Chapter 178 Good friends for life!

The sun is shining brightly.

Although the sky is a refreshing blue, it still cannot hide the fact that today's temperature is uncomfortable.

After arranging accommodation in Sapporo, Jiuhuayue immediately took a bus to the great plain at the foot of the mountain in the southwest of Sapporo.

That is the foot of Mt. Moiwa.

Mt. Moiwa is also a famous tourist attraction in Sapporo.

From the top of the mountain, you can not only overlook the chessboard-shaped Sapporo cityscape, but also see the Ishikari Plain, Ishikari Bay, and the spectacular and vast Shikotsu Lake and Mount Eniwa.

Everything is good here, but it's too hot today.

After meeting up with Chitose Haruki, Shinharu Matsumae and the others at the foot of the mountain, Rinka Hiiragi noticed that the temperature was a bit too high, and whispered, "How about we come over to play tomorrow?"

"No, no, no, no!"

Yang Kui Chitose quickly raised her hand, and everyone looked at her, "I checked the weather yesterday when I was preparing to go out, and it will be even hotter tomorrow."

Shinchun Matsumae, wearing a light brown bowler hat, raised his chin, nodded and said:

"Teacher Fujii only gave us two days of vacation. If we give up today, it means we have to give up tomorrow as well."

Everyone looked at each other.

Yang Kui Chitose squatted under the eaves and reached out to touch the cement floor scorched by the sun.

It was as hot as a red-hot iron plate.

Throw an egg on it and it will definitely be cooked!

Ok.

She was a little discouraged.

"Do we have to climb the mountain?"

Matsumae Shinchun immediately came out and said, "After all, this was a plan that was decided yesterday. If it were to be changed at the last minute, I think everyone might lose interest."

"That's true. We chatted in the group for so long yesterday but didn't come up with anything."

Yang Kui Chitose clapped her hands and stood up, without any objection.

At this time, Jiuhuayue looked at Matsumae Xinchun again.

A few people bought a few bottles of ice water at the vending machine and gathered at the door of the ramen shop to discuss for a while.

Finally decided to continue climbing.

They waited for an hour at the foot of the mountain, preparing to set off after the sun became smaller.

Mount Moiwa is not high, with an altitude of only over 500 meters.

It is a height that even a junior high school student can climb easily.

Because the sun was a bit strong, Shinchun Matsumae rented a few bicycles for everyone to go up the mountain at the starting point.

Wait until you reach a section of the road where bicycles cannot go up, and then climb the mountain side by side.

The yellow leaves are brilliant and the red leaves are glorious along the way.

Whenever he sees a small and exquisite Buddha statue on the roadside, Matsumae Shinchun would stop and put his hands together to worship it.

"Strange, isn't there a shrine dedicated to Shinto in Kokoharu-chan's home? Why do you have to worship Buddha statues when you see them?"

Matsumae Shinchun put down his clasped hands and explained with a smile:

"Although the two religions have different beliefs and had disputes in the past, they are now being spread on the same land. If we happen to meet them, we will regard them as friendly religions and show them respect. In the words of my aunt, this is 'the harmony of gods and Buddhas'."

"I don't quite understand." Yang Kui Chitose scratched his head.

"It's okay, it's not a big deal. Chitose just needs to understand the core principle."

"."

What is the core principle?
How can Xinchun speak in a foggy way?
I have doubts in my heart, but Chitose Yangkui will definitely not ask directly.

Jiuhuayue and Linhua are still around!

Who likes to be looked down upon!
Therefore, Yang Kui Chitose chose to wait for a while, then took the initiative to approach Matsumae Shinharu and asked quietly:
"Xinchun, Xinchun, what exactly is the truth of what you just said?"

At this time, Jiuhuayue, who was walking in front with a trekking pole, spoke:

"I guess what Xinchun wants to say is that even though everyone had conflicts in the past, now everyone exists on the same 'land' and is nourished by the same land. In this case, everyone should learn to be friendly to each other and learn to live in harmony. Right?"

After saying that, Jiuhuayue turned around and looked at Songqian Xinchun.

Matsumae Shinharu looked forward, met the purple eyes of her childhood friend, and smiled:
"Xiaoyue is right. Fighting will only lead to more meaningless injuries."

Jiuhuayue withdrew her gaze and continued forward.

After hearing this, Yang Kui Chitose nodded repeatedly with an expression that said "I got it, I got it."

Hiiragi Rinka was secretly sighing at how amazing Kokoharu was.
She could use any random thing she talked about to imply the relationship between her and Xiaoyue.

And she told Xiaoyue what she was thinking very naturally.

perhaps
Should I tell Kokoharu-chan that Chitose and Satsuki both like Fujii-sensei?

If Xinchun-chan is so smart.
Maybe there is a way to resolve the irreconcilable conflicts between us.

Rinka Hiiragi secretly looked at Shinharu Matsumae from behind.

All the way up.

Mount Moiwa is less than a two-hour journey and is shaded by trees.

Occasionally there is a cool breeze blowing halfway up the mountain, which is quite refreshing.

But the scorching sun in the sky is still unreasonable.

Halfway up the mountain.

Jiuhuayue began to feel exhausted.

I've finished drinking the water.

Sweat was beading on my forehead and my head was feeling a little light-headed.

Several people walked to a slope.

As Jiuhuayue was walking, she accidentally stepped on some gravel, and her trekking pole was not stable enough, so she fell down accidentally.

Hiiragi Rinka, who was following behind, hurriedly shouted, "Xiaoyue, be careful!", but it was too late.

At the critical moment, it was Matsumae Shinchun, who was in front, who grabbed Jiuhuayue's hand and prevented her from falling.

When Matsumae Shinchun reached out and grabbed Jiuhuayue, Jiuhuayue raised her head and looked at her.

The two of them kept looking at each other like this for a while.

Jiuhuayue turned her gaze away on her own initiative.

This kind of hero-saving-the-beauty plot, which is so common in musicals, she never thought it would actually happen to her one day.
The other person turned out to be his childhood playmate and childhood sweetheart.
Although wrestling can't be considered a hero saving a beautiful girl,
"Are you okay?"

".Thanks."

Jiuhuayue saw tenderness and concern in Matsumae Shinchun's expression, and immediately stood up again with the help of her trekking pole.

Chitose Yang Aoi, who was at the front, also turned back to express her concern and greetings, and so did Rinka Hiiragi.

"It's okay, don't worry, everyone. I didn't fall."

Jiuhuayue spoke repeatedly to dispel the worries of her friends.

Yang Kui Chitose looked at her face and complained, "Xiao Jiuhua, you seem to be in poor physical condition. How come you can't even beat Rinka-chan?"

Hiiragi Rinka blushed at the side, "Chi-Chi-Chi-Tsui-chan is too much!"

"Haha~ Don't mind it, don't mind it, but what I said is the truth."

".I haven't exercised much recently," Jiu Huayue continued the previous topic, "The most important problem is that I have finished drinking the water."

"Have you finished your water?"

"Ah."

"Tell us when you're done drinking! Why not tell us?"

"."

Jiu Huayue did not choose to answer, she did not know how she should answer this question.

"I'll give mine to you, Xiaoyue."

".Well, thank you." The wrestling didn't delay them for too long on the road.

Jiuhuayue walked on the road, following behind Songqian Xinchun. The leaves on the mountain road rustled under their feet.

She kept thinking about what had just happened.

The scene where Xinchun reached out and grabbed me just now.

I was about to fall, and not only Koharu and Rinka, but even Haruki Chitose, who hated me the most, came to ask about my condition.

Everyone's concern for themselves is genuine.
Unlike their proactive friendliness, I ran out of water without even telling them.
Does this prove that I still have some grudges against everyone in my heart?

That day, I did agree to reconcile and took the initiative to act like I was trying to reconcile.

But in my heart, it is always.
Jiuhuayue couldn't help but close her eyes.

The girl sighed inwardly.

Maybe it’s hard for me to make friends because the wall inside me is too big?
Be wary of everyone
I don't want to ask for help from anyone at all.
Jiuhuayue was still looking at Matsumae Shinchun's back.

I always feel
Myself and her
Still not completely reconciled.

*
After climbing all the way up the mountain, the group finally arrived at the observation deck together.

The view from the observatory was worth the effort of nearly two hours of climbing.

Fragrant lotus trees, mountain cherry trees, linden trees, and water hyacinth trees are scattered among the mountains.

The entire Sapporo city, which is as big as a chessboard, can be seen from a glance, including the Ishikari Plain, Ishikari Bay, Lake Shikotsu, and Mount Eniwa.

The breeze blows.

The hair sways in the mountain breeze.

Really open-minded.

After two hours under the scorching sun, even Yang Kui Chitose, who had the best physical strength among the group, was exhausted.

As soon as she reached the top of the mountain, she couldn't help but hold her mouth and shouted loudly to the mountain range, "Hey——!"

Then she happily pulled everyone along.

"Qian Qiansui, there are so many people around, why don't we just forget it."

"No! Rinka, you are just too timid to say anything. Come on, shout with me now!"

"No way!"

Yang Kui Chitose pulled hard, and Hiiragi Rinka shook her head vigorously. The way the two pulled attracted many tourists around to watch.

Jiuhuayue was sitting on a bench nearby, and couldn't help but smile as she watched.

"It must be nice to go hiking together, right?"

Jiuhuayue saw the soda pop appearing in front of her, and then she looked at Matsumae Xinchun who was extending her hand to her.

"I bought it at the teahouse on the top of the mountain."

"."

Jiuhuayue chose to take it, and Matsumae Xinchun then sat down next to her.

They both looked at Chitose and Rinka on the observation deck.

"Just now."

“I used to come here quite often.”

"why."

"Xiaoyue, don't you think the scenery here is very similar to the scenery we saw at the shrine when we were young? Both are at the top of the mountain, and both can see the entire Sapporo city."

Jiu Huayue stared at the reflection in the bottle of soda.

"Xiaoyue, what I looked forward to most in my life was when my uncle brought you to my house to play. Because you would always find me first, and at that time I was either learning about sacrifices or learning complicated family etiquette.

".I didn't hate these things in the past, let alone like them. I just let them be. I did whatever my aunt taught me to do, and I followed whatever my aunt told me to do. I always heard about the sense of responsibility of the "Matsumae family" and so on.

"I was taught from a young age that I was the eldest daughter of the Matsumae family, and I lived a life that was not mine according to this identity. Only you, Xiaoyue, took the initiative to take me to break the family lessons that I never dared to break, to the restricted area in the back mountain that I never dared to go to, to take me to play, to take me to the back mountain to see the scene that was almost exactly the same as the one in front of me.
"Xiaoyue, so I am happy that you can choose to accept me again."

"."

Jiuhuayue listened to every word of Matsumae Shinchun's words without missing a single one.

The tone was not calm, let alone sad, but rather there was some joy hidden in his heart.

".I deliberately ignored you before, Xinchun, you must feel very uncomfortable, right?"

"Yes. But——" Matsumae Shinchun turned around and said with a smile:

"Luckily, it turned out well now, right? Chitose, Rinka, everyone has become good friends.

"Although we have had conflicts in the past, we are all kind-hearted and have the same goal to strive for. As long as we work together, we can not only win this county competition, but also the next Hokkaido representative competition and even the national competition. No——"

Matsumae Shinharu suddenly changed the subject.

"It will definitely succeed!"

She said firmly, and then put her hand on Jiuhuayue's hand.

The folded hands are extremely warm.

Jiuhuayue could feel her warmth and the firmness she conveyed both in her words and actions.

What kind of experience is this?
Jiuhuayue couldn't tell.

I really can't say it.

But when I heard these words, I couldn't help but smile.

My heart kept telling myself...

correct!

That’s right, what’s a mere national competition? No problem!

Emotionally.

The bottle of soda also sparkled in the sunlight.

Jiuhuayue took the initiative to hold Matsumae Xinchun's hand, then looked at her and smiled.

"Xiaoyue?"

"Okay, I did think too much before. But now I can be absolutely sure that your heart for me as a good friend is definitely more precious than gold. It would be petty of me to care about the past."

Jiuhuayue took a deep breath and smiled towards the blue sky with white clouds floating in it.

"In that case, our reconciliation should be more formal, right?"

When Matsumae Shinchun saw Jiuhuayue extending her hand, she couldn't believe that Jiuhuayue would treat her so sincerely. After hesitating for a moment, she shook hands with hers.

"So now Xinchun is my sincere and good friend, right?"

"."

"Xinchun?"

".Of course!"

Matsumae Shinchun hesitated at first, but after seeing the smile that Jiuhuayue showed him, he agreed.

"Xinchun! Yue! Why are you two still sitting there? Come over here and take a picture!"

"Let's go, Xiaoyue."

Matsumae Shinchun smiled at Jiuhuayue, then pulled her and walked to Chitose and Rinka.

The four of them gathered together and happily discussed poses for taking photos.

Finally, a pose was chosen where all four of them held hands.

Jiuhuayue and Yangkui Chitose are at the far right and left respectively, and in the middle are Matsumae Shinharu and Hiiragi Rinka.

The four asked a passerby to help take photos, and then
"get ready!"

There was a click.

The four of them took a group photo together at the top of Mt. Moiwa, signed with "Lifelong friends!"

Good friends for life.

Rinka Hiiragi faced the camera of the mobile phone and tightly held the hands of her good friends on both sides.

Is this the happiest moment in my life?
Best friends for life
Um.
It must be “a lifetime”!
Do not!
It must be “a lifetime”!
(End of this chapter)