Sakiya and Nanako were the first to finish their snowmen.
Sakiya's snowman was intricately detailed, its entire body engraved with strange, unknown symbols. It had an otherworldly charm.
Nanako's, on the other hand, was a bit rougher. It had its own unique style, but compared to an ordinary snowman, it stood out because of the engravings she had carefully added.
Still, Sakiya's snowman was clearly superior.
Nanako pouted, clearly frustrated, and muttered under her breath.
"...Fine. It looks like the Death Winter Snow Knight is just a little better than my Akilabres..."
She pinched her fingers together to emphasize "just a little."
Sakiya didn't seem to mind. She reached out and ruffled Nanako's hair.
"Even a little bit is still a win~"
Nanako turned her head away, refusing to accept it.
"Next time, I'll win!"
Ino, who was still working on her snowman, finally spoke up.
"Wait, this was your big duel? I thought you'd have your Snow Demon puppets fight each other or something."
After all, Sakiya had sounded so dramatic earlier—full of intense energy, as if she were preparing for battle.
With how passionately she and Nanako had been talking, anyone listening would've assumed some epic showdown was about to happen.
...But in the end, it was just a contest to see who could build the better snowman.
It felt kind of ridiculous.
To Ino, it was like two warriors from a legendary kingdom challenging each other to battle—only to compete over who could eat more.
This was the kind of illusion Sakiya and Nanako's conversations always seemed to give off.
—
Finally, Ino finished her snowman.
She stepped back and grimaced.
Compared to the other two, hers was... well.
Plain.
Maybe even a little ugly.
Sakiya and Nanako walked around it, studying it in complete silence.
They inspected it from different angles, nodding thoughtfully as if it were some ancient artifact.
The scrutiny made Ino's cheeks turn red.
She knew her snowman wasn't great.
After what felt like forever, they finally stopped—standing directly in front of the snowman.
Then, in perfect sync, they both said:
"...It's so... ordinary."
Ino, her face burning, quickly stepped forward.
"I—I wasn't competing with you two! I just wanted to build a snowman!"
Sakiya and Nanako stared at her.
Completely expressionless.
One second...
Thirty seconds...
Ino couldn't take it anymore. She shut her eyes in panic, waved her hands wildly, and shouted—
"Stop staring at me like that!"
"Oh..." (x2)
Sakiya and Nanako remained completely calm.
"Oh, what the hell does that mean?!"
Ino practically yelled.
Sakiya, still looking as relaxed as ever, shrugged. "Just thinking that the Dark Emperor is kind of... underwhelming."
Nanako nodded. "Yeah. Really underwhelming."
Ino's expression froze. And then, rage.
"You little—!"
She grabbed a handful of snow, packed it into a ball, and hurled it straight at Sakiya.
Sakiya blinked as the snowball flew toward her—
And then—
Smack.
It hit her square in the forehead.
She stood there, stunned, her wide eyes locked on Ino.
"...That hurt~"
Seeing Sakiya's dazed expression, Ino burst out laughing.
"Hahahahahaha!"
Nanako glanced between Sakiya, standing there blankly, and Ino, cracking up. She scratched her head, unsure how to react.
Then, without a word, Sakiya wiped the snow off her forehead, her expression completely unreadable.
Ino was still laughing—until she saw the look in Sakiya's eyes.
A dangerous glint.
The corner of Sakiya's mouth curled upward.
"Ino..."
The laughter died in Ino's throat. "...Huh?"
Sakiya's voice was calm. Too calm.
"That snowball… was a declaration of war."
"Wait, what?"
"You declared war on me."
Sakiya slammed her hands onto the ground.
Boom!
A blast of snow erupted into the air—
Then, in an instant, it formed dozens of snowballs, all floating menacingly.
Ino's face paled.
"W-Wait! No! You're cheating, Sakiya!"
Sakiya's grin widened. "I don't care. Take this!"
She thrust her hands forward.
"Big Snowball Barrage! Storm Combo!!"
The snowballs rained down on Ino like a blizzard.
Ino desperately rolled to the side, dodging most of the snowballs, but plenty still hit her, sending flurries of snow into the air.
She got up, covered in snow, her face full of indignation.
"Damn it, Sakiya!"
Sakiya laughed heartily at Ino's miserable state.
"Hahahaha!"
Ino clenched her fists, itching to retaliate—
Smack!
A snowball slammed into Sakiya's laughing face.
The laughter stopped immediately.
Her expression froze.
She blinked at the snow-covered impact, then turned toward the thrower—
Nanako.
"Nanako?"
Nanako stood firm, her face serious.
"I'm joining the battle!"
Ino burst out laughing.
"Hahaha! You cheated so badly, Sakiya, even Nanako couldn't let it slide!"
Sakiya glared at Ino. "You little—!"
Just as she was about to retaliate—
Smack!
A snowball hit Ino right in the face.
She froze.
Slowly, she turned to Nanako.
"…Excuse me???"
Nanako's expression remained deadly serious.
"I said, I'm joining the battle!"
Sakiya and Ino both realized—
Nanako was serious.
Their playful attitudes vanished.
This was war.
Sakiya clapped her hands together, summoning another wave of floating snowballs.
Ino used her chakra to compress a massive chunk of snow into a single, watermelon-sized snowball.
Her battle-ready gaze swept over Sakiya and Nanako.
"Then let's settle this once and for all!"
Sakiya's eyes burned with determination, surrounded by dozens of snowballs. She pulled down her blindfold, revealing her striking blue pupils.
"My ultimate technique! Precision targeting mode—"
Nanako matched their energy, holding a snowball in each hand.
"I won't lose this time! Light and Dark Combo! Left hand—Power of Light! Right hand—Power of Darkness! The Dual Finish!"
She threw her snowballs—one at Ino, one at Sakiya.
But neither of them paid much attention.
Because they both knew—
The real battle was between them.
Sakiya and Ino locked eyes, the tension sparking in the air like lightning.
Both dodged Nanako's snowballs effortlessly.
And then—
Sakiya moved first!
"Ultimate attack! Precision targeting—Burst Snowball Barrage!"
Like a Gatling gun, a storm of snowballs shot toward Ino.
But Ino didn't falter. She lifted her massive snowball, her eyes filled with fire.
"I'm putting everything into this one attack!"
She pulled back like a trebuchet, then—
BOOM!
The colossal snowball launched forward.
A wave of snowballs crashed against it—but nothing could stop it.
It tore through Sakiya's attacks, unstoppable.
Sakiya's eyes widened as she watched her entire offense fail.
And then—
SPLAT!
The enormous snowball exploded against her face.
She toppled backward into the snow, arms flailing.
For a moment, she lay motionless.
A tiny, ghostly "soul" seemed to float out of her body.
Nanako's eyes went wide.
"A one-hit KO!"
She turned to Ino, suddenly seeing her as a true rival.
"As expected of Dark Emperor Ino! The greatest enemy of the Precision Eye! But I won't lose!"
Ino grinned.
"Bring it on!"