Short Story A World of Silver
It was a scorching summer day.
“Orn, hello!”
A silver-haired girl called out to a black-haired boy who was practicing his swings with a wooden sword.
“Huh…? Shion!? But you weren’t supposed to arrive until tomorrow…”
Hearing the familiar voice, Orn turned toward its source, only to see someone who wasn’t supposed to be there, his surprise evident in his voice.
“Hehe! I really wanted to come sooner, so I had them move my schedule up by a day.”
Satisfied with seeing Orn’s astonished expression, Shion beamed as she revealed her little surprise.
“My apologies, Orn-sama. Shion-sama was quite insistent. Nicola-sama has already been informed, however.”
“Oh, so Mom knew about this. Now that I think about it, she did say we’d be having a feast for dinner tonight.”
“…Was it a bother for me to come so suddenly?”
Hearing the maid’s words, Shion suddenly looked uncertain, worried that she might have inconvenienced him.
“Not at all. I’m happy to see you. Thanks for coming.”
As Orn smiled at her, Shion’s Expression instantly brightened.
“Good… Ah, Orn, you’re sweating so much.”
Noticing the sweat dripping from his earlier practice, Shion took out her handkerchief and gently wiped his face.
“You don’t have to do that, you’ll just get your handkerchief dirty. I’ll go wash up real quick, so wait here for a bit.”
Saying that, Orn hurried off somewhere.
“Oh my, Shion-chan, welcome!”
As Orn left, his mother, Nicola, stepped out of the house.
“Hello, Oba-sama!”
“My deepest gratitude for accommodating our sudden request, Nicola-sama.”
Shion’s maid bowed deeply as she expressed her thanks.
“Oh, no need to be so formal. Both Orn and I are happy to see Shion-chan sooner. You were eager to see him too, weren’t you?”
“Uh… um… yes…”
Shion’s face turned bright red as she shyly admitted it.
“My, my, you’re just too adorable! I wish I could have you as my daughter!”
“D-Daughter…?”
Hearing Nicola’s words, Shion interpreted it as a roundabout way of suggesting she marry Orn. Despite the summer heat, she felt as though her head was about to start steaming, her face burning red as she cast her eyes downward.
“Sorry to keep you waiting.”
Before long, Orn returned, having freshened up.
“N-Not at all! I wasn’t waiting long!”
“…? Mom, did you say something weird again?”
Noticing Shion’s flustered state and Nicola’s amused grin, Orn immediately suspected his mother of saying something to Shion.
“‘Again’? How rude. I was simply having a conversation with Shion-chan. Right, Shion-chan?”
“Y-Yes.”
“Well, if that’s all… But Shion, if she ever says something you don’t like, don’t hesitate to tell her, okay?”
“I will. But rather than disliking it, it’s more like…”
“…?”
“Alright, you two, go have fun. Just be back in time for dinner. And Orn, make sure to escort Shion-chan properly, alright?”
“I know, I know.”
Satisfied with his response, Nicola nodded before turning to Shion’s maid. “Would you like to come inside for a cool drink?” she offered, before the two of them disappeared into the house.
“──So, where do you want to go? Is there somewhere you’d like to visit?”
Now alone together, Orn asked Shion.
“Actually… There’s something I want to show you.”
“Something you want to show me?”
“Yeah! Come with me!”
With that, Shion took Orn’s hand and led him into the nearby forest.
"Is this spot good enough?"
After walking through the forest for a while, Shion stopped and glanced around before murmuring to herself.
"Hey, Shion, what's here?"
"Just wait a moment. I'm going to create it now."
With that, Shion closed her eyes, focusing her mind. Then—
"【Absolute Frost】!"
The instant she spoke the spell’s name, magic erupted, transforming the landscape around them in the blink of an eye.
It was—a world of silver, woven from frost.
"…It’s beautiful."
The sight, so out of place in the middle of summer, left Orn breathless.
Hearing his awed whisper, Shion blushed, a shy smile appearing on her lips.
"I finally mastered high-tier magic, so I wanted to show you. It’s not perfect yet, but… what do you think?"
"It’s incredible. Truly amazing! But why ice magic? I heard most people start with fire."
"Well… you looked so happy when it snowed last winter, so I thought…"
"So you thought…?"
"N-Never mind! It’s nothing!"
(I could never tell him… that I worked so hard on ice magic just because he once told me, ‘Shion, your hair looks beautiful against the snow.’)
The two of them stood there, gazing at the icy wonderland until it gradually melted away.
And in that fleeting, shimmering world, they made a promise—to keep finding beautiful sights together, from now on and forever.
And a bonus illustration of Shion in maid!
