Some talk by the fireplace

- Hey Yashi, where have you been all the time?

   Tsukino asked Yashi with a careful and gentle voice. She's the one who disappeared during lunchtime and has been staying hidden since they arrived at this home. Now, when Tamao and others are playing outside and building snowmen, the tired-looking woman only appears in one corner. She was exhaustedly sitting on a chair, shrouded in lots of layers from her large Japanese clothes. On her hand was a white-fold fan that she used to cover some parts of her face. Tsukino didn't urge her to answer her question; instead, she watched her with a little bit of worry. Yashi is staying in the dark corner; it seems like she could doze off at any moment. After all, she finally opens her mouth to let out a weak and dainty voice.

- I've been here. You all know why I don't want to show up. It costs me lots of magic and energy. I'm exhausted, but once again, I still hesitated to run away.

- You should've done that.

   Tokuko joins the conversation coldly. She's stirring her hot cocoa cup, and a fading smoke floats up from the heat of it. Her black-hole eyes make a quick scan through where Yashi is standing, then they keep staring onto her cup.

- If you can't face Tamao, leave. There are lots of empty houses after the fight; I can even show you some. Stay there until Tamao goes away. Why are you still staying and then complaining about how tiring it is?

   Tsukino keeps silent. She still remembers how Tokuko grabbed Yashi violently on the airship and put a gun next to her head. More than anyone here, more than the people who mostly forgot or lost the habits related to their past, Tokuko is the most militant and brutal person here. She stays the same in the past and in the present. Tsukino sighed. The one who never lets go is the one who suffers.

- Tokuko, don't say that.

- No, commander. It's… true. I'm too indecisive. I need to give out the important decisions instead of keeping them to myself. But I just... can't...

   Yashi panted while she spoke, like it cost her a lot of energy. Tokuko put up a hand, signing for her to stop. She walks to the fireplace, a traditional one that Tsukino decided to install in this house for extra vintage references. Throwing some new wood logs in there, she looks for a box of matches on the top of the fireplace. It's under a flower vase. She took them off, lit up one match, and threw it into the woods. Watching the fire catch on the logs and spread wider, a mysterious smile faintly appears on Tokuko's face.

- Come here. Come here before I need to grab you and pull you to the ground.

    She speaks it like a command. Yashi stared at her feet, then tried to stand up. It's pretty hard to do so or walk around, thanks to the amount of clothing and accessories she's wearing. It caused a sign of impatience inside Tokuko's eyes. She looks at Yashi with scorn. This is not Japan in the 1800s. Seeing so only pissed her off, but she didn't say anything and waited for Yashi to come sit on a comfy chair that she pointed to. Tokuko pushes the chair closer to the fireplace, but still at a safe distance.

   Tsukino silently picks up one of Yashi's long sleeves. It's damp and cold. Maybe she stayed out in the snow, or she hasn't wrapped any warm blanket around her trembling, weak body, fearing for Tamao to find out her location if she ever dares to take one. It's easy to understand since someone staying out in the cold without a blanket will surely lose their energy and be in an exhausted state, like Yashi. Tsukino kept staring at them, with a piece of the sleeve grabbed inside her hand. Yashi didn't notice that; she kept trying to avoid Tokuko. Maybe the moments on that airship still traumatize her now.

   The sounds of laughter resounded from outside. It's the opposite here: when people are neither happy nor sad, they're just reminiscing or thinking. Tokuko tastes her hot cocoa in a chair next to the fireplace, looking outside the window. Maybe she wants to watch the girls outside, but it's clear that she isn't paying attention. Tsukino released Yashi's sleeves, but she tried to convince her to leave some clothing layers to make it easier to move. She also gave Yashi a warm blanket. The poor woman tries to refuse Tsukino's care, but she's a soft-hearted person. After just a few minutes, she gave up and let the other one take out some outer layers and dry them in front of the fire. Tokuko already poured another cup of cocoa for Tsukino, but then she gave it to Yashi instead. That burden—the hanging relationship between two sisters—is what's tormenting her. She carefully glanced out the window glass to see how Tamao was. That girl and everybody there with her are having a good time together. They can hear Kiriko's curses; Kirifuren even giggles. She said one thing that everyone here knows, but it's still fun to hear it again.

- Haha, Kiriko only curses and acts arrogantly like that for fun. It shows her passion and love for other girls here. How childish.

   Tsukino smiles, while Tokuko keeps her far-away stare. She had another sip.

- How can they still be so carefree?

   Her question remains unanswered.

   Kirifuren sits next to Yashi, enjoying the warmth while knitting an embroidery. It shows a beautiful sunset. The painting is very detailed, even though Kirifuren has never been to this place. Maybe she has some references to a cube that is on display in a blue Arma Caeli's shop. Is her name Eve or Eva? She didn't remember. It's next to the showcase window for the whole fall; Yashi has seen it when she's wandering through the town. It captures the beautiful yellow leaves and the orange skies of forbidden memories she buried away in autumn. She looks at it like a box that contains her memories, both nostalgic and mysterious. The sound of wood being burned inside the fireplace is so peaceful that she only feels more sleepy. But if Yashi dozes off, she won't be able to run away from Tamao when she returns from the play outside.

   She tries to remember why she didn't buy a beautiful cube like that. Maybe a sudden call from Chess pulled her from the streets into his shop's backroom in one second. She can only get a memory of something urgent that happened that day; she didn't have enough time to buy the cube. The next time she went down to Eve's shop, the fall had passed.

- Did you get the autumn scene?

   In unconsciousness, trying to resist the sleepy feeling, Yashi has asked Kirifuren. Glancing from the embroidery on her lap to Yashi's face, the monk woman gazes at her slowly.

- I did.

   Then a light smile brightened her face.

- So you know I'm making this based on that scene. Oh, the girls will say I don't have any creativity~!

- It's okay; don't mind it. Do you still keep the cube?

   Kirifuren stopped knitting for a moment; she's looking away.

- Yeah? What do you need it for?

- I just want to see it better with a quick check. It's beautiful, but I didn't have a chance to have a closer look.

- I leave it at home. I'll bring it the next time we meet, okay?

   Yashi nodded. Her eyes kept watching the fire dances. Its shape changes with every blink of an eye. Very beautiful, yet dangerous and fragile at the same time. It can be put out easily, and the warmth it brings will be gone. But that's a fire under control. It can spread wide; the cozy warmth will become so deadly that it will burn all into ashes. A shape of someone faintly appears in the middle of the fireplace. Yashi got startled; she opened her eyes wider to see it. That's a little girl with short hair. Tamao, the 6-year-old pure Tamao, sees her sister as her world. Sounds of burning wood get further from her ears, and her heart drops a beat when someone opens the front door, which is right behind her. Luckily, it's just Hoshi. She swings by to grab a pair of gloves. Seeing Yashi and the girls around the fireplace, she nods as a hello before going outside.

- Thank you; I'll take my leave now.

   Yashi sighed, stood up, and avoided looking at the fire again. Kirifuren calls behind her in a worried voice.

- Hey wait! You can stay a little longer!

- Don't worry. She'll be okay.

   Tsukino taps Kirifuren's shoulder, whispering to her in a low voice.

- Just let her be.