward the gray sky, feeling the chill of snowflakes melting instantly against his skin. He murmured softly, a thread of delight in his voice.
"It's snowing."
...
"It's snowing!"
Tightening the quilted cloak around himself, Leon whipped around and called out to the ladies in the sitting room, who were enjoying the fireplace and basking in the cozy everyday atmosphere.
"It's snowing, ladies!"
There was no putting into words how giddy he felt in that moment, but he couldn't hide his delight.
At his shout, the ladies all looked up at once: the one reading and studying with a blank expression, the one knitting a sweater in fumbling fits with her brow furrowed, the one leisurely tinkering with her potted plants, and the one staring blankly into the fire.
As if answering Leon's words, the snowflakes that had started out drifting down sparsely turned, in just half a minute, into a sky full of swirling goose-feather snow, scattering down like gold coins.
"Wow! It's really snowing!"
Watching the scene outside, Laurier shot up from the sofa, her little face flushed red from the fire suddenly lighting up with excitement. She leaned over the back of the sofa to peer out, then made to rush outside barefoot. Luckily Rose grabbed her.
"Laurier, shoes!"
"Okay, okay, okay!"
She hurriedly slipped on her bunny-head slippers and bolted out of the sitting room like a little arrow.
"Honestly, she's a Lv.2 Adventurer now and still such a child."
Rose sighed with a smile, threw on a thick coat, and walked slowly toward the courtyard, chatting and laughing with Jeanne and Kureha.
"Look! Aura! This is snow! Back in the forests of our homeland, this kind of weather is the stuff of legend!"
"It's so beautiful!"
Laurier bounced around the grounds like a red-eyed rabbit panting for breath, so caught up in her excitement she forgot herself.
By comparison, Aura, who also came from some elven forest in the south, was far more composed. But the curiosity glinting in her eyes and the faint upturn of her lips quietly betrayed how she really felt.
Happy!
Nearby, Jeanne, Rose, and Kureha walked over to Leon's side and gazed up at the falling snow together with him. The gentle Rose looped her arm lightly through his and rested her head on his shoulder, asking softly.
"You're in a good mood?"
Under Jeanne's pouting, sidelong gaze, Leon slipped his other arm around her slender waist, taking in the warmth and softness of the ladies beside him as he sighed lightly.
"Rainy days and snowy days are both my favorites."
"On a rainy day, holed up in my room, listening to the patter of rain outside the window, coffee in one hand and a book in the other... that kind of solitude is the finest luxury for me."
"You all know me. I love quiet time alone."
"As for snowy days..."
Leon chuckled, his hand finding its way onto Jeanne's shoulder at some point.
"Gathered around a toasty fireplace, sipping hot tea, watching the goose-feather snow swirl outside... isn't that exactly winter's own brand of romance?"
With that, he let go of the ladies and settled lazily into the rocking chair, draping a blanket over his knees, gazing off at the falling snow as it slowly cloaked the entire city in a veil of white, letting out a satisfied sigh.
"Pure bliss..."
A shame, though. He'd savored this first snow of winter for no more than a few minutes when...
A "knock, knock, knock" at the door abruptly shattered the quiet, beautiful moment.