We left the Oku-no-In and kept climbing toward the summit. The initial enjoyment had drained — distance was long.
Riona, low on stamina, was visibly gassed. We’d been climbing for over an hour since leaving the main shrine — fair.
”…My limit.”
“Just a bit more on the stairs, hang in.”
“We’ll rest at the top of the stairs.”
Reona and I cheered Riona on. The current staircase was steep, which compounded the fatigue. We crested it and emerged onto a wider clearing.
This was Yotsutsuji — a small plaza with benches and people resting on them.
“I’ll grab drinks, sit.”
“Ryouya, thanks.”
“I’ll take you up on it.”
“Picking what I think you’ll like.”
I was tired too, but I figured the gentleman move applied. Even a loner can manage buy drinks for tired girls. I wanted to look slightly cool — let’s keep that between us.
At the vending machine I saw the prices and yelped.
“Water is over 200 yen.”
Everything else was 200+ too; cola was nearly 300. Twice the lowland prices.
The cost of getting drinks up the mountain explained it, but still. Saying nothing and just buying was the cooler move, so I bought silently.
I brought the drinks back. The three of us drank.
“Restored.”
“Yeah, was getting parched.”
“Good.”
Riona, depleted moments ago, was visibly revived. Summit was still a hike, but we’d make it.
“Realizing too late — the view is gorgeous.”
“Yeah, too tired earlier to notice, but yes, it’s incredible.”
“You can see all of Kyoto City. Best photo spot on the climb.”
“Riona’s fully recovered.”
I watched Riona photograph the view with shining eyes. Despite them being twins, in moments like this Reona felt distinctly older.
Rested, we resumed the climb. The path stayed steep — by the time we hit the summit all three of us were destroyed.
“Summit.”
“That was long.”
“Today alone wiped out a week’s worth of energy…”
“A week’s worth is oddly specific.”
The summit view was, honestly, underwhelming. The 233m elevation had set my expectations higher; the view from Yotsutsuji had been better. Disappointing.
Reona and Riona looked similarly nonplussed. We photographed in front of the Summit sign, prayed at Kamisha Shinseki.
“Look — free omikuji over there.”
“Free? That’s rare.”
“Three-person draw.”
We pulled fortunes.
“I got daikichi (great blessing).”
“Mine says… kyō-go-daikichi (curse, then great blessing)?”
Reona was thrilled with her great blessing; I had pulled a fortune type I had never seen — curse, then great blessing.
The meaning was probably bad first, then great, but I couldn’t tell if I should be happy. How bad would the curse be?
“Riona, what’d you get?”
“Dai-daikichi.”
“That’s above daikichi, right? Amazing.”
“Never heard of dai-daikichi either.”
Riona, evidently pleased with her result, wore a faint smug glow.