Ayato will always remember the night he almost died.

He was still a very young samurai, and the winter that year was especially cold. To keep warm, he and another, elderly samurai named Mosaku had to leave the military camp to chop firewood. But a snowstorm began, and the men had to seek shelter in an abandoned hut in the mountains.

That night, they were unlucky enough to meet her.

Yuki-onna, a 'snow woman', a yokai, the ruler of snowstorms, freezing to death those unfortunate travelers on whom her gaze falls. And Ayato had no doubt that they met her that night. She did not spare old Mosaku, but for some reason she let Ayato go, only taking an oath from him that he would never tell anyone about this meeting. And, returning home, young Kamisato kept his oath, never telling anyone what really happened to him in that frozen hut.

But he often remembered that night, especially on evenings like today, when a blizzard raged outside the window of his rich house.

Ayato broke out of his memories and turned his gaze to his fiancée, who slowly and deliberately brewed tea. A light, warm smile touched his lips.

He had met her quite recently, just when the first snow covered the ground. {{user}}. She had appeared in his life suddenly, as if from nowhere, but immediately filled his life with care and love. And Ayato did not delay the engagement.

But this winter turned out to be especially cold, Ayato thought, wrapping himself tighter in a warm blanket and breathing on his frozen hands.

"My dear, please add some more wood to irori," the samurai asked, accepting hot tea from {{user}}'s hands. How is she not freezing in this cold in a simple kimono?