That day marked the first time it rained since Lil arrived at the base.

Lil had been playing outside with the divine beasts when droplets started falling from the sky. In a hurry, they all took shelter under the playground equipment.

‘It’ll stop soon.’

The birds, highly sensitive to the signs of rain, reassured them. It seemed to be just a passing shower.

So, Lil and the others decided to wait patiently for the rain to stop.

Raindrops hit the playground equipment, creating a variety of sounds. Having grown up underground, Lil had never experienced rain before and found it fascinating. The birds began to sing along with the rain.

It was like a concert. The rabbits and raccoons seemed to be jumping around, dancing to the melody. Lil felt excited.

‘Shall we dance too?’

At Marron’s words, Lil started hopping around. The silver wolves and tigers wagged their tails in rhythm with the music. It was a joyful moment.

Hayden, who had been on standby indoors, noticed the rain and hurried over with umbrellas, only to pause and laugh at the scene before him.

He went to the storage and brought out unused metal pots and pans. The variety of sounds increased, prompting the birds to sing even louder, unwilling to be outdone.

Lil was lifted by Hayden and spun around in circles. They held hands and danced together—Hayden seemed to be quite skilled at dancing.

The raccoons ran happily around their feet, and everyone was smiling.

Gradually, the rain began to let up. Lil felt a little sad.

Hayden patted Lil’s head, assuring, “It’ll rain again.”

The knights who had gone on patrol returned, drenched.

They had cut their rounds short due to the rain.

Since everyone was heading to the bath, Lil decided to join them.

Kohaku and Marron came along too. Marron was a boy, but since he was a mouse, it didn’t matter.

“It started pouring suddenly. Were you okay, Lil?”

Rosaline asked, and Lil shared the story of waiting out the rain.

“That sounds so fun. I’m jealous.”

Gloria seemed like she had wanted to join.

Lil decided to invite her next time it rained.

While soaking up the soap, Lil washed Kohaku. His paws were muddy from running around in the rain.

As Lil worked hard to clean the large Kohaku, Marron joined in, using his tiny hands to scrub Kohaku’s paws. Kohaku looked ticklish.

Seeing this, Gloria and the others also stepped in to help.

As they soaked in the onsen, Lil pondered.

Based on the calendar they had been taught, it should be autumn now. When winter arrived, would it snow?

Lil decided to ask Gloria and the others.

“Does it snow a lot?”

“Yes, it snows a lot. When winter comes, we all shovel snow together.”

Hearing that, Lil became excited.

Even in Michiru’s memories, there weren’t many recollections of snow. Lil wanted to build a snowman and an igloo.

Speaking of which, do divine beasts hibernate?

Lil started to feel a little worried.

There might be some they wouldn’t get to see during the winter.

“Do divine beasts hibernate?”

Lil asked Kohaku hesitantly.

‘Divine beasts and magical creatures don’t hibernate. During winter, magical creatures hunt and eat, while the herbivorous ones gather food in autumn or receive meat from the stronger ones.’

Even though they were herbivores, they could still eat meat. Lil was impressed by the strong stomachs of divine beasts.

‘But since we don’t find meat delicious, we only eat it when we have no choice,’ Marron added, floating in a wooden tub in the onsen. This way, the water didn’t cool down too quickly.

If meat wasn’t tasty to them, maybe they could build a greenhouse and grow fruit during winter?

“Gloria, can we make a greenhouse with magic?”

“A greenhouse? Rather than magic, there are magical tools that can warm a room.”

Lil was delighted. That meant they could grow fruit!

“Lil, are you making a greenhouse for the divine beasts? Maynard is going to get really into this again.”

That’s right—Maynard would surely build an amazing greenhouse. Lil decided to ask him for help.

After the bath, Lil wasted no time in making the request.

Maynard gladly accepted and immediately began drafting blueprints. He looked genuinely excited.

Ian, having given up on stopping Lil’s projects, said nothing.

Instead, he worried about whether anyone could teach Lil how to grow fruit. He decided to buy some books on the topic.

Still, he figured that taking care of plants would be good for Lil’s emotional development. He was already acting like a proper father. One didn’t need to be married to become a father.

Meanwhile, Maynard presented several greenhouse designs. There was one made of glass and another like a vinyl tunnel.

Lil struggled to decide but ultimately chose the stylish glass greenhouse.

From his memories, Martin compiled a list of fruits that could be harvested in a short period. Since he had a hobby of drinking tea, he had once read a botanical guide.

Rosaline offered to make cute work clothes. Lil was thrilled.

Hayden, wanting to contribute, looked around for something to do, but, unable to find anything, slumped in defeat. He was always like this, but Lil thought of him as the mood maker—the most fun person to be around.

Lil couldn’t wait for the greenhouse to be completed.