"Snow!!!"
"Uuuuuu......"
Snow let out a conflicted growl.
She looked at me with the same affectionate eyes as always...
But then, madness took over, and a murderous intent filled them.
That cycle repeated, throwing Snow into complete emotional instability.
It was a relief to know that there was still a chance to reach Snow with words. But emotional instability was a problem.
It meant an increased chance of losing control, which was far from ideal.
I needed to bring Snow back to her senses somehow...
"…Fate."
Sofia had a stern expression as she gripped her holy sword.
"If it comes down to it... I will cut Snow down."
"Sofia!?"
"Even with an extraordinary regeneration ability, it’s still incomplete. Right now, I can still cut her down."
"No, Sofia! Snow is one of us! And yet...!"
"It’s because Snow is one of us."
Sofia’s face was filled with unwavering resolve.
"Because Snow is family, I can’t allow her to lose control any further. Snow wouldn’t want that either. She wouldn’t want to hurt others. And… what if Snow were to hurt Aisha?"
"That…"
"If that were to happen, Snow would regret it deeply. She would blame herself. That’s why… before it comes to that, we must be prepared."
"I understand that, but…!"
Sofia’s words were undeniable.
There was no flaw in her logic. No room for argument.
Despite the short time we had spent together, I understood.
Snow was a kind soul.
She loved Aisha. She had grown attached to all of us.
She would never want to hurt anyone—especially not Aisha.
That’s why, before it came to that…
"…No! No way! Absolutely not!"
"Fate?"
I knew Sofia was right.
I understood her reasoning… but my heart refused to accept it.
We aren’t just tools. We are people.
We don’t live by reason alone. We have hearts.
Ignoring that would mean losing what it means to be human.
"Even if you cut Snow down, nothing will be saved. It will just be the end—nothing will begin from it."
"But we don’t know how to bring her back. If we wait too long, the damage will only grow worse. Before the worst happens—"
"No."
"Fate, be reasonable. In battle, there are times when cruel decisions must be made. And right now, this is a battlefield. Maybe our voices are reaching Snow, but bringing her back seems impossible. That leaves only one choice."
"Even so, no."
"Fate!"
"I—!!!"
I raised my voice, matching Sofia’s intensity.
For the first time, she looked taken aback and fell silent.
"I will never abandon my family."
"…Fate…"
"If I do that, I’ll never be able to smile again. I’ll never find happiness. I want to be happy—with you, Sofia. But now, it’s more than that… with Aisha, with Licorice… and with Snow, too. I want all of us to be happy together as a family. Losing even one person isn’t an option. That’s why I wanted to become stronger… and that’s why…!!!"
"…I’m sorry."
Sofia gently embraced me.
"You're right, Fate. If we cut Snow down here, we’ll never be able to smile again… In the first place, we shouldn’t be giving up so easily."
"Sofia!"
"We’ll struggle, we’ll fight, and even if we fail, we’ll keep struggling… We’ll never give up until the very end!"
"Yeah!"
Together, we raised our swords and faced Snow, who was once again losing control.
We avoided fatal blows, aiming for her legs and other non-lethal areas to render her immobile.
Between attacks, we called out to her.
We spoke the names of our family.
"Uuu… Oooooooh, gruaaaaaah!!!?"
We fought for nearly thirty minutes, and little by little, Snow began to change.
She was still rampaging.
But there were moments where she hesitated in her attacks.
She started looking at us more often, as if trying to remember something.
"This might actually work!"
"But we still need one final push..."
Sofia was right—we were missing a decisive blow.
Bit by bit, Snow was returning to her senses.
The fact that her attacks were decreasing proved it.
But she was still out of control…
And we had no idea how to return her to her original puppy-sized form.
I refused to give up.
I wouldn’t give up, but at this rate, things would only get worse.
Struggling aimlessly wasn’t enough—we needed to think of a solution.
What should we do?
What would work?
…But in the middle of thinking, I let my guard down.
"Gah!"
"Oh no…!?"
She caught me in that brief moment of distraction.
Snow’s massive body lunged toward me, her sharp fangs closing in.
I wouldn’t be able to defend in time.
Dodging was impossible.
This is…
"Snow!!!"
At that moment, Aisha’s voice rang out.
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