A refreshingly sweet scent gradually drifted past my nose; I slowly
opened my eyes and saw the entire world enveloped by a white glow.
The dawning light, which had already been reflected several times
down the icy walls, caused the snow at the bottom of the cave to
glitter.
I shifted my eyes and noticed a teapot sitting atop the lantern, with
vapor wavering above it. Looks like that's where the smell was
coming from. In front of the lantern sat a person in black clothes
whose face I could only see from the side. But as soon as I saw that
figure, a small flame seems to have ignited within my heart.
Kirito turned his head, revealed a tiny smile, and said:
"Morning."
"......Morning."
I replied. As I prepared to get up, I noticed that my right hand, which
should have been hanging outside when I went to sleep, was neatly
placed back inside the sleeping bag. I brought the warmth that
lingered in that palm to my lips, and then suddenly jumped up.
Kirito brought a steaming mug to me, who had just crawled out onto
the snow. After thanking him, I accepted the mug and sat down beside
him. In it was a kind of flowery tea with a mint-like aroma which I
had never tasted before. As I slowly drank the tea one sip at a time,
allowing it to gently sink into my body. My heart pleasantly warmed
up.
I shifted my body, leaning it right against Kirito's. As I turned my
head, our eyes met for an instant before quickly separating. For a
short while, only the sounds of two people drinking tea could be heard.
"Hey......"
Finally, I murmured with a small voice while my eyes continued to
stay fixed on my cup.
"Hmmm?"
"......If we really can't get out of here, then what should we do?"
"Spend every day sleeping."
"That sure was a quick reply. Think about it a little more!"
I smiled as I prodded Kirito's arm with my elbow.
"......Although, that wouldn't be bad either......"
After saying this, I began to lean my head towards Kirito's shoulder—
"Ah......!?"
Kirito suddenly cried out and leaned forward. I, losing my support,
ended up falling onto the ground with a plop.
"Geez, what was that for!"
I complained angrily as I straightened my torso back up, but Kirito
stood up without even looking back. Following that, he sprinted
towards the middle of that circular pit.
