Her eyes fluttered, shaking off the snow frozen around her eyelashes. It was a harsh winter, and her feet were buried under the snow. The piled-up flakes seemed never-ending, and the more she walked, the more it felt like walking in circles.
Tall pines and thick drifts of snow everywhere. Her breath heaved, her legs trembled and her fingers were red and cold. Even so, she walked. With each step, the crusty chill wind rosy her face and nose.
"If your mother could decide to live a second life, what would you wish her to do?" It was a familiar voice, but Hatsuki didn't know whom it belonged to. There was no one around her, and yet her feet halted. Her eyes wandered at the surroundings while she pondered.
