The bus drove smoothly on the highway.

There are many passengers in the carriage, but there are only a few people like Kato Yusuke and Megumi wearing mountaineering clothes.

March is the peak season for traveling to Mount Fuji, but it is not the best climbing season.

Generally speaking, Mount Fuji is only open from July to September in principle, and you need to make a climbing plan during the rest of the time.

Due to the low temperature in Mount Fuji at this time of year and the top of the mountain still covered with snow and ice, most climbing routes are closed and only a few are open.

The above information was learned from the store owner when the two went to buy mountaineering equipment a while ago.

Kato Yusuke didn't know why Megumi chose to climb the mountain at this time, but for safety reasons, he followed his boss's advice and hired a professional guide.

Otherwise, the two newcomers might not even be allowed to climb the mountain.

The bus departs from Shinjuku, Tokyo, and drives all the way to the trailhead of Mount Fuji's fifth station. The whole journey takes about three hours.

The two chatted for a while in the car, and then fell asleep listening to music quietly to recharge themselves for the next trip.

At 11:30 noon, the bus arrived at its destination smoothly.

What appears in front of you is a group of buildings distributed in a semicircle, mainly composed of rest stops, restaurants, restrooms, service desks, and many shops. Next to it is the tall Mount Fuji.

People were wearing thick clothes, some were buying or renting mountaineering equipment, some were packing their bags, and some were enjoying hot food and drinks.

As soon as I stepped off the bus, the fresh and cool air hit my face.

"Ah, it's actually snowing here~"

Hui looked up in amazement, blowing out white air from her moist lips.

Kato Yusuke followed her gaze and saw scattered snowflakes falling from the sky. The ground that fell under his feet slowly melted, leaving a small snow scene nearby.

He took a deep breath, and felt a faint cold tingling sensation deep in his nasal cavity, which was refreshing and refreshing.

"Be careful not to catch cold." Yusuke Kato reminded: "The temperature here is more than ten degrees lower than at the foot of the mountain, only 5 degrees Celsius. Let's go indoors first."

"Huh?" Hui turned her face in confusion, her fair nose stained with ruddy red, "Shouldn't we go find Mr. Guide first?"

"I just contacted the guide in the car. The guide will meet us in an hour. In the meantime, let's take a stroll here and have lunch. In addition, you also need to report to your family that you are safe, right?"

"Right."

Hui nodded in agreement, took out his phone and took a few photos, and then followed him towards the facility in front.

After contacting their families, they wandered into a certain store.

In addition to selling various mountain climbing supplies, there are also many souvenirs and local specialties, such as Mount Fuji's famous biscuits, T-shirts, key chains, postcards, etc.

By the way, like most scenic spots in the world, the food and drinks sold here are slightly more expensive than in the city.

But once you think about the fact that this place is located at an altitude of 2,300 meters, the desire to complain about the behavior of profiteers becomes minimal.

"Ah~ Yusuke, look at this."

When he walked to a certain row of shelves, Hui pulled out a light-colored wooden stick and displayed it excitedly.

"Vajra Staff...?"

Kato Yusuke read out the product information posted on the shelf and felt confused, "Is this a weapon-type souvenir?"

"No~~"

The girl smiled softly and explained.

"This is a hiking stick unique to Mount Fuji, and it can be regarded as a souvenir here.

As long as you buy it, you can ask someone to stamp it at each mountain hut on the way to the summit to prove where you have arrived.

It’s a very memorable and fulfilling thing~”

"oh?"

A mountain hut is a hotel built on Mount Fuji to provide accommodation for tourists.

Kato Yusuke also pulled out a diamond staff, and sure enough he found a seal on the staff——

"The realm of heaven and earth, Mount Fuji Observation Deck - 5th Station 2305m"

From the foot of the mountain to the top of the mountain, Mount Fuji is divided into ten stages, and each stage is a "stage".

If the foot of the mountain is considered the zero station, then the top of the mountain is the tenth station.

Since this starts directly from the fifth station, the first seal on the cane is the fifth station.

In other words, as long as they purchase such a cane, they can use it to get stamps at the mountain huts from the 6th Station to the 10th Station.

Kato Yusuke clarified the key and said with a smile:

"I see, this is really interesting, but I heard that almost no mountain huts are open now. Even if you buy one, you can't get it stamped, right?"

"Well, that's right..."

Hui slightly nodded regretfully and put the diamond staff back into the display case, "Sure enough, should I come during the mountaineering season...?"

"If you want, you can buy one first. At least the mountain hut we booked should be able to get it stamped. The rest can wait until next time." Kato Yusuke suggested.

"Next time..." Hui looked at him funny, "Yusuke, you always think that when you say this, you will come with me next time?"

Kato Yusuke thought for a moment and said, "That's what I thought. Is there anything wrong?"

"...No, it's nothing."

Hui's eyes flashed, and there seemed to be a docile deer jumping in her bright black eyes, and then she tilted her head cutely.

"However, I think it makes sense to do this now, so I won't buy a cane. I'm a little hungry, let's go eat."

"Well, that's okay too."

Kato Yusuke glanced at the time and agreed.

So they randomly chose a restaurant and ate udon noodles and grilled warabi mochi.

The latter is a very popular snack here. It is made from ferns picked around Mount Fuji and grilled with soy sauce, miso and other seasonings. It tastes very refreshing and delicious.

After eating, I took a short rest and went to the restroom.

Almost an hour passed.

The two retrieved their luggage in the store and then found the hired guide.

The other party's name was Noguchi, a middle-aged man in his thirties who had considerable mountaineering knowledge.

After a brief greeting, Noguchi immediately checked their equipment to be prepared.

From mountain climbing equipment to food and water, to medical supplies and personal hygiene products, etc., Noguchi checked very carefully.

After all, he has two inexperienced students to teach today, and the current external environment is very harsh, so there is no room for carelessness.

Fortunately, the situation was much better than he expected. Kato Yusuke and Megumi were quite well prepared in this regard, which even surprised him.

He looked at the two men hesitantly, feeling that the young men were almost armed to the teeth, and their whole bodies were filled with the scent of Fukuzawa Yukichi's ink.

Such as hiking gloves, hiking hats, hiking masks, hiking shoes, hiking poles, goggles, etc... Needless to say these.

In Yusuke Kato's backpack, he even saw picnic equipment, tents, sleeping bags, and portable oxygen bottles, making him look like an equipment dealer.

A rough estimate shows that this set of equipment costs at least 200,000 yuan, or even much more.

"Blad", "The North Faoain Hardwear"......

Looking at these brand-name outdoor products, Noguchi's originally cold eyes became filled with emotion.

These are all good things...

At this moment, he was already convinced that the young couple in front of him must be rich kids who came to experience something new, or they were mountaineering enthusiasts in the family.

He didn't have any opinion on this point.

Mountaineering is an expensive sport, so it never hurts to invest in equipment.

That will not only make your life more comfortable in the wild, but also increase your chances of survival when encountering danger. The only problem is——

"I said this little brother..."

Noguchi chose the right words.

"Although it is a good thing to be well prepared, you are a little too prepared. We will spend the night at the mountain hut at the eighth station, so there is no need for picnic equipment and tents."

"The most important thing is that your luggage adds up to about 20 kilograms. It will be very heavy to carry on your back. Exercise in high-altitude mountains is not as normal as usual. I suggest you store these things first."

When Hui heard this, she also turned her gaze to the young man beside her, with a look of inquiry in her eyes.

There wasn't much luggage in her backpack, just some necessities. In order to take care of her, the other party took the initiative to take away most of the shared items, so she carried so many things.

It's not that she hasn't protested for this, but that man was very chauvinistic in this aspect, leaving her with no choice.

Facing the advice given by the guide, Kato Yusuke waved his hand in front of his chest and said:

"No problem, Mr. Noguchi. I have very good physical strength, so carrying this little weight won't have any impact. Rather than this, let's set off earlier, right?"

Seeing how insistent he was, Noguchi couldn't help but muttered "Hmm..." and finally had no choice but to compromise.

"Okay, but I have to say it in advance. If you feel unable to do what you want on the way, Brother Kato, you must remember to tell me in time, and I will help you share some of the burden. Do you understand?"
To be continued...