Snow drifted through the sky, cloaking the earth in silver.
A dainty jade rabbit bounded across the snowy wilderness.
Behind her, a finely dressed girl in foreign attire chased her, panting. "Huff, huff, huff, Lady Kaguya... please, please stop running!"
The jade rabbit flicked her ears and glanced back with luminous eyes. A mischievous gleam flashed through them, and with a whoosh, she darted into the bushes and vanished.
Following the rabbit's tracks, the girl reached the bushes and collapsed into the snow, exhausted. She looked around helplessly. "Lady Kaguya, where did you go?"
Light footsteps were muffled by the wind and snow. A pale arm reached out tentatively. Tap! A hand landed on the girl's shoulder.
"Ah?!" Startled, the girl scrambled on all fours toward a tree. As she turned around, her back struck the trunk hard.
She saw an unfamiliar little girl standing naked in the snow behind her, gazing at her with clear white eyes.
Only she and Kaguya lived here. How could a third person have appeared out of nowhere?
For a moment, she had no idea what to do.
The little girl suddenly tilted her head and spoke in a sweet, ethereal child's voice. "Aiki?"
Aiki was the girl's name.
Aiki's eyes widened. "L-Lady... Kaguya?"
Kaguya nodded her little head. "Mm-hmm!"
"Huh? Huh? Huh...?????" After going silent, Aiki began trembling. "You... you can take human form now??"
Just then, Kaguya suddenly raised her little hand. "Above you..."
Aiki looked up and saw a huge clump of snow break loose from a branch overhead and come crashing down toward her.
"Oh." In that moment, there was only despair.
Splat! Aiki's entire head became a snowball, with only her eyes exposed, blinking innocently.
"Hahahahaha..." Kaguya pointed at Aiki and doubled over with laughter.
That year, Kaguya was