The postcards the two of them sent were all addressed to each other.
As he watched the postcard fall into the mailbox, Arisukawa felt as if something was filling up his chest.
"We're almost done shopping. Let's take a rest and prepare for hiking."
Qing Keisuke said: "I'm going to rent mountaineering equipment."
"Okay~!"
Arisukawa nodded happily. It was already half past four in the afternoon, and it was time to climb the mountain.
When we arrive at the seventh station, we can almost eat.
While Aoi Keisuke was away, Arisukawa took the time to prepare for the mountain climb - there would be no such complete infrastructure for the rest of the journey.
Relatively speaking, the road from the fifth station to the seventh station is fairly easy to walk and is a normal mountain road.
Going up from the seventh station, the route begins to become steeper, and most of the unshaped roads are filled with accumulated volcanic rocks, requiring the use of both hands and feet.
After a while, Qing Keisuke came back with hiking poles, a portable flashlight and two peaked caps.
He also bought an extra set of knee pads and gloves for Arisugawa.
"The trekking poles are rented, you can just return them when you go down the mountain."
Aoi Keisuke asked Arisukawa to choose a peaked hat.
"Thank you, Qinggui-kun. How much do you need?"
"Don't be so polite."
Qing Keisuke handed all the equipment to Arisugawa and said with a smile: "How about you treat me to dinner after we come down from the mountain?"
"Okay, deal~"
Arisukawa nodded implicitly.
The two put on their equipment and officially set off.
Although the Yoshida Route is the best route, it is not paved with cement or stone slabs. It is a gravel road trampled by tourists right after the start, and you can occasionally see exposed tree roots.
There were also many hikers along the way, chatting and laughing in groups of twos and threes.
Arisukawa followed Aoi Keisuke, about half a body behind, and his eyes sometimes fell on Aoi Keisuke's footsteps, sometimes on his generous back.
She followed suit, wanting to step on Qing Keisuke's footsteps left on the ground for a second.
After walking for a while, Qing Keisuke looked back and saw the smile on the girl's face, and couldn't help but be curious: "Arisukawa, what are you laughing at?"
"Um……"
The girl's smile remained unchanged, she raised her head and answered: "Because you are happy?"
Qing Keisuke looked into her eyes. The smile in the girl's eyes was clear and bright, just like the sunshine coming through the pine forest, making people feel a little warm.
He put aside his doubts and felt joy from the bottom of his heart.
"If you feel tired from climbing or have trouble breathing, remember to tell me."
"Okay~"
After passing through the pine forest, their vision gradually became clearer. A protective slope was built on one side of the mountain to prevent earth and rocks from blocking the road. On the other side, they could see the vast world below the mountain when they turned around.
Because the temperature has dropped, the clouds on the mountainside have gradually increased and thickened. Looking down, you can see the clouds and mist in various shapes, which is more vivid and interesting than the usual perspective when looking up.
Arisukawa found a "deer"-shaped cloud, and after reminding Keisuke Aoi to look at it, he thought it looked more like a dog.
The girl puffed her mouth, hummed and took a photo of Yunduo, saying that she would let Youxi comment later.
…
After climbing for more than half an hour, they arrived at the "Sixth Station" sign. From this position, they could already see the mountains and small mountains at a glance.
The mountains surrounding the city are like a pile of small earth bags.
Mountains and ravines cast shadows on the ground, dividing the vast wilderness into pieces of fish scales, showing different greens.
"It's so beautiful..."
Arisukawa's eyes were filled with light and he was filled with emotion - no wonder those ancient poets could create such moving words.
Times have changed, but this magnificent scenery has never diminished.
"Do you need a rest, Arisukawa?"
Arisukawa shook his head.
The road from the 5th station to the 6th station is not too difficult, the slope is gentle, and the narrowest road is nearly 1.5 meters wide.
"Then keep going up."
Looking up, you can already see mountain houses scattered in a zigzag shape along the road in the distance.
Mountain houses are very small, mostly with only one floor and covered with old-fashioned sloping roofs.
After the two took photos, they continued to set off.
From the sixth station onward, some routes already require climbing over volcanic rocks, and there are rugged rocks everywhere under your feet. After you step off, you need to stabilize your center of gravity and foothold before continuing to the next step.
The only protective measures were two simple iron chains nailed to the outside of the route.
Qing Keisuke asked Arisukawa to go to the front so that he could look after safety from behind.
With Sichuan in front, he had to pay attention to his posture at first, but soon his physical strength couldn't bear the consumption of the concave shape, and his movements became natural.
After another hour or so, the two successfully arrived at the seventh station of Mount Fuji.
The floors here are paved with stone bricks, and pleasant green moss grows in the gaps between the stone bricks.
A large number of hikers gather in the mountain huts here to rest, and they can also buy supplies at the canteen.
There are many mountain huts available for accommodation here, such as Hana Hut, Sunrise Hall, Torii Villa, etc.
The room Aoi Keisuke booked is at Kamaiwakan, which is located at an altitude of 2,790 meters, in the middle of these mountain huts.
Arisukawa suffered from altitude sickness, his breathing became somewhat rapid, and his steps became shaky.
Qing Keisuke held her arm and asked her to stop and rest.
Fortunately, Aoi Keisuke did not set his target at the eighth station, otherwise he might not be able to reach Arisugawa even in the dark.
They followed a group of hikers and stood on the plank road at the seventh station, admiring the sunset scenery as the sun set in the west.
At the end of the sky, the earth and the sky are separated in the center of the field of vision. The white clouds are divided into two layers, the thick ones fall to the bottom, and the thin ones rise to fit the dome.
The huge sun shines through the two layers of floating clouds, coating the sky, clouds and peaks of the mountains with a layer of gold.
The light leaves traces in the air, carrying human instinctive admiration and yearning, spreading the last light of today to this vast world.
——This is indeed a grand scene that cannot be seen in the city of Tokyo.
After a moment, he suddenly noticed the girl's gaze. He lowered his head and saw that Arisukawa's eyes were lit up by the light, and his pupils were moist and crystal clear, like an ignorant deer.
She said emotionally: "I will never forget watching the sunset on Mount Fuji with Qinggui-kun."
"The sun rises in the east and sets in the west, but my love will never change."
She wanted to hold Qing Keisuke's hand, but in the end she just stared lovingly.
If Qing Keisuke took the initiative, even if it was a kiss, she would not refuse it at this moment.
Or it should be said that her heart was urging Qing Keisuke not to just look at herself.
"Please kiss me, Qinggui-kun."
"Please kiss me!"
"...Don't just look at me!"
Qing Keisuke's hand holding her arm tightened subconsciously, and he felt the girl's thoughts.
The surging emotions were all conveyed to his heart through the girl's beautiful eyes.
He wanted to hug Arisukawa and confess everything to her under the witness of Mount Fuji.
But Qing Keisuke is still afraid of losing the sincere emotion in front of him because of his choice.
"Are you feeling better? How about going to the mountain house to register first?"
"...Ah! Hmm!"
Arisukawa's face was turning red at the speed of light, and it was clearly visible even under the sun's shading.
After she nodded sharply a few times, she immediately did not dare to look into Qing Keisuke's eyes again.
At the same time, doubts arose in her heart: Qingguijun clearly seemed to want to get closer to her, but why did he always retreat?
Is it because I don’t like myself enough, or is it for other reasons?