Tanukifield’s oddly specific question in panel 2 refers to a folktale retold in Lafcadio Hearn’s Kwaidan: Stories and Studies of Strange Things (1904). Yep, you guessed it: our pal Gen has brought home Yuki-Onna, the snow woman, a yokai who can chill the life out of a person with her icy breath. Last time, Gen’s dream girl was fictional. This time she’s supernatural. Has Tanukifield met his match?
In the original tale, a young woodcutter and his elderly companion take shelter in a ferryman’s hut during a blizzard. The young man wakes in the middle of the night to see a beautiful, terrifying woman freeze his companion to death with her breath. She spares him, on one condition. A year later, he meets a girl named Yuki and falls head over heels…
It’s essential reading for ghost story and folklore fans, but you don’t have to take my word for it! 🌈