When I Was Rejected and Returned Home, My Childhood Friend, Who Should Have Been Distant, Was in My Room - Chapter 22: Snow Woman

Chapter 22: Snow Woman

“Hey, hey, Snow Woman!”

“If you touch her, she’ll freeze you!”

In a small park near my home, little me didn’t want to worry my busy parents, so I lied about having friends and came to the park alone on weekends.

But I, who didn’t look very Japanese, was an outsider among the kids. They didn’t let me join them and made me a target for exclusion. With my silver hair and pale skin, the other kids from kindergarten called me Snow Woman.

“Go on, you go talk to her!”

“No way, it’s kinda cold around her!”

“Yeah, it’s summer, but I’m getting chills!”

“And isn’t she kinda big?”

“Yeah, totally!”

Kids’ bullying, though from young minds, shouldn’t be underestimated. I endured their cruel words quietly, sitting on the edge of a bench, shrinking my larger-than-average body.

I knew, even as a kid, that reacting meant losing, and crying would only egg them on. So I ignored them silently, but the stress I couldn’t release left many cuts in my heart.

But one day, a turning point came for me.

“What are you guys saying!”

As the boys called me Snow Woman while I sat, a new back appeared in front of me. It was a voice I hadn’t heard before.

“Aren’t you ashamed, saying that to a girl!”

His body was much smaller than the other boys, but to me, his back looked very wide. The boys teasing me flinched at his intensity, but their pride made them stand up to him.

“She’s a Snow Woman! If you touch her, you’ll freeze! You okay with that?”

“Yeah, yeah! Her hair and skin are white—she’s definitely not human!”

Being called not human, I looked down again. The unfairness of feeling this way because I was in Japan and my childish wish not to worry my parents clashed inside me.

“Are you a Snow Woman?”

The boy, maybe not too bright, turned to me and asked with a pure expression. Not wanting him to misunderstand, I shook my head desperately to deny it. He smiled reassuringly, then turned forward with a stern look.

The next moment, my left hand was suddenly raised. I realized a moment later he was holding my arm. Lifting my hand high, he glared at the bullies.

“See, it’s not cold at all! Her hand is super warm!”

At that moment, I felt something warm spread in my chest. My arm, gripped a bit tightly, proved he wasn’t an illusion. The bullies, not expecting this, backed off completely.

“Y-you think you can just touch the Snow Woman and get away with it? She’s definitely not human!”

“Shut up! The ones saying she’s not human aren’t human themselves! Get lost now!”

“Man, this guy’s definitely crazy, let’s get outta here.”

“Yeah, that’s a good idea…”

Maybe they decided it was smarter not to get involved, so they left the park quickly for another playground.

“Don’t ever talk to her again!”

The boy landed one last blow at their retreating backs.

Until they were completely gone, he stood in front of me, breathing heavily, acting as my wall.

“Um… thank you.”

“No need to thank me, it’s just normal.”

When I thanked him quietly, he smiled shyly.

“Can I sit here?”

“Oh, sure, go ahead…”

I tried to move to make space for him, forgetting I was on the edge, and almost fell off the bench.

“Ha, what are you doing?”

“Hehe…”

Even though he laughed, it didn’t feel bad. I didn’t sense any malice from him.

“Are you from around here?”

“No, I live a bit farther away…”

Not wanting my parents to worry, I came to this park far from home. When I told him where I lived, his eyes widened in surprise.

“No way! I live around there too! We’re practically neighbors!”

No wonder I hadn’t seen him around. He was only at this park by chance because of his mom’s schedule. In my heart, I thanked this miraculous coincidence. His feet, not touching the ground as he sat on the bench, swung back and forth, full of energy.

“So, why’s your hair white?”

“Um, my grandma is Swedish.”

“Sw-Sweden…?”

He didn’t seem to know where Sweden was. I pictured the world map my grandma showed me.

“Um, Sweden is…”

“Oh! I got it! It’s America, right? America!”

He raised his hand excitedly, happy to know something. His voice almost made my mental map disappear, but I rebuilt it.

“Um, Sweden isn’t America, it’s in Europe… it’s a really cold country, you know?”

Truthfully, I hadn’t been to my grandma’s homeland, but I bragged a little. He nodded, looking convinced.

“I see! It’s cold, so that’s why you have such white, pretty hair!”

“…!”

Maybe he was thinking of polar bears or something when he said that. But that wasn’t what mattered to me.

Pretty hair. It felt like the first time someone outside my family said that. My mom told me to grow my white hair because it was like my grandma’s. I never thought someone would call the hair that made me an outcast pretty.

The hot feeling in my chest from when he grabbed my arm surged again, and I couldn’t stop it.

“Whoa, why are you crying? I chased the bad guys away already!”

“No, it’s not that, it’s just…”

I wanted to say I wasn’t crying from sadness but from happiness. But my tears made it hard to speak. The boy, ever kind, panicked seeing me like this.

“Um… okay!”

After panicking on the bench, he suddenly clenched his fist, deciding something. Then, he spread his arms wide and… hugged me.

“!?!?”

Even while crying, I was confused, not understanding what happened. His arms were a bit short to wrap around me, but I felt his warmth all over. Still in that position, he patted my head gently with one hand.

“When I’m sad, my mom does this for me. Does it make you a little less sad?”

His hands were small but felt so big. I knew I was troubling him, but I let my tears flow even more in his arms.