The pure white flakes pouring distantly over the mountain peaks settled in layers to form a dazzling foundation, and the fiercely blowing wind condensed that delicate snowfall into a single massive crystal, shaping the entire mountain into a smooth, solid white. Now that early winter has just begun, the resort was racing toward its most splendid peak of the year.

Sunlight pouring through the clouds shattered into thousands of flashes as it hit the snow surface. The light spreading along the ridges shifted incessantly between gold and silver on the pure white slopes, and the snow dust scattered by the wind sparkled as fine crystals in the air, creating a momentary sight like a cluster of stars. Viewed from afar, the slopes continued like a massive white river cutting across the mountain range, with the tracks of people sliding over it carving new lines every second.

The lifts moved tirelessly between the summit and the base. The steel frames glinting in the sun and the colorful winter gear stood out exceptionally vividly against the pure white snowscape, and every time the edges of skis and boards carved the snow, fine powder soared high, sparkling in the air. Laughter, cheers, and the clear friction of equipment scraping the snow surface scattered across the mountain before being carried away again by the biting wind.

The resort complex at the foot of the mountain was shining like another winter city. The brilliant scenery of the snowy mountains was reflected in the glass exterior walls, and warm lighting glowed golden from terraces and windows. Between the chill rising from wet gloves and winter clothes, the warmth of freshly brewed coffee and baked bread mingled, and people constantly entered and exited the buildings with their frozen cheeks flushed red.

At the center of all that clamor and light was, ultimately, the mountain. Even though countless people passed over it each season and countless traces were carved and then vanished, the mountain range revealed its pure white body again with an undiminished face. Snow fell endlessly, and sunlight shattered endlessly upon it. As if all the brilliance of the winter season were compressed into one place, the entire mountain was shining dazzlingly like a giant jewel.