True Form, False Form

So this is Itoise...

Thank you for bringing me here, Aldo.

Yeah, no problem... (Yukino seems a little different today. Almost like she's nervous.)

I come from a different world than you, Aldo.

As you know, I was born in that world's Itoise.

I was born in that world's Itoise.

So I am curious as to what that village is like here.

(I suppose it's possible there are worlds out there like ours...but different.)

So that's why you seem nervous. I get it. You're not sure what to expect.

So that's why you seem nervous. I get it. You're not sure what to expect.

Nervous? I never said such a thing.

Right, sorry.

......

(She says that, but I'm not so sure...)

Y'know, I just remembered something I gotta do! So I'll see you later...

And just where do you intend to go after spouting such an obvious lie?

Well... I thought I'd give you some time to look around the village alone.

And there's something I need to do in Nagsham, I swear.

I see... I will not stop you then.

Thank you, Aldo.

Oh, before I go, you should know there's another girl here who goes by the name Yukino.

Oh, before I go... You should know that the Yukino from this world lives here.

That must be the me from this world.

So she resides in Itoise as well.

I bet she'll be surprised when she sees you. It'll be like looking in a mirror.

Perhaps that will make her wary of me.

If our paths cross, I will mention your name. That will clear things up, yes?

It wouldn't hurt, but knowing her, I doubt she'll be fazed. Anyway, I'll leave you to it. See you later!

Of course.

I get the feeling she'll be more comfortable looking around on her own. As for me... Well, I told her I needed to go to Nagsham, so I might as well head over there and see how things are going.

This place may be different than my home... but there is still something familiar about it.

Yukinooo! Where aaare yooou?!

Hm?

(A snowman! So this village has 'em too!)

Are you searching for Yukino?

Oh, there you are! Hey, Yukino! I got a favor to ask! ...Hold on. Are you really Yukino?

Hey, did someone call my name?

You...

Wha? You look just like me!

Huh? Wait... There are two of you?

What's going on here?!

So you are Yukino, then. To put it simply...

I am you from another world.

Me...from another world?!

Indeed. I am acquainted with Aldo as well.

You are?!

And it seems that snowman has a favor to ask of you, Yukino.

Yeah. You've gotta come help, like, right now!

R-Right now?! But there's another me and... a whole other world and...and Aldo...!

Yukinooo.

Why not listen to what that snowman has to say first? Their constant interruptions grow annoying, after all.

Er... Well, all right. Let's see what they need!

You mean...the both of us?

I wouldn't say no to two Yukinos!

Anyway, I need you to come to the well. It's right over there.

Very well... I shall accompany you, seeing as it is a request from another version of myself.

I am serious! And it's BLUE!

All right, what's going on, you two?

It's blue!

What is?

BLUE!

It's like they can't hear a word I say!

Allow me.

Laaa, lalalaaa... Lalaaa...

That song...

......

Lalalaaa...

Feeling a little calmer now?

That...was amazing! How'd you do that?! Hearing you sing...somehow made me feel completely at peace.

That is the power of my song.

Wow...

......

...Now then, could you tell us what you were fighting about?

But we couldn't agree on what color it was, even though it was definitely blue.

BLUE!

Is the color really so important?

Yeah, so do I!

Grrr!

Enough. I did not go through the trouble of calming you down only for you to get riled up again.

You really shouldn't fight...

We could look for someone who knows a lot about flowers.

Or we could find the flower itself.

That will likely end their quarreling fastest. Very well. Let us commence the search.

You mean you'll help?

I cannot look the other way while the snowmen fight, no matter how trivial the reason.

I'll do whatever I can to help too!

The flower in question was blooming in an area with autumn leaves...and near a river.

If it's red leaves we're looking for, we could try the Vermilion Road. There's a river there too.

Shall we, then?

Yeah!

Autumn leaves and a river... This could be the place.

We're looking for a five-sided flower that's either blue or green, right?

Let's get to it!

...... Hmhmhmmm....

Oh, you're humming!

Ah! I...!

(I...I shouldn't be humming in front of others!)

Hey, Yuki?

Y-Yuki?!

Yeah. Since we have the same name, I thought it'd be less confusing this way! Do you not like it?

It's...fine. (This other version of me is...strange.) (I feel oddly at ease around her...so much so that I even started humming. Could it be because I sense a sort of familiarity?)

Do you like singing, Yuki? That song you sang in the village was wonderful! You even hum beautifully too!

I have been singing for a long time now. And at some point...I realized I wanted Tsukiha, the girl who made me, to hear my song. I wanted her to see me dance to the music too... So I practiced in hopes of showing her when our paths crossed again.

Tsukiha?! That's the girl who made me too.

Then you're...

That's right! I used to be a snowman too. But unlike the others, I became human one day.

...The same happened to me. I cannot remember precisely what she was like, but...

Tsukiha has always been special to me. And my desire to be reunited remains unchanged.

I know exactly how you feel!

All I know is that Tsukiha is a princess of the demons.

I imagine her to be calm and mature, but determined to do what she must. In my mind, she is an incredible woman...

Totally get it! And, y'know, that's exactly what she's like!

You've met her?!

Yup! Sure have!

I'm so jealous... I'd love to meet my Tsukiha someday...

Is it just me, or do you seem different than you were back in the village?

...Oh! Er...well, you see...

...Are you disappointed?

Not at all, but...

Please keep this between us.

I want to, no, I have to become someone worthy of Tsukiha as she is now.

Yukino?!

Ah, Aldo. What an unexpected surprise.

Aldo!

What're you two doing here?

We have become involved in a dispute among snowmen from Itoise.

Know anything about a five-sided flower? It's supposed to grow somewhere around here.

Sounds like the flower we're looking for too.

And who is this?

Oh, right. He's here to pick flowers to put on his ancestor's grave. He said they grow on the Vermilion Road, so I escorted him here.

What is so special about this flower?

Well, it was very important to both my forefather and his dearest friend. Back then, it was said that finding the flower would bring good luck. Both my forefather and his friend fell ill at the same time and died shortly after, but...

When they heard that the other was sick, they sent each other a message. "I found that lucky flower and wished for your recovery. You'll be better in no time."

But...they hadn't found it, had they?

No. They simply pretended they had to cheer the other up. Unfortunately, both of them passed before their messages reached each other. And that's why we bring those flowers when we visit their graves.

When I heard that, I knew I had to help.

Just before they passed, they both stated what the color of the flower was, maybe to make the story more believable. My forefather claimed it was blue, and his friend said it was green.

Hey, Yuki. You thinking what I'm thinking?

Yes, that their souls reside in those two snowmen. That is why they were fighting over the flower's color. But the color itself does not matter. They both merely want to be right. They do not want the lie they told for their friend to be brought to light.

But I think they've forgotten why they made up the lie in the first place...

Something the matter?

No. Pay us no mind.

If you two are searching this area, we'll have a look over there.

Okay.

They made up the lie about the color for each other... And now they're fighting because of it.

All because of a lie... That means... If I keep this up...

Yuki?

I'm just realizing this now, but... The version of me I wanted to show Tsukiha is a lie. And if that were to cause trouble between us...

Well, that's...

Wait! Stop! Not another step!

That came from the direction Aldo went!

What's going on?!

We found the flowers, but the monster's standing right by 'em...

Ahhh! Please don't crush them!

We need to get rid of that beast, and quick!

Right!

We've gotta save those flowers!

A five-sided flower... This is definitely what I'm looking for!

That's a relief.

There's enough for you two as well. There was a bunch of them over there.

I see... Now we can settle the issue of color once and for all.

You just wanted to know the color?

Well, it's a pretty shade of purple!

Purple?!

Why am I not surprised...?

No matter. Let us take one back to Itoise with us.

We need to get those quarreling snowmen to see the truth.

Or blue?

Actually, it's...

Purple. See for yourselves.

Listen well. While it is true that the flower is a different color than you expected... The fact that it was important to you remains unchanged.

And my memories of my human days are fuzzy. I could've just been misremembering!

You're both taking this pretty well.

She convinced you of that...with words alone?

I see... How touching.

But you know, after we thanked her, she said... "And as of right now, you're citizens of my country!" That was pretty surprising.

Citizens...of her country? What's that mean?

A fair question. She sounds like quite an eccentric girl.

I'm glad they managed to settle things without exposing their secret.

I think it all worked out because they realized what mattered were their feelings for each other, not their lies. Hey. I bet it'll be the same for you, Yuki!

How so?

You said you were worried about lying to Tsukiha, right? And that you wouldn't know what to do if it caused trouble between you two. But what matters are your feelings for her, so even if you show her a made-up version of yourself, I'm sure everything will be fine.

My feelings for Tsukiha...are what really matters...

You know... Things are different in the Itoise I'm from. There, the people needed a leader. Someone they could rally around, to be a symbol of the village. A princess worthy of the position. I immediately thought of Tsukiha, someone mature and collected, someone who stood above the rest. I wanted to be a snowman who could measure up to a real princess like her... And with that hope...I somehow became the person I am now.

You learned to sing and dance for Tsukiha and it sounds like you work really hard for your village. I respect that! You're amazing!

It's kind of embarrassing to hear praise from...well, myself. But it does make me happy to hear.

And I respect the way you praise people from the heart, Yukino.

Hehehe! I wonder what I can do for Tsukiha...

Hey! That's not very nice of you to say, now is it?

Another argument?

We're friends, aren't we?

I did enjoy talking about the flowers with you, but...

We're. Friends. That makes you my citizen!

Come on... Don't look at me like that...

Citizen? What a strange thing to say.

......

Hold on. Could this be the girl those snowmen were talking about? There's something...familiar about her. If only I could get a better look at her face...

......

You keep saying "citizen," but...just who are you?

Me? I'm Tsukiha!

Hehe. There's so many people here I wanna befriend. They can all be my citizens too!

Everyone's welcome in my country, humans, demons, specters, you name it! Even talking snowmen!

She looks just like Tsukiha, and she has the same name too! C-Could she be...from another world too?

Hey, Yuki... What's the deal? Is that your...

......

Yuki! What's wrong?! Why are you so still?! Don't tell me you're frozen!

......

Be strong, Yuki! Yukiii!

Answer me!