This story takes place after Season 4, Episode 10 of Encouragement of Climb / Yama no Susume. It follows the events from the anime.

Your feedback, suggestions, and thoughts are welcome. If you see any typos or have any suggestions for sentences or paragraphs for a smoother reading experience please don't hesitate to comment or write to me privately.

I hope you enjoy the story!  

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"Aoi, it's lunchtime. You promised to try the bento I made this morning!"

"But I am almost finished - I've been knitting the hat for a few days and I am so late!"

"Oooooh… for who are you knitting a hat this time?" Cheerfully, Hinata leaned on Aoi's desk staring at her.

"It's for Kaede. I bought some wool from the market a few weeks ago and I wanted to give her a gift for helping us out for the whole year."

For Aoi, April always meant a fresh start to the school year and enjoying the lovely spring days that followed the month. The streets of her hometown Hannō were decorated with wonderful blossoming sakura trees and the happy laughter of students filled up the warm spring atmosphere as they started the new school year. The past years Aoi's start of her semesters meant a peaceful stroll through the school year, along with her yarn and knitting equipment by her side. As a reclusive teenager, all she wanted to do was just have a calm relaxing time at home involved with her hobby. Ever since the day of her accident that left her with a broken leg, it seemed like staying at home was the safest way for her to spend the days. After she lost touch with her closest childhood friend, she had trouble making new friends all through middle school, therefore she decided that she would rather prefer the company of herself than go through the inconvenience of making new friends all over again.

But her plans changed a year ago when Hinata walked through the door of her classroom and after years apart, they finally reconciled their lost friendship.

At first, she thought that Hinata would just bring her trouble just like she used to do in the past, and in a way maybe she was right. During the year she seemed to have been so much more 'trouble' than she initially thought, but that hyperactive girl helped her open up to new adventures in life and helped her meet new friends like Kokona, Kaede, and Honoka. That 'troublesome' girl encouraged her to create wonderful new memories that she would always cherish, and rediscover her love for an old hobby that she has completely forgotten all about. 

During the past year, Aoi and Hinata would find themselves and their friends going on all kinds of hiking adventures. Most of these adventures involved hiking through the majestic mountains of Japan and observing the magnificent scenery that left them in awe each time they ascended toward the final peak. Aoi felt that with every mountain she climbed, she got much stronger than before and it was all worth that sense of accomplishment after struggling through exhaustion, pain, and sweat. For this year she wanted to train hard so she could conquer Mount Fuji once again after her last year's try left her halfway through with altitude sickness. Most of all she wanted to conquer every obstacle and mountain together with her friends and with the most important person in her life, Hinata.

"Oooh, how long do you have left to finish knitting it?" Hinata curiously asked her.

"Well, there are just a few layers left," Aoi replied as she kept on carefully knitting the wool hat. "I was so busy with my part-time job at the pastry shop during spring vacation, that I didn't finish it in time."

"I am sure you'll finish it soon Aoi, for now, you can take a break and try my bento box!" Hinata insistently placed the box in front of Aoi's desk. "I am hungry!"

For the second year of high school, Hinata was in a different class from Aoi so during lunch recess she would come and visit her and Kasumi. She was worried about Aoi being separated from her in a different class, but soon was relieved when she started getting used to the new classmates and new friends.

"If you are going to go again about me not getting into university or a husband if I don't study harder just like yesterday, I'll just go outside and continue my knitting there... you are gradually turning into Yuuka!" Aoi remarked.

"Naaah - we have time for that later. The reason I am making you try my bento box is that I decided for this year that I will finally try making my own food so dad doesn't have to make them every morning. Check it out!" Hinata already had her bento box unpacked and boastfully presented in front of Aoi.

"Hmmm… looks neatly packed," Aoi replied with a vague expression, as she just wanted to get on with her knitting. "I wonder if what's inside is neatly prepared too, knowing what kind of a klutz you are cooking food that's not freeze-dried."

"Haha no no, this time it's perfect." With a smirk, she started presenting what she prepared to Aoi. "It's a secret recipe passed through many generations of my family ever since the late Edo period! My great great great great great great great grandmother came up with this recipe and that's why my family is so strong and sexy looking throughout the ages! You've already noticed that I am such a prime example of sexiness, intelligence, and strength and it's all from eating our famous family recipes!" she proudly announced.

"It's just messy scrambled eggs and rice." Aoi responded with a vague expression, she was still annoyed that she was separated from knitting Kaede's winter hat.

"… and now you Aoi! Yes, you! You are the first person outside our family to try this enchanting recipe that will make you so much sexier, and smarter, and you will finally be popular, make more friends and eventually find a boyfriend!"

"You put sugar in the eggs, and the rice is extra soggy," Aoi replied after hesitantly taking a bite. She couldn't help but chuckle at yet another of Hinata's failed efforts at cooking. "I bet you put too much water in the rice cooker again, am I right?"

"Hmph - That's why only us Kuraue eat this magical food that makes us super sexy and slim." Smugly Hinata replied. " - and you were totally not my guinea pig."

"Hinata, you goof!" Aoi couldn't stop giggling. "I keep telling you I'll teach you to cook properly. You can't survive alone on freeze-dried food all your life! Let's make a deal, you'll keep tutoring me in math and I'll teach you how to cook."

"Deal! But it's not like my cooking is that bad you know, also you can't blame me for enjoying freeze-dried food. It's the best!" Hinata said as she helped herself to a scrambled egg with rice before secretly spitting the food in a paper napkin. "mmph…. nothing wrong here, it's only well-prepared food that Jiro Ono himself would be proud of!"

With a smile, she paused for a second and gently exhaled as she had something else on her mind as well. "So, hey - Aoi. Do you know it's kinda our anniversary since we met again last year?"

"You are right. " Aoi replied. "That would be our 'friendversary' - But wasn't that last week?"

"Pfff - again she forgets something important like our friendversary and leaves me to remember stuff like these!" Hinata said with a smirk. "Our friendversary is... was yesterday? Or was it tomorrow?"

"Hahaha… look who is talking. Our friendversary is ... it was… errrr..." Aoi also kept trying to remember what date their fateful encounter was last year. It was the first day in high school, but after so much stuff that happened last year, she also seemed to have forgotten the correct date.

"Never mind that - we should celebrate!" Hinata responded as she placed both her hands on the table. "I know! A hanami!"

"A hanami?" Aoi curiously asked. "What do you mean a hanami?"

"We never went for a hanami last year and this weekend people are going for one at the park. But instead of the park, let's climb a mountain with sakura trees and we can have a hanami there. We can bring bento boxes, and snacks and I can bring stuff to prepare sakura tea. We can also invite Kokona, Kaede, and Honoka and if we catch the train early we can stay at the mountain the whole day." Hinata replied in an enthusiastic tone. "It will be really fun!"

"But the weekend is tomorrow Hinata. It's so sudden and Honoka told me she is going to an exhibition at the Tokyo Photographic Art Museum. Also, Kokona told me yesterday that she was going to Enoshima with her mother, and you forgot that Kaede is leaving today for her family trip to Osaka."

"Let's just go the two of us then!" Hinata replied. "We haven't been somewhere together just the two of us in a while. Besides, I checked the weather app and it's going to be a nice sunny day tomorrow and Sunday will rain all day. And it's our friendversary, shouldn't we just celebrate it the two of us?"

"Well - where do you wanna go?" Aoi asked.

"I'll come up with some ideas during the day, but first let's go buy some sandwiches, I am starving!" Gently she grabbed Aoi's hand and pointed toward the door of the classroom. "Quick, let's go to the cafeteria!"

"Wait aren't you gonna eat your bento box?" Aoi asked but in all that excitement, it seems like Hinata intentionally forgot about the food that she prepared so carefully that morning.

"What bento box."

* * *

After school was over for the day, Aoi, Kokona, and Hinata were enjoying an afternoon snack sitting down in front of their usual hang-out spot at the white elephant statue in Kannon-ji temple. Kaede had to leave early to prepare for the trip with her family. 

"So, did you decide where you will go for your friendversary?" Kokona asked, as Hinata already enthusiastically explained her weekend plans with Aoi. Kokona was just starting her third year in junior high school and was also sharing the excitement with them for the new semester in school. The next year she was starting High School and she wanted to get good grades and enroll in their school.

"Oh! I thought of a place we can go to earlier - Mount Tsukuba." Hinata replied. "Last time Aoi took me there to see the sunset so we didn't see much of the mountain at night. I think it's perfect to revisit it during the daytime and see the sunset and the city lights again. My dad said it was beautiful up there in spring too!"

"Ah, that's awesome. I've never been there before." Kokona replied. "I would have joined you, but I am going with my mom tomorrow to Enoshima. Sadly she doesn't get that many days off from work during the weekend, so we don't get to go somewhere together that often."

"Ooh, we should go to Enoshima sometime too Aoi!" Hinata suggested. "Maybe we can all go this summer and bring our swimsuits too."

"I wonder if you are gonna make us buy another 'sexy' swimsuit as you tricked us to do last year, Hinata!" Aoi replied in a slightly annoyed tone. The previous summer she spent some of her allowances on a new swimsuit for a pool party as Hinata told her to buy a 'sexy' swimsuit. But after all that trouble, Hinata just showed up in her school swimsuit. "You'll probably just spend your allowance on a new water pistol to spray me with instead."

"Well, I think it's time you get another sexy pair because you've made such a nice body from climbing all those mountains with us. But then summer break is so far away and I keep wondering if you'll lay off the mochi until then." Hinata responded with a smirk and playfully eyed Aoi's belly. Her remark only made Aoi even more annoyed as she covered herself and blushed.

"I'll show you who will lay off the mochi this summer when I'll win by 100 times with my 'sexy' swimsuit you dum dum!" Aoi furiously replied. "Besides I bet you'll just show up in your school swimsuit again, no doubt we'll be much more 'sexier' than you!"

"Ha...ha! I'll bring my secret weapon this time! It's another school swimsuit I've been saving for such an occasion." Through a smile she replied.

"So, what do you two plan to do on Mount Tsukuba tomorrow?" Kokona asked curiously as she wanted to get back to the original discussion.

"We are going for hanami and Aoi will make a hanami bento box. I'll bring some things to make sakura tea and snacks and we can watch the flowers and the sunset from the peak. At night you can also see the city come alive with lights. Last year it was such a pretty sight and I was hoping for a long time to see it again!"

"Wait - I am making the hanami bento box? But I've never made one before and it was always my mom who did!" Aoi's concern grew bigger as she never prepared a meal for a hanami before. She knew there were old traditions involved in preparing food for hanami, but she had until tomorrow to gather all the ingredients and actually find out how to prepare a hanami bento box for both of them.

"I think it's just like a regular bento box Aoi. I bet the internet will save you again. How else are you gonna prepare hanami bento boxes for your future husband? Or should I prepare the bento box?"

"Geeze Hinata, stop with the husbands already and no I am not letting you come close to a kitchen again!" Crossing her arms Aoi slightly frowned annoyed by Hinata's usual teasing. "You better bring some tasty snacks and you better not be late at the train station tomorrow! Remember last month when we missed the train and got soaked by the rain because you were late?"

"No worries Aoi, I'll be there tomorrow right on time!" Slowly Hinata stood up and brushed herself off and turned to look at Aoi with a smile. "Well I think it's time for me to go - I have to go to the supermarket to buy us some snacks. I'll see you at the train station tomorrow Aoi, and have fun at Enoshima Kokona!" she waved back at the girls and walked off in the other direction.

"Thanks, Hinata!" Kokona waved back at her as well. "Oh Aoi, I just remembered - wasn't that the mountain that you told me about with all the couples?"

After climbing so many mountains the previous year, Aoi did not always remember the names of them all but she started remembering which one Mount Tsukuba was. It was a mountain in Ibaraki that her co-worker Hikari from the pastry shop suggested where she went with her ex-boyfriend after sunset to see Tokyo at night. She remembered that it was the place with all the lights and the young couples at the ropeway station.

"EEEEEEEHHHHH?! Hinataaaa!" she shouted after her in an embarrassed tone. "Mount Tsukuba was the couples one!"

"Oh yeah, it is!" Hinata replied back to her from the distance. " I guess it's another date then Aoi!"

"A DATE!?" Aoi couldn't have become more embarrassed. "HINATAAAAAAAAA YOU NUMBNUT!"

Kokona couldn't help but let out a soft giggle in her sweet calm voice. "Well - kind of a good thing only you two are going then 'lovebirds'." She always enjoyed the antics these two prepared daily.

* * *

"Arggghhh that stupid girl!"

After taking a bath, Aoi in an annoyed mood lay on her bed scouring the internet to find suggestions for a hanami bento meal. As her parents were gone for the weekend on a business trip to Hokkaido, she was left home alone to prepare for her picnic with Hinata tomorrow.

"Again, Hinata suggests a thing like this out of nowhere! That crazy girl!"

She kept pouting while scouring the internet for recipes. Even if she was still moderately annoyed with Hinata by her sudden suggestion and teasing her about a 'date' in front of Kokona, she always enjoyed seeing her smile whenever she tried one of her delicious meals. Besides they haven't gone somewhere only the two of them since their trip together to Ikebukuro for pancakes and shopping.

"Alright, seems straightforward... I can make pink-dyed salmon onigiri and I hope they have fresh strawberries at the supermarket tomorrow, it was so sudden that I hope I'll have time to prepare it tomorrow morning. I have to wake up at 6 am, then go to the supermarket when they open... then back home to prepare the meal and get dressed cause it might be cold up there, then to the train station at 10 am... Arghhhh Hinataaaaa... what did you even mean by a 'date', you dummy? If it wasn't for that girl I would have slept until late tomorrow and just kept knitting Kaede's hat..." Still, in an annoyed tone, Aoi loudly kept speaking to herself while staring at the bright screen of her laptop.

"But then... if it wasn't for that girl... I wouldn't have had to knit that hat at all for Kaede because I never would have met her... and all those memories... meeting Kaede, Kokona, Koharu, and Honoka... I would have just... stayed at home... and be alone... just like the years before."

Laying some time on her bed in silence, Aoi kept her gaze over to her side and just above her desk was the board where she hung up most of her photographs with her friends. The board was filled with wonderful memories that she shared together with Hinata and their friends. And even though she was separated from Hinata at school in different classrooms, she wished that this year she would keep making more wonderful memories like these.

Before the second year of high school started she was anxious for days that she would be separated from Hinata at school and her worst fear came true. Her memories of Hinata leaving her in elementary school kept replaying in her head like a broken tape. She felt that her friendship with Hinata would eventually start to drift apart as the years go by. This summer break they planned to conquer Fuji-san once again and Aoi had been training for almost a year, but she felt sad that they were in different classrooms.

She kept wondering for some time if Hinata was going to leave her one day in the future as well. Would she revert back to her old ways of being a shut-in again? She was afraid of experiencing the loneliness of her past years again without Hinata by her side.

"What if Hinata leaves again and we never see each other?" Aoi kept asking herself the same questions over and over for days when she was alone with her thoughts. "What if she leaves and - what if I never get to tell her."

After a year together, Aoi seemed to have developed a necessity for Hinata's presence in her life. She felt it was sort of a feeling that she would be really embarrassed to speak to her about. When Hinata was gone from her life in elementary school, she never thought that she was going to find friends and happiness in being with others once again.

But that day a year ago, Hinata came back into her life. Even if Hinata would tease her sometimes, or they would occasionally get angry at each other for silly reasons, she loved to spend every minute with her going on all kinds of adventures. Hinata seemed to be living in her head almost every waking moment for the past year. Aoi would even feel annoyed by her remarks about finding a husband or a boyfriend when in reality she didn't want one or the other but to spend all the remaining time she had left with her.

"But - she is a girl... it's not like she can be my boyfriend! And if I talk to her about this, she would just tease me. Arghhh Hinata! Why do I keep thinking about you all the time?!"

Unlike Aoi, Hinata seemed to be popular in her class and she felt that one day she would eventually find a boyfriend and they wouldn't spend so much time together. Aoi knew that one day she would have to gather her courage and speak to her about what they would do in the future - and maybe even about all these odd feelings about her that plague her mind day and night.

"I just wish it was simple, that you wouldn't hate me for these feelings - Hinata..." Brushing her tears off she snuggled her pillow tightly as she lay across the bed. 

She kept imagining Hinata's smiling face laying next to hers almost every night before she went to sleep. In her imagination, they would hold hands throughout the night and talk about all those wonderful memories that they shared as they drifted away to sleep. She indeed wished it was that simple and Hinata was there by her side every night and morning, not only through the screen of her mobile device or the photographs of the captured memories they shared together.

 

(Latest revision: 15th December 2022)

(Continued in Chapter 2)