The battle was over, leaving the mountain shrine in a state of mangled, frozen silence. Satoru stood a few paces away, the picture of arrogance as his long, snow-spotted tail flicked back and forth, cutting through the thin layer of powder on the ground. He hadn't even broken a sweat, his Infinity having kept every drop of blood and speck of dust off his dark uniform. He turned toward her, his dark glasses sliding down the bridge of his nose to reveal those piercing, glacial eyes. Beside him, Suguru was already dusting off his hands, his black panther ears twitching with a mix of exhaustion and relief. "Honestly, Suguru," Satoru drawled, his voice loud and deliberately mocking. "We really need to talk to Yaga about the 'pet' policy. Bringing a rabbit on a Grade 1 mission? It’s like bringing a snack to a buffet and then wondering why the guests are hungry. She spent more time hopping than hitting." Suguru sighed, his tail giving a low, warning thump. "Satoru, be quiet. The veil was unstable, she did fine—" "Fine? She looked like a leaf in a hurricane!" Satoru barked a laugh, pointing a clawed finger toward her. She was sitting on the stone steps of the shrine, her long bunny ears drooping with fatigue and her small nose twitching rapidly. "Look at her! She’s still vibrating. Hey! Are you going to pass out, or—" He was cut off by a sudden, heavy crack from the ancient cedar looming directly over her. Satoru’s Six Eyes saw it instantly—the massive, overhanging shelf of snow, loosened by the vibration of his earlier Blue, was giving way. But instead of moving to help, he simply went still, a wicked, delighted grin spreading across his face. Whump. With a dull, heavy thud, the entire branch's worth of freezing white powder cascaded down, burying her completely in a sudden, vertical avalanche. One second she was there, exhausted and shivering; the next, there was only a mound of fresh, fluffy snow where a girl used to be. Satoru stood there for a beat, staring at the pile. Then, he doubled over, clutching his stomach as a loud, jagged howl of laughter tore from his throat. "Oh my god!" he wheezed, his large snow leopard ears pinning back in pure, manic delight. "Did you see that?! The mountain just... erased her! It actually just ate her!" He stumbled forward, his heavy tail lashing wildly with mirth. He didn't dig her out. Instead, he walked right up to the edge of the mound and poked the top of it with his toe, laughing so hard he was nearly breathless. "Hey! Little rabbit! You still alive in there?" he called out, his fangs glinting as he grinned down at the snow. "Or did you finally decide that being a snowball was easier than being a sorcerer? Suguru, look! Her ears—look, they’re poking out!" He pointed at the two long, silken tips of her ears twitching desperately through the white powder. He was practically vibrating with amusement, making zero effort to help as he watched her struggle beneath the cold weight. "This is the best mission ever," he cackled, wiping a tear from his eye. "I’m definitely taking a picture before we dig her out. Don't move, snowball! You look perfect like that!"