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In the middle of the night, when none were awake, not even an unruly Imanotsurugi, snow fell over the citadel. Perhaps “fell” was too much of an understatement: A full foot of the stuff had blanketed every nook and cranny in the blink of an eye. Bare tree branches bowed with the weight suddenly thrust upon them. The water of the nearby creek had all but ceased flowing at a normal pace, choosing to instead trickle and meander. The wind did not blow strongly in the morning, as if it, too, had become frozen by its own frigid air.
The early risers rose with the sun and began to wake up those that tended to sleep in. Normally, this latter group were permitted to continue resting for a few hours more, but the sheer quantity of snow proved to be making the morning chores more difficult than they had any right to be. Notably, simple walkways needed to be plowed before anything else could even begin.
The great sword of Nosada, Kasen Kanesada, was one such early riser. In fact, he prided himself on waking earlier than anyone else. (He once got into a rather pointless argument with Nikkari, who said it was he himself who was awake the earliest; Kasen replied haughtily that one must go to sleep in the first place to be considered in the running at all.) Rather than go around and rouse the rest of the citadel, however, Kasen made a beeline for the kitchen after getting mostly ready (he looked presentable, for now). Though he wasn’t on kitchen duty that day, he thought it not a bad idea to help out in preparing something warm and filling for breakfast.
The cold tended to make humans sluggish, and touken danshi were not spared this bothersome trait.
Lost in his thoughts over what exactly to prepare for this meal, Kasen failed to notice the lights of the kitchen were already on. Only after crossing the threshold and reaching for the switch himself, which was obviously in the On position, did he give pause. His eyes lit up in realization, as well as his cheeks in embarrassment.
Luckily, the other occupant was turned away, working at something at the counter. A lovely scent of freshly baked bread hit Kasen’s nose, and he smiled. He straightened his back, clearing his throat.
“Azuki Nagamitsu,” he said, taking a few steps further into the kitchen. He reached for an apron hung upon a rack. “It seems we both had the same idea.”
The tachi tilted his head and glanced over his shoulder, returning the broad grin. “On the first large snowfall, it’s good to try and keep everyone’s spirits high and stomachs full. Right?”
“I wouldn’t be here so early if I didn’t agree,” Kasen scoffed, half joking. He rolled up his sleeves. “Now, what is it that you’re making? It smells quite delicious, whatever it is.”
The pair prepared breakfast without incident: Several hearty dishes, all warm and rustic, lay out on the line of tables in the dining area, where other swords were free to take as much or as little as they wished. At some point, the real person who had been assigned breakfast duty—none other than the aforementioned Nikkari Aoe—did show up to help them. Kasen personally didn’t think Nikkari contributed much, and he definitely would’ve taken far, far longer to prepare even half the things that Azuki and Kasen had prepared. Regardless, a large, varied meal had been prepared, and Kasen had enjoyed making it alongside his two friends.
The others trickled in one by one, sometimes two by two, filling the seats. Sleepy faces and energetic ones alike tasted the bread Azuki had made by hand or the eggs and rice Kasen had prepared meticulously. Soon, bright laughter and sweet sighs filled the room to bursting.
Kasen sat where he always sat, which was quite close to a corner, away from most others. The Samonji brothers often joined him, but they had finished already, while Kasen was still helping deal out helpings of the food; they had retired to their room once more by the time Kasen had a chance to sit down with his own plate and bowls.
But Kasen liked to hear himself talk. Just when he was itching to go and find someone, anyone, to replace his darling O-Sayo’s ear, someone beat him to it—Nikkari, looking somehow more tired than he had been in the kitchen. He plopped himself into the seat across from Kasen. A strange moment where Nikkari grinned an increasingly suspicious grin passed. Thinking nothing could could follow this eerie silence, Kasen hurriedly cleaned his area.
“Leaving so soon, Kasen-san?” Nikkari spoke slowly, leaning his chin on his palm, elbow on the table.
“Oh, well, no,” Kasen floundered. He lowered himself back into his seat, defeated. “I was considering getting another drink, is all.”
“Yet your cup is full?”
Kasen blanched. “It… You’re right! But I wanted a … a second one! I wanted a cup of coffee.”
Nikkari leaned closer, squinting. “You don’t like coffee.”
A pause, then Kasen sighed, even more defeated. “Alright, well, what do you want?”
“Can’t a wakizashi enjoy a breakfast with one of his friends?”
Kasen didn’t wait to reply, “You want something. I know it. Tell me already, so that I may tell you no and move on with—”
At the front of the room, a bell chimed. Everyone’s attention, including Kasen’s, turned towards the sound. There, Hachisuka Kotetsu stood with a scroll in hand—no doubt from everyone’s master. He cleared his throat and began to speak, loud enough for all to hear.
“I have orders for everyone,” he announced. Flicking his wrist, he made a show of unraveling the scroll and holding it up. All in all, it appeared very official, which was surely what he was going for. “Listen once and listen well. In celebration of the new season finally arriving, everyone will have a day off.”
Whoops and cheers resounded from the crowd. It was a good thing most people still remained. The chattering died down as Hachisuka continued.
“However, the celebration will extend to a contest. Those who win will earn a coupon to get out of two weeks of all chores, with those who lose picking up the slack. Three groups on each end of the scale will be selected in total.”
“A contest?” Urashima tilted his head, thinking, then beamed. “Let me at ‘em!”
Hachisuka smiled down at his brother before turning his gaze back to the scroll and the crowd. “The rules are as follows: Everyone will be split into groups. Each group will have until dinnertime to create the best, most handsome snowman they can muster. Yes, yes, it does say handsome, that’s not something I’m adding in myself!” He cleared his throat again. “After the time limit has passed, a panel of judges will go around and…”
As Hachisuka spoke, Kasen kicked Nikkari under the table; the wakizashi appeared to startle, but Kasen knew that he faked it. In a forced whisper, Kasen muttered, “Did you know about this? Are you aiming to get onto my team?”
Nikkari waved a hand dismissively. “I’ve no idea what you could be talking about. Hachisuka-san is the only one who handled the scroll.”
“Yet I know you know somehow.”
“And what if I know you know that I know? What will you do?”
“Oh, quit playing games, Nikkari Aoe!”
All the eyes in the room turned towards him. Kasen sank into his seat more, tight-lipped frown on his face. Perhaps he spoke a little too loud. Hachisuka narrowed his eyes, and Kasen bowed his head apologetically.
But Kasen got lucky a second time, and in the silence his outburst had left, the doors slid open. Fukushima Mitsutada waltzed in—wearing perhaps the ugliest, most garish sweater Kasen had ever seen. Well, he felt a little bad for thinking that; after all, it was stitched with Shokudaikiri Mitsutada’s face, with text above the image that read: “Big Brother to the World’s Coolest Little Brother.” It was also clearly handmade, so Kasen had to admire the tenacity.
When everyone turned to look at him, he shrank back slightly before placing a hand on his hip. He swept the other out to the side. “Everyone, please welcome the one and only, Shokudai—”
“Is this really necessary?” Shokudaikiri frowned at him, cheeks flushed. He swatted at Fukushima, ushering him into the room and to the table where the rest of the Osafune sat.
It should be noted that Shokudaikiri wore plain clothes, directly in contrast with the outlandish sweater. Kasen wondered if there was a matching one that he refused to wear. He wouldn’t even blame him for choosing not to.
Kasen’s eyes followed them in awe and wonder as they took their seats. The other Osafune seemed delighted at this whole interaction, but maybe not in the way Fukushima was intending… Purely coincidentally, his gaze caught Azuki’s. The other smiled warmly at him. Kasen smiled a small, sheepish one back. Kenshin tugged at his sleeve and Koryuu moved closer to Fukushima to nag him, so the moment was short lived. But it was still there. He looked down at the table and swallowed. Nikkari chuckled.
“Alright!” Hachisuka clapped his hands thrice to gather up everyone’s attention once more. “A jar filled with papers with numbers on them has been prepared. Everyone, line up! You’ll each take a paper and convene with your group—those who have the same number as you.”
Kasen did not immediately stand, choosing to instead glare at Nikkari, who stood and held a hand out to his friend.
“Cheer up. May we get on the same team.”
Sighing, Kasen took the hand and stood. “Right. Though I imagine you’re not that great at making a very elegant snowman.”
“You would be surprised then!” Nikkari laughed. “My snowmen are very elegant and very handsome. You should be jealous, actually!”
“Of your supposed snowmen-making abilities? No, thank you.”
“I mean of the snowmen I make!”
Kasen did not dignify that with a response. Instead, he huffed, brushing past him to stand in line.
It took a bit of time to get through everyone, making sure each sword had drawn a number. Three people had drawn ‘judge’ slips: Midare Toushirou, Souza Samonji, and Jikkyuu Mitsutada. Hachisuka had also apparently been ordered to serve as a judge, which was alright with him as it meant he got to stay inside for a bit longer. Kasen, similarly, wasn’t thrilled about having to bundle up, still during the chilly morning, and go outside to play in the snow, but he would make do.
As it so happens, he and Nikkari did end up on the same team. “Coincidentally,” so did Azuki Nagamitsu and Kenshin Kagemitsu with them. To round it off, Ishikirimaru joined the four.
Kasen tugged his scarf around his neck, fluffing it up so it covered his ears properly. He had put on two sweaters and a coat, and he hadn’t even set foot outside just yet but felt the chill creep into his bones. Standing in the large entrance way to the citadel, he mingled with the others while he waited for the rest of his group.
Fukushima stood in the corner, lamenting to Nihongou about how his ‘darling little brother’ didn’t appreciate his sweater. He confirmed it was handmade, and again, Kasen admired the tenacity. Kasen knew that he, himself, could be pretty stubborn, but the Mitsutada brothers seemed to take it to a whole other level, each in their own ways. Nihongou pat him on the back, earnest yet only half-listening to his friend’s cries. How dramatic.
“He’s quite something, isn’t he?”
Kasen startled but recovered quickly, glancing towards his other side—where Azuki and Kenshin stood. The tachi had dressed remarkably light, to the point worry bubbled in Kasen’s chest, and wore just a coat and boots. Kenshin, on the other hand, wore a big, puffy coat, ear muffs, a scarf, two pairs of gloves and mittens, and thick boots. Kasen smiled down at him, endeared.
“Sorry to scare you,” said Azuki apologetically. “I suppose it was hard to hear us approaching over his … complaints? I’m not quite sure what to call it all.”
Kasen stole a glance at Fukushima, who hadn't dressed at all for the outside climate, then looked back at Azuki. “Theatrics, I’ll say. I don’t know how Shokudaikiri puts up with it.”
“Well… I don’t think he really does.”
Kenshin piped up. “Shokudaikiri is nice to him, but sometimes ‘he can be a bit much,’ he told me once. Ah! D-Don’t tell him I said that, alright?”
“Your secret is safe with me, worry not.” Kasen thought about patting his head but decided against it. “Right then, we’re just waiting on the other two. Knowing Nikkari, he’s probably the one holding them up.”
“Ishikirimaru is very responsible, so it probably won’t take them much longer.” Azuki led Kenshin and, by extension, Kasen closer to the doorway. They lined up, with Kenshin in between the two taller men.
After a while, Fukushima’s group came to get him, forcing him to part ways with Nihongou (who, funnily enough, had Shokudaikiri in his own group; as they walked out, Kasen overheard him say to the Mitsutada, “Wear the dang sweater just once. It’ll make him happier than ever—and shut him up for a while.”). A few others that had been mingling and waiting got with their groups and departed for the outside, too. Eventually, it was down to just Kasen’s group and two more.
“Should we be concerned?” Azuki asked, a tinge of worry present in his voice.
Kasen waved a hand. “Another ten minutes. There’s still plenty of time.”
“Alright…” Azuki didn’t sound convinced in the least. After a moment, he said, “I think everyone at breakfast enjoyed the dishes you made the most.”
“Oh, don’t flatter me. I think Ookanehira alone had six slices of that bread you made and then some.”
“W-Well,” Kenshin tugged on his scarf to tug the two’s attention, “I think everything was super delicious. You both work well together! I think that’s why we’ll win!”
Kasen’s first thought was, We’ll only win once that Nikkari gets here with his boyfriend, but he didn’t voice that. Instead, he said, “Right, but don’t sell yourself short either. You’ll be a big asset and help.”
Kenshin’s eyes sparkled. “Do you think so?”
“Of course,” Azuki agreed. “You helped me make a really nice snowman last year, right?”
“Ohh, I remember that. Yes, it was quite elegant. I really enjoyed the hat you had picked out for him to wear.” Kasen grinned, fondness writ across his features. “I believe that your skills will prove to be invaluable for our team.”
Kenshin blushed, wringing his hands and looking back and forth between the two. “I…I will try my utmost best, then! I won’t let you down!”
“Of course you will,” said Azuki.
“Ah, speaking of let-downs,” Kasen gestured, grand enough that the approaching party also saw, “here comes Nikkari and Ishikirimaru.”
At once, Ishikirimaru, frantic, bowed low. “I apologize—on his behalf as well. He—”
“I was quite cold, you see,” interjected Nikkari. “Ishikirimaru-san was kind enough to help warm me up.”
Kasen made a face; he was certain Azuki did as well. Kenshin, however, just looked at the ootachi in awe.
“Wow! How nice of you, Ishikirimaru. Are you warm enough to go outside, Nikkari?”
Nikkari grinned, fox-like. “I’m plenty warm now. You shouldn’t worry. Isn’t that right, Ishikirimaru-san?”
Kasen had never seen Ishikirimaru’s face so red before. He had half a mind to ask if he needed to lie down, but they were late enough and it was only getting later by the minute. He straightened his scarf and nodded to Azuki.
“We should get going then. Thanks to you two, the other groups have quite a lead over us.”
Kasen’s merry little band actually managed to finish their snowman quickly. The snowman’s infrastructure and design didn’t suffer as a result, too. All in all, it was a rather nice snowman, though Kasen wasn’t certain the criteria with which it would be judged as ‘handsome’ or not. It exuded elegance because of course it did; he had worked on it, after all. The snowman was a classic shape: Three snowballs expertly rolled by Nikkari and Kenshin. Even Kasen had to admit that Nikkari was taking it seriously. (Maybe it was purely because he didn’t want to do chores, but Kasen couldn’t deny that was part of his own motivation, too.)
A squeal erupted from down the line. The judges had begun to go and, well, judge; they had gotten to Urashima’s group, it seemed, because the wakizashi had ducked from behind his snowman and tossed a snowball at Midare—the cause of the squeal. It all seemed in good fun, though, especially as Midare quickly packed one and sent it flying back.
Kasen pulled his outermost layer around him tighter. Despite the protections he had afforded himself, his fingertips felt numb. He couldn’t feel his ears at all! Since his group didn’t get started until much later than everyone else, they were going to be judged last. Kasen’s teeth chattered, and he grumbled. Maybe they wouldn’t miss him if he were to go inside for a little bit…
A shoulder touched his own. Azuki cleared his throat. “Are you feeling cold, Kasen?”
“Oh, don’t worry about me. I’m simply not used to being out in this weather, but I’m alright. It’s given me plenty of inspiration for poetry, though.”
Azuki tilted his head, eyebrows raised. “Will you show me when you’re done writing them?”
Kasen chewed on his lip for a brief moment. He often didn’t show many people his poetry, but… “Why not? Are you expecting me to write nasty things of you?”
Azuki laughed a very warm laugh. In fact, Kasen felt a bit of heat in his chest from that alone. “No. Not about me. But I do expect you to write about our friend Nikkari Aoe.”
Kasen scoffed. “Don’t presume that I will dignify his existence by putting it to pen and paper! He caused quite a lot of trouble for both of us.”
Azuki laughed again, with his full chest. Kasen leaned closer to him, hoping he wouldn’t notice. He did, unfortunately, notice, as he wrapped an arm around Kasen’s shoulders. Azuki’s body temperature did not escape Kasen’s own notice; it was like being right next to a fire.
“Hmmm. Azuki, aren’t you cold? You’re dressed pretty light, after all.”
The tachi shook his head. “No, but thank you for worrying. I actually run rather hot.”
Kasen’s turn to laugh. “I can tell. Well, I thank you for being a mobile kotatsu.”
“Of course. Do you have one? A kotatsu?”
“Not in my room. I’ve one of the smaller rooms, so one simply won’t fit.”
“In that case, Kenshin and I have one in ours. Perhaps if you’re still feeling chilly after this is all said and done, you’d like to join us for tea and snacks?”
Kasen blinked owlishly up at him. For a moment, he forgot how to speak. He opened his mouth to respond, closed it, then opened it again, still at a loss for words. That’s when it hit him.
… Literally hit him. A freezing snowball hit him square between the shoulder blades. He jumped right out of his skin, letting out a most pitiable cry. He did not even have to see who had actually done it before yelling out a name.
“Nikkari Aoe!”
Kasen spun around on his heels, losing that comforting warmth of Azuki’s. He marched right up to the perpetrator, who didn’t even try to hide how pleased he was with his shot.
“Oh, Kasen-san. You made quite an excellent target.”
Kasen barely even registered Nikkari had said anything. At another loss of words, rather than speak, he instead opted to lean down and scoop up some of his own snow, throwing it as hard as he could at the other. Nikkari only laughed, deftly dodging and tossing a hidden snowball at Kasen’s chest.
A snowball to his face, coming from behind Kasen, effectively cut off Nikkari’s laughter. Kasen brushed snow off himself as Azuki came up behind him.
“Nice shot,” said Nikkari, grinning all the while.
Azuki tutted before breaking out into a smile of his own. “You ought not to surprise people like that.”
Kasen turned his nose up. “I think what ought to happen is Ishikirimaru putting you on a leash!”
“Ah. You don’t have to worry about that. He already does.”
Ishikirimaru, who had been retying Kenshin’s shoelace, nearly fell over. “Ni-Nikkari-kun!”
Kenshin tilted his head. “You’re leasing him … like a dog?”
“Anyway!” Kasen cleared his throat. “Enough of that! The judges are almost here, and everyone should be on their—ah—ah-choo!” Extremely inelegantly, Kasen sneezed very loudly three times.
Azuki frowned, fixing Kasen’s scarf. The uchigatana’s face felt very, very warm for various reasons. “Hmm. Ishikirimaru, could you handle the rest? And Kenshin, too—keep an eye on Nikkari and make sure he stays out of trouble, alright?”
“O-Of course!” Kenshin bowed, beaming from ear to ear. “Where are you going?”
“I’ll take Kasen here inside.”
“There’s still some of that bread you made earlier, that you could toast,” Ishikirimaru pointed out. “Perhaps that might help warm him up.”
“Stop fussing over me.” Kasen sniffed. “I-I’m alright, really.”
Nikkari chuckled, but he couldn’t hide the concern in his voice, despite the subject matter. “Is your face flushing for another reason, then?”
“Oh, stop, you! I’m going inside just to get away from your antics.” Kasen bowed his head to Ishikirimaru and Kenshin before sheepishly glancing towards Azuki. Once they got back inside, Kasen looked to the floor. “Sorry for the trouble—on all fronts.”
Azuki took Kasen by the hand, leading him towards the wing of the citadel that housed many of the Osafune swords. “It’s not a problem. Besides, I’m sure you made Kenshin feel quite proud; after all, he could tough out the cold, but…” He trailed off.
Kasen clicked his tongue, but he still smiled. “Then I suppose it was all worth it, in the end. And, well… I think it’ll be nice to spend more time with you, even though I’m certain you’re probably tired of me by now. We’ve spent the better part of the day together…”
“How could I grow tired of you, Kasen Kanesada? Now come on inside. Let’s get you into some dry, warm clothes and I’ll make some tea.”
Kasen nodded, bashful, as he entered Azuki’s room. “Right. Thank you, Azuki.”
The door slid open. Light escaped from the doorway into the cold room. Kasen grumbled, turning on his side and pulling the covers up over his face. But soon he became quite hot—was that a fire next to him?! He sat up, alarmed, only to realize he very much would have preferred a fire. Probably. His face flushed on fire, at any rate.
Kenshin shut the door and turned the light on, smiling proudly. He seemed to not have really cared that Azuki, still sleeping soundly, was sharing a blanket in his own bed with Kasen.
“Oh, Kasen. Sorry to wake you … but we won!”
Kasen smiled widely, blinking away some bleariness. “That’s wonderful. All thanks to you, I’m sure.”
Kenshin crept further into the room, shedding his multiple layers. “Eheh, but you helped a lot! Azuki, too. Are you feeling better? Was Azuki feeling sick, too?”
“Azuki, he…” Kasen looked down at him, brushing some hair from his face. “We were both up early to make breakfast, so he must have been tired, too. I’m feeling fine, though. Thank you.”
“You know, Azuki is very warm—but, and don’t tell him that I told you, okay? But he says you make him feel even warmer, Kasen. So maybe that’s why he fell asleep, too.”
Kasen paused, then sighed, sweetly. “Perhaps. I’ll have to visit more often, if that’s the case.”