The Goddess of Spring in the form of a girl looked out the window.
Her eyes, a rare yellow color, took in the blue of a clear sky and the white covering the land.
The world was in winter. The soft sunlight fell across the whole country of Yamato, and the morning gently enveloped the mountains covered in silver snow.
“…” She let out a deep sigh.
The season brought about by the God of Winter lacked the colors of spring, but it was beautiful.
However, beauty was hardly the only thing it brought the people.
Winter was the season of death. Food became scarce, as did light and warmth. Yet without this time of rest, the land would eventually wither.
Winter was inevitable. The seasons brought constant change to the people everywhere, but they did not do so unassisted. They were the products of the divine skills of the modern gods incarnate.
The eternal cycle was built atop great miracles and sacrifices, though this was not common knowledge. Most had let those blessings dissolve into the ordinary.
Whether someone wished for tomorrow to never come or prayed for it to arrive safely, the four seasons always came for all. Ever since the age of the gods, since the beginning of time itself, the contract between the human and the divine had brought about the cycle.
“We’re arriving now, Lady Hinagiku.”
The girl, Hinagiku, was captivated by the silver world; her heart ached for it like a girl in love.
The view out the train window was nothing but white snow, an ordinary, unchanged panorama in the eyes of this world’s inhabitants. The world had already been held in harsh, lonely winter for a few months now.
Many took the scenery for granted and found nothing of interest in it, and yet she could not look away. Did she rarely see the outside world? Did she simply like the snow that signified winter? Either way, she was too enraptured to respond to the one calling her.
She sighed again.
“Lady Hinagiku.”
The voice had an admonishing tone to it; Hinagiku’s consciousness was finally brought back to reality, and she looked at the one who had been calling her.
The train lurched, sending Hinagiku up in the air like a ball.
Immediately, thin arms reached out to keep her up as her retainer saved her from falling off her seat.
“Are you all right?”
Her retainer’s catlike eyes were wide with surprise at the sudden jolt. She was beautiful, with graceful lips and eyelids like petals on a flower. She wore her hair in a ponytail with a checkered ribbon, like a cherry blossom blooming in the night; her hair began a jet-black color and progressively turned a faded pink, curling in a spiral.
Once she confirmed Hinagiku was unharmed, she let her go with a “pardon.” She wore a suit jacket adorned with a lustrous dark-red necktie, a peach vest, and three-quarter hakama pants along with lace-up boots—the spitting image of a modern attendant. The katana by her waist drew as many eyes as her own beauty.
“…”
When the retainer tried to release Hinagiku’s hand, Hinagiku grabbed it back and stared deeply into her eyes. Wordlessly, she pleaded with her to stay.
The retainer’s eyelashes, long as a peacock’s feathers, brushed together. “The train is very shaky. Please be careful.” She smiled and gave her lady’s hand an affectionate squeeze in return. Soon, it was impossible to tell whose warmth was whose.
The local train running by the seaside rattled and clattered as it gently shook the two girls.
“Look… Isn’t it…beautiful?” Hinagiku glanced out the window again. “Hinagiku…loves…winter.”
She faltered in forming the words, but still her voice was as clear as sugary sweets. Most people were unsure how to react upon first hearing her erratic, choppy way of speaking.
“Is that so? Personally, I find spring to be prettier.” The answering voice was strong and graceful.
“You…hate winter…don’t you…Sakura?”
“I loathe it.” The retainer just barely refrained from clicking her tongue, but she could not hide the anger in her voice. “For me…it’s repulsive.”
“But…” Hinagiku’s face fell. “That’s…all…Hinagiku’s fault.”
“No, it’s Winter’s fault. Do not blame yourself.”
“No… No… It’s Hinagiku’s…fault.”
“It is not,” Sakura whispered, her expression full of complicated emotions.
Hinagiku tried changing the subject. “Hinagiku is back…starting…today… Do you…think Hinagiku…could…meet Winter?”
“Now that the Four Seasons Agency has given notice of the return of spring, I imagine you’ll come into contact at some point.”
“When…will Hinagiku…go…apologize…to Winter? To…Lord Rosei?”
“Why would you…? Winter should be the one apologizing.”
“But…Hinagiku didn’t… Hinagiku should… Lord…Rosei…”
“Lady Hinagiku Kayo. You are this country’s Agent of Spring.”
“Hinagiku…knows… But…Hinagiku thinks…Rosei…will be…disappointed… And…Hinagiku should…say sorry…”
“It’s over now. How many times must I say that I want you?” Sakura whispered sadly as she held Hinagiku’s hand tighter.
Hinagiku squeezed back. Their conversation was incomprehensible to outsiders, and the mood was too heavy for anyone to even consider intruding. Hinagiku anxiously fluttered her tiny feet, covered in boots peeking out from her hakama kimono.
“Will…the ritual…today…be okay?” she muttered.
Sakura noticed the diffidence in her words and quietly reassured her. “Yes, it will. I promise. I will make sure of it,” she said with pride, placing a hand on her chest.
Hinagiku frowned. “……But…isn’t it…Hinagiku…doing the ritual?” she replied with a mixture of fondness and reproach.
Sakura grinned back at her.
“You…” She peered into Hinagiku’s yellow eyes, and Hinagiku stared back at her. “You would do anything to hold onto me, isn’t that right? You promised,” she said. The line sounded almost flirtatious.
“Hinagiku will. Hinagiku will…do anything…to not let go of you. Hinagiku will bring…spring…thaw…winter…anything.”
They were the Agent of Spring and her servant.
“I’ll hold you to that.”
“Hinagiku will…”
Lady and vassal, with differing statures.
“And I will do anything to make sure you can fulfill your duties…even if I must sacrifice myself for it.”
“Hinagiku doesn’t…want you…sacrificing…yourself.”
Both girls shared a name with spring flowers—daisies and cherry blossoms.
“If that’s an order, I will make sure to fulfill it.”
“Please…do.”
“As you say, my lady.”
As the local train arrived at the station, the odd pair stood up and stepped foot into the snow-colored land.
The island nation of Yamato floated in the middle of the ocean, at the eastern reaches of the world map.
Also known as the Eastern Cherry Blossom, Yamato was an archipelago that got its nickname from the shape of its islands forming the crooked branch of a cherry blossom tree in full bloom. The archipelago was divided into five parts, beginning from the north with Enishi, Teishu, Iyo, Tsukushi, and Ryugu.
Enishi was abundant with natural resources, and most of the nation’s food was produced here. Its lands were vast and its sights pastoral; when the people of Yamato imagined a rural scene, they imagined Enishi.
Teishu contained Teito, Yamato’s imperial capital and primary point of contact with the rest of the world. Teito had Yamato’s biggest airport and was considered the main entrance to the country. Many foreigners lived in this area as well.
Iyo was famous for its hot springs and had a long history of thermal-bath cures. In the modern day, it was an important source of tourism-based revenue. It was the most popular travel destination in the country.
Tsukushi had many famous volcanoes, sacred mountains, and historical buildings. Many had the impression that it was an old place, but the city was modern, and it had a good balance of tourism and industry.
Finally, Ryugu was an island at the southernmost point of Yamato. The flora and fauna found there were unique compared to what was found in the rest of the archipelago. The sea was full of beautiful coral reefs, and trees guarded the mountains from harsh winds. It was known for having the biggest resorts in Yamato, and in normal circumstances, it was warm year-round.
The lady-servant duo stepped foot into this southernmost point of Yamato: Ryugu.
“Ryugu…City…is so…full of…snow… Hinagiku thought…it was…only the…airport.”
The Ryugu resorts had lost their appeal due to the snow.
“It should be…warm…like a southern…country…right?”
Sakura replied with a wry smile to Hinagiku’s confused question. “The cycle of seasons is a bit off-kilter at the moment. It’s only natural the power of another season would become stronger. The balance is broken. Summer, Autumn, and Winter alone can’t do the job.”