Tokyo Rebirth: Start From Picking Up Sayu

There is a saying that the stations of Mount Fuji are not divided by height and distance, but by the difficulty of climbing.

For example, the distance from the 6th station to the 7th station will be more difficult to climb than the distance from the 5th station to the 6th station.

Although the distance from the seventh station to the eighth station is short, the climb is just as tiring because the road becomes more dangerous as you go up.

…

Crunch, crunch.

Hiking shoes leave varying shades of footprints on the snow-covered road.

The three of them trekked all the way.

As the altitude increases, the vegetation on the hillside is gradually replaced by rugged rocks.

They arrived at the seventh station and stopped to rest on a seat in front of the "Flower Room".

Just like the situation at the sixth station, this mountain hut is also closed.

"Yusuke, I brought a ham sandwich. Do you want to eat it?"

"Okay, thank you."

"You're welcome. I made a lot. If you don't mind, would you please eat some, Mr. Noguchi?"

Megumi said this while sharing the sandwiches made at home between the two of them.

Compared to Kato Yusuke, Noguchi was a little embarrassed, but in the end he accepted it gratefully.

Then, the girl took out the thermos kettle and poured someone a cup of hot cocoa drink, then picked up the last piece of sandwich and ate it.

According to the information on the sign, this place is already at an altitude of 2,700 meters, and the oxygen has obviously become thinner.

Two and a half hours have passed since they set off.

Noguchi was observing the reactions of Kato Yusuke and Megumi, and couldn't help praising their physical abilities at this moment.

Especially when Kato Yusuke is carrying that large backpack, he can always walk with ease. He doesn't seem to feel tired at all, and his endurance is amazing.

Although Hui's performance was not as exaggerated as the former, it was still better than that of most women. There was no need for help from him as a guide at all, which was really surprising.

In response to Noguchi's compliment, the boy nodded in response, while the girl politely put down her half-eaten sandwich to express her gratitude.

I don't even know why I became like this.

In elementary school, junior high school, or even at the beginning of high school, she didn't show any special skills in physical strength, otherwise she wouldn't have been a transparent person in school for so long.

As a result, my body got better for some reason.

If you think about it, this change really occurred in October last year, a few days before the school sports day.

What happened?

While she was thinking this, Kato Yusuke opened a bottle of mineral water and handed it over.

"Drink some water, Megumi."

"Huh...? Ah, thank you."

"You're welcome."

As Kato Yusuke spoke, he took out a piece of chocolate and ate it, as if he felt that the sandwich just now was not enough.

So she asked: "Yusuke, I also have meal bars and nuts here. Do you want to eat them?"

"Huh? No, I just have some snacks. If I eat too much now, I won't be able to eat dinner."

"Brother Kato is right." Noguchi on the side smiled and added: "There is more decent food in the mountain hut we are going to stay in tonight. We just need to add a little more calories here."

"That's it..." Hui nodded understandingly, thought for a while and then asked: "Hey, Yusuke, can you share a piece of chocolate with me?"

"Okay. Come on, is one piece enough?"

Kato Yusuke quickly broke off a piece of chocolate, put it on the palm of his hand and stretched it out for her to take.

The girl didn't answer and opened her mouth slightly to signal to him.

Kato Yusuke smiled, picked up the piece of chocolate with his thumb and index finger, tentatively brought it to her mouth, and asked: "...please use it?"

"...Thank you~"

Hui's face was slightly red as she ate the piece of chocolate, covering her mouth and chewing slowly, "It's so sweet? Eh...it doesn't seem very sweet?"

"Really?" Kato Yusuke looked at her with a smile. "This is what someone told me. This chocolate with almonds doesn't taste too greasy."

"...Yes, Yusuke, your preference for sweets seems to be average."

"Yes, but because I have to go hiking today, I made a special trip to buy some. Do you want another piece?"

"No……"

Hui shook his head, glanced at the guide who was packing his luggage without trace, then picked up the mineral water and drank it.

Affected by the low temperature outside, the mineral water has also become a bit cold, and it tastes like drinking ice water.

Having said that, shortly after she drank the water, she felt a warm feeling inside her body, which was very comfortable.

"So, since everyone has eaten, let's continue on the road?" the guide suggested, and Kato Yusuke and Megumi did not object.

So they neatly packed up the trash, put it back into their backpacks, and then set off.

Since there are no garbage disposal facilities on Mount Fuji, climbers will bring their own garbage bags and take all food wrappers and water bottles back.

I don't know if it was because of the supplement of food and drinks, but Hui felt that her physical strength seemed to have recovered a lot, and even her physical fatigue was reduced a lot.

This gave her the illusion that she could climb to the top of the mountain in one breath.

But soon, she regretted her naive idea.

What is presented in front of you is completely different from the previous road.

From here, the trail becomes steep and narrow.

Including the handrails on the side of the mountain path, they have also changed from the previous stable guardrails to iron chains that do not look very reliable, and they rattle under the blowing of the mountain wind.

The three people were arranged in a "1" shape, and the order was the guide, her, and Kato Yusuke.

Looking outside inadvertently, the feeling of standing on the edge of a cliff almost makes your brain dizzy.

Hui forced herself not to look outside and just focus on the road under her feet, taking every step carefully.

However, when she saw the hiking trail behind, she couldn't help but be dumbfounded.

It can no longer be called a "road", it is completely a steep rocky area!

They must use their hands and feet to climb between rocks like rock climbers!

That's not enough, some rocks are even covered with ice, and they can slip if you're not careful!

'Is this really the way people walk -? ’

Hui was deeply suspicious of this in her heart, and she tensed her nerves tightly, not daring to relax even a little bit.

"What do you think? Hui, do you need to stop and take a rest?" The young man asked with concern from behind, which was a rare comfort in a harsh environment.

"Huh... I'm fine, thank you." She replied with a slight breath, stepping hard on a rock.

"Don't be too impatient. Pay attention to your breathing and take your time. We are not in a hurry." Kato Yusuke reminded.

"Yeah...I know."

Hui raised his head and looked ahead. Even though the outline of the eighth station appeared in his field of vision, it was as out of reach as a mirage in the desert.

At this moment, she deeply understood the difficulty between each stage.

Obviously the distance from the seventh station to the eighth station is not long, but climbing up is extremely strenuous.

She stopped to take a sip of water, adjust her breathing, cheer herself up, and then continued to move forward.

…

Two hours later, they finally arrived at today's destination.

Looking at the "3100" sign in front of her, Hui put her hands on her knees and was out of breath.

Kato Yusuke walked up and asked, "Are you okay? Do you want some oxygen?"

Hui gasped and shook his head. It took him a while to regain his composure and straighten his body.

"Huh... I'm fine. I just find this section of the road difficult to climb and I'm a little tired."

"That's because the altitude here is very high, and people's activities are much harder than usual. It's better to take more rest."

After speaking, Kato Yusuke pointed in a certain direction, "Also, look behind you."

Hui looked back subconsciously.

On the distant skyline, a light orange-red color filled the entrance to the night.

The soft dusk slowly spreads over the entire hillside, shining on the pure white snow and complementing the sky.

The clouds and mist in the distance rise slowly, shrouding the mountains and forests in a layer of mist, making them appear mysterious and quiet.

The cold mountain wind howled past the eighth station, blowing away the last afterglow in the sky.

The flowing clouds that are usually out of reach are now floating much lower than usual, as if they can be kicked to pieces by just stretching out your feet, making people feel like they are in the clouds.

The breeze in the mountains is blowing gently, and the grass and trees are rustling.

The girl's eyes were gleaming, she just wanted to engrave this scene in the depths of her mind, and she was speechless for a long time.

"What a nice view……"

She couldn't help but murmured, so intoxicated that she almost forgot to breathe.

At this moment, the guide's call came from ahead.

"You two, it's windy outside. Come inside quickly and have some hot drinks."

Looking towards the source of the sound, the guide was standing at the door of the mountain hut ahead, waving and shouting at them.

"Mr. Noguchi is calling, let's go."

The young man naturally held her hand and pulled her forward, entering the mountain hut called "Horaikan".

"Welcome both of you."

The middle-aged man who seemed to be the owner of the store said, "Thank you for your hard work along the way. Please show me your reservation information."

The other person had a scarf tied on his head. He looked older than Noguchi. Overall, he could be described as powerful.

"Excuse me, this is Kato who made the reservation before. This is our reservation information."

Kato Yusuke said as he took out the things he had prepared, and at the same time gently touched her with his elbow as she was distracted by observing the appearance of the shop owner.

So Hui finally realized his rudeness and hurriedly took out a form from his backpack and handed it to the shopkeeper for inspection.

It was an accommodation permission form signed by parents. This mountain lodge had such rules for student guests.

After confirming all the information, the shopkeeper led them to the double room here, explained the relevant matters for a while, and then turned around and left.

The double room is made of wooden materials, and the layout is somewhat similar to the small attic in Western movies, with an area of ​​about the size of two tatami mats.

Two clean sleeping bags are provided in the room. There are sockets on the wall and two windows installed on the side near the head of the bed to see the outside scenery.

(picture)

Knock knock~

For some reason, Kato Yusuke, who entered first, knocked on the wooden wall with his knuckles.

"Yusuke, what are you doing...?"

"Hmm...I'm testing the thickness of the wooden boards and checking the sound insulation effect."

"Huh……?"

Hui's eyelids twitched slightly, and some speculations came into her head. Suddenly she felt her cheeks were a little hot, and her hands were tangled in front of her lower abdomen.

"Um...Yu, Yusuke, I think now is not the time to think about this. You see, even the parental consent form states... that debauchery is strictly prohibited. So, let's just abide by the rules... okay?"

She stood stiffly in place, mumbling words that she didn't quite understand, and felt her cheeks getting hotter.

Kato Yusuke was stunned by her reaction, looked at her in confusion, then strode up as if he had thought of something, and stretched out a hand.

The next second, she was semi-forced to the wall, and from the corner of her eye she saw the curtains at the entrance being pulled up with a "Crack~" sound.

"...Sorry, Megumi."

The young man put his left hand on the right side of her head and asked with a half-smile, "What did you just say? I didn't hear it clearly. Can you please repeat it?"

Kei puffed up her face slightly in anger and said angrily: "...You are very mean-spirited, Yusuke. Anyway, we can't break the rules..."

"Oh?" Kato Yusuke smiled and lowered his head to her ear, "Then...as long as it's within the limits allowed by the rules, right?"

"——!"

Hui's heart trembled as she felt the hot and moist breath blowing toward her ears, making her a little flustered.

As a result, the young man just kissed the side of her hair gently and then stepped back.

"... Yusuke?" She pinched her hot right ear with her hand and looked at him in confusion.

Kato Yusuke said seriously: "Today's mountain climbing is hard. I think you must be very tired. Why don't you take a nap first? I will call you during dinner."

"Eh……?"

"Besides, isn't there a changing room here? Check to see if your clothes are wet. If so, remember to change into dry clothes to prevent cold air from entering your body."

"That's it?" - Hui Qianqian frowned and stared at the other person without saying a word for a while, but still didn't say this sentence.

"What's wrong? You're looking at me like this." Kato Yusuke asked in confusion, making people feel angry.

"No...it's nothing."

She pouted and shook her head, put down her backpack, found a change of clothes inside, and headed to the locker room to change into them.

While walking on the road, I realized that the rooms here are private spaces separated by wooden boards. Although the conditions are a bit crude, they are much better than those Datong buns shared by many people.

Even though she understood that the accommodation on the mountain was limited, she still felt a little reluctant to let her lie on the same bed with a stranger.

From this point of view, although living with that person is a bit shy, at least it feels safe.

When he returned to the room, Kato Yusuke was exchanging something with the guide at the door. When he saw her, he smiled and said welcome back.

She deliberately ignored him, greeted the guide politely, then entered the room under someone's dumbfounded gaze, got into her sleeping bag with her clothes on.

She had been climbing the mountain for four and a half hours continuously today. In fact, she was already very tired. Not only her legs were extremely sore, but her head was also a little groggy.

"Mountain climbing is really not easy..."

The girl looked at the unfamiliar wooden roof and listened to the deliberately lowered conversations outside, feeling her eyelids getting heavier and heavier.

She quickly closed her eyes and surrendered herself to the hazy sleep.

…

. :