Hokuou Kizoku to Moukinzuma no Yukiguni Karigurashi

Author:

This takes place a decade and a few years after the main arc.

The morning of the remote village begins before sunrise.

I cleaned the doghouse and the reindeer pen and fed them. I checked how many more firewood we had. We were lacking, so I split some with an axe.

While I was working, someone talked to me from behind.

“Oniichan, it’s time for breakfast~”

The person standing behind me was my little sister Veronica, who is two years younger than me. I couldn’t sense her coming up to me so I got surprised.

“What is it?”

“That’s~”

She looked a bit troubled. It was because she failed to wake little brother Ulrich. He might have holed up in grandfather’s study and stayed up all night again.

After I went back inside, I headed not to the dining room but to Ulrich’s room.

He was curled up under his blanket, so I took the blanket off and shook him hard to wake him up.

“Ulrich, wake up already!”

“N~n.”

Weak in the morning, not waking up well, that part was similar to father. However, the fight with the half-unconscious Ulrich is easily settled by taking his pillow away.

“Wash your face and come to dining room.”

“……Okay.”

I took Ulrich to the washing basin, and gave him the bitter powder for brushing the teeth, made specially by grandmother. Now he should be awake.

I thought it was okay now, but from a nearby room I heard a loud crash.

“Krimhilde!?”

The sound came from my little sister Krimhilde’s room. I could only get bad feelings, but I couldn’t possibly pretend to not have heard, so I headed there.

“Rim, I’m coming in!”

It’s a lady’s room, so I knocked before I entered. Though she’s only seven, she’s still a proper lady.

“W-Waa! Oniichan, good morning~. You’re up early again today~……”

“……”

I saw a ripped lace curtain and my little sister lying down on as if she gracefully landed on the cushion.

“Oi, how did this happen!?”

“Well~ I was hanging from the curtain, playing,”

“You idiot!”

Krimhilde is a girl, but she is the most energetic and mischievous of my siblings. Just how did this happen, I agonised.

In addition, Ulrich and Krimhilde are twins, but their personalities are strangely the opposite.

“Oniichan, I have a request!”

“I decline!”

“Eh, n-no way, you’re joking!?”

“You have to apologise this time.”

“No~! Tell me you’re joking~~”

Before, she climbed a tree and got a hole in her skirt. Because she was crying so much, thinking that she will be scolded harshly by mother, I got fabric that had the same colour and fixed them in secret. However, I don’t have the confidence to make lace products, so I declined it this time.

“How cruel~”

“It’s not cruel. You dug your own grave.” 𝐟𝙧ℯ𝑒𝒘𝐞𝒃𝗻𝒐ѵ𝘦𝑙.com

“Still~ you don’t have to say that with such a scary face~”

“My face is innate!”

At this rate, my little sister will keep whining.

I picked up Krimhilde and carried her to where mother was. She was rolling over on the floor, so I had to check her for any bruises.

After I handed my little sister over to mother, I could finally go the dining room.

“Arno, morning.”

“Morning, dad.”

Father stood up and came over here with sleepy eyes, and kissed me on the cheek. It’s the usual daily greeting, but recently it’s become a bit embarrassing.

Though, if I say no, father makes a sad expression so I silently receive them.

Not too long later, the whole family came into the dining room. Mother came in last, with the youngest, Erenfried, and Krimhilde who was half in tears. Looks like little sister was scolded harshly. She needs to hold back a bit when she’s playing, or she’ll get hurt badly. Plus, she’s a girl, so I wish she acted a bit calmer.

When everyone was gathered, Miruporon served soup to our bowls.

The bowl got filled with cabbage and reindeer meat soup. I like both the pickled cabbage that was made in summer and the special soup that was boiled for a long time.

I put a salted herring on top of a thinly sliced rye bread and ate it. The refreshing flavour of the herb and the sour taste in the fish went well with the bread.

When the soup bowls got empty, Miruporn took them away. I bowed in thanks.

“Hey, Miru-chan, are you really alright~?”

“Yes, I recovered now.”

“I see. But take care of yourself.”

“Thank you.”

Grandmother said while looking at Miruporon worriedly.

Miruporon gave birth just a few months ago, but she returned to work a few days ago. Even as we saw her working energetically, everyone was worried. It seemed that the child was being taken care of by Ruruporon. Teoporon seemed excited, wanting to raise the child into a warrior or something. There, the usually energetic husband becomes really timid at home. I don’t if I should feel pity or if I should be amused.

After breakfast, everyone went to do their own things.

Grandmother was going to do housework with Miruporon, while Veronica, Ulrich and Krimhilde was going to study with grandfather. I was going to go out hunting with mother.

Father was going to watch the house with Erenfried. Well, though I say watching the house, they still had something to do.

“Go~!”

Erenfried threw a rope with a ring on one end to a tree branch that was carved in the shape of a reindeer antler.

It’s the first thing a child of this village learned. If this isn’t done well, controlling a reindeer is hard so it’s an important technique.

What’s surprising here is father.

“Eren! You won’t be able to reach the reindeer antler that way! Swing the rope stronger!”

“Muuuuu! Ey~!”

Father is usually fluffy, but when he’s teaching he becomes strict. He’s merciless even to the three-year-old Erenfried whom he usually dotes on.

I thought that the spoiled Erenfried might cry, “Dad’s scary!” or something when he started training, but despite the tears he is trying his hardest everyday.

If he does it well, he’ll be praised by father, mother, or grandparents, so he’s doing it earnestly.

As I watched father and little brother’s passionate class, mother came with dogs and guns.

We went out as the two house-sitters saw us off.

On the way, mother said that she had to visit the shop so I waited outside.

While waiting, I saw the door of the shop diagonally in front of me open. The person that came out was a girl three years younger than us. It’s Airi, the daughter of Aina-san who runs an accessory?tailor shop.

The dogs got excited and tried to get to Aina, so I silently calmed them down.

Airi doesn’t like dogs, but even still she approached even as she grimaced.

“Sorry. Are you alright?”

“Y-Yes.”

“……?”

“……”

I thought that she had something to say to me, but Airi only fidgeted without saying anything.

“Are you going to help at the shop today?”

“It’s not related to you.”

“I see.” f𝓇𝘦e𝑤𝘦𝚋𝒏૦ѵℯ𝒍.c𝐨𝒎

Airi’s not very honest, as always. According to her mother, it’s a disease that’s cured as one naturally grows up, so she asked me to patiently hang out with her.

Well, it’s cute compared to my little sisters or brothers.

Then, as she left, she silently handed me a paper bag. I could smell something sweet inside.

“Airi, this is…… Ah!”

When I was about to thank her, Airi had already ran off. Because I was scolded when I chased after her before, so I silently saw her off. It’d best to write a letter and place it on her room’s window, like the usual.

A while later, mother came out of the room.

“I made you wait, Arno. Let’s go.”

When I looked up at the sky, the bright sun was shining down on the snowy plains.

Until the polar nights where the sun does not rise come, we have to secure food from the forests. The hunting in this period is very important.

Some time ago, when father said that he’s leaving the hunting this time to me, I was really happy. I resolved myself that I will hunt enough to fill my family’s belly.

Like so, the hunting life of my family and me continued.

*line break*