“This… looks human, but is it a monster?”

No one could answer Mika’s murmured question, spoken in stunned disbelief.

The girl had a face strikingly similar to a human’s, but her body was densely covered in gray fur, with slightly longer fur running down her back like a mane.

Round ears perched atop her head, surrounded by soft fur. From her chest to her waist, she wore a coarse, brownish cloth wrapped around her, resembling a simple dress.

Mika’s insecticide seemed to have seeped through the snow and clung to the girl’s body, making her breathing ragged.

“H-Hey, this kid… Zurah, can you try healing magic on her? She looks way too human. I’ll tie her up so she doesn’t run.”

As she spoke, Mika pulled out a cord from her backpack, meant for securing the opening, and wrapped it around the girl’s arms to restrain her.

When Zurah approached and cast healing magic, the girl’s breathing gradually steadied, and she opened her eyes.

“Gyaa, gah, gyaaau!”

The girl let out a shriek and writhed violently. It seemed words wouldn’t get through to her like this.

Yet, despite knowing better than to judge by appearances, her near-human resemblance made it hard to believe she was a monster. Dada decided to take out a telepathy magic tool.

The girl’s arms were fur-covered up to her wrists, but from there, her hands resembled a human’s—except for the long, sharp claws growing from her fingers.

Careful not to get scratched, Dada dropped a small black stone into the girl’s palm. The stone was absorbed, settling into her skin like a mole.

Then, the girl’s “Gyaa gyaa!” cries were translated and reached everyone’s minds.

“Nooo! Help! Mama! Maaamaaa!”

The girl wailed in anguish, her words now intelligible. The content of her cries made it impossible to believe she was a monster.

They couldn’t just leave the girl crying in the freezing snow outside. Mika spoke gently to the struggling child and lifted her into her arms. The girl was light, and even as she flailed, she was easier to carry than Mika’s own children.

Somehow, it reminded her of her eldest son, Ryouhei, when he was little. Holding the girl, she descended back to the mining cabin.

Since they hadn’t gone far before encountering the yeti, it took less than thirty minutes to return.

Inside the cabin, a heating magic tool warmed the space quickly once switched on. The miners usually didn’t return until evening, so the empty cabin was convenient for now.

“Now then… I’d like to hear your story,” Mika said gently to the exhausted, tear-streaked girl.

“I’d really like to untie you, but if you struggle, it’ll be a problem. So bear with it a little longer, okay?”

Her tone was kind, but her actions were unexpectedly ruthless.

Still, letting her escape now would defeat the whole purpose.

Zurah brought a towel from the back and began wiping the moisture from the girl’s fur while comforting her.

Gatt quietly prepared warm drinks.

Meanwhile, Dada, whose small body had grown too cold in the snow, slumped beside the girl, deciding to rest for a while in front of the heater.

At first, the girl screamed and refused to listen, but eventually, she fell silent. Had she given up?

Then, sniffling and hiccuping, the girl began to speak—and what she said left not just Mika, but even Dada and the others, utterly stunned.