Mayuten ~The Demon King and the Hero Reincarnated as Twin Elementary School Students~ - Volume 3 Chapter 4

Volume 3 Elementary School Life of Demon King and Hero

Chapter 4   The Demon King and the Hero Build a Snowman

Hikaru dashed out into the yard.

“Wow, it’s snow!”

Isumi said in a hurry, “Hey, Hikaru, be careful! Running might make you slip.”

“It’s okay, don’t worry!”

With gloved hands, Hikaru gleefully grabbed the snow.

As I looked at the world painted in pure white, I couldn’t help but murmur, “I see, so this is what a snowy landscape looks like. It truly is beautiful.”

Isumi was right; it might restrict our movement, and wandering around unprepared could lead to frostbite.

But this view is truly breathtaking.

It’s no wonder Hikaru is so excited.

I, too, without considering my age, began to feel the joy, and I dashed out into the yard as well.

And there, without even wearing gloves, I lifted the snow with both hands.

“Brrr, it’s cold.”

“Haha, Kageyo oniichan, you should definitely wear gloves!”

Hmm, indeed.

Isumi said with an exasperated expression.

“Kageyo can be quite childish.”

“Shut up.”

Saying so, I retreated back inside the room.

Well, without proper insulation like Hikaru, I might actually get frostbite.

“Mom, can you bring out the coat and gloves?”

I shouted, and Akari came over.

“Sure, sure. Kageyo has grown up, but still acts like a kid.”

After that, I put on a coat, scarf, long pants, gloves, and even another scarf, following Hikaru into the yard.

“Hey, hey, let’s make a snowman!”

Hikaru suggested, and Isumi furrowed her eyebrows.

“A snowman? What’s that?”

“Huh? You don’t know, Isumi-oneechan? It’s like this, you make snowballs and roll them, and then…”

As Hikaru explained, both Isumi and I started rolling snowballs.

I see, the snowballs are getting bigger and bigger as we go.

“Now we stack them on top of each other… I wonder if one more would be good?”

There are three snowballs here.

It seems you only need two snowballs to make a snowman.

But Akari chimed in.

“It’s okay if there are three. I’ve heard that in foreign countries, they stack three snowballs sometimes.”

“Wow, Mom, you know a lot!”

Hmm, it seems they play by stacking snowballs.

Since my snowball is the biggest, it should be the base, and on top of that, maybe Isumi’s snowball?

Isumi said to me.

“Hey, Kageyo, help me with this.”

“What’s the matter? Can’t the hero lift a snowball all by yourself?”

I said teasingly, and Isumi snorted in response.

“I just wanted to give you a chance to shine.”

“Well, thank you for that.”

In the end, the three of us, Isumi, Hikaru, and I, stacked the snowballs into a three-tiered snowman.

While we were doing that, Akari suddenly appeared with three bananas and handed them to Hikaru.

“Okay, now should we make the face?”

“Yeah!”

The face? What does she mean?

As I was wondering, Hikaru pushed the bananas into the top snowball.

Ah, I see, she’s using the bananas as eyes and a mouth.

“We did it!”

“Yeah.”

A joint effort of the three siblings.

We worked up quite a sweat.

But you know, this is…

“Will it melt eventually?”

After all, it’s just a lump of snow. I have my doubts if it will even last until tomorrow morning.

Then, Akari spoke to me.

“That’s just how snowmen are, right? They slowly melt away, but the memories of you all playing together will last forever.”

Isumi laughed.

“Indeed. It’s the first time I’ve found playing in the snow so enjoyable.”

In the beginning, after my reincarnation, Isumi used to make a fuss about wanting to kill the Demon King me. However, lately, she has stopped mentioning such things. On the contrary, she has been smiling more often and reaching out to me and the family.

I, too, have been thinking less about my past world and have come to cherish the time spent with this family and Sora, our friends.

Suddenly, Isumi said as if a thought had crossed her mind.

“Is it okay for Dad to go to work in this snowy weather? He should take a day off today.”

Even on a Sunday like today, Higakure had gone to the company since morning.

It’s not right to say, “Thank you for your hard work,” in such snowy conditions.

Akari murmured, “You’re right.”

“When I checked earlier, it seems some trains are suspended, so I’m a bit worried. I hope he comes back early, but…”

“Actually, the snow might melt by tonight.”

I said, and Akari nodded in agreement, saying, “You’re right.”

“But recently, your dad hasn’t been taking any time off. I’m getting a bit concerned. He even stays overnight at the company sometimes.”

“Is the real estate business that busy?”

“I don’t know much about his work, but I can tell he’s tired. But, he’s working for our sake, so we can’t really ask him to take a break.”

Isumi said with a frustrated tone.

“I wish I could help.”

“I want to help too, Papa’s helper!”

“I’d love to help, but it’s impossible, right?”

In this world, children, especially elementary school kids, find it challenging to assist with their parents’ work. It might be possible in a family-owned business, but not for a salaried job. Akari also nodded in agreement.

“I’d help too if I could. All I can do now is prepare a delicious meal for Papa when he comes back. All three of you can help with that, right?”

Upon hearing Akari’s words, we all nodded in agreement.

“Of course!”

“I’ll help too!”

“I’ll lend a hand!”

Akari smiled warmly.

“Thank you. So, how about making a warm hot pot today? Isumi, you can help with cutting the vegetables. Hikaru, please wash the rice. Kageyo, sorry to bother you, but could you go to the grocery store and buy some Chinese cabbage?”

We nodded and went about our respective tasks.

The hot pot we had for dinner that day was incredibly warm and delicious.

The next morning, the snowman had already started melting. By the day after, most of the snow had disappeared, and the snowman had shrunk to about half its original size. Five days later, the snowman had completely melted away.

However, just as Akari had said, the fond memory of the three of us making the snowman together remained vividly in our hearts.

At that time, I believed that these joyful moments would continue endlessly. Even when Isumi and I became sixth graders and Hikaru started her first year of school in April. Even as we approached junior high and high school, and adulthood.

I was sure that we could continue living happily together.

…But looking back now, I realize that the moment when the enjoyable family play between the hero and the Demon King would come to an end was approaching, minute by minute.