“Whoa, it’s so high!”
We were on the ropeway, climbing steadily higher as we gazed out the window.
The view was mostly a sea of trees, though a dam-like structure was visible on the far left. To the right, Kofu City peeked out from the distance.
In a matter of minutes, the ropeway reached the summit.
“Come on, Yamamoto! Let’s go, hurry!”
“Calm down, Hayashi. You’re the most hyped-up passenger here.”
For the record, there were young children on the ropeway with us.
However, Hayashi was enjoying the view with even more excitement than they were.
It wasn’t that she shouldn’t enjoy the spectacular scenery since we were on a trip, but I couldn’t deny that her reaction was a bit childish for a woman on the cusp of adulthood.
“It’s fine! I mean, it’s a trip, right?”
“Don’t you feel at all embarrassed?”
“Ahaha. Yamamoto, they say a traveler knows no shame, right?”
“They do, but…”
Even so, going out of your way to act like that… I wasn’t so sure.
“Alright. For now, let’s go get some soft serve.”
Hayashi licked her lips and gave me a wink.
Seriously, this girl was always driven by her stomach.
“Even so, a place to buy ice cream at a summit like this…”
“Right there.”
Despite her usual lack of direction, Hayashi found the summit shop faster than I did.
To be honest, I was a little exasperated.
“What flavor do you want, Yamamoto?”
“Let’s see.”
Exasperated or not, I was starting to feel a bit peckish, so I didn’t mind having something sweet.
I scanned the signs at the shop to decide on my order.
“Well, for now… maybe a frankfurter.”
“That’s not soft serve.”
“I can’t help it. I’m a little hungry.”
“...Well, if you’re hungry, I guess it can’t be helped.”
Hayashi was surprisingly tolerant about things like that.
“Excuse me!”
Hayashi called out to the clerk and ordered the soft serve and the frankfurter.
For some reason, she insisted on paying.
I offered to cover it, but she flat-out refused, saying it was because I was the one doing all the driving.
“Mmm! Delicious!”
“Yeah.”
I agreed with Hayashi, who flashed a cheerful smile, while secretly thinking that the quality was exactly what you’d expect from a tourist trap.
In short, the taste was ordinary.
However, perhaps because we were eating it in a special setting, the flavor felt a bit deeper than usual.
“Hey, Yamamoto.”
While I was lost in my own thoughts, Hayashi—who had finished her soft serve before I knew it—called out to me.
She certainly ate that quickly.
“...What?”
I had a slightly bad premonition.
“Your frankfurter looks really good.”
Good grief.
Why is it that my good premonitions never come true, but the bad ones hit the mark every single time?
“Then why don’t you buy another one?”
“No, no, because I’m… on a diet, you know?”
“You’re saying that right after finishing an ice cream?”
“I know, but that’s not the point, right?”
“No, it is. It definitely is.”
Well, I understood the feeling.
After eating something sweet, you get an irrepressible craving for something salty.
“...Is it really no good?”
“No way. Go buy your own.”
“Ehh… Well, I guess it can’t be helped. I’ll do that.”
“Hmm?”
She was being strangely obedient.
“...Yeah. Go ahead.”
“Gotcha!”
“Ah.”
Taking advantage of the moment I let my guard down, Hayashi lunged forward and chomped down on the frankfurter in my hand.
“...Hey.”
“It’s so good!”
I see. It’s good, is it?
“Sorry. I just really wanted a taste.”
“...Too late for apologies.”
“I said I’m sorry.”
“You suddenly leaned your face in like that—what if my hand had slipped and the skewer poked you in the eye?”
Honestly.
Pulling a dangerous stunt like that…
“...That’s what you’re worried about?”
“Huh? What else is there?”
“I mean, I took a bite of your food without permission.”
“And?”
“...But you just told me to buy my own a second ago.”
“That’s because I figured you wouldn’t be able to stop at just one bite anyway.”
“Well, you’ve got a point there…”
At least she admitted it.
“Then what? If I could have stopped at one bite, eating it wouldn’t have been a problem at all?”
“Yeah.”
“So casually… why are you like that?”
“Huh?”
Why was I the one being interrogated?
“It’s because this frankfurter was bought with your money, obviously.”
I was the one who had been treated to the food.
If the person who paid for it wanted a bite, it was only fair to comply.
“So, if you can restrain yourself to one bite, sharing my frankfurter isn't an issue.”
“...Whoa.”
“Just don’t do anything dangerous like that again.”
“...Got it.”
She didn't look entirely convinced, but Hayashi nodded.
“Haha…”
“What is it, Hayashi? Why are you laughing all of a sudden?”
“Nothing, I just thought you’re the same as always.”
“Huh?”
I didn’t understand what it was about me that she saw as "the same as always."
“Well, that’s one of your good qualities.”
“...Thanks for that, I guess.”
“Hehe.”
Hayashi covered her mouth, looking amused.
“Well, for now…”
Then, she smiled at me.
“I’m going to go buy another frankfurter!”
“So you couldn’t stop at just one bite after all.”