Having arrived at our destination, we hauled the rubber boat up onto the riverbank and began preparing to move out. Since we were planning to take the mountain trail back, we wouldn't be rafting back down.
We were set to hike the mountain paths for the property viewing, but honestly, I couldn't help but think it would be much faster to just head back down the river.
"Could you at least wipe the moisture off the boat?" Yuta-san asked. "If you pack it away while it’s soaking wet, mold will grow or the fabric might stick together."
"Understood. Oh, but in that case, wouldn't it be better to wipe it down and leave it out to sun-dry for a while?" I suggested. "I think it’ll dry completely if we leave it out while we’re doing the viewing."
"Hmm, that would be fine, but... the entrance to the land route back is right on the opposite side of the mountain. Wouldn’t that mean making a double trip?"
Yuta-san gave a hesitant smile as he pointed toward the far side of the mountain where he believed the trail began. I had to admit, having to trek all the way back around the mountain just to get the boat sounded like a chore.
However...
"It’s only halfway around the base, so I don't think it'll take much time. Don't worry about it," I said. "Besides, if we’re viewing the property, we’ll probably end up circling the mountain and coming back toward this side anyway, right? It might be better to let it dry."
"I suppose you're right."
With a somewhat conflicted expression, Yuta-san pulled out a map of the mountain and showed it to us.
"Well, see, the points I wanted to show you for this viewing are mostly concentrated on the opposite side. My plan was to have you take a quick look at this side, then focus on the other half. After that, we’d head straight back via the land route... that was the idea."
"Are there not many highlights on this side?"
"This side is mainly the pier used for transporting timber. Since it would be a disaster if the buildings were submerged when the river rises like this, they concentrated everything on the opposite side."
"Ah, I see. Certainly, if there’s heavy rain... even if it doesn't reach full-blown flood levels, getting inundated would be a major problem."
I didn't know exactly how far the damage would spread in a real flood, but I could understand why they’d concentrate the facilities on the side away from the river as a preventative measure.
"So, that’s why there isn't much to see on this side. There aren't many dangerous areas like landslide zones either, so a quick walk-through should be enough."
"In that case, it does make sense to pack the boat up now."
"Exactly. So... what do you want to do?"
I considered our options. Judging by how it felt when we assembled it, the rubber boat didn't seem like it would be much trouble to pack away. With two of us, it should only take a few minutes. If this had been salt water in the ocean or if the boat had an engine, cleanup would be a pain, but this was a simple hand-rowed boat on a river. Considering our travel speed versus the packing time, I figured we could finish the work in about ten minutes even if we were on the opposite side of the mountain.
"I don't think packing it up will be much trouble," I decided. "Let's leave it to dry rather than putting it away half-damp. Even if we have to come back for it, it won't take long."
"All right... I'll leave it to you then. Dry is definitely better than damp."
"Understood."
Perhaps remembering the incident where we bought the shovels, Yuta-san gave a slightly apologetic look as he agreed to our plan.
Once the decision was made, we wiped down the boat with towels, placed it in a sunny spot, and tied it to a tree with rope so it wouldn't blow away. It would be a nightmare if we came back to find our boat had been blown into the river and washed away.
After setting the boat out to dry, we stepped into the woods to begin the viewing. Although the undergrowth was wild, the mountain had been planted for forestry, so the trees were spaced at regular intervals. It didn't feel like a chaotic, overgrown thicket.
That said, the underbrush was still high enough that we had to hack our way through, which made walking a bit of a slog.
"The trees around here were all planted," Yuta-san explained. "They’ve been left without thinning or maintenance for a long time, so if you intend to revive this as a forestry mountain, you’ll have to put in some work. However, given how old they are, I think you could get a decent price for the timber if you felled them and hauled them out."
"Does that mean if we clear-cut the whole thing, we could recoup the purchase price?" Yuji asked.
"Hmm, if you’re asking if it’s possible, then yes—but I wouldn't sell to someone who would actually do that. Putting aside the environmental destruction, a bald mountain is just asking for landslides and debris flows. I don't want to be an accomplice to a man-made disaster."
If he sold the land while having a faint inkling that the buyer might do something like that, it wouldn't sit well with him. Even if there were no legal consequences, it would be a moral failure. Not to mention the risk of bad PR ruining the company's reputation.
"Well, that makes sense," Yuji noted. "Reckless development leads to accidents. 'Develop moderately while making use of the existing environment'—is that the gist of it?"
"That’s the ideal, at least. Though it's a difficult thing to achieve if you're purely chasing profit."
"So the compromise for developing remote areas like this is to avoid inducing disasters and prevent environmental pollution?"
"Yeah, I suppose that’s the sweet spot..."
As they walked the trail, Yuji and Yuta-san discussed the ethics of eco-friendly development in remote forest areas. Wait, why did the conversation turn so serious just because we're talking about trees?
Listening to the conversation take an unexpectedly deep turn, I tilted my head and kept hacking away at the undergrowth.
"We’ll reach the summit in a bit," Yuta-san announced.
"It's not very high compared to the first mountain," I noted.
"The other one was narrow and steep, while this one is wide and low. A sharp peak versus a gentle slope, I suppose? In terms of surface area, they’re actually quite similar."
"Preferences will probably come down to what the buyer wants to build," Yuji said.
"Exactly. For a villa, the first one would be for a view, and the second would be for space. The uses are distinct."
"I see. If you have a clear purpose in mind, it seems like an easy choice."
In our case, since we wanted a training ground, the first mountain seemed better suited to our needs. But from an explorer's perspective, a steep slope isn't much of a challenge once you’re moving, so maybe a spacious training ground would be better?...Wait, even with a clear purpose, I was starting to feel torn.
As I pondered the problem, Yuta-san spoke up.
"Ah, here's the summit."
Just as he said, the slope leveled out into a flat area. This was apparently the top of the mountain. There was nothing special here; it was so overgrown with trees that you couldn't see the view below at all. If you wanted to see the scenery, you'd have to clear some of the trees near the peak.
Even if we could see, it was just mountains in every direction, so there probably wasn't much of a view to begin with.
"So this is the summit. It really isn't that high."
"Yeah, it's a little over a hundred meters. It's much lower than the first mountain, but that just means the base is wider."
"The incline wasn't too bad either. I can see what you meant about building a spacious villa."
I got the picture. This mountain was like those hills they clear out for new housing developments. It would require some leveling, but you could build quite a few structures here. By contrast, the first mountain was so steep that any large building would have to be a multi-tiered lodge built into the side of the slope.
Either would work for buildings, but the first mountain felt like a site for a small-scale retreat, while the second felt suited for a large-scale training facility.
"Shall we head down then? On the other side, there are ruins of various old facilities."
"By ruins, do you mean work sheds and things like that?"
"Yes. There are also old well sites. It’s pretty similar to the first mountain."
"Well, they were both forestry mountains, so I guess the infrastructure would be similar."
So it was like the first one. I’d been hoping for something unique, like an old pottery kiln or charcoal pit, but from the way Yuta-san spoke, I shouldn't get my hopes up. Maybe we could build one ourselves as part of our skill practice.
Lost in thought, I followed Yuta-san’s lead as we began our descent.
On the way down, a stag appeared, blocking our path with a resolute expression even as its legs visibly trembled. I could sense a group of animals—likely its herd—moving quickly away toward the bottom of the slope behind it.
This meant... it was happening again, wasn't it?
"..."
" " " "..." " " "
The stag looked us straight in the eye, then slowly rolled onto its back and closed its eyes. It was the return of the belly-up boar.
Since this was the second time today, Yuta-san, who was barely maintaining his composure, turned a strained look toward us.
"...Um."
"Please, don't say a word," Yuji whispered.
"Oh, right."
Yuji, sensing what Yuta-san wanted to say, held up a hand to stop him while massaging the bridge of his nose with the other. Hiiragi-san and I were doing exactly the same thing.
Why does it always come to this?
"This is that, isn't it?" I muttered. "The 'I'll sacrifice myself, so please spare the herd' thing."
"Yeah, probably," Yuji sighed. "I don't feel a shred of hostility from that stag. If anything, I feel a sense of... resignation? Resolve?"
"I think... no, I'm certain you two are right," Hiiragi-san added.
Faced with the stag lying motionless on its back, our opinions were unanimous. How did we end up in this situation twice in one day?! It’s not like we’re walking around radiating bloodlust! What is it about us that makes them do this?!
To be honest, dealing with animals that have made this kind of resolution is far more exhausting than visiting remote properties. Especially for our mental health!
"Ah, Shika-kun? I hate to ruin the mood, but we have no intention of attacking you," Yuji said, trying to talk to the stag as he had with the previous animals. "You can stop with the belly-up pose. We aren't going to pounce on you. Please stop... it’s making me feel incredibly awkward just looking at you..."
"..."
The stag didn't budge. Its eyes remained tightly shut, as if to demonstrate that its resolve was unshakable.
I thought about just walking past, but I had a feeling that if we tried to move on without resolving this, the stag would eventually attack us in a suicidal frenzy. If that happened, there would be no way to talk it down.
"We won't touch your herd, and we won't mess with your territory," Yuji continued. "We just want to look around the mountain. I promise we won't do anything if you just leave."
"..."
Whether Yuji's persuasion reached it or not, the stag opened its eyes and gave us a slightly suspicious look. Then, it gave a small, quick bow of its head before bolting down the mountain. It was likely heading off to rejoin the herd that had fled earlier.
Once the stag was gone, we all let out a collective sigh, trying to vent the heavy feeling in our chests. Twice in one day was just too much.
"Seriously... why does this keep happening?"
"Who knows? Maybe to wild animals, we look like something terrifying."
"We were just walking through the woods," Hiiragi-san lamented. "What could we possibly look like to them...?"
"..."
Hearing our complaints, Yuta-san looked like he wanted to say something, but he swallowed his words and averted his eyes. I had a pretty good idea what he was thinking, but I was silently grateful he didn't say it out loud. Hearing the truth would have been even more painful.
After a short break to recover our spirits, we resumed our descent.
"We’re almost at the cabin ruins," Yuta-san said. "Though as I said, it’s mostly just a cleared plaza now."
"If there used to be a cabin there, does that mean it’s a good spot for a building?"
"Yeah, probably. It’s high enough that it wouldn't be submerged even if the river flooded at the base of the mountain. There are several other cleared spots below that as well; they likely went through a lot of trial and error to find the best location."
"I see. Then if we build a new shed, we should probably use the same spot. Borrowing the wisdom of the pioneers."
"Exactly. There’s usually a reason why things were built where they were..."
The ruins we arrived at were located between the base and the middle of the mountain. As expected, the elevation was likely a countermeasure against the river.
There was nothing left of the original structure; it was just a flat, cleared space in the woods.
Between the property and the consecutive belly-up attacks from the wildlife, the mental fatigue was starting to pile up...