Even though Hashiko Yui had been young at the time, the sight of something so horrifying had terrified her.
When she saw her father leave the kitchen, she hid in a corner of the living room. Only after he had completely left did she burst into tears and run crying into the kitchen.
Then, seeing her mother lying in a pool of blood, she approached her body... and tearfully hugged her. Her mother, who had not cried until then, had a tear well up in the corner of her eye the moment she saw Hashiko Yui.
After that tear fell from her mother's cheek, it turned into a teardrop-shaped crystal.
"Do you know why your father did that?"
After listening to Hashiko Yui's account, Rita lifted her teacup, took a gentle sip, and spoke.
"I only found out later. It was for... Mother's tears, I think. I don't know what it actually is, but... ever since I got it, I've always been in great spirits."
Hashiko Yui held the Snow Woman's Tear against her chest. Without it, she simply could not have endured such long stretches of events and performances.
Nor could she have become a top idol in such a short time. Aside from a little help from her grandfather, this tear crystal deserved much of the credit.
"That's right... Its name should be Snow Woman's Tear. It is something that only has a chance of appearing when a legendary Snow Woman's most complex emotions erupt. Snow Women are emotionless. They cannot, and should not, be able to shed tears!"
"Snow Woman? You're saying my mother was a Snow Woman? How is that possible..."
Hashiko Yui found Rita's words difficult to accept. Of course she knew the legends of Snow Women, but how could her mother possibly have