Next on the girl's agenda was a short visit to the old wooden Shinto shrine on Mount Nantai's summit. The route leading to the shrine was close to the cable car station. Following Aoi's pace, they quickly reached the Shrine to pay their respects and check out the sights from this side of the summit.
"Hey Aoi, what kind of a talisman did you buy?" Hinata cheerfully asked her as they were carefully descending the path. Both of them were hungry and wanted to get on with the hanami at the rest area in between the peaks of Mount Tsukuba, so their visit to the shrine was cut short by Hinata's loud growling stomach.
"Oh, it's one for good fortune." Aoi took the talisman out of her pocket and showed it to her. "Mountain climbing is not a cheap hobby. I still want to buy some equipment and all those train tickets, bus tickets, and mountain huts are so expensive. Who knows, maybe the talisman will bring me luck in that department?"
"Hehe, maybe you'll win the lottery and get rich this year? But before you turn into a multi-billionaire, it's a good idea that you kept your part-time job at the pastry shop. I got a talisman too when you were praying at the shrine!" Hinata also took her talisman out of her pocket showing it to Aoi.
"A 'Good Health' charm?" Aoi asked.
"Well... I've been aiming for a perfect 'nyotai' besides my 'overachieving' academic success." She replied and smiled before returning the talisman inside her pocket. "Having a perfect 'nyotai' along with a perfect academic score is bound to make you popular in school."
"I think you bought it just so you can say 'nyotai'. Besides those snacks in your bag won't help it that much."
"If we continue to indulge in mochi and snacks we'll just be fat together!" Gently, Hinata squeezed the sides of her own stomach. "Look Aoi, this all has to go somewhere one day!"
"It won't go anyway if you keep indulging in snacks every day, Hinata!" Aoi replied. She also recalled that Hinata bought a different talisman too. "Besides didn't you also buy another talisman?" She asked.
"Well..." Shyly she averted her look away from Aoi and faced the path down the trail. "It's just a gift ... let's go eat I am starving!"
"Oh - yeah... I am hungry too!" Aoi replied just as Hinata picked up the pace down the steps. She was puzzled as to why Hinata seemed to be secretive about the other talisman that she bought.
"Huh - I could have sworn that was a love talisman..."
***
The girls quickly arrived at the secluded rest area between the mountain peaks. Covered by the blossoming trees, the open space was furnished with wooden tables and benches, and crowded by visitors who've come for a rest or a hanami.
"Oooh... I remember this spot from last time!" Hinata happily announced as she checked the area for a free spot. "I wasn't really sure that there were any sakura trees up here, but I am so happy there are! Let's take this table over there." She pointed to an unoccupied table just close to the edge with a nice panoramic view of the forest below.
"Huh? If you weren't sure there were sakura trees then why suggest a hanami up here?"
"Aoi, where is your adventurous spirit? The wonder of adventures is when you expect the unexpected, and this place is perfect for a picnic!" Hinata replied with a guilty smile as she walked over to the bench and sat down. "We wouldn't have found out without our adventurous spirit."
Sitting across from her Aoi let out a sigh. "You silly girl..."
"Now let's see what you've prepared." Hinata eagerly wanted to dig into the food. "I am super hungry!"
Still sighing, Aoi unpacked her backpack and took out two large bento boxes carefully wrapped in cloth, and placed them on the wooden table. "Well, I didn't have much time to prepare anything special so..."
"Hmmmmm........ looks neatly packed... I wonder if what's inside is neatly prepared too..." Chuckling, Hinata was trying to imitate Aoi just like when she was criticizing her 'ancient Edo period egg recipe that made girls sexier' the day before.
"Oh shush 'sugar instead of salt', if this was a bento-making contest I would have won a gold medal!" Of course, Aoi pridefully would boast about her bento-making skills in front of Hinata, and being fairly proficient in cooking she always enjoyed learning new recipes. She always enjoyed herself whenever she cooked for her family or friends.
"Wait - before you open the boxes let's not forget the most important thing." Opening her large backpack, Hinata took out a small portable gas stove, an unopened water bottle, a packet of sakura tea, and two camping cups. "I bought sweet sakura tea at the supermarket yesterday, I'll make some for both of us and then we can eat."
"Ah nice, sweet sakura tea! It would go great with the food. And those camping cups with Fuji-chan are so cute!" Aoi happily remarked, just as Hinata started preparing the tea. Besides freeze-dried foods, Hinata also knew how to properly prepare tea and coffee.
"I know right? I bought a bunch of stuff at a cheap camping store with my dad last month and these cups are perfect to boil tea or coffee in as they are made of stainless steel. My dad has a lot of camping cups, but I just wanted some for myself with the cash I earned from tutoring. I also got two for Kokona with Gunma-chan on them."
After Hinata finished preparing the sweet sakura tea and set up the table, Aoi carefully unpacked the two large bento boxes to reveal what she prepared for their picnic.
"Hey for not having so much time to prepare, this looks amazing!" Hinata's eyes widely opened with happiness, it really did seem like Aoi's cooking always made her happy. "You've outdone yourself this time Aoi!"
"Well - as I said I didn't have much time to prepare, it's just really simple stuff." Aoi shyly smiled. "I read on the internet that it's traditional to celebrate the coming of spring with three colors - pink, orange, and red, so I started with pink-dyed onigiri with smoked salmon and sakuradai sushi. Afterward, I made the egg rolls and stir-fried chicken with vegetables. In the other box I just put some stuff I bought from the supermarket, I found fresh organic strawberries, sakura cookies and... Fine! I also go sakura mochi with red bean paste so sue me!" Shyly she finished presenting today's meal to Hinata who seemed to be drooling all this time and ready to dig in.
"It looks so delicious!" Hinata with a smile reached across the table and gave Aoi a big hug. "Thank you Aoi, this is so amazing!"
"Geez Hinata, it's really nothing special. I cook for you all the time, it's just like the bento boxes I always make for us to eat at school... besides you are just gonna tease me about the sakura mochi later..."
"I'll let it slide this time Aoi because I am sooo hungry." Hinata with a blush broke off from the hug, eager to dig into the food. "Thanks for the food!" she announced after grabbing a pair of disposable chopsticks and started stuffing her mouth with the stir-fried chicken.
Smiling, Aoi let out a sigh and also grabbed a pair of chopsticks. Seeing Hinata this happy always brought joy to Aoi, especially when she enjoyed eating her homemade food.
"Let's eat."
***
"Aoi, that was so delicious. The crispy chicken and the onigiri were my favorites so far." With a full stomach, Hinata let out a satisfied sigh after finishing the whole bento box together with Aoi. "You are such an excellent cook Aoi. I bet husbands would battle in a boxing ring for your hand in marriage."
"Thanks." Smiling, Aoi carefully packed the empty boxes and the trash in her backpack to dispose of them later. "I am so glad you enjoyed the meal... and ugh... I wish they wouldn't ever do that..."
"But I have to admit, the mochi your mom and dad made on new years eve was so much better than store-bought."
"Of course, they've been pounding mochi almost every year on new year's eve after their first visit to the shrine. It's kind of my mom and dad's thing I guess." Aoi replied setting aside her backpack on the bench beside her. "They got the hammer from my grandma because she used to do that on new year's eve too with grandpa when they were younger. My mom and dad seem to be continuing their tradition. They are so amusing to watch and she almost smashed my dad's hand this year. Geeze... that would have been so bad."
"Yes - your mom should teach us how to make our own mochi for next winter too!" Hinata suggested. "My mom and dad loved the mochi too."
"I wouldn't trust you with that hammer at all knowing what kind of a klutz you are." Aoi chuckled imagining the horrors of Hinata carrying a mochi hammer around, ready to pound rice into mochi. "You'd probably smash both my hands into mochi paste."
"Awwww... I would never do that! I'll protect your precious hands with all my might from the bad mochi hammer. Anyway - " Hinata spoke before she scoured through her backpack and took out a whole bag full of snacks that she bought at the supermarket and spread them across the whole table. "It's time for the mandatory sakura snacks - Look what I got!"
"Sakura pocky, sakura KitKat, sakura chocolate, sakura mint... did you rob the supermarket out of sakura-themed stuff?" Aoi asked as Hinata was already gluttonously digging into a bar of Sakura KitKat.
"Mmmhmm... it's tasty! Take anything you want Aoi, I bought so much already."
"Nah, I am completely full of strawberries and mochi. Also, the warm tea really filled me up too." Aoi gently rubbed her stomach, before she stared at Hinata as she dug into her snacks.
"She seems so happy to be up here." she thought to herself and blushed. "I am still kinda curious about the other talisman that she bought... I thought she was hiding it from me. What was that all about? Does she has someone she likes?"
Finding out Hinata's answer terrified her a little bit and she couldn't understand why. "I mean we are best friends so... I guess I should be happy if she has a boyfriend?" She has never discussed with Hinata if she ever had any love interests and Aoi was kind of anxious to speak to her about her feelings. If they were to go on adventures like this in the future, maybe she had to talk to her about it. "Ughh... why do I keep having these thoughts every day?" worriedly she glanced at Hinata who was enjoying eating the snacks she bought at the supermarket the day before. "Maybe... I have to talk to her about it... but... I am kinda afraid... Ughhh fine... I'll do it.... I'll do it!!!"
"Umm..." Hesitantly she softly started speaking. "Hinata..."
"Hey Aoi, do you remember this morning I told you that I have something perfect for sakura viewing?"
"Umm... yeah, I remember."
"Well check this out." Hinata started scouring her backpack and carefully pulled something out of it. "Tadaaa... do you know what this is? It's a hammock!"
"Ummm... Where did you get that?" Forgetting about her questions earlier, Aoi's curiosity sparked again as to what Hinata was up to this time.
"Remember earlier when I told you about the cheap store I bought those cups from? Well, I also bought this hammock there and I tested it at Mount Mitake. For a cheap hammock, it's really cool and sturdy."
"Do you know how to set it up? Is it even safe?" She asked while Hinata took the hammock to one of the large cedar trees and started tying it up on one end. "Do you need any help?"
"Nah I'll be fine, you did all the work with the tasty meal this morning - so this is my thanks to you. I bet no one has thought of viewing sakura trees inside a hammock." Hinata said as she got back to work, tying one end carefully before moving on to the other. "Oh, and it's totally safe. My dad fell asleep inside it for 2 hours and he is much heavier than both of us combined."
***
It took Hinata a few minutes of work to set up the hammock and test the knots to see if they are safe. "There - now to test it out." Taking out her shoes she carefully sat on the side of the hammock.
"Whoaaa it's like a swingset hahaha..." playfully Hinata made herself comfortable inside and spread her legs across the hammock trying to stabilize herself so she didn't flip over. "It's so relaxing, Aoi come join me!"
"Err... I don't know - isn't that for one person?" Aoi worriedly stepped towards the hammock so she could catch her careless friend if she flipped over. "What if it snaps and we fall down?"
"Haha it's fine, it's fine... this one has a maximum load of 130 kilograms. So, unless you put on weight we are perfectly safe." She kept giggling from inside the hammock as it gently swung around.
"Arghh Hinata, my weight is totally fine! You are the one who ate all those snacks earlier... you'd probably destroy the hammock with all that food inside you if you are not careful. Besides, I'll have to carry you to the cable car if you hurt yourself and we are really far away from Hannō..."
"Oh shush you worrywart!" Gently she reached out her hand and grabbed Aoi pulling her closer to the hammock. "Take off your shoes already and get in! We are late to look at the flowers!"
"Pfff - fine, but if we fall and hurt ourselves, I am so gonna be mad!" Carefully she took off her shoes and sat on the hammock trying to stabilize herself "Eeeppp... it's kinda scary!"
"Haha... it's not scary. It's almost like a swingset." Quickly she pulled Aoi inside the hammock and playfully embraced her.
"Eeeppp..." Aoi let out another worrisome sound as she found herself lying next to Hinata inside the hammock. Meeting Hinata's eyes so close to hers she couldn't help but blush again.
"And now she does something like this it's so embarrassing..." she thought to herself with her eyes closed.
"See, we are perfectly fine." Hinata kept trying to assure her. "It didn't snap at all, and if it does then your plump 'nyotai' will probably soften my land."
"Shut uuuuppp..." Aoi still held her eyes tightly shut and kept squirming inside the hammock.
***
Gradually Aoi started getting used to being inside the hammock after Hinata kept assuring her everything will be alright. Making themselves comfortable, she opened her eyes and stared at the blossoming trees above. It indeed felt like they were both floating on a comfortable cloud, just as Hinata described. The small sakura flowers appeared like pink fluffy clouds gently swimming across the sky, the gentle spring breeze making them dance.
"Oh... this was a nice surprise." Aoi's worries seemed to have gone away from the ultimate power of the hammock. "Also, I doubt we were the first ones to observe sakura trees inside a hammock."
"Haha, I told you this is awesome, and you were like HINATAAA WE ARE GONNA DIEEEE!"
"Oh, shush... I didn't say that."
"But, you gotta admit it's so comfortable and peaceful, I could stay like this all day!" Hinata replied as she gazed up at the sky with her blushed cheeks.
"Hey, Aoi - thanks for today." Letting out a soft sigh, she turned to face Aoi inside the hammock and smiled. "I really enjoy spending the day up here with you and your meal. I've wanted to suggest we go for a hanami for a while and climb up Mount Tsukuba again, but we were so busy with work, studying and all that... I feel bad that I put you through all that trouble of preparing the meal this morning."
"It's alright Hinata, I kinda realized yesterday that you were planning this for some time." Aoi let out a soft sigh, still transfixed on the beautiful flowers above her. "Besides, I felt a bit anxious these past weeks after we got separated in different classrooms. I kept reminding myself of the day when you left with your mom and dad...."
"Don't worry Aoi," Hinata spoke and gently held Aoi's hand. "I'll come to visit you every day for lunch and we always hang out after school and stuff."
"But, what if next year we don't share a classroom again?" Aoi asked. "What if we get separated again?"
"Aoi, even if we are in different classrooms it's a good opportunity to meet new friends and classmates. Even though Kaede is in a different year and class, we still hang out with her." Taking out her phone from her pocket, she unlocked it to show Aoi the photographs she took all day of them together on the mountain.
"Look, these photographs are all memories that I want to remember, and if one day we are separated for some reason, we can always look back on these precious memories that we made together. And check it out!" She opened the messaging application on her phone showing that she sent some of the photographs to Kaede earlier. "Kaede says hi and tells you to check your phone, she sent some pictures. Even if she is not with us today we can always hang out with our phones."
"Oh hehe... I completely forgot I need to check my phone. Maybe my mom called too..." Aoi replied as she looked up at Hinata's phone and indeed, there were photographs of her and her family standing in front of a large red pagoda.
"She wrote to me earlier that before they went to Osaka, they went on the pilgrimage route in Koyasan with her family and sent me pictures. I sent her pictures of us up here too. In a way, it's like she is also on a hanami here with us and we are there with her at Koyasan too." Hinata replied holding her phone up and showing the pictures to Aoi. "Even if she is in a different classroom she will always be our friend, it's the same with Kokona. And Kaede lives in a different city and we still hang out with her too."
"Oh wow - it looks so beautiful up there! Isn't Koyasan on our list to visit one day too?"
"Of course," Hinata said and smiled. "I think our list of places to visit together gets bigger and bigger every day and I hope we can scratch a place of it anytime we can. Oh and look - Kokona sent a selfie with her mom and the fishies in the back. I bet she is having a wonderful time in Enoshima." she turned on the camera on her phone. "I have an idea. Let's take a selfie of us in the hammock and send it to them. I'll name the photograph 'Hinata and Aoi reinvent sakura viewing'."
"Ahh... nooo it's kinda embarrassing!" Aoi said and covered her face with her hands, as Hinata embraced her and extended her arm for a selfie.
"Aoi, say cheese!" she grinned and gently tickled her.
"Hahaha... Noooooo Hinataaaa..."
Snapping a picture, Hinata got to keep yet another precious memory of them together.
(Latest revision 15th December 2022)
(Continued in Chapter 4)
