Well, it’s quite cold, isn’t it?
Actually, it wasn’t just quite cold; it was pretty darn freezing. According to what I checked before coming out, there wouldn’t be a single moment tonight until tomorrow morning when the temperature would be above zero.
Right now, it was around minus 12 degrees. When I exhaled, my breath danced in the air. Did I really have to be out here on a day like this?
Well, it’s my own fault. Riri suggested it, but I made the decision. I was regretting my impulsive choice just a bit. At least it was a relief that it wasn’t snowing.
However, I was doing okay. No matter how cold it was, it only felt like my nose, ears, and cheeks were a little frozen. It wasn’t to the point where the cold was seeping into my bones.
It was thanks to Camilla’s robust physique. According to the Abyss setting, Camilla was a hero who wielded mana, a superhuman being.
I had inherited her physique, and while I might not have reached superhuman levels internally, I was definitely better off than an average person.
Recently, I even went to Juhwan Lim’s gym to measure my physical abilities. To sum it up, I had great athletic instincts and outstanding physical capabilities—a physically perfect body.
I didn’t know for sure since I didn’t get help from professional institutions, but I probably had the physique of an athlete who had trained consistently. To prove that, I hadn’t been sick at all and, instead of feeling bone-chilling cold like in the past, I was just feeling a mild chill.
The problem wasn’t with me; it was with someone else.
“Ugh….”
“Are you okay?”
“I-I’m okay…”
It was Riri.
I kid you not, I could hear her teeth chattering intermittently. That’s how cold it was.
She had been chatting away next to me when we arrived, all talk about how the new year was starting and how a year had flown by without anything happening. But at some point, she had become quiet, and now all I could hear was the clattering of her teeth.
Jokes about her being an old fogey were only funny in the beginning, but seeing her like this was just sad. Why on earth did she suggest coming out to hear the New Year’s bell if she was going to be this cold? Was there really a reason to endure this event while shivering?
As I watched her, I clicked my tongue softly, and Riri protested as if it was unfair.
“I didn’t expect it to be this cold staying at home all the time…”
It could be considered a kind of job-related ailment. Since streamers typically work from home, regardless of whether it’s summer or winter, they end up only being active in front of their computers, leading to this situation.
When they say it’s a bitter cold wave, it’s hard to gauge just how cold that really is. So naturally, I had no idea how to dress for it.
It wasn’t entirely incomprehensible. This month had been unusually warm from the beginning, so even when it snowed, it melted as soon as it fell, making me wonder if it was really December.
Then, just the day before yesterday, the temperature suddenly plummeted below zero. For Riri and others, it must have felt like the weather had flipped overnight.
“You came dressed so lightly.”
“Yeah….”
“Didn’t you wear something like HeatTech underneath?”
I awkwardly laughed and looked away. That meant I didn’t.
So, of course, it was cold. I was bundled up in HeatTech, padding, gloves, and even a scarf.
Honestly, I might have overdone it a bit. Despite my strong physique, I had wrapped myself up so much that I was starting to sweat inside my clothes.
Given the situation, handing over the scarf and gloves wasn’t hard at all.
“No, no! I’m fine, really!”
“I’m dressed thickly, so I’m not cold.”
Riri’s eyes widened dramatically when I offered her my scarf, but in this kind of cold, her fragile frame didn’t stand a chance against me. I simply overpowered her a bit and wrapped the scarf around her.
“Is it too tight?”
“No….”
“Give me your hands; I’ll let you wear my gloves.”
“No, no! I’ll just keep my hands in my pockets—”
“Ugh.”
If she were to catch a cold, I’d feel even worse.
Like I was scolding a child, I put the furry gloves on her. Although she might think she was older than me, technically, I was the elder, so she wasn’t entirely mistaken.
“Above all, I’m feeling pretty relaxed, yeah. Giving to others is something that can only be done when you have the resources to spare.”
“Not much time left, huh?”
“Y-Yeah….”
As people slowly gathered, Riri nodded slowly, her color returning.
In just one hour, it would be the New Year.
*
“I hope this becomes a time for everyone to wrap up the year well. In Seoul’s Jongno, a bell-ringing ceremony to announce the New Year will take place. With not much time left until the New Year, let’s check in live with the scene.”
This was a real-time news broadcast. As expected from a public broadcaster, it was being streamed live not just on TV but also on VTubers.
Following the announcer’s words, the screen switched, revealing the face of a man.
Underneath his face, a caption read: “Current location: Seoul Jongno Bosingak, Reporter Jang Ik-su.”
“Reporter Jang Ik-su, I see a lot of citizens behind you.”
“Yes, that’s right. Despite the quite cold weather, citizens have come here to Bosingak. Let’s briefly interview the citizens present here about their feelings and hopes for the New Year.”
The screen transitioned again.
The reporter’s image disappeared, and instead, faces of citizens appeared.
– “I live in Haenam, and this is my first New Year event. Having come all this way, I hope to wrap up the year well and have everything go smoothly in the new year.”
– “I feel good. Many people are together, hearing the New Year’s bell and making wishes….”
– “I’m starting college soon, and I’m super nervous but excited. I hope I can do well once I get into school this year.”
With the variety of faces, their responses were just as colorful. There were people from afar, a recently turned adult student, and middle-aged folks wishing for their families’ health. From young children to the elderly, they slowly shared their words in front of the mic.
Then, suddenly, the screen caught sight of two women in their early to mid-twenties.
The one on the left was wrapped up so much that the expression “bundled up” was an understatement, with a big scarf covering her face entirely.
Her face was buried in a white scarf, with just her eyes and nose peeking out, making for an adorably comical sight.
The cuteness was simply off the charts.
The tips of her ears, slightly peeking out from under her scarf, were tinted red, indirectly indicating just how chilly the weather was.
The one conducting the interview was a woman standing to her right. In a country where black hair is predominant, she had the rather unique appearance of white hair.
She blinked her blue eyes and simply stared intently at the screen.
Perhaps due to the destructive power of her exotic appearance, a heated debate about the woman’s nationality was already underway in the chat window of the live-streamed VTube news. Where is she from, she has to be American, no, she must be French, etc…
However, what came out of the woman’s mouth was fluent Korean.
-…Can I speak now?
Maybe it was because she didn’t receive the okay sign while she stood there staring blankly at the screen. With a slight nod of her head, she opened her mouth again.
-My New Year’s wish, my New Year’s wish…
She was sharing her hopes for the New Year just like any other citizen.
-I just hope next year will be like this year. Without any big changes. Just as it is.
It was a modest wish that didn’t quite match her grand appearance. Instead of the typical hopes of achieving something new or taking on challenges, she was simply wishing for things to remain the same.
But everyone present, as well as those watching, were all focused on her words.
The gentle smile she wore while saying this was so poignant and beautiful.
And thus began the legend of the Bell Tower Camilla that would be talked about for years to come.
*
“5! 4! 3! 2! 1!”
“Make a wish, make a wish!”
“Happy New Year!”
“Wow!”
“Wishing you all a blessed New Year!”
As the countdown concluded with everyone cheering together, the New Year finally began.
“Kayak, did you make a wish?”
“Yeah.”
“Is it something I shouldn’t ask about?”
“If I say it, the magic goes away, right?”
“True, true. Let’s just think about it in our heads, okay?”
Not more, not less, just like this year.
Hoping to continue living as Camilla.
Wishing for a life of cruising through existence.
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