The rocky terrain was bleached white and dry under the morning sun. Ryou looked down at their own feet. Their boots were on properly. They'd checked their foot size countless times since getting this body. But— Slip. "[angry]Whoa!" Their right foot slid across the rock. Their vision tilted wildly. The hem of their skirt fluttered up, cold wind hitting their thighs. —Grab. Thick fingers seized Ryou's slender arm. "[cold]...That's the second time." A low voice. When Ryou looked up, silver hair was glittering in the morning light. Narrowed black eyes stared down at Ryou, expressionless. Broad shoulders, high waist. Completely, a man's body. Yura pulled Ryou's arm and hauled them upright. Ryou's chest gave a sharp thump. (*These hands... are warm.*) Their heart was so loud. Their face grew hot, and they had no idea what to say. "[cold]If you're not used to that body, don't push yourself. Want to rest?" Yura's voice felt just a little—just the tiniest bit—softer than usual. But Ryou immediately shook off their arm. "[angry]I-It's fine, okay! I can walk on my own!" Their voice cracked. Yura sighed. "[sarcastic]...Hah. Are you stupid or something?" "[angry]Shut up! You try it!" The usual bickering. But the distance between them as they walked had shrunk just a little since yesterday. —Slip. "[scared]Whoa!" Third time. This time, as Ryou dramatically nearly fell, Yura caught their waist with one hand. As casually as handling luggage. "[cold]Third time." "[angry]I know!" Ryou's face went bright red. Their heart was pounding. To cover up the pounding, their mouth moved on its own. "[angry]How the hell are you so huge but so quiet on your feet?! You've got no presence at all!" Lashing out. Even Ryou didn't know what they meant. But Yura didn't so much as twitch an eyebrow. "[cold]...Because my original body was like that." That voice, still just a little soft. Ryou couldn't say anything back, so they hung their head and started walking. Scrape. Scrape. Only the sound of the greatsword dragging echoed through the ravine. They walked in silence for a while. The Trounet Gorge was a deeply carved valley floor where a tributary of the Shtral River churned white with foam. Moss clung thickly to the rock walls, and cold air clung to their skin. In the distance, the wind howled, slipping through gaps in the stone. It was when they reached a bend in the gorge. —Rustle rustle rustle! Ryou's feet stopped. From the rocks ahead, countless small shadows leaped down. Lizard-like shapes standing on two legs. Sharp fangs. Sickle-like claws. Blue-black scales repelled the morning sun, gleaming slick and wet. One, two, three— Ten, twenty— Frosraptors. The swarm blocked their path in an instant. No escape route. They formed a circle, and tiny eyes all turned toward Ryou and Yura at once. "[whispers]...You've gotta be kidding me." Ryou tried to ready their greatsword. But it was heavy. The tip of the greatsword, lifted with both hands, dipped sharply. They couldn't put their weight into it, and the blade slammed against the ground with a clang. The recoil made them stagger. "[scared]Dammit!" Beside them, Yura was drawing a bow. Snap. An ugly sound. The string had snapped. Yura's face stiffened for just a moment. "[cold]...I've got too much of a man's strength." Yura immediately pulled out a second string. Strung the bow quickly. Drew again. —Snap. It snapped again. Third time. This time, the bow itself let out a nasty crack and splintered. All that remained in Yura's hands was a broken stick. The two of them looked at each other simultaneously. A moment of silence. "[angry]Your bow!" "[cold]Your greatsword, more like." The Frosraptors were closing in, inch by inch. The sound of fangs clicking. The sound of sharp claws scraping rock. Ryou looked up at the cliff above them. Pure white snow was piled on the gorge walls. The morning sun reflected off it, dazzlingly bright. The amount of snow, the slope, the height—something clicked into place in Ryou's mind. "[serious]...That snow. It'll work." Ryou started running toward the cliff, dragging the greatsword along the ground. "[surprised]Wait—what are you planning?!" Yura's voice flew at them from behind. Ryou didn't answer. They kicked off the rocky cliffside and scrambled up. Their skirt got in the way, nearly tangling their legs. Still, they gritted their teeth. They were out of breath. Their arms were taut and aching. They reached the base of the snow wall. Ryou lifted the greatsword with both hands. Heavy. But they didn't need to swing it. They just needed to slam it. First strike. A miss. The blade cut through empty air, and Ryou's body lurched. "[angry]Dammit!" Second strike. Thud. A small crack formed in the snow wall. Third strike. With all their strength, Ryou drove the hilt of the greatsword into the base of the snow wall. Rumble rumble rumble— The entire snow wall began to collapse. Chunks of white snow slid down toward the valley floor with a thunderous roar. Ryou tumbled down the collapsing snow, escaping to the bottom of the gorge. Whoooooosh!! The avalanche swallowed the Frosraptor swarm with precision. Shrieks like screams rose up, and blue-black scales vanished into the white snow. A few scattered survivors fled beyond the rocks. Silence. When the snow dust settled, the gorge had turned completely white. —Pop. Only Ryou's head stuck out from the snow. Snow tangled in their blonde hair. Their face covered in it. Their skirt, of course, and even the insides of their boots were packed with snow. Yura pushed through the snow and approached. They grabbed both of Ryou's arms and pulled them out with all their strength. "[gentle]...You really are an idiot." Yura's voice was exasperated. But the corners of their mouth had relaxed, just barely. "[gentle]But you're useful." They added it quietly, with a small smile. Ryou saw that smile head-on. Silver hair backlit by the morning sun. Narrowed black eyes, softly crinkled. That face, which always seemed so cold, was now unbelievably gentle. Thump. Something deep in Ryou's chest jumped hard. "[surprised]Wait—did you just smile?! You smiled, right?! Hey!" Ryou's voice came out completely flustered. Yura immediately reset their expression. "[cold]...You imagined it. Come on, let's move." Yura turned their back and briskly walked off. "[excited]No way, you definitely smiled! Hey, wait up, Yura!" Still covered in snow, Ryou couldn't move for a while. Night fell. On the rocky ground of the gorge, a campfire crackled and popped. Ryou had spread their wet clothes near the fire and was wrapped in a blanket. Yura sat across the fire on the opposite side. The starry sky was visible in a narrow strip through the gap in the gorge. Every time the wind blew, the flames danced and flickered. Ryou glanced at Yura. The firelight dyed Yura's profile orange. Their black hair swayed in the wind, and their narrowed eyes reflected the flames, glittering. (*Something about this... I can't really put it into words.*) Ryou looked down at their own chest. The heart that had been pounding earlier was now just a little calmer. But even though it was calm, something warm remained. "[whispers]...I can't get used to that stupidly handsome face of yours." They muttered it like a soliloquy. After a brief pause, Yura spoke quietly. "[gentle]...That face of yours isn't bad, either." Ryou looked up. Yura was still staring at the fire. But their cheeks seemed just a little red. It got awkward, and without either of them deciding, they fled into other topics. The weather, Frosraptor habits, complaints about Melvi the guild receptionist—they talked fast about nothing that mattered. But. In the light of the campfire, Ryou thought: (*I want to know more about this person.*) They didn't really understand it, and it scared them, so they hid their face in the blanket. Yura watched from the corner of their eye and let out a small sigh, careful not to be noticed. (*This isn't even my original body, and yet my heart is pounding like this.*) Yura clutched tightly at their own chest. (*My feelings for Ryou haven't changed. Even in this body—they're the same.*) The turmoil spread slowly through their heart. The campfire burned quietly. —That was when it happened. Inside Ryou's pouch, something grew hot. "...Ow!" Ryou hurriedly opened the pouch, and white light spilled out. It was the Reverse Scale fragment. The palm-sized, mirror-like crystal was faintly radiating heat, glowing white. When Ryou picked it up, a streak of light pointed straight ahead into the gorge—toward the direction of Mirror-Cry Mountain. "What the hell is this..." Yura stood up and moved closer to Ryou. "[serious]...The fragment is reacting to the location of another fragment." "Huh?" "[serious]It was in the guild's records. Reverse Scale fragments have a trait where they resonate when they get close to each other. Which means—" Yura's voice dropped lower. "[cold]Someone else is already at the mountain's base, ahead of us, with another fragment." In Ryou's hand, the fragment grew hot again. Both of their expressions tightened. And then. In the distant darkness of the gorge— From behind a boulder, a figure that had been quietly watching them slowly turned on its heel. Heavy footsteps. An eerily wide stride. The shadow melted into the darkness and vanished, unnoticed by anyone.