Tokyo: Am I the only male tenant?

"The village's name comes from the Ainu language, which means "a river flowing back." The area is 114 square meters, about half the size of Otaru City, but the population is about 2,000, which is only about one-sixtieth of Otaru's."

"The main industry is agriculture, and the agricultural products are potatoes, lily roots, white radishes, carrots... Dairying seems to be well developed as well."

"The population is two thousand?"

Since I didn't know Miss Reiko Miura's address, even though the number of 2,000 people was nothing compared to Tokyo, it was still too many to find just one person.

The bus continued along the wide road, and just as we had seen from the train, there was still some snow on Mt. Yotei.

"I don't know where Shinkariki Village is, but it should be okay to get off at Shinkariki, right?"

"Besides this...Sousuke, where are we going to stay today?"

Kana Kobayakawa said while holding her cell phone.

"I looked up 'Makkari Village Accommodation' and it seems there are some youth hostels, backpacker guesthouses, B&Bs, etc., as well as camping sites and village halls."

“Although it’s a small village, it’s summer vacation now, so it’s hard to predict whether there will be vacancies.”

"Just like when renting a car, I hope there won't be any vacancies."

"Shinkari, we're here. Passengers who want to get off, please press the bell."

After hearing the broadcast and looking out the window, they were gradually approaching Mount Yotei, which was still covered with snow.

"Is this the Shinkariya Village?"

In front of the two people carrying backpacks, the bus drove away quickly, puffing smoke.

This is Shinkari Station, which should be the center of the village.

But the wide road was surrounded by endless fields and dense woods, with what seemed to be houses or buildings located in between.

It was my first time visiting a place that had never been introduced to me. I didn’t know where to go or where to stay, and I couldn’t even tell the direction.

Right before their eyes was a convenience store that was also common in Tokyo. Although it was funny, this convenience store seemed to be their only salvation in this strange land.

"Wow, Sousuke, Mt. Yotei is right up ahead!"

Ginjō turned around because of Kobayakawa Kana's voice, and in an instant, the uneasy haze in his chest disappeared.

"Really..."

Compared to when I saw it in Kutchan, Mt. Yotei is closer.

It's so close that you can almost touch the foot of the mountain, and the coolness of the snow can penetrate your eyes.

Because of this, my heart was so excited that I couldn't speak, and I just stared at the majestic and magnificent scene.

Shinkariya Village is a village at the foot of Mt. Yotei.

Although I know nothing about this tiny village, it must be a great place to be surrounded by such majestic mountains.

Ginjo Sousuke suddenly had such a premonition.

“It feels great, like no matter where you go, you can always find Mt. Yotei.”

Kana Kobayakawa's voice was also jumping with excitement.

"Okay, in order to find my aunt's whereabouts, we first need to decide where to stay."

"Sousuke, this B&B looks pretty good."

Ginjo leaned over to look at the screen on the phone that Kana Kobayakawa handed over.

The screen shows the B&B's website, and the name displayed is "Rusutsu no Miyako".

The photo shows a log cabin-style building with the snow-covered Mt. Yotei in the background.

"According to the introduction on the website, there are three rooms here, which can accommodate up to ten people. Although it's a bit small, it looks very stable. How about we stay here for one night?"

"With breakfast it's 5,500 yen, without it it's 4,500 yen."

"The price is very fair. OK, let's call and ask first."

Ginjo Sousuke immediately called the number reserved on the website, but──

"We're not home right now, but we'll be back soon, if..."

What I heard was a voice message.

"Isn't today a public holiday?"

“Does the accommodation have any holidays?”

"This kind of small village may have different customs from those in the city, but they said they'll be back soon, so it's okay to just go there."

"That's true. It seems there is no other way now. Well, let me see. Should we go this way?"

Kana Kobayakawa, who was searching the map while talking, suddenly opened her mouth in a daze. Ginjō leaned over to take a look and showed the same expression.

The time displayed on the navigation software is - forty minutes of walking.

"Four...ten minutes...?"

The extremely accurate map app should not be wrong. The two of them looked in the direction indicated by the navigation. In front of them was a road spread across the vast land, extending to an unknown place.

"This is truly a land of trials..."

However, if they just stayed there stupidly, the hotel would not come to greet them, and the forty-minute hike would not be shortened.

"Anyway, Sousuke, right before our eyes is the friend of the poor and destitute—the convenience store."

Kana Kobayakawa raised her head as if she had made up her mind.

"Shall we buy some food and other things before heading over there?"

Yincheng was about to ask why they had to buy food, but then he remembered that the B&B they were going to only provided breakfast, just as the name suggested, it was only Bed & Breakfast.

The two of them, holding a plastic bag from a convenience store in one hand and carrying a large backpack, set off on the road to the B&B.

Fortunately, the summer in Hokkaido is not as unbearably hot as in Tokyo. Ginjo looked up at the cloudless sky and squinted his eyes because of the scorching sunlight.

But no matter where they went, their location displayed on the map app did not change, which made people wonder if it was not just the weather, but whether the scale here was also different from that in Tokyo?

"Zong, Zongsuke."

Kana Kobayakawa gasped and was the first to raise the white flag of surrender. Considering the difference in physical strength between the two, this was expected.

"Don't worry about me, just go down the mountain first..."

"Kana, you must have misunderstood. Even though there is a mountain in front of us, we haven't even climbed up yet."

Sosuke Ginjo walked up to Kana Kobayakawa who was squatting in the corner of the sidewalk and told her the cruel truth.

"How about it, Kana, do you want to take a break?"

"It's all because I stood on the balcony for too long yesterday... so I don't have much energy now..."

Kana Kobayakawa stood on the balcony for more than thirty minutes last night, keeping herself tense. In order to match Ginjō's height, she had to stand on tiptoe from time to time.

The result was that her calves became a little sore. It was okay when she was riding in the car, but once she walked for a long time, she would feel unable to do it.

"I think it's because you're carrying too much luggage."

"Women need to carry a lot of things when they go out..."

Ginjo said nothing more as he handed her the convenience store bag and slung her luggage over his shoulder.

"Ah, no need, I'll just carry it myself, Sosuke."

"Don't be so stubborn, Kana. You won't be able to walk there even at night with this much weight on your back."

Although Kana Kobayakawa felt a little embarrassed, she had no choice but to do so in order for the two of them to reach their accommodation safely.

They alternated between looking at the map on their phones and continuing to walk forward, occasionally crossing a national highway that looked suitable for driving, and then just kept walking and walking.

Finally, after a little bit of time passed, the huge torii gate standing at the entrance of the narrow road appeared.

Surrounding both sides of the road are the charming lavender flowers of pale purple that you have also seen in Kutchan.

If you keep walking along this road, you will probably reach the B&B at your destination.

Although the temperature here was quite pleasant, Yincheng began to sweat after walking for such a long time.

He took off his sunshade straw hat and wiped his forehead with his hand. Kana Kobayakawa also stopped to drink some water. They were getting closer and closer to Mount Yotei.

"Finally... we're here..."

After walking along the road for a while, they saw the small log cabin-style building they had seen on the website.

The two men staggered into the unwalled hotel grounds with their luggage and climbed up the stairs to the cabin's entrance, but the glass door at the entrance was closed.

Ginjo Sousuke turned the doorknob, but it was locked.

"Excuse me, is anyone there?"

He tried to shout inside, but got no response.

After using both physical and verbal methods, they had no choice but to dial the same number again.

I heard the phone ringing in the house, and I thought it must be them calling...

After the call was disconnected, the ringing stopped and Kana Kobayakawa drooped her shoulders as if she had lost all her energy.

"They are indeed taking a rest."

"Excuse me, are you a guest of Rusutsu no Mitsuru?"

Following the sound, they turned around and saw a man working in a nearby field looking at the two of them.

"Ah, yes, we called before, but there was only a voicemail."

"At this time, I should go walk the dog."

"Walking the dog?"

"Because this is a small village, I roughly know everyone's schedule."

"The master should be back soon, don't worry, just wait a moment."

After the uncle finished speaking to them, he waved his hand and returned to the field.

It seemed there was no other way, so the two men had to unload their luggage and sit on the steps at the entrance of the cabin and wait.

The sky was blue, and there was nothing blocking the view. Looking out, there was a field that had just been plowed. The tiller was rumbling as it went along, and the sound was so loud that it seemed to reach the top of Mount Yotei.

"It feels...very comfortable..."