Dimensional Apartment Manager

"You should buy more dim sum from Nanatsujiya, as the price for you to warm your hands with me."

"What a sinful cat."

Jiuye has no way to refute Teacher Cat's proposal. Under such weather, I believe everyone will hold Teacher Cat in his arms.

Continuing along the mountain road, Jiuye soon saw the exit at the end of the road.

"Wow!!!!"

However, when Jiuye was indulging in Mr. Kitty's soft belly, a girl's mournful cry sounded above her head.

Jiuye raised his head at this time, Teacher Cat looked ready to fight.

What appeared in front of Jiuba was——

A pure white girl with long silver hair, snow-like crystal clear skin, and snowflake-like embroidery on the white kimono, such a pretty girl suddenly appeared.

"puff!"

Jiuye, who was holding Teacher Kitty, was hit hard in the stomach by the girl, and fell to the ground on the snow.

"Haha!"

The pure white girl lay on Jiuye's chest and breathed heavily, her long silver hair fluttered in the cold wind, and the kimono on her body became loose.

"Humans! Humans!"

"Get off my stomach first."

Jiu Ye pinched the nose of the girl sitting on her body, causing her to run aside in shock.

The girl adjusted the kimono with her hands. Her attire did not look like winter clothes at all, but rather like a girl preparing to participate in a summer festival.

"Human big brother...can you see me?"

"Humans, be careful, she is a monster."

"This is also..."

But no human little girl would appear in such a place wearing a kimono at this time.

Snow white, snow white, could it be a young snow girl or something?Jiuye tilted his head in thought.

Seeing Jiuye tilting his head, the little monster who might be Yukino did the same.

"That... I'm lost, the words of the big human brother, maybe they can help me find that place."

"I'm human."

"Because everyone... can't see me."

The girl, who was about 34 and [-] years old, lowered her head, and her restless eyes fell on Jiuye.

"Let's go human, this guy will eat you up when he grows up."

"No way! I don't know how to eat people!"

The pouting little girl retorted to Teacher Cat.

"Hmph, cunning little monster."

"Wait, Teacher Cat, there's nothing wrong with us helping her."

"They're all troublemakers."

"Natsume-kun will do the same thing."

"So you're all idiots."

After Mr. Cat finished speaking, he walked forward very unhappy. He seemed to hate such trouble.

"Hurry up, let's talk about it after buying Nanatsujiya's dim sum."

Sure enough, Mr. Cat is a duplicity guy, Jiuye thought of this, he stretched out his right hand to the young Snow Girl

"Want to go together?"

"It might be over there!"

The little girl pointed to the city outside the mountains and said, where is her final destination?

I want to be a gentle person, because I have been treated like a gentle person, and I deeply understand the feeling of being treated kindly.

——Midorikawa Yuki "Natsume's Book of Friends".

Chapter 3 The Lost Snow Maiden

People and monsters cannot establish a relationship, because the final result is often unsatisfactory. Compared with happiness, there is more irreparable sadness. After all, there is an invisible boundary between the two, so Just ignore it as much as possible.

But as a person who has had a hard time, at least it can be said so... As a person who finally sees monsters, Jiuye hopes to do something within his ability. It can be said that he is also a "monster" in this world. .

Teacher Cat's body is very warm, and Jiuye can clearly feel the temperature from the top of her head; Snow Girl's palm is as soft and cold as the first snow, and she can't feel her body temperature at all.

"Humans, don't make a mistake, that guy will grow up to be a snow girl who can eat people, and now he is a snow boy, a snow boy."

"You don't know how to eat people! You hateful fat balloon!"

"Ah?! Who is the fat balloon?! You little monster, be careful, I will eat you right away!"

The cat teacher who was staying above Jiuye's head immediately made a dangerous speech after being contradicted. From this point of view, it is more likely that the cat teacher will eat people in the future.

"Okay, okay, I'm going to Nanatsujiya soon, if there is any more noise, I won't be able to buy dim sum properly."

"Cunning guy, but I won't let this little monster get close to Natsume. The danger around him must be eliminated. Only I can eat Natsume."

Yes, yes, Jiuye nodded with a wry smile, and at the same time, under the command of Mr. Cat, he successfully came to the main store of Nanatsujiya, which was only a road away.

It's close to noon, and I don't know when, the winter sun seems to lengthen and shorten everything repeatedly. People like to look forward to spring in the cold weather, as if their lives have been compressed and released. Yes; some children were running and chasing not far away, and the shadows were busy following them, allowing them to take them to different places.

The Xuetong girl looked at the children with curious eyes, Jiuye asked subconsciously after seeing this scene

"Little guy, do you remember anything? If you got lost, did you see any familiar signs on the way here?"

Shaking her head, the Xuetong girl looked up at Jiuye, and said with an expression on the verge of crying

"I don't know... My memory seems to have become very blurred. Is it possible that I won't be able to find that place in the future? I obviously tried to remember it... Obviously, I can't forget it..."

"I'll find it anyway, at least the winter is still long, let's look for it before the snow melts."

"Thank you big brother."

"You...don't have a name or something?"

Monsters all have names, after all, they will be 'taken away' by Natsume Reiko. Of course, some monsters are exceptions, such as the two middle-level monsters who like to drink.

Jiuye still doesn't know the name of the snow boy, so he asked this question.

Hearing Jiuye's question, Xuetong shook his head as before, not sure if he was saying that he forgot or hadn't since the beginning.

"It's a bit troublesome to call it without a name... If so..."

Jiuye scanned the surroundings, and finally his eyes fell on Xuetong's slender right arm. On the wrist under the sleeve of the kimono, there was something that looked like a button.

No, Jiuye, who denied his conjecture, bent down slightly, and the result was that the cat teacher on top of his head was moving around in order to maintain balance. To outsiders, it was just a cat screaming dissatisfied.

It's not the knot used by Mitsuha Miyamizu to wrap her hair, but... Shimenawa?

Shimenawa is a thing used by shrines on torii gates. Can a snow boy who is a monster wear such an item?

"Hey~ Whoo!"

Teacher Cat, who was struggling to keep his balance on top of Jiuye's head, noticed Jiuye's gaze, and then narrowed his eyes slightly to look at Xuetong.

Maybe because he sensed Mr. Cat's gaze, Xuetong sticks out his tongue and makes a face, and hides his right hand behind his back. It seems that he doesn't like Mr. Cat very much.

"Who cares about you, tough little monster, but I know what you think as a human being. Hurry up! Hurry up! The green light is about to appear! Cross the road!"

"Wait, don't pull my hair, and what did Mr. Cat find?"

"Let's go there first."

"no solution anymore."

Jiuye looked at Xuetong, who had just canceled his grimace, and pointed to the opposite side of the road with his left hand.

"Let's go first."

"Okay big brother!"

This little guy has a completely different attitude towards Jiu Ye and Mr. Cat.

When he reached the opposite side, Mr. Cat stared at Nanatsujiya with glowing eyes. He jumped off from the top of Jiuye and explained at the same time

"The shimenawa rope on the little monster's wrist has lost its effect long ago. I'm afraid it has become an ordinary rope since a long time ago. Compared with this, let's go in!"

Shaking that fat body, Mr. Cat ran into Nanatsuji House in a hurry.

After listening to Teacher Cat's analysis, Jiuye's eyes once again fell on the shimen rope on Xuetong's right wrist.

"Big brother, this is my treasure, it's a very precious gift from someone else."

"Yes, then keep it safe, then do you have any memory about that person?"

"Well... a little bit, that person is about the same height as me, and his hair is red, like the sun in a clear sky. I'm afraid that I will be melted by that red hair."

"That's it."

Although it is a memory of little use, it is better than having no information at all.

Jiu Ye withdrew his gaze, and he said what he just thought of while walking towards Nanatsujiya.

"Since you have a knot, how about calling you 'knot' from now on?"

"'Knot'? Is that my name?"

Xuetong, who didn't quite understand the meaning, showed a puzzled expression, and Jiuye smiled, pointing to the shimenawa rope wrapped around her wrist and said

"Because it's something important to you, the 'knot' keeps it from going away, so I named it after that, don't you like it?"

"No, no, very happy..."

"That's good."

Jiuye didn't know how to describe the current situation, and this complicated feeling made him a little tangled up.

Knot (let’s call it that) is a strange snow boy full of mysteries. She got lost in the snow-covered mountains and finally asked for help from humans who could see her. Does this mean that there are humans where she is going?That's why I think humans can help themselves.

"Hey! Human! Come here and make money!"

At this time, the cat teacher with a half round body emerged from Nanatsuji House shouted, and Jiuye walked over helplessly.

"You wait here, knot."

"Okay big brother."

Hisuha then walked towards the main entrance of Nanatsujiya.

"Huh? Ah? Teacher Cat, don't buy alcohol! Two servings of dessert are acceptable!"

Then Jiuye paid some wronged money...

----

Jiuye's current identity is Natsume's friend, so he was naturally received by the Fujiwara couple.

Jiu Ye, who came to visit again with Nanatsujiya steamed stuffed buns, gave one of them to Aunt Toko, and then came to Natsume's room with Mr. Kitty.

At this moment, Natsume's neck was wrapped with scallions, and his complexion was much better than before. Originally, he had a high fever, blushed and weakened, and it seemed that his condition was improving.

"Okay, okay, I'll leave it to you then!"

At this moment, Mr. Cat actually held a bottle of wine and drank without giving Jiuye and Natsume time to react.

"Humans, I will leave it to you to change the towels."

"What are you talking about, Mr. Kitty...!"

Natsume, who was lying under the quilt, questioned Mr. Cat weakly, while Jiu Ye took the towel from Natsume's head.

"No, Mr. Jiuye, you don't have to do this, I'll be fine myself."

"It's okay, it's also good for me that the client recovers quickly."

"I'm giving you trouble."