21st Century Necromancer

The train shuttled through the lush Great Siberian Forest, the sound of its wheels piercing the forest's tranquility.

Although it was still autumn when they departed from Japan, snow had already begun to fall in the Great Siberian Forest, gradually covering the green woods in a blanket of white.

This was the first time little Yixi, who was born in the summer, saw snow. She was fascinated by the white stuff, and whenever Jounouchi Hiromi held her up to the window, she would reach out her small hands to try to catch the snowflakes outside.

"Does little Yixi like the snowflakes? Watch Mommy catch some for you!" Seeing her daughter seemingly enamored with the snowflakes outside, Jounouchi Hiromi reached out of the window and, upon opening her hand in front of her daughter, snow crystals appeared in her palm.

Little Yixi, too young to understand what was happening, simply saw her mother's hand filled with something white, and reached out her little hands to grasp what was in her mother's palm.

If these were ordinary snowflakes, they'd surely melt when little Yixi grabbed them. But Jounouchi Hiromi had foreseen this, using a bit of magic power to keep the snowflakes from melting.

So when little Yixi reached out to grab them, naturally, she caught the white things that intrigued her so much.

Snowflakes are cold, a sensation little Yixi had never felt before, and it made her tiny eyebrows—hardly there yet—arch up in surprise.

Her big, round eyes widened, and she curiously tried to bring the snowflakes in her hand to her mouth.

Jounouchi Hiromi didn't stop little Yixi this time; instead, she watched her daughter with a smile, as she used her not-so-agile little hands to put the tiny snowflakes into her mouth.

The icy feeling seemed to delight little Yixi, who waved her little hands around, laughing and continuously reaching out, as if wanting more of these cold, unfamiliar things.

Watching her daughter's adorable actions, Jounouchi Hiromi laughed and said to the attendant beside her, "Bring me a serving of ice cream... no, perhaps just a glass of milk."

The attendant, who had been standing by and had seen little Yixi's attempt to catch the snowflakes, guessed what Jounouchi Hiromi wanted and suggested, "The chef on board can make fresh milk ice cream for you, ma'am. Would you like that?"

"Freshly made? Hmm..." Jounouchi Hiromi considered for a moment after hearing the attendant's offer, but she replied, "Just bring a glass of fresh milk; the child is too young for ice cream."

"As you wish, ma'am." The attendant bowed and turned to instruct the kitchen to prepare the milk.

Soon, the milk was brought over. After thanking him, Jounouchi Hiromi reached out over the glass of milk and retrieved a handful of white snowflakes, which now danced and twirled around her palm, like snow elves performing a dance.

Seeing the dancing white snowflakes, little Yixi was instantly overjoyed, flapping her hands and reaching forward, trying to catch the swirling flakes. Her little feet kicked excitedly, full of energy.

After teasing her daughter for a while, Jounouchi Hiromi let the snowflakes settle onto little Yixi's hands. After she had played with them, she put them in her mouth.

This time, the snowflakes Jounouchi Hiromi had conjured were made using milk, giving them a different flavor than the ice crystals created with water vapor. When little Yixi put the snowflakes into her mouth, she found that in addition to the icy sensation, there was a familiar milky taste, causing her little face to light up with joy as she clapped her hands happily.

After amusing little Yixi into drinking half a cup of milk, the little girl seemed to tire from playing and reluctantly put her hands down.

Realizing it might not be good to let her daughter drink so many cold things, Jounouchi Hiromi had the attendant bring a cup of hot milk, which she let little Yixi sip before gently coaxing her to sleep.

After Jounouchi Hiromi had lulled little Yixi to sleep and placed her in the cot prepared for her, Chen Yu returned from another car.

Since the train was a private one, it comprised an entire train rather than just a car. The whole nine-car train was dedicated to serving the couple, which was why Chen Yu had been in another car and only just returned.

"Honey, is Yixi asleep?" Chen Yu asked in a hushed tone when he saw Jounouchi Hiromi come out of the room holding the cradle.

Jounouchi Hiromi nodded, whispering back, "I played with her for a while, and she fell asleep from exhaustion. What were you doing just now, hubby?"

"I was confirming our itinerary with the conductor. We're headed directly to Irkutsk by the shores of Lake Baikal, where we'll stop for a day to fish for salmon." Chen Yu explained to Jounouchi Hiromi, pointing to an old Russian map hanging in the car as he laid out their travel plan. "After that, we head to Moscow to summon a ship-girl for the Russians, then on to Saint Petersburg, where our yacht is under construction. It's already launched and now awaits final fittings and interior decoration. Once these are done, we'll go to Russia's famous resort, Sochi, for a week. Do you like skiing, Hiromi?"

"You've planned everything so meticulously, I can't wait." Jounouchi Hiromi laughed at Chen Yu.

"It's a pity it's not summer now. I heard from the conductor earlier that you might see bears along the Siberian Railway in summer, but now it's winter, and these big fellows are hibernating. I've never seen bears in the wild!" Chen Yu remarked as he sat with Jounouchi Hiromi on a sofa by the window. The entire train car was set up as a grand living room, not filled with rows of seats like a regular train. Aside from sofas, there was even a large round table capable of seating eight.

"Bears? What's interesting about those stinky big creatures!" Jounouchi Hiromi recalled seeing bears at the zoo before and only remembered how strong their smell was.

But Chen Yu laughed and said, "Don't you think teddy bears are cute? Don't girls like teddy bear dolls? I'm even planning to capture a bear cub to be Yixi's pet!"