“Ugh!”
I was paying the price for underestimating the mountain. I sat on a nearby bench, panting heavily. Starting off with too much speed had been my downfall. Maru handed me a bottle of drinking water. I drank it like it was the elixir of life. My throat was so dry that this cool water was exactly what I needed.
“Hana, are you okay?”
Maru gently asked if I was alright. She was clearly carrying more luggage than me and walking around, yet she didn’t seem tired at all. How could this be… I had decided to go hiking for Maru’s health, but in reality, I realized that my own stamina was just terrible.
Honestly, I realized that I was more of a homebody than Maru. At least Maru goes out and about for her social life, and whether she exercises at home or not, I don’t know, but judging by how well she manages her weight, she seems to be living a much healthier life than me.
“Hana, you really need to exercise! What are you going to do if you get tired after less than an hour of walking?”
“Y-yeah, but!”
Since the path wasn’t even steep, I couldn’t really argue back against Maru’s scolding. It was entirely my fault. I was resting because I was exhausted; if I had been full of energy, I would have continued climbing towards the summit instead of sitting on this bench.
Whoosh-
At least the wind felt nice. It wasn’t particularly cool, probably because it was summer. But since it was mountain wind, it blew strongly, like a fan set on high speed. My hair was fluttering all over the place. I forgot to tie it up before coming!
I looked at Maru with wide eyes and said,
“Maru! Can you tie my hair for me?”
I handed her a hair tie as I spoke. I could have tied it myself, but I didn’t feel like moving a muscle right now, so I decided to be a bit cheeky. If she didn’t tie it for me, I could use this as an excuse to rest a bit longer.
But Maru took the hair tie and skillfully moved behind me.
“Hana! Look at all that sweat!”
Sweat was dripping down the back of my neck. It wasn’t that much, but Maru seemed to notice the beads of sweat. She wiped my sweat with a handkerchief and started tying my hair into a ponytail. I obediently let Maru’s hands do their work.
Maru was pretty good at tying hair. Or maybe I was the odd one. Girls around my age usually know various ways to tie their hair, but I was an exception. Aside from a ponytail, I didn’t know any other hairstyles.
It was kind of obvious, though. I had never tied my hair when I was a guy. Even if I grew it out, it was just hair. Some guys grew it long enough to tie, but I always kept it short, so I never had long hair.
“Ta-da! It’s tied up nicely!”
Even though I couldn’t see myself without a mirror, Maru seemed satisfied, so it must have looked good. I shook my ponytail back and forth. It slapped against my back like a horse’s tail.
“Yah!”
I got up from the bench, ready to walk again. I had rested enough, so now I could make it to the summit in one go. My pride wouldn’t allow me to rest any longer. Even though I had turned into a child, my stamina was explosively childlike. Just a short rest had me fully recharged.
Kids usually burn through energy quickly and recharge just as fast, and it seemed I was the same. I hadn’t even rested for ten minutes on the bench, but I was already bursting with energy. Is this what having a child’s body is like?
“Hana! Let’s walk slowly this time? Enjoying the scenery while hiking is part of the fun!”
I was only thinking about eating cup noodles at the summit, but Maru seemed to have a different style. She would crouch down and take photos with her phone whenever she saw pretty flowers along the way. I watched her from the side. Her phone was filled with pictures of wildflowers. Maru seemed to really enjoy taking photos of flowers.
No wonder she was so enthusiastic about going hiking. I thought she just liked it because it was a legitimate way to skip work, but she genuinely enjoyed activities like this!
“Wow!”
I was amazed at how well Maru took photos. Whenever I took photos, they always ended up with backlighting or shadows… typical of someone who’s bad at photography. But Maru was different. She took photos like a professional photographer shooting a model.
“Maru, you’re really good at taking photos!”
“Really? Do you want to try, Hana?”
“Wanna take a pic?”
“Yeah!”
I took the mobile phone from Maru and snapped a photo of a flower I liked. Of course, my shadow got in the way, and the flower was barely visible. I took a few more shots, but none turned out the way I wanted, so I lost interest. Soon, I handed the phone back to Maru and started walking again. If you start something, you gotta finish it—today, we were planning to reach the summit.
“Hana! You don’t have to run like that!”
Maru was chasing after me. I pretended it was a game of tag, imagining Maru as “it,” and started running. Of course, I got out of breath pretty quickly and went back to walking.
“Woah!”
Finally, we made it to the summit. At the top, there was a big rock sitting there, proudly declaring, “This is the summit!” It wasn’t that high—only about 400 meters.
I asked Maru to take a photo of me. I stood in front of the rock, flashed a peace sign, and smiled.
“Hana! Two! Kimchi!”
“Kimchi!”
Maru snapped a few photos with the mobile phone. Afterward, I quickly ran over to Maru to check how the photos turned out. In the picture, there I was—a familiar green-haired girl smiling with a peace sign.
“Wanna take one, Maru?”
“Sure, will you?”
Maru didn’t hand me the phone but instead asked a passerby to take the photo. I just stared blankly at Maru’s actions. But Maru, seeing me standing there clueless, grabbed my hand and stood in front of the rock. It looked like we were taking a photo together.
“Gotta take a pic with Hana!”
And just like that, a photo of Maru and me standing in front of the rock was taken. For a passerby’s shot, it turned out surprisingly well. Maru thanked the person who took the photo, and I bowed my head in gratitude. This is what taking photos is all about.
Then, I set my bag down in a suitable spot, hugged my puffed-up chest, and rummaged through it. Inside, there was a cup of noodles, neatly packed and waiting. Maru also rummaged through their bag and pulled out a cup of noodles and a thermos filled with hot water.
I was so hungry from climbing the mountain that I eagerly tore open the cup noodles. I opened the lid, poured in the seasoning, and then handed the cup to Maru. Maru, with a smile, poured hot water into my cup.
“Oooh!”
I couldn’t help but marvel at the steaming cup of noodles. I was so curious about how cup noodles would taste at the mountain summit. It was bound to taste better than any gourmet meal—because I was starving!
A little hunger is the best seasoning. After what felt like an eternity of three minutes, the noodles were ready. Maru was already slurping away with chopsticks.
Chopsticks…? Oh no!
With a sinking feeling, I rummaged through my bag. I found chocolates, candies, and snacks, but no sign of the chopsticks I needed. Did I really forget to bring wooden chopsticks? I searched my bag with trembling hands, but no chopsticks were to be found.
Would I have to wait until Maru finished eating? Maru, noticing my deflated expression, asked with a curious look.
“Hana, what’s wrong?”
“I forgot to bring chopsticks, Maru…”
“Say it sooner! I brought spare wooden chopsticks!”
“Really?”
Maru rummaged through their bag and pulled out a pair of wooden chopsticks, handing them to me. I accepted them with a look of pure joy. Maru is always so prepared!
Of course, it’s my fault for not being prepared.
I was finally able to enjoy the heavenly cup of noodles at the summit. The taste of cup noodles while overlooking the cityscape was incomparable to anything else.
