Traveling With a Beautiful Girl - Chapter 19: Ropeway

Ruka-san brought us to Lake Kawaguchiko, one of the Fujigoko (Fuji Five Lakes) located in Yamanashi Prefecture.

Among the five lakes, Lake Kawaguchiko is the second largest and has been developed as a tourist destination earlier than the others, resulting in well-equipped facilities.

Although Mt. Fuji can be seen clearly from the popular spot, Oishi Park in Kawaguchiko, Ruka-san took us to another place, claiming that there was a better spot.

“A ropeway?”

“Yes! With this, we can go up to an altitude of about 1000 meters!”

And so, we boarded the Fuji Panorama Ropeway.

Apparently, it can take us to the summit of Tenjo Mountain, which stands opposite of Mt. Fuji, separated by Lake Kawaguchiko.

The ropeway was already great as a non-drifting vehicle, but the view from the window was also exceptional.

As we gradually gained altitude, people below seemed like tiny specks. I couldn’t help but get excited about the view of Mt. Fuji from the observatory.

“Hmm? Richan, you don’t look so good.”

Ruka-san suddenly looked into Nanase’s face and asked. Come to think of it, Nanase had been unusually quiet even before boarding the ropeway.

“Are you okay?”

“…I’m fine.”

After mumbling weakly, Nanase asked.

“Can I open the window?”

“Is it that hot?”

It was October, a chilly season.

Nanase hesitated for a moment and said.

“I just want to feel the breeze a bit.”

“I see?”

I felt a hint of unease but didn’t pry any further.

Probably, the motion sickness from the car was still lingering. When we opened the window, Nanase’s expression relaxed slightly.

Her beautiful profile, with her eyes closed as the breeze touched her cheeks, was so captivating that my gaze was drawn more to her than the scenery.

“Ho, hoho…”

Ruka-san looked at us with eyes like a high school girl who just heard a love story, but I decided to ignore it since it would be troublesome to engage.

Before we knew it, the ropeway had reached the summit.

“Yahooooo!”

“Isn’t it too early to shout for echoes?”

I made a retort to Ruka-san, who started howling as soon as we got off the ropeway.

It was just past 5 PM.

The sky had a nice reddish tint… but it was only 5 PM. I was surprised that not much time had passed, considering how eventful the day had been.

Indeed, when you do something different from usual, your perception of time seems to stretch.

After a short walk, we arrived at a small observatory square.

“Ara, Look, there’s you, Takahashi-kun.”

“Who’s the raccoon?”

For some reason, there were rabbit and raccoon mascots at the observatory.

“This is the setting for the Kachi Kachi Mountain story!”

Ruka-san proudly explained.

“Ah, right… What was the story of Kachi Kachi Mountain again?”

(T/N: The Story: Kachi kachi)

“The rabbit avenges the old woman killed by the raccoon and brutally kills the raccoon.”

“Was it such a violent story?!”

I thought it was a story about a mischievous raccoon being slightly punished by a rabbit, not something where someone dies.

“The story has been made milder for children, but the original seems to be quite brutal. It’s written on this information board.”

“Heh, let me see… Oh, it’s true…”

The wooden information board had a description of the Kachi Kachi Mountain story.

In the original, the raccoon was a psychopathic friend who killed the old woman, turned her into soup, and tricked the old man into drinking it. He was quite a twisted character.

Even among animal friends, this one would surely be shunned.

“I never expected to learn about the original Kachi Kachi Mountain story all the way in Yamanashi.”

Gaining new knowledge like this is also one of the joys of traveling.

“Kachi Kachi Mountain is nice, but let’s see Mt. Fuji already! The view from over there is amazing!”

Ruka-san pointed to a building about three stories high.

The exterior resembled a tsunami evacuation tower. It was called an observation tower.

Following Ruka-san’s lead, we climbed the stairs to the observation tower.

Upon reaching the top floor, we were left breathless.